Chapter 2307: Clash of Dao!

"The strong are always strong, the weak always weak. My Dao is that the weak serve the strong."

"What of strength? What of weakness? Did you not rise from weakness step by step? The only thing that makes you better than a medicinal herb is that you were born into a better womb."

"Ridiculous! This Heavenly Emperor is gifted by nature; I fought my way up alone and became a legend of the Tongtian Realm. How can I be compared to an ant?"

"So what? No matter how strong you are, you cannot escape the cage of the Tongtian Realm! Besides, in terms of talent, what are you before Ye?"

…

The two exchanged words, each unable to convince the other.

Those who could forge their own Great Dao had minds so firm—how could they be swayed by another's words?

Suddenly, Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu laughed heartily: "Hahaha... Sub-Saint, we are both prodigies of this era. Why waste time on a war of words? Since there's still time, how about we have a little contest?"

Ye Yuan said calmly, "I was just thinking the same."

Instantly, everyone's breath became tense.

As Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu said, they were both prodigies of the age, their strength overwhelming their peers. Especially Yaoshu, who had even crossed hands with the Grand Priest of the Saint Ancestor.

And Ye Yuan was a rising star, at his zenith.

Everyone was extremely curious about his true strength.

This peak duel between the two was the real highlight of the Ten Thousand Domain Alchemy Grand Conference.

The two rose, stepped into the air, and directly arrived above the void.

Heavenly Emperor Maple Forest, who had kept his eyes closed all along, finally opened them, staring intently at the two above the void.

"Old fellow, who do you think is stronger?" said Heavenly Emperor Yixian.

"I cannot say for sure," Heavenly Emperor Maple Forest said calmly.

"Heh, you old fox, still unwilling to commit even now? In my view, the Sub-Saint's edge is sharp, but he is still young. The path of Dao alchemy relies on years of accumulation. With our experience, if we truly fought, we might not be inferior to the Sub-Saint," said Heavenly Emperor Yixian.

Heavenly Emperor Maple Forest's gaze flickered slightly. "I... am not certain."

At these words, all the patriarchs were greatly shocked.

Heavenly Emperor Yixian's face darkened. "Old fellow, you're not joking, are you? That's not a funny joke."

Heavenly Emperor Maple Forest said impassively, "Do I need to joke with you?"

Everyone was stunned beyond measure.

Among the patriarchs present, only Heavenly Emperor Maple Forest had truly seen Ye Yuan in action.

But at that time, Ye Yuan had clearly not used his full strength.

There was no way to judge Ye Yuan's true power.

Evidently, Heavenly Emperor Maple Forest had deduced from some clues that Ye Yuan's strength was unfathomable.

He was uncertain and thus dared not act rashly.

Heavenly Emperor Maple Forest said, "If I had been sure, I would have acted then. Why would I have endured until today?"

Everyone was greatly alarmed; thinking it over, it was indeed so.

If Ye Yuan were truly a newcomer who had only grasped a hint of Dao alchemy, there would have been no need for such forbearance.

After all, having a disciple kneel and apologize was not a glorious affair, and it brought shame to the patriarch.

All the patriarchs looked toward the void, where the two stood facing each other, swords drawn.

Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu looked at Ye Yuan and said calmly, "What medium shall we use?"

Ye Yuan said calmly, "You are the junior; you choose."

Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu laughed heartily, "In this world, aside from my master and the Grand Priest of the Saint Ancestor, no one dares call me junior before this Heavenly Emperor! Sub-Saint, you are arrogant!"

Ye Yuan said calmly, "Do you have any objection?"

Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu was momentarily speechless; he really couldn't find a reason to refute.

The Sub-Saint was of the same generation as the Grand Priest of the Saint Ancestor, and thus of the same generation as the Medicine Ancestor. As the Medicine Ancestor's disciple, he was naturally a step lower.

"Enough, I won't argue with you. Since our disagreement lies in medicinal herbs, let's compete with them."

With that, Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu pointed into the void, and a vast wood-element power plunged into the ground.

In an instant, a tiny medicinal herb broke through the soil.

Such a feat left everyone bewildered.

This was the source of the Great Dao, capable of giving birth to all things.

The herb's grade was not high—only a third-grade medicinal herb.

For experts of Ye Yuan and Yaoshu's level, such an herb was almost beneath notice.

Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu waved his hand, and the herb flew into his grasp.

Then, with a single hand tracing a circle, the herb instantly shattered into fine powder.

A surge of Dao power suddenly burst forth.

Behind Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu, the phantom of a sun rose abruptly, domineering and unparalleled.

This was the Great Dao of Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu!

At this level, their alchemy contests were no longer based on herbs as before.

So-called Dao alchemy pointed directly to the origin of the Dao; its application was subtle, residing in the heart, no longer constrained by formulas.

A grain of sand, a stone, a blade of grass, a tree—all could be used to refine alchemy.

Just like the Grand Priest of the Saint Ancestor, who once competed with the Medicine Ancestor through a game of chess, and the winner was immediately clear.

Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu gave a slight shake, and the cloud of powder flew toward Ye Yuan.

Ye Yuan pointed in the void, and the powder instantly froze. At the same time, a Dao power from him also erupted fiercely.

A massive Taiji diagram formed behind Ye Yuan and began to rotate slowly.

This was the first time Ye Yuan had revealed his true strength before everyone, and instantly all were lost in admiration.

Especially Heavenly Emperor Yixian, who had thought Heavenly Emperor Maple Forest was too cautious; now he was dumbfounded, speechless.

This Dao power was already comparable to his own, not inferior in the least.

If he had truly acted back then over Zhao Zixuan's matter, the outcome might have been quite awkward.

Losing to a rising star like Ye Yuan, who was only two or three thousand years old, would leave him no face to show.

Heavenly Emperor Yixian thought to himself, "That was close."

But although Ye Yuan's Dao power was strong, it was still too weak before Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu across from him.

After all, Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu had once defeated various patriarchs.

In the Tongtian Realm, only the Medicine Ancestor, the Grand Priest of the Saint Ancestor, and his senior brother could suppress him.

The rest were far behind.

Above the void, with the two at the center, a massive circular force field formed.

Looking closely, this great force field was the embryo of a world.

But this world was neither complete nor balanced.

Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu clearly had the upper hand over Ye Yuan, holding a great advantage.

This situation was like when the Medicine Ancestor overpowered the Grand Priest of the Saint Ancestor.

After all, Ye Yuan had only recently entered the realm of Dao alchemy; compared to Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu, he was still too weak.

But Ye Yuan's face was calm, without a trace of panic.

The Taiji diagram behind him continued to rotate powerfully, showing no sign of retreat.

Back and forth, the third-grade medicinal herb gradually took the shape of an egg, one end large and the other small.

The large end was on Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu's side, while the small end was on Ye Yuan's side.

Undoubtedly, this battle was already dominated by Heavenly Emperor Yaoshu.