Fierce Battle!

Rumble!! Scorching heavenly flames coalesced into a colossal domain spanning an entire hundred li across! This domain completely isolated the surrounding void. Meng Jiangchu had learned this trick from Li Guanqi, and here he used it to establish a battlefield for everyone to fight in. Moreover, due to Meng Jiangchu's involvement, this domain exerted tremendous suppression on the assassins from Sha. The instant the domain formed, the power of four heavenly flames gathered high in the firmament. The falling rain of fire transformed into fiery spirit swords that impaled countless Abyss Demons, and under the spreading blaze, the incinerating power denied these demons any chance to regenerate! Boom! Boom! Jiuxiao's massive form swept through the air, coiling its gargantuan body tightly around the barrier that enveloped Li Guanqi. Tucking its head into its coiled coils, it exposed only a pair of piercing eyes that glared intently in every direction. Jiuxiao's intention was plain: it had no intention of joining the fray. It knew full well what took priority—Li Guanqi's safety was paramount. As for the red-robed assassins below the four tiers of Chi, Mei, Wang, and Liang, they posed no real threat. A single sweep of the eight ink flood dragons' physical bodies was enough to slaughter more than a dozen of them! Buzz! Li Guanqi's avatar snapped open its eyes! "Destruction and rebirth..." "Indeed. When spring thunder cracks, does its devastation not simultaneously herald the renewal of all things?" Buzz! Crack! An inexplicable shattering sound seemed to ring out inside Li Guanqi's mind. At this moment, Li Guanqi finally comprehended the true essence of lightning primal energy, stepping fully into the state of spirit comprehension! Moreover, because he was situated directly within the thunder pool, his understanding of lightning's fundamental nature ran exceptionally deep. Having only just grasped the meaning of spirit comprehension, he directly broke through into the third tier of spirit comprehension! Nine tiers of spirit comprehension was the ultimate peak. The higher a Body Integration cultivator's level of spirit comprehension, the greater the killing power they could unleash! This was an alternate amplification of raw combat strength, independent of cultivation realm. Much like sword intent, it was formless and intangible, yet it allowed a cultivator to exert far greater might. The avatar took a single step forward. In a twist of space, it scattered into specks of light and vanished from the spot. Watching this scene, Lu Kangnian finally let out a long sigh of relief, though a profound loneliness lingered in his eyes. He knew very well that everyone was risking their lives and fighting for Li Guanqi's sake, yet in this moment, he could do nothing at all. Dejected, Lu Kangnian turned back to look at the flourishing Great Xia Sword Sect of today, and his gaze gradually hardened with resolve! He knew better than anyone what kind of repercussions his inward decision would bring. Lu Kangnian let out a quiet sigh. As the thought crossed his mind, his shoulders seemed to droop just a little lower... With slumping shoulders, the man clasped his hands behind his back and turned to walk toward the main hall. Internal strife within the Great Xia Sword Sect was practically nonexistent now, quelled by Li Guanqi's formidable presence and suppression. Furthermore, the existence of Guanyun Pavilion had thoroughly severed any rebellious ambitions. The Cloud Shadow Guards were a powerful deterrent on their own, and the intelligence network kept Tantai Yiting and his circle under unyielding surveillance. Great Xia today hardly seemed to need him, Lu Kangnian, to guard it anymore. He... also longed to travel the Six Domains. He longed to temper and elevate his own strength, rather than being cooped up every single day in the Great Xia Sword Sect managing trivial affairs, completely powerless to lend a hand when a crisis like this arose. This helpless feeling hurt him far more than any physical wound. Rumble! A full one hundred thousand spirit stones hovered around Li Guanqi. When the lightning blasted through the stones, it did not harm the runic barrier in the slightest! Gu Li seemed to sense something. Surprised, he glanced back at the barrier coiled within Jiuxiao's grasp. "What terrifying control... Has he reached spirit comprehension?" Buzz! The lightning sank downward, blanketing the entire interior of the barrier like a rising tide. The purple-black lightning was now translucent, gleaming like the crystalline skin of a grape, yet as it surged, it harbored power far greater than before. Boom! Li Guanqi's body acted like a funnel, guzzling the incomparably dense spiritual energy of his surroundings like a whale swallowing the sea. The clashes of battle echoed relentlessly on all sides. The eight ink flood dragons kept the vast majority of the enemies occupied. However, the remaining adversaries were no simple pushovers. Ye Feng and his companions found it taxing to hold them off alone. Slash! A cold flash flickered through the air. A longsword pierced clean through Ye Feng's left palm, but he used his own bones to firmly wedge the enemy's blade in place! Flames wrapped around the sword in his right hand. Positioning it defensively in front of Jiuxiao, he slashed upward with explosive force! The masked cultivator clearly had not expected Ye Feng to be so ruthless—to grab a blade head-on with his bare hand when there was nowhere left to dodge! Yet the opponent was no fool either. With a flick of his wrist, he instantly sliced Ye Feng's entire left palm clean off! "Die!" Yet it was precisely this miscalculation that brought a cold sneer to Ye Feng's lips as he rasped chillingly, "Why didn't you just follow through and take my head?" Before his voice had even faded, the sword in Ye Feng's hand, wreathed in the power of heavenly flame, cleaved straight upward! Slash! The masked man retreated frantically, yet he still failed to evade the strike! A terrifying golden sword beam infused with fire flashed and vanished in an instant. An arm still clutching a sword went flying into the air. A flicker of dread crossed the man's eyes. Had his reactions been even a fraction slower, he would not have lost merely an arm. The face behind the mask twitched. With vicious eyes, he snarled coldly, "Heh, I truly underestimated you." "You only just broke through to the Body Integration Realm, yet your foundation is so stable that the power you unleash actually rivals the peak of the early Body Integration Realm." Just as the words left his mouth, a spear thrust in from behind! The red-robed assassin hurriedly vaulted backward, flickering between light and shadow to cast several afterimages. Thud! A ghostly figure materialized beside him, and blue-purple flames instantly detonated with an overwhelming fist wind! Cao Yan swooped in low, his gaze sharp as a blade. His gauntlet remained fixed in its Apocalypse stance—dazzling yet savage. Planting his feet wide in the void, he forcibly arrested his forward momentum, glaring icily at the opponent as he barked, "Firmament Shatterer: Ten Thousand Mountains!!" Boom! Crash! A colossal fist wind of flame detonated instantly! Immense power surged in successive waves, sweeping in all directions with a heavy, suffocating fist intent. The man thrust out his hands to erect layers of dense primal energy barriers, yet his body was still flung backward uncontrollably. Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a sudden chill struck the back of his neck. A woman clad in an azure dress appeared behind him like a phantom. The sword in her hand spun swiftly around his neck! A burst of bone-chilling frost power erupted in an instant. Numbed for merely a split second, he knew nothing more. A head went flying high into the air. The four exchanged glances and immediately fell back to guard Li Guanqi's side. The entire encounter had unfolded in the blink of an eye, yet an assassin from Sha who had just stepped into the late Body Integration Realm had fallen beneath their coordinated assault. However, the enemy had far too many powerhouses. By now, three more had already closed in on Jiuxiao. Jiuxiao threw back its head and roared, its terrifying dragon breath sweeping across the area as lightning raged violently. Yet these three moved with blinding speed. Unable to shift its coiled body, Jiuxiao could not track their movements at all. In mere moments, fresh wounds covered Jiuxiao's hide. The slashes and thrusts steeped in demonic qi carried a corrosive potency. Jiuxiao trembled in agony, yet it did not budge an inch. Witnessing Jiuxiao's injuries, Pengluo's eyes went bloodshot with burning rage. Its body expanded until it was the height of a grown man. With purple markings glowing across its skin, it grabbed a hammer and plunged straight into the void interlayer. Cursing furiously under its breath, it muttered, "I'm going to hammer every single one of you today!!"