"You old hound Li!" Gu Jianxin had somehow charged in as well, his sword light blazing like a round sun, dazzling to behold, crashing toward Li Minghai like a falling star.
At the same time, brilliant golden light erupted all around, strands of golden threads dancing like a nest of serpents, slicing through the void.
The spatial rifts scattered around Li Minghai's body began to widen as well, squeezing inward toward him.
In virtually an instant, the overwhelmed Li Minghai was inundated by every conceivable force.
A blinding radiance erupted from the spot where Li Minghai stood, illuminating the surrounding starfield down to the finest detail. Within that brilliance, waves of heaven-destroying, earth-shattering energy surged outward.
Gu Jianxin was sent flying backward once more, even faster than he had charge in. The prepared Right Sword Servant had already rushed forward and caught him.
With a retch, Gu Jianxin spat out a mist of blood, leaning against the Right Sword Servant's embrace.
"Young Master!" the Right Sword Servant cried out, her beautiful eyes filled with worry.
But Gu Jianxin had no time to respond. His gaze was fixed rigidly on the space ahead.
He didn't know whether Li Minghai was truly dead, but the sensation when his sword had thrust forward moments ago was unmistakable—he had definitely struck true, perhaps even pierced a vital point.
But this was a Void King realm powerhouse! This was Gu Jianxin's first time fighting a life-and-death battle against a Void King, and his experience was lacking. Until he laid eyes on Li Minghai's corpse, he didn't dare let his guard down for a moment.
The light gradually faded, and within the void, a figure still stood upright.
Gu Jianxin's eyes contracted sharply.
Li Minghai!
Even after suffering such a terrifying barrage of attacks, Li Minghai had not died. However, having withstood that kind of energy impact, the Void King now looked utterly wretched—his hair disheveled, his robes in tatters. At some point, a layer of protective treasure armor had materialized around his body, but even that had been completely destroyed.
What filled Gu Jianxin with elation was that Li Minghai's injuries were clearly severe. His body was riddled with holes, like a tattered rag—gaping wounds of all sizes and grotesque shapes covered nearly every part of him. Peering through those holes, one could even see Li Minghai's bones and writhing flesh.
And Li Minghai's face was etched with fury and terror.
He was afraid! He had felt the brush of death, and so he was afraid!
Sure enough, Li Minghai cast his gaze around. His eyes lingered on Gu Jianxin and the Right Sword Servant for only the briefest instant before shifting away, continuing to search through the void.
But he found nothing. There was no trace of that elusive young man who had ambushed him earlier.
"Junior! One day, I will make you pay for this!" Li Minghai blustered, his bravado masking his fear. Then he transformed into a streak of light and fled further into the distance, leaving a trail of blood in the void behind him.
"Don't let him escape!" Gu Jianxin shouted into the void, his breath thin and ragged.
His words had barely fallen when a burst of multicolored radiance bloomed from somewhere within the void. That five-colored light was like an unstoppable sword qi of heaven and earth, carrying the power to cleave open the sky, slashing straight toward Li Minghai.
Li Minghai was horrified. He activated a secret technique to defend himself.
But he was now utterly hollow on the inside despite his fearsome exterior. The techniques he managed to muster couldn't so much as slow the multicolored sword qi. The radiance passed through Li Minghai's body and vanished into the void, like a blazing meteor streaking across the sky.
Li Minghai's body froze in place. His eyes bulged wide, and he moved no more.
The vitality within him and the gleam in his eyes rapidly drained away.
A dignified Void King realm powerhouse—dead, just like that!
Gu Jianxin, watching from afar, couldn't gauge the situation. Gravely wounded, he didn't dare act rashly, only staring warily at Li Minghai's corpse. It wasn't until the Left Sword Servant, still shaken, flew over from nearby to Li Minghai's side and confirmed the state of affairs that she returned with a look of elation toward Gu Jianxin's position.
Once the Left Sword Servant was back, Gu Jianxin asked urgently, "Well?"
"Li Minghai is dead!" the Left Sword Servant answered.
Gu Jianxin let out a long, deep breath. He could hold on no longer and slumped into the Right Sword Servant's arms, his heart still trembling with residual fear. "Dead, then it's good. Dead, it's good!"
"Young Master, that person just now..." the Left Sword Servant said, her expression a mix of shock and suspicion.
"He's not from our Sword Alliance," Gu Jianxin shook his head. He reached into his space ring, retrieved a handful of spirit pills, and popped them into his mouth. "Never mind that for now. Go and reinforce the others—Li Minghai brought quite a few powerhouses with him, and they may not be able to hold... Hm?"
As he spoke, Gu Jianxin turned his head toward the main battlefield and immediately spotted something peculiar.
A surprising number of their own warriors were still alive, while Li Minghai's subordinates were nearly all dead or crippled. He had been locked in combat with Li Minghai this whole time and hadn't had a chance to check on that front. Now, seeing the state of things, he found it somewhat incredible.
Gu Jianxin knew full well how the two sides compared in strength—they were clearly the weaker side by a significant margin.
After all, Li Minghai had come fully prepared, launching a surprise ambush. How could he not have made every arrangement?