Elder Linghu's expression changed sharply. Without a moment's thought, he tapped the jade ruyi, and the protective barrier instantly thickened by another thirty percent. At the same time, he opened his mouth and spat out a small square seal, which transformed into a ball of green light amid a burst of radiance and shot straight toward the incoming attack.
With a thunderous boom, "Marquis Nanlong" let out a cold laugh and threw a punch at the jade seal without the slightest hesitation.
Black and green light intertwined, but in the space of a breath the black qi contracted and expanded, shattering the radiance to pieces. The jade seal whistled as it flew backward, hurtling directly toward Patriarch Linghu.
Patriarch Linghu was startled. He hurriedly formed hand seals and fired off a rapid string of incantations, managing to halt the seal just before it slammed into his barrier.
But in that brief delay, a jet-black fist materialized ghostlike before the shield and hammered down.
The barrier shuddered violently. Patriarch Linghu felt a tremendous force slam into him from the front and was sent tumbling sideways along with his shield. But Patriarch Linghu was, after all, a monster who had lived for nearly a thousand years, and his combat experience was beyond rich. Before he was knocked away, he managed to flick his sleeve, sending a fiery red flying blade shooting out first — a bolt of crimson that slashed straight toward "Marquis Nanlong" who had just revealed his form.
The black-qi-cloaked face of "Marquis Nanlong" twisted into a savage grin.
The flying blade had already transformed into a streak of rainbow light, cleaving down toward the top of his head. But he showed not the slightest intention of dodging. Instead, he inhaled sharply, aimed at the blade above, and opened his mouth. A wisp of black-red demonic flame shot forth.
The moment the flying blade slashed into the black-red flame, it was instantly ensnared and swallowed by the demonic fire. The crimson spiritual light on the blade flickered weakly a few times in a mournful cry before being devoured completely.
The blade instantly lost its spirituality and fell like a chunk of common iron.
Patriarch Linghu's heart clenched with terror when he saw this.
That flying blade looked ordinary, but it was in fact the famous "Evil-Slaying Sacred Edge," a treasure renowned throughout the Tian Nan cultivation world — one he had obtained only with great difficulty years ago. It possessed a special potency against evil spirits and demonic entities.
The "Marquis Nanlong" before him was clearly possessed by some formidable evil spirit, which was why Patriarch Linghu had deployed this blade without warning. He hadn't expected it to easily dispatch the opponent, but to have it casually swatted aside with such utter nonchalance was enough to make his blood run cold.
Just as Patriarch Linghu's face drained of color, the demon-infused Marquis Nanlong, before his opponent could regain his footing, leaned forward from where he stood. With a whoosh, his body stretched and thinned like a serpent, his upper half darting forward in a single lunge — and in the blink of an eye he appeared directly before Patriarch Linghu, fist already swinging.
Patriarch Linghu was sent flying again.
The moment "Marquis Nanlong" moved, he flickered to a position beneath Patriarch Linghu with the same eerie swiftness and threw an identical punch…
In the space of moments, Patriarch Linghu was battered around like a sandbag, utterly unable to resist.
That jade ruyi was truly a top-grade ancient defensive treasure. Despite the jade-green barrier flickering and shimmering under the barrage, it somehow still refused to shatter under such tremendous force. A faint note of surprise escaped "Marquis Nanlong's" lips, but his attacks did not slow in the least — fist after fist, without a single pause.
Patriarch Linghu was now consumed by dread!
He was in exactly the same position Lu Weiying had been in earlier: with every punch that landed, the spiritual energy he had barely gathered was scattered anew. He possessed a full arsenal of techniques yet had not the slightest power to fight back.
After watching fifteen or so punches land, the barrier projected by the jade ruyi finally began to warp and flicker under frantic trembling. Patriarch Linghu's heart sank like a stone.
Seeing this, a flicker of sinister satisfaction crossed "Marquis Nanlong's" face. His body swayed — one hand continued to rain punches, while the other formed all five fingers into a knife-hand, poised to strike. The intent was clear: the moment the barrier shattered, he would deliver a fatal blow.
Patriarch Linghu's face was ashen. Seeing cracks appear across the barrier, he clenched his teeth, reached into his robes, and gripped something within. He was prepared to risk everything in a desperate last stand.
But at that very instant, without any warning whatsoever, a five-colored pillar of light plummeted from the sky. It engulfed the unprepared "Marquis Nanlong" within its radiance.
Marquis Nanlong had been entirely unconcerned, but the moment the multicolored light touched his body, he suddenly felt his form grow heavy and his movements sluggish by more than half.
"Oh?" "Marquis Nanlong" was mildly surprised. He glanced sideways through the radiance toward a certain direction.
The white-robed woman stood in the distance, her ancient mirror held high. A five-colored pillar of light was pouring from its surface. "Marquis Nanlong's" eyes flashed with killing intent at the sight.
With the white-robed woman's intervention, Patriarch Linghu seized the lifeline. Overjoyed, he released the object in his grasp and, seizing the brief opening created by his opponent's slowed assault, surged with all the Magical Power he could muster. He transformed into a streak of rainbow light and broke free.
In the blink of an eye, he had flown to the white-robed woman's side and landed.