"Evil-Warding Divine Thunder! What I cultivate is neither demonic arts nor heretical techniques — how powerful could it really be against me!" The Azure Dragon Lord muttered upon seeing this. With a wave of one hand, the jade book in his grip let out a clear hum and transformed directly into a five-colored barrier of light that shielded him. His hands flipped once more, and two flashes of spiritual light—one gold, one silver—blazed forth, revealing two enormous brushes each about a foot long.
Though his words sounded casual, he didn't dare let his guard down. He immediately activated his lifebound treasure.
Han Li's expression didn't change in the slightest upon hearing the other's words. He shook both sleeves, and seventy-two azure small swords shot out like swimming fish. Under his sword-art incantation, they let out a clear cry and merged into one, conjuring a massive azure sword over ten zhang long in midair, its green light shimmering brilliantly.
He then raised one hand and pointed at the two golden lightning serpents swirling in the sky.
With a thunderous roar, the two serpents writhed and lunged violently toward the massive azure sword, vanishing into it in a flash.
Thunder erupted!
The massive azure sword instantly swelled tenfold, becoming over a hundred zhang in length. Golden light flashed wildly across its surface as countless arcs of lightning surged outward.
But Han Li wasn't finished. He glanced at the colossal sword in the sky, opened his mouth, and spat out a silver fireball. The moment it left his lips, a clear cry rang out from within, and it flickered, transforming into a silver firebird. The firebird spread both wings and, with a loud "bang," its body swelled to roughly a zhang in size before shooting like an arrow into the great sword as well.
The next instant, a layer of silver flame erupted across the sword's surface. Surging waves of fire engulfed the massive blade entirely.
Han Li raised an eyebrow and spoke a single word: "Cut!"
The word had barely left his mouth when the hundred-zhang sword let out a tremendous roar and cleaved down toward the Azure Dragon Lord.
The sword's descent wasn't particularly fast, but wherever it passed, the void hummed ceaselessly. Before it even landed, a wave of scorching heat blanketed the stone platform below. The space beneath instantly churned in crimson, as though it were about to boil.
The Azure Dragon Lord's face changed dramatically at the sight. His hands shook, and the tips of the gold and silver brushes blazed with radiance. Countless ancient characters poured forth in dense profusion, each one glowing with spiritual light and appearing impossibly profound. Merging together, they transformed into a torrent of golden-silver radiance that swept upward.
A thunderclap split the sky!
The great sword and the golden-silver radiance collided head-on. Golden arcs, silver flames, and prismatic light intertwined into a massive halo of luminance that enveloped nearly half the stone platform. The explosive halo was blindingly bright, making it nearly impossible to look at directly, while shockwaves swept outward in every direction.
The stone platform trembled violently, and the silver barrier overhead rippled with wave after wave, as though it might shatter at any moment.
The cultivators watching from outside all drew a sharp breath at the sight. The sheer magnitude of the first exchange between Han Li and the Azure Dragon Lord far exceeded their expectations.
The old man surnamed Gu's expression shifted. His ten fingers flicked rapidly toward the surrounding stone pillars, launching seal after seal of magical energy. These seals transformed into multicolored light and flashed into the pillars. Instantly, the beams of light shooting from the pillars thickened to more than twice their previous size. The silver barrier flickered and solidified once more, steady as before.
As if in response, the previously unstable stone platform also calmed in an instant.
After a short while, the colossal halo of light enveloping the platform finally dissipated. Han Li and the Azure Dragon Lord reappeared—one standing high, the other low.
Han Li stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his face devoid of expression, still hovering where he had been as though he hadn't moved a single step.
The Azure Dragon Lord, however, had at some point descended to the stone platform from midair. The five-colored barrier around his body was completely gone; only a jade book covered in cracks remained floating there. The gold and silver brushes had also dimmed significantly, as though they had lost much of their spiritual essence.
As for the Azure Dragon Lord himself, he appeared outwardly unharmed, but his complexion held a faint trace of pallor.
Han Li had clearly gained the upper hand in that single exchange.
Zen Master Jin Yue and the old man surnamed Gu exchanged a glance, each seeing a flicker of shock in the other's eyes. Though they had long heard that Han Li's strength should surpass the Azure Dragon Lord's, the fact that a single blow had beaten the Azure Dragon Lord down from the sky still exceeded their expectations.
They couldn't tell whether the Azure Dragon Lord himself was somewhat too weak, or whether Han Li's power was truly unfathomable.
Upon seeing that the Azure Dragon Lord, while appearing somewhat battered, had sustained no real damage, Han Li let out a cold laugh. With a casual wave of his hand, the surrounding space rippled, and countless azure small swords pierced back through the void, flashing as they sank into his body and disappeared.
Though his previous strike had gained the upper hand, the massive azure sword had also scattered upon impact. He had no intention of using the flying swords for a second blow, so he recalled them all.