"Who dares to ambush me!"
The old man landed more than ten feet away, scanning the scene with a grim expression.
Just a moment ago, he had narrowly escaped having his head pierced by a flying sword. No matter how powerful his magic or how profound his cultivation, he would have perished.
However, no one responded to his challenge. Only a sword light, like a shadow, appeared before him in an instant.
Seeing this, the old man roared in a low voice. His surging magical power transformed into rings of sound waves, covering a radius of several feet.
Under the shroud of the sound waves, a flying sword materialized from the void. It did not shimmer with brilliant light, nor did it emanate any powerful aura.
Yet, the old man dared not be careless. He could feel an impending danger, capable of ending his life, constantly hovering around him.
Suddenly, his expression shifted. He quickly withdrew the sound waves and spun around, unleashing a palm strike backward.
Rolling magical power surged forth, forming a palm half a zhang in size. Dao principles manifested on it, capable of easily shattering a thick city wall!
Beneath this palm strike, Ji Yuan's hidden figure in the void was revealed. He was raising his long sword, poised to strike.
The old man's heart stirred. He finally understood the source of the crisis that had enveloped him.
The flying sword was merely a diversion, intended to distract him. The true killing blow came from the young man before him.
With this realization, the old man intensified his attack, making his strike even more potent.
Ji Yuan's face contorted in surprise. Without thinking, he retreated rapidly, simultaneously bringing his long sword down with force, unleashing sharp sword qi.
However, the sword qi, which could threaten a late-stage second realm cultivator, shattered before the giant palm imbued with mid-stage third realm power, failing even to slow it for an instant!
"You, merely in the Spirit Condensation realm, dare to show your fangs at me?"
The old man sneered and opened his five fingers, intending to capture the young man.
Even though they were now locked in combat, he remained wary of the young man's affiliation with the Nine Mysteries Sect, not daring to deliver a fatal blow for fear of retaliation from the sect.
But at this very moment, the old man's brow furrowed. The young man before him had a smile on his lips.
A chilling sensation washed over him. He felt, once again, the all-encompassing presence of death!
Without hesitation, he vibrated the magical power within him. Two streams of light shot out from his sleeve, transforming into turtle shells two sizes larger than his fist, shielding him.
Simultaneously, the old man released his control over the giant palm and began rapidly forming hand seals, clearly casting a potent defensive spell!
In the blink of an eye, a crisp sound echoed through the night sky. Following it, a white jade flying sword was seen piercing the turtle shell from behind.
Time seemed to freeze, then snapped back to normal. A brilliant light erupted, and a sharp energy burst forth!
Crack!
Cracks appeared on the sturdy turtle shell. The formations within it were on the verge of collapse, unleashing all their power.
The old man's face changed dramatically. He infused his magical power into the turtle shell, barely blocking the sharp energy.
Then, his hand seals were complete. Willow leaves materialized in the air, as if a gentle breeze had passed. Countless leaves revolved around him.
The light on the white jade flying sword dimmed, unable to advance further. Its sharp energy was also impeded.
"A truly cunning technique!"
The old man grunted, no longer intending to hold back.
Being repeatedly threatened by a Spirit Condensation realm cultivator had undoubtedly been a humiliation.
Anger flared in his eyes. He extended a hand, its immense magical power churning, with a trace of Dao principles flowing. He intended to seize the white jade flying sword.
At the same time, the old man couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Despite the opponent's Spirit Condensation realm cultivation, the several reversals in the fight had nearly caught him off guard.
He even mused that if the young man's cultivation were higher, even just early third realm, the flying sword might have broken through the turtle shell's defense earlier, causing him considerable injury.
With this thought, the image of the young man, particularly the smile on his lips, surfaced in the old man's mind, becoming increasingly prominent.
"Not good!"
His spiritual sense warned him. A tremor of fear lingered in his chest.
The old man decisively turned. A thunder bead appeared in his outstretched palm, which he then slammed forward.
His gaze fell upon a figure that entered his sight – it was the young man, having evaded the giant palm strike!
By the time the old man reacted, Ji Yuan was mere feet away. His long sword was already slashing horizontally, and the abundant sword intent within him poured out like a flood.
There was no brilliant sword light, only a simple, unadorned sword qi. It didn't feel particularly sharp, yet it made a mid-stage third realm cultivator feel the threat of death!
In a flash, the thunder bead in the old man's palm collided with the sword qi before him. Blinding lightning flashed, sharp sword qi erupted, and amidst the terrifying destructive aura, a powerful sword intent surged!
However, at this moment, the old man realized he was wrong, and profoundly so!
Everything the opponent had done, the feints and the true attacks, had all been a deception!
The flying sword and the young man were both feints to mislead him, yet they were also genuine killing blows!
A dazzling sword light burst forth behind the old man. Sharp sword qi instantly tore through the willow leaves, and the two turtle shells collapsed in moments, their multiple acquired formations disintegrating!
In the blink of an eye, the flying sword had pierced through the air, its tip nearing the old man's forehead.
At the brink of life and death, a Dao pattern appeared in the old man's eyes. His body suddenly blurred, and he vanished from his original position.
Only a thunder bead remained, instantly detonating with its full power. Within a radius of twenty zhang, violent lightning filled the air.
Clang!
A sword cry soared into the sky. A powerful sword intent cut through the layers of lightning. Subsequently, Ji Yuan's figure flew into the air and quickly landed twenty feet away.
At this moment, the Xuan Tian Devouring Spirit Pagoda hovered above his head. Under the cascading clear light, his body bore scorched marks, with even arcs of lightning occasionally flashing.
He glanced at the flying sword circling beside him. It was still spirited, but its aura had weakened, clearly having suffered considerable damage in the explosion of lightning.
A pang of heartache arose. Ji Yuan then turned his gaze, and as the lightning slowly dissipated, the mid-stage third realm cultivator was nowhere to be seen.