"Ding! Based on the current situation, a side quest has been triggered!"
"Defeat Lucia Dong. Reward: Unknown."
"Note: If defeated by Lucia Dong, the Host will lose fifty years of lifespan!"
As the system's notification echoed in Jason Ji's mind, he couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye.
So, success came with an unknown reward, but failure would cost him fifty years of life. Quite a heavy penalty.
Even though the quest was steeply conditioned, Jason readily accepted it. He had always lived by a simple truth: if you don't fight for your life, life will fight against you.
Besides, he had unwavering confidence in winning this battle against Lucia Dong. Half of that confidence came from the god-tier rewards he had just received, while the other half stemmed from his knowledge of Lucia's current cultivation, physique, and trump cards from reading the original novel.
The Celestial Phoenix bloodline, for instance, was something he didn't need to worry about for now; according to the novel's lore, it only activated its true potential once a person reached the Legendary level, which wouldn't provide her much boost in the early stages of cultivation.
With this in mind, Jason had already devised two possible strategies to defeat Lucia.
The first was brutal, while the second was… more tactful.
Naturally, given his personality, he opted for the second.
"Where's your weapon?" Lucia Dong asked, her cold, beautiful eyes fixed on him.
"To defeat you, I won't need a weapon," Jason replied calmly, shaking his head. It wasn't that he was being arrogant; he simply reserved the Immortal Slayer Sword as his ace in the hole. When the Immortal Slayer Sword was drawn, it signified the end of the fight.
How arrogant!
Lucia's eyebrows knitted together as a fierce killing intent flared in her bright star-like eyes. Wielding her Silver Moon Spear, she leaped into the air, unleashing a torrent of energy that morphed into countless silver serpents, all lunging toward Jason with a deadly bite.
"Martial Skill – Silver Serpents' Frenzied Dance, huh?" Jason murmured as he observed the relentless assault. His innate Pure Yang energy surged throughout his body.
Without any fancy techniques, he threw a punch, his raw, violent energy colliding with the oncoming silver serpents in mid-air.
Boom!
A deafening explosion resounded, forcing the onlookers to cover their ears as invisible ripples of energy spread out across the arena.
They hadn't anticipated that the clash would have such explosive power.
When the dust settled, they were stunned to see that Jason was still standing, entirely unharmed.
"He actually blocked it?"
Emperor Adrian Long's eyes widened slightly as he watched the young man standing tall on the stage.
"How is that possible?" Livia Dong frowned as he studied Jason. He knew that while Lucia hadn't used her full power, this strike was still not something an Innate Realm cultivator should be able to withstand.
"Could it be that this kid possesses Pure Yang Innate energy?" Livia Dong silently speculated, narrowing his eyes as he kept his gaze fixed on Jason.
Lucia herself seemed surprised, eyeing Jason in disbelief.
"You actually took that hit… and you even know the Silver Serpents' Frenzied Dance."
Jason nodded, his expression calm as he replied, "So, why don't you unleash your Star Condensation-level cultivation and reveal your Star Domain?"
"What?" Lucia's eyes widened, her pupils constricting.
Her true cultivation level was a closely guarded secret, known only to a handful of family members. With the protective treasures from her family, even someone far stronger wouldn't be able to discern her real power.
What shocked her most was that she had only recently managed to condense her Star Domain, a fact known solely to her.
How could this guy possibly know?
Jason smirked, noticing the look of disbelief on her face. So, she wasn't enjoying having her secrets exposed, was she?
"Who exactly are you?" Lucia demanded; her voice chillingly cold. She was not pleased at all by the fact that someone had uncovered her secrets.
"As I said, I'm Jason Ji. You'd best give it your all, or you might just end up marrying me," Jason replied, fully aware of her frustration and confusion. His words were deliberately provocative, stirring up the disarray in Lucia's mind.
His taunt ignited a fierce anger within Lucia, making her blood boil as she snapped back, "Scoundrel! You're dreaming if you think I'd ever marry you!"
"If it's a fight you want, then fight it shall be!"
With that, she summoned her intense energy, transforming it into countless rays of starlight.
In that moment, standing in mid-air, Lucia appeared like a goddess descended from the heavens, her divine beauty almost blinding.
A million stars illuminated the sky as she condensed her Star Domain.
The sight left countless cultivators below awestruck. They knew that while most powerful cultivators could only summon up to nine stars at the peak of the Star Condensation Realm, a select few prodigies could transcend even that, condensing a Star Domain filled with millions of stars—a feat that marked them as quasi-Legendary cultivators.
Awe and reverence filled the crowd as they beheld Lucia, now bathed in the brilliance of a million stars.
"At eighteen, she's already achieved a quasi-Legendary level with her Star Domain!"
"The second young miss of the Dong family truly is terrifying!"
"Ha! It's a blessing upon our Sacred Tang Empire!" Emperor Adrian Long laughed heartily, though a glint of jealousy and malice flickered in his eyes.
"Jason Ji, prepare to die!" Lucia's frosty expression conveyed her killing intent as she channeled starlight into her hands, dancing like sprites across her palms.
Completing a series of hand seals, she conjured a massive sword of pure starlight, spanning ten meters in length. The heavens and earth trembled as chaotic energy surged around her.
Seeing the immense aura she radiated, the crowd instinctively took a few steps back. They had no doubt that if she unleashed this sword strike, she could obliterate the entire martial stage.
Just then, a sly smile curved across Jason's lips as he muttered to himself, "Now's my chance."
"Divine Forbidden Domain, activate!"
Zing!
A ray of chaotic divine light flashed through his eyes, and his entire being seemed to merge into a state of serene transcendence.
An inexplicable insight filled his mind.
"All the splendors of this world are fleeting; at the end of time, only the undefeatable will remain," he mused, embracing this profound sensation.
Though Jason had entered the Divine Forbidden Domain, he could feel his innate energy rapidly depleting. However, he wasn't concerned; standing in a realm once accessible only to ancient emperors, he expected this kind of drain.
Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself. "I'll have to be quick about this," he thought. Despite his Pure Yang Innate cultivation, he wouldn't be able to maintain this level for long.
With a thought, he summoned an ancient, unadorned sword into his hand—the Immortal Slayer Sword. With the Divine Forbidden Domain active and the Immortal Slayer Sword in hand, Jason had become a god of battle incarnate.
Ordinary Star Condensation Realm cultivators were no match for him now.
However, Lucia Dong wasn't any ordinary Star Condensation cultivator. With her million-star Star Domain, she was akin to a king among stars, practically invincible at her level.
If this battle played out normally, it would indeed be a spectacular clash of titans. But Jason had other plans.
Lucia, her murderous intent reaching its peak, fixed her gaze on Jason. With a single thought, she could annihilate this brazen, insolent man with her star-forged blade.
Yet, just as she prepared to strike, she noticed something strange—Jason was merely standing there, and yet she couldn't sense any energy emanating from him.
It was as if he had fused entirely with the world around him!
What was going on?
While she was momentarily distracted, Jason moved. Leaping through the air, the Immortal Slayer Sword in hand, he sliced a faint line through the void.
Lucia's expression flashed with disdain.
An Innate-level cultivator hoping to breach her Star Domain? Impossible!
Yet, in that instant, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the arena.
Her face paled as she looked down to see a crack appearing in her Star Domain.
Jason, wreathed in the shimmering starlight, was now mere inches from her.
They were so close, close enough to share a single breath.
Their eyes met, and Lucia's face was a mixture of disbelief and shock.
She couldn't comprehend how Jason had broken through her Star Domain. In her understanding, only Legendary-level cultivators could breach it!
But to her credit, despite her bewilderment, she quickly gathered herself, reacting with deadly precision.
"Die!" Lucia hissed, her eyes gleaming with lethal intent. She twisted her wrist, aiming the colossal sword of starlight in a sweeping arc toward Jason.
"This is my chance!"
A smirk curved Jason's lips as he swiftly reached out, grabbing her wrist mid-swing. With a strong tug, he pulled her into his embrace. Lucia, still in shock, barely had time to react before Jason leaned down and…
MUA…
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