The Turtle Prime Ministers in the fifteenth wave had even stronger defenses. Their shells bore no marks even after taking his cutting sword intent, and their greater combat experience allowed them to easily block Xiao Yun's divine sword with their hammers. They had also learned to cast spells, using water to support their attacks, restrain Xiao Yun, block Sword Qi, or propel themselves out of harm's way. When threatened, their shells would generate a barrier that easily withstood Xiao Yun's ranged Sword Qi.
Xiao Yun spent a great deal of time probing with countless strands of Sword Qi and exhausting most of the Soul Power within the Turtle Prime Ministers. Only then did he finally seize an opening, sending an invisible strand of Sword Qi slicing through a Turtle Prime Minister's neck and killing him.
The Dragon King of the sixteenth wave appeared in the far more imposing form of a muscular half-dragon. His speed and strength surpassed those of the previous phantoms, the dragon scales covering his body offered exceptionally strong defense, and his dragon claws could easily crush rock.
When the half-dragon appeared on the other side of the hall and landed, fine cracks spread across the stone slabs beneath his feet.
He was more solid than the earlier phantoms. A layer of fine, dark scales covered his skin, their markings shifting between lighter and darker shades beneath the flowing light.
He moved without pausing the moment he appeared, crossing the distance between them sooner than expected. His sharp claws swept sideways, whipping up a razor-thin blade of air.
Xiao Yun twisted aside to evade the attack. As he moved, he had already formed a strand of Green Lotus Sword Qi and sent it arcing toward the half-dragon's flank.
The Sword Qi struck the scales with a brief,