"Clang—"
Before the emaciated old man could finish speaking, a fiery red sword light shot toward the middle-aged woman.
It was Elian, activating the formation and unleashing the Fire Sun Sword, an array weapon, to strike. He was decisive in his attack, aiming first to kill the weakest among the three—the middle-aged woman.
Her cultivation was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining. In a panic, she hastily summoned a black silk artifact to block the attack.
But the Fire Sun Sword was incredibly powerful—strong enough to challenge even ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators, let alone her.
With a thunderous explosion, the silk artifact was cut in half and burned to ashes by the fire energy.
The sword's momentum didn't stop there, slicing straight toward the woman's forehead.
In desperation, the burly man summoned a blood-red shield, which created a crimson barrier that barely withstood the attack.
The shield was a top-tier Grade-One demonic artifact, forged using a significant amount of mortal blood essence. Its barrier was exceptional, but even so, it dimmed by 40 to 50 percent after blocking the Fire Sun Sword's power.
Seeing his initial attack fail, Elian immediately directed the Fire Sun Sword to strike again.
As an array weapon, the Fire Sun Sword could only unleash nine strikes after accumulating ten years of sunrise energy, but its power was truly overwhelming.
The second sword light descended, shattering the blood-red shield's barrier and forcing the three demonic cultivators to scatter in panic.
"Pure Yang Array Weapon!"
The burly demonic cultivator's expression turned grim. He looked regretfully at the damaged blood shield before gritting his teeth and pulling out a talisman.
The talisman, known as the Six Ghost Talisman, contained six late-stage Qi Refining malevolent ghosts. It was crafted with rare materials and the spirits of six late-stage Qi Refining ghosts, making it exceedingly rare. Elder Zhang only possessed one or two of such talismans.
Although it wasn't as valuable as the Seven Souls Demon Banner, it was nearly as effective in critical situations.
The six ghosts immediately emerged, their ferocious energy prompting Elian to frown.
If the ghosts were allowed to run rampant, the spiritual fields, Purple-Striped Goose, and even the two siblings on the island would be in grave danger.
With a quick decision, Elian wielded the Fire Sun Sword, striking six consecutive blows to annihilate the ghosts completely.
"One strike left. Who should I target?"
After eliminating the six ghosts, Elian's gaze swept over the three demonic cultivators, contemplating briefly.
Though they had been forced apart by his previous strikes, they would regroup soon if he delayed.
Making up his mind, his eyes turned cold.
"It's better to cripple one finger than injure all ten."
"Slash—"
Decisively, he directed the final strike toward the weakest among them—the middle-aged woman.
Her cultivation was the lowest, and she had already been injured from the backlash of her destroyed artifact.
Seeing the Fire Sun Sword coming at her again, she was stricken with terror. Hastily, she summoned a demonic fork artifact to block it, but both she and the artifact were cut in half.
"Ah—"
A shrill scream abruptly ended, echoing across the island. The other two demonic cultivators' expressions changed drastically as they rushed toward the sound, regrouping quickly.
When they saw the bisected corpse of the woman, their pupils contracted, and they exchanged horrified glances.
Meanwhile, Elian glanced at the Fire Sun Sword and frowned. With the final strike, the sword's stored sunrise energy was depleted, and even the fog created by the Cloud Mist Formation was beginning to dissipate.
"It looks like I'll have to fight them directly."
Setting aside the formation plate, Elian advanced toward the remaining two demonic cultivators.
The moment they clashed, a life-or-death battle ensued. The emaciated old man attacked first, summoning a sharp treasure wheel that flew toward Elian.
The wheel was a top-tier Grade-One demonic treasure. Although its power couldn't compare to something like the Seven Soul Demon Banner, it was still a formidable weapon.
As the spinning wheel closed in, Elian's eyes narrowed, and he immediately used the Greenleaf Sword to block it.
Simultaneously, he activated his vital energy to direct the Golden Light Blade, which streaked like a shooting star toward the old man's head.
The Golden Light Blade was incredibly fast, reaching the emaciated demonic cultivator almost instantly.
At the critical moment, the old man revealed his preparation. He summoned a pitch-black small bell, which emitted a protective barrier that successfully blocked the flying blade.
"A defensive artifact."
Elian's eyes flickered. The small bell was a top-tier Grade-One defensive artifact. He couldn't help but feel relieved that he hadn't used the Fire Sun Sword's final strike on this man. With such a strong defensive artifact, the old man could have survived even the sword's full power.
Failing to kill him would have left Elian vulnerable to counterattacks from both the ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator and the late-stage demonic cultivators.
"Die, brat!"
The battle continued in a flash as the burly demonic cultivator, the strongest of the three, made his move.
Despite losing his blood shield, he was still formidable. He unleashed a malevolent flying sword brimming with murderous intent, which slashed toward Elian.
Elian faced it head-on without fear, activating a green shield that easily blocked the attack.
The green shield was a superior artifact. Previously, a seventh-level Qi Refining demonic cultivator had used it to withstand Elian's two flying swords, demonstrating its exceptional defensive capability.
Now in Elian's hands, empowered by his ninth-level Qi Refining cultivation, the shield's power increased by more than 50 percent, giving him a clear advantage.
With his abundant vital energy and the shield's formidable defense, Elian managed to hold the upper hand, even while fighting two enemies at once.
After a quarter-hour of intense combat, the emaciated old man noticed his defensive artifact losing its light under the continuous assault of the Golden Light Blade. He turned to the burly cultivator with desperation.
"If we keep this up, we'll both die."
"If you have any tricks left, use them now!"
The burly cultivator's face darkened at the words. His gaze turned icy as he summoned a small golden light and directed it at Elian.
"Golden Heart-Piercing Needle!"
The moment he saw the golden light, Elian's pupils contracted. Without hesitation, he maximized the shield's energy and activated a Golden Armor Talisman.
The Golden Heart-Piercing Needle was a unique top-tier Grade-One artifact. Though not exceptionally powerful, it was particularly effective against shields, often delivering exceptional results.
The golden light streaked through the air, piercing the green shield's barrier and leaving a small hole.
Fortunately, the Golden Armor Talisman generated a protective golden armor that blocked the needle.
In the critical moment, Elian wasted no time. He summoned the blade embryo, striking the needle and dimming its light before it fell to the ground.
...
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