Elian thought to himself, resolving to use every means necessary to break the deadlock.
Overhead, the Nine Deflection Bell shone brightly, shielding him from Wei Mingyuan's relentless attacks. Elian then unleashed the Fiery Void Sword, sending it slashing toward Senior Brother Yan, knocking away his natal artifact, the Heavenly Net Saber.
A thunderous explosion echoed as Elian seized the opportunity, activating the Heavenly Flame Sword Art and the Metal Essence Divine Thunder to strike at Senior Brother Yan, clearly intending to eliminate the weaker opponent first.
With Elian's spiritual energy comparable to the ninth level of Foundation Establishment, the combined assault of two destructive divine abilities was overwhelming. Despite exhausting all his techniques, Senior Brother Yan couldn't withstand the attack and called out to Wei Mingyuan for help.
"Senior Brother, save me!"
"Don't panic!"
Wei Mingyuan launched a flying sword and a treasure orb, both high-grade second-tier artifacts, bombarding the Nine Deflection Bell and causing its glow to flicker violently. He then activated the Blazing Fire Thunder Net.
The Blazing Fire Thunder Net combined 108 first-tier divine thunders into three high-grade second-tier Blazing Fire Divine Thunders.
Three thunderclaps resounded, and the divine thunders burst forth, two blocking Elian's Golden Flame Sword and Metal Essence Divine Thunder, while the third struck the Nine Deflection Bell, causing its light shield to tremble.
Fortunately, the Nine Deflection Bell, crafted from premium black iron, remained steadfast as one of the most robust defensive artifacts, enduring the combined attacks of the artifacts and the Blazing Fire Divine Thunders.
At that moment, Elian's eyes narrowed sharply, and he unleashed his ultimate trump card.
A metallic hum echoed as a sword imbued with black-gold thunderfire erupted, slashing straight toward Wei Mingyuan.
Wei Mingyuan's expression turned to terror as he exclaimed in shock, "Thunderfire Sword!"
The sword radiated an eighteen-zhang-long energy blade resembling a black dragon with bared fangs, tearing through a hundred-zhang distance in an instant, arriving before Wei Mingyuan.
Caught off guard, Wei Mingyuan relied on his high-grade second-tier defensive artifact, the Vajra Seal. Little did he expect Elian's sudden trump card.
In desperation, he threw out a few second-tier talismans to delay the strike, but it was futile.
In one swift move, the Thunderfire Sword shattered all defenses. Wei Mingyuan managed to activate only one talisman before being split in two by the sword.
"If only my Qingyang True Fire Talisman was still with me..."
This regretful thought flashed through Wei Mingyuan's mind in his final moments.
Had he been less careless and retained the three Blazing Fire Divine Thunders of his natal artifact, he might have mitigated the Thunderfire Sword's power and saved his life. Tragically, he was killed before fully utilizing his strength, leaving his pills, artifacts, and talismans unused.
"Senior Brother Wei!"
Seeing Wei Mingyuan slain in one strike, Senior Brother Yan cried out in shock.
Realizing the danger, he tried to flee with his artifact, but how could he outrun the Thunderfire Sword?
Elian activated the sword again, the black-gold energy blade expanding dramatically as it crossed a thousand-zhang distance, killing Senior Brother Yan mid-air.
After two strikes, Elian nearly collapsed. Although the Thunderfire Sword was formidable, each activation drained twenty percent of his spiritual energy.
With only two strikes, he had expended forty percent of his energy, leaving him weak and breathless.
Elian swallowed a Vitality Pill, recovering some energy, and couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.
Wei Mingyuan's spiritual energy was seventy to eighty percent more potent than his, almost stepping into the Purple Mansion stage. Without the surprise attack from the Thunderfire Sword, Elian doubted he could have defeated him.
Even with the ambush, Elian had exhausted eighty to ninety percent of his energy, pushing himself to the limit.
"That man's spiritual energy was extraordinary, likely due to multiple attempts to break through to the Purple Mansion stage. Coupled with his Qingyang Sect natal artifact, his background must be astonishing."
"It's best not to linger here."
Elian collected the storage bags and treasures of the two opponents, incinerated their bodies, and left swiftly. Summoning the Seven-Star Demon-Slaying Vessel, he covered 20,000 miles daily, traversing over 80,000 miles in four to five days, to finally reach Tianxu Mountain.
Upon arrival, he went straight to Jiang Linglong's cave.
"What happened?"
Seeing him, Jiang Linglong smiled slightly but noticed his unease and asked with concern.
Elian composed himself, took out the storage bags of Wei Mingyuan and Senior Brother Yan, and said anxiously, "I think I've caused trouble."
"These people appear to be descendants of Wei Chongyang of the Qingyang Sect's Purple Mansion."
Hearing this, Jiang Linglong smiled. She took Wei Mingyuan's storage bag, broke the seal with ease, and pulled out an inconspicuous wooden token.
"Problem solved," she said with a smile.
"Huh?"
Elian was momentarily stunned, unable to shake off his anxiety.
Jiang Linglong found his dazed expression amusing and chuckled softly. Holding the token, she explained:
"This is a Soul-Chasing Token, used to track the location of storage bags. It consists of a parent and child token, capable of pinpointing each other's positions even across hundreds of thousands of miles. Major sects often provide these to important members."
"Once the Qingyang Sect notices Wei Mingyuan's soul lamp extinguished, they'll use the token to locate the enemy. Since you fled to Tianxu Mountain using the Seven-Star Demon-Slaying Vessel, which rivals the speed of a Purple Mansion cultivator, they likely already suspect you're affiliated with Tianxu Mountain. Now that the Soul-Chasing Token is in my hands, it only solidifies this assumption."
After listening, Elian frowned and asked hesitantly, "Will holding this token cause trouble for you?"
"Are you worried about me?" Jiang Linglong's eyes brightened with a teasing smile that made Elian slightly flustered.
Seeing his embarrassment, she smiled slyly and said, "Don't worry. Wei Chongyang can't even defeat my disciples. Even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare trouble me."
"Besides, your Chen Clan already has a grudge against him. Making him an enemy isn't a mistake."
Elian's expression shifted as he asked, "What do you mean by that?"
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D