In an instant, brilliant light burst forth, blazing like the sun, dazzling the senses and robbing the mind of focus.
Bzzz!
Qi Lianggu's eyes were suddenly flooded with white light. Its extreme brightness brought tears streaming down his face, while a buzzing filled his ears, muddying his thoughts and making it impossible to gather his concentration.
But he was, after all, a cultivator from a top-tier Dao lineage. Though his experience in combat was still shallow, after a single instant of panic, he steadied his scattered spirit sense despite being unable to see or hear.
Yet at a life-and-death juncture, amid such fierce exchanges, even an instant's distraction was intolerable. It was fatal.
The Thirty-Six Sword Lights hemmed him in, but he could no longer distinguish their movements, much less evade or block them accurately.
Qi Lianggu had no time to think. Instinctively, he tightened his grip on the Drum-Beating Golden Hammer and swung it in a sweeping arc. The immense force sent the air howling, yet he felt no resistance whatsoever—his swing had struck empty air.
The hollow lack of resistance through his hands made Qi Lianggu's heart tremble, and an ominous premonition rose within him.
The Dark Purple Daoist Robe glimmered as it resisted on its own, yet it could not hold out for even a breath. A chill wandered along his neck. Wisps of sword qi, fine as hair, adorned his throat like a wreath of blue-green grass stems, betraying not the slightest killing intent.
Qi Lianggu's body abruptly stiffened. The thunder subsided, the violet lightning drew back, and the dark markings on his face receded, revealing his youthful features. His tear tracks had yet to dry.
His blurred vision came back into focus, and the buzzing in his ears gradually faded. At last, he could make