The sky was covered, and a myriad of arrows shot out, unstoppable. The surrounding houses, trees, and lawns, like tofu, were easily pierced through. Everything was flattened.
Meanwhile, Xu Zhenwu, who had lived for hundreds of years and experienced countless battles, was no longer affected by any external factors.
Thus, despite the immense power of Liu Nanfeng's moves, they failed to shake Xu Zhenwu's resolve.
Hundreds of countermeasures flashed through his mind, but he dismissed them one by one. The best way, of course, was to dodge. But that was not Xu Zhenwu's style.
After a moment's thought, Xu Zhenwu shrugged his shoulders, brought his arms together in front of his chest, and formed a slightly transparent blue vortex between them. The rapidly spinning vortex generated a powerful suction.
The flying arrows, like swallows returning to their nests, plunged into the vortex, were ground to dust, and eventually returned to a gaseous state, joining the vortex.
This move seemed to effortlessly counter Liu Nanfeng's attack. However, as more and more arrows were drawn in, Xu Zhenwu began to feel the strain, his face turning pale.
At this very moment, Xu Zhenwu had an inspiration. He slightly tilted his arms, and the absorbed arrows shifted direction, diverting to the side.
This was a technique of redirecting force. Though simple, it was effective, and Xu Zhenwu breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing his attack diverted by the opponent, Liu Nanfeng ceased his assault.
With Liu Nanfeng's attack halted, Xu Zhenwu naturally seized the rare opportunity. He had realized that the opponent had been attacking him solely with ranged methods. If that was the case, he would close the distance and render the opponent's attacks useless.
Xu Zhenwu moved with incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, before a single breath, he appeared before Liu Nanfeng and the others.
His speed was such that he didn't want to be pushed back as he had been earlier, without even realizing it.
However, before Liu Nanfeng could react, he heard a shout from beside him, "Smash you! Let's see what I've got."
Little Carp had been holding her melon hammer high with both hands, her belly protruding, her mouth puffed out, looking as if she was gathering strength. Seeing Xu Zhenwu approach, she finally swung the melon hammer down.
The head of her melon hammer was about the size of her fist, and the handle was no longer than her arm. But as she swung it, a hundred-zhang golden phantom descended from the sky.
"Bang..."
This single strike stunned Xu Zhenwu, leaving him no time to react. He was directly smashed into the ground, leaving a hundred-meter-long gash before everyone.
Little Carp herself was startled and quickly hugged Liu Nanfeng's leg, her face showing a look of lingering fear.
Yang Ruoyun and Hu Mengyao's mouths were agape in astonishment, forgetting to close them.
"Cough... cough..."
Just then, a coughing sound from underground awakened everyone. Then, the sand and soil on the ground began to float uncontrollably upwards. An invisible aura spread outwards, as if the Earth's gravity had suddenly increased, making everyone feel a sense of burden, their breathing becoming difficult, their hearts pounding. A great fear spread outwards.
As the sand and soil floated up, Xu Zhenwu slowly ascended into the air. However, he appeared quite disheveled. His clothes were torn, his hair messy, and his face covered in scars.
Yet, there was no anger on his face; instead, he wore a faint smile.
"Hehehe... I've lived in comfort for too long, so long that I'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be beaten."
As he spoke, countless sharp energies filled the entire space. Cracks silently appeared on the ground, and a giant praying mantis phantom materialized behind Xu Zhenwu. The mantis's eyes fixed on everyone like a predator, its huge scythe-like forelimbs emitting a sharp glow. Its entire body was in a hunting stance.
A tyrannical aura swept through the land. Little Carp trembled with fear, hugging Liu Nanfeng's leg, not daring to even lift her head. As for Yang Ruoyun and Hu Mengyao, they were not much better, their bodies frozen as if unable to move.
Liu Nanfeng knew that their presence here would not only be unhelpful but might even hinder him and distract him. With a thought, Guanshanhai appeared in the void, and with a sweep, he drew the three of them into the painting.
This action was incredibly fast, taking only a few breaths. However, the giant mantis phantom seemed to sense something, and its body subtly recoiled. This greatly surprised Xu Zhenwu.
But this was not the time to dwell on such matters. He moved his arms back, leaned forward, and lunged forward like a mantis preying on a cicada. The mantis phantom behind him mirrored his action. The slight recoil just now seemed to be for a better lunge.
Two sharp sword energies condensed in the void, carrying a chilling intent that froze everything. Frost began to spread outwards at a visible rate.
But what met Liu Nanfeng's eyes was a sea of corpses and blood, and he could even smell the strong scent of gore.
However, these were not the things that moved Liu Nanfeng. What truly made his heart pound was that he was locked onto by the opponent. No matter how he tried to dodge, he felt as if he couldn't escape. His body felt stiff, as if rooted in place, forcing him to face the two sword energies that pierced through the void.
Liu Nanfeng could phase his body to dodge the attack, but he knew that even if he dodged the sword energies, the will contained within the opponent's swordplay would still damage his phased body. Therefore, he chose not to dodge but to confront it directly.
Thus, a colossal White Bone Dharma Appearance emerged from behind him.
The White Bone Dharma Appearance slowly raised the white bone sword in its hand and thrust it into the void, meeting the two streams of intent that were cleaving towards him.
A silent collision occurred, and the resulting shockwaves rippled outwards. Buildings, vegetation, and the ground were directly scoured by the fierce winds, stripping away a layer and revealing a scarred landscape.
At some point, a short sword appeared in Liu Nanfeng's hand. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his eyes fixed on the opponent, like two sharp sword energies capable of piercing all things in the world.
Even from hundreds of feet away, Xu Zhenwu felt a stinging sensation where Liu Nanfeng's gaze fell.
He couldn't help but show surprise: "Er Bu Sword Style, White Bone Dharma Appearance..."
Xu Zhenwu, with his vast knowledge, recognized the two techniques Liu Nanfeng had employed at a glance.
Liu Nanfeng was able to manifest the White Bone Dharma Appearance by borrowing Su Jinxiu's power through Guanshanhai.
Xu Zhenwu was the strongest enemy he had encountered so far.
He possessed no mystical spells or supernatural abilities, but he gave Liu Nanfeng a pressure he had never felt before.
And under pressure, one's mind either becomes muddled and rigid, or it becomes more active, like lightning.
Liu Nanfeng belonged to the latter category.
Under the pressure exerted by Xu Zhenwu, his mind was highly concentrated and infinitely elevated. All his past learning and comprehension seemed to be forging into one under this pressure.