Chapter 1467: King Meets King

"What?" Xiang Liu was startled and immediately looked back, but the large bronze coffin behind him remained perfectly still. Realizing he had fallen into a trap, he swiftly turned and struck with his palm, while swirling black and green energies enveloped his body for protection.

Almost simultaneously, a powerful surge of dragon energy assailed him; Zu An's attack had landed. The moment they connected, Xiang Liu felt his qi and blood churn. *This Dragon Vein power is truly formidable*, he thought. *However, I’ve already scattered most of the remaining dragon energy with that move. Let's see what else he has.*

No sooner had that thought passed than his peripheral vision caught a glint of black light darting towards him. He saw clearly that it was an oddly shaped dagger. Ordinarily, even if the dagger were many times larger, it couldn't inflict serious injury on him. Yet, at that moment, he sensed the aura of death. Daring not to meet it directly, his body instantly dematerialized and vanished from the spot.

A second later, he reappeared several yards away, looking down at his robes, which had been cut open at his waist, mere millimeters from piercing his skin. He couldn't help but exclaim admiringly, "Little brother, your cultivation might be ordinary, but you're truly formidable in a real fight. Even I nearly capsized in a ditch. What's the deal with that dagger in your hand? It actually sent a shiver down my spine."

Zu An, however, felt a pang of frustration. *So close!* The "Poisoned Dagger" skill was indeed miraculous, but it was useless if it failed to hit its target. He had already failed to successfully employ "Poisoned Dagger" in several battles. In the past, watching TV, he never understood why Ultraman always unleashed his beam attack only at the very end. Now, after countless battles, he finally grasped the principle: only by first expending the opponent's energy in combat, successfully exploiting their weaknesses, and then executing with the certainty of a hit, could one truly determine the outcome of the entire fight. It’s like playing “Fight the Landlord”—throwing out all four 2s and the Joker bomb right at the start doesn’t guarantee a win!

Understanding all this, his mindset became much calmer. From now on, he resolved to be even more cautious when using "Poisoned Dagger"; if it failed, it wouldn't just be ineffective, it would also risk exposing his trump card.

Zu An put away the "Poisoned Dagger" and said with a wry smile, "Want to know what it does? You can try it yourself later, can't you?"

Xiang Liu merely smiled. "Normally, I might indulge you a little, but today I have a strange premonition. Let's finish this quickly."

With that, he vanished from his spot. Zu An and the others immediately raised their weapons in defense. Unfortunately, his speed was such that they could barely follow him. One by one, they were sent flying, but having shared life and death on this journey, their coordination was incredibly tight.

Of course, simply with their tight coordination, given the absolute disparity in strength between them and Xiang Liu, any other group of their cultivation level would have surely been defeated by now. However, Zu An's body was incredibly robust, and his recovery from injuries was astonishing. He could serve as a meat shield at the front, and with the *Taotie Devouring Heaven Art*, he could absorb and neutralize Earth Immortal-level attacks to a certain extent. With him holding the line, Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue's intricate techniques found their full utility, and combined with Yu Yanluo's auxiliary and control abilities, they truly complemented each other’s strengths.

As the battle raged fiercely, Zu An suddenly stared in shock behind Xiang Liu. "Da... Dayu?"

Xiang Liu scoffed, "Do you think I'd fall for the same trick a second time?" Just as he was about to intensify his attack, he realized that while their coordination was indeed exquisite, they were still distinct individuals with a significant disparity in their cultivation levels. Given enough time, he would find an opportunity to defeat them one by one.

Suddenly, the hairs on his back bristled; he had sensed a powerful aura directly behind him. The aura was incredibly familiar. He swiftly transformed into black and green energies, dodging to the side. The next second, he appeared in a corner, only then fixing his gaze on the source of the aura. Not far away, Zu An and his companions also watched the high platform with wary expressions.

Without any external force, the large bronze coffin suddenly stood upright. Then, its lid slowly opened on its own, and a majestic man slowly emerged from within. The Nine Cauldrons, stuck in the corner mechanism, vibrated intensely, emitting a buzzing sound as if cheering.

The man's gaze swept across the hall before settling on Xiang Liu. The swirling black and green energies protecting Xiang Liu's body were instantly dispersed by that gaze.

"Dayu, it truly is you!" Xiang Liu reacted like an enraged cat, glaring at the man through gritted teeth. They had fought before, and the man's aura was utterly unmistakable.

The majestic man simply said, "Xiang Liu, it's been a long time."

Zu An and his companions exchanged glances, each seeing the shock reflected in the other's eyes. This man was indeed the legendary Dayu; no wonder his aura was so terrifying. Recalling that Shun still wanted him to deal with Dayu, Zu An immediately dismissed the thought. Given the man's current overwhelming presence, even with the Sun-Shooting Bow, success seemed highly improbable.

"Impossible! This is utterly impossible! How could you still be alive?" Xiang Liu suddenly cried out, refusing to believe the other man would willingly seal himself for such an extended period.

The majestic man replied, "Indeed, I could not have lived this long. This is merely a wisp of my divine consciousness that I left behind."

"A wisp of divine consciousness?" Xiang Liu was first startled, then erupted in joy. "Haha, you're far too arrogant, thinking a mere wisp of divine consciousness can handle us? I was defeated by you back then, but this time I'll thoroughly erase that humiliation!"

No sooner had he spoken than his entire form abruptly fragmented into nine figures, each one unleashing a peak technique from his lifetime as they charged at Dayu. What was even more terrifying was that each figure emitted an identical aura, no weaker than his true form. Zu An was secretly alarmed. *This must be a natural talent born from his nine heads, an innate skill from his bloodline. The cost of using it must be significant, otherwise he would have used it on us earlier, and we would have certainly been defeated.* Evidently, Xiang Liu considered Dayu his greatest lifelong adversary; even when facing a mere wisp of a remnant soul, he still unleashed his full power.

Zu An quickly fixed his gaze on Dayu, eager to see how he would counter this technique. Dayu, however, slowly raised his hand and suddenly pointed forward. The air before him rippled outwards, like waves on a lake surface. A divine glow flashed all around, and Xiang Liu’s fragmented figures from every direction suddenly shattered, then coalesced, reforming into Xiang Liu’s original shape.

"Ugh!" Xiang Liu half-knelt on the ground, coughing up a mouthful of fresh blood. The blood hissed on the floor, rapidly corroding a large hole.

"How is this possible? How can your cultivation be even more powerful than it was back then?" Xiang Liu’s face was ashen.

Dayu simply gazed at him, silent. In that instant, Xiang Liu suddenly understood. After defeating him all those years ago, Dayu must have progressed further, reaching an even higher realm.

"Why didn't you kill me?"

Dayu finally spoke: "Your blood is highly poisonous. If I killed you, vegetation within a thousand *li* would wither, which would truly harm the balance of nature. Furthermore, your inherent nature isn't evil; your allegiance to Gonggong was simply a matter of faction, and you committed no great wickedness. Therefore, you may leave."

Xiang Liu was taken aback, and a glimmer of admiration entered his eyes as he looked at Dayu. "So be it. Gonggong's imperial ambitions were, in the end, nothing but an empty dream."

With that, he walked away, a sense of desolation about him, and his figure quickly vanished.

Almost the moment he left, a mass of black energy suddenly coalesced from the air, and Gonggong, his gaze fixed on the crystal skull, emerged. "Where is Xiang Liu?" He had been searching for this space throughout the entire grand tomb, but various array interferences had made it consistently difficult to locate. It wasn't until Xiang Liu and Dayu exchanged blows just now that he finally sensed the abnormal fluctuations in this space and rushed to investigate. Seeing the puddle of poisonous blood on the ground, his expression instantly darkened. He likely assumed that Xiang Liu had already met his end.

Dayu glanced at him, his voice devoid of discernible emotion. "I didn't expect you would still revive."

"Isn't that precisely your calculation?" Gonggong sneered. "Using me to absorb Emperor Yao's residual power so you wouldn't incur any karma?"

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. *What's happening? Why does Dayu sound so cunning? Could all of this have been part of his plan?* Remembering Shun's earlier assessment of Dayu, his heart immediately sank.