Han Li and “Senior Martial Brother Lu” continuously channeled their spiritual power into the “Sword Talisman” and the “Azure Flood Dragon Banner,” pouring all their focus into controlling the two artifacts in their fierce struggle. They dared not show the slightest negligence or distraction.
However, this also meant neither had any spare mental energy or spiritual power to employ other methods to gain the upper hand. They were acutely aware that if either made even a minor mistake, their treasures would be destroyed and their lives lost, with no chance of recovery.
Thus, under the dazzling interplay of the azure flood dragon and the giant sword, the battle between Han Li and “Senior Martial Brother Lu” unexpectedly evolved into a war of attrition—a test of whose spiritual power would be exhausted first.
When both realized that the amount of remaining spiritual power would determine the outcome of this struggle, they simultaneously resorted to replenishing their own energy. Each took out a spirit stone, holding it in their hand to counteract the loss of spiritual power.
The only difference was that Senior Martial Brother Lu’s was a low-grade wind-attribute spirit stone, while Han Li’s was a mid-grade earth-attribute spirit stone. This discovery made Senior Martial Brother Lu’s expression darken with shock and fury.
He never expected that a Qi Condensation disciple like Han Li would possess a mid-grade spirit stone—something typically only accessible to Foundation Establishment cultivators within their sect. After all, it was common knowledge that mid-grade spirit stones replenished spiritual power much faster than low-grade ones. This put him at a significant disadvantage in terms of recovery.
However, “Senior Martial Brother Lu” quickly reassured himself: his own spiritual power had always been far deeper than his opponent’s. Even if Han Li’s spirit stone provided slightly faster recovery, it wouldn’t last long. The minimal replenishment was negligible compared to the constant drain of spiritual power.
With this in mind, “Senior Martial Brother Lu” calmed himself and refocused.
But when Han Li’s next move came into view, Senior Martial Brother Lu’s expression shifted again, this time tinged with astonishment and disbelief.
Han Li, right before “Senior Martial Brother Lu’s” eyes, voluntarily dispelled the blue protective barrier around himself, openly revealing his true form.
Even someone as clever as “Senior Martial Brother Lu” was baffled by this move. He couldn’t fathom what Han Li was planning.
Didn’t he fear that a single wind blade could easily take his life?
After a moment’s hesitation, Senior Martial Brother Lu decisively raised his left hand and gestured in the air, summoning a faint green wind blade.
But before he could fully form and launch the wind blade at his opponent, the giant sword locked in combat with the azure flood dragon suddenly flared with brilliant light. Seizing the moment of his distraction, it broke free from the flood dragon and shot straight toward “Senior Martial Brother Lu” himself.
Startled and terrified, Senior Martial Brother Lu realized that if he insisted on forming and launching the wind blade, he might take Han Li’s life—but he would certainly perish under the giant sword’s strike, resulting in mutual destruction.
Although a wind barrier still lingered before him, it was clear that the giant sword—capable of rivaling the flood dragon transformed from the Azure Flood Dragon Banner—would pierce through the barrier effortlessly, offering no protection whatsoever.
This was not an outcome “Senior Martial Brother Lu” desired. He had grand ambitions and a bright future ahead; he refused to die in this remote wilderness alongside someone whose origins he didn’t even know.
Without further thought, he swiftly withdrew the wind blade with a flick of his left hand and channeled all his spiritual power into the flood dragon banner, recalling the azure flood dragon.
The flood dragon, truly worthy of its form as a wind-attribute magical artifact, responded instantly to his full-powered command. It intercepted Han Li’s giant sword mid-flight, and the two resumed their fierce struggle.
Witnessing this, “Senior Martial Brother Lu” breathed a sigh of relief, cold sweat drenching his body.
In the time that followed, Senior Martial Brother Lu attempted several more times to cast spells and ambush Han Li.
But each time, Han Li used the same tactic to forcefully repel him. Despite Han Li having no protective barrier, “Senior Martial Brother Lu” found himself powerless against him. Frustrated, he could only rely on his deeper spiritual reserves to slowly wear down his opponent.
Meanwhile, Han Li began retrieving various small plants, roots, and tubers from his storage pouch, continuously stuffing them into his mouth and chewing vigorously. Senior Martial Brother Lu watched in stunned silence, bewildered by what his opponent was up to now.
This inability to decipher his opponent’s intentions left Senior Martial Brother Lu deeply uneasy, filling him with a sense of foreboding. But as someone who valued his life above all else, even with his cunning mind, he found himself at a loss for solutions.
As time passed, Senior Martial Brother Lu’s heart grew heavier.
Finally, when the azure glow around the flood dragon began to dim while the gray radiance of the giant sword remained as dazzling as ever, Senior Martial Brother Lu could no longer contain his terror. He screamed hoarsely, “Impossible! My spiritual power far exceeds yours! Even with a mid-grade spirit stone, you shouldn’t have any energy left—you should have exhausted yours long before me!”
As the flood dragon teetered on the verge of collapse, “Senior Martial Brother Lu’s” shouts resembled the final barks of a mad dog trapped in a snare, filled with utter unwillingness.
Han Li, seeing his scheme unfold step by step, couldn’t help but smile. Yet, upon hearing his opponent’s words, his smile twisted into a cold smirk.
He had no time to explain anything to a dying man. The priority was to finish him off quickly. After all, his own spiritual power was nearly depleted; he had no intention of wasting words.
With that thought, Han Li ignored his opponent’s questions entirely. With a pointed finger, the giant sword flared even brighter, gradually wearing down the flood dragon until it shrank to just over three meters in length, its azure glow so faint it was nearly invisible.
Witnessing this, “Senior Martial Brother Lu” fell into complete despair, and a desperate, frenzied determination ignited in his eyes.
Without a sound, he abruptly withdrew the last remnants of spiritual power from the Azure Flood Dragon Banner, causing it to revert to its original form and plummet from the sky. Then, completely ignoring the giant sword hurtling toward him, he used that spiritual power to swiftly condense a massive wind blade and hurled it mercilessly at Han Li.
Han Li’s heart chilled at the sight. As the wind blade shot toward him, he urgently directed the giant sword to slash down toward his opponent’s head. Without waiting to see the result, he lunged several meters away.
After several exchanges, Han Li knew all too well how astonishingly fast wind blades were. Without using “Smoke Mist Step” to evade quickly, his unprotected body could easily be severed in two—a death he would never accept.
The wind blade was indeed incredibly fast. The moment Han Li leaped away, it arrived at his original position. But then it curved, chasing after him in his escape direction.
Without time to think, Han Li pushed “Smoke Mist Step” to its limit, weaving left and right within a small area, creating several faint afterimages. The wind blade trailed closely behind like a shadow but struggled to keep up with his abrupt turns.
Han Li knew that running in a straight line would never outpace the wind blade’s swift strike. Only by relying on agile, close-quarters evasion could he temporarily ensure his safety. This was also the main reason he had dared to abandon his defensive spell from the start.
With a “thud,” the wind blade suddenly went out of control, shooting diagonally into the soil. It carved a deep groove before vanishing entirely.
Han Li let out a long breath, finally allowing his heart to settle back into place. Using mundane martial arts movement techniques to evade a cultivator’s spell was truly a life-threatening ordeal.
He plopped down onto the ground and looked toward the opposite side.
The wind barrier had disappeared. “Senior Martial Brother Lu,” who had been hiding behind it, now lay cleaved in two, motionless. Above the two halves of his corpse, the giant sword hovered, emitting a faint, dim gray glow.
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