Countless water droplets suspended in mid-air, each refracting an extremely brilliant radiance under the glow of spiritual energy.
At a glance, it was as if one were in a dream, an indescribable beauty and shock.
But within this magnificent colorful light, it concealed a killing intent capable of severely wounding, even annihilating, existences of the Three Realms!
Ji Yuan gazed at the myriad water droplets surrounding him, the brilliant light reflected in his eyes, and his expression suddenly changed.
Without hesitation, he formed hand seals. The Xuan Tian Soul Devouring Pagoda above his head spun, then immediately expanded several times, directly descending to engulf him within its body.
In the next moment, streaks of rosy light shot out, hundreds, even thousands of them, all striking the Xuan Tian Soul Devouring Pagoda. The pure light, which a Three Realm cultivator's furious strike could not even shake, began to flicker unsteadily.
Within the slightly translucent pagoda, Ji Yuan’s face was solemn as he watched the rosy light showering down. The spiritual energy in his body flowed out ceaselessly.
He even took out several pills and swallowed them without the slightest pause, while resisting the onslaught of rosy light, he did his best to recover his spiritual energy.
These rosy lights, though beautiful and dazzling, each possessed the power to obliterate a cultivator of the early Second Realm. Dozens of them striking simultaneously would be difficult for even a late Second Realm cultivator to withstand.
Now, with hundreds, even thousands of rosy lights descending together, even the Xuan Tian Soul Devouring Pagoda, renowned for its defensive capabilities, was trembling, emitting sounds like the reverberation of bronze bells.
"Soul Devouring Power... activate!"
Ji Yuan whispered inwardly, his eyes bursting with dazzling brilliance.
In the blink of an eye, the Xuan Tian Soul Devouring Pagoda enveloping him began to rotate slowly, stirring up waves of pure light.
Many of the countless rosy lights that descended were devoured by a powerful suction, eventually transforming into pure spiritual energy, which was then used to restore his own spiritual energy and enable the pagoda to unleash more pure light.
From a surprise attack gaining the upper hand to a battle of attrition, everything unfolded within thirty to forty breaths.
The middle-aged man was clearly fighting with all his might. While the power of such a technique was immense, its consumption of his own energy must have been significant. Even with his Three Realm cultivation, he could not sustain it for long.
As expected, after the initial fierce assault, the number of rosy lights diminished by nearly half. Though still powerful, the pressure they exerted was no longer as intense.
However, Ji Yuan's situation was also precarious. If he continued to hold on like this, even with his Soul Devouring Power and a steady supply of pills to replenish his depleted spiritual energy, his recovery could not keep pace with his consumption.
If this continued for a prolonged period, one of them would inevitably be defeated and perish due to exhaustion of spiritual energy.
Yet, by all accounts, Ji Yuan's chances of such an outcome were significantly lower.
The gap between the Second and Third Realms might seem small, but it was akin to the difference between the bottom of a valley and the peak of a mountain. Even after a recent breakthrough, the sheer depth of his spiritual energy was more than ten times that of an ordinary Second Realm cultivator.
In the blink of an eye, half an incense stick's worth of time passed. Under such intense consumption, Ji Yuan's aura had significantly weakened, and his spiritual energy was reduced to only one or two tenths.
The Xuan Tian Soul Devouring Pagoda protecting him had become dim, its unleashed pure light far less potent than before.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man immediately intensified his attack, disregarding the excessive depletion of his vital energy, making the rosy light even more potent, as if aiming to defeat his opponent in one decisive blow.
But at this very moment, a solemn murmur resounded through heaven and earth.
Endless divine light cascaded down, the murmurs echoing through the heavens and earth, as if a deity were whispering, carrying an ancient and vast aura that permeated all directions.
In the Lin Fu River, Ji Yuan's divine avatar stood before its source, purifying the last vestiges of resentment, thereby gaining complete control over the river's origin.
He had completely mastered the authority of the River God, earning the recognition of this realm. Countless insights into the Great Dao flooded his mind, and the principles contained within the origin were directly imprinted upon his soul.
Ji Yuan was like a divinely born being, comprehending the complete principles of the Lin Fu River's origin in an instant, able to unleash them with a mere thought and integrate them into his divine abilities.
In the next moment, his entire being was enveloped in radiant divine light, and he ascended from the riverbed. In a short while, he burst through the surface.
Amidst a spray of water, a massive black python broke through, its body, bathed in divine light, devoid of demonic energy, now pulsed with the fluctuations of divine power.
It raised its colossal head, cradling it beneath Ji Yuan's feet. Its massive body trembled slightly, causing dozens of water columns to rise from the river's surface, steadily supporting it in mid-air.
"All water elements within this domain are under my command!"
The divine avatar uttered a murmur. Everything related to water in heaven and earth seemed to respond, immediately emitting a gentle halo.
This included the countless water droplets formed by the middle-aged man's technique!
Ji Yuan's eyes blazed with divine light. Wherever his gaze fell, countless water droplets converged, forcibly revealing the middle-aged man's true form.
Then, with a turn of his wrist, the scepter symbolizing the River God's authority, a cascade of light descended, causing all the water droplets in the heavens and earth to fall back into the river.
The radiant rosy light vanished, leaving behind a pale-faced middle-aged man. He intended to retreat, but the pain emanating from his soul prevented him from doing so.
The middle-aged man let out a bitter smile, knowing he had no chance of victory. Unable to escape this place, his only remaining option was mutual destruction.
Recalling his life of over a hundred and fifty years, boundless bitterness welled up in his heart.
He opened his mouth and let out a long cry, mobilizing all the remaining spiritual energy within him. His physical body began to collapse under a secret technique, thereby unleashing even greater power.
However, before he could act, a vivid blood flower bloomed at his brow. The expression in his eyes rapidly dimmed, and the life force within him was extinguished in an instant.
The surging spiritual energy abruptly condensed, from its explosive, self-destructive state, and like a broken riverbank, poured out of his lifeless body, returning to heaven and earth.
The middle-aged man's corpse plummeted from the sky. Just as it was about to strike the river surface, a stream of water slowly rose, supporting it steadily.
"What do you think I was waiting for?"
Ji Yuan's main body descended from the sky, the Xuan Tian Soul Devouring Pagoda above his head emitting pure light, supporting his body as he hovered in mid-air.
Beside him, a white jade flying sword danced joyfully for a while before disappearing into his brow, returning to the Sword Qi Lake in his purple mansion to continue its nourishment.
At the same time, the divine avatar, standing atop the giant python, slowly approached the main body.
He glanced at the fallen middle-aged man, then said with an expressionless face, "I was waiting for the moment of ultimate success."
Once this body achieved success, he would obtain the origin power of the Lin Fu River. Coupled with his original early Three Realm cultivation, he would possess the power of a mid-stage Three Realm cultivator within this river's territory.
Without any external assistance, the divine avatar could have single-handedly and effortlessly slain the middle-aged man who had just broken through to the Three Realms.
Not to mention the presence of the main body, whose potent killing power was capable of threatening Three Realm existences, ensuring an absolutely foolproof situation.
This was not the first time he had faced a Three Realm cultivator, but it was the first time he had directly confronted one head-on. He couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.
Subsequently, Ji Yuan collected the middle-aged man's belongings and, under the protection of the Xuan Tian Soul Devouring Pagoda, transformed into a stream of light and departed, his aerial speed now not much slower than that of a Three Realm cultivator.
After the main body departed, the divine avatar lowered his head and looked at the giant python beneath his feet.