Ji Buwang and the bearded cultivator had exchanged blows before, but at that time, both had held back.
However, this time, neither the bearded cultivator nor Ji Buwang held anything back.
The air currents generated when the two moved were surging and powerful, forcing even the stone monsters, which felt no pain, to dodge, lest they be shredded into powder by the force.
The roaring sound shook the heavens and earth, and invisible impacts swept out in all directions.
Ji Buwang and the bearded cultivator, entangled together, finally separated. They faced each other from a considerable distance, a subtle aura unfolding between them.
Ji Buwang felt a slight stinging sensation on his cheek. Without looking, he knew a wound had appeared on his face.
It was from that broken sword.
Despite the broken sword lacking a blade, its sharpness was far beyond that of ordinary treasures.
Ji Buwang looked at the broken sword in the bearded cultivator's hand, his gaze deep.
On the other hand, the bearded cultivator's face was unharmed, yet a closer look would reveal his right arm trembling slightly.
Clearly, he had not gained the upper hand in the previous engagement.
"You are strong," the bearded cultivator said, his voice hoarse.
Ji Buwang replied calmly, "Nor are you."
"Hand over the item, and I will let you leave."
Ji Buwang cast a subtle glance at Xu Yi below and said without a change in expression, "Answer my question, and I'll give you the item."
Xu Yi had just received Long Haotian and the other two and needed time to retreat. Ji Buwang could not allow the other party any possibility of threatening Xu Yi.
However, the bearded cultivator, whether seeing through Ji Buwang's thoughts or having a flash of inspiration to find a breakthrough during the battle, directly changed direction and plunged downwards, targeting Xu Yi.
Killing intent surged in Ji Buwang's eyes, and he immediately moved to intercept.
But the moment he moved, the stone monsters, which had been scattered everywhere, converged before him, hopping continuously and emitting ear-piercing cries as if issuing a threat.
"Scram!"
The Sect Leader's Golden Seal erupted with astonishing golden light and slammed hard into the stone monsters.
The stone monsters immediately dispersed and scattered in all directions.
Ji Buwang also seized the opportunity to escape the encirclement of the stone monsters, transforming into a streak of light to pursue, and issued a warning.
"Xu Yi, be careful!"
Ji Buwang's voice reached Xu Yi's ears simultaneously with the sonic boom of the bearded cultivator rapidly descending.
Xu Yi's expression changed. She only had time to push Long Haotian and the other two away, then drew her Admonishment Ruler and flicked it upwards.
The ruler's light instantly shot out, heading straight for the bearded cultivator.
Xu Yi knew that this strike was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot against the bearded cultivator, unable to hinder his approach.
Yet, she still swung the ruler, because she would not compromise.
As expected, upon seeing the oncoming ruler's light, the bearded cultivator did not dodge. He held the broken sword and swung it.
But what neither Xu Yi nor the bearded cultivator expected was that this brilliant ruler's light was not shattered. Instead, it passed through the sword and struck the bearded cultivator.
The bearded cultivator's body stiffened. He looked down in disbelief at the gap on his collar.
Ji Buwang was also shocked by this unexpected turn of events. He reacted swiftly, seizing the opportunity, and flashed to Xu Yi's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with her.
"You..."
The bearded cultivator opened his mouth, unable to complete the sentence. His gaze shifted to the Admonishment Ruler in Xu Yi's hand, a hint of realization flashing in his eyes.
Xu Yi also understood, and happily patted the body of the Admonishment Ruler, as if in praise.
Boom!
The stone monsters that had been dispersed gathered together again, landing behind the bearded cultivator and emitting angry shouts.
The indignation on the bearded cultivator's face vanished. Ignoring the instigation of the stone monsters, he remained silent for a moment. Under Xu Yi and Ji Buwang's scrutiny, he lowered his head and said, "What do you want to know?"
Xu Yi and Ji Buwang exchanged a glance, their eyes flashing with an unusual light.
"We want to know your identity and why you are doing this."
The one who asked the question was Ji Buwang.
Although Xu Yi's Admonishment Ruler seemed to be able to restrain his broken sword, in terms of cultivation hierarchy, Ji Buwang was the more suitable person to converse with him.
"I have no name."
The bearded cultivator's words made Xu Yi and Ji Buwang frown in confusion.
The bearded cultivator's cultivation, if not among the best in the Nine Provinces Continent, was still considered rare.
Both Xu Yi and Ji Buwang regarded him as a hidden powerful being. After all, there were not a few powerful beings in the Nine Provinces Continent who were renowned yet remained hidden. They never expected such an answer.
The two fell silent.
After speaking, the bearded cultivator seemed to have shed all his worries. He sat down on the ground in a defeated manner, cradling the broken sword, and spoke to himself, "I was originally a wisp of remnant soul between heaven and earth. After awakening, I had no memory. If you insist on me having a name, then call me Broken Sword."
"Remnant soul?"
Surprise again appeared in Xu Yi's eyes.
Apart from his cultivation, this bearded cultivator looked no different from ordinary cultivators. He did not resemble a soul, but rather a genuine human.
Could he also be like the spirit of the Soul-Unraveling Bell, possessing someone else's body?
As if sensing their disbelief, the bearded cultivator directly slammed his palm onto the broken edge of the broken sword.
Xu Yi's brow furrowed instinctively, then tightened further.
To their astonishment, the bearded cultivator's palm passed through the broken edge, yet no blood flowed. When he withdrew his hand from the sword, his palm bore no trace of injury.
If Xu Yi and Ji Buwang had not confirmed multiple times that he was not using spiritual energy, they would have suspected it was an illusion.
The bearded cultivator let out a self-mocking laugh, "I probably wasn't a formidable person in my life, to have inadvertently attached myself to a broken sword after death and drifted through various places, only to eventually, through fortune, condense a new body with the broken sword..."
When the bearded cultivator first regained consciousness, he was on Mount Burning Flames.
He had been attached to the broken sword then, and the broken sword had been thrown by someone into a crevice on Mount Burning Flames.
Although he had lost all memories of his past life, he relied on the instincts of a cultivator, continuously absorbing the rich fire spiritual energy that permeated the surroundings. Later, with the help of the fire spiritual energy of Mount Burning Flames, he successfully condensed a soul body.
When he condensed his soul body, he was overjoyed, because he had been cultivating on Mount Burning Flames for nearly a thousand years.
However, when he tried to leave, he discovered a small cluster of strange flames within his soul body.
Every time he moved a certain distance away from Mount Burning Flames, that cluster of flames would suddenly appear and scorch his soul body.
After several attempts, the bearded cultivator finally understood that he could not leave the range of a hundred li from Mount Burning Flames.
At first, he was a bit disappointed. Later, thinking that he at least possessed a soul body and the ability to move freely, he decided not to be too greedy and no longer complained. Instead, he actively adapted to his cultivation life on Mount Burning Flames.
When Xu Yi and Ji Buwang encountered him, he had already been cultivating on Mount Burning Flames for over two thousand years, which was why he could fight Ji Buwang to a draw.