Douluo: This Legend of the Dragon King is not quite right

Faced with Xu Tiandi's resounding challenge, imbued with the divine power of new life, Lu Jun's face showed no sign of solemnity; instead, a smile appeared on his face.

"Since the host has extended such a warm invitation, going to such lengths to prepare this spectacle,"

Lu Jun's voice was calm and unhurried, and could be clearly heard amidst the still turbulent aftershocks of the dimensional energy.

"If I, as the guest, were to refuse again, it would seem that I am ungrateful and unable to refuse such hospitality."

His tone suddenly shifted, and he looked directly into Xu Tiandi's golden eyes:

"However, before you stake all your grand ambitions on defeating me and seizing the Ice Abyss Sword, I have a small question."

Lu Jun paused:
"What makes you so sure that by obtaining this so-called super artifact from me, you can secure victory and wipe out the Abyss Plane in one fell swoop?"

He tilted his head slightly, as if stating a very simple fact:

"You should know that, based on the information I have, the Abyss Plane that you are familiar with has at least one true God-King at its top, with more than thirty first-level gods under him. And this is only the known, overt power."

Lu Jun's tone was calm, yet every word struck like a hammer blow against Xu Tiandi's newly risen surge of heroic spirit:
"Even if you are lucky enough to succeed and fully integrate with the evolving origin of the Douluo Star plane, becoming the master of the plane, before this planet completes its final evolution, your upper limit of strength will at most be infinitely close to the God King, barely stepping into the realm of the half-step God King."

"With the strength of a half-step God-King and wielding a super artifact, to fight against a mature hostile plane with a complete God-King and dozens of first-level gods... Speaker Xu, your confidence is a bit too optimistic."

Xu Tiandi's expression of indifference trembled slightly, and a hint of displeasure at having his hand seen through flashed in his golden pupils, but more than that, it was a certainty based on his own understanding.

He snorted coldly, his voice still booming:

"Don't try to shake my resolve with these things. The notes and legacy left behind by Spirit Ice Douluo Huo Yuhao have already revealed some of the secrets of the God Realm to the public. At least at the highest levels of our Federation, they are not secrets."

He raised his head slightly, as if quoting classical texts:
"It is explicitly stated that divine artifacts and super divine artifacts are the key benchmarks for measuring the combat power of gods, especially god-king level beings."

"A powerful artifact can give its wielder a qualitative leap in strength, and may even make up for some of the gaps in cultivation levels."

"Looking across the many realms of gods, many god-kings themselves may not even possess a single true divine artifact!"

His gaze hardened again, fixing firmly on the Ice Abyss Sword at Lu Jun's waist:
"As for the sword in your hand, I have personally witnessed its power. It is far beyond that of ordinary divine artifacts. My divine eye tells me, and the entire plane tells me, that if I can wield such a super divine artifact with the body of a half-step God-King, even if a God-King personally comes from the Abyss, I may not be without the power to fight. At the very least, it will be enough to protect the foundation of Douluo Star from destruction!"

"The Federation will not face annihilation; at the very least, it will be able to contend with the Abyss Plane!"

Emperor Xu slowly raised the seemingly ordinary staff in his hand, which now subtly resonated with the surrounding golden aura, his tone filled with an undeniable determination:
"Moreover, our Federation still has one last, and strongest, trump card: the Eternal Heaven!"

"That God-Slaying Fixed-Mount Soul-Guided Cannonball, which embodies the pinnacle of the Federation's ten-thousand-year-old soul-guided technology, has the theoretical power to severely injure or even destroy a god-level being. Combined with the god-level power I am about to obtain, and the sharpness of your super artifact, I am fully confident that I can deliver a fatal blow to the core of the Abyss army at the very beginning of its arrival!"

His voice suddenly rose, carrying an almost fanatical blueprint:

"At that time, the Abyss Plane will be damaged and thrown into chaos. I will then be able to guide the power of the Douluo Star Plane to devour and merge with the origin of the Abyss Plane!"

"Use war to sustain war, and use their resources to strengthen our foundation!"

"Once the abyss is completely devoured, Douluo Star will leap into its final evolution and directly ascend to a brand new God Realm!"

"And I, as the mastermind and ruler of all this, am the undisputed leader of this newly born divine realm—"

"God King!"

He practically roared out the last two words, his golden eyes burning with a fierce fire of ambition, as if the glorious throne of the god-king was already close at hand.

Lu Jun listened quietly as he finished speaking, the faint smile on his face still lingering, and he even nodded slightly.

"That's a great idea." Lu Jun's tone carried a hint of agreement.

"In fact, some of the ideas about using war to sustain war and devouring enemy planes to strengthen oneself coincide with my own."

His right hand firmly gripped the scabbard of the Ice Abyss Sword at his waist.

The scabbard was cold, yet its touch felt incredibly familiar.

"Moreover, your entire plan sounds intricately linked, logically consistent, and almost irresistibly appealing."

As Lu Jun spoke, he slowly, inch by inch, drew the Ice Abyss Sword from its sheath.

The blade rubbed against the scabbard, producing a subtle and clear "rustling" sound, like snowflakes skimming across a jade plate.

With each inch the sword was drawn, the temperature of the surrounding space dropped sharply, and the ice crystals condensing in the air became more and more dense. Even before it was fully revealed, the pure ice-blue sword light was already painful to the eyes.

Although this is not the real Ice Abyss Sword, it was just something Lu Jun sculpted.

But it's pretty much the same.

The real Ice Abyss Sword was still stuck in Tang Wutong's body; Lu Jun had not taken it back.

Facing a newly ascended god, Lu Jun doesn't need to use his innate super artifact!
"But, Emperor Xu."

Lu Jun's voice suddenly turned cold.

"You seem to have forgotten a very basic, and most crucial, premise."

He suddenly pulled the Ice Abyss Sword out completely.

A thunderous sword cry suddenly erupted, no longer the previous low hum, but like a glacier breaking apart and a snow dragon roaring.

The icy blue sword energy was no longer restrained; it erupted into the sky like a volcano that had been suppressed for a long time.

The sword energy was not chaotic; it pointed straight to the sky, as if it wanted to pierce a hole in the golden canopy created by the newly born deity.

A terrifying sword aura that severed rules and froze spacetime spread out from Lu Jun's center, rivaling Xu Tiandi's divine power of the plane.

"The only foundation upon which all your grand ambitions can be built—"

Lu Jun stood with his sword in hand, his white robes fluttering in the turbulence of his own sword energy and the opponent's divine might. His eyes were as sharp as the unsheathed blade of an icy abyss sword, and each word he spoke struck Xu Tiandi's ears with crystal clarity, shattering the latter's imagined blueprint:
"Right now, you must truly defeat me right here!"

"Hahaha! Yes! That's right!!"

Xu Tiandi suddenly burst into laughter, but the laughter was no longer ethereal and sacred; instead, it was filled with a kind of madness and obsession that had been suppressed for a long time and was finally being released.

The indifferent gold in his eyes suddenly ignited, turning into two fiercely burning flames, as hot as molten gold, glaring angrily at Lu Jun.

It wasn't just simple anger; it was more like an indictment of the injustice of fate, a hatred for powerful obstacles, and a madness that wanted to crush them at all costs.

"I must defeat you, defeat you with my own hands, for my grand plan to succeed and for everything I have lost to be regained!"

"Only my name, Xu Tiandi, will be truly etched into the annals of this galaxy, not merely a supporting character in a certain era, or dust beneath the feet of a victor!" (End of Chapter)