"Tsk!"
A light tsking sound was heard.
Three figures flickered simultaneously, appearing in front of Xiong Zhuangzhuang.
A blade glow, a sword glow, and a dazzling spiritual light all collided with the bloody vortex.
Boom!
The vortex exploded!
The blood water transformed into blood mist, scattering across the sky.
Though seemingly gentle, each drop of this blood mist contained astonishing power.
Xu Yi and the others, struck by the blood mist, were forced to retreat one after another.
Meanwhile, Wan Yanxue had, at some unknown time, hidden in a more remote corner, coldly watching everything unfold. Her gaze flickered, her thoughts a mystery.
"Cough cough!"
Successive coughs erupted, leaving everyone with unnaturally flushed faces.
Xu Yi, Lu Zaiye, and Bei Xinghan, being able to move freely, had managed to evade most of the damage. However, all three looked extremely grave.
Their combined effort had barely blocked one of Shangguan Yuquan's casual attacks. If he were to unleash his full power, they would have no means of resistance.
"Not bad, I truly underestimated you. But this makes it more interesting."
Shangguan Yuquan smiled playfully, his eyes holding the arrogance of someone in a superior position.
These three should be the top three in the Sect Grand Competition. Their strength was indeed formidable.
If he were still at Kunlun Academy, the inclusion of these three would pose a significant threat to him.
But now…
Shangguan Yuquan's blood-red eyes brightened slightly. The blood water he had re-condensed split into three, transforming into three long dragons that lunged at Xu Yi and the other two.
Times had changed. These three proud scions, who should have been his rivals, were about to become his fallen souls.
Shangguan Yuquan felt a surge of excitement. An unprecedented sense of exhilaration caused his entire body to tremble slightly.
As the blood dragons approached, determination flashed in Xu Yi's eyes. Her lips moved silently, and the seal on the Spiritual Power Great Return Pill was once again broken. Potent spiritual power instantly poured from her dantian into her limbs.
Xu Yi's aura surged, her long hair behind her fluttering as if in a wind.
"Go!"
Spiritual power surged into the Discipline Ruler.
The Discipline Ruler transformed into a black shadow, vanishing in an instant.
On the other side, Bei Xinghan formed a hand seal with his right hand, pointing it at the Frost Sword in his grasp.
The Frost Sword trembled slightly. A gleam of cold light shot from the sword's tail to its tip, and an aura of frost erupted, causing the surrounding temperature to drop significantly.
"Buzz!"
Sword energy whistled.
A sword glow, with lightning speed, pierced into the blood dragons.
Lu Zaiye did not draw any magical artifacts. Instead, he flicked his finger, and a cluster of spiritual light, the size of rice grains, rapidly collided with the blood dragons.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Spiritual energy exploded! The ground trembled!
The deafening roars almost tore at their eardrums.
In the eyes of Xiong Zhuangzhuang and the others, who were unable to move, surprise flashed. They were forced to mobilize their remaining spiritual power to erect defensive shields.
Bang bang bang!
Wave after wave of spiritual energy crazily battered the spiritual energy shields, making it unbearable for those behind them.
At this moment, Wan Yanxue also raised her delicate willow-like eyebrows in surprise. She looked at the three figures enveloped in blood mist, gritted her teeth, suddenly turned, and quickly fled into the distance.
"Wan Yanxue!"
Her decisive departure was seen by Xiong Zhuangzhuang nearby, who let out an enraged roar, his eyes wide with fury.
Xu Yi and the other two, at the Nascent Soul stage cultivation, were fighting Shangguan Yuquan. Yet, Wan Yanxue, the one with the highest cultivation among them, actually abandoned them and fled alone.
What made it even more unbearable was that Wan Yanxue was from their Beast Taming Sect.
Wan Yanxue's footsteps paused, and then she fled even faster.
"When a fellow Daoist dies, I shall not."
She had already done her utmost by staying behind alone to block Shangguan Yuquan.
Now, it was time for them to take their turn.
As for Lu Zaiye…
A complex expression flickered in Wan Yanxue's eyes, quickly replaced by ruthlessness.
She now understood that she had developed feelings for that mysterious Lu Zaiye.
However, this slight affection was not enough for her to pay the price of her life.
Her goal was to pursue the Great Path of Immortality, not romantic entanglements.
Moreover, Lu Zaiye had no feelings for her in his heart, so there was no need for her to sacrifice herself for him.
Wan Yanxue, with her decisive nature, left without looking back.
Shangguan Yuquan watched Wan Yanxue's retreating figure disappear. His brows furrowed slightly, then slowly relaxed.
He was the only one who knew the exit to the eighteenth layer of hell. Even if Wan Yanxue escaped, she had nowhere to go.
It wasn't too late to find Wan Yanxue after he dealt with these people. A cat-and-mouse game would be boring if it ended too soon.
Shangguan Yuquan allowed Wan Yanxue to leave, shifting his attention back to Xu Yi and the other two. The real show was just beginning.
"Slash!"
Just as Shangguan Yuquan was still treating the three with a playful attitude, an astonishing sword light broke through the blood dragons and headed straight for him.
It was so fast that even divine sense could hardly track it.
Everything happened too quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the sword light was upon Shangguan Yuquan's face.
Bei Xinghan, holding the Frost Sword, had a hint of joy flash in his eyes. He poured spiritual power into the Frost Sword with all his might, and the surrounding temperature grew even colder.
"Insolent!"
Shangguan Yuquan snorted coldly. With a thought, a blood screen appeared before him.
The sword light struck the blood screen and was silently swallowed, causing no ripple.
Then, to Bei Xinghan's horrified gaze, the blood screen trembled, spat out the sword energy, and slashed towards Bei Xinghan.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing against metal was accompanied by the sound of bones shattering.
Bei Xinghan retreated wildly, his arm hanging limply, a pained expression on his face.
Yet, he refused to give up.
"Frost!"
He shouted coldly. The Frost Sword left his hand, circled once, and whistled as it stabbed towards Shangguan Yuquan.
At the same time, Xu Yi and Lu Zaiye had dealt with the blood dragons blocking their paths and unhesitatingly attacked Shangguan Yuquan.
"Heh."
A sinister glint flashed across Shangguan Yuquan's brow.
It was time to let them know that the gap in strength could never be bridged.
He spread his arms wide and laughed up at the sky.
The blood dragons, which had been slain by Xu Yi and the other two, had turned into a pool of blood.
Now, this blood rapidly converged before Shangguan Yuquan, forming a colossal bloody sword. The immense pressure made everyone's breathing falter.
"Not good!"
Xu Yi inwardly exclaimed. A peculiar power in her eyes automatically activated, and the giant sword was instantly broken down into countless tiny blood beads.
However, with her current spiritual power, finding the gaps between these blood beads to break the giant sword was exceedingly difficult.
No matter what! She had to try!
Spiritual power was still pouring out of Xu Yi's dantian, but the speed at which she was channeling it into the Discipline Ruler was even faster.
Only when her meridians felt a sharp stinging sensation did Xu Yi hurl the Discipline Ruler, now incredibly profound in her hand.
Rumble!
The immense spiritual energy fluctuation swept outwards like a hurricane.
Before Xu Yi and the others could react, they felt a great roaring in their minds, and the next moment, their vision went black, and they instantly lost consciousness.
When the spiritual energy fluctuations subsided, Xu Yi and the others had collapsed on the ground, unconscious.
At this moment, the only two people still standing were Shangguan Yuquan and…
Lu Zaiye!
And Shangguan Yuquan, who had been utterly arrogant moments ago, looked at Lu Zaiye, who stood as unmoving as a boulder, a strange look flashing in his eyes.
For some reason, he suddenly had a sense of foreboding.