Seeing Elian's two powerful divine abilities, the Purple Mansion wolf demon activated its Purple Cloud Barrier to block the attacks and then spat out a red light.
"Not good, it's a third-tier treasure!"
Elian's eyes narrowed as he recognized the item. The red treasure was the Heart-Piercing Fiery Needle, a low-grade third-tier offensive artifact.
This treasure was not only remarkably powerful but also specialized in breaking through defensive barriers and protective artifacts.
Furthermore, the fiery energy it carried was exceptionally lethal. If struck by this artifact, a cultivator would endure the torment of being consumed by flames, suffering severe injuries.
Faced with this deadly attack, Elian remained calm and activated the Radiant Gold Diamond Seal.
A crisp sound echoed, and the Heart-Piercing Fiery Needle lived up to its reputation as a treasure designed to counter defensive artifacts. It pierced through the defensive barrier of the third-tier Radiant Gold Diamond Seal in a single strike.
The needle continued toward Elian, threatening to inflict serious harm. But at the critical moment, Elian raised his hand, summoning a silver light to intercept the attack.
The silver light was the Yuan Magnet Bracelet. Though only a high-grade second-tier artifact, it was a nemesis of metal-element treasures.
Most offensive artifacts, whether swords, needles, flying daggers, or other types, contained metal elements or were refined with Whitegold Essence to enhance their power.
Similarly, about half of defensive artifacts incorporated metal elements to increase their durability and effectiveness.
In truth, over half of all treasures could be classified as metal-element artifacts, making the Yuan Magnet Bracelet exceptionally versatile and effective.
Elian had deliberately refrained from enhancing the bracelet with Whitegold Essence, saving its potential for refinement into a life-bound artifact in the future. If someday upgraded to a fourth-tier treasure, it could even suppress formless and intangible metal-element abilities.
Though not yet a third-tier artifact, the Yuan Magnet Bracelet's power had already reached a near-third-tier level.
Now, as the Heart-Piercing Fiery Needle, a third-tier artifact, was locked by the Yuan Magnet Bracelet's magnetic force, it found itself unable to break free.
The needle's power had already diminished after piercing the Radiant Gold Diamond Seal, and now it was fully restrained by the Yuan Magnet Bracelet.
Seeing its treasure neutralized, the wolf demon roared angrily and lunged forward, trying to reclaim it.
Unfortunately, the wolf's defenses were limited to its Purple Cloud Barrier, and with one of its treasures countered and its fang artifacts failing against the Fiery Void Sword, it was left with few options.
Meanwhile, the Radiant Gold Diamond Seal's protective barrier regenerated, sealing the earlier breach and holding off the wolf's attacks.
Frustrated by its inability to break through, the wolf demon spat out its monster core in desperation, intending to forcibly breach Elian's defenses.
"Hmph."
Seeing the monster core emerge, Elian's expression turned to one of cold determination. He realized the wolf had fallen into his trap.
Elian raised his hand and activated the Purple Radiace Mirror. A beam of brilliant purple light shot forth, directly striking the monster core.
The Purple Radiance Mirror, powered by Elian's spiritual energy, unleashed a force far beyond its second-tier level. Designed to counter monster cores and treasures, it dimmed the core's glow by half.
The wolf demon suffered backlash from its injured core, leaving its spirit momentarily impaired and unable to gather strength for a counterattack.
"Now's my chance!"
Seizing the opening, Elian abandoned caution and unleashed the Thunderfire Sword.
A black-gold sword light shot through the air, striking the monster core before the wolf could react. The attack carved a deep scar into the core.
The wolf howled in agony. Its Purple Cloud Barrier collapsed, leaving it vulnerable and nearly tumbling from the sky.
Elian capitalized on its weakness, launching a relentless assault with his two swords and multiple divine abilities.
Stunned and overwhelmed, the wolf demon had no chance to mount a defense. In mere moments, it was covered in wounds.
As it tried to summon its remaining strength for a counterattack, Elian exploited its vulnerabilities. With a decisive strike, he unleashed the full power of the Thunderfire Sword.
A black-gold sword light over twenty feet long descended, aiming for the wolf demon's head.
The wolf demon desperately used its fang artifact to block the strike, but with its core damaged, the artifact's power was halved. The sword sent the fang artifact flying.
The Thunderfire Sword followed through, striking the wolf and carving a deep gash into its side.
Before it could react further, the Fiery Void Sword struck again. Its azure light flashed like a streak of fire, severing the wolf demon's head.
The wolf's dying howl echoed as its life ended.
Seeing this, the Violet-Striped Wolf King roared in fury. It forced back Elders Yang and Xu with a powerful divine ability, preparing to attack Elian.
But Elder Yang laughed heartily, intercepting the Wolf King's strike with the Mountain-Splitting Soul-Cleaving Axe.
"Well done, young friend!"
Elian exhaled heavily, relieved.
Strictly speaking, his strength was comparable to that of the Purple Mansion wolf demon. The wolf had the advantage in cultivation and possessed two third-tier treasures, while Elian had three but faced constraints in spiritual energy.
Despite appearances, real combat often relied on exploiting opportunities rather than raw power.
Elian's knack for seizing critical moments allowed him to outperform opponents of similar strength, securing victories others might not.
Still, his limited spiritual energy was a significant weakness. In prolonged battles, he risked running out of power and becoming helpless.
"Quick and decisive."
Elian steadied himself, swallowed two Vitality Pills to recover about thirty percent of his energy, and flew to support the patriarch.
Crossing the battlefield, he unleashed the Fiery Void Sword against the Six-Winged Golden Butterfly.
The butterfly, unshaken by Elian's arrival, met the challenge with fierce resolve.
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D