Annihilated in One Strike

The old man's strength was not weak. While he was far from reaching the level of a top-tier Celestial Immortal, he was significantly more formidable than the most ordinary of his peers. Because of this, even though Ju Hua had unleashed every insight he possessed into the Dao of the Sword, he found himself locked in a stalemate with the old man for the time being.

The two fought fiercely for a long time, yet neither could gain the upper hand.

At this moment, the old man was cursing his luck inwardly. In truth, he held no deep-seated grudge against the Zhuanshui Clan's Tianyang Old Ghost; they had merely clashed a few times in the past!

This time, he had acted on a whim, thinking he would casually wipe out this junior from the Zhuanshui Clan to vent some of his old frustrations. The Illusion Demon Realm was inherently dangerous, and the death of a Loose Immortal here would hardly be worth noting.

But who could have guessed that this casual strike would lead him to run into such a tough nut to crack?

The old man had no doubt that this Zhuanshui Ju Hua's strength was not much weaker than that of the Jiuhua Immortal, the nominal commander-in-chief of the army currently campaigning in the Autumn Mountain Great Marsh!

One had to know that the Jiuhua Immortal had already lived for over 1.5 million years, and the Celestial Immortals were in unanimous agreement that he could live for at least another million years.

Such strength was not something an ordinary million-year Loose Immortal could compare to!

"Fellow Daoist, it was my eyes that failed me this time," the old man said loudly. "Although you follow the path of Gods and Demons, your combat power relies on your sufficiently high attainment in the Dao. Your physical body still cannot withstand a single move or two from me!"

"Our conflict today is nothing more than a misunderstanding. If we were to fight to the death over this, it would truly be a waste! Why don't we just call it a day? Wouldn't that be better?"

"..."

Ju Hua ignored the old man's words. He continued to execute his sword techniques, his fierce attacks surging toward the old man like a tidal wave whenever an opportunity arose!

The old man's face turned livid, but under Ju Hua's relentless assault, he could not escape and was forced to grit his teeth and continue the fight.

However, whether it was an illusion or not, the old man felt a vague sense that Ju Hua's sword techniques were becoming more fluid and increasingly difficult to deal with as the battle progressed.

I do not know how much time passed, but gradually, the sword in Ju Hua's hand underwent a subtle change. The sword techniques, which had been as violent as a galaxy falling from the heavens, suddenly became ethereal. This change occurred quietly, yet at a certain moment, it reached its peak. It was at this very instant that the six giant swords in Ju Hua's hands suddenly transformed into countless lingering shadows.

Countless sword shadows instantly slammed into all the black spikes. In a flash, the myriad black spikes that had been holding their own against Ju Hua were sent flying away.

Seeing this, the old man's expression changed drastically, and the several defensive magic treasures surrounding him immediately erupted with brilliant light!

However, what puzzled the old man was that Ju Hua did not take the opportunity to attack. On the contrary, he deactivated his Law of Heaven and Earth and Three Heads and Six Arms divine abilities!

"What is the meaning of this?" The old man did not act rashly. He had seen the previous scene clearly, and he was ninety percent certain that the Loose Immortal before him had likely made another breakthrough.

Once Ju Hua broke through, the old man knew he would be no match for him. He harbored a faint desire to flee, but after all, he was a Celestial Immortal; being forced into a pathetic retreat by a Loose Immortal was a blow to his pride he couldn't easily swallow!

"Senior helped me achieve a breakthrough, so naturally, I must repay you," Ju Hua said expressionlessly.

"I will strike only once. If you can withstand it, I will spare your life. How about that?"

"One strike? Hmph, arrogant!" The old man snorted with displeasure, yet he did not refuse.

At this moment, although the old man was vigilant, he did not believe for a second that Ju Hua had any intention of killing him outright.

For one, he was here under the orders of the Xia Emperor to investigate the Illusion Demon Realm. If he were to perish here, this Loose Immortal would likely find it difficult to account for his actions.

The old man did not even consider that Ju Hua might be a nobody; he simply assumed Ju Hua was too low-key, which was why he hadn't heard of him before! But just because he didn't know him didn't mean others didn't. If he died here, Ju Hua—who was also in the Illusion Demon Realm and possessed combat power not inferior to a Celestial Immortal—would be unable to escape the consequences.

Furthermore, Ju Hua had clearly just made a breakthrough, yet instead of pressing his advantage, he had retracted his divine abilities. Didn't this prove the other party had no murderous intent? If not for that, given the terrifying sword techniques he had just displayed, he would have been stripped of a layer of skin even if he hadn't died!

As for the "one-strike" agreement, in the old man's view, it was merely a way for Ju Hua to give both sides a graceful exit!

The old man felt that while his strength might not be top-tier among Celestial Immortals, it was certainly not weak. If he couldn't even withstand one strike from a Loose Immortal, even one with an absurdly high level of attainment, that would be truly laughable!

Ju Hua could guess most of what the old man was thinking. Everything he had done was precisely to make the man think this way, so he wouldn't flee in a panic!

The old man before him was, after all, a Celestial Immortal. No one knew how many escape methods he possessed. If he truly managed to escape, Ju Hua's situation would become quite awkward.

Although he did not believe Ju Hua intended to kill him, the old man remained on high alert. Ju Hua did not hesitate; he waved his hand, and nine immortal swords appeared before him.

The nine immortal swords instantly formed a grand formation. The sharp aura they emitted caused the old man's expression to shift slightly; these nine swords were all top-grade immortal-tier magic treasures, and a complete set at that.

"Senior, be careful!"

Ju Hua offered a reminder. The next moment, endless Heaven and Earth essence surged toward the nine immortal swords.

A terrifying sword intent soared into the sky. At this moment, the old man, who had only been slightly concerned, felt a trace of terror appear on his face.

However, before he could make a move, the terrifying sword formation seemed to traverse space itself, arriving before him in an instant.

"Residual Sword Style!"

Ju Hua whispered a command in his heart. The terrifying sword formation instantly split into countless parts, surging toward the old man like a deluge. The defensive magic treasures surrounding the old man shattered upon contact, and countless terrifying attacks descended upon his body in a heartbeat.

Though the old man possessed the body of a Celestial Immortal, how could he withstand such a terrifying assault?

Before he could even let out a scream, the old man's body, soul, and the majority of his treasures were ground into dust by the countless, immensely terrifying sword shadows.

Looking at the space that had turned into a void, Ju Hua remained silent for a moment. Then, he reached out and recalled the Litian Sword Formation.

At the same time, he collected the spike-shaped magic treasure left behind after the old man's death. As for the rest of the old man's treasures, most had already been destroyed by the terrifying attack just now.