Tang Dynasty Demon Suppression Division

Li Yuan raised his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, meeting the enormous golden hand that blotted out the sky.

He slashed out with a single stroke.

This strike had no technique involved, only pure, unadulterated power.

The power of stars, the flames of solitude, and the essence of gold—three completely different forces—merged perfectly on the blade, transforming into a terrifying tri-colored blade aura that slashed towards the giant golden hand.

"boom--!!"

The moment the blade energy collided with the giant hand, the entire valley trembled violently.

The violent shockwave swept outwards from the point of impact, tearing up large sections of the bluestone slabs on the ground and causing rubble to fall from the rock walls.

Leng Ningshuang and Ji Fanghua were pushed back by the violent blast of air and had to plunge their weapons into the ground to regain their footing.

The giant golden hand, under the impact of the blade's energy, began to crack from the palm. The cracks quickly spread to the entire hand, and finally, with a "bang," it turned into countless golden specks of light and dissipated into the air.

"How is that possible?"

The sect leader's expression finally changed.

He took a half step back and looked down at his palm in disbelief. There was a thin bloodstain on his palm, and a bead of bright red blood was seeping out.

He raised his head and looked at the nameless knife in Li Yuan's hand, his eyes filled with even more greed.

"A fine blade." He spoke slowly, his voice tinged with barely suppressed excitement. "It's only at the initial stage of fusion, yet it can unleash such power, blocking my attack despite being of a higher level."

"If you were to fully refine it, even a Dao Realm expert might not be your match!"

He stuck out his tongue and gently licked the bloodstains on his palm, a glint of madness flashing in his eyes: "However, the more it is like this, the more I want to take it."

The sect leader stared at Li Yuan with a sinister look, his hands forming a hand seal. Golden light shone brightly around him, and golden runes flew out from his body, swirling and dancing in the air, forming a huge golden magic array.

The magic circle slowly rotated, emitting a terrifying aura that sent chills down one's spine.

"Mysterious Heavenly Golden罡 Array!"

"rise!"

With a low shout, the golden magic array suddenly contracted, transforming into countless golden threads as thin as hair, which shot towards Li Yuan like a torrential rain.

Each golden thread contains a sharp power capable of piercing through metal and stone. What's even more terrifying is that they don't attack in a straight line, but rather twist and turn flexibly in the air, like a net that blocks all of Li Yuan's escape routes from all directions.

Li Yuan's pupils contracted slightly. He could sense that these golden threads contained extremely terrifying cutting power. If he were to be entangled in them, he would probably be cut into pieces instantly.

He did not retreat, for there was no way to retreat anyway.

Li Yuan took a step forward, holding the nameless sword horizontally in front of his chest. His left hand formed a sword shape with his fingers together, and two drops of blood essence automatically overflowed, slowly smearing across the blade.

As he moved, the light on the blade began to change in a strange way. Crimson, silver, and dark gold colors flowed and merged on the blade like water, eventually transforming into a deep, chaotic color.

He didn't know what kind of technique this was; it was Yan Ji directly projected into his sea of ​​consciousness. Li Yuan didn't hesitate at all and subconsciously used it.

"Heavenly Flame Break!"

He uttered a name softly, then swung his knife again.

This strike was even slower than the previous one, as if the blade was bearing an immense weight.

But where the blade passed, the space itself visibly distorted. The golden threads that shot towards him were instantly consumed by flames upon contact with the blade, melting and annihilating without a sound.

The sect leader's expression finally turned serious. He sensed the dangerous power contained in this strike, which was definitely not something a junior in the Core Formation Realm could use.

It was as if an invisible hand was unleashing terrifying power through Li Yuan's hands.

"court death!"

A fierce glint flashed in the sect leader's eyes. He was a powerful expert in the Condensation Realm, how could he possibly lose to an unknown junior?

He slammed his hands together, and the golden magic array suddenly began to expand, transforming into a huge golden sword that descended from the sky, aiming straight for Li Yuan's crown.

Li Yuan looked up at the giant golden sword that seemed capable of piercing the sky, his eyes showing no fear.

He gripped the hilt of the sword tightly with both hands, pouring the vast divine power within him into the blade without reservation.

"choke!"

The nameless blade emitted a clear, resonant hum, and on its blade, Yan Ji transformed into a gigantic blade shadow that soared into the sky, colliding fiercely with the golden greatsword.

"Clang—!" A metallic clang, seemingly capable of shattering the heavens, resounded. The entire valley shook violently with this deafening sound, causing boulders from the cave ceiling to fall and the ground to crack open with bottomless fissures.

Then, something incredible happened. Under the impact of the blade's shadow, the golden greatsword shattered from the tip, breaking off piece by piece and eventually turning into countless golden fragments that fell to the ground like meteors, creating craters of varying depths.

"Damn it!"

The sect leader groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He staggered back several steps before barely managing to regain his balance.

He clutched his chest, his face filled with disbelief: "How is this possible... You're only at the Core Formation stage... How could you possibly break my Profound Heaven Golden罡 Array..."

His gaze fell on the nameless knife in Li Yuan's hand, the greed in his eyes almost tangible: "It's that knife..."

"It must be the power of that knife!"

"A mere Core Formation Realm brat, relying on a divine artifact, actually managed to injure me, a peak Transformation Realm expert."

"Hahaha……"

He suddenly threw his head back and burst into wild laughter, a laugh so maniacal it was uncontrollable. "Good! Good! Good!"

"The more this is the case, the more I must seize it. With this blade, I might not be unable to fight even a cultivator at the Condensation Realm, let alone the Dao Entry Realm!"

However, Li Yuan was not happy at all at this moment. He could clearly feel that the divine power in his body was dissipating at an alarming rate.

Although the Golden Vein Earth Beast's primal power was strong, it was not his own power after all. Every bit he used was a bit less, and he had to end this battle before his divine power was exhausted.

His eyes darkened, and he gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, preparing to launch a final attack.

Just then, Yan Ji's voice suddenly rang in his mind: "Boy, my power is almost exhausted. Although the origin of the Golden Vein Earth Beast is abundant, it is not inexhaustible. With your current cultivation level, you cannot fully bear my power."

Li Yuan's heart sank: "What should we do then?"

"Don't rush."

Yan Ji's voice carried a hint of amusement, "I told you I would help you. This image in time and space was born from resentment."

"As long as we find the source of the resentment, we can break through this illusion. And the source of the resentment lies in that sect leader. He is the culprit who caused all the tragedies back then."

"What should I do?"

"Next, I will pour all the remaining power into your body, and you will soon possess the cultivation level of the late stage of the Qi Condensation Realm. Then, use this power to connect with the palace in your sea of ​​consciousness..."

At this point, Yan Ji's voice trembled slightly, filled with obvious reverence.