That day, Li Yi had just stepped out of the cave. "Now that I have a treasure and have attained Golden Immortal, it's time to return to Penglai. I've been away for so long. I wonder how Azure Flood Dragon is doing."
Thinking as he went, Li Yi flew toward the East Sea.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" Li Yi frowned and glanced around, a cold glint in his eyes. "Or don't blame me for showing no mercy." He hadn't expected someone to come looking for trouble the moment he emerged from seclusion.
"Everyone, attack! Sword Maniac has spotted us!" As soon as the man shouted, dozens of Golden Immortals appeared. They had apparently used some kind of formation to conceal their auras and figures.
If Li Yi's will hadn't been exceptionally penetrating, he might not have discovered them so quickly.
The dozens of Golden Immortals were frustrated, too. They had planned a sneak attack, but had been discovered before they could strike. The formation they had spent so much effort obtaining had failed to serve its purpose.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
Magic Treasures of every color shot toward Li Yi. They all knew how fast he was, and that even Grand Unity Golden Immortals couldn't do anything about it. They didn't dare delay, attacking the moment they appeared.
"Courting death!" Hearing the shout, Li Yi knew the group had come specifically for him. A trace of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
With a whoosh, the Green Lotus Ancient Sword flew out of his dantian and landed in his hand.
Watching the Magic Treasures rush toward him, Li Yi sneered. "Since comprehending the Slaughter Sword Dao, I haven't had a chance to use it. Today, I'll test it on you."
"Hmph, what arrogance! Let's see how you dodge attacks from dozens of us."
"Sword Maniac, don't get cocky. No matter how powerful you are, you're just one person, while there are dozens of us. That's what they mean by being outnumbered."
"However capable you are, you'll die here today. If you know what's good for you, surrender."
The Golden Immortals jeered one after another.
"Rumble..." Li Yi shook his arm, and countless black sword auras flew from his body, forming tiny swords wreathed in dark light. Thousands, tens of thousands, tens of millions... The densely packed swords blotted out the sky, filling the heavens and earth.
"Go!" Li Yi pointed ahead. The tiny swords advanced in rows like an army, surging forward in wave after wave like a raging tide. They quickly swallowed up the dozens of Golden Immortals.
The Golden Immortals' attacks were shattered by the swords raining down from the sky. If one sword couldn't break through, dozens would attack; if that wasn't enough, thousands would. They kept striking until they broke through.
That wasn't even the most terrifying part. Each tiny sword seemed to contain Li Yi's will, striking wherever he directed. As they battered the Magic Treasures, they also steadily wore away the spiritual marks the Golden Immortals had left on them.
"Ah! Why isn't my Magic Treasure responding?"
"The mark I left on my Magic Treasure has been erased! What's going on?"
"Everyone, recall your Magic Treasures! Sword Maniac can erase our spiritual marks!"
The Golden Immortals surrounding Li Yi were horrified and helpless.
The torrent of black swords soon reached them. Faced with the surging sword aura, they abandoned their attacks and frantically set up defensive restrictions before themselves.
But they quickly despaired. The dark swords were more powerful than they could have imagined. They were not only incredibly sharp, but also intensely corrosive. The restrictions couldn't hold for long before the swords pierced through them.
"Pfft, pfft..."
Those with defensive Magic Treasures fared better. The rest were riddled with holes by the tiny swords, their souls annihilated. Even those protected by Magic Treasures were now on the verge of collapse. They regretted provoking this killer more than anything.
Just as the Golden Immortals were utterly desperate and preparing to close their eyes and await death,
thousands of dazzling streaks of light suddenly sped toward them. "They're here! The people who came to kill Sword Maniac are here! We're saved!" one Golden Immortal cried excitedly.
Li Yi stopped attacking. The sword aura filling the sky vanished, and he hovered silently in the air, watching the streaks of light flying toward him.
"Hahaha, Sword Maniac, you've finally shown yourself. I've been waiting an age for you," said a Golden Immortal dressed in fine robes.
"Sir, I don't believe I've offended you. Why are you so determined to kill me?" Li Yi remembered that he had offended quite a few people, but surely not this many—and every one of them was a Golden Immortal.
"You haven't offended us. You offended Venerable Blazing Fire, Venerable Green Mountain, and Venerable Great Mountain Sword." The finely dressed Golden Immortal admired Li Yi somewhat. He went on to tell Li Yi about the three Grand Unity Golden Immortals' death warrant and bounty. With so many people on his side, he had no reason to worry that Li Yi might try anything.
Li Yi hadn't expected things to turn out this way. He really had become a prize everyone wanted. For the sake of the generous bounty, everyone wanted him dead.
"Hmph, if you all want me dead, then don't blame me." A thick killing intent showed in Li Yi's eyes.
"Attack!" the finely dressed Golden Immortal ordered.
In an instant, thousands of Golden Immortals unleashed countless divine abilities and techniques, along with Magic Treasures brimming with killing intent. Their assault dwarfed the attacks from the dozens who had surrounded Li Yi earlier.
The surrounding space groaned under the pressure. Countless attacks swept toward Li Yi like a dazzling meteor shower.
Li Yi's expression turned grave. He used the Sword Light Flying Wings divine ability, beating his two pairs of wings as he dodged attack after attack. But there were simply too many. Attacks kept striking him, and he was wounded again and again.
"This won't do. I'll lose if this keeps up. I have no choice..." A glint flashed in Li Yi's eyes. Relying on his exceptional speed, he flew into the middle of the crowd.
The finely dressed young man was puzzled by Li Yi's move, but didn't give it much thought. He assumed Li Yi was trying to make the Golden Immortals hesitate, lest they hit their own people. But Golden Immortals had excellent control; they only needed to be a little careful.
"Nine-Colored Pagoda!" Li Yi shouted. A magnificent pagoda hundreds of zhang tall appeared in the sky.
The Golden Immortals were still wondering what kind of divine ability this was when a flash of colorful light shone from the pagoda. Thousands of Golden Immortals felt dizzy, their heads aching so badly that their ongoing attacks faltered.
Only a few people, such as Golden Eagle King, had seen the Nine-Colored Pagoda's soul technique, and none had told anyone else about it. So the people of the Primordial World knew that Li Yi's swordsmanship was profound and that he was incredibly fast, but not that he had such a hidden trump card.
When Li Yi was a Mystic Immortal, this technique had already been enough to leave Golden Eagle King dazed. Now that Li Yi was a Golden Immortal, it was several times more powerful. Even spread across thousands of Golden Immortals, it left them momentarily stunned.
"Rumble..." Li Yi seized this rare opportunity to attack. Countless dark swords flew from his body, then assembled along a mysterious trajectory.
Before long, a black lotus tens of thousands of zhang tall appeared between heaven and earth, with a thick central vine and thousands of branch vines covered in black lotuses. It engulfed the entire area, dimming even the sunlight and creating a world of black lotuses that enveloped every Golden Immortal.
The Golden Immortals had only just recovered when they were shocked by the sight. What kind of divine ability was this? Before they could think it through, the lotuses broke away from the vines and burst apart. Clusters of black sword aura shot from within, striking at the Golden Immortals. Many were killed before they even knew what was happening.
The Golden Immortals who had recovered began frantically blocking the sword aura, scrambling in every direction. But as they fought, they discovered something terrifying: they couldn't absorb even a trace of Spiritual Qi here. Their Magic Power dwindled with every use, while the black lotuses were endless. Whenever one fell, another quickly grew from the vines. The lotuses could also take root in their bodies, sending sword aura inside to attack them. Golden Immortals continued to fall, and at this rate, soon every one of them would perish here.
"Everyone, attack the vines! Without them, the lotuses can't grow back!" shouted a Golden Immortal with a weather-beaten face.
The Golden Immortals didn't dare hesitate. They attacked the vines with everything they had. But how could Li Yi's Slaughter Sword Dao be so easily broken? The Golden Immortals were dismayed to find that even when they finally severed a vine, another quickly grew in its place. The vines also began attacking, winding around and crushing them. The casualties mounted rapidly.
The Slaughter Sword Dao encompassed all of Li Yi's techniques and fused them with his understanding of slaughter, reaching the realm where the Dao followed nature. The lotus was just one manifestation of the Slaughter Sword Dao. If Li Yi wished, he could transform it into countless other forms. But Li Yi's body had been formed from the Twelve-Petal Azure Lotus, and his sword was the Green Lotus Ancient Sword. His study of lotuses had reached their very essence, so the lotus form brought the Slaughter Sword Dao's power to its fullest.
Once trapped in the Lotus World, the only way out was to break through with overwhelming force. Otherwise, the place was filled with the Power of Slaughter, and no Spiritual Qi could be absorbed. Even if the sword aura didn't kill them, they would be drained to death.
As time passed, the sounds from within grew fainter, and the attacks weakened, until at last everything fell silent. Only a mysterious, dignified black lotus swayed between heaven and earth. All several thousand Golden Immortals had perished there that day.
The black lotus gradually faded, and Li Yi appeared. He glanced at the blood-soaked earth, strewn with corpses and bones. "What was the point? Sigh... Rest in peace." With that, Li Yi beat his four wings and quickly left the crimson-stained land.
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