As the Profound Sky Spirit Devouring Pagoda was driven into the mountainside, the layers of clear light enveloping the surroundings collapsed.
Ji Yuan immediately felt a dangerous aura, and a sharp pain shot from his back.
Death instantly descended, as if to drown him.
Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and unleashed a horizontal sword strike, his comprehended Destruction Sword Dao erupting from the blade!
Clang!
A strange sound echoed, followed by a shower of sparks, and surging, violent spiritual energy swept outward!
The second-in-command of the Flowing Fire Bandits reappeared from the void, her long saber held aloft, blocking the incoming sword strike!
Fierce spiritual energy surged on her saber, several Innate Formations appearing and unleashing their full might without reservation. Erupting saber energy easily carved into the void.
"Get lost!"
Ji Yuan roared, suddenly unleashing a burst of power.
The Destruction Dao integrated into the sword light, causing the second-in-command to cry out in surprise. She no longer dared to compete in strength, her figure flickering as she vanished from her original position, clearly having used a spatial displacement technique to re-enter the void.
Having repelled the enemy with a single sword strike, Ji Yuan felt no joy. He recalled his flying sword from mid-air, flickered his body, and transformed into a streak of sword light, then shot skyward.
His figure appeared in mid-air, circled by a jade-white flying sword, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.
More than ten cultivators of the second realm were scattered around, seemingly preparing some joint attack. Their auras gradually connected, becoming enough to threaten those of the third realm.
The third-in-command of the Flowing Fire Bandits, engulfed in raging flames, slowly ascended into mid-air, his eyes blazing with intense battle intent.
Beside him, the first-in-command, who possessed late-third realm strength through array amplification, stood with his hands clasped, casting a cold gaze. After a single strike, he had made no further moves.
It seemed he deemed the young Daoist before him insufficient to warrant repeated engagement.
As for the second-in-command, she was likely hidden somewhere in the void. Her skill was so refined that even Ji Yuan could not detect any trace of her.
In their previous brief encounters, he had only sensed a dangerous aura just before she launched her surprise attacks.
"To dare infiltrate Jiulang Mountain, you indeed possess some skill."
The third-in-command suddenly spoke, his voice booming like a great bell.
Ji Yuan did not respond, his gaze shifting between the two.
Undoubtedly, the first-in-command posed the greatest threat. However, the third-in-command was not to be underestimated. Though his killing power might not match the second-in-command's, it was filled with ferocious might.
He practiced a style of unrestrained offense, and was likely a body refiner, his physical strength fully comparable to martial artists of the same realm.
If he were to get close, Ji Yuan might find himself on the defensive, overwhelmed by the relentless onslaught.
But whether it was the third-in-command or the second, neither posed as high a threat as the first-in-command of the Flowing Fire Bandits.
This man, through the power of the array, had pushed his cultivation to the late third realm. A seemingly casual strike from him had shattered the defense of the Profound Sky Spirit Devouring Pagoda!
Since Ji Yuan had acquired this treasure, he had never seen anyone break its defenses with a single blow.
This was sufficient proof of the immense power he possessed!
His gaze swept across the surroundings, his thoughts racing, and he had already formulated a plan of action.
Without hesitation, Ji Yuan transformed into a brilliant sword light, merging his body with his natal flying sword, and streaked towards a courtyard in the center of the mountain peak.
To contend with the three leaders of the Flowing Fire Bandits, he had to dismantle the array here; otherwise, he would have no chance of victory!
"Hmph!"
The first-in-command, standing in mid-air, let out a cold snort.
A trace of disdain finally appeared on his face.
He had clearly seen through Ji Yuan's intention, yet he did not take it to heart. His cold eyes held no trace of nervousness.
It was as if this man was unconcerned about Ji Yuan destroying the array's core that protected the mountain.
Moments later, Ji Yuan arrived above the courtyard. The brilliant sword light abruptly stopped, then coalesced into a figure.
Without preamble, he held his long sword and slashed downward. Surging spiritual energy formed a sword qi, infused with the power of the Destruction Sword Dao.
However, as the sword qi descended from mid-air, it was blocked by a translucent layer of power, like a semi-spherical shield that enveloped the entire courtyard!
Ji Yuan's heart tightened, a sense of mortal peril surging. He quickly retreated into the void, narrowly dodging the retaliatory Destruction sword qi that bounced back!
"Overestimating yourself!"
More than twenty zhang away, the first-in-command of the Flowing Fire Bandits sneered.
As soon as he spoke, Ji Yuan emerged from the void. His gaze swept across the area, and he immediately spotted a stone pillar standing within the courtyard.
This object guarded the array's core, appearing grayish-white, with eleven Postnatal Formations etched onto its surface.
Undoubtedly, this stone pillar was a magical artifact, fully refined and capable of unleashing its complete power.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan's expression darkened. A fully refined magical artifact posed a significant threat.
Even with several magical artifacts in his possession, it had taken him years and he still hadn't fully refined them.
This illustrated the immense difficulty, yet the first-in-command of the Flowing Fire Bandits had achieved it.
At the same time, he understood that with this stone pillar guarding it, there was no way he could break it and destroy the array's core within.
"No matter who you are, the farce should end now."
The first-in-command spoke softly, a chilling killing intent surfacing on his indifferent face.
He extended one hand forward while rapidly forming seals with the other. Light flickered in his palm, and a seal quickly enlarged before smashing through the air towards Ji Yuan.
With a single glance, Ji Yuan knew he could not confront it directly. The seal, no larger than a fist, contained terrifying power. Its seven Postnatal Formations, like the stone pillar, were fully refined.
With a thought, several booming sounds erupted. Suddenly, sword qi shot skyward from various parts of the mountain!
At this moment, he fiercely activated the fallback he had previously prepared, destroying a large portion of the array's foundation.
In an instant, the Flowing Fire Bandit's first-in-command's aura significantly diminished. The power contained within the seal smashing through the air also dissipated by nearly half.
Ji Yuan pointed his sword forward, and his natal flying sword instantly shot out, appearing before the seal in a flash. The tip of the sword then struck its surface.
With a 'puff,' the fist-sized seal immediately cracked and, with creaking sounds, shattered!
Simultaneously, he decisively took a step forward, his form blurring. With a flicker, he transformed into a brilliant sword light, instantly breaking through the void and appearing before the Flowing Fire Bandit's first-in-command!