A flash of red light flared beneath Guan Qingyun's feet; instead of retreating, he surged forward, flitting toward Li Guanqi in an instant!
Sword light scattered in all directions across the arena, the clashing of the two blades fusing into a relentless, deafening din.
*Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!!*
*Clink, clatter! Bang, bang!*
Both possessed profound comprehension of the sword dao, executing countless variations of even the most fundamental sword stances and forms.
It was not merely the swinging of swords; in the brief intervals between strikes, their fists, feet, knees, and elbows all became the fiercest attacks crashing toward one another!
Waves of surging air rippled outward from between them.
The spectators held their breath at the sight, not daring to blink for fear of missing a single exchange.
Even some cultivators newly stepped into the Core Formation realm muttered in disbelief:
"If it were purely a contest of the sword dao, even I might not beat these two..."
Many Foundation Establishment realm cultivators watched with their mouths agape in shock.
"Is... is this really something Foundation Establishment cultivators can achieve?!"
A white robe snapped loudly in the air.
Terrifying force transmitted through their swords into their hands. In just a few breaths, the webbing between both their thumbs and index fingers tore open!
Blood dyed their right hands red, yet their offensives only grew increasingly fierce.
Wild sword light struck toward one another like driving rain.
Every strike was lethal!
Fighting spirit surged within the depths of both their hearts!
*Clang, clang, clang, clang!!*
Guan Qingyun's offensive was sweeping and grand, carrying the imposing momentum of one man holding a mountain pass against ten thousand!
His sword forms leaned heavily toward cleaving and chopping, while Li Guanqi's forms shifted through endless permutations, his sword momentum alternating between ethereal lightness and heavy strikes.
There were also plenty of exceedingly deceitful feints.
*Thwack! Slash!*
Before long, several fresh sword wounds marked each of their bodies!
Fortunately, both possessed lightning-fast reflexes, suffering only minor cuts.
Gleams of light flashed restlessly in Guan Qingyun's tiger-like eyes, and the momentum of the sword in his hand abruptly shifted!
His already indomitable sword momentum suddenly surged with even greater ferocity!
The sword in Guan Qingyun's hand erupted with a blinding red glow as he roared,
"Setting Sun Flame Sword!!"
A streak of crimson sword light wound around Li Guanqi's blade and shot straight for his eyes!
Even a foot away before the sword light reached him, Li Guanqi felt a scorching aura!
Li Guanqi was taken aback inwardly, not expecting his opponent's fire spiritual root to be so pure.
Just the origin power alone radiated the searing heat of real flame.
Li Guanqi retreated in rapid succession as Guan Qingyun's sword light pressed closely step by step.
At the same time, Guan Qingyun actually took out several talismans and slapped them onto his body. As the talismans flared with light, Li Guanqi felt an unprecedented sense of pressure!
Watching this, Zhao Beichen murmured under his breath, "Can you withstand this wave of attacks?"
The Setting Sun Flaming Sun Sword Art—a sword manual in Xuanmen Palace comparable to the low-grade Earth rank!
Paired with a fire spiritual root, it could unleash its maximum power.
Clearly, Guan Qingyun had brought this synergy to its utmost limit!
A full seventy-two strikes!
The speed of Li Guanqi's blade reached his limit—seven strikes in a single breath!!
Yet, as Li Guanqi raised his sword to fend off the fiery crimson sword light, he noticed Guan Qingyun's left hand, hidden beneath his sleeve, twitch slightly.
An intense premonition of danger sent a chill through his heart.
*Boom!!*
Behind Li Guanqi, three fiery red spirit swords abruptly appeared, shooting violently toward him!!
The moment his divine sense acutely caught the anomaly, Li Guanqi braved the risk of injury and snapped his left hand into rapid seals!!
Guan Qingyun barked, "Spirit Incantation: Two Hundred and Seventy-Six, Three Flame Swords!!"
The three flaming spirit swords darted in a triangular formation toward Li Guanqi's back.
*Zzz-zzz!!*
A Thunder Whip lashed behind him in an instant!!
*Bang, bang, bang!!*
*Boom!!!*
Terrifying explosions went off in succession across the arena!
After a dozen-odd breaths, the billowing dust in the ring slowly cleared.
Every pair of eyes stared fixedly at the figures emerging through the smoke and dust.
Li Guanqi stood at the edge of the arena platform, blood dripping continuously from both arms.
Dozens of zhang away, Guan Qingyun was in no better shape; a lash mark from the Thunder Whip crossed his face, leaving his cheek blackened and charred.
Over a dozen sword cuts covered his body.
Even after unleashing the Setting Sun Flame Sword, he still hadn't completely blocked his opponent's blindingly fast strikes!
The sheer speed at which both of them cast their spirit incantations shocked everyone even further.
For others, casting a spirit incantation required channeling origin power and steadying one's state of mind.
In their hands, however, the spells were released as effortlessly as pre-drawn talismans.
Blood soaked Guan Qingyun's robes crimson. His gaze toward Li Guanqi brimmed with grim gravity.
His opponent was far stronger than he had imagined.
Not only had Li Guanqi felt the pressure, but Guan Qingyun felt an unprecedented suffocation!
That terrifying sword speed left lingering fear in his heart even now.
Guan Qingyun wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his right hand still trembling slightly as his eyes locked onto Li Guanqi. In a deep voice, he said:
"I admit I looked down on you before! You really are strong!"
Yet right at that moment, dense, dark clouds had gathered in the sky above without anyone realizing!
Amid the churning mass of heavy clouds, arcs of lightning constantly crackled through the gloom.
Suddenly, the figure within the smoke slowly raised his arm and crooked a finger.
Eyes cold and sharp, Li Guanqi roared, "Array Breaker: Thunder Spear!!"
*Rumble—!!*
Thunder churned in an instant, and a spear of lightning, shimmering purple from tip to tail, plunged down from the heavens!
*Thud!!*
The thunder spear pierced right through the formation barrier without the slightest hindrance, striking straight at Guan Qingyun!
*Boom!!!*
The massive arena platform trembled violently as the blue flagstones within ten zhang around Guan Qingyun shattered to pieces!!
Refusing to give his foe an inch, Li Guanqi surged forward in an instant, sword in hand!!
The sheathed blade did not allow anyone to lower their guard in the slightest.
Anyone could tell that when that sheathed sword was drawn again, it would be a thunderous strike!!
*Boom!!*
A visible streak of searing flame sword light flashed through the smoke and dust!!
"Rushing Thunder!!!"
*Clang!! Boom!!*
Li Guanqi was instantly flung dozens of zhang, his feet skidding across the platform for nearly twenty zhang before he finally stabilized himself!
*Pfft!!*
Coughing up a mouthful of churning blood, the unnaturally flushed youth slowly raised his head to look forward!
Standing proud, Guan Qingyun bore a gruesome wound where his shoulder near his left chest had been pierced clean through!
Yet the sword in Guan Qingyun's hand now burned with ripples of crimson flame.
Licking the blood at the corner of his lips, Guan Qingyun said with a ferocious grimace, "I never imagined the one to push me this far would be you!"
Li Guanqi's pupils contracted to the size of pinpricks!!
That sword, burning crimson all over with flames, was precisely a special ability granted to an artifact soul by the sword ruins!
"This guy actually awakened a sword spirit ruins too!"
Elders from dozens of sects stared at the sight with shock in their eyes.
In contrast, the disciples of the Great Xia Sword Sect wore calm, collected expressions.
In their hearts, perhaps Li Guanqi at this moment was like an invincible god of war; they firmly believed he would never lose to Guan Qingyun.
Gazing at this scene, Li Guanqi's eyes narrowed slightly and his brow furrowed as he thought to himself:
*What is his soul armament's ability...?*
Feeling that nearly half of the origin power within his body was already depleted, Li Guanqi drew a slow, deep breath and actually closed his eyes!
"Sword Ruins, open!!!"
*Boom!!!*
Chapter 136