Bloodstained Blade
The golden sword swept across the sky, unleashing more than a dozen razor-sharp streams of Sword Qi that swallowed the pagoda-bearing youth like a raging storm.
Hum!
At the critical moment, a shield wreathed in water-blue Spiritual Qi rose before the youth. It was the very measure he had prepared in case the white-robed elder tried to rob him, but he had never expected to use it against Yang Tianyou.
The water-attribute shield, however, was inferior to the golden sword, and the pagoda-bearing youth had activated it in haste. It weakened the sword's power by only half, leaving the rest to strike him full force.
"Ah..."
The Sword Qi tore into his body, like death by a thousand cuts. The pagoda-bearing youth let out an involuntary, bloodcurdling scream and was grievously wounded on the spot.
But he was a cultivator after all, and his will was firm. Though the pain was unbearable, he forced himself to endure it and sent the Exquisite Treasure Pagoda in his hand flying.
The pagoda spun as it floated above the youth's head, casting down a curtain of light that blocked Yang Tianyou's immediately following close-range slash.
Bang!
The shield shattered, and Yang Tianyou's body flew backward. In his hand was a formidable long saber a palm's width across.
Its blade was pale gold and engraved with gold-attribute runes. The hilt was long enough to grip with both hands.
The Twin Blades, a First-Tier Superior-Grade Law Artifact, and an outstanding one even among superior-grade Law Artifacts.
Thud!
Yang Tianyou flipped through the air and used a nearby tree to steady himself.
Now he held the saber in both hands, his face expressionless and his golden eyes shining as he stared fixedly at the enemy before him.
On the other side, the youth, left dazed by two successive attacks, finally gained a moment to catch his breath after forcing Yang Tianyou back.
He tossed a pale red pill into his mouth.
A Bloodburst Pill!
A First-Tier Superior-Grade pill that burned Essence Blood to grant power while greatly suppressing bodily pain. It was generally used as a trump card when fighting desperately for one's life.
Bang!
Without waiting for his opponent to strike, Yang Tianyou chose to seize the initiative.
Between Qi Refinement Fifth Layer and Qi Refining eighth layer lay a full three levels of cultivation.
Under normal circumstances, Yang Tianyou would never have considered fighting him.
But things were different now. The pagoda-bearing youth had first been grievously wounded by a Golden Sword Talisman and had also used up a precious defensive talisman.
At the same time, after his successive battles with the Demon Beasts, his spiritual power must have been considerably depleted.
By Yang Tianyou's estimate, the youth's combat strength had now fallen to barely the Qi Refining seventh layer. If he still did not dare fight under these circumstances, what was the point of cultivating immortality? He might as well go home and retire early.
Swish!
The Twin Blades in his hand tore through the air. His tough body smashed through the layers of air walls before him, and a red gleam seemed to flicker in his golden eyes.
At this moment, Yang Tianyou felt no fear of Late Qi Refinement, only excitement.
Watching the young man speeding toward him, the pagoda-bearing youth's eyes filled with fury. Since when did someone at a mere Qi Refinement Fifth Layer dare challenge him?
"Ha..."
The Bloodburst Pill's medicinal power was extremely violent. Threads of blood-red appeared on the youth's face, visible to the naked eye.
He thrust both hands forward, and the pagoda above his head swelled in the wind, casting a heavy shadow as it smashed fiercely down at Yang Tianyou.
"Die!"
Rumble!
With the youth's furious roar, the thirty-foot-tall Exquisite Treasure Pagoda blazed with light. Azure Spiritual Qi intertwined like spirit serpents as the pagoda smashed through layer upon layer of air walls and charged fiercely toward him.
Faced with this attack, Yang Tianyou naturally had no intention of taking it head-on.
Just as he was about to dodge, he suddenly discovered that the space around him was like a mire; every step was immensely difficult.
And as the pagoda drew closer, the pressure of the space around him grew ever more palpable.
I can't hesitate!
Whispering to himself, Yang Tianyou turned his palm over to reveal another Golden Sword Talisman, then poured spiritual power into it like a tide.
Hum!
The talisman burst into light, and a giant golden sword descended with overwhelming force.
The golden sword swept across the sky, trailing keen Sword Qi, and slammed into the oncoming Exquisite Treasure Pagoda.
Boom!
Like a meteor striking the ground, the violent explosion stirred up wave upon wave of air, and more than a dozen nearby trees were destroyed outright by its aftermath.
Bang!
Yang Tianyou's body slammed hard into a tree some ten feet thick.
A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. Tasting the metallic sweetness in his throat, Yang Tianyou smiled ruthlessly and, heedless of his injuries, drove what little spiritual power remained in his body to charge forward once more.
He was gambling: gambling that his opponent's body was not as tough as his, and that his opponent would not recover as quickly as he did.
With Yang Tianyou advancing at full speed, the pagoda-bearing youth came into view in mere moments.
The Qi Refining eighth layer cultivator was staggering to his feet, his right hand trembling as it reached for his Storage Bag.
The moment he saw Yang Tianyou, despair filled the youth's eyes. He could not understand why this fellow, a mere Qi Refinement Fifth Layer cultivator, had recovered so much faster than he had.
Swish!
A flash of the blade, and a head fell to the ground. Without dwelling on it, Yang Tianyou put away the youth's Storage Bag and the Exquisite Treasure Pagoda that had fallen nearby, then looked around.
To the east, Yang Tianxue, at the Qi Refining eighth layer, and Silver Moon, the Purple Moon Wolf who had likewise reached First-Tier Superior-Grade, were actually pressing the three Deng Lineage cultivators opposite them.
To the northwest, Qi Refining seventh layer cultivator Yang Tianwang wielded the Coiling Dragon Golden Staff with tremendous force, while his pair of Rock-Steady Spirit Arms possessed boundless strength. Shadows of the staff filled the air with overwhelming might, pressing the Blue-Robed Young Woman so hard that she had no chance to strike back.
"As expected of Fourth Sister and Fifteenth Brother, the ones hailed as Lineage geniuses. Their strength really is astonishing!"
After that brief exclamation, Yang Tianyou swallowed a Qi-replenishing pill and charged with his saber toward the battle between Yang Tianxue and the Deng Lineage cultivators.
If they wanted to kill all four remaining opponents, they first had to keep them from getting away.
Fourth Sister Yang Tianxue could indeed press her opponents, but there were three Deng Lineage cultivators after all. With only Fourth Sister and Silver Moon, they might not be able to stop them all.
Yang Tianyou, on the other hand, had no Golden Sword Talismans left and could not beat any of the three Deng Lineage cultivators, but he could take a beating. At the very least, he could hold one of them off and create an opportunity for Fourth Sister.
Seeing Yang Tianyou charging straight at them, the white-robed elder's expression changed, and he hurriedly called out, "We are willing to give up the Wu Earth Yellow Apricot Fruit. Fellow Daoists of the Yang Household, please show mercy."
Unexpectedly, the Yang Household siblings made no response at all to these words. Yang Tianyou even charged a little faster.
The white-robed elder was greatly astonished. They were only a few First-Tier Superior-Grade fruits. Was there any need to fight so desperately?
But seeing that backing down was useless, the white-robed elder also cast aside all restraint.
Earlier, he had held back considerably out of consideration for their status as Yang Household descendants. Now it seemed that if he did not teach them a lesson, they would think the Deng Lineage was weak and easy to bully.
His face turned ruthless, and the white-robed elder waved his sleeve. A black longspear Law Artifact appeared, hovering in midair. Judging by the fluctuations it emitted, it was undoubtedly a First-Tier Superior-Grade Law Artifact.
"Take my spear!"