"What is that thing?"
The emerald-green figure stood thirty to forty feet tall, yet moved with incredible speed. It was none other than the Level Four spirit beast, the Jade Mantis.
The Jade Mantis spread its wings and crossed more than two hundred feet in an instant, appearing before the two old men and giving them a terrible fright!
"This is bad! It's a Level Four Demon Beast! Defend yourselves!"
Cold sweat poured from the thin old man, his earlier arrogance utterly gone. He hurriedly took out a fiery-red shield, which was actually an ordinary top-tier defensive magical artifact. Still uneasy after releasing the shield, he pulled out a talisman and slapped it onto himself. A fiery-red protective shield appeared, enveloping him.
Only after setting up two layers of defense in an instant did the thin old man relax. He was just about to say something when he heard the fat old man beside him cry out.
"Dodge!"
Before the thin old man could grasp what was happening, an excruciating pain tore through him. His two layers of defense had been pierced as easily as paper. He stared at the pair of mantis forelegs protruding through his chest, his face still frozen in disbelief and terror. Then the forelegs swept sideways, slicing his body in two and killing him on the spot.
Not far away, the fat old man turned deathly pale at the sight. Although he and the thin old man did not get along, their cultivation levels were much the same. Yet the thin old man had been killed so effortlessly in a single blow. How could he not be terrified?
Panic-stricken, the fat old man hurriedly shouted, "Ancestor, save me!"
Yet the Xu ancestor did not immediately come to his rescue. The fat old man hurriedly looked up, only to see that two figures were already fighting in midair. Lin He had seized the opportunity to unleash his various magical artifacts and engage the Xu ancestor's Spirit Puppet Clone.
Has this brat gone mad? He's only at early Foundation Establishment, yet he dares challenge the ancestor's Spirit Puppet Clone? Its cultivation is equivalent to the fake core realm!
But the fat old man had no time to dwell on it. The Jade Mantis had already fixed its attention on him. A chill gripped his heart, and he hurriedly took out a Green Ruyi, which emitted an azure barrier around him. Soon, he was locked in battle with the Jade Mantis.
Meanwhile, the Xu ancestor hovered in midair, fighting Lin He while inwardly seething with regret.
That brat caught me off guard and seized the initiative, costing me one nephew. I must save the other.
With a sweep of his spiritual sense, the Xu ancestor understood the situation on the other battlefield. Although the fat old man could temporarily withstand the Jade Mantis's attacks thanks to the Green Ruyi, an exquisite top-tier defensive magical artifact, a prolonged defense was bound to fail. He likely could not hold out much longer.
In midair, Lin He and the ancestor stood more than two hundred feet apart, each directing his magical artifacts into battle.
Holding the Mother Blade, Lin He controlled eight Child Blades to attack. He had also released his pair of Blazing Fire Claws and his pair of white rings.
Compared with Lin He's many top-tier magical artifacts, the Xu ancestor's arsenal was much simpler. He had released only a single Golden Sword, which emitted dazzling rays of golden light. Whether it was the eight golden streaks, the two red streaks, or the two white streaks, all were blocked by that golden light, unable to get anywhere near the Xu ancestor.
"Bastard! You dared kill my nephew right before my eyes! You're courting death!"
Anxious to save his nephew, the Xu ancestor hesitated no longer. He surged his vast magical power into the Golden Sword, which instantly blazed with dazzling radiance. Golden light swept forth, and for a moment, it seemed as though a shower of golden rain had fallen!
Where the golden rain passed, the eight Child Blades let out mournful cries. Then, one after another, they shattered, falling as clouds of glittering golden powder.
The destruction of the Child Blades was only the prelude. Next, the two Blazing Fire Claws that had accompanied Lin He for so long were struck by the golden light. They too gave mournful cries before shattering into fragments.
Lin He's expression darkened. He hurriedly pointed at the pair of white rings and immediately recalled them, sparing them the same fate.
With nothing left to block it, the Golden Sword swept down. Lin He flung out the Mother Blade, but a ray of exceptionally sharp golden light shot from the Golden Sword, swiftly shattering the Mother Blade into a cloud of golden powder.
Although the Mother Blade had been destroyed, it had bought Lin He a little time. He tapped the Divine Wind Boat with his right foot and dodged the Golden Sword's attack by a hair's breadth.
"A magic treasure!"
Having evaded the attack, Lin He showed no joy. Instead, his face was dark as deep water. In that brief exchange, he had suffered devastating losses. Both his set of Mother-and-Child Blades and his pair of Blazing Fire Claws had been destroyed. Had he not reacted quickly, his pair of white rings would have been destroyed as well.
With such power and such overwhelming force, Lin He could think of nothing other than a magic treasure that could accomplish this.
"You do have some discernment. But you've angered me, and now even kneeling and kowtowing will do you no good."
The Xu ancestor sneered, but instead of immediately pursuing Lin He, he pointed toward the Golden Sword from afar. It instantly whistled toward the Jade Mantis. Clearly, he intended to rescue his nephew first.
"That's a fine plan you have, but do you think I'll let you have your way?"
Just then, an ancient-looking broken blade suddenly appeared in Lin He's hand. It was the Jadefire Blade he had obtained from Xu Yan!
The Jadefire Blade flew out, immediately becoming a streak of emerald light that intercepted the Golden Sword. It truly lived up to its nature as a magic treasure fragment. Though inferior to a magic treasure, it did not shatter under the golden light as the Mother-and-Child Blades had.
Emerald and golden light intertwined in midair. Although the golden light completely overpowered the emerald light, the latter did not collapse at the first clash. Instead, it briefly held the golden light back.
"The Jadefire Blade?" The Xu ancestor snorted at the sight. "Can a mere magic treasure fragment withstand my Golden Rain Sword? What a joke."
The Xu ancestor formed a strange spell art, and the Golden Rain Sword in midair seemed to have swallowed a potent tonic. It rapidly expanded, becoming a gigantic sword that towered toward the heavens!
"Slash!"
With a low shout from the Xu ancestor, the gigantic sword plunged down. The Jadefire Blade reeled as though struck by a tremendous blow. Although it was not destroyed, its spiritual radiance dimmed, leaving it unfit for further use.
Lin He hurriedly put away the Jadefire Blade, tapped the Divine Wind Boat with his right foot, and shot downward.
At the same time, the Jade Mantis, which had been forcing the fat old man back again and again, seemed to receive some command. It abandoned its opponent and descended with Lin He.
Given a chance to catch his breath, the fat old man let out a great sigh of relief. He rejoined the Xu ancestor, still trembling with fear, and dared only hide behind him, as though his courage had been shattered.
The Xu ancestor snorted at the sight. "You've already lost your nerve? Useless! Follow me down. Only by catching that brat, skinning him, and tearing out his tendons can I quell the hatred in my heart."
The fat old man said uneasily, "That brat clearly set up a formation here beforehand. Ancestor, should we..."
"We are cultivators of the Heavenly Star Sect. Why should we fear a formation he set up? Besides, what formation could a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator arrange that would threaten a Core Formation cultivator?"
Without another word, he flew straight down. Helpless, the fat old man could only follow.
As soon as the two descended, they sensed an astonishing surge of spiritual energy. Then clouds and mist churned around them, and the Five Elements Reversal Formation finally activated!