Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Divine May Bleed but Never Fall—Yet Now It Has Grown Old

The same invincibility, the same unparalleled brilliance—Dugu Peak and this person suspected to be called Wuyou, both at their absolute pinnacle, charged at each other, each with certain death ahead, attacking relentlessly with no thought of defense. The force blooming between their fingers clashed time and again against the great black bell, like needlepoint against wheat awn—though not a perfect metaphor, it sufficed to capture the essence. Their battle grew wild, their struggle manic; perhaps this was one of the reasons these two could stand at the peak, for madness and genius are separated only by a single thought. This was a duel reserved for the strongest, where no outsider could interfere; anyone capable of withstanding their residual power would be terrifying beyond measure.

Both men understood in their hearts that to annihilate the other would require extraordinary means, yet those trump cards must be played at the precise moment to achieve maximum effect, to press the opponent down without hope of reversal. Even without the final ace, their contest was fierce and overwhelming. The aftershocks of their battle obliterated each star along their path, and after the destruction, the ripple continued, reducing everything in its wake to dust.

After a round of fierce combat, Dugu Peak coughed blood continuously, suffering severe wounds. The scholarly figure, too, had his white robes stained crimson, both with Dugu Peak's blood and his own, attesting to the brutality of their struggle. Inevitably so, for a fighting style with only offense and no defense is savage, able to overcome an opponent in the shortest time, but it is a trade of life for life, wound for wound.

Thus, their current state was not surprising.

"Wuyou Ye."

The man at the pinnacle, exuding scholarly aura, slowly uttered three words, as if introducing himself. He put away the black bell and, with his right hand shaped as a blade, attacked Dugu Peak. With just one strike, the vigorous elder had a wound a foot long and an inch deep slashed across his chest.

Seeing the wound on Dugu Peak's chest, and then looking at Wuyou Ye, Li Ruoyu was astonished—Wuyou Ye had not been fighting with full strength before, and only now was he going all out.

Bare-handed, Wuyou Ye was far more terrifying than when wielding the black bell, overwhelming Dugu Peak. Yet Dugu Peak, though pressed, remained unflustered and composed, experienced in countless storms, having faced even more perilous circumstances, and still endured.

"Gods may bleed, but they never lose."

This was Dugu Peak's hard-won reputation, but Li Ruoyu noticed a slight tremor in Dugu Peak's hand just now, and could not help but wonder, "Did I see wrong?"

After another exchange, Li Ruoyu observed Dugu Peak closely, and indeed, his hand trembled slightly, fleeting yet real.

"What a peerless life Wuyou Ye has lived," Dugu Peak said, coughing blood yet not forgetting to praise his opponent, as if loneliness at the summit had lasted too long, so long he nearly forgot himself.

"I have the advantage; you are old now, no longer at your peak. Yet such is the cultivation world," Wuyou Ye replied, a hint of regret in his words, as if unable to have a truly satisfying duel with his opponent. Sometimes, this world is unfair—some are born with defects, some spend a lifetime pursuing, while others are born at the finish line. As cultivators, all one can do is use every ounce of power to kill the opponent and survive.

To live—such a simple thing, yet so difficult. This is the cultivation world: too bloody, too helpless, too dark.

"Let one move decide life and death," Dugu Peak said, gazing deeply at Wuyou Ye and taking a breath.

Wuyou Ye did not answer, but expressed himself through action. As Wuyou Ye charged to kill, Dugu Peak extended his palm, shaping it into a blade, and struck at Wuyou Ye.

Perhaps the power of this move was too overwhelming, for the scene Li Ruoyu was witnessing abruptly ended.

The chessboard remained as it was, the corpse holding the white piece still sat quietly, empty eyes gazing toward the stone stele inscribed with "Shu Road." Li Ruoyu did not know the result of this battle, but what he saw and heard in this brief span left him deeply moved. What happened in that lost era? Why was such a peerless figure as Wuyou Ye absent from ancient history—did he fall in defeat against Dugu Peak? And what sort of immortal dynasty was the ancient Shu Immortal Court, that just two people from it could be so terrifying?

The god who bleeds but never loses—Dugu Peak—had grown old, and ultimately lost to time. While the world took pride in surviving a single strike from Dugu Peak, only time could defeat him.

Too many mysteries tangled in Li Ruoyu's mind, unresolved.

Suppressing his confusion and doubts, Li Ruoyu stepped past the corpse holding the white piece and continued deeper into the heart of Huang Mountain.

A day later, gazing at the scene before him, Li Ruoyu's eyes showed delight, caution, and an irrepressible sense of possession.

Ahead, amid a stretch of crimson earth, a small spring appeared, only three feet deep, called the Enlightenment Pool. Within it flowed the most concentrated essence of heaven and earth, transformed into the ancient treasure known as the "Dao Liquid," also called the Enlightenment Liquid. Though only a small pool, it was rarely seen in all history—perhaps unique. In the cultivation world, only two Enlightenment Pools have ever been discovered, each sparking unprecedented wars.

This Dao Liquid is used for enlightenment, allowing one's understanding of the Dao to reach deeper levels, clarifying the path ahead, and playing a decisive role in the future. It is renowned as one of the greatest treasures for establishing the strongest Dao foundation.

The surroundings were unnervingly silent, the Enlightenment Pool just ahead, seemingly within reach. Yet Li Ruoyu had no intention of moving forward. This crimson land was no good place; Li Ruoyu could see it was a burial ground for immortals. He recalled an anecdote from the miscellaneous writings of the Grand Evil Sovereign.

"Corpse-Transforming Immortal"

Nurtured by the burial ground of immortals and refined over countless millennia, it transforms from death to life, becoming a supreme pinnacle among immortals, existing in a state neither truly alive nor dead, and extremely hard to kill.

This terrain closely resembled the immortal burial grounds described in the Celestial Burial Absolute Law.

Immortal burial grounds appear as crimson earth on the surface, but within, they nurture burial pits for immortals, concentrating all the essence of the terrain within, while the greatest harms and poisons are gathered in the crimson earth.

Li Ruoyu knew that entering this terrain lightly could lead to disaster. Facing the allure of Dao Liquid, no one could resist; Li Ruoyu was no exception, possessing seven emotions and six desires, greed among them, and all the more intense.

Even without considering whether terrifying beings practicing the "Corpse-Transforming Immortal" method lay buried within the immortal pits, simply mishandling the dangers and poisons of the crimson earth and venturing in rashly would be fatal. The numerous red plum blossoms scattered across the crimson earth were a bloody lesson; the creatures who died there left not even their remains behind, their souls and bones devoured.

Li Ruoyu continued to observe, hoping to find an opportunity to enter. He was reluctant to give up this rare treasure that could establish the strongest Dao foundation.