"Outsider, you look down on us!" the beast leader said angrily.
"You've really misunderstood." Cao Ya was helpless; he was telling the truth, but no one believed him.
How could his name appear among the top Dao Lords of the Flame Dragon Domain?
Previously, the name of Daoist Mingguang was only known in the small and remote Mingguang Domain. He was somewhat famous in the hundreds of surrounding territories, but in more distant areas, only a very few people who did intelligence work had heard of him.
Moreover, as a second-step Dao Lord of the strongest path, how could he be qualified to be listed on the Dao Lord list of the Flame Dragon Domain?
Their current strength has indeed improved by leaps and bounds, but hardly anyone knows it.
It's highly likely that only a group of emperors and Dao Lords of Life and Death from Mangya Kingdom would learn about his situation through Ji Ning and the others' accounts.
"Nonsense! You're treating us like fools! I hate this arrogant and condescending attitude of you cultivators!" The monster leader was furious and no longer wanted to talk to Cao Ya.
"Boom!" A terrifying aura surged from its body, directly striking towards Cao Ya.
"Kill! Let these outsiders be buried in the Path of Illusion, becoming resources for our strength!"
Accompanied by the monster leader's furious roar, the numerous blue-armored beasts roared across the eight wastelands!
"Kill!" With a roar, thousands of strange beasts materialized, and nearly a hundred million illusory dust creatures suddenly appeared, each using secret illusion techniques, various mental methods, and ancient characters spinning, flowing with inexplicable energy.
As beings of the illusory dust, their abilities should not be underestimated. They can kill ordinary emperors and top emperors. When they join forces, the threat increases dramatically!
Cao Ya's expression turned serious, and in addition to various laws and sword techniques, he also used the Samsara Intent and the Blade Intent.
"Rumble..." In an instant, the radiance of light intertwined and covered the sky, actually shaking this section of the Illusionary Dust Path, shattering the void, and charging forward madly!
"Bang bang bang!!!" In an instant, nearly one hundred million illusory dust lives disintegrated, suffering heavy casualties. Many were scattered, and a pile of cyan light particles returned to the illusory dust path.
The remaining ones, such as the monster leaders, also had their armor shattered and their bodies wounded, with blue blood flowing from their wounds.
However, the surviving monsters looked at Cao Ya with no fear or pain in their eyes, only anger and hatred!
"You still say you're not one of the top Dao Lords of our time... With your strength, you could easily rank in the top ten in any large alien universe or realm, or even the top five or top three without any problem!" The monster leader roared, hating Cao Ya for constantly deceiving him with lies.
However, there is indeed a misunderstanding; Cao Ya's name has never appeared on the Dao Lord Ranking!
"I really didn't lie to you," Cao Ya reiterated. Of course, he understood that no one who had witnessed the battle would accept such a statement; they would definitely think it was a lie!
"I haven't yet fully explored the Flame Dragon Domain, clashed with various powerful Dao Lords of Life and Death and Eternal Emperors, spread my Dao title, and left my mark on ancient history."
Cao Ya explained that his situation was rather special, different from others, which led to this situation. Although he was powerful, he was not famous in the Flame Dragon Domain and had not entered the sight of the strong.
But by this time, the monster leader no longer believed it and was burning with anger, glaring at Cao Ya!
"You despicable outsider, I will kill you!" The monster leader gritted his teeth and brazenly invoked the source power of the Illusionary Dust Path.
"Hiss!" Suddenly, a crack appeared between the brows of the monster leader, revealing a third eye!
Moreover, these are not golden eyes, but blue eyes!
Its color is a perfect match for the omnipresent blue light of the Illusionary Dust Path, as they share the same origin!
It is obvious that the essence of this ruler is superior to that of other illusory dust life forms, and it can actually influence the source power of the illusory dust path!
Cao Ya seemed to see that hundreds of millions of years ago, the ruler of the West Chaos Universe was trapped in the Illusionary Dust Path, while the ruler of the Wild Chaos Universe controlled a vast array of strange beasts that surrounded and killed the invaders.
Unfortunately, the rank of the Illusionary Dust Lifeform has fallen, and it is no longer as powerful as it once was.
But the strength that this commander-level monster displayed after fighting desperately was still terrifying enough.
"In the name of the Illusionary Dust Script, the Eye of Illusionary Dust will surely slay any outsiders!" the monster leader declared solemnly.
Its newly opened third eye seemed to have brought it a great burden; its golden pupil was weak, and its blue armor showed signs of collapse.
However, that blue eye was extremely terrifying. Its halo flickered and strange characters appeared, composed of ancient divine patterns, as if it were the manifestation of the Great Dao, revealing some kind of cosmic truth!
“Illusory Dust Script! One of the true sources of power for the Path of Illusory Dust!” Cao Ya said solemnly.
At this moment, the Illusionary Dust Path trembled, and the stone pavement seemed to come alive, bursting forth with a vast, dazzling azure light.
Moreover, the Eye of Illusion, enhanced by the magical Illusionary Dust script, possesses profound illusionary magic.
"Destroy!" Cao Ya uttered a single word, the Dao of Reincarnation enveloping his body, and other laws were activated. Coupled with his own Dao heart, which was quite resilient, it was enough to block that illusion.
However, under the influence of the Illusionary Dust script, the Illusionary Dust Path trembled violently, the stone slabs shook, the blue light was dazzling, and the power of origin surged forth, pressing down on Cao Ya!
"Die!" the monster leader roared. This move was its trump card, gathering a portion of the original power of the Illusionary Dust Path, which even a top-tier emperor could kill!
However, the monster leader was also shocked, because the other unparalleled power of the Illusionary Eye was illusion, which even the most powerful Dao Lord or top Emperor might not be able to stop!
Thus, with the illusionary attacks of the Eye of Illusion in front and the primal power of the Illusionary Scripts behind, how could any top-tier emperor or the most powerful Dao Lord, except for a few prodigies, possibly escape?
But Cao Ya actually withstood the attack of the Eye of Illusion head-on, and appeared completely unharmed...
"Such a powerful Dao Lord of Life and Death is more than qualified to be the number one in an era!"
The monster leader thought to himself, growing increasingly angry. This outsider had indeed been deceiving him all along, treating him like a fool!
Immediately, it used its primal power to attack Cao Ya, and the remaining beasts beside it also followed suit!
Cao Ya remained calm and composed, responding methodically and casually unleashing sword energy and the light of laws that spread, shattering numerous alien beasts. Even the commander was severely injured once again.
"Boom!!" Immediately afterwards, Cao Ya formed hand seals and activated his divine skill, a cultivation path completely different from that of the [Desolate Era] universe, catching the monsters off guard and causing another batch to die on the spot.
Finally, a vast celestial river appeared on Cao Ya's body, surrounded by Buddhist light and layered with arrays, integrating various Dao principles. It launched a fierce attack, directly crushing the monster leader, causing him to cough up blood and retreat, his entire body crumbling!
"You may not be the best of this generation, but you're definitely in the top three or even the top five. Don't try to fool me!" the monster leader said. With a whoosh, the Heavenly River, carrying a great deal of magical power, pressed down and completely suppressed the monster.
Even the Eye of Illusion could not withstand the burden and turned into blue light particles, returning to the stone path.
Cao Ya immediately won a great victory. All the monsters disappeared. They would have to wait for the Illusionary Dust Script to combine with the original power of the Illusionary Dust Dao to be reborn, but who knows when that will take? At least several Chaos Eras.
Of course, Cao Ya also knew that the Illusionary Dust Path would not only have these monsters; there must be many more that had not yet appeared.
The ancient war was far more terrifying than anyone could imagine; the true trump card of the Illusionary Dust Path has yet to be revealed.
“You’ve been misunderstanding me all along. I’ve never been on the list—maybe in the future, but right now I certainly don’t have any prestige in the Flame Dragon Domain—I’m telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me?”
Cao Ya sighed softly, did not linger, withdrew his power, transformed into a stream of light, and flew swiftly. Soon, he left the Illusionary Dust Path.
Looking back, it was still the same blue stone road, tens of millions of miles wide and boundless in length, with the endless avenue shimmering and illuminating the darkness in all directions.
"For practitioners of illusion and mental power, the Path of Illusionary Dust is of great help. If they can survive and witness the Illusionary Dust script of the monster leader, they may gain great insights and create some kind of unique skill, or even deduce the Great Dao and make it more perfect."
Cao Ya shook his head. Unfortunately, while he wasn't completely ignorant of illusions and mental power, he wasn't a cultivator in those fields either.
"This is just an ordinary relic. In the Yu Xinghai, the Illusionary Dust Path is insignificant."
"Those powerful ones not only possess ancient scripts that can aid in cultivation, but also frequently display invaluable treasures that can directly enhance combat power!"
Cao Ya took out a map, clarified his direction based on his coordinates, and then set off into the void. Within the Illusionary Dust Path, despite his strength, he could not forcibly tear apart the void and could only fly.
Otherwise, during the ancient wars, the Illusionary Dust Path would not have been able to hinder the enemy's rulers!
Almost a month later, Cao Ya traversed the boundless darkness, avoiding various scattered dangers, and finally arrived at another ruin—the Star River Basin!
This is a very famous and important place in Yu Xinghai!
Ahead, the Milky Way stretched out, like a vast river, its width immeasurable by light-years and its length boundless. Within it were countless stars, including planets, satellites, meteors, comets, black holes, and all sorts of celestial bodies, which Cao Ya could see from his vantage point.
Most surprisingly, all the stars emitted a faint golden light, reflecting off each other.
From the outside, the magnificent and spectacular Xinghe River Basin is clearly a golden river of heaven!
Compared to the Star River Basin, the Illusionary Dust Path is really just an ordinary ruin.
“The Star River Basin is vast, and the time it takes is far greater than that of the Illusionary Dust Path,” Cao Ya said softly. Even the smallest probability of something happening will inevitably occur once the time scale is extended!
Compared to when he was in the Illusionary Dust Path, Cao Ya was undoubtedly much more cautious.
Many dangers in the Star River Basin are even greater than those in the Illusionary Dust Path.
Of course, not every place is a dangerous place; if you're lucky, you might not encounter too many crises.
It should be noted that there are also alien groups living within the Star River Basin.
Unlike illusory dust life, they were conceived and born from the illusory dust path, belonging to native beings.
Deep within the Star River Basin, there truly are races from other realms who have settled here.
With their homelands destroyed, many ethnic groups are left to wander in the endless darkness, hoping to find a suitable place to survive anew.
Although it was tragic, being able to leave their homeland was already considered quite good.
Not just any race can traverse the boundless darkness; a powerful Eternal Emperor is required to oversee it!
A Dao Lord of Life and Death may venture out on his own, but he cannot bring his clan with him, because a Dao Lord's existence has a limited lifespan. He may pass away before finding a new world, at which point the entire world will wither away in boundless darkness, and life will fade away.
Of course, there are also those who are more capable and whose situation is much better.
A powerful nation like the Dark Kingdom, which is one of the six major forces in the Flame Dragon Domain, naturally doesn't need to risk entering the Yu Xing Sea—except for those Eternal Emperors and Dao Lords of Life and Death seeking opportunities.
However, many races are not powerful enough to go to the Flame Dragon Domain, so they have to find another way.
After all, no matter how vast a realm is, it has its limits, and resources are not infinite either. The various races within it are already fighting tooth and nail for these resources, so why would they be willing to share them with outsiders?
While the Eternal Emperor and the Dao Lord of Life and Death can traverse the boundless darkness, the world realms below are somewhat lacking. Even a group of great cultivators might encounter some fatal crisis if they wander for too long!
Moreover, in the boundless darkness, where is it suitable for a group to thrive and multiply?
Therefore, lacking sufficient strength, they could not enter the Flame Dragon Realm. The boundless darkness and emptiness, with scarce energy, could not supply the race's survival needs. After much thought, they could only choose a place in Yu Xinghai to start living again.
The Illusionary Dust Path, the Yin-Yang Wheel of Life and Death, and other such things are naturally off-limits, and they have an extremely strong aversion to anything from outside.
Although the Star River Basin is extremely dangerous, it is vast in area, with an unknown length and width of light-years and countless stars. Many of these stars can be transformed to accommodate all living beings.
Moreover, because the Star River Basin is so vast, as long as our predecessors disregard the dangers and carve out a safe zone with piles of corpses, their descendants can live and thrive there for a long time, thanks to the blessings they have received.
Due to the unique nature of the Star River Basin, other outsiders, lacking such clear intelligence, would not linger, much less risk hunting down such groups.
Of course, even if you settle here, it doesn't mean you can roam freely throughout the Star River Basin.
The crisis in this ruin is the same for everyone; if you can't stop it, there is only one way out: death!
Therefore, they basically followed the safe routes explored by their predecessors, going in and out.
Furthermore, this only applies to Dao Lords of Life and Death and Eternal Emperors; those below the World Realm are generally not allowed to leave!
They are far too weak; the slightest disturbance could cost them their lives.
Even those at the first or second step of the Dao Lord of Life and Death are not enough; only those on the verge of Dao Integration can be considered to have initially met the requirements.
"call!!"
Cao Yafei entered the Star River Basin, traveling through the Jinsha River, avoiding the stars and unwilling to get close.
The intelligence he gathered was very brief, containing only a simple introduction to the Star River Basin, with no details whatsoever.
Since Cao Ya couldn't distinguish which places were safe and which were dangerous, he simply avoided them all to prevent any unforeseen events.
After all, even if the Flame Dragon Domain were to face its end, it would be a million Chaos Eras later. Moreover, by then, the Star River Domain would have been destroyed. Even if he were to wander in the darkness with other Emperors and Dao Lords, leading billions of cultivators to search for a new home, it would still demonstrate that he had become eternal, his strength had increased dramatically, and he could withstand even greater crises.
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