"Good lad, you underestimated me!"
Seeing his spiritual light blast broken by Li Xuan with the same move, Qiu Shaolong's expression grew uglier. His desire to kill Li Xuan intensified more than ever.
"Qiu Shaolong, if these are all you have, you won't be able to do anything to me today!" Li Xuan said slowly upon hearing this.
"Hmph, do you think I only have this much ability?" Qiu Shaolong snorted coldly, his hand seals changed, and the surrounding spiritual energy surged into Qiu Shaolong's body like a raging storm.
"Spirit Gathering Divine Art!"
With a fierce shout from Qiu Shaolong, the spiritual power converted from the absorbed spiritual energy instantly surged out. The ferocious power immediately raged in mid-air. Then, this spiritual power transformed in mid-air, instantly forming a colossal figure that floated above.
Li Xuan's eyes narrowed instantly. The aura emanating from this figure possessed the strength of a peak Immortal Realm cultivator.
"I can't be careless," Li Xuan thought, driving the spiritual energy from his divine mansion and letting it gush out through his hand seals.
"Li Xuan, embark on your journey peacefully!"
As the surrounding spiritual energy continued to gather, the figure floating before Qiu Shaolong grew brighter. Its aura also faintly showed signs of breaking through to the Transformation Realm.
"Myriad Slaughter Buddha Annihilation!"
Qiu Shaolong moved his hands, and the colossal figure floating before him struck Li Xuan with a palm. The enormous palm, seemingly slow, was actually incredibly swift. In the blink of an eye, it arrived above Li Xuan's head.
Sensing the immense power drawing nearer, Li Xuan's expression remained unchanged as he pushed his physical body's defenses to the extreme.
Just as the palm was about to strike Li Xuan's head, a golden light shot out from within Li Xuan. Upon appearing, it transformed into a hundred-zhang size and fiercely slammed into the descending palm.
Boom!
The two forces collided. In an instant, heaven and earth changed color. A hundred-mile radius shook violently.
"God Slaying Light!"
Seeing Li Xuan withstand it once more, Qiu Shaolong's mind stirred, and he pointed at Li Xuan again. Then, the colossal figure floating before him slowly opened its eyes, and two piercing gazes locked onto Li Xuan.
Simultaneously, two white lights intertwined and converged into a beam of light brighter than daylight, roaring down from the heavens towards Li Xuan.
As Qiu Shaolong unleashed this God Slaying Light, Li Xuan felt a surge of alarm. With a thought, all the star spirit pearls in his divine mansion poured out.
A massive pillar of spiritual energy condensed and then shot towards the white light from Qiu Shaolong, colliding with it fiercely.
Bang!
With a bang, the pillar of spiritual energy instantly ground the white light to dust. Then, under Qiu Shaolong's astonished gaze, it rapidly surged towards Qiu Shaolong's location.
"How is this possible?!" Qiu Shaolong was immensely shocked that his attack was broken so easily by Li Xuan.
As he saw the pillar of spiritual energy approaching, Qiu Shaolong's expression changed slightly, and he formed hand seals again. The colossal figure floating before him immediately stood up, blocking in front of Qiu Shaolong.
Li Xuan paid no attention to Qiu Shaolong's actions. The colossal figure pushed its hands forward, clearly intending to block the advance of the spiritual energy pillar.
Boom!
With a colossal roar, the entire sky became a battlefield of intertwined spiritual and white light. As the wind blew, the shockwaves gradually dispersed.
The gazes of Li Xuan and Qiu Shaolong met once more.
"I didn't expect you to be able to break my Spirit Gathering Divine Art!"
"Even less did I expect you to have caught up to me in just over a year since joining the Azure Hall."
"However, the strength you've displayed now has only deepened my resolve to kill you. No matter how strong you are, you absolutely cannot escape from here today. Li Xuan, embark on your journey peacefully. It feels truly wonderful to be able to kill you with my own hands!"
As Qiu Shaolong finished speaking, a pill appeared from his wrist. Qiu Shaolong then grinned sinisterly and swallowed it without hesitation.
Boom!
After Qiu Shaolong consumed the pill, an astonishing suction power erupted from him. The spiritual energy in heaven and earth was instantly drawn into Qiu Shaolong's body like an unstoppable tide.
Li Xuan frowned as he saw this. After taking the pill, Qiu Shaolong's aura had recovered to its peak. Not only that, but he seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough.
Crack!
Like a lock being opened, a crisp sound echoed from within Qiu Shaolong's body.
Li Xuan's frown deepened. Although he and Qiu Shaolong had been evenly matched initially, Qiu Shaolong had now broken through to the initial stage of the Transformation Realm. In comparison, he was naturally much more powerful.
Even though Qiu Shaolong had achieved this with the aid of some pill, his current strength far surpassed Li Xuan's.
"Haha, is this the power of the Transformation Realm? It is indeed strong enough!"
Qiu Shaolong clenched his fists, his entire face beaming with arrogant laughter. He looked as if he controlled heaven and earth, with everything at his command.
"To improve so quickly, this must be Qiu Shaolong's last trump card," Li Xuan thought to himself.
"It seems your spiritual energy is almost depleted. If that's the case, then embark on your journey peacefully!" After a moment, Qiu Shaolong slowly looked at Li Xuan.
Seeing the terrifying suction force around Li Xuan, he immediately understood. Qiu Shaolong would not give Li Xuan time to recover. He moved instantly and threw a punch at Li Xuan.
"Damn it!" Seeing Qiu Shaolong react, Li Xuan had no choice but to stop absorbing spiritual energy and use the Carefree Step to quickly retreat.
Qiu Shaolong burst into laughter upon seeing this: "Weren't you very good at fighting? Why are you running now?"
Although he was taunting Li Xuan, Qiu Shaolong's speed did not diminish. The might of the Transformation Realm pressed down on Li Xuan like a raging tide.
Meanwhile, Li Xuan, rapidly retreating, remained silent but his mind was already racing to find a solution.
Even if his current speed could barely evade Qiu Shaolong's attacks, he would be helpless once his spiritual energy was depleted. At that point, Li Xuan would likely be unable to escape Qiu Shaolong's pursuit.
It seemed he would have to reveal some of his trump cards.
With this thought, Li Xuan's gaze became resolute. A sharp gleam flickered in his clear black and white eyes.
The next moment, the Shi Sword appeared in Li Xuan's hand.
"One Sword Breaks All Laws!"
Li Xuan activated the Shi Sword and struck out without hesitation.
"Demon God Finger!"
Sensing the power of Li Xuan's sword, Qiu Shaolong's expression changed slightly, but he instantly pointed at Li Xuan.
Bang!
The two terrifying forces collided. In an instant, heaven and earth trembled, and the ground cracked open. The earth, already devoid of any vegetation, was instantly covered in dust.
"How is this possible?!" The vast expanse of light flickered, but Qiu Shaolong quickly saw Li Xuan's figure. Upon seeing Li Xuan unharmed, Qiu Shaolong was shocked again.
He knew that Qiu Shaolong now possessed the strength of an initial Transformation Realm cultivator, yet he still couldn't defeat Li Xuan head-on.
"With my blood, I sacrifice to my ancestors. Qiu family ancestors, bestow upon me supreme glory!" Seeing that Li Xuan was still unharmed, Qiu Shaolong's heart began to panic.
If he couldn't completely eliminate Li Xuan today, then there would never be another chance. The thought made Qiu Shaolong extremely angry, and he gritted his teeth, forming hand seals.
As Qiu Shaolong moved, Li Xuan noticed that the color of blood on Qiu Shaolong's face had become much paler. However, the aura emanating from Qiu Shaolong's body became even more terrifying. He could vaguely sense that it was approaching the middle stage of the Transformation Realm.
"Could this be a secret technique?" Li Xuan thought to himself, shocked by Qiu Shaolong's trump card.
Watching Qiu Shaolong's aura steadily climb, Li Xuan had to become vigilant. He then glanced around, his expression becoming exceptionally calm for the first time.
The Shi Sword in Li Xuan's hand was already vibrating slightly.