252: Dragon Soul Battle

The air in the valley instantly solidified with the appearance of the grey-robed man. The pressure of a Half-Saint Peak Realm spread out without restraint, like an invisible tide, impacting the space where Li Ao and the two women were. The oppressive feeling was many times stronger than what Hun You, the Hall of Souls Dou Saint, had brought earlier!

Medusa and Xiao Yi Xian's expressions changed instantly, their energies instinctively circulating as they prepared for battle. This grey-robed man was definitely the strongest enemy they had faced so far!

Li Ao's eyes narrowed slightly. He calmly put away the jade bottle containing the Void Dragon Soul and met the grey-robed man's gaze calmly: "An explanation? Heavenly treasures are obtained by those with fate. This Dragon Soul was saved by me, so it naturally belongs to me. Your Excellency, hiding your head and tail, only appearing now to snatch the spoils, don't you find it ridiculous?"

His tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable firmness. Even facing a Half-Saint Peak, he showed no fear. Having just broken through to Half-Saint, and with the Nirvana Hegemon Body's third stage reaching Perfection, he needed a hearty battle to thoroughly solidify his Realm and become familiar with his power.

"Sharp-tongued." A hoarse sneer came from beneath the grey robe. The space around him twisted slightly, making his face even more blurred. "This Venerable, Void Venerable, has tracked this Dragon Soul for nearly a hundred years, set up a summoning Formation, and expended countless efforts. How can it be lightly dismissed by your 'obtained by those with fate'? Hand over the Dragon Soul, and this Venerable might, for the sake of the Medicine Clan, spare your lives."

He actually revealed Li Ao's connection with the Medicine Clan, clearly not having been lurking all along, but having already noticed Li Ao and the others' movements, and even possibly having some understanding of Li Ao's deeds in the Medicine Clan.

"Void Venerable?" Information about Central Plains powerhouses flashed through Li Ao's mind, but he couldn't find a corresponding name. It seemed he was an old monster who had been living in seclusion. A cold arc appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Spare our lives? Just with you?"

Before his words even finished, Li Ao moved!

He knew that verbal sparring with such a powerhouse was meaningless; only strength was the hard truth! He chose to — strike first!

"Boom!"

Li Ao's figure vanished from his spot. The next instant, he appeared directly above the Void Venerable! He didn't use silent ruin, but instead pushed his Nirvana Hegemon Body and Guixu Sacred Power to their limits. His right fist clenched, the restrained dark golden glow and grey Dao patterns under his skin flashed, and he unleashed a punch!

It was a simple, unadorned punch, yet it condensed all the power of a Half-Saint Physical Body and the "erasure" true meaning of the Guixu Great Dao! Wherever the fist passed, space shattered inch by inch like fragile glass, leaving a clear black trajectory directly aimed at the Void Venerable's skull!

"Hmm? Such a strong Physical Body! Such a strange Fist Intent!" The Void Venerable let out a soft exclamation, clearly surprised by Li Ao's thunderous punch. But he was, after all, a Half-Saint Peak powerhouse, reacting as quickly as a ghost.

He did not meet the blow head-on, but rather, his figure, like an insubstantial phantom, flickered slightly and merged into the surrounding spatial fluctuations, causing Li Ao's killing blow to miss.

"Spatial Mirror Image? No, it's a more profound Void Evasion Technique!" Li Ao's punch missed, and he immediately understood. This person's attainment in the Dao of Space was extremely profound.

"Junior, you have some skill, but it's not enough!" The Void Venerable's voice came from all directions, elusive. Immediately after, countless condensed spatial blades, like a torrential rain, slashed at Li Ao from various tricky angles. Each one was enough to easily tear through the defenses of an ordinary Half-Saint.

Li Ao's figure flickered rapidly in the air, his fists swinging out afterimages, smashing the incoming spatial blades one by one. His Hegemon Body was powerful, making it difficult for these attacks to fundamentally harm him, but they greatly restricted his movements.

"Li Ao, watch out for his spatial lockdown!" Medusa's cold voice came. She and Xiao Yi Xian did not rashly join the battle, but instead guarded the flank vigilantly, preparing for the Void Venerable's other methods, while also looking for an opportunity to strike. They knew that in a battle of this level, rash intervention might only become a burden to Li Ao.

"Guixu — Interdict!"

Li Ao let out a low roar, and the Guixu Domain expanded violently with him as the center! The invisible "erasure" power acted upon the spatial rules themselves, causing the surrounding turbulent spatial fluctuations to calm down by more than half instantly, and the power of those elusive spatial blades also sharply decreased.

"Oh? It can even affect spatial rules?" The Void Venerable was surprised again. His figure solidified in a Void Realm, and his gaze towards Li Ao finally carried a hint of solemnity. "What Cultivation Technique are you Cultivating, exactly?"

Li Ao did not answer, his Battle Intent growing even stronger. He stepped on the Void Realm, lotus flowers blooming with each step. With each step he took, ripples spread through the stabilized space, and he actively approached the Void Venerable. He wanted to use this Half-Saint Peak powerhouse to thoroughly temper himself!

"Nirvana — Finger!"

His fingers pressed together like a blade, and a grey finger beam, condensed to its extreme, pierced through the Void Realm. Wherever the finger beam passed, all things withered, rules retreated, pointing directly at the Void Venerable's heart!

The Void Venerable no longer dared to be arrogant. His withered hand stretched out from his grey robe. In his palm, a miniature starry sky seemed to be contained, with countless spatial runes flowing.

"Great Void Palm!"

A palm strike was unleashed, the palm print growing against the wind, as if encompassing heaven and earth, wanting to crush Li Ao along with that finger beam within the starry sky in his palm!

"Boom —!!!"

The grey finger beam and the starry sky palm print collided violently!

This time, an earth-shattering roar erupted! A terrifying energy storm swept through the entire valley, leveling all remaining rocks and vegetation! Medusa and Xiao Yi Xian had no choice but to jointly set up a defense to barely withstand the aftermath of the impact.

At the center of the energy, Li Ao's figure trembled violently, sliding back a hundred zhang. His throat felt sweet, but he forcefully suppressed it. And the Void Venerable's figure also swayed, the spatial ripples around him fluctuating violently. A corner of his grey robe was actually silently erased by the scattered Guixu power, revealing his withered, stick-like wrist beneath.

He, in a head-on confrontation, was actually subtly at a disadvantage against a junior who had just entered the Half-Saint Realm?! Although the other party also suffered some shock, this result completely exceeded his expectations!

"Good! Good! Good!" The Void Venerable laughed instead of getting angry, saying "good" three times in a row, but his laughter was filled with icy killing intent. "This Venerable underestimated you! It seems that without using my true abilities, I won't be able to take down you, junior!"

His aura surged again. The grey robe moved without wind, and a Domain power far more terrifying than before, as if capable of controlling life and death in a Void Realm, slowly began to descend.

"To force this Venerable to use the Void Domain, you are worthy of pride!"

The true decisive battle was only just beginning. Could Li Ao endure under the Half-Saint Peak's "Void Domain," and even... emerge victorious?