As the short-haired, black-robed man's mind was shaken, his entire body's magical power momentarily stagnated, and the sound of his protective light shield cracking was heard in that instant.
The Qiongqi that had been biting his neck and the "Wind Goose Beast" that had been pecking at his back immediately sensed an opportunity.
This was the full-force attack of the Great Elder and Yan San. They knew that everyone here could die in an instant, so every move they made was treated as their last.
With the short-haired, black-robed man's mind unstable, coupled with his underestimation of the enemy, the moment his protective light shield cracked, two bloody marks appeared on his neck and back, and blood splattered out.
The Qiongqi had already bitten down on his neck. With a fierce glint in its eyes, blood spurted out from between its cold, sharp teeth.
The "Wind Goose Beast" also pecked down, and a large, bloody hole appeared on the short-haired, black-robed man's back. The "Wind Goose Beast's" beak even touched the white bone and was about to continue pushing forward, to pierce through to his heart...
And all of this was an opportunity created by Li Yan.
The greatest weaknesses of a sword cultivator were two: their physical body and their lack of sustained magical power. And the full-force attacks of the Great Elder and the others were already capable of causing damage to his physical body.
However, the severe pain in the short-haired, black-robed man's divine soul was suppressed by him in just an instant. A tremendous force suddenly generated from within his body, and an incomparably majestic power burst forth in that instant.
His lack of magical power was only in comparison to cultivators of the same rank, and his inability to cast high-powered sword arts for a long time. But to Nascent Soul cultivators, he was still unfathomably deep.
The bodies of the Qiongqi and the "Wind Goose Beast" both froze for a moment. The instant the tremendous force struck their heads, their entire bodies, starting from their mouths, down to their necks, bodies, and tails, began to shatter inch by inch.
The Great Elder and Yan San were both struck as if by lightning. The Great Elder's striking palm also emitted a crisp "crack."
With his "Qiongqi Purgatory Art" cultivated to the peak of the sixth layer, a single one of his bones could withstand a magical treasure of this realm without losing ground. Yet, it had instantly broken at the wrist.
Yan San was even more miserable than him. His attack was using his natal magical treasure. The Great Elder's Qiongqi collapsing was due to the backlash of magical power.
But the moment the "Wind Goose Beast" shattered, it turned into two black feathers. Cracks also appeared on the two feathers, and nearly seventy percent of the feathers on them had crumbled, leaving them almost like two bare "sticks."
Jets of blood flew out from Yan San's seven orifices. As he was sent flying backward, a mist of blood filled the sky around his body. With a series of cracking sounds, it was unknown how many bones he had broken, and his aura instantly weakened.
The Great Elder, however, leaped back with the momentum and was already behind Yan San. He did not try to catch his body head-on, but used his remaining arm to gently guide him, redirecting the residual force still in Yan San's body.
The moment that force left Yan San's body, it exploded in the air.
"Boom!"
Even this shockwave caused a sudden change in the surrounding wind and clouds, and the entire space shook violently. From this, one could see how much impact Yan San had to bear.
With a flash of light in the Great Elder's hand, a medicinal pill had already flown into Yan San's mouth. At the same time, his own face pale, he also put a pill into his mouth.
The moment the pill entered his mouth, yellow light swirled around his broken wrist, rapidly repairing the injury.
The short-haired, black-robed man, in his hasty reaction, couldn't unleash too much power. Yan San couldn't take the backlash of this force, but the Great Elder barely managed to.
But like Yan San, his internal organs were also injured, and the medicinal pill he had swallowed wouldn't be able to completely heal him in a short time.
The exchange between the two sides was as swift as a rabbit rising and a falcon swooping down. It all happened in an instant. In a battle of this level, life and death could be decided in a moment.
Li Yan also let out a muffled grunt, his face instantly turning from black to white. The opponent's divine soul was too strong.
Even with the strength of his own divine soul, a soul that had been tempered in the long underground passage, after having already pulled at the opponent's "Human Soul," his art was still forcefully interrupted by the other party, and he immediately suffered a backlash.
At this moment, it was as if a steel needle had been fiercely stabbed deep into Li Yan's soul. This pain was truly a pain that went deep into the soul.
Li Yan's body swayed, and he almost fell headfirst from the sky. Fortunately, he managed to stabilize himself in time.
"You all must die!"
The short-haired, black-robed man's hair was now standing on end in anger. He let out a voice as cold as if it came from the nine netherworlds. He was a Spirit Transformation cultivator, and it had been a long time since he had suffered such a loss.
He had never expected that just by facing a few Nascent Soul cultivators, someone could trap his attack and create an opening for others to attack.
If it were just that, it would have been fine. It was possible for a Nascent Soul cultivator to possess the combat power of an Initial-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator. He would just need to circulate his magical power a little more to instantly turn the opponent into dust.
But that Li Yan actually had such a bizarre secret art, not only causing his divine soul to fluctuate with pain, but even his physical body had suffered considerable damage.
In the sky, the exchange between the two sides was so fast that the cultivators in the great formation of the Tianli Clan below cried out in alarm. In their eyes, the Great Elder, who was as powerful as a god, had been injured twice in two exchanges.
In front of the short-haired, black-robed man, the four of them could only be like death-defying ants, charging up again and again. With a casual flick of his finger or a wave of his sleeve, they would have their bones broken and tendons torn.
Gong Shanhe and the other Nascent Soul cultivators, however, said nothing, their eyes fixed on the sky. Gong Chenying's aura surged ceaselessly, but she forcefully suppressed it.
"A Late-stage Nascent Soul is already strong enough to be almost invincible in this realm, but a Spirit Transformation is like a true god. Although they don't dare to unleash their full Spirit Transformation cultivation, their comprehension of the laws makes them unimaginably powerful..."
Gong Chenying knew that even if she went up now, it would be useless. It was just as Li Yan and the others had instructed. She couldn't even get close to the other party, let alone attack.
The short-haired, black-robed man's face was filled with a chilling killing intent. With a wave of his large sleeve.
"Zheng! Zheng! Zheng!..."
A series of sounds like snapping zither strings echoed in this space. Hong Yin's delicate body trembled violently, and a great golden light burst from her eyes.
She continuously tapped at the air with one hand. Instantly, the red lotuses in the air began to spin rapidly, and the scorching yellow light between them turned into a dazzling golden light that filled the sky.
The four flying swords that had just been about to rise up slowed down once again. Large beads of sweat appeared on Hong Yin's smooth forehead, rolling down. Her aura also became erratic, fluctuating between strong and weak, showing that she was struggling greatly.
That she could, with her current cultivation, single-handedly block the opponent's four flying swords was already a testament to her powerful foundation.
It was just that her current magical power was not enough to support the true power of her art; she could only be considered to be borrowing it.
But the short-haired, black-robed man's attack was not so easily contained. Seeing that Hong Yin still wanted to continue suppressing his flying swords, his lips tightened, and his expression grew even colder.
He swung his other sleeve, and with a ripple in space, several streaks of cold light shot out. With just a slight curve, they had already bypassed the red lotus golden light that Hong Yin had laid out.
The Great Elder, Yan San, and Li Yan, who were retreating, saw the space above their heads ripple slightly in the next moment. Then, a speck of cold light flashed out from each, and with a slash, they came down on the three of them.
"Not good!"
Hong Yin, on the other side, saw this and was alarmed. Sword cultivators had too many magical treasure flying swords, and a Spirit Transformation cultivator had nurtured an unknown number of them.
The opponent hadn't unleashed a myriad of swords at once, certainly because he was worried about causing too much of a commotion, and he was only dealing with a few juniors. He didn't think it would be too much trouble.
However, although it was only a few flying swords, their power was actually greater. Unleashing a myriad of swords would require more magical power and divine sense, and it would be dispersed.
It seemed that his flying swords were blocked by Hong Yin, but in fact, each flying sword had the destructive power to kill a Late-stage Nascent Soul. If it were to fall into the Tianli Clan, it would instantly wipe out a clan. It was absolutely terrifying.
The moment Hong Yin realized something was wrong, she reacted even faster. With a swift wave of her hand, eighteen red lotuses spread out, bringing a patch of golden light to the space above the Great Elder and the other two.
The cold light that was already slashing down only paused for a moment when the golden light appeared. It was clear that the dispersed golden Threads of Karma were not enough to block the sword's momentum.
But it did reveal three slightly blurry sword shadows above their heads, which then pierced through the golden light.
"Tsk... Ding!"
With two different soft sounds, someone immediately let out a muffled grunt, and a blood-curdling scream shot up into the sky.
The Great Elder held his staff horizontally, and a sharp sword gleaming with cold light stabbed into it. His body plunged downwards.
In an instant, the staff transformed into a hundred-zhang-long, thousand-legged centipede. Its huge body suddenly curled up, wrapping around the several-foot-long sword.
But that seemingly very small and thin sword was still piercing through the thousand-legged centipede's body at a speed visible to the naked eye. The entire blade soon almost completely submerged.
Fortunately, the thousand-legged centipede was a hundred zhang long and its body was over thirty zhang thick, so for a time, it did not shoot out from the other end.
Above the centipede's body, along the part where the sword hilt had entered, streams of thick green blood spurted out. It let out a mournful roar of pain.
Instantly, the nearby ten-thousand-zhang-tall giant peaks began to have mountains and rocks rolling and collapsing during this roar. The entire world seemed to have fallen into a state of collapse in an instant.
The Great Elder's left and right hands were pressed against the abdomen of the thousand-legged centipede, as if he were holding up a giant mountain. That small flying sword was like a heavy mountain giant axe, pressing his body down continuously.
On both sides of his arms, two phantom beasts with fierce eyes had already appeared. They were two Qiongqi. As they shook their heads and wagged their tails, clouds and mist rose from under their eight feet.
The Great Elder's falling body suddenly slowed down, but it still continued to sink downwards.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."
A ten-thousand-zhang-tall mountain under the Great Elder's feet, like a huge black snowdrift, began to have large rocks rolling down the moment his feet made contact.
The entire mountain peak under his feet was shrinking at a speed visible to the naked eye. Blood foam constantly gushed from the Great Elder's mouth.
All of this was the result after Hong Yin's golden light Threads of Karma had blocked at least thirty percent of the force.
Yan San was even more miserable. He was the weakest here in terms of cultivation. If it were just for saving his life, then with his speed, even the Great Elder couldn't compare.
But his speed was still more than a notch slower than the short-haired, black-robed man's flying sword.
The flying sword that slashed towards him, after passing through the golden light Threads of Karma that Hong Yin had hastily spread out, although he had tried his best to dodge, a purple orb flew out at the same time.
Purple light instantly enveloped it. It was the same treasure that had been able to resist the "Heaven's Eye Wind" in the underground swamp.
But this purple light, upon contact with the slashing flying sword, only blocked it for less than two breaths before the purple light shield was split open from the middle.
Yan San's true body, which was dodging under the protection of the purple light, had a small half of its tail and one of its sharp claws cleanly cut off from its body. A large amount of blood filled a patch of the sky.
Hong Yin on the other side, because she had dispersed her power, also showed signs of being unable to hold on.
"Puff! Puff! Puff!..."
In a series of sounds, one after another, the red lotuses were destroyed. In just an instant, thirty red lotuses had dissipated. Her body also trembled, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
But she still did not retreat a single step. Her pupils instantly turned a blood-red color, making her look exceptionally demonic. She was truly the most ferocious person here.
At the same time, the crimson glow longspear in Hong Yin's other hand blurred and disappeared from her hand...
The moment the flying sword appeared above Li Yan's head, he had already sensed that something was wrong. Almost at the same time Hong Yin waved her hand to spread the golden light, his "Phoenix Soars to the Heavens" instantly erupted, and he had already shot out.
In the next moment, the sharp sword pierced through the golden light and struck an empty space. But it seemed to have a spirit of its own. After slashing at empty air, it actually folded like a white silk ribbon and once again pursued Li Yan.
Now, after absorbing the eighth drop of the "Undead Nether Phoenix" Essence Blood, coupled with his advancement to the Late-stage Nascent Soul, Li Yan's strength had greatly increased. The speed of his "Phoenix Soars to the Heavens" when fully unleashed had reached a point that even Li Yan himself couldn't believe.
Over a short distance, it was not much slower than the instantaneous movement of an Initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. The only difference was that this divine ability required an extremely strong physical body to support it.
Even with his full strength, Li Yan couldn't sustain it for too long.
Li Yan just flashed, and no one saw him. He was already at the edge of the sky. Even the Divine Sense of the Great Elder and the others could only catch a small trace.
The short-haired, black-robed man was stunned. At this time, he had just lowered his waving hand, and his attention had been drawn to the voluptuous nun.
That mysterious nun was the strongest of the four. If she herself wanted to escape, the short-haired, black-robed man didn't have much confidence in being able to keep her.
"Damn it, what is the origin of this nun? How come I've never heard of her..."
At this point, the short-haired, black-robed man began to worry a little. He wasn't afraid of Hong Yin; although she was strong, she could only flee in disarray later.
But he could see that the cultivation method Hong Yin practiced was too obvious; it was an orthodox Buddhist cultivation method. The other party was probably not from the Wind God Continent. It would be bad if there was a major power behind her.
Cultivators were most unwilling to fight poison cultivators, but the most troublesome were monks, nuns, and Daoists. These people were often single-minded, and the forces behind them liked to pester and fight relentlessly, even to the death.
It wasn't that he was afraid of the forces behind Hong Yin, but he didn't want such a sect to target him.
And just then, he suddenly turned his head to the side. A speck of black light flashed there. The black light was so fast that he didn't even have time to react before it was at his side.
"What kind of ghost movement skill does this Li Yan practice?"
Regarding Li Yan, not only the short-haired, black-robed man, but also the other Spirit Transformation cultivators on the Wind God Continent only knew of his existence.
The other party came from another realm, but this person was not an unwelcome cultivator on the Wind God Continent.
There were actually quite a few Nascent Soul cultivators like this coming and going. It was impossible for Spirit Transformation cultivators like them to know each and every one of them. To them, these people were still just ants.
But if a Spirit Transformation cultivator from another realm were to stay on the Wind God Continent, the short-haired, black-robed man and the others would have long since sought them out and thoroughly investigated their background.
As for Li Yan's background, just like Gu Jiuqi didn't know the Nascent Soul cultivators of the "Qionglin Sect" at all, the supreme experts of this realm in the eyes of others were nothing in their eyes.
Seeing Li Yan arrive at his side, the short-haired, black-robed man was surprised by his movement skill. And in his perception, Li Yan was a grandmaster of the way of poison. The other party was going to use poison on him at close range.