Chapter 117: A Powerful Strike

“Give it your all! Let me control the power!” Shangguan Yu shouted fiercely. There was no other way now but to fight with everything he had.

The strength of the six gathered once again through the formation, converging in one place. Shangguan Yu’s robes billowed wildly as he thrust his long sword twice in quick succession, the radiant light coalescing into sharp, cutting sword energy.

Almost simultaneously, two sword auras charged at him collided with his own!

The explosive sound echoed across the sky. Shangguan Yu had exerted his utmost, evenly dividing the combined strength of the six into two parts, holding back the dual assault.

However, the vast gap in cultivation levels was undeniable. Amidst the spreading shockwave, all but Shangguan Yu were thrown far back, each spitting blood as they suffered grievous injuries.

Though Shangguan Yu remained standing, he staggered backward over ten steps, his face pale as death, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

“I didn’t expect there to be another cultivator at the Fusion Realm, but one alone is still not enough! All of you, die! He’s mine; you go kill the others!” one of the evil cultivators said with a sinister grin.

Another smirked lightly, sword in hand, striding towards the five severely injured.

Shangguan Yu frowned and gritted his teeth, thrusting his long sword like a bolt of lightning. At the moment of thrust, it split into two streams of light, attacking both assailants simultaneously.

But when he cast the formation, his true qi had already linked with Xiao Leng and the others, so he too bore some injuries.

If he were at his peak, dealing with one opponent would still be extremely difficult, let alone now. The evil cultivator who had spoken flicked his finger, releasing a black radiance that blocked the sword qi aimed at his companion.

Then, his long sword shot forward, parrying the sword qi striking him. The two sword auras were effortlessly dispelled, leaving no opening for Shangguan Yu to strike. His attacks came in relentless waves, crashing upon Shangguan Yu like the tide.

Pushed back step by step, Shangguan Yu found no way to counter and was overwhelmed with chaos in his heart.

Another Fusion Realm cultivator, seeing Shangguan Yu ensnared by his comrades, glanced sharply over Xiao Leng and the others, finally resting his gaze on the jade-like cheek of Liu Xiaoxiao, pausing slightly.

“Such a beautiful little beauty—it would be a pity to kill you like this. Heh heh, why not come with me? Maybe you’ll still live!” the Fusion Realm cultivator laughed heartily.

“Dream on!” Chen Long couldn’t help but curse aloud.

“Hm?” The Fusion Realm cultivator furrowed his brow and waved his arm slightly. A tremendous force roared out, striking the fallen Chen Long and sending his body flying once again.

“Ungrateful. Then your life is mine first!” A flash of murderous intent ignited in the cultivator’s eyes. His sword thrust out, the sword qi condensing into a black pillar, aimed straight at Chen Long suspended in midair.

Chen Long, floating in the air, sensed that terrifying aura and tried to summon his true qi to defend. But his meridians burned painfully as if set aflame, and he couldn’t gather even a fraction of true qi. Helplessly, he watched the sword qi hurtling toward him.

At this critical moment, a dazzling golden beam shot out from the side, carrying an unstoppable, overwhelming momentum. It struck the black sword qi mere fractions away from hitting Chen Long.

The golden sword qi’s impact caused the dark blade to veer off, just grazing Chen Long’s shoulder as it passed through two evil disciples’ bodies.

Simultaneously, three figures burst forth, standing before Chen Long and the others—none other than Long Yun, Yan Qingqing, and Xu Xian.

As they hurried forward, Xu Xian had changed into clean clothes, shaved his beard, and tidied his hair, so his appearance did not arouse suspicion from the Qingzong cultivators.

“It’s Long Yun!” Chen Long fell to the ground, injured and battered, but a faint smile crept across his lips. This guy always showed up unexpectedly in the nick of time, saving him from a false alarm.

Seeing Long Yun, Shangguan Yu’s mood relaxed slightly. Long Yun’s cultivation, along with the woman beside him, was unfathomably deep. He trusted they could easily withstand the evil cultivators.

Accompanying Long Yun was a middle-aged man whose cultivation Shangguan Yu couldn’t discern. He appeared to be a master from some sect, though which one was uncertain.

But since he appeared alongside Long Yun, it was likely he stood on the side of righteousness.

“Who have you killed?” The Fusion Realm cultivator scowled, his expression darkening especially as he looked at Xu Xian and Yan Qingqing with caution.

After all, Long Yun was only at the Innate And Qi Realm; Yan Qingqing, though equal in level, exuded a stronger aura than himself; and the middle-aged man’s cultivation was utterly inscrutable.

Hence, the cultivator’s face grew increasingly unpleasant.

Long Yun spoke softly, “Master Ancestor, no need to act for now. Let’s avoid alerting Qingzong and stirring the hornet’s nest. I’ll go assist Lord Shangguan. Qingqing, you take care of this fellow—beat him first, then finish him off.”

Yan Qingqing nodded without hesitation, her slender figure flickering as Nine-Turn Heavenly Fire condensed into a long sword in her palm, launching an attack at the Fusion Realm cultivator.

Xu Xian also nodded, glancing toward Shangguan Yu, their eyes meeting.

When Xu Xian had just appeared, Shangguan Yu had already sensed the familiar aura emanating from him. But when Xu Xian disappeared years ago, Shangguan Yu was only about eighteen and had little clear memory of him.

“Clang!” The Qinghe Wufeng Sword unsheathed, radiating an unstoppable momentum as it joined Shangguan Yu’s battle circle.

Long Yun refrained from unleashing powerful techniques. Instead, he employed the Stellar Absolute Killing Sword Technique, releasing streams of chaotic stellar flows from his blade, blending meteors with sword qi.

In midair, these strange arcs traced eerie trajectories, as if following some mystical celestial law, aiming for the back of the Fusion Realm cultivator fighting Shangguan Yu.

“Sneaking around, is all you can do to ambush?” The evil cultivator barely regarded Long Yun as a threat. To him, a youth at the Innate And Qi Realm was nothing but an ant, unworthy of his attention.

He forced Shangguan Yu to retreat with one sword thrust while swinging back his blade. The sword qi became crashing waves, skillfully weaving through the gaps in Long Yun’s sword qi, attempting to shatter each meteor-like strike from the side.

Yet, as he thrust his sword, he suddenly felt the terrifying power of Long Yun’s technique. He had expected a crushing strike but found his blade momentarily stuck, slowed by a viscous force.

Long Yun’s meteor sword qi was not just an attack method but contained a special realm. The gaps between sword qi were filled with a mysterious force.

This force caused his sword qi to slow down several times, though he had only used about sixty or seventy percent of his strength. Still, it shocked him deeply.

Long Yun had anticipated his arrogance and planned a follow-up move. Seizing the moment when his opponent was stunned, he unleashed the Seven Draconic Steps.

Seven strides taken! His speed soared to the extreme. The Stellar Absolute Killing Sword transformed again into sharp meteor sword qi, enveloping his adversary completely.

“Break through for me!” The evil cultivator’s eyes were bloodshot with fury. Being driven into such a desperate state by an Innate And Qi Realm youth was utterly disgraceful.

Though he admitted Long Yun’s sword moves were exquisite, he knew the greatest gap between them was in their cultivation depth.

One force overcomes ten! With a roar, a black sword qi slashed out fiercely, scattering Long Yun’s sword qi and shattering the celestial arcs he had formed!

Long Yun staggered back, using retreat to absorb some of the incoming force.

As the light faded, before the evil cultivator could react, Shangguan Yu seized the moment to thrust his sword without mercy, aiming directly at the back of the cultivator’s heart.

This was the opportunity Shangguan Yu had been waiting for.