On Tang Shedu's side, after more than ten close-quarters exchanges, Xiao Yongling had already vomited blood, relying solely on his mana to barely hold on. Tang Shedu, in contrast, seemed completely at ease, even occasionally casting glances around the battlefield.
When his gaze met Yu Muxian's, Tang Shedu realized that the fight could not be dragged out any longer. He reversed his halberd, which began to emit a dazzling white glow. Xiao Yongling's face shifted, his expression darkening. Tang Shedu cast him a cold glance and, at long last, raised the halberd high. A brilliant beam of light surged upward from the weapon.
"Playtime's over!" Tang Shedu declared.
As Tang Shedu's armor gleamed brightly, Xiao Yongling suddenly lifted his head. He neither dodged nor attempted to defend with his sword. Instead, he channeled his mana and pressed his hand against the jade hook hidden in his sleeve.
A verdant green glow rose, forming a barrier. At the same time, the sharp buzzing sound in Yu Muxian's ears intensified. Tu Longjian had already smashed all eight of Yu Muxian's artifacts aside and was now swinging his hammer directly at Yu Muxian's face.
Alarm bells rang in Yu Muxian's mind. At last, he flicked his sleeve and threw something out.
Cloudsunder!
The object left only a faint white trace in the air before disappearing entirely. Opposite him, Tu Longjian let out a muffled groan as the bright flames on his hammer were extinguished in an instant. The hammer slipped from his grasp, falling to the ground.
Slash!
Tu Longjian's face turned pale as he stumbled back dozens of zhang. Only then did the sound of a blade piercing flesh echo through the air. He swallowed the blood rising in his throat, his spiritual sense flaring as he quickly took stock of the situation.
Floating in front of Yu Muxian was a short sword. It appeared unremarkable, small and rhomboid in shape, with two simple carvings etched onto its hilt. The weapon hovered lightly in the air.
Tu Longjian gasped for breath, while across from him, Yu Muxian hastily recalled the golden Binding Ring. The ring reluctantly retreated a mere two cun when a sudden series of booming sounds erupted.
Boom...
Yu Muxian's face paled slightly. The six circular shields surrounding him emitted a succession of sharp cracking sounds as the astral gold pierced through them, colliding against his feathered robe with a chorus of metallic clangs.
Just as he began to recover his composure, droplets of blood trickled down from his chin. His hands twitched uncontrollably, yet his spells and artifacts were being restrained, leaving him unable to respond. At last, a deep fear arose in his heart, and a single thought echoed in his mind, How...
Then he had a sudden epiphany, I miscalculated! This grotto heaven has another layer below!
In that instant, the weapons in everyone's hands began to hum in unison. The sea of clouds around them retreated like the ebbing tide. The Eastern Feather Mountain , which Xiao Yongling had used to suppress the battlefield, disintegrated into smoke and ash. The Merging Fire dissipated, and the Binding Ring trembled violently.
Buzz...
Everyone felt a sharp pain in their ears, blood trickling from them as a pillar of golden light shot up from beneath the sea of clouds.
Buzz... buzz... buzz...
When the golden light appeared within their line of sight, it had already reached the heavens and disappeared into the boundless night sky. The cultivators within the grotto heaven raised their heads in shock, staring at the radiant beam with disbelief.
Yu Muxian stood silently in midair. Charred talismans, reduced to ashes, floated around him like falling dust.
In front of him, five or six shield spells shimmered faintly. Each was riddled with cracks and bore a perfectly round hole at its center. As though suddenly realizing their state, the shields dissipated into streams of white light and scattered into the air.
Yu Muxian's feathered robe drifted down like willow fluff, revealing the thin underlayer beneath. A circular hole had been burned through his chest, with the golden light piercing his abdomen and exiting through the back of his neck.
The wound was bloodless, and through the hole, the glittering stars of the night sky were clearly visible. His prominent nose, handsome features, and slender body were all riddled with small, gaping holes, like the mouths of infants opening and closing. Faint patterns of formation inscriptions were etched across his exposed skin.
"Junior Brother!!" Tang Shedu let out a heart-wrenching roar. He had barely taken a step back when the emerald-green glow that had previously shielded Xiao Yongling flared up once more. The defensive light turned to offense, surging toward Tang Shedu with unstoppable force.
The golden light continued to radiate its brilliance, blindingly dazzling and overwhelming, causing those present to feel as though they were being flayed alive. Their six senses faltered. Tu Longjian froze momentarily, stunned. Meanwhile, Yu Muxian abruptly came to a halt, his body suddenly suffused with a faint white glow.
Yu Muxian's eyes snapped open. His pupils, now split into four segments, bled profusely, and streaks of blood dripped from his face. A glowing array emerged at the center of his brow, and his lips curved into a faint smirk.
His cautious nature and years of seclusion, spent regarding Yuanwu as a potential adversary, had ultimately saved his life. He had meticulously engraved dozens of Foundation Establishment Realm talismans into his chest, crafting layered arrays over the years, all to survive a moment of life-and-death crisis.
Unexpectedly, this attack had not been spent against Yuanwu, but even so, it had saved his life in this desperate moment. At the critical juncture, the accumulated power of dozens of talismans activated simultaneously, absorbing and weakening the golden beam just enough for Yu Muxian to survive.
His body screamed with intense pain, but Yu Muxian, long accustomed to the sensation of his meridians being sliced through daily, barely registered the agony. With the jade buckle reinforcing him and several precious pills swiftly consumed, he shed tears of blood as he coldly observed his surroundings.
Yu Muxian's body began to mend itself, the gaping holes slowly closing as if made of soft mud. His segmented pupils merged back into one, and streaks of luminous energy surged from the Shenyang Mansion within his body. Four talismans shot out from his sleeve, transforming into glowing shields that enveloped him protectively.
Though outwardly calm, blood qi was mixed in his mana, and his body was as fragile as porcelain. Tang Shedu, clad in resplendent golden armor, stood before him with visible regret, his halberd held horizontally in a defensive stance.
Yu Muxian, however, showed no gratitude. His voice was icy as he spoke, "Senior Brother, have you played enough? If I die here, I wonder how Master will torment you."
Tang Shedu, who had always been domineering outside, broke into a cold sweat at those words. Hastily, he pulled several talismans from his storage pouch and handed them to Yu Muxian, his face etched with pale vein lines. He stood solemnly, staring at the opposing group with renewed vigilance.
Buzz... buzz... buzz...
Several streaks of golden light shot through the air, but all were swiftly captured by the Binding Ring , where they clanged sharply as they struck its inner walls. Amid the tense stalemate, the sound seemed especially jarring.
Xiao Yongling, the most fatigued among them, appeared pale, having suffered severe injuries to hold back Tang Shedu. Tu Longjian, his face dark, clutched at a wound on his abdomen, silently deliberating something.
Yu Muxian surveyed the scene, realizing that the immediate crisis had passed. Yet his cautious nature kept him on edge. Despite the layers of Foundation Establishment Realm shields protecting him, he still gripped several talismans tightly, ready to activate them at a moment's notice—until he froze.
Just three chi to his side, the clouds and mist suddenly parted. A middle-aged man stood there silently, his sword resting against his chest. The green and white glow emanating from the blade was so intense it seemed ready to drip from the weapon at any moment.
Yu Muxian's scream barely reached his throat before the middle-aged man drew his sword.
A gentle breeze swept through the heavens and earth. Xiao Yongling's treasured sword, hanging at his waist, began to tremble with metallic clangs, as though about to leap from its scabbard in excitement.
Throughout the grotto heaven—on mountaintops, amidst the clouds, and within grand halls—the swords at countless cultivators' waists vibrated in unison, chiming as though eager to be unsheathed. These cultivators, startled, raised their heads in wonder.
Amidst the layers of pale gray mist in the grotto heaven, a crescent of green-white light rose.