With a shake of its wings, the Six-Winged Golden Butterfly unleashed two golden beams of light, instantly repelling the Fiery Void Sword.
"This is trouble," Elian thought, realizing the challenge ahead.
The Six-Winged Golden Butterfly was incredibly powerful, just one step away from the mid-Purple Mansion stage. Even when facing two opponents, it showed no signs of being overwhelmed.
Elian and the patriarch, despite being close to Purple Mansion-level strength, were not true Purple Mansion cultivators. Against lower-level Purple Mansion opponents, their combat experience might help them gain the upper hand, but the butterfly's higher cultivation made it a different matter.
The butterfly had the advantage of cultivation and could unleash divine abilities that forced them into full defense, making the battle increasingly difficult.
Calm and composed, the butterfly traded over sixty moves with the pair. Meanwhile, the cultivators aboard the Seven-Star Demon-Slaying Boat broke through the surrounding beasts, rushing to their aid.
Aboard the boat, more than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators launched a barrage of flying swords, artifacts, and divine abilities. While they couldn't harm the butterfly, they disrupted its rhythm, reducing the pressure on Elian and the patriarch.
With a furious shake of its wings, the butterfly sent more than a dozen artifacts flying, then activated its Gold Wing Divine Light, striking the Seven-Star Demon-Slaying Boat.
The cultivators aboard reacted quickly, activating the Six-Directions Protective Formation. The butterfly's attack caused the formation to tremble but failed to break through.
"Here's our chance," Elian and the patriarch thought in unison, seizing the moment.
The patriarch unleashed the Crimson-Gold Three-Treasure Flags, activating the Crimson-Gold Barrier-Piercing Sword Beam, which slashed toward the butterfly. Simultaneously, the Crimson Flame Spirit Blade followed in a ferocious attack.
At the same time, Elian's Fiery Void Sword emitted a sword aura dozens of feet long, aimed directly at the butterfly's forehead.
Caught mid-attack, the Six-Winged Golden Butterfly quickly activated a golden banner. The artifact emitted a golden light barrier that blocked the patriarch's sword aura.
"Be careful! That's the Vajra Banner," the patriarch warned, continuing his relentless assault with the Crimson Flame Spirit Blade.
Elian's eyes narrowed. The Vajra Banner was a renowned defensive artifact belonging to the Purple Abyss Sect, imbued with two divine abilities.
One was the Glazed Vajra Barrier, a formidable defensive technique.
The other, Vajra Heaven-Splitting Seal, was a destructive divine ability ranked among the top five offensive techniques in the kingdom.
A thunderous explosion echoed as the butterfly activated the Vajra Heaven-Splitting Seal. A massive golden seal radiated a blinding light as it hurtled toward Elian.
Elian's Fiery Void Sword was repelled, and the seal's overwhelming power forced him to activate the Radiant Gold Diamond Seal.
The Vajra Heaven-Splitting Seal collided with the defensive artifact, sending Elian flying a thousand feet back. He crashed into the ground with a powerful shockwave, leaving a deep crater in the earth.
As the ground trembled and the sound of destruction echoed, Elian felt his meridians sting. Though the injury was minor, it was a testament to the butterfly's might.
With his meridians tempered by Primordial Purple Qi and his powerful spiritual energy, such injuries were rare. A weaker Foundation Establishment cultivator might have suffered severe damage and required extended recovery.
Struggling to recover, Elian found himself momentarily unable to gather his spiritual energy.
"Clang!"
The Six-Winged Golden Butterfly seized the opportunity, launching another Gold Wing Divine Light toward Elian, intending to finish him off.
But the patriarch acted swiftly, raising the Crimson-Gold Three-Treasure Flags to activate the Diamond Glass Barrier, intercepting the butterfly's divine ability.
The Gold Wing Divine Light, while powerful, paled compared to the Vajra Heaven-Splitting Seal and failed to penetrate the patriarch's defense.
Meanwhile, the cultivators aboard the Seven-Star Demon-Slaying Boat capitalized on the distraction. Led by Elian's relative Chen Nianchuan, they activated the Seven-Star Demon-Slaying Formation.
A brilliant sword aura emanated from the boat, spanning the void to strike the butterfly.
This attack, equivalent to a mid-Purple Mansion divine ability, caught the butterfly off guard.
Focused on Elian and the patriarch, the butterfly failed to react in time. The sword aura tore through its defenses, struck the Vajra Banner, and continued toward its head.
Forced to use its monster core to block the attack, the butterfly sustained significant damage. The sword aura, crafted by Jiang Linglong herself, was too powerful to fully resist.
The core was severely injured, and the butterfly, bleeding profusely, nearly fell from the sky.
"Clang!"
Elian's Fiery Void Sword slashed through the air, tearing a gash in the butterfly's wings.
Seeing its weakness, Elian pressed the advantage. Ignoring his dwindling spiritual energy, he unleashed the Fiery Void Sword and Thunderfire Sword in rapid succession.
Each strike landed true, carving deep wounds into the butterfly's body and leaving it gravely injured.
Sensing the butterfly's impending doom, the other Purple Mansion beasts intervened. While the Violet-Striped Wolf King was locked in battle, the Golden-Horned Barbaric Bull charged, wielding a cyan-gold spear aimed at Elian.
Elian's gaze sharpened. With a steady hand, he raised the Yuan Magnet Bracelet to meet the attack.
...
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I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D