In the beginning, when Li Qi had not yet unleashed all his trump cards.
Indeed, even he could feel a primal tremor of fear from the Guardian.
But now, with all of Li Qi's trump cards activated, his own strength had been elevated to an unimaginable level.
Previously, the Guardian could kill a cultivator at the eighth stage of Tribulation Transcension in two moves.
Now, in his current state, Li Qi could achieve the same.
Moreover, he could do it more easily than the Guardian.
All these thoughts flashed by in an instant. Snapping back to reality, Li Qi raised his head and looked at Fang Ying and Wang Yangfeng, who were expectantly awaiting his words.
"You two, get further away. I'll handle him alone."
"Understood! Daoist friend, be careful!"
Without any hesitation or refusal.
Both of them knew that their current strength was of little consequence to powerhouses like Li Qi.
If they were to intervene, they would likely just withstand a single blow and be killed.
Thus, with a flicker of their figures, they moved directly to the edge of the isolation barrier, the furthest point from both Li Qi and the Guardian.
With no one else to obstruct him, Li Qi did not waste any more time.
His gaze, filled with fighting spirit, fixed directly on the Guardian standing beside the fragment of heavenly dao will.
As if sensing Li Qi's gaze.
At this moment, the Guardian's eyes met his.
If previously the Guardian's gaze was unchangingly indifferent, like a soulless machine, then.
This time, as the Guardian looked at Li Qi, a slight change finally occurred.
A voice filled with majesty resounded.
"If my realm still existed, I would have cultivated you into a new great general."
"Enough nonsense. You're just a pile of old bones, dead for who knows how many years. Hurry up and let me kill you."
However, Li Qi did not respond. Even though he seemed to notice that the Guardian looked somewhat unusual compared to before.
He still had no intention of wasting time. His hundredfold amplification could not last forever.
In a flash, Li Qi's aura surged once more.
His speed became unimaginably fast. In the blink of an eye, Li Qi vanished from his original position.
When Li Qi reappeared, he was already in front of the Guardian.
A terrifying punch, carrying a pressure that could shatter space, emanated from him. The surrounding isolation barrier vibrated more violently, as if the residual energy from Li Qi's punch was already nearing the barrier's breaking point.
It was worth noting that previously, Wang Yangfeng's full power could not even stir a ripple on the isolation barrier. Yet, the commotion caused by Li Qi's residual energy was far more potent than Wang Yangfeng's full might.
At the same time, as Li Qi made his move.
"Annihilation."
The Guardian's calm voice sounded again.
Following this, the deathly stillness that had nearly led Wang Yangfeng to his demise once again surged forth.
"It's useless against me."
Seeing this, Li Qi was unfazed. He raised his hand and directly cleaved down upon the deathly still space.
With a *crack*.
The ethereal, deathly still space was actually split in two by Li Qi's strike, shattering into pieces.
The ghostly, decayed hands that had attempted to emerge were already annihilated the moment Li Qi's aura leaked out.
*Bang bang bang!*
A dazzling array of attacks occurred.
In just a single breath, Li Qi had exchanged at least hundreds of blows with the Guardian.
The terrifying residual energy spread out, causing the trembling Fang Ying and Wang Yangfeng, who were hiding nearby, to shiver in fear.
Their eyes widened in shock, and they silently marveled that if they had not hidden so far away.
The battle's aftermath between the two would have been enough to annihilate them, two powerful cultivators at the eighth stage of Tribulation Transcension.
Snapping back to reality, Wang Yangfeng and Fang Ying exchanged glances, both showing bitter smiles.
"This is true power. We are merely frogs in a well."
The so-called eighth stage of Tribulation Transcension, in the face of such true powerhouses, was still akin to ants.
Meanwhile, Li Qi and the Guardian's battle continued.
And the fluctuations of their combat seemed to grow larger and larger.
The terrifying combat between them almost tore the entire space within the isolation barrier to shreds.
The unintended residual energy they unleashed transformed into massive spatial storms.
*Crackle crackle crackle, crackle.*
Something groaned under the immense pressure.
Wang Yangfeng and Fang Ying's expressions shifted slightly, as if realizing something.
Their gazes suddenly turned to their backs, towards the isolation barrier that had almost plastered itself to them.
At some point, the formerly indestructible isolation barrier, like diamond, had developed fine cracks in numerous places.
The next moment.
*Crack!*
Not far from Fang Ying and Wang Yangfeng, a section of the isolation barrier actually broke open, forming a gap.
Upon seeing this, both Fang Ying and Wang Yangfeng showed expressions of elation. Without any hesitation, they immediately flashed away and escaped.
As for this scene, Li Qi, fully immersed in his battle, naturally did not notice.
Even if he had noticed, he would not have said anything.
After all, the half of the Dao Fall fragment they had promised him was already in his possession, so their departure meant nothing to him now.
Instead, Li Qi, after multiple collisions with the Guardian, was beginning to truly understand just how powerful this Guardian was.
With Li Qi's current strength, though he dared not claim to have truly reached the Mahayana stage.
Li Qi was confident that, with all his power amplified, his combat strength was absolutely not comparable to ordinary peak Tribulation Transcension cultivators.
Yet, even so, after fighting this Guardian for so long, Li Qi had no significant advantage.
"Thankfully, this guy is just a skeleton, relying on the essence of the fragmented heavenly dao will to fight. If I were facing him in his prime, he could probably kill me with a single spit."
Li Qi couldn't help but secretly feel fortunate.
But this was not the most crucial matter at present.
The most critical point was that while Li Qi was fighting the Guardian.
Any damage he inflicted upon the Guardian would cause the fragmented heavenly dao will to immediately use its own origin to repair the Guardian, restoring him to peak condition.