[On the Mountain Path]
Amidst the treacherous mountains, ascending toward the summit.
A swordsman walked with his hands clasped behind his back.
Along the way, Purple-Robed Elders approached, and grotesque corpses charged in to kill.
Li Yaozu continued to stroll forward.
Whenever an enemy approached, his sword case would open, and a long sword would shoot out like a streak of flowing light, piercing through those reckless figures in black and purple robes from the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
With every person he killed, another sword would float by his side. By now, over thirty long swords were accompanying him.
"The body of Ling Tian is the priority."
Extending his senses to the clouds above, he noted that Phantasm Ghost was clashing with Qi Wunian.
Li Yaozu had met Qi Wunian a few times before.
This man cultivated the Rules of Qi and Thought.
He could kill enemies from a distance across the void, making his attacks effectively impossible to guard against.
His methods were despicable to the extreme.
For anyone with a weak physical body, fighting Qi Wunian was truly seeking death.
However, from the looks of it now, Qi Wunian was falling to a disadvantage.
That Taotie was also no ordinary entity.
Its body was colossal and exceptionally sturdy, capable even of regeneration.
Even powerful Void Refinement techniques could not destroy it in an instant.
Currently, the remaining four Void Refinement cultivators of the Immortal Suppression Department were engaged in a fierce battle with the Taotie, unleashing astonishing destructive power within the Void Refinement Space.
As for Zhen Wu, he was locked in a bitter struggle with three Void Refinement cultivators from the Eternal Immortal Sect.
Behind Zhen Wu stood nine ancient bronze gates, possessing immense Spiritual power.
Relying on just a single bronze gate, he could summon the Spiritual power of the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth.
Moreover, his Void Refinement techniques followed a path of grand and upright majesty.
The techniques and Void Refinement Spaces of the Eternal Immortal Sect were the most solidly founded Li Yaozu had ever seen.
This was especially true for He Hao; with a mere thought and a chanted incantation, talisman papers would manifest as Spiritual techniques.
Such a chaotic battle caused Li Yaozu's blood to boil with excitement.
If not for the fact that he had to retrieve the Divine Corpse for his family, he would truly want to test his hand...
BOOM!
Suddenly, the space around him blurred, and Li Yaozu was forcibly pulled into a Void Refinement Space.
He heard a shout: "Sword Venerable, sir! Please lend my Heavenly Monarch Dao Sanctuary a helping hand!"
Li Yaozu's face turned as black as charcoal.
Inside the Void Refinement Space, he saw three members of the Heavenly Monarch Dao Sanctuary and three from the Sword Pavilion gathered together.
Facing them were four colossal Stitched Beasts at the Void Refinement Realm.
Furthermore, within this space, there was a figure invisible to the naked eye.
Its aura could only be sensed at the exact moment it struck.
The members of the two factions were forced to rely on defensive formations to protect themselves, lest they be struck by the person hiding in the shadows.
Li Yaozu had really wanted to test if he could walk all the way to the summit unscathed!
"Who gave you permission to drag me in here?"
Li Yaozu made no effort to conceal the dissatisfaction in his heart.
He cast a glance—seemingly unintentional yet deliberate—at Heavenly Lord Ning'an of the Heavenly Monarch Dao Sanctuary.
"Sword Venerable, sir, is this really the time for that?"
Among the members of the Heavenly Monarch Dao Sanctuary, an old man holding a Purification Vase summoned the Silver River from the heavens to defend against the enemy.
His expression was grave.
The invisible enemy flashed past in the shadows; the old man summoned the Silver River to pour down, but it struck nothing but empty space.
Having exchanged introductions with the other cultivators earlier, Li Yaozu recalled that this man was named Heavenly Lord Jiang.
Heavenly Lord Jiang spoke in a deep voice,
"It is Ling Xu of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems.
This person possesses the Rule of Space, making his tracks impossible to follow.
Just where did these monsters, the Four Great White Robes of the Mountain of Esoteric Stratagems, come from?!
And those four Stitched Beasts—they are also creations refined by this Ling Xu!"
Hearing this, Li Yaozu narrowed his eyes slightly.
He was familiar with the Rule of Space; it was the very Rule his Old Ancestor mastered.
However, the application of every Rule differed from person to person.
This Ling Xu's Void Refinement Space was peculiar.
It appeared to conceal his physical form while simultaneously allowing him to move instantaneously.
Recalling the power of the Old Ancestor that he had sensed within the Ancestral Space, Li Yaozu glanced at Ling Xu, who had just reappeared, and murmured,
"Compared to the Old Ancestor's power over the Rules, you are far behind."
Li Yaozu did not move an inch.
The three members of the Sword Pavilion were commanding their flying swords to fend off the enemy.
Han Shi spoke in a grave voice, "Sword Venerable, anyone would be displeased to be suddenly dragged into this space, but now is not the time for anger.
This Ling Xu possesses extraordinary strength; only by working together can we exterminate him!"
With words having come to this, and considering his bond with the Sword Pavilion, Li Yaozu stepped forward.
But just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, every face suddenly changed!
A sudden mutation occurred.
"Trickster Flashstrike!"
"Soul-Enrapturing Heart-Unraveling Bell!"
In an instant, while the members of the Heavenly Monarch Dao Sanctuary and the Sword Pavilion were still resisting Ling Xu and the four Stitched Beasts, Li Yaozu let out a sharp shout.
Sword light bloomed brilliantly, piercing straight into hearts and souls!
The chime of the High-Grade Dharma Treasure bell—once belonging to Zhao Wan'er—rang out.
Its associated Rule, the "Ten Precepts," assaulted the mind with even greater intensity.
In the past, Zhao Wan'er had relied on this very item to nearly instantly kill Li Yaozu, a testament to its terrifying power.
Now, within the Void Refinement Space, his six "fellow Daoists" were completely unguarded against Li Yaozu; never had they expected such a turn of events.
Let alone them, even the four Stitched Beasts and Ling Xu, who wielded the Rule of Space, froze for a fleeting moment.
"Li Yaozu, what are you doing?!!"
Recovering their senses a moment later, everyone's expression shifted drastically.
Even Left Sword and Right Sword, who were incredibly familiar with Li Yaozu, turned pale.
Squelch!
Li Yaozu's Sword Domain erupted suddenly, surging with Sword Intent.
A streak of black mist emerged from Heavenly Lord Ning'an's body and drifted into Li Yaozu's sword case.
As for Heavenly Lord Ning'an, his four limbs had already been pierced by long swords, pinning him firmly to the ground.
A long sword, brimming with killing intent, hovered directly over his forehead!
Heavenly Lord Ning'an finally snapped back to reality.
When Li Yaozu had unleashed his full power just now, Ning'an had only been dazed for a fleeting moment.
Originally, he should have been able to summon his Spiritual power to protect his body.
However, a black shadow had suddenly flashed past.
In his trance, he had caught only a whiff of fragrant wind before ending up in this state.
"Argh!"
Finally feeling his Spiritual power being sealed by Li Yaozu's long swords, and sensing that even his soul was locked onto by the blade hovering above his head, Heavenly Lord Ning'an's face twisted in agony.
He shouted, "Li Yaozu, what are you doing?!!"
Gazes filled with vigilance, bewilderment, suspicion, and anger converged from all sides.
Li Yaozu ignored them all.
"I heard that you made things difficult for my family's Chang'an at every turn in the Imperial Capital?"
"No... I didn't..." Heavenly Lord Ning'an froze for a moment before shaking his head hurriedly.
He answered instinctively; Li Yaozu's killing intent was undeniably real.
Then, he saw Li Yaozu sneer.
"It has nothing to do with that.
I simply dislike standing alongside a spy while facing the enemy.
I was afraid you might stab me in the back."
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