Chapter 1731: Forbidden Land Battle Axe

The Grand Elder’s expression turned extremely grim. He stared at Xu Yang with a dark gaze.

“Say no more. I know you are powerful, and you may feel superior in my presence, but don’t expect me to easily abandon the faith I hold so dear. At the peak of Kunlun, no one can bypass me and threaten the rule of the Supreme God’s will. Since you are destined to oppose the Supreme God’s will, then you must step over my corpse.”

It had to be admitted, the Grand Elder was truly loyal. What he did next shocked everyone to the core.

Perhaps the old man had already guessed, as Xu Yang had just said, that his meridians could not withstand absorbing the power of the Dragon Yuan Crystal a second time to enhance his combat ability.

Thus, he adopted an extremely drastic method, leaving no room for retreat, but one that could briefly elevate his power to its true peak: he directly swallowed the massive Dragon Yuan Crystal alive. By burning his own flesh in a self-destructive manner, he would gain immensely violent power.

Once he did this, the Dragon Yuan Crystal would continuously consume, burn, and refine his life essence, second by second.

Of course, during this process, he would endure unimaginable agony as his body was consumed, but he would also gain an inexhaustible supply of energy through this sacrifice.

“Come, let me witness how terrifying you, the peak human cultivator who has comprehended the Great Dao of Life and Death, truly are.”

Next, he simultaneously unleashed the full power of his Xuanyuan Sacred Art. Various elemental attributes rapidly coalesced around the Grand Elder’s body.

Furthermore, these multiple elements fused into a unified bodily protection aura, serving as the core strength to contain the violent essence of the Dragon Yuan Crystal’s power. This would help him extend the time before his physical body was refined into nothingness as much as possible.

However, the moment he made this move, it meant there was no turning back for him. His death in this battle was inevitable; the only suspense was how much he could exhaust Xu Yang with the power granted by the Dragon Yuan Crystal.

As the entire Dragon Yuan Crystal was swallowed, all his meridians and flesh rapidly decayed in a short time. Yet, in return, the intensely violent power caused his physical form to undergo a significant transformation. His body, originally less than two meters tall, instantly swelled to over ten meters.

Even the bones in his body began to undergo a melting change. However, his dragon transformation was entirely different from the dragon transformations of the Dragon Knight battle group brothers Xu Yang had previously led.

For a human cultivator, strengthening one's physical body by refining it with Dragon Yuan power through proper channels requires fusing one's own life force with the acquired life force of the dragon race. Achieving a balanced state where free switching is possible signifies a true fusion of dragon power, becoming a genuine Dragon Knight.

However, the old man before them was extracting the full power of the dragon race for his own use in a completely suicidal manner, within a short timeframe.

Although the power boost he gained this way was far beyond what a Dragon Knight could achieve, the cost was equally apparent: it was a self-destructive move, a scorched-earth tactic. But at that moment, he cared for nothing else. Defeating Xu Yang and defending his faith was his sole manifestation of worth.

Suddenly, the old man soared into the air, hovering in the void. After locking onto Xu Yang’s aura, violent crimson flames surged from his body, one after another. Each flame unleashed a terrifying temperature capable of incinerating the entire void, resembling two azure dragons sweeping across the skies.

He displayed the power of fire to its extreme. Undoubtedly, the two waves of power unleashed by the old man this time were far more potent than before. It would likely be very difficult for Xu Yang to completely obliterate these two fire dragon totems with just the power of his Cold Spring artifact sword.

Xu Yang put away the hint of a sarcastic smile on his face, replacing it with a calm expression to confront this wave of attack.

“I can see that unleashing these two powers has cost you a great deal of life force. Since that is the case, I will unleash my strongest power, so you can lose with full conviction.”

As Xu Yang finished speaking, he quickly formed a hand seal. An incomparably translucent golden Tai Chi totem rapidly coalesced before him, its brilliant light completely enveloping and protecting his body.

At that very moment, the two fire dragons, soaring through the clouds, reached Xu Yang. They violently crashed into the Yin and Yang foci of Xu Yang’s golden Tai Chi totem.

Little did they know, those two points of most intense light represented the ultimate manifestation of the densest life force and the most domineering death energy.

No matter how formidable these two fire dragon totems were, the moment they touched Xu Yang’s golden Tai Chi totem, they were swiftly and completely obliterated by its power.

“No, how is this possible? The primal power of the most potent Dragon Yuan Crystal is so vulnerable before him. Has this person truly reached such an untouchable realm? Or have I, in the end, failed to unleash the full power of this dragon crystal?”

As the Grand Elder repeatedly pondered this question, he felt his life force continuously draining away. He knew his time was running out, and if he couldn't find a way to activate the true power of the dragon crystal, he would likely lose his last chance.

Suddenly, he spun around! The Grand Elder of the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan abruptly fixed his gaze on the far end of the forbidden palace behind him.

An artifact battle-axe was sealed there. Although not a world-renowned top artifact, this giant axe was said to have been used to open this immortal realm space when the Xuanyuan Imperial Clan’s lineage first emerged. For the descendants of the Xuanyuan clan, it was a deeply sacred token.

At this point, the Grand Elder had no other choice. He intended to unleash the full power of the energy crystal within him, no matter the cost, firmly believing that once this power truly awakened, it would inflict unimaginable harm upon Xu Yang.

Even if he couldn't truly kill this peak human expert who had surpassed the Great Dao of Life and Death, it would still be a contribution of his strength to the will of the Supreme God, a final act of worth.

A powerful force shot from his palm. The Grand Elder summoned the giant axe, sealed within the palace for untold millennia, once again.

However, this time, his action startled everyone behind Xu Yang.

“Damn, I thought this guy wanted to attack boss with that battle-axe, but now it looks like he’s going to use it to end his own life.”

Xu Yang’s lips curved into a cold sneer. “How could it be that simple? Someone like him, who regards the will of the Supreme God as a faith more important than his own life, will never give up until the very last moment of the battle.”