“Evil-Warding Divine Lightning! I do not cultivate demonic arts or wicked techniques—what power can it truly wield against me?” Frost Li the Transcendent muttered to himself upon seeing this. With a flick of his hand, the jade book in his grasp emitted a clear chime and transformed into a five-colored light barrier before him. His hands then twisted, and with a flash of gold and silver light, two massive brushes, each about a foot long, materialized.
Though his words were dismissive, he dared not be careless and immediately summoned his lifebound treasures.
Han Li showed no expression upon hearing this, but with a shake of his sleeves, seventy-two small azure swords swam out like fish. Guided by his sword incantation, they merged with a resonant chime, forming a single colossal azure sword over a hundred feet long, its glow dazzlingly radiant.
He then raised a hand and pointed at the two golden lightning serpents in the air.
With a thunderous roar, the serpents coiled and lunged at the azure sword, vanishing into it in a flash.
The sound of thunder erupted!
The azure sword instantly expanded tenfold, reaching over a thousand feet in length, its surface crackling with golden arcs as countless bolts of lightning surged forth.
But Han Li was not done. Glancing at the massive sword, he opened his mouth and spat out a silver fireball.
The moment it left his lips, a clear cry rang out from within, and in a flash, it transformed into a silver firebird.
With a flap of its wings, the firebird’s body swelled to the size of a zhang before darting into the colossal sword like an arrow.
In the next instant, a layer of silver flames erupted from the sword’s surface, engulfing it in a blazing inferno. Han Li’s brows lifted as he abruptly uttered a single word:
“Strike!”
No sooner had the word left his lips than the thousand-foot sword descended upon Frost Li the Transcendent with a deafening crash!
The sword’s descent was not particularly fast, but the space it passed through trembled violently.
Before it even landed, a wave of scorching heat enveloped the stone platform below.
The surrounding space instantly turned fiery red, as if on the verge of boiling.
Frost Li’s expression changed drastically. With a flick of his wrists, the tips of his gold and silver brushes blazed with light, unleashing a torrent of ancient characters, each shimmering with profound mystery. Merging together, they formed a golden-silver radiance that surged upward.
A thunderclap split the sky!
The colossal sword collided head-on with the golden-silver radiance, intertwining golden arcs, silver flames, and multicolored light into a massive halo that engulfed most of the stone platform.
The explosion was blinding, forcing onlookers to avert their eyes, while shockwaves rippled outward in all directions.
The stone platform shook violently, and the silver barrier overhead rippled as if on the brink of shattering.
The watching cultivators gasped in shock.
The sheer magnitude of the first exchange between Han Li and Frost Li the Transcendent far exceeded their expectations.
The elder surnamed Gu swiftly flicked a series of incantations toward the surrounding stone pillars.
The spells transformed into streaks of light that vanished into the pillars.
Instantly, the beams of light shooting from the pillars thickened, and the silver barrier solidified once more.
As if in response, the unstable stone platform steadied.
Moments later, the massive halo dissipated, revealing Han Li and Frost Li once more—one hovering in place, the other now standing on the platform.
Han Li stood with his hands behind his back, expressionless, as if he had not moved an inch.
Frost Li, however, had descended to the platform, his five-colored barrier gone, leaving only a cracked jade book floating before him.
The gold and silver brushes had dimmed, their spiritual essence diminished.
Though Frost Li himself appeared unharmed, a trace of pallor colored his face.
Han Li had clearly gained the upper hand in that exchange.
Golden Zen Master and the elder surnamed Gu exchanged glances, both seeing shock in the other’s eyes. Though they had known Han Li was stronger, they had not expected him to force Frost Li from the sky in a single strike.
Was Frost Li weaker than they thought, or was Han Li’s strength truly unfathomable?
Seeing Frost Li’s disheveled but uninjured state, Han Li sneered. With a wave, the countless small azure swords returned to him, vanishing into his body.
Though his first strike had prevailed, the colossal sword had also shattered. He had no intention of using it again, so he recalled all the blades.
Then, Han Li formed a hand seal, golden light swirling around him as his body expanded, covered in golden fur.
He had activated the Awakening Seal, transforming into a golden-furred giant ape several zhang tall.
The ape’s eyes gleamed with blue light, its face ferocious. With a roar that shook the heavens, it pounded its chest, swelling further until it stood dozens of zhang tall. Its icy gaze swept over Frost Li.
Frost Li’s expression darkened. “Hmph! You think you alone possess transformation arts? Witness the might of my Azure Dragon true form!”
With that, he slapped the crown of his head, and a green beam shot forth, coalescing into the phantom of a five-clawed Azure Dragon.
Simultaneously, seven black swords flew from his sleeve.
With a series of sharp sounds, he embedded them into his body, then spat seven streams of blood essence into them.
The swords vanished, replaced by crimson threads that ensnared the dragon phantom, dragging it down.
With a muffled thud, Frost Li merged with the phantom.
His limbs and face sprouted green scales, a pair of jade-green horns emerged from his forehead, and a massive draconic tail unfurled behind him.
In an instant, he had transformed into a half-dragon, half-human monstrosity!
“I had long heard Frost Li was of mixed heritage, so this is no surprise,” Golden Zen Master murmured gravely. “But Han Li’s transformation is equally extraordinary. I wonder what art he employs.”
“It doesn’t resemble ordinary transformation,” the elder surnamed Gu mused. “Could he possess the blood of a true spirit?”
“Unlikely,” Silverlight Fairy countered. “Han Li ascended from the lower realm, where true spirits have been extinct for ages. No bloodline could remain.”
“Perhaps he obtained it after arriving in the Spirit Realm,” Golden Zen Master said, guessing close to the truth. “Regardless, the next clash will dwarf the last. Elder Gu, are the restrictions secure?”
“Rest assured, Master. With me overseeing them, there will be no issues,” the elder replied confidently.
“I hope so,” Golden Zen Master sighed, unconvinced.
At that moment, the giant ape struck.
Its massive hands clawed at the air, summoning a green and a black sphere of light that solidified into two small mountains, each over a hundred feet tall, wreathed in radiant mist—clearly no ordinary treasures.
With an earth-shaking roar, the ape hurled both mountains downward.
A deafening boom erupted as the peaks transformed into streaks of green and black crystal light, warping space and emitting a piercing screech. In a flash, they loomed before Frost Li.
Frost Li felt two crushing pressures like blades. The air around him solidified, locking him in place.
Panicked, he roared, his draconic form blazing with green light as his scales bristled. A surge of immense strength broke the restraint, freeing his limbs.
His clawed hands lashed out at the oncoming mountains.
Frost Li had reason for confidence—the Azure Dragon’s physical prowess ranked among the top three of all true dragons. Though his transformation was incomplete, his draconic blood granted him strength beyond mortal comprehension.
His body was as tough as supreme-grade treasures, and with his draconic blood activated, he could wield a fraction of the Azure Dragon’s power—enough to shatter mountains and treasures alike.
Yet the moment his claws met the mountains, regret flooded him.
Instead of crushing them, his fingers seared with pain as the overwhelming force shattered them with a sickening crack.
Frost Li recoiled, retracting his arms in a flash. He spat a green beam at one mountain while his massive tail whipped toward the other.
Two thunderous explosions and a grunt later, Frost Li staggered back like a broken sack, barely catching himself after over a dozen steps.
His face was a mask of horror. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a mouthful of black blood spilled forth.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage