Boom!
With a clash of sword and ruler, a thunderous roar erupted. The immense recoil force instantly sent Li Xuan back hundreds of meters.
As the terrifying shockwave spread, it pulverized the challenge arena below into fragments. However, with a wave of his hand, the envoy Ming Chang, seated on his high throne, instantly blocked the terrifying blast.
As Li Xuan’s figure came to a halt, the terrifying surge of energy emanating from the Xuan Ming Ruler dissipated before him.
"This Xuan Ming Ruler is indeed not simple," Li Xuan observed Ming He Yue floating in mid-air, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.
Although Ming He Yue's strike was blocked by Li Xuan, Li Xuan's left arm still felt a slight numbness from the rebound.
Even though Li Xuan now possessed the Shi Sword, which was of the highest tier and power, its attributes were also exceptionally potent. Moreover, the individuals present were no weaklings, and Li Xuan was well aware of the dangers of possessing such treasures.
"A sword cultivator, no wonder you are so confident. But no matter how prodigious you are, you will die here today!"
Seeing the divine sword appear in Li Xuan's hand, a flicker of surprise flashed in Ming He Yue's eyes. However, there was no hint of worry on his face, as his own cultivation level was superior. Combined with the tier of his spiritual weapon, Ming He Yue naturally felt unconcerned.
Li Xuan heard this and smiled faintly, looking at the divine sword in his hand. "It seems you've underestimated me. In that case, how about I destroy your Xuan Ming Ruler?"
Hum.
As Li Xuan finished speaking, the divine sword in his hand let out a soft hum. Its demeanor clearly indicated its enthusiastic agreement with Li Xuan's intention.
"Very well, go," Li Xuan chuckled again upon seeing this, then with a wave of his hand, he flung the divine sword towards Ming He Yue.
"How naive. Do you think your broken sword can defeat me, young master?" Seeing Li Xuan directly throw the divine sword, a trace of disdain flashed in Ming He Yue's eyes. He too waved his hand, and the Xuan Ming Ruler shot straight towards the divine sword.
As the Xuan Ming Ruler flew towards the divine sword, its body rapidly expanded. In mere moments, it grew to a thousand zhang in size. Where it passed, space collapsed and fractured.
Its offensive power was incredibly formidable. In contrast, the divine sword, after being hurled towards Ming He Yue, showed no exceptional traits. The onlookers outside the challenge arena, witnessing this, cast looks of regret towards Li Xuan.
However, besides the crowd, the envoy Ming Chang, who was also observing, looked at Li Xuan with a hint of surprise.
Hum.
Indeed!
As the Xuan Ming Ruler and the divine sword drew closer, the divine sword suddenly vibrated. A sword hum, like a sonic wave, echoed through the heavens and earth. Then, the divine sword erupted with a powerful sword light, striking down at the Xuan Ming Ruler like a king.
"This sword qi... not good!" Sensing the sudden burst of power from the divine sword, Ming He Yue's expression changed drastically. Looking up, he found his Xuan Ming Ruler trembling in place.
Crack!
Just as Ming He Yue spoke, a crisp cracking sound was heard. The thousand zhang Xuan Ming Ruler was actually split in half by the divine sword.
Hiss!
Witnessing this scene, the onlookers collectively gasped in disbelief. The Xuan Ming Ruler, which had possessed such imposing power moments ago, was now broken in half by Li Xuan's "broken sword" in a single exchange.
"How is this possible! You, your weapon is no ordinary spiritual weapon!"
Seeing his Xuan Ming Ruler, which was a thousand zhang in size, cleaved in two by the divine sword in a single encounter, Ming He Yue finally realized he had been tricked by Li Xuan.
Observing Ming He Yue's drastically altered expression, Li Xuan smiled faintly and said, "When did I ever tell you my weapon was ordinary? This sword has been with me for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Ming He Yue was left speechless, as if he had swallowed a fly.
In truth, it was not entirely Ming He Yue's fault for misjudging. After all, Li Xuan was a disciple of the Li clan.
For a disciple of a small clan to gain a divine sword through his connection with the second elder's family was already a miraculous boon. And the appearance of the divine sword made it easy for people to misjudge it.
Even the envoy Ming Chang showed a hint of curiosity in his eyes at this moment. Clearly, he too was deeply puzzled by the origin of the divine sword in Li Xuan's possession.
"This divine sword in the child's hand does not seem to belong to the second elder's family. Yet, Li Xuan's records clearly state he is a disciple of the Li clan. Why would he possess such a divine sword?" the envoy Ming Chang murmured to himself, his gaze returning to Li Xuan.
"Hong Yi, send him on his way." Seeing Ming He Yue still in a daze, Li Xuan had a thought. The divine sword turned in mid-air and rapidly shot towards Ming He Yue.
Sensing the encroaching aura of death, Ming He Yue's figure moved, vanishing from his spot. The divine sword, missing its target, turned again and streaked towards the southwest direction where Ming He Yue had been.
"Damn it!" Forced to reveal himself, Ming He Yue's eyes flashed with intense anger. Who could have imagined this divine sword was so terrifying? His previous advantage had vanished without a trace.
Moreover, if Ming He Yue could not escape the divine sword's attack, he would be unable to pose any threat to Li Xuan. With a fierce glint in his eyes, Ming He Yue was enveloped by a dark glow and vanished into the void.
Ming He Yue, having disappeared again, his aura completely gone. Even the divine sword stopped in mid-air, as if it had lost its lock on Ming He Yue's presence. Li Xuan frowned slightly at this, then with a wave of his hand, the divine sword returned to his grasp.
Huh?
The moment Li Xuan grasped the divine sword, a sense of inexplicable threat surged into his heart. Feeling this, Li Xuan immediately employed his Unfettered Steps, feinting and vanishing from his original position.
Boom!
Just as Li Xuan disappeared, Ming He Yue's figure appeared behind where Li Xuan had been. The palm strike he had unleashed now missed its target.
"What a peculiar movement technique, to be able to evade my Netherworld Tracking Art!" A look of surprise flashed in Ming He Yue's eyes, and his expression grew increasingly solemn.
With each display of Li Xuan's strength, Ming He Yue's initial disdain turned into seriousness. Especially after his Xuan Ming Ruler was split in half by Li Xuan's divine sword, Ming He Yue became much more cautious in his attacks.
"It seems your mid-stage Harmony Realm strength is also nothing more than this. To this day, you can only resort to sneak attacks." Li Xuan emerged from the void, looking at the grim-faced Ming He Yue with a slight smile.
Upon hearing this, Ming He Yue's face turned ashen as he glared at Li Xuan. "While your divine sword's power is not weak, your realm has not yet reached mine. I must admit, for a disciple from a small clan, to possess such strength is enough to bring glory to your ancestors."
"If you are allowed to grow, you will undoubtedly become a great threat. Therefore, I will kill you here today, even if it means my strength regresses!"
"Netherworld Divine Art, Blood Devour!"
As Ming He Yue finished speaking, he slammed a palm into his own chest. A mouthful of blood was instantly sprayed out.
However, these drops of blood strangely floated in mid-air and froze. Then, in Li Xuan's sight, they abruptly disappeared.
At this moment, the spiritual energy in the heavens and earth surged towards Ming He Yue's body like a swarm of bees. In an instant, Ming He Yue's aura began to skyrocket, subtly ascending towards the peak Harmony Realm.
"My heavens, Ming He Yue has actually used a forbidden art!"
"While the user of the Blood Devour Art can temporarily gain a breakthrough in strength, they might need a full five years to recover afterward. Their strength will even drop by a major stage. Ming He Yue is truly willing to pay such a price."
"Alas, Ming He Yue's original strength had already brought him to the verge of mid-stage Harmony Realm. Now, with this forbidden Blood Devour Art, his strength will likely leap to late-stage or even peak Harmony Realm. It seems unlikely that Li Xuan of the Li clan can withstand Ming He Yue's subsequent attacks."
"..."
Observing Ming He Yue's actions, the onlookers were all shocked. It appeared that the Blood Devour Art was one of the formidable divine arts within the Nine Nether race. However, its side effects were also significant.
Ming He Yue's current actions demonstrated the intensity of his determination to eliminate Li Xuan.
As Li Xuan watched Ming He Yue's steadily increasing aura, a hint of solemnity appeared in his eyes.
"I am not his match," Hong Yi transmitted mentally.
Li Xuan nodded slightly upon hearing this, then with a thought, he withdrew the divine sword into the Zhen Yu. Previously, Hong Yi had entered the divine sword to temporarily act as its spirit, which was how it managed to cleave the Xuan Ming Ruler. Now that Ming He Yue's strength had surged, it was naturally impossible to break through Ming He Yue's defenses.
The next moment, Li Xuan's hand moved, and a spiritual sword reappeared.
This sword was the Shi Sword.