Of those present, only Zhang Fan's disciples and the group from the Sixth Prince's manor appeared relatively calm, having witnessed Zhang Fan's Domain of the Dao before. Even so, their eyes still held unconcealed admiration.
Some cultivators at the Nine Tribulations Realm, during their Nascent Soul stage, considered fifty thousand Dao rules to be the limit, finding it incredibly difficult to advance even a fraction further.
These cultivators often had limited potential, struggling through various encounters and relying on chance, barely managing to survive their eighth Heavenly Tribulation and enter the Nine Tribulations Realm. Without a miracle, they would never glimpse the mysteries of Nascent Divinity.
If they could cultivate sixty thousand Dao rules, pushing their arcane arts and cultivation to the zenith of the Nascent Soul stage, only then would they be qualified to take a step forward, merging their soul with the Dao rules and entering another realm.
However, even for these cultivators, breaking through to Nascent Divinity on their own remained an impossibility.
Above them were cultivators like Fu Tianling, who in the Nascent Soul stage had already cultivated over seventy thousand Dao rules. Moreover, he was young, exceptionally gifted, and possessed extraordinary comprehension. In the Nascent Soul stage, he even held the hope of impacting the eighty thousand Dao rules level, enabling him to easily merge rules and soul, reaching the semi-Nascent Divinity stage.
Even so, breaking free from the shackles of the Nascent Soul and transcending mortality to become divine was still incredibly arduous, a feat achieved by only one in ten thousand.
The fact that in the Wu Shan Star Domain, only Zhi Wu had reached this level in nearly a million years, was a testament to the arduous path to Nascent Divinity.
...
Fu Tianling indeed lived up to his reputation as a prodigy who cultivated a golden Nascent Soul. Although he was shaken by Zhang Fan's powerful Sword Dao Domain, his will to fight was not extinguished.
While this Sword Dao Domain was powerful, Zhang Fan was ultimately only an Eighth Tribulation Realm cultivator. The difference in cultivation realm between them was not small. Although the domain imposed considerable restraint on him, it could not harm him in the slightest.
Fu Tianling's body trembled slightly, and streaks of black sword light flowed across his skin, enveloping him like flowing water, to resist the domain's erosion.
"To think you could defeat me with this domain is sheer delusion. Even with only seventy to eighty percent of my strength remaining, it's enough to slay you!"
Fu Tianling dispelled the fear in his heart, his eyes re-condensing with sharp sword light. After activating his protective divine ability, sword patterns spread beneath his feet, breaking through the domain's heavy obstructions. Wielding his Heavenly Treasure, he unleashed intensely concentrated sword beams that rained down upon Zhang Fan.
The sound of golden resonance was incessant, each note melodious and pleasing to the ear like celestial music. However, the onlookers had no time to appreciate it, their gazes fixed on Zhang Fan, trying to capture his every move.
Zhang Fan held his sword in one hand, gently twisting his wrist, and drew a full moon arc before him.
At this moment, Fu Tianling experienced a hallucination of heaven and earth revolving. Before he could react, the vast sword light that was about to strike Zhang Fan flew back at an even faster speed, blasting him several kilometers away. His protective divine ability was shattered, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Clearly, his protective divine ability was a notch weaker than his mastery of the Sword Dao.
"With a mere flip of his hand, he can reverse the universe. It is said that the Great Dao Domain of a Nascent Divinity True Immortal can form its own world, wherein the True Immortal possesses absolute control over the space and can easily alter its structure."
"This Sword Domain already possesses some of the might of a Great Dao Domain; it can be considered its nascent form." A flicker of surprise appeared in Cang Lan Qiuyue's usually calm and bright eyes.
Cang Lan Mingyue, who had appeared rather nonchalant throughout, now wore a solemn expression, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.
The Canghai Palace, as the most powerful sect in the Wu Shan Star Domain, possessed a profound foundation that even other top forces could not rival. It was even said that Zhi Wu True Immortal had a considerable connection with their Canghai Palace. Therefore, he understood more profoundly what this implied.
If Zhang Fan could cultivate steadily to the peak of the Nine Tribulations Realm, his talent gave him a very high chance of cultivating an Indestructible Nascent Soul.
A Nascent Divinity True Immortal was capable of overturning the existing order of the Wu Shan Star Domain, which was not good news for the Canghai Palace.
"Too weak. I take one of your swords, will you take one of mine?" Before Zhang Fan's voice had even fallen, he transformed into a blur and streaked towards Fu Tianling.
His speed, already极fast due to cultivating the Dao of Lightning, was further augmented by the Sword Dao Domain. In almost an instant, he arrived before Fu Tianling.
"Sword Seven!"
There were no complex techniques, just a simple sword strike, yet it carried immense Sword Dao rules. The world seemed to rain swords, and the iron sword descended with the power to cleave the heavens. Its speed and might were overwhelming, impossible to resist or evade.
By the time Fu Tianling reacted, the iron sword was already within striking distance. Even with his divine ability protecting him, the sharp sword qi made his face sting.
Years of combat experience and a calm, collected disposition allowed him to react swiftly under a desperate situation. Fu Tianling knew that resisting with his sword was impossible, so he could only abandon defense and parry to avoid a fatal blow.
The iron sword sliced off his left arm. Fu Tianling's entire left arm was severed. The wound was as smooth as a mirror, and scarlet blood sprayed across the sky. Only after the sword light faded did many cultivators see Zhang Fan's figure clearly, and they could not help but hold their breath, their eyes filled with horror.
However, Fu Tianling, having lost his left arm, did not hesitate. He retreated rapidly, rejoining Nangong Feng and the others.
Heavily wounding Fu Tianling with a single sword strike made Nangong Feng, who was observing from the sidelines, feel incredibly heavy-hearted. In the situation just now, he wouldn't have had time to intervene and provide support.
At the same time, they glanced at Fu Tianling, standing with one arm, and a sense of admiration appeared in their eyes. They believed that in such a perilous situation, they wouldn't have performed any better than Fu Tianling.
For a Nascent Soul cultivator, as long as the Nascent Soul remained intact, even if the physical body were completely destroyed, they could be reborn through a new body. Losing an arm was merely a loss of some vitality and would take time to regrow. It would, however, have a significant impact on combat effectiveness in the short term.
...