As the purple light flickered, an inexplicable force surged outward, spreading in all directions.
In the next instant, Yang Kai's expression changed, for under the influence of that force, he could see wisps of golden aura seeping from his own sword body, pouring into the body of the enemy commander.
He wasn't the only one — Lang Qingshan was experiencing the same thing.
The two exchanged a glance and saw the horror reflected in each other's eyes.
This last Gold Sword remaining in the enemy formation was capable of forcibly siphoning the power of other swords!
Realizing this, both Yang Kai and Lang Qingshan immediately sealed their own aura, striving to stem the loss of their power. They had both reached the pinnacle of the Gold Sword realm, their sword bodies firm and stable, and were able to hold out against the purple light.
But the other swords on the battlefield had no such ability.
Cracking sounds rang out in an endless torrent as sword after sword shattered inexplicably. From each broken sword, rays of multicolored light leaked out, streaming toward the enemy commander from every direction.
In the span of a single breath, tens of thousands of swords — friend and foe alike — crumbled to pieces.
Purple lightning appeared once more!
Like a thunder dragon, it lunged toward Yang Kai and Lang Qingshan. Neither dared to stand against it. They dodged left and right, scattering to opposite sides. The thunder dragon ignored Yang Kai entirely, pursuing Lang Qingshan with its tail in its mouth, clearly determined to cut him down.
Seeing this, Yang Kai charged back in, his sword energy crisscrossing heaven and earth as he unleashed a furious bombardment on the Gold Sword. As for Lang Qingshan's survival, he had no way to worry about it now — the purple lightning's might was far too terrifying, and anyone struck by it would perish on the spot. He could only silently pray that Lang Qingshan was clever enough to shake off the pursuit.
After a prolonged and grueling battle, Yang Kai and the Gold Sword fought to a standstill, neither able to gain the upper hand. Both stood at the apex of this level. Though Yang Kai's sword body had been damaged earlier when the first bolt of purple lightning grazed him, his combat experience was far beyond what the Gold Sword could compare to — and that was why he could fight it to a draw.
A full incense stick's time passed before Lang Qingshan finally flew back, looking thoroughly disheveled. Yang Kai stole a glance at him amid the fray and saw that his sword body bore some damage as well — he must have been grazed by the purple lightning at some point, though his life was not in danger.
Rather than rushing to aid Yang Kai, Lang Qingshan instead directed his army of seven hundred thousand to pull back swiftly, moving them far away from the battlefield.
Yang Kai breathed a silent sigh of relief. Clever — in his place, he would have done the same thing first.
That purple gemstone on the Gold Sword's hilt was far too bizarre. It could not only absorb the energy released when other swords were slain, but could even drain it by force. Leaving their seven-hundred-thousand-strong army here would only serve as fuel for that purple lightning.
Before long, the seven hundred thousand had vanished from sight. Moments later, Lang Qingshan returned, his damaged sword body fully restored, its surface gleaming with dazzling brilliance — he had clearly taken the opportunity to mend his injuries.
Rejoining the battlefield, the two shared a glance. No discussion was needed; they already understood each other's intent.
Wear it down!
The Gold Sword's individual strength was nothing to fear. Against both of them together, it stood no chance.
The only cause for concern was the purple gemstone on its hilt, and the devastating strike that could be unleashed through it. But using that purple lightning came at a cost.
Its first strike had absorbed the power of tens of thousands of Silver Swords. The second had consumed five Gold Swords. The third — the one just now — had likewise absorbed the power of tens of thousands of swords, shattering them all on the spot.
Now that Yang Kai's army of seven hundred thousand had withdrawn from the battlefield, only roughly one hundred and fifty thousand of the enemy's forces remained. At most, the Gold Sword could unleash the purple lightning five more times.
As long as they could evade those five strikes, victory would be assured.
And rather than passively waiting, it was better to take the initiative. Yang Kai shot Lang Qingshan a meaningful look, leaving him to hold the enemy's attention alone, and then blurred forward into the midst of the enemy formation.
The enemy ranks dissolved into chaos. A hundred and fifty thousand sounded like a lot, but not a single one among them could put up a real fight.
Yang Kai's golden sword energy swept outward, each slash harvesting countless swords, shattering them to fragments.
Just as he expected — even when these swords were cut down by Yang Kai, the energy that spilled from their bodies did not flow into him. Instead, it was absorbed by the purple gemstone.
On that purple gemstone, the violet radiance grew brighter and brighter.
"Qingshan, watch out!" When Yang Kai judged the moment had come, he unleashed another slash. Hundreds of swords shattered on the spot, and when those hundreds of streams of light poured into the purple gemstone, the violet glow finally reached its limit.
The enemy commander's sword body trembled, and a bolt of purple lightning cleaved through the air, slashing straight toward Lang Qingshan, who had been harassing it all this while.
Lang Qingshan had long been on guard. The instant Yang Kai shouted that warning, he had already fled the battlefield, sprinting for his life. He didn't head elsewhere — he charged straight toward the enemy's remaining forces, intending to use those swords to wear down the purple lightning's power.
Meanwhile, Yang Kai had already met the Gold Sword head-on, locking it into another fierce exchange.
Crack, crack, crack…
Wherever the purple lightning passed, an uncountable number of swords shattered, their luminous energy streaming into the sky.
In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands more swords were destroyed.