168: First battle at the stellar level!

In the Blade Hell Corridor, a new star quietly rose.

Unfortunately, no one knew, only Chen Fan himself.

At this moment, Chen Fan, nimble with his hands and feet, had already put away the reward from the ninth floor.

With a pile of treasures in his pocket, Chen Fan's mood instantly brightened, and he even felt like humming a tune.

However, his enthusiasm was dampened by the impending tenth floor of the Blade Hell.

The ninth floor was guarded by ten Planetary Level Rank Nine puppet warriors.

So, who would be the opponent on the tenth floor?

The answer was obvious.

The tenth floor of Blade Hell.

Chen Fan stood quietly outside the trial area, with no immediate intention of entering.

At this moment, a thirty-meter radius around Chen Fan was enveloped by a vast Yin-Yang Domain.

This Blade Dao domain could expand or contract according to Chen Fan's will.

However, a thirty-meter radius was Chen Fan's current limit.

Beyond this limit, the power of the Yin-Yang Domain would continuously decrease.

And this vast domain, integrated with Spiritual power, could also control all weapons like blades and swords to slay enemies.

Within Chen Fan's domain, thirty long, narrow ice hell Battle Blades danced, their sharp, cold gleam intimidating all around.

Not only that, behind Chen Fan, arcs of Blade Dao light were neatly aligned.

They encircled Chen Fan, ready to attack or defend!

The display of his Blade Body and Yin-Yang Domain clearly showed Chen Fan's excellent condition.

His momentum was unprecedented!

Standing before the tenth floor of Blade Hell, Chen Fan's expression was calm as he pondered inwardly—

The tenth floor of Blade Hell... is not only the culmination of the first to ninth floors,

It also represents a watershed in strength—Planetary Level and Astral Rank.

A single word difference, yet the power level changes exponentially.

From the tenth floor of Blade Hell upwards, Chen Fan would face terrifying puppets of Astral Rank and above.

But he showed no fear.

"Now, it's time to truly witness my strength!"

With that, Chen Fan stepped directly into the tenth floor of the Blade Hell Corridor.

As Chen Fan stepped in, gray mist swirled, though not as vast as before.

When the gray mist dispersed, Chen Fan's pupils slightly contracted as he saw his opponent.

Unexpectedly, there were no Minotaur Puppets, which usually appeared in units of ten, in the tenth-floor corridor.

Instead, there was only a tall, humanoid Blue-Armored Puppet waiting for Chen Fan.

However, though this puppet warrior's aura was not apparent,

His mere silent presence brought immense pressure upon Chen Fan.

Astral Rank One!

Facing an opponent far superior to himself, Chen Fan did not hesitate, choosing to strike first!

"Come on!!"

With a wave of his hand, Chen Fan gripped an ice hell Battle Blade in each hand, while his Yin-Yang Domain began to surge.

Whoosh!!

The Blue-Armored Puppet remained silent, a black-toothed greatsword appearing in his hand.

Thump thump thump!!

He walked towards Chen Fan, step by step, unhurried yet with heavy footsteps that echoed through the space.

Each step felt as if it landed on the folds of Chen Fan's heart, and his aura grew increasingly powerful.

It was as if he was the sole sovereign of this corridor, to whom everyone must submit.

"Such formidable Blade Dao!"

Chen Fan's expression subtly changed, becoming solemn.

Even without making a move, the Blade Dao aura emanating from the Blue-Armored Puppet made Chen Fan feel a significant threat.

"Today, let me test an Astral Rank expert!!"

"Mountain-Splitting Style!"

Chen Fan moved!

The ice hell Battle Blades in his hands and his Yin-Yang Domain instantly erupted, Chen Fan's Blade Dao intent enveloping the Blue-Armored Puppet.

Brilliant Blade Dao light burst forth in the corridor, dazzling and fierce.

Then, a terrifying Blade Dao intent, surging like giant waves, rose from Chen Fan's body, pointing directly at the puppet.

Chen Fan was building momentum, he wanted to kill in one strike!!

At the same time, with a thought, all the Blade Dao light nurtured by the Blade Qi ocean instantly erupted, pouring out en masse.

They enveloped the Blue-Armored Puppet like a cage.

It was exactly the same tactic used against the Planetary Level Rank Nine Minotaur Puppets!

Meanwhile, within the Yin-Yang Domain, water and fire attribute gene original energy intertwined to form a terrifying net.

Now, these Blade Dao intents, capable of easily killing Planetary Level Rank One opponents, were mobilized by Chen Fan to hinder his opponent.

"Indestructible Vajra!"

This was still not enough; with a thought, Chen Fan immediately integrated his metal attribute gene original energy into his muscles and skin.

In an instant, Chen Fan felt his skin strengthen several times over.

Everything was ready for a full-force battle!

Facing this Astral Rank One Blue-Armored Puppet, Chen Fan unleashed an unprecedented and terrifying fighting spirit.

He wanted to test where his limits truly lay.

If Planetary Level peak wasn't enough, he would test himself against Astral Rank.

"Rumble!"

A sonic boom suddenly echoed in the corridor, as a black sword light tore through the Blade Qi enveloping it, like a falling black moon, powerfully and heavily striking Chen Fan's Yin-Yang Domain.

With a single strike, all blockades and obstructions shattered.

Chen Fan was forced to confront this Astral Rank puppet head-on.

Darkness descended, accompanied by intense killing intent; in an instant, the Blue-Armored Puppet was upon him.

"Kai Shan (Mountain Splitting) Style, explode!!"

At this moment, Chen Fan, who had been building momentum, brought down his ice hell Battle Blade heavily, clashing fiercely with the black greatsword.

Rumble!!

Terrifying aftershocks swept out, and Chen Fan was forced back repeatedly by the power of that single strike.

Each step left an ankle-deep imprint on the ground.

Similarly, the Blue-Armored Puppet was also forced back several steps in the clash.

"Astral Rank, quite formidable!"

Chen Fan was somewhat shocked; the Kai Shan (Mountain Splitting) Style, with its ninefold combat power amplification, actually fought the Astral Rank puppet to a draw.

He was slightly weaker.

In their first exchange, Chen Fan also gauged the Blue-Armored Puppet's strength.

But his fighting spirit was fully ignited; within his dantian, strands of gene original energy were frantically mobilized, surging throughout Chen Fan's body.

Train soldiers for a thousand days, use them for a single battle!

At the same time, Chen Fan's entire body emitted a peculiar attractive force.

This terrifying power, appearing out of nowhere, frantically tore and devoured the cosmic energy of this space, continuously filling Chen Fan's body and making it his own.

This is... the Nine Source Cultivation Method!?

Chen Fan's heart trembled; he felt the metal and water-fire attribute gene original energy within him being fed back through the continuously absorbed cosmic energy.

This efficiency of absorbing cosmic energy was several times greater than before.

Clang!!

Feeling the drastic changes in his body, Chen Fan rejoiced; he threw away one Battle Blade, gripping the ice hell Battle Blade with both hands, adopting a desperate stance.

"Kill!"

The Blue-Armored Puppet took another step, covering a hundred zhang in an instant, his ghost-head greatsword cleaving down from above, its Blade Dao light fierce and unstoppable!!

Whoosh!!

The Yin-Yang Domain and Blade Qi contracted, preparing to disrupt the opponent's greatsword.

But the nascent Yin-Yang Domain couldn't even withstand an Astral Rank strike.

In contrast, the Blade Dao light nurtured by the Blade Qi ocean only slightly hindered the Blue-Armored Puppet's movements, nothing more.

The Blue-Armored Puppet's attacks grew increasingly fierce and sharp, and Chen Fan could only barely maintain the situation by fighting with all his might.

Amidst the intense battle, Chen Fan was also contemplating countermeasures.

He certainly couldn't just sit there and wait for death!!

...PS: There will be one more update during the day, before 12 PM tomorrow.

In May, we will enter the next volume, [Deep Space Voyage], so the plot needs to accelerate.