After Ao Fang returned to the Dragon Clan's camp, he immediately sought out the Dragon Clan's Eleventh Elder, Ao Xuan, and told him about Penglai Island. Naturally, his account of Li Yi was exaggerated.
"Is what you said true? Penglai Island really is a top-tier Blessed Land?" A trace of greed flickered in the eyes of the Dragon Clan's Eleventh Elder, Ao Xuan.
Though he was the Dragon Clan's Eleventh Elder, with high status and great authority, his own residence was only somewhat better than an ordinary one. The Dragon Clan's finest caves had all been claimed by the Ancestral Dragon and the elders who had come before him.
Some elders who had defected from other clans did have excellent residences, but Ao Xuan couldn't very well seize them. That would chill everyone's hearts—who would dare join the Dragon Clan in the future?
Blessed Lands weren't merely places with dense Spiritual Qi. They also gathered the momentum of the world. Otherwise, so many people wouldn't go to such lengths to find a good Blessed Land, sometimes even fighting over one.
Especially a top-tier Blessed Land like Penglai Island, which was favored by Heaven and Earth. Cultivating there was not only astonishingly fast, but brought exceptional fortune as well, as if Heaven itself were lending its support.
So when Ao Fang saw that such a fine place had been claimed by Li Yi, jealousy took root in his heart. And since they were both Golden Immortals, yet Li Yi was so outstanding that Ao Fang could barely breathe under the pressure, he had eventually resorted to threatening him.
"Your nephew wouldn't dare joke with the Eleventh Elder. It really is a top-tier Blessed Land!" Seeing the greed in the Eleventh Elder's eyes, Ao Fang knew he had no hope of claiming the island himself. He felt a little regret, but what he wanted even more was to use the Eleventh Elder to kill Li Yi.
"Good, good, good! You've done great service this time. I'll order them to reward you handsomely." Ao Xuan's expression turned grim. "What has a Golden Immortal done to deserve a blessed place like Penglai Island? Besides, the island lies within the Dragon Clan's territory. It belongs to us in the first place!"
On Penglai Island, Li Yi suddenly felt a pang of foreboding.
"Could the Dragon Clan really be coming to seize Penglai Island?" Li Yi's expression darkened. Murderous intent flickered in his eyes.
At Li Yi's level of cultivation, his heart was generally as still as water. A sudden sense of foreboding meant something was about to happen.
"Azure Flood Dragon, come here!" Li Yi decided to send the Azure Flood Dragon away first. He was confident he could handle anything alone. If he couldn't win, he could flee—but with the Azure Flood Dragon along, that might not be possible.
Li Yi patted the Azure Flood Dragon. "Go wait a thousand miles to the north. I want to see how the Dragon Clan plans to seize Penglai Island!"
"Roar!" The Azure Flood Dragon was reluctant to leave, and looked at Li Yi with worry. But it knew it couldn't help by staying here; it might even become a burden. At that moment, its desire to grow stronger burned fiercely, and for the first time, it felt hatred toward the Dragon Clan.
Watching the Azure Flood Dragon disappear into the distance, Li Yi let his killing intent surge. "It's been a long time since I last went on a killing spree. Dragon Clan, I'll be waiting for you!"
Three days passed in a flash. At last, Li Yi's spiritual sense detected a group of figures speeding arrogantly toward Penglai Island. Leading them was Ao Fang, whom Li Yi had driven away.
"Ha ha! Green Lotus Sword Master, your time has come!" Ao Fang's wild laughter reached the island before he did.
"Hmph! Ao Fang, I let you go once. You still dare come back? Do you really think I can't kill you?" Li Yi's cold voice rang out from the island.
"Hmph! Green Lotus Sword Master, you may be powerful, but you're no Grand Unity Golden Immortal. The Dragon Clan has brought six Grand Unity Golden Immortals this time. Surrender!" Ao Xuan stepped forward, his voice grim.
Looking at the old man making such an outrageous claim, Li Yi rolled his eyes. "Idiot!"
"You! You infuriating brat!" Ao Xuan was clearly enraged. He pointed at Li Yi, his right hand trembling slightly. "I'll tear you limb from limb!"
"Hmph." Li Yi sent a streak of sword energy straight at Ao Xuan.
"Good, good, good! Since you're so eager to die, we'll grant your wish!" Ao Xuan's expression was so dark it seemed water might drip from it.
"Ha ha! If you want to kill me, break through the island's protective formation first!" Li Yi knew he would probably have to abandon Penglai Island this time.
But he wasn't going to make things easy for the Dragon Clan. He would use the formation to deplete some of their Magic Power first. So Li Yi activated the formation at full strength, and an inverted bowl-shaped barrier appeared over the entire island.
Once the formation was fully active, Li Yi quickly made his way to the center of the island. With a wave of his right hand, he collected the palace and placed the Lotus Root Sapling, the ginseng doll, and the other spiritual beings inside. Then he opened his storage space and gathered every Heavenly Earthly Spiritual Root, along with the Three Light Divine Water. After confirming nothing remained, he gripped the Green Lotus Ancient Sword and prepared for battle.
"Bang! Bang! Bang..."
The protective barrier endured fierce attacks. Bursts of colorful light flashed across it, strengthening its defenses and nullifying the blows. Ao Xuan and the others were frustrated, but could do nothing except keep attacking.
"Boom!"
After Ao Xuan and the others attacked for a day and a night, the protective barrier finally collapsed. They had also expended a quarter of their Magic Power.
"Argh!" A Dragon Clan elder suddenly let out a piercing scream. A streak of gray light had cut through the air and severed half his body. He was left in a miserable state, with almost no fighting strength remaining. It would take at least ten thousand years for him to recover.
Li Yi had seized the instant the formation broke, when Ao Xuan and the others had let down their guard, and launched a surprise attack. He hadn't expected to land a direct hit, but the Dragon Clan had lost one of its fighters.
"Despicable!" Ao Xuan glared coldly at Li Yi. They had lost a fighter before the battle had even begun, and anger burned in his chest.
"Hmph! You came to seize my home. What's so noble about that?" Li Yi curled his lip in disdain.
"Die!" Ao Xuan didn't bother arguing. He simply waved his hand, sending a massive wave crashing toward Li Yi.
"Kill!" Li Yi cleaved the wave in two with the Green Lotus Ancient Sword, then sent a crescent-shaped streak of gray light slicing toward Ao Xuan.
"Bang!"
A thread of blood appeared at the corner of Ao Xuan's mouth. He stared at Li Yi in disbelief. "How can your sword energy be this powerful?"
"Hmph, there's plenty you don't know. Today, I'll let you experience the power of the Nirvana Sword Dao!" As he spoke, Li Yi raised the Green Lotus Ancient Sword and sent another enormous crescent of gray light flying.
Ao Xuan didn't dare block it at close range again. The last strike had left his whole body numb. "Ram him to death!" Nearly a hundred enormous frost dragons took shape in the sea and surged toward Li Yi.
"Rumble!!!"
The battle between Ao Xuan and Li Yi sent towering waves across the sea. Crescent-shaped streaks of gray light and enormous frost dragons collided again and again, vanishing in bursts of energy.
"Damn it, how can he be this strong when he's only a Golden Immortal?" Ao Fang was shocked to see Li Yi fighting the Eleventh Elder to a standstill. A frenzied killing intent flashed in his eyes. "I've already made an enemy of him, so I can't let him live. If I do, he'll become a serious threat."
"Elders, this man has tremendous potential. We need to attack together. We absolutely cannot let him live!" Ao Fang said to the elders beside him.
"Exactly. Let's join forces and kill him!"
The Dragon Clan elders all agreed. Without another word, they unleashed their strongest attacks on Li Yi.
"Damn it, the old bastards are teaming up. I can't handle them yet. I have to get out of here fast." Li Yi steeled himself, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.
"Take this, old Ao Xuan!" Li Yi unleashed dozens of Nirvana Sword Qi at Ao Xuan in an instant. Then, taking two hits from the frost dragons, he conjured a pair of wings behind his back, beat them once, and shot toward one of the weaker elders.
Ao Xuan saw Li Yi suddenly unleash dozens of sword strikes and didn't dare take them lightly. He pressed both hands against the sea, and dozens of ten-thousand-zhang ice walls rose up. But when he saw Li Yi rush toward the elder, his heart lurched. He knew something was wrong.
"Life and Death in an instant; Nirvana eternal!"
A gray Taiji Diagram swallowed the elder in the blink of an eye.
"Argh!!!!"
A hair-raising scream came from within the Taiji Diagram. When it faded away, Ao Xuan and the others turned pale. The elder had been reduced to half a skull, and most of his soul had been destroyed.
"Ha ha ha! Old Ao Xuan, you'd better protect Penglai Island for me. I'll definitely be back!" Li Yi's distant voice made Ao Xuan seethe with anger. "Roar!" Ao Xuan's roar forcibly split open the clouds overhead.
After venting his rage, Ao Xuan glared bitterly in the direction Li Yi had fled. Deep in his eyes, however, flickered a trace of worry.
Before you continue