The three-zhang-sized giant sword, under Ji Yuan's low cry, immediately slashed towards the rolling smoke not far away!
Before it even drew near, the powerful sword wind it stirred up blew away the dense smoke. A sword intent emerged, like a canopy pressing down, suppressing the violent spiritual energy of this place.
It could be seen that the third leader of the Liuhuo bandits was looking up with a calm expression. The crimson bead on his chest spewed out streams of fiery flames.
He spread his legs, sank his waist, and then, with a roar, punched out!
Billowing flames erupted with the punch, directly colliding with the sharp edge of the giant sword, forcing it to rise a zhang higher!
Seeing this, Ji Yuan's heart sank. Although his natal flying sword was not known for its sharpness and was better at void and barrier-breaking.
Regardless, it was still a precious treasure refined at great cost by a powerful being. Even if he couldn't wield its full might, it was not to be underestimated.
Not to mention that over the years, he had spent vast resources to nurture and refine the flying sword, constantly tempering it in the lake of sword qi within his purple palace.
In terms of sharpness, it was no less than that of sword cultivators of the same realm, perhaps even superior.
Yet, his opponent met it head-on with a single punch?
As his thoughts raced, Ji Yuan was about to change his sword technique, but at the same moment, a sense of crisis suddenly arose in his heart.
Without hesitation, he dodged to the side, and then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blade emerge from the void!
The blade did not flash with any light, nor did it emanate any aura. It simply appeared from nowhere, and if he hadn't dodged in time, his body would have been severed!
It was the second leader of the Liuhuo bandits!
His heart tightened, and information about this person immediately surfaced in his mind.
The opponent was skilled in stealth and assassination, had extraordinary attainments in void manipulation, and was the most lethal among the three leaders of the Liuhuo bandits.
Although the long saber before him appeared ordinary, without any striking features, Ji Yuan had no doubt about the immense power it contained.
He immediately swung his sword back with a powerful strike. The sword erupted with a destructive dao rhyme, but its target was not the saber before him, but the void behind it.
The next moment, the void before him was split open, and a woman with a sinister expression appeared within his sight.
Ji Yuan had not expected the second leader of the Liuhuo bandits to be a woman!
But this did not stop him from launching a killing blow. The destructive dao rhyme on his sword intensified, as if about to slay the woman before him!
At the crucial moment, the second leader chuckled strangely, and her figure suddenly blurred.
Then, the sword descended, imbued with the destructive sword dao, passing through the opponent's form without resistance.
The petite and sturdy body was instantly annihilated by the sword light, yet he could feel that his strike had caused no harm to her.
This person had, in an instant, used some strange technique to displace herself, leaving behind only an illusionary afterimage!
Suddenly, Ji Yuan felt a surge of heat from behind him. Without thinking, he knew it must be the third leader of the Liuhuo bandits making a move!
He quickly turned around and saw the burly figure had already approached him. His natal flying sword, transformed into the giant sword, had been knocked into the sky at some point.
Recalling it now would clearly be too late.
With a thought, he retracted his sword intent and unleashed a destructive aura.
He flicked his finger, and the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda above his head rose, casting down streaks of clear light that enveloped an area of more than ten zhang, imprisoning the void within this region, making it impossible for anyone to pass through.
Then, he swung his sword horizontally, unleashing the destructive sword dao with full power for the first time. Dense dao rhyme erupted from within him, merging into this strike!
Seeing this, the third leader of the Liuhuo bandits let out a hearty laugh. The flames coiling around him became more ferocious, and dao rhyme also flowed out.
The Dao of Fire!
Ji Yuan immediately discerned that the dao rhyme the opponent had comprehended was the Dao of Fire from the five elements.
However, the opponent's Dao of Fire was somewhat different, seemingly having taken a side path, exuding extreme ferocity, as if intending to incinerate everything in the world.
"Little thief! Die!"
Amidst the roars, the third leader of the Liuhuo bandits shouted.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan's brow twitched. He wondered who the thief was.
Beneath the sword light, destructive intent erupted, piercing through the heavy flames, and then landed on the opponent's fist.
However, a strange sensation caused him to freeze, and he quickly looked closely.
He saw that beneath the fist, which was covered in flames, was a metal gauntlet. Seven layers of restrictions appeared on it, exuding an innate aura.
His gaze shifted, and he saw that the other fist was also wearing the same gauntlet.
This was clearly a set of magical artifacts, and one that contained seven layers of innate restrictions. In terms of power, if fully controlled, it would be no weaker than a magical treasure with ten layers of acquired restrictions!
*Pfft!!!*
As the sword edge collided with the gauntlet, there was no startling sound, nor did any powerful wave ripple outwards.
However, in a state of near stillness, the surrounding sword light suddenly dissipated, and all the flames were instantly extinguished!
An aura of annihilation quietly permeated the area within a radius of ten zhang. The two dao rhymes intertwined and annihilated each other.
Although the opponent had cultivated for decades, Ji Yuan's dao rhyme had the upper hand at this moment. The destructive sword dao was grinding away at the opponent's dao rhyme, and his defeat was only a matter of time.
But at the same instant, Ji Yuan felt a great sense of danger. He retreated without hesitation, willing to bear the backlash rather than continue to stalemate with the opponent.
As he retreated several zhang and looked up at the sky, he saw a figure floating in mid-air.
It was a middle-aged man with snow-white hair, looking down expressionlessly, his eyes filled with coldness.
This person was none other than the Great Leader of the Liuhuo bandits, bolstered by formations!
He extended a hand, flipped it over, and pressed it downwards. Immediately, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged forward, forming a handprint about a zhang in size with the power of the formation.
*Rumble!!!*
The next moment, a violent roar sounded, and the entire mountain peak began to shake.
Under this handprint, the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda in mid-air was hammered into the mountainside. The layers of clear light it cast down were instantly shattered by the immense power!
*Pfft!*
Ji Yuan spat out a mouthful of blood, his internal spiritual power violently disturbed. This was the first time he had encountered a situation where a casual strike could forcibly break the defense of the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda!