Boom! A violent explosion erupted. The blood-colored demon eagle dissolved into a shower of blood-colored specks and vanished into nothing, while the azure pillar of light was almost entirely canceled out. The remaining portion struck Lu Xiaotian, who took the opportunity to retreat to the other side of the stone gate.
"How dare you!" The stone gate was closing far faster than he had expected. After all, Wu Changlian had never opened it himself. The first time, Emperor Xiong of Dongyi and Nan Chendu had joined forces to open it, using brute force. That was naturally different from Lu Xiaotian activating the restrictions with his divine sense. Moreover, once Lu Xiaotian opened the stone gate, he gained relatively good control over its speed, making the opening time even shorter—and leaving Wu Changlian that much less time.
What surprised Wu Changlian even more, of course, was that Lu Xiaotian could not only open the stone gate but also withstand him. Realizing that he might once again end up with nothing to show for his efforts, Wu Changlian gritted his teeth. A sword embryo radiating blinding light suddenly appeared behind him, blazing like the sun at high noon and streaking through the sky like a rainbow.
The Spirit Rainbow Sword Embryo wrapped Wu Changlian within it, transforming into a flying sword over ten feet long that shot toward Lu Xiaotian.
"Yoo!" A sharp, piercing eagle cry shook heaven and earth. Lu Xiaotian likewise drove the Soul Fusion Art to its absolute limit. This strike of the Fangtian Halberd had reached—and even surpassed—Lu Xiaotian's peak condition. Victory or defeat would be decided in this one move. His powerful will to survive drove him to pour all his focus into the halberd.
The Eight Halberds of the Great Wilderness was a battle art left