The explosion caused by over a thousand Explosive Jade Talismans was terrifying beyond belief. The black hole stretched for more than ten miles and took a full half-stick of incense to disappear. Shaken by the sheer horror of the blast, Old Man Ling and the others temporarily halted their battle. All of them stared dumbstruck in the direction of the explosion.
The Yang-named Loose Immortal stared at the black hole to make sure the other Loose Immortal was safe. Although he knew the man had been guarding the Divine Artifact Plaque and was likely protected by the aura it released to defend itself, he still couldn't help feeling worried.
Old Man Ling was also staring toward the black hole because he had sensed the Divine Artifact Plaque's aura. After all these years, he had sensed it once more, and he was so excited that, for a time, the plaque claimed all his attention.
"Ah!"
A roar that shook the heavens rang out, accompanied by an exceptionally sharp sword intent. The space where the black hole had been shimmered, and a brilliant Sword Embryo tore through the void. A dark figure emerged alongside it, and the roar from earlier had come from him.
Looking closely, they saw that the dark figure was an aged cultivator. His clothes were in tatters, and a faint smell of burning clung to him. The hair covering his body had been burned away, leaving him charred and blackened. He looked utterly wretched.
The parts of his body left exposed were faint and indistinct, seeming more like an energy body than flesh and blood. Since he had torn through the void to emerge in such a state, his identity was unmistakable: he was the other Loose Immortal's clone.
In the hands of the Loose Immortal surnamed Li