As a life-or-death crisis descended, a phantom image of a nine-story pagoda suddenly appeared from within him.
In a mere moment, the phantom image of the nine-story pagoda solidified, its intricate patterns clearly visible.
The next instant, a deafening roar echoed through the heavens and earth!
*Clang!!!*
As the white-haired middle-aged man brought down his sword, the nine-story pagoda, about a zhang in size, immediately fell like a shooting star, crashing directly towards the ground below!
At the same time, the dense layers of situation emanating from the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda all collapsed in the blink of an eye!
A deep sword mark appeared on the entire pagoda, almost slicing a gaping hole through it!
*Boom!!!*
In just two or three breaths, the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda plummeted from the sky, smashing hard onto the ground below!
The ground within a radius of more than ten zhang instantly caved in, and massive cracks spread out, even causing the surrounding spiritual energy to become incredibly chaotic!
The white-haired middle-aged man hovered in the air, his eyes showing a hint of surprise.
He was confident that his previous sword strike could destroy any magical artifact, yet he had not expected to be unable to cleave through that nine-story pagoda.
A Dharma Treasure!
His gaze shifted slightly, clearly not expecting a cultivator at the early stage of the third realm to wield a Dharma Treasure of such caliber.
Furthermore, it could withstand the brunt of his power. This Dharma Treasure’s grade must be extraordinary.
However, no greed appeared in the white-haired middle-aged man's eyes.
Seeing the dust and soil flying up from the ground below, he raised the ice crystal long sword in his hand and swung it down heavily.
A sword light of hazy, dreamlike radiance then rapidly slashed down from high in the sky!
*Boom!!!*
Another earth-shattering sound reverberated through this space!
However, the white-haired middle-aged man did not show joy in his eyes; instead, his brow involuntarily furrowed.
As spiritual energy surged within his eyes, he directly activated his Dharma Eye.
The next moment, everything within his sight seemed to be easily seen through, and the swirling dust could not obstruct him in the least.
With just one glance, his expression became serious, and his eyes held a considerable amount of surprise.
Under the gaze of his Dharma Eye, in the deep pit on the ground, there was no sign of the young Daoist, nor the nine-story pagoda that had blocked his attack.
The entire pit was empty, with only wisps of residual aura and blood.
The white-haired middle-aged man subconsciously looked around. The void within dozens of zhang remained as usual, and under the influence of the extreme cold, he found no one hidden within.
He frowned slightly, then suddenly looked up, and immediately saw a figure hovering in the air above him.
His wide Daoist robe billowed in the wind, and the young Daoist, with a small pagoda hovering a few inches above his head, rapidly formed a series of hand seals.
With just a glance, the white-haired middle-aged man sensed something was amiss and immediately mobilized the spiritual energy within his body.
But at the same moment, dazzling sword lights suddenly appeared in the void around him!
In a mere instant, the image of the opponent dissolving the swirling snowflakes with sword light flashed through the white-haired middle-aged man's mind.
Without a doubt, these sword lights had been imprinted into the void at that time and had remained latent, only revealing themselves now.
"Xuan Tian Sword Array… Seal!"
Ji Yuan's face was pale, but his eyes burned with intensity.
This was the first time he had unleashed a powerful technique recorded in the Xuan Tian Sword Art.
He paused his hands, then formed a hand seal and unleashed it, pouring torrents of spiritual energy from within him into the surrounding void.
Countless dazzling sword lights emerged from the void, then intertwined to form a grand array covering an area of twenty zhang!
Within this radiant sword array, boundless sharpness permeated, and a powerful sword intent ascended.
It was like a firmament being propped up, and under its magnificent power, even the void was completely sealed.
Within a twenty-zhang radius, it could be described as impregnable, not only to the outside but also to the inside.
The white-haired middle-aged man’s expression darkened, and he casually unleashed a sword light.
However, his sword light could not even shake the array. After flying out about a zhang, it dissipated in mid-air.
It was as if, under the canopy formed by sword intent above, all power would be greatly weakened.
"Xuan Tian lineage!"
A fierce shout suddenly erupted within the array.
The white-haired middle-aged man’s eyes were filled with fury as he stared intently at the figure above him.
He had not expected to see a descendant of the Xuan Tian lineage again!
Although he had not experienced that period hundreds of years ago, his elders had been witnesses.
Moreover, both his family and his sect deeply loathed people of this lineage.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. He had expected his identity to be exposed before he made his move.
However, if he didn't take a gamble, the final outcome would likely be even more unbearable.
He shook his head, casting aside distracting thoughts.
After confirming that the Xuan Tian Sword Array was operating stably and that the opponent could not break free in a short time,
Ji Yuan then transformed into a stream of sword light once more, soaring rapidly towards the distant horizon.
After some time, he quickly caught up with Elder Hong Tian and slowly landed on the flying artifact.
Upon seeing his safe return, Elder Hong Tian immediately urged the artifact, and streaks of lightning engulfed them.
*Puff!*
Just then, Ji Yuan suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, which turned into ice shards before he even landed.
His aura instantly weakened, and although his realm had not fallen, it had deteriorated to the level of the first or second realm.
Furthermore, torrents of extreme cold energy churned within his body, constantly eroding his flesh.
"How is it?"
Elder Hong Tian asked in a deep voice.
Anxiety flickered in his eyes; he would rather suffer severe injuries himself than allow the other party to have the slightest mishap.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan shook his head. As he sat down cross-legged, he quickly took out his most prized spiritual medicines.
These elixirs were not refined by himself but were purchased at great cost elsewhere.
Each elixir was of the fifth grade.
After consecutively consuming three elixirs, Ji Yuan's complexion improved slightly, but the aura emanating from him remained incredibly chaotic and weak.
He couldn't afford to delay and immediately closed his eyes to meditate, channeling the remaining spiritual energy within him and circulating the overarching mental method of the Xuan Tian Dao Scripture.
At the same time, he sank his consciousness into his Dantian, where he "saw" the small Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda slowly rotating within.
However, the pagoda, which was usually radiant with spiritual light, was now incredibly dim, and a sword mark that was on the verge of breaking through was visible on its body.
Moreover, the Xuan Tian Shi Ling Pagoda was currently encased in a block of solid ice, making it impossible for him to establish any connection with it, no matter how hard he tried to mobilize it.