281: A draw; reactions from all sides.

Seizing this moment, Chen Yuan cupped his hands in the air, merging all the plundered immortal power into his sword, and slashed at the white orb of light launched by Haotian.

"Break."

The orb of light and the sword beam vanished simultaneously, leaving behind only a completely shattered firmament and slowly drifting chaotic dust.

Haotian stood in the Void Realm, his imperial robe tattered.

Blood seeped from the corner of Chen Yuan's mouth, and the Formation patterns surrounding him flickered erratically.

The two stared at each other across the distance, their Killing Intent clashing like physical objects.

A draw.

But Chen Yuan looked at the Emotion Points still frantically ticking up on the System panel; in just this short while, they had increased by another 30 trillion.

In the end, he couldn't help himself as the corners of his mouth curled up again... Three days and three nights passed.

The sky of the Eastern Desolation had never been so bright.

The Void Realm was like a piece of tattered cloth that had been repeatedly torn and barely stitched back together, with cracks stretching for ten thousand miles.

The violent turbulence of immortal power turned into an unceasing storm, sweeping across the lands, causing rivers to flow backward and mountains to shift.

In the central battlefield, two figures had been locked in a fierce battle for three days.

Every collision between the halberd light and the sword beam was like two stars crashing into each other, the sound shaking the universe.

Of the nine Dragon patterns on Haotian's imperial robe, three had grown dim, and a fine crack appeared on his golden crown.

The light of the "Grand Array of Stealing the Dao of the Heavens" surrounding Chen Yuan flowed endlessly. The immortal power of the Eastern Desolation forcibly plundered along with the energy dissipated on the battlefield supported him in standing his ground against this veteran Emperor Venerable.

It was still a draw.

Whether it was Haotian's Dao Yang Halberd Technique that could incinerate the Nine Heavens, or Chen Yuan's unpredictable Formation variations that occasionally reversed to extract the opponent's Origin, neither could completely overwhelm the other.

The many powerhouses accompanying the Heavenly Palace had gone from boiling Killing Intent at the start to being pale with shock, and finally to their current state of numbness and deep fear.

The fourth-ranked Heavenly Punishment Deacon, holding a thunder seal, looked at the two blurred figures in the center of the battlefield with a pale face, his voice dry:

"Three days... The Emperor Venerable... actually cannot take down this person?"

"More than just not being able to take him down?"

The fifth-ranked Sky-Patrol Chief gave a bitter smile; his robes were stained with blood from a Dao wound left by the grazing aftershock of a Sword Qi.

"If we hadn't formed a Formation to protect ourselves, the mere aftershocks of this battle would have been enough to severely injure or even kill us.

This Chen Yuan... just what kind of monster is he, and where did he come from?"

The thirty-odd of them, the weakest being at the Late Stage of the Eternal Realm, could only huddle within the defensive Formation they had jointly set up, watching a battle that transcended the bounds of reason, without even the qualification to intervene.

Every burst of energy caused the Formation to shake violently, as if it would shatter at any moment.

On Dongxuan Peak.

The mountain-protecting Formation had long been activated to its limit, its light screen flickering.

The Former Sect Master, Grand Elder, and other high-ranking officials, along with countless Disciples, were initially worried, then shocked, and by now, they felt a sense of fanatical worship and pride.

"The Hall Master... really fought with Emperor Venerable Haotian... for three days and three nights?"

A young Disciple murmured, his eyes reflecting the destructive yet magnificent scene in the sky.

"More than just fighting for three days and three nights!"

An Elder's beard trembled with excitement,

"Look at those people from the Heavenly Palace; they can only set up a Formation to protect themselves! Our Hall Master is fighting the entire top combat power of the Heavenly Palace single-handedly and remains undefeated! Even with Haotian himself here, he cannot harm the Hall Master in the slightest!"

Qi Wuya had long since recovered from his initial state of collapse. Standing in the plaza before the hall and gazing at the sky, his mind was still violently shaken.

Hall Master Chen has actually fought Haotian to this extent!

"Could it be that the Hall Master really is the Reincarnation of a mighty figure from the Upper Realm?" This thought grew wildly in his mind.

However, no matter how he used his Heavenly Secret Art, he still couldn't probe into Chen Yuan's Karma.

Doomsday Dao Court,

On an altar sat a figure shrouded in a black robe.

A water mirror floated before him, showing the earth-shaking battle scene in the Eastern Desolation.

"Chen... Yuan?"

A low, raspy voice sounded; it had taken him a long while to recall this name.

"He's actually still alive? And he's become strong to this extent?"

Since the mark had been erased, they thought Chen Yuan was already dead.

Another old voice sounded from the shadows, "Reincarnation? Possession?"

"Regardless, he didn't die and has even come into his own, fighting that old fellow Haotian on equal terms."

The figure within the doomsday aura spoke with a heavy tone, "This child has become a variable. I hope he won't ruin the resurrection plan."

...Northern Continent Yao Court, Ten Thousand Yao Heavenly Palace.

On a towering bronze throne, a majestic man clad in a robe with ten thousand Yao totems was staring at an image being continuously transmitted to his hand.

He was the current Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, who ruled over hundreds of billions of the Yao Race.

In the image, the Crimson Firmament sword light and the dark-gold imperial halberd collided fiercely, causing space to crack.

"Chen Yuan, Master of the Eastern Profound Hall."

The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons murmured the name, a sharp light flashing in his golden vertical pupils.

Below, a Yao had already presented the organized intelligence.

He scanned it quickly, and when he saw that Chen Yuan had been treated as an abandoned pawn by the Heavenly Palace and nearly died, a meaningful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"So that's how it is. No wonder he is locked in a life-and-death struggle with Haotian."

As his fingertip brushed over the record of Star Glass, the daughter of the Demon Star Empire's emperor, being taken away by him, the light in his eyes grew even brighter.

"That girl Star Glass... is actually in his hands. There seemed to be some unusual movements from the Demon Star Empire side a few years ago."

The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons pondered for a moment, then looked down at an eerie woman with an ethereal aura who seemed to blend into the shadows.

"Shadow Fox, go to the edge of the Eastern Desolation yourself. Do not intervene; just observe. If there is an opportunity, convey the goodwill of my Yao Race to this Hall Master Chen. The enemy of an enemy can be an ally."

"By your command, my Lord." The shadows rippled, and the woman's figure quietly dissipated.

The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons looked at the light screen before him, a trace of worry creeping into his heart.

"The Dao Court is already powerless to stop it!"

...Eastern Desolation battlefield, dusk of the third day.

After another earth-shaking clash, the two separated by a thousand miles once more, confronting each other from a distance.

Haotian's face was so gloomy it looked as if it could drip water.

In three days of fierce fighting, he had used all his methods, yet he still couldn't break through Chen Yuan's defense.

He could feel that although Chen Yuan's aura was maintained at a high level through the Formation, his consumption was equally massive; yet, he simply showed no signs of true defeat.

What made his heart palpitate even more was that he couldn't see the slightest panic of exhaustion in the other's eyes.

He was even smiling.

Was he enjoying this battle? Or was he mocking his incompetence?

And what truly made Haotian consider retreating was that the time had dragged on for too long.

Three days and three nights were enough for those two old foxes, the Doomsday Dao Court and the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, to receive the news and react.

He had been fighting a bitter battle with Chen Yuan, consuming a huge amount of energy, and was no longer in his peak state.

If those two parties were to take advantage of his weakness, even if the Heavenly Palace still had its hidden reserves, it would inevitably suffer heavy losses or even have its Foundation shaken.

"Chen Yuan," Haotian's voice was cold, suppressing his boiling Killing Intent. "This deity admits to having underestimated you. You are qualified to have this deity remember your name."

Chen Yuan stood with his sword, the Crimson Firmament humming, as the Five Elements Laws transformed into the Great Dao within the Void Realm.

He was actually secretly regulating his breath; although the Grand Array of Stealing the Dao of the Heavens had no side effects, the burden of fighting for three days with intense mental concentration was not small.

Hearing Haotian's words, he merely raised an eyebrow without saying a word, but that calm gaze was more provocative than any speech.