Your Spell Version is Too Low!

"Of all the times..."

Hearing the warning from God of Wealth Cai Shen, Qi Yun, who was in the middle of guiding his Dao Foundation’s ascent and solidifying his Realm Heaven, frowned deeply.

A mixture of alarm and dread surged from the depths of his heart.

’Could it be that some petty villain, just like the Black Mountain Master back then, is trying to secretly cast a spell to harm me during this critical moment of my breakthrough?’

’Did the enemies from the Northwest find out?’

’Or have I not completely shaken off the Southern True Monarch’s tracking?’

The birth of this thought was like a stone tossed into his Heart Lake, sending ripples spreading in all directions.

His Heart and Spirit, which had been immersed in the wonder of his breakthrough and as still as an ancient well, inevitably wavered with a trace of doubt.

Driven by his wavering Heart and Spirit, the [Daluo Heaven] Dao Foundation, which was slowly ascending and merging with the nascent Realm Heaven, also trembled slightly.

Unstable ripples appeared at the edges of his expanding Chaos Realm Heaven, and the orbits of the sun, moon, and stars within it fell into momentary disarray!

"Kid! Focus your mind, calm your spirit, and do not entertain stray thoughts!" the steady voice of the God of Wealth boomed like thunder in his Sea of Consciousness.

"You have a [Venerable Dao Foundation]!

Every advancement is bound to stir the qi mechanisms of Heaven and Earth, inviting trials and tribulations!

This is the principle of balance in the Celestial Dao, and it is a tribulation fated for the path of a Venerable!

Prying from external enemies is a tribulation, and the birth of a Heart Demon from within is also a tribulation!

If you fall into disarray and collapse before the fight even begins, that is the true path to ruin!"

That sharp reprimand was like a sudden enlightenment, instantly pulling Qi Yun back from the brink of alarm and self-doubt!

’That was close! I almost let my doubts and fears summon a Heart Demon and interfere with my breakthrough!’ A chill ran down Qi Yun’s spine as cold sweat broke out on his back.

He immediately cast aside all distracting thoughts, and his Dao Heart became as firm as a rock once more.

The roiling, shaking Dao Foundation and Realm Heaven quickly stabilized, continuing their process of ascent and solidification.

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior!" Qi Yun said in a low voice.

His eyes were still tightly shut, maintaining his breakthrough posture, but his free left hand shot up like lightning. His five fingers spread, and his palm aimed at the thousand-zhang Ink Flood Dragon to his side!

"Decree!"

Qi Yun spat out an ancient syllable, and a brilliant Cyan Gold light erupted from his left palm!

[Venerable Divine Techniques—Daluo Decree]

At the same time, deep within Qi Yun’s Sea of Consciousness, the simple and unadorned Magic Technique Panel appeared with a RUMBLE.

On the panel, the line of text representing the [Ink Flood Dragon] flashed rapidly.

The progress bar following it was pushed forward, filled, and broke through its limit at an unprecedented speed!

[Magic technique auto-update complete. This is a minor version update. The magic technique’s effects have been adjusted as follows.]

[Ink Flood Dragon 2.0: New counter-attack mechanism! Can follow the causal backlash to strike back at the caster of the divination!]

The moment the update was complete, two baleful red glows suddenly lit up in the eyes of the thousand-zhang Ink Flood Dragon.

Its massive head shot up, its grayish-white forked tongue flicking rapidly, locking onto the "Cause and Effect Threads" and "divination power" in the unseen world that were trying to pierce the barrier and spy on this location!

The next moment, the Ink Flood Dragon let out a silent roar as its massive body suddenly collapsed inward and condensed.

"Go!" Qi Yun’s Heart Thought commanded.

The Ink Flood Dragon directly "melted" into the void, following that invisible causal thread. It defied the logic of time and space, surging upstream to trace the connection back to its source!

...

「Nanyin Imperial Capital, Astronomical Observatory’s Observatory Platform.」

The Supervisor was just about to try a different method to divine Qi Yun’s location with greater detail and accuracy.

The light from the massive Primordial Heaven Star Disc before him had not yet fully faded, and the network of cause and effect on its surface was still slowly settling down.

At this very moment, a sudden change occurred!

In the center of the Primordial Heaven Star Disc, an extreme point of inky blackness that represented the divination target’s location—like a drop of thick ink falling into clear water—suddenly shot backward along the causal feedback line that represented the Supervisor’s own divination power, which had not yet completely disconnected.

Its speed was beyond imagination!

"What?!" The Supervisor’s pupils shrank. He felt a terrifying power—cold, deathly still, and filled with an intent to devour and destroy—surging back at him through the connection of his own magic.

He wanted to sever the connection, but he was a fraction too slow!

"HISS—!"

A serpent’s hiss from the depths of the Nine Netherworld echoed directly in the depths of the Supervisor’s Divine Soul.

The black figure had already crossed the void and, before he could react, viciously "bit" into the core of his divination magic.

And it surged upward, going straight for his Divine Soul!

"Ngh!" The Supervisor let out a muffled grunt as dark golden blood trickled from his seven orifices simultaneously.

His face instantly became as pale as gold foil, and his aura weakened at a visible rate. His Divine Soul had clearly suffered a serious injury.

Furthermore, a cold, deathly Daoist Intent clung to him, continuously eroding his life force and the circulation of his Magical Power.

"Hm?"

Noticing something amiss, the Crown Prince of Nanyin’s gaze shifted slightly. He had already raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers and snatching at the air!

Emperor Dao Prison Suppression!

From the Crown Prince’s palm, a vast, light-golden Emperor Dragon Qi, mixed with his unique and domineering Venerable Qi Mechanism of Creation, surged forth. It formed the incorporeal image of an incredibly solid, light-golden dragon claw.

On the dragon claw, the scales were distinct, and its five talons were like hooks. Purple-qi patterns representing Nanyin’s National Fortune flowed across it, exuding a supreme majesty that could rule over lands and suppress the Ten Thousand Laws!

The incorporeal dragon claw ignored space, precisely seizing the Ink Flood Dragon that was trying to escape.

BUZZ!

The Ink Flood Dragon struggled and thrashed madly within the dragon claw, its corrosive power slightly dimming the light-golden halo on the claw’s surface.

A flash of surprise passed through the Crown Prince’s eyes, followed by a soft chuckle as he increased his Magical Power output.

The dragon claw suddenly tightened. The brilliant golden light of the Emperor Dao and the Venerable Qi Mechanism became like the flames of a forge, forcefully performing Refinement and suppressing the Ink Flood Dragon’s rebellious power.

"A little snake still thinks it can struggle..."

With a Heart Thought, the Crown Prince planned to use the connection between the Ink Flood Dragon’s counter-attack and his own cause and effect to cast a Great Divine Technique in reverse.

He would not only suppress the counter-attack but also use it as a springboard to find the caster’s location.

In an instant, the Emperor Dragon Qi and Venerable Qi Mechanism around him boiled to their peak. Behind him, a magnificent, illusory scene of towering palaces and beautiful rivers and mountains faintly appeared.

The will of creation over all things and dominion over the eight directions contained within it was already world-shaking!

"Break the void to see the truth, with cause and effect as the bridge!"

The Crown Prince shouted softly, and the light-golden dragon claw gripping the Ink Flood Dragon suddenly yanked at the void.

It was as if he had grabbed an invisible rope and was about to forcibly drag the being on the other end over!

...

"CRACK—!!"

「Huangli Island, mountain-belly cavern.」

Qi Yun was fully focused on his breakthrough when he suddenly felt the connection to his Ink Flood Dragon’s counter-attack being forcibly seized and pulled by an unimaginably domineering power.

Furthermore, a glorious, incomparably noble, yet coldly scrutinizing will was surging toward him along this reverse-strengthened causal connection like a flood bursting through a dam.

The void in front of him twisted violently and tore apart without any warning!

A void portal, its edges flowing with light-golden and purple-qi radiance, was forcibly pried open!

From within the portal, a figure solidified from illusion and stepped out!

The newcomer had not arrived in person but was a projection condensed from immense will, Emperor Dragon Qi, and a Venerable Qi Mechanism.

The moment this projection appeared—

BOOM—!!!

Around Qi Yun, the chaotic [Daluo Celestial Realm Heaven], which had already expanded to a thirty-zhang radius and was becoming stable, spontaneously erupted with a world-shaking roar.

The chaotic airflow spun madly, the sun, moon, and stars accelerated their orbits, earth, water, fire, and wind roared, and a vast Dao Rhyme—encompassing the Ten Thousand Laws, supreme over all Daos, venerable and noble—soared into the sky.

And the Venerable Qi Mechanism brought by the Crown Prince’s projection manifested and expanded, showing no weakness.

Although it was not as solid as Qi Yun’s Realm Heaven, it appeared even more magnificent and righteous, containing within it images of mountains, rivers, altars of state, civilization, and rites. The intent of Creation and dominion permeated it!

Two terrifying qi mechanisms and Realm Heaven Domains—vastly different in nature, yet both standing at the absolute peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm and representing different "Venerable" paths—collided violently in the small mountain-belly cavern!

There was no physical contact, only a collision of qi mechanisms and Daoist Intent!

"TZZZZ—!!"

[Daluo Myriad Skills] vs [Emperor’s Extreme Creation]

In the void between the two of them, the light completely twisted and was Broken, presenting a grotesque Chaos Color. Tiny spatial cracks appeared and vanished endlessly.

The incomparably sturdy rock walls of the cavern, under the crushing pressure of these two Venerable Qi Mechanisms, silently turned into the finest dust.

Qi Yun’s seated body swayed slightly, his face pale, but his gaze was like lightning as he stared fixedly at the uninvited guest before him.

He was in the critical period of his breakthrough, with most of his power dedicated to maintaining his Dao Foundation’s ascent and stabilizing his Realm Heaven. His available combat strength was limited.

And this projection, though not a main body, contained pure Venerable Qi Mechanism and Emperor Dragon Qi. Its power could not be underestimated.

The gaze of the Crown Prince of Nanyin’s projection also instantly locked onto Qi Yun, who was enveloped by the Chaos Realm Heaven.

He saw Qi Yun’s boiling Dao Foundation, his nascent Chaos Realm Heaven, and the glow of the four Spiritual Objects being refined and absorbed. A look of understanding, as if he had expected this, flashed in his eyes, along with an even more blazing battle intent.

"So that’s how it is... in the middle of a breakthrough."

The Crown Prince’s projection spoke, his voice carrying the ring of Golden Stone as it echoed amid the chaotic clash of Dao Rhymes.

"Good. Then let this prince see."

"Just how much weight you, this ’wild-road’ Venerable, truly carry."

"To dare compete with this prince for the throne of ten thousand chariots!"

Before his voice had faded, he raised his right hand, his fingers forming a sword sign. At his fingertip, a point of extremely condensed, light-golden light gathered—a light that could both create and destroy all things.

He aimed at Qi Yun, about to strike from a distance!

This single finger strike contained the true meaning of his [Emperor’s Extreme Creation].

Before it had even descended, the entire Huangli Island began to shake and tremble, as if it would be utterly annihilated by this one attack.

...