After completing all this, Han Li finally felt at ease. He took out the small gray sword talisman treasure, sat down cross-legged, and began to cast spells, intending to activate the talisman treasure as quickly as possible to attack the enemy.
Just then, the “Senior Martial Brother Lu” opposite him had finally gathered enough spiritual energy on the Azure Flood Dragon Banner and launched a storm-like assault.
He stopped waving the banner and instead pointed its tip directly at Han Li. Instantly, over a dozen crescent-shaped cyan wind blades shot out from the banner’s tip one after another, howling as they charged toward Han Li.
The speed of these wind blades was astonishing—one moment they were near Senior Martial Brother Lu, and in the blink of an eye, they had already reached Han Li’s side. True to their nature as wind-based spells, their attack speed was more than half again as fast as spells of other attributes.
Had Han Li not prepared his defenses in advance, he likely wouldn’t have had time to react before being sliced into a dozen pieces by these wind blades.
Just as Han Li was feeling shocked, the wind blades violently collided with the outermost steel ring. Cyan and yellow lights flickered incessantly, accompanied by the sound of slicing impacts: “Thump! Thump!”
When the lights faded, the originally smooth surface of the steel ring was now crisscrossed with over a dozen foot-long grooves, and the entire magical instrument appeared tattered. Fortunately, the ring had been rotating continuously during the attack, preventing the wind blades from striking the same spot repeatedly. Otherwise, it would have been breached long ago.
Both Han Li and Senior Martial Brother Lu were surprised by this outcome.
Han Li had thought that although the steel ring wasn’t specifically designed for defense, it was a genuine high-grade magical instrument with impeccable material quality. Yet, he hadn’t expected mere wind blades to nearly destroy it, leaving it in shambles. This made him deeply concerned about whether he could withstand the enemy’s subsequent attacks.
Senior Martial Brother Lu, on the other hand, was even more astonished. The Azure Flood Dragon Banner was highly renowned among top-grade magical instruments. He had gone through great pains and paid a hefty price to acquire it to match his spiritual root attributes.
This magical instrument could effortlessly instant-cast simple spells like wind blades. Since it absorbed a certain amount of spiritual energy, all wind-based attacks launched from it were amplified. Thus, while the wind blades appeared to be simple low-tier spells, each one actually packed the power of a mid-tier spell.
In other words, the previous attack, though seemingly straightforward, was essentially a concentrated barrage of over a dozen mid-tier spells. Yet, it hadn’t even broken through the outermost ring. How could Senior Martial Brother Lu not feel a chill in his heart and become even more wary of Han Li?
Although both Han Li and Senior Martial Brother Lu recognized each other as formidable opponents, their subsequent actions differed greatly.
Han Li, still attempting to activate the talisman treasure, was unwilling to give up halfway. Even though he knew the enemy’s next attack would be fierce, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and hold on.
Senior Martial Brother Lu, however, was exceptionally sharp. Noticing that Han Li had remained seated motionless from the moment he set up his defenses until the attack ended, he deduced that Han Li must be preparing a trump card—either casting a high-tier spell or activating a powerful magical instrument.
Without hesitation, he channeled another surge of spiritual power into the large banner in his hands, pointing its tip repeatedly at Han Li and unleashing a continuous stream of cyan wind blades.
This time, the wind blades were smaller in size but unending, forming a long, raging cyan current. With overwhelming momentum, they surged forward, once again clashing fiercely with the yellow light.
This time, the steel ring in front of Han Li lasted only a brief moment before emitting a dull roar. The yellow light scattered, and the high-grade steel ring finally met its end, shattered into pieces by the dense barrage of wind blades.
Unhindered, the stream of wind blades pressed forward aggressively but was blocked by another top-grade magical instrument, the Black Iron Shield, which had been waiting for this moment. Another collision of black and cyan light erupted.
The Black Iron Shield was entirely different from the steel ring.
First, their grades differed by a level. The shield was a top-grade magical instrument, on par with the Azure Flood Dragon Banner. Such items were rare in the cultivation world and not something just anyone could possess. The steel ring, though not commonplace, was something most cultivators of modest means could acquire—it was only slightly uncommon.
Second, while the iron shield had no offensive capabilities, it was specifically designed for defense. Its defensive power was far superior to the ambiguous, hybrid nature of the steel ring. Not only was it sturdy and thick, but its surface was also inscribed with several specialized defensive spells, greatly enhancing its protective capabilities.
Thus, the seemingly frenzied attack stream of dozens, even hundreds, of wind blades was effortlessly intercepted by the iron shield floating in front of Han Li. Like a rock standing firm in a raging torrent, it emitted a cold, black glow, remaining utterly motionless and seemingly handling the assault with ease.
Seeing this, Senior Martial Brother Lu was furious inwardly, though outwardly he only snorted coldly. He shook both hands, and the wind blades at the banner’s tip ceased emerging. Instead, his hands gripping the banner pole suddenly glowed with white light, causing the spiritual energy within his body to flood into the pole like a breached dam.
With such a massive infusion of spiritual energy, the Azure Flood Dragon Banner’s cyan glow grew even more dazzling, like a cyan sun rising in the night, too bright to look at directly.
Senior Martial Brother Lu, having expended a great deal of spiritual power, looked extremely pale but wore a fierce expression. Clearly, he understood the dangers of prolonging the battle and was preparing to unleash his ultimate move.
With a low roar, he exerted force with both hands and threw the Azure Flood Dragon Banner into the air. His fingers swiftly formed hand seals, and then he pointed at the banner and shouted, “Transform into Flood Dragon!”
Instantly, the banner radiated light, glowing with a vibrant cyan hue, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a dozens-of-zhang-long cyan flood dragon. It was lifelike, claws bared and fangs exposed, identical to the one embroidered on the banner.
“Go!” Senior Martial Brother Lu commanded without hesitation, pointing his finger. The cyan flood dragon immediately opened its massive maw and ferociously charged straight at Han Li. A deafening “Clang!” echoed as the flood dragon’s head collided with the Black Iron Shield.
Cyan and black lights flared simultaneously, seemingly evenly matched for a moment. But before long, the black light on the shield rapidly dimmed, visibly weakening.
Just as it seemed the shield would meet the same fate as the previous magical instrument, a cool voice sounded from behind it.
“Withdraw.”
At this command, the iron shield immediately shrank in size and swiftly retreated. Seizing the opportunity, the cyan flood dragon’s aura intensified, chasing after it relentlessly, as if intent on devouring both Han Li and the shield in one gulp.
But at that moment, a several-zhang-long gray beam of light, shaped like a giant sword, shot out from Han Li, who was still seated cross-legged. It fearlessly met the flood dragon’s head, and the two became locked in a fierce struggle.
In mid-air, the cyan light sometimes overpowered the gray radiance, and at other times the gray radiance suppressed the cyan light. For the time being, neither gained the upper hand.
Meanwhile, the iron shield returned to its palm-sized original form and landed in Han Li’s hand. He stored it away in his storage pouch with a flip of his wrist. At this point, all his spiritual power was dedicated to controlling the talisman treasure for attack; he had no energy left to deploy the shield.
This time, the gray radiance from the talisman treasure was clearly far more powerful than when it had killed the yellow-robed man. Just from the sword light it manifested, its potency had increased by at least three to four times.
It was worth noting that when this talisman treasure was in the hands of the Golden Light Superior, it could only transform into a gray radiance about a foot long. When Han Li practiced object control with it, the talisman treasure emitted a light several feet long. But when Han Li used it to kill the yellow-robed man, the driven talisman treasure once again extended to about a zhang in length.
Now, with Han Li’s spiritual power at the eleventh layer, not only had the talisman treasure’s length greatly increased to two or three zhang, but its form also vaguely took the shape of a giant sword. Its light was dazzling, with crystalline radiance flowing, making it awe-inspiring and impossible to ignore. Had it not been for this, the talisman treasure might not have been able to withstand the fierce assault of the flood dragon transformed from the Azure Flood Dragon Banner.
This showed that the power of a talisman treasure depended not only on the strength of the magical treasure sealed within but also greatly on the depth of the cultivator’s spiritual power. The more profound the cultivator’s spiritual power, the more completely they could unleash the talisman treasure’s potential.
I wonder what form this talisman treasure will take when I reach Foundation Establishment and drive it again, Han Li mused unexpectedly, his thoughts wandering even as he controlled the gray light in its struggle against the flood dragon.
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