Of course, there was an objective reason he wanted to settle this quickly: the overwhelming power of his sword strike had snuffed out the whirlwind around him.
With the whirlwind gone, he had nothing to draw on in midair. Stirring up another wind would take a little time, but the Masked Man below was ruthlessly decisive and gave him no chance. There was no time, and calling down lightning from above would be useless anyway-the man wasn't afraid of lightning strikes.
Without borrowing that momentum, he couldn't stay aloft or dart from side to side in the air. His true cultivation had yet to reach that realm.
He was falling, and the Masked Man was charging toward him. There was nowhere to dodge. What could he do but meet him at close quarters and seek a swift resolution?
In truth, his close-combat prowess was formidable too, so he had no fear.
Before the light vanished completely from the swollen, enormous pillar of shredded radiance, the watching Treasure-Evolving Sect disciples, along with Xu and You, all saw a figure charging upward against its force.
What? He wasn't dead yet?
Everyone was stunned. Had they not failed to hear the crash of a lightning strike hitting its target, had they not seen Li Hongjiu swing his sword and plunge headfirst to meet the attack, they would have thought their eyes were deceiving them.
How was that possible?
They wanted a clearer look to confirm it, but the light within the pillar vanished. Countless shreds of cloud and mist obscured their view, and the light in the Darkness-Free Land was poor to begin with.
Clang! An explosive crash rang out from the shredded clouds.
That sound of combat confirmed that the Masked Man was indeed still alive.
The instant they clashed at close