Too late

"Clang!"

A clear sword cry tore through the sky. It was not the clash of metal, but the sound of intensely condensed spiritual energy and sword intent shaking the void.

Dozens of near-solid streams of sword qi materialized, blazing with blinding white light and filling the sky.

The streams resonated with one another, weaving a net of death that descended over Chen Xia with a piercing shriek!

Before the swords reached him, their peerlessly sharp intent had already sealed off the space around him.

A flash of ruthlessness and confidence crossed Elder Yu's eyes. This was a killing move from the Mysterious Heaven Sect's Light-Dividing Shadow-Transforming Sword Art. An ordinary cultivator of the same realm would lose a layer of skin to it, even if they survived.

He had already resolved to end this battle swiftly.

Yet faced with the all-encompassing net of sword qi that seemed capable of shredding everything, Chen Xia advanced instead of retreating. He raised his right hand toward the destructive sword light.

A speck of deep blue light lit up at his fingertip. Initially the size of a bean, it abruptly expanded into a slowly rotating, fist-sized vortex, then spread to encompass three meters. It looked unfathomably deep, as though connected to the Nine Hells, and radiated an ultimate chill that froze the soul.

"Go."

Chen Xia flicked his finger, sending the deep blue vortex drifting toward the sky full of sword qi.

An eerie scene unfolded.

The ferocious, unstoppable sword qi struck the invisible field radiating from the deep blue vortex and seemed to plunge into an impossibly viscous, bone-chilling mire.

Its advance slowed visibly, its brilliance rapidly dimmed, and a layer of dark blue ice crystals swiftly covered its surface.

"Crack—crackle—"

Grating sounds of freezing rang out in succession.

In the blink of