Zhang Lin recognized this fierce attack—it came from the broken sword that had cut him before!
He flashed to the side, trying to evade the strike.
But the broken sword clung to him like maggots to a bone, as if it came with its own guidance system. It curved through the air and caught up with him.
"Self-Created: Empty Hand Catches White Blade!"
After dodging several times, Zhang Lin was finally caught up to.
Helpless, he turned and clapped his hands together, trapping the broken sword for the span of one breath!
That was right—only one breath. One breath longer, and it would pierce straight through his heart!
"Self-Created: Tenfold Strength!"
After releasing his hands, he unleashed the full strength of his body and smashed the blade. The broken sword was blasted several hundred meters away.
"Clang!"
The broken sword fell to the ground.
"Four Symbols: White Tiger: Shatter Void Fist!"
He instantly appeared before Old Daoist Qingyuan and seized the chance to attack!
Old Daoist Qingyuan hurriedly set up dozens of defensive barriers.
But they were useless. Even with those defenses, he was sent flying with a single blow.
"Whoosh!"
Old Daoist Qingyuan panted heavily, his face deathly pale. He coughed up several mouthfuls of blood and collapsed onto the ground, recalling the broken sword.
Zhang Lin had also expended quite a bit, but dealing with Old Daoist Qingyuan was still more than easy enough.
By then, the formation on the ground had already been destroyed, and his blood qi was slowly recovering.
"If you have no other tricks, then I can only beat you to death!"
Zhang Lin made no attempt to hide his killing intent as he stared coldly at Old Daoist Qingyuan.
"Hahaha! Never would I have thought it! I, Old Daoist Qingyuan, was clever all my life, yet today I finally capsized in a gutter!"
Old Daoist Qingyuan was both enraged and amused. He let out a long sigh.
He had reached the end of the road. The other party's strength had far exceeded his estimations!
In all his years of life, this was the first time he had misjudged someone!
And now that he had expended so much, if he did not bring out the move he had kept at the bottom of his chest, he would likely be battered to death by his opponent.
At this point, let alone capturing the other party, whether he could preserve his own life was another question entirely!
He could only blame himself for being too greedy!
If he had used the Great World-Breaking Talisman the instant the formation was destroyed, he definitely could have escaped with ease.
But he had still clung to a thread of luck, thinking that perhaps he could capture the other party by using an immortal artifact!
Yet he had never expected the other party to block it through sheer strength!
That was also because his own strength had fallen short!
"I originally didn't want to use this move. I was afraid you'd be left without even bones or ashes! But I have no other choice now!"
Old Daoist Qingyuan shakily rose to his feet. At this moment, he could no longer afford to think too much!
He carefully took a small square box from his bag!
A talisman was pasted onto it, and dense formation patterns covered the box.
Then he began talking to himself again.
"Do you know what that broken sword from earlier was?"
"You don't, do you? It was half an immortal artifact! If my strength weren't so low, then even if I only had the cultivation of the first level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, I could have easily taken you in hand! How hateful!"
"Then do you know what this is?"
As he spoke, Old Daoist Qingyuan slowly tore off the talisman on the box in his hand.
"Boom!"
An aura capable of destroying heaven and earth erupted forth!
It was far beyond what that half-immortal artifact could compare to!
Zhang Lin sensed a trace of danger!
"Hahaha! This is a fragment of an Emperor Artifact! Do you know what kind of existence an Emperor Artifact is?"
The item inside the box was merely a small iron shard, not even an inch long.
The moment the box opened, the surrounding space showed signs of distortion!
"Damn!"
Zhang Lin felt the extreme danger of this object. One moment of carelessness, and he would lose his life here!
"Although forcibly using this thing will cost me greatly, as long as I can take you down, then I've won! Everything you have will be mine! Mine!"
"Even if I can't capture you alive!"
Old Daoist Qingyuan was nearly insane!
As he spoke, Old Daoist Qingyuan first swallowed a pill. Then he took out a spirit sword and, without another word, stabbed it straight into his own heart. He was utterly ruthless!
He then let the flowing blood pour onto the iron shard while muttering an unknown incantation.
"Strike first!"
Although Zhang You did not know what the other party was doing, it could not be anything good.
So the instant the other party opened the box, he had already made his move!
"Four Symbols: White Tiger: Thunderclap!"
"Four Symbols: White Tiger: Shatter Void Fist!"
Using the trace of blood qi he had just recovered, he launched two moves in succession.
But before those two attacks could even approach Old Daoist Qingyuan, they were directly ground away!
It was that iron shard!
Merely the aura it leaked was already so powerful!
At that moment, Old Daoist Qingyuan instantly aged several decades. His face was withered, and the vigor he had possessed before was gone.
Most of his formerly black-and-white hair had already turned white.
Yet the aura of that iron shard surged once more!
The space around them became somewhat unstable, while yin qi rolled outward as if fleeing, keeping far away from this place.
The ground trembled and shook, and more and more cracks spread across it!
"Fuck! This old bastard is going all out!"
Zhang You retreated several steps, but he could already feel himself being locked onto!
He had no way out!
The aura of death also shrouded his heart!
This strike would kill him!
That was his most direct feeling—and it would be the kind of death that left no corpse behind!
At that moment, the iron shard had already risen into the air, forming a black hole around itself!
Zhang You's mind raced as he thought of how to escape this predicament.
But no matter how he thought, there was still no way. He could only wait for death!
"Go!"
Old Daoist Qingyuan's body had shrunk several sizes. He now looked like an old man with one foot in the grave!
The iron shard shot toward him!
It left behind a thin, long black hole in its wake, advancing with unstoppable force!
"Four Symbols: White Tiger Thunder Prison Qi Armor!"
"Four Symbols: White Tiger: Thunderclap!"
"Four Symbols: White Tiger: Shatter Void!"
"Tenfold Strength!"
He unleashed his strongest attacks other than movement techniques.
But it was all in vain!
Three breaths remained!
In the blink of an eye, the iron shard broke through the moves Zhang You had considered immensely powerful, drawing ever closer!
When the iron shard broke through the qi armor, even the phantom image of the White Tiger was scattered.
"Slippery Feet: Forbidden Technique: Blood Escape!"
Relying only on his eyes and senses, he could no longer perceive the iron shard's trajectory!
But under the immense pressure, the scene in Zhang You's eyes had changed once again.
It became a black-and-white world once more, and ahead of him, an enormous white dot was already close at hand.
He hurriedly activated the forbidden technique, his figure fleeing far to the rear.
But the iron shard still had him locked on!
In another three breaths, it would catch up with him again!
What should he do?
Suddenly, the Black Flame in his Dantian seemed to receive some kind of summons.
"That's right! Netherworld Ghostfire!"
Zhang You had already sensed where Black Flame's summons came from.
Ever since the battle began, the Netherworld Ghostfire seemed to have remained unaffected.
Even after the iron shard appeared, it had not caused any destruction near the Netherworld Ghostfire.
Earlier, he had been too occupied to check on that side and had forgotten about it.
Now that he took the chance to observe it, he indeed discovered something different!
He made his decision in an instant, hurriedly changing direction and charging toward the Netherworld Ghostfire.
But it would take two breaths to reach the Netherworld Ghostfire, while the iron shard needed only one breath to catch him.
Gritting his teeth, he used the forbidden Blood Escape once more, accelerating for a second time. He would be able to plunge into the Netherworld Ghostfire in just over one breath.
"Hold on for me!"
Time vanished in an instant!
Just as Zhang You was about to plunge into the Netherworld Ghostfire, the iron shard was already pressed against him!
A force capable of destroying everything directly seeped into him.
Before you continue