The Heaven-Splitting Spear, wreathed in endless murderous aura, tore through the air with a ghostly wail. Its spear point, a single glint of cold light, arrived first, aimed straight at Han Yu's throat.
Simple, direct, and brutal, it perfectly encapsulated the essence of the slaughter battle path.
Before the spear even arrived, the condensed killing intent, almost tangible enough to freeze one's soul, and the violent pressure cracked the stone slabs of the floor inch by inch!
Trapped within a binding formation, Han Yu's movements were severely restricted.
Yet his ice-cold eyes showed not a trace of emotion. Facing this lightning-fast, incomparably domineering spear, he made a move that caught Zhan Wuji completely off guard.
Instead of retreating, he advanced. His left foot stomped forward half a step, crushing the bricks beneath him.
At the same time, the long sword in his hand did not meet the spear but was held vertically before him. His fingers rapidly traced the blade.
"Buzz—!"
A clear, dragon-like sword cry suddenly echoed through the dungeon!
It did not come from the sword, but from Han Yu himself.
The vast Long Life Realm spiritual energy in his body surged forth without reservation, yet rather than exploding outward, it instantly condensed along a mysterious trajectory. In the blink of an eye, it formed a sword shadow before him!
An ancient, heavy sword shadow, as if it had existed since the dawn of time.
Though not a physical entity, it seemed more indestructible than any divine weapon. Its blade was broad and thick, with illusory shadows of mountains, rivers, sun, and moon slowly rotating across its surface, radiating an absolute defensive aura of impenetrable protection.
Naturally, it was the highest defensive sword art passed down from the lower realm Immortal Venerable Chen Chang'an—the Heaven-Supporting Sword!
"Clang—!!!!"
The terrifying tip of the Heaven-Splitting Spear struck the condensed sword shadow with pinpoint accuracy!
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
There was no sound of shattering destruction as expected, nor any explosive shockwave of energy.
At the point where spear met shadow, an intensely blinding light erupted, too dazzling to look upon.
A visible shockwave ring, mixed with blood-colored murderous aura and azure sword energy, violently expanded outward, slamming against the binding formation's barrier. The entire formation shook violently, its light flashing wildly as if groaning under the strain!
Zhan Wuji's charging body was forcibly halted. The muscles in his spear-wielding arm bulged, and a trace of genuine shock flickered across his face for the first time.
He felt as if his spear had not struck a sword shadow condensed from spiritual energy, but had rammed into the spine of an ancient divine mountain or the primordial foundation of the earth itself! The recoil force caused his blood and qi to churn.
"Excellent sword technique!" Zhan Wuji's fighting spirit intensified as he laughed loudly. "Let's see how many spears you can block!"
His spear technique shifted, no longer seeking a one-hit kill but transforming into a storm of blood-colored shadows that rained down upon the Heaven-Supporting Sword shadow.
Each strike contained the force to shatter mountains and seas, each impact sending ripples through the sword shadow.
The Heaven-Supporting Sword was peerless in defense, but it consumed an immense amount of spiritual energy and mental focus, especially when passively withstanding a full-frontal assault.
The opponent's cultivation was equal to or higher than his own.
Moreover, as peerless talents, neither was an existence that could be easily challenged beyond their realm.
Fortunately, Han Yu's mastery of the Heaven-Supporting Sword was absolute, precisely deflecting every incoming attack.
At the same time, his gaze remained icy and determined, not even looking at Zhan Wuji's suffocating offensive.
His eyes swept past the chaotic spear shadows, locking onto the figure within the prison cell!
Locking onto Ye Fan, who stood behind the bars watching with a complex expression, as if he controlled everything!
He must be killed! To cleanse the sect's ranks!
Otherwise, with Ye Fan's knowledge of them, future troubles would be endless!
This thought burned fiercely in Han Yu's mind, even overriding his own safety considerations.
The glory of his sect, his master's expectations, the bonds with his fellow disciples—all of this made him unable to tolerate the traitor's continued existence!
Zhan Wuji's relentless assault was like a leech, and the Heaven-Supporting Sword shadow began to tremble slightly, showing signs of instability.
An ordinary person in such a predicament would struggle to defend themselves, let alone counterattack.
But Han Yu was no ordinary man.
He was Han Yu, the peerless talent under Chen Chang'an who excelled in patience and could find a path to survival even in the direst of circumstances!
Just as the Heaven-Supporting Sword shadow rippled violently once more and its light dimmed, a flash of ruthless decisiveness shot through Han Yu's eyes!
He made an extremely risky decision, one bordering on self-destruction!
He forcibly diverted nearly thirty percent of the Heaven-Supporting Sword's defensive power! At the same time, his left hand, which had been hanging at his side, formed a finger sword. A completely different, intensely condensed and frigid spiritual energy surged toward his fingertips, causing his entire finger to turn pitch-black, as if it could devour all light.
"Shing!"
His left finger sword slashed across his own right shoulder! A deep, bone-deep wound appeared, blood spurting forth! But using the intense pain and the burst of blood qi from this self-inflicted wound, he forcefully endured the nearly collapsing Heaven-Supporting Sword shadow, barely maintaining its cohesion!
The diverted thirty percent of spiritual energy merged with all the condensed frigid finger sword power of his left hand!
This was a killing move he had obtained in a secret realm when he was still in the lower world!
He could feel Ye Fan was currently just a Return to Origin Realm cultivator. A hit would be certain death!
He roared low, completely ignoring Zhan Wuji's Heaven-Splitting Spear which had grown even fiercer due to his sudden defense reduction, aimed straight at his heart.
That dark Netherworld Finger Sword, condensing all the attack power he could mobilize at this moment and containing extreme coldness and killing intent, transformed into a faint black line almost impossible to see with the naked eye.
It bypassed the phantom of the Heaven-Supporting Sword shadow at an extremely tricky angle, flashing toward Ye Fan in the prison cell!
This strike was fast! Accurate!
Ruthless! Completely unexpected!
The calm sneer on Ye Fan's face instantly froze! He never imagined that Han Yu, under Zhan Wuji's such violent offensive, would dare, could even spare strength to insist on killing him regardless of his own safety!
The icy death aura brought by that dark finger sword made all the hairs on his body stand on end!
He subconsciously wanted to use his magical power to defend, but trapped in a restrictive prison cage with his cultivation partially limited by special techniques, how could he completely block Han Yu's desperate killing blow?
However, in this split second—
Zhan Wuji's reaction was equally astonishing.
He saw Han Yu's movements, saw that finger sword shooting toward Ye Fan.
But his Heaven-Splitting Spear stabbing toward Han Yu's heart not only had no intention of helping save Ye Fan, but instead erupted with even more terrifying murderous aura and power!
He even curled his lips into a cruel smile of a successful scheme.
What did Ye Fan's life or death have to do with him, Zhan Wuji? Just a traitor, used up, and now dead.
If he could use Ye Fan's life as bait to severely wound or even kill Han Yu, an enemy core piece of this level, this deal was too worth it!
He was happy to see it! He even hoped Han Yu would divide more of his attention to kill Ye Fan!
"Die!" Zhan Wuji grinned ferociously, his long spear moving even faster! He wanted to take advantage of this moment when Han Yu's defense was weakest and his mind was most divided to pierce him completely!
Han Yu's Netherworld Finger Sword had reached three inches before Ye Fan's brow! Ye Fan's pupils rapidly contracted due to fear!
The tip of Zhan Wuji's Heaven-Splitting Spear had also touched Han Yu's chest robe, the sharp spear aura even piercing the skin, a drop of blood seeping out!
It seemed the outcome of Ye Fan's death and Han Yu's severe injury or even demise was inevitable!
At this critical moment—
A sudden change occurred!
"Clang—!"
A sword aura!
A sword aura not from Zhan Wuji, nor from Han Yu, nor from Ye Fan trapped in the prison cage!
This sword aura appeared without warning, as if born from thin air, arriving later but first! It was pure white, yet not holy, carrying an absolute sharpness to sever causality and destroy all dharmas, with a trace of indescribable... annihilation!
It didn't block Zhan Wuji's fatal spear, nor did it help Han Yu stabilize the shaky Heaven-Supporting Sword shadow.
It just, with incomparable precision and perfect timing, like a celestial descending from beyond the heavens, lay between Han Yu's fatal "Netherworld Finger Sword" and Ye Fan's brow!
Swoosh!
The dark finger sword violently collided with that pure white sword aura.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a light yet piercing sound, as if silk was being torn.
Han Yu's Netherworld Finger Sword, containing vast magical power and killing intent, before this seemingly plain pure white sword aura, was like a red-hot iron meeting ten-thousand-year-old profound ice.
The terrifying power and cold aura attached to it were rapidly melted, disintegrated, and returned to nothingness by the annihilation intent contained in the sword aura!
After resisting for just a moment, the Netherworld Finger Sword completely collapsed, turning into strands of pure primal energy, dissipating into the air.
And that pure white sword aura, after easily annihilating Han Yu's desperate blow, also seemed to exhaust its strength, trembling slightly before dissipating, as if it had never appeared.
But the effect it caused instantly overturned the situation in the entire dungeon!
Ye Fan had his life spared, terrified and gasping for breath, his face full of astonishment and lingering fear.
Han Yu's certain-kill blow was mysteriously dispelled, and with a thought, he recalled the power he had diverted, and the Heaven-Supporting Sword was strengthened again!
Just as Zhan Wuji's long-prepared Heaven-Splitting Spear, with no more obstacles, carried destructive force straight toward his chest!
Clang!
A loud sound.
Han Yu barely blocked Zhan Wuji's fatal blow, suffering only minor injuries.
But Zhan Wuji, the ferocious smile on his face suddenly froze, transforming into incomparable shock, anger, and a trace of disbelief!
Who?! Dared to interfere in his battle?! And ruined his calculations?!
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