Yuu Mingzi keenly sensed this had something to do with Lü Zhong.
’But on second thought, this is strange,’ he mused. ’Lü Zhong is known to be from the Southern Barbarian lands, a true Immortal Dao cultivator. How could he possibly understand technology?’
With no time to dwell on it, Yuu Mingzi called out to the two behind him.
"Join me! Together, we will slay this fiend!"
Yan Lianxing and the other man nodded. They each summoned a long silver sword covered in dense Runes, every one of them imbued with Great Magical Power. In an instant, the swords grew into massive blades ten feet long, then merged with a third sword summoned by Yuu Mingzi, forming a Sword Dao Killing Array.
At the same time, Lü Zhong summoned the Jade Water Fan.
He fanned it gently, and the shadow of a dragon-fish appeared.
"SCREECH!"
The Artifact Spirit unleashed all its power without hesitation.
Then, Red Sun Mountain below began to tremble violently, and astonishing torrents of water erupted from it.
It turned out Red Sun Mountain wasn’t without water; it was merely hidden in a subterranean sea. Now, urged on by the Jade Water Fan Spirit’s Water Manipulation Ability, the water burst through the earth and rock, forming curtain after curtain to block Lü Zhong’s path.
Seeing this, the faces of the three opposite him changed.
"It’s a Spirit Treasure!"
"This boy’s fortune is truly profound! We absolutely cannot let him live!"
"Kill him! Kill him!"
Yuu Mingzi bit the tip of his tongue. The other two did the same, each spitting out a mouthful of Essence Blood that contained a wisp of Primordial Infant Qi. As the blood fell into the Sword Array, the three of them simultaneously formed a Sword Mantra and, with perfect coordination, pointed at Lü Zhong.
"Sever!"
"SHIIING! SHIIING! SHIIING!"
The sound of rending air filled the sky.
The Small Wuxi Sword Formation rotated, unleashing an endless stream of Sword Light.
Tens of millions of them!
Countless seven-foot-long beams of Sword Light shot forth like hail striking a lake. The explosive sounds quickly merged into a continuous roar. The water curtains rippled at first, then were pierced by the endless Sword Light.
In a breath’s time, all the water curtains were shattered.
Yet the Sword Array had only expended a fraction of its power.
’This array was forged by the Grand Venerable himself. Even a Divinity Transformation cultivator of the same level would struggle to block it. How could someone like you possibly withstand it?’ Yan Lianxing sneered inwardly. Her hands didn’t slow in the slightest as she, along with Yuu Mingzi and the other man, formed another Sword Mantra, directing the Sword Array to continue its assault on Lü Zhong.
Facing the endless Sword Qi, Lü Zhong raised his hand and summoned an object.
It was the body of the Ghost Flood Dragon.
After obtaining it, he had gone to great lengths to refine it into a Puppet.
Now was the perfect time to use it.
The Sword Light then struck, slamming violently against the Ghost Flood Dragon Puppet’s body and producing a series of metallic scraping sounds.
As the Puppet was hit, a dark light first appeared on its surface. Unfortunately, it was a power without a source and was quickly scraped away and exhausted by the Sword Light. The beams of light then fell upon the flood dragon’s body, first destroying its rotten Flood Dragon Scales, then shredding its decaying Flood Dragon Meat, and finally, not even its Flood Dragon Bones were spared.
A Quasi-Deification Puppet, destroyed just like that.
Lü Zhong felt no heartache over this.
’Using it to its fullest potential is its best purpose.’
Looking at the dissipating Sword Array, a smile finally appeared on his face, and he immediately launched his counterattack. A Silver Mirror flashed above his head, followed by a surge of lightning, and his figure vanished.
"Watch out! It’s the Thunder Escape Technique!"
Yuu Mingzi shouted a warning.
At the same time, he also summoned his own Magical Treasure, ready to defend at a moment’s notice.
After Lü Zhong reappeared, he swung the Thunder-Attracting Needle in a fierce slash. With a loud BANG, lightning clashed with an ice blade. He had chosen Yan Lianxing as his target.
The woman appeared normal.
In reality, ever since Fang Daoyun’s death, her will had been seized by him.
"CRACKLE!"
Purple lightning surged wildly. The Thunder-Attracting Needle turned from solid to ethereal, becoming pure lightning. Lü Zhong pressed down hard, and Yan Lianxing immediately sensed danger. Her pretty face turned deathly pale.
The consequences of her captured will became apparent. Yan Lianxing could have held on until Yuu Mingzi and Chou Yangzi arrived to help, but she made a foolish move. After struggling to parry Lü Zhong’s sword, she flew back in retreat.
Little did she know, this was exactly what Lü Zhong wanted.
He held his sword with both hands and gave a cold smile.
The Thunder-Attracting Needle shot out like a bolt of purple lightning.
"BOOM!"
After the thunderclap, Yan Lianxing’s aura diminished greatly.
A Thunder Sword had pierced her chest.
Looking at the ethereal Thunder-Attracting Needle, Lü Zhong’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he sighed. ’If only I could use this "Thunder Flash" technique one more time.’
Unfortunately, he had only nurtured the Thunder-Attracting Needle for three hundred years. The synchronization rate of its imprint was less than ten percent, and with his mere Nascent Soul Cultivation, he was far from being able to unleash the Spirit Treasure’s true power.
Seeing that Yuu Mingzi and the others didn’t dare to approach for the moment, Lü Zhong was happy to have a chance to stall.
His gaze shifted to the other two battlefields. The situation was mixed.
The Floating Fortress was still firmly suppressing the three from the Talisman Palace. The Primordial Cannon and Magnetic Rail Cannon fired in unison, forcing them to flee with their heads in their hands. The Gui Miao Sect’s side, however, was not doing well. Those three knew how to deal with his Incarnations, so every time an Incarnation exhausted its power and self-destructed, they were able to dodge in time.
With no other choice, Lü Zhong could only wave his sleeve and release another eighteen Incarnations.
These were his last Incarnations.
Everything happened in the span of a single spark.
The back and forth between both sides had actually only taken forty-seven breaths.
"Fifty-three breaths left..." Lü Zhong muttered.
’Do your best and leave the rest to fate!’
A moment later, the battle resumed.
Lü Zhong fought one against three, not at a disadvantage in the slightest.
"This boy must die! Kill him with everything you’ve got!" Yuu Mingzi roared, using his full strength.
Hearing this, Chou Yangzi went so far as to use his Lifebound Infant Qi, unleashing one terrifying Sword Technique after another, eager to eliminate Lü Zhong.
Yan Lianxing, at the side, was also using all her strength.
She was, after all, a prodigy who had stood out from millions. With the help of Yuu Mingzi and the other man just now, her captured will had been restored. It was like being reborn from fire. The chill from her sword suddenly intensified, and her strength now faintly surpassed that of the other two from Celestial Origin Immortal Palace.
If nothing unexpected happened, she had a chance of reaching for Divinity Transformation within a thousand years.
Yan Lianxing held her Ice Sword. Having been broken and then rebuilt, her cultivation of the Profound Ice Scripture had already reached Great Success. Her Jade Finger gently caressed the spine of the sword, and a layer of azure ice flame appeared. With a soft blow, a sword of shimmering blue ice flame took shape.
"Lü Zhong, I have you to thank for this!"
"If it weren’t for you, I would never have been able to take this step."
"This sword is my gift of gratitude!"
With a single strike, the sword pierced Lü Zhong’s left shoulder.
Purple Flame immediately surged out, yet it couldn’t melt the ice in the wound.
"It’s useless. The Profound Ice Flame is the ultimate yin and cold, the culmination of my two thousand years of effort. Even a Divinity Transformation expert struck by this sword would need a century of hard work to dispel it! And you, Lü Zhong, are merely a Nascent Soul." Yan Lianxing, her confidence now restored, shamelessly revealed the nature of her ice flame.
Seeing that his Purple Gold Extreme Fire was ineffective, Lü Zhong let it be.
’I’m already covered in injuries anyway. One more won’t make a difference.’
"Fifteen breaths left!"
Feeling his numb shoulder, he glanced in the other directions out of the corner of his eye. He saw that although the Floating Fortress could suppress the three from the Talisman Palace, the three from the Gui Miao Sect were about to break free.
’How can I turn the tide of this battle?’
Lü Zhong’s mind raced as he searched for a countermeasure.
’The Exile Technique?’
’No, they’re already prepared for it.’
He had already tried.
’The Shattering Star Finger?’
’The effect is minimal. Against enemies with seamless coordination, even if I break through one person’s Gang Qi, I’ll have no chance to press the advantage while under attack from the other two.’
’As for Shuini and the others...’
’Shuini has the highest cultivation, but she’s only at the Mid-stage Nascent Soul realm. Facing a combined attack from the Immortal Sect’s Great Cultivators, she would likely perish in a single blow. Even with Yu Feng’Er and Su Caocao, the three of them combined could at most hold on for one more breath before meeting the same fate.’
’Have I reached a dead end? No!’
Lü Zhong gritted his teeth and took out an object.
It was the Giant Spirit Mask.
Without hesitation, he activated a certain part of the Spirit Communication Mantra.
In an instant, the Spirit Treasure in his hand began to tremble violently. Faint shrieks and wails could be heard as countless cracks appeared on its surface, from which a blinding light shot out.
"A third Spirit Treasure!" Yuu Mingzi said through gritted teeth.
"He’s insane! He’s going to self-destruct a Spirit Treasure!"
"Fall back, now!"
A breath later, the Giant Spirit Mask shattered.
An ethereal glow, radiating an aura of destruction, appeared.
At first, it was just a wisp, but it quickly transformed into a searing white sphere of light.
The sphere of light expanded, silently devouring everything.
Even before this, an invisible shockwave had already spread out, instantly leveling the thousand-zhang-high Red Sun Mountain and turning the plateau into a valley.