Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Every strike of Li Changqing’s raging sword light carried terrifying power, but even he was struggling to hold them off; he was fighting two opponents at once, and both of them were a touch stronger than him. Their longswords danced up and down, pressing him relentlessly.

He fought one against two while the three youngsters fanned out to either flank, waiting for an opening.

The two heads of the Lu family grew more alarmed by the moment. It made sense that Li Changqing, a Combined Body Realm member of the Meng family, was strong. But the three late Illusory Refinement Realm youngsters were far from weak themselves.

The three seemed to share a tacit understanding, deliberately holding back, never fully unleashing their spirit voids, their respective intents, or even their high-grade techniques.

A delicate balance formed, neither side able to gain the upper hand. Then, as the stalemate dragged on, Li Changqing erupted. His sword’s movements turned wide and wild, every strike carrying the air of a man willing to trade wounds for the kill.

Boom! Boom!

Eyes blazing, Li Changqing raised a hand to form seals. Blood seeped from the wounds tearing open across his body, but he didn’t slow.

“Imperial Dragon Curse!” he roared.

Boom!

A hundred-zhang golden dragon phantom roared and charged straight at the two enemies, its massive body looming like a mountain. The two black-robed figures tensed. A secret art like that was not to be underestimated. They hurriedly drew back to defend, unleashing dozens of sword lights in quick succession.

Li Changqing’s aura dropped sharply; that single move had drained a large amount of his vital force.

Ye Feng met Li Changqing’s eyes, and the two understood each other at once. Ye Feng shouted through a low voice transmission, “Join Elder Li. Strike the barrier with everything you have!”

Boom!

Sure enough, right after unleashing the Imperial Dragon Curse, Li Changqing raised his head and unleashed a hundred-zhang streak of sword light. “Returning Moon Heart Slash!”

Boom!

Ye Feng released the power of his Ghost Arm at once, and one of his eyes turned blood-red. Gripping the Wrathful Slaughter Sword, he locked onto the same spot Li Changqing had struck. He tensed like a hunting leopard and blinked forward over a hundred zhang. “Fearsome Tiger’s Roar, Splitting the Mountain!”

Roar!

A tiger’s thunderous roar split the air as a vast golden sword light surged forth. Within it, a phantom tiger pounced toward the heavens.

Cao Yan paused, then twisted and drove both gauntlets skyward. “Shattered Skies, Thousand-Layered Waves!”

Boom!

Two massive flaming fist shadows erupted forth, layer upon layer of fire waves amplifying their force, their momentum shattering space wherever they passed.

Xiao Chen’s expression was cold and focused. Li Changqing, one against two, was already in grave danger. This might be their only chance.

His spear trembled, faint blood-colored patterns flickering across it. He gripped it in both hands, adjusted his footwork, and shot toward the sky. As the spear danced, its momentum gathered and condensed until, together with Ye Feng and the others, he thrust out in one decisive strike.

“Great Heavenly Pivot Spear!”

Boom!

Several attacks slammed into the sky almost as one.

The two Lu clan family heads felt it as well, but Li Changqing’s Imperial Dragon Curse, which had drained nearly thirty percent of his strength, wasn’t something they could simply shrug off.

Veins bulging at his forehead, Li Changqing roared, “Break for me!”

But just as their attacks were about to land on the barrier, an explosion erupted from within the golden dragon. Blood mist burst outward as one black-robed figure broke free and shot upward at blinding speed, appearing above the heavens in an instant. With a sweep of his hand, he unleashed terrifying sword qi.

Sword intent at the Sword Heart Realm soared into the heavens.

The pupils of the four dilated. They hadn’t anticipated their enemies would risk severe injury just to prevent their escape

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang out violently.

Li Changqing teleported into the sky and raised his hand once more, releasing another Imperial Dragon Curse. The golden dragon slammed into the black-clad figure and charged straight for the barrier.

Boom! Crack! Crack! Crack!

As cracks spiderwebbed across the barrier and fragments began to fall, an irresistible spatial force surged around the trio. Li Changqing was about to send them out of the domain.

But then, Ye Feng noticed that the other figure in black was already behind Li Changqing.

“Watch your back!” Xiao Chen shouted beside Ye Feng, vital force surging through him as he fought to tear apart Li Changqing’s teleportation force.

Ye Feng glanced at the other black-robed figure, who was already preparing to reseal the domain. Behind them, the shattered gap was rapidly knitting itself back together.

In that split second, Ye Feng made his decision. He raised a hand and struck, sending Cao Yan and Xiao Chen flying out of the domain.

“Second Brother!” Cao Yan reached out, trying to catch Ye Feng’s robe and drag him along, but Ye Feng had already turned back, rushing without hesitation into the domain.

Xiao Chen’s eyes turned bloodshot. Then Ye Feng’s firm voice echoed in their ears.

“Return to the sect immediately! I will come back, no matter what.”

Whoosh! Boom!

The barrier sealed shut.

Standing in the void, Cao Yan and Xiao Chen froze. Their divine consciousness couldn’t catch any trace of the domain artifact.

A terrifying aura erupted from Xiao Chen, his black hair whipping wildly as the Divine Slaying Spear snapped into its awakened form, its shape turning ferocious. He violently drove it into the void.

Boom!

The void shattered, trembling across a thousand-zhang radius, yet nothing appeared. He was about to strike again when a large hand pressed down on his spear.

“Third Brother! What are you doing?!” Xiao Chen shouted.

Cao Yan clenched his teeth, staring at Xiao Chen as he spoke in a deep voice. “There are only four hours left before the wager begins!”

Xiao Chen flung his hand off and roared, “So what? Second Brother is still inside! Elder Li is still inside! They’re up against two Combined Body Realm monsters, and their lives are hanging by a thread! Right now, the priority is saving them!”

As he spoke, Xiao Chen sent word of the situation to Meng Jiangchu, calling for immediate reinforcements from the Xiao family as well.

Smack! Cao Yan slapped Xiao Chen across the face. A red mark instantly bloomed across Xiao Chen’s cheek as he stood there, stunned. He had never imagined that Cao Yan, someone who always seemed like a gentle scholar, would strike him.

Cao Yan glared at Xiao Chen, vital force surging within him, and shouted, “Four hours! The spatial tunnel was destroyed, so we have to rush back! If we don’t make it back, the first match will fall to Eldest Brother. And once he steps onto the stage first, the Daxia Sword Sect will lose…”

Cao Yan paused, and his voice turned icy. “Do you think you’re the only one worried about Second Brother?! I’m more worried than you are! He’s my Second Brother too, the one who risked his life to save mine back then! But even so, we have to go back!”

Xiao Chen was furious, finding Cao Yan’s words almost laughable. “If you’re truly worried about him, why are you stopping me from going back to help him?!”

Cao Yan pointed at him, his voice cold as ice. “Because I understand Second Brother better than you do. If we turn back to save him and the Daxia Sword Sect loses, he will never forgive us.”