Flame Art: Spirit-Burning Blood!

Li Guanqi took a deep breath. Wild lightning power coalesced around Lu Kangnian, laying down several layers of formidable sealing barriers. Having done all this, Li Guanqi actually sat down back-to-back with Lu Kangnian. Hum!! Spirit-Devouring Dao Physique, power of Spirit Absolution!! Thousands of blood-red threads unfurled outward! Though of the same crimson hue, Li Guanqi's blood threads lacked any sickening stench of gore. Instead, they carried a sacred, noble aura. This immediately soothed the uneasy disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect. The blood threads shot forth like arrows, swiftly enveloping every disciple. Tightly knitting his brows, Li Guanqi let out a low, solemn bark. "Spirit Absolution: Severance!" Boom!!! A tempestuous power surged outward. The blood fiend power inside the Great Xia Sword Sect disciples began to retreat in sheer panic, like mice fleeing a cat. Li Guanqi felt a burst of joy, breathing a quiet sigh of relief to see that it was genuinely working. In his judgment, the enemy's blood python was being controlled by Duan Xian through some sort of secret art. Since the control hinged on divine soul manipulation, it posed little problem for Li Guanqi. All he needed to do was completely obliterate every trace of blood fiend power within all the disciples! Boom!!! Countless bolts of lightning turned into hairline arcs, burrowing into the disciples' bodies. Overbearing lightning began coursing through their meridians. Everywhere the lightning passed, all blood fiend power was crushed to oblivion! At this rate, within thirty breaths, Li Guanqi would be able to completely sever the connection between the disciples and the blood python! Yet... since the disciples' auras were linked to the blood python, how could Duan Xian fail to notice what was happening? Duan Xian's eyes narrowed into slits, cold glints flashing deep within them. "Heh, you have some tricks after all..." "In that case, all of you can die!" With those words, Duan Xian swept his gaze across the distant reaches of the domain. With a wave of his hand, boundless crimson flooded the void. Several blood pools hidden in the shadows abruptly detonated. Viscous blood turned into an expansive sea of gore, surging toward the blood python! Bolstered by this influx of blood, the python opened its maw and roared deafeningly. As the pool blood merged into it, its body swelled rapidly, ballooning from a hundred zhang to a full three hundred zhang! Before such a colossal form, an ordinary person appeared utterly infinitesimal—just as a cultivator looked down upon a mere ant. After a brief hesitation, Duan Xian still chose to invoke the power of the Ancient Spirit-Burning Ring! "Flame Art: Spirit-Burning Blood!" His hands formed incantation signs with blinding speed, and violent, crimson flames flooded the void. He slapped a palm onto the blood python's brow, and in an instant, the flames deepened in color. The void began to warp and collapse, entirely unable to bear this immense power! Duan Xian's face paled slightly as his aura fluctuated violently. Only after standing still for a long while to steady himself did he slowly open his eyes. A puff of white vapor drifted from his lips, his gaze glinting with murderous intent! If Li Guanqi had been able to probe Duan Xian's body at this moment, he would have discovered that nearly half of Duan Xian's internal organs were already charred by flames! His blackened organs were already teetering on the brink of total collapse. This was precisely why Duan Xian had chosen to reemerge and risk everything to obtain the Ancient Spirit-Burning Ring. His Flame Art required the suppression of the ring. Moreover, the Ancient Spirit-Burning Ring could amplify his power of laws. With that thought in mind, Duan Xian forcefully seized the blood python's massive head, bit through his fingers, and inscribed a profound, intricate talisman upon its brow. In a flash, Duan Xian's consciousness sank into the python. He "saw" barrier after barrier, and he also "saw" Li Guanqi channeling mysterious power to sever the connection between the beast and the disciples. With a cold snort, he drove the blood python's power to even greater heights! Crack, crack, crack, crack! Lu Kangnian's throat went dry as the sharp sounds of the lightning barriers shattering echoed in his ears. Once these domains crumbled, he would be forced to bear the brunt of that full onslaught alone! Lu Kangnian drew a deep breath. He knew well the vast gulf in cultivation between himself and Duan Xian. With a cultivation at the peak of the mid Mahayana realm, facing someone in the mid Tribulation Transcendence realm was nothing short of facing overwhelming suppression. Over the years, with the help of Li Guanqi and Guanyun Pavilion, the Great Xia Sword Sect had never lacked cultivation resources. Lu Kangnian's cultivation had advanced rapidly, yet at this moment, a profound sense of helplessness washed over him. His sea of consciousness quivered faintly, and he used his formidable spiritual sense to forcibly suppress the turmoil in his mind. In just a dozen breaths, the domain space shattered completely! A cold sneer curved the corner of Duan Xian's mouth. Once the domain broke, Lu Kangnian alone would not hold out for long. When that happened, Li Guanqi would not only fail to save the disciples, but he would also drag Lu Kangnian down with them. Duan Xian's aim in doing this was to achieve victory without shedding his own blood. Furthermore, his ultimate goal was to claim the Ancient Spirit-Burning Ring! The moment Li Guanqi felt the domain shatter, he quickened the movements of his hands. By now, only half of the residual blood fiend power remained within the disciples. Yet he knew that once the domain collapsed, their remaining defenses would not hold out for long. By his own estimate, Lu Kangnian only needed to hold on for the final three breaths! Those three breaths would also be the most crucial. Boom, boom, boom, crack! Lightning surged, yet it remained powerless to halt the raging blood fiend energy and flames. Now fused together, the flames and blood fiend power were potent enough to burn primal energy to cinders—a truly terrifying capability. As time ticked away, Li Guanqi also approached the final juncture. Lu Kangnian had erected no fewer than a thousand layers of primal energy barriers! Crack! The instant the final protective barrier Li Guanqi had left behind shattered, Lu Kangnian erupted with an overwhelmingly formidable pressure of primal energy! Boom!!! The earthy yellow barriers instantly blazed with brilliant light. Yet how could Duan Xian, who had grasped the power of laws, be so easily resisted? Boom, boom, boom! Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack! The shattering sounds pattered like jade pearls falling onto a silver platter, an unbroken cascade of destruction. Lu Kangnian breathed heavily in tension, his forehead drenched in sweat. When the final incantation barrier fell, Lu Kangnian at last faced Duan Xian's power directly. In just a single clash, several hundred layers of primal energy barriers were obliterated! Such terrifying speed sent a chill down Lu Kangnian's spine, filling him with utter horror. Yet no matter how desperately he channeled primal energy, the shattering sounds showed no sign of stopping. In the end, he managed to hold out for merely a single breath! When the very last barrier cracked apart, an endless river of blood and flame was about to engulf Li Guanqi. In that split second, Lu Kangnian abruptly rose and spread his arms wide, shielding Li Guanqi beneath him! Milky-white flames ignited across his skin, and Lu Kangnian's aura surged straight into the late Mahayana realm. He then swallowed a Violent Spirit Pill, forcing his power all the way to the peak late Mahayana realm! The strength gained by burning his own life force was terrifyingly vast, actually managing to block all that incoming power. Lu Kangnian's features twisted into a grimace of agony, his face turning a deep, choked reddish-purple. The robes on his back were incinerated to ash in a flash. His entire back was laid bare, a mangled blur of scorched flesh and burns. At the same time, flames engulfed the internal organs within Lu Kangnian's body. No matter how frantically he circulated his primal energy to protect his heart vessels, it was entirely in vain. Yet the man clamped his teeth together, standing as unyielding and motionless as a towering mountain.