Nine Heavens Flame Devouring Art!

Boom! As Li Guanqi’s fierce shout echoed through heaven and earth, his previously flagging sword intent surged into the sky! It even showed faint signs of an imminent breakthrough. Seeing this, Chen Zhi felt his heart jolt violently. Originally, he had wanted to rely on his Sword Gall Realm sword intent to suppress Li Guanqi and utterly crush his Dao heart and will. He had never imagined it would backfire, instead allowing Li Guanqi to grope toward the threshold of sword intent's next stage: the Sword Gall Realm. Li Guanqi was still unaware that beneath his skin, several more of his hidden blood-colored lines were gradually fading away. Boom! Li Guanqi stamped forward, his figure lunging outward in a violent flash. In the blink of an eye, the two collided midair. Pitch-black fiery sword beams and lightning sword rays raged across the firmament. Below, the peaks of Yinming Valley burst apart one after another as the two figures flickered back and forth. Terrifying force erupted across the heavens; cold gleams flashed relentlessly, neither able to gain the upper hand over the other. Yet Li Guanqi knew that he had already fallen into a disadvantage. If Chen Zhi were given even the slightest breath of respite, he would step into the half-step Void Refinement Realm without hesitation. When that happened, Li Guanqi's chances of victory would dwindle to almost nothing. Both understood this, so neither dared let down his guard in the slightest. With nerves stretched taut, the two clashed continuously in the air, trading hundreds of blows with every collision. Li Guanqi’s left-handed sword was blindingly fast—so fast that Chen Zhi could only dodge on pure instinct. Before long, numerous new wounds marked Chen Zhi's body. Li Guanqi was having a rough time as well. Chen Zhi’s swordplay was bizarre and erratic, his blade slithering like a spirit serpent with every strike defying comprehension. Twisting at the waist, Li Guanqi thrust his sword back under his own arm! Chen Zhi happened to be right behind Li Guanqi, completely unable to see the angle of the blade after that flick of the wrist. At their level, unless one possessed exceptionally formidable divine sense, it was impossible to keep up with their sword strikes. Pfft! The blade pierced straight through Chen Zhi's chest! Chen Zhi slammed a palm into Li Guanqi’s back, sending both hurtling apart across dozens of zhang. Chen Zhi stood in place, panting heavily. The flesh of his chest was shredded and mangled into a bloody mess by the sword qi. Had his reactions not been swift enough to use primal energy to shift his heart two finger-widths away the moment the sword broke his skin, that single thrust would have claimed his life! When he looked at Li Guanqi again, the expression in his eyes completely changed. He hadn’t expected Li Guanqi to be so vicious in combat, completely willing to trade wound for life... Li Guanqi’s eye twitched as well. He hadn’t expected Chen Zhi to be this troublesome either—especially the man’s attainment on the path of the sword. Compared to his own, it wasn't the least bit inferior, and was perhaps even a fraction superior. "Flash Lightning!" Whoosh! Chen Zhi’s eyes went wide. His vision blurred, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a flash of lightning in the air. Raising his arm, he thrust his sword forward with violent force. Bang! A heavy fist slammed directly into his face! The punch dazed him completely. His mouth flew open as he sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood mixed with several teeth. His nose collapsed, blood gushing forth... Li Guanqi’s voice rang out slowly, thick with murderous intent. "That punch was just a bit of interest for Ning Xiu's death. "Rest assured, I will carve you with a thousand cuts before letting you die in agony." Chen Zhi managed to steady himself with great difficulty and sneered. "What? I told you that little wench was your old flame, and you wouldn't admit it. "Ptui..." Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Chen Zhi's expression gradually darkened. Forming a one-handed seal with his left hand, the primal energy surging within him caused his pressure to skyrocket once more! Li Guanqi held back no longer. The speed of his left-handed sword accelerated yet again! In an instant, the two tangled in fierce battle. Thunderclouds gathered across the firmament, and Thunder Spears crackled with light. Several lightning serpents lunged toward Chen Zhi to bind him! Even as he struck with his sword, Chen Zhi released boundless fiery power to crush and extinguish the lightning serpents. Dodging the Thunder Spears plunging from the heavens, he suddenly forced Li Guanqi back with a vicious sword strike. "Xuanming: Flame Dance Slash!!!" Boom! Terrifying black flames erupted as hundreds of black-flame sword beams burst forth in rapid succession! Within a thirty-zhang radius, the void was instantly sliced into countless pitch-black spatial rifts. Li Guanqi kept low, utterly unflustered by the sword beams closing in from all around. His sword carved an enigmatic arc through the air and slashed out in an instant. He whispered softly, "Heaven Breaker Sword Art: Demon Subduer!" At the same time, Red Lotus flared with an eerie crimson radiance. As the Sword Ruins hummed, Red Lotus's killing power reached its pinnacle, and the plundered Blade Break ability revealed itself alongside it! Boom! Sword light wrapped in purplish-black lightning bloomed within the dark night, its terrifying might matching his opponent's sword momentum blow for blow. The collision unleashed a barrage of thunderous roars, and the staggering force blasted both men hundreds of zhang away. Yet at the very instant the flames burst, Li Guanqi, still suspended in midair, narrowed his eyes slightly. "Demon Shadow Slash: Dark Night!" In a flash, the dazzling night sky abruptly darkened, as though all light had been stripped from heaven and earth. Chen Zhi’s eyes went wide. With his mangled right hand, he abruptly reversed his blade and unleashed a heaven-shaking sword ray! The black-flame sword ray was a full hundred zhang wide. With his primal energy surging wildly, Chen Zhi's eyes looked ready to split at the corners, veins bulging across his forehead. "Yinming: Flame Infiltration!!!" Boom! Within Li Guanqi's body, the flames of Yinming abruptly ignited in his heart! They forcibly interrupted the sword strike he had already unleashed. Pitch-black flames suddenly burst out of him, terrifying fire threatening to burn his entire being to ash. Li Guanqi’s eyes flickered, and the Purple Dragon Thunder Flame within him erupted instantly! That sensation... was like a proud overlord being provoked. Terrifying flame power flared across the vault of heaven in an instant! In the span of a lightning flash, it completely devoured the Yinming Profound Flame within his body. Chen Zhi roared in terror and fury, "It really is on you!!!" Immediately afterward, the flames within Chen Zhi surged forth like mad, releasing their flame origin power with total abandon. With a manic grin on his face, Chen Zhi violently crushed a tooth in his mouth! Boom! Rumble, rumble, rumble! Chen Zhi's aura instantly broke through the shackles of the Soul Formation Realm, stepping straight into half-step Void Refinement. Unfurling his flame domain, he forcibly seized half of the void within Li Guanqi’s Sword Prison. Clapping his hands together, he formed a complex hand seal. A flame insignia suddenly manifested between Chen Zhi's brows. "Nine Heavens Flame Devouring Art!!!" "Hahahaha! The Purple Dragon Thunder Flame is mine!!!" A bizarre sight unfolded... The Purple Dragon Thunder Flame inside Li Guanqi was actually drawn by a strange aura. The origin of that power shared characteristics with the Yinming Profound Flame. It appeared abruptly inside his body, voraciously consuming the flame origin of his Purple Dragon Thunder Flame! Li Guanqi's pupils constricted slightly. "This art... is considerably stronger than the Flame Devouring Art." The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward into an unfathomable cold smile. He slowly drew his left-handed sword back to his waist, while a sheath of lightning materialized abruptly in the palm of his right hand. Terrifying power began wildly accumulating within the scabbard!