"Heavens — that fortress, erected with the combined might of the four great Imperial Clans, was cracked by a single thrust of his spear!"
"And this is Duan Jidao after his cultivation has regressed. If he were still at his peak, just how terrifying would he be?" At the sight before them, the crowd's hair stood on end, a wave of wordless awe washing over them.
Boom — Boom — Boom — Boom — Boom —
While the spectators looked on in astonishment, Duan Jidao struck again and again. Spear after spear lanced out, hammering the fortress relentlessly, and with each blow, the crack widened further. Before long it had spread across more than half the barrier. What had once been invisible now manifested fully in plain sight, its shimmering surface laid bare for all to see.
And Ximen Baiyuan could only watch it all happen, powerless to intervene. Though he too was a Martial Emperor, before Duan Jidao he simply had no power to fight back.
In that instant, the wailing from within the four great Imperial Clans grew even more piercing. Many felt certain they were doomed — once that fortress fell, the thousand realm spirits and eight colossal dragons would pour through the breach and begin their slaughter. Every last person in the four great Imperial Clans would be annihilated.
The sound of Duan Jidao's spear striking the fortress was, to them, like the tolling of the death knell. When the final strike landed, that would be their end.
"Mm—"
But then, without warning, Duan Jidao's expression changed. The spear that had been about to thrust forward stalled, hovering in place, unable to complete its strike.
"What's wrong?" Everyone sensed something amiss. The Ximen Clan's barrier had been on the verge of shattering — why had Duan Jidao suddenly stopped?
"Pfft —"
At that moment, Duan Jidao's mouth flew open, and a great mouthful of golden liquid sprayed from his lips.
The instant that golden liquid emerged, his entire complexion turned ghastly pale in the span of a heartbeat. The Imperial character on his forehead vanished just as swiftly, and his aura plummeted.
"This is bad." Yin Gongfu's body went rigid the moment he saw it — he knew Duan Jidao's illness had flared up.
Whoosh —
Even an outsider could tell something was wrong, so Ximen Baiyuan naturally seized the opening. He wrenched himself free from Duan Jidao's grasp, saw with his own eyes how feeble Duan Jidao truly was, and swung the Ancient Crocodile Body-Severing Blade straight toward Duan Jidao's Dantian.
Shlk —
Duan Jidao reached back and caught the descending blade barehanded. Though he had used the power of his barrier formation to harden his palm to an extraordinary degree, he was still facing an Imperial-grade weapon. His hand was shredded to a bloody pulp, blood streaming freely.
"Break — for me!!!"
Yet even in this state, Duan Jidao swung the Great Sun Golden Light Spear in his other hand and thrust it at the scarred, fractured barrier.
BOOM BOOM BOOM —
The spear fell, and the supposedly impregnable barrier shattered like a mirror smashed against stone, fragments scattering in every direction.
Bwagh —
At the same time, countless members of the four great Imperial Clans were sent tumbling, and many vomited blood on the spot before collapsing unconscious. The barrier's destruction had struck them all as well.
Though Duan Jidao's strike had shattered the barrier guarding the four great Imperial Clans, he himself had been left utterly drained, his body as weak as an empty husk.
"Duan Jidao, so what if you broke the Ximen Clan's barrier? Without your protection, Chu Feng and the rest are nothing more than fish on a chopping block — all I need to do is carve them up."
Ximen Baiyuan let out a cold laugh. Murder blazed in his eyes, and the Ancient Crocodile Body-Severing Blade swept once more toward Duan Jidao's Dantian. His killing intent was absolute, and Duan Jidao no longer had the strength to resist.
Hum —