"What a domineering sword art!"
The sword net shattered, but the old man in white was not annoyed. Instead, it ignited his fighting spirit, and he finally saw Zhang Fan as a true opponent.
Facing this sword that tore through the void for thousands of miles and gathered millions of rules, the old man in white's expression became more solemn. While marveling at Zhang Fan's talent, his inner desire grew even stronger.
"Xiao Qian Sword Formation, emerge!"
The old man in white formed a peculiar hand seal, and a sword-shaped mark appeared on his brow. Then, over a thousand flying swords shot out from it. Each flying sword contained the power of his soul and rules. Under his control, they formed a massive sword formation.
Within the sword formation, flying swords crisscrossed. Each flying sword was a high-grade spirit treasure-level magic weapon. When fully combined, the power they unleashed was enough to make cultivators at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage tremble.
The sword of rules and the Xiao Qian Sword Formation collided with a thunderous roar. The immense power caused both to explode simultaneously, emitting a deafening sound. The seawater below surged up hundreds of feet, and waves continuously spread outwards, like a tsunami erupting.
"Exhilarating, again!"
Although fully mobilizing nearly two million threads of rule power was a significant drain on Zhang Fan, his current cultivation base could still withstand it. He hadn't experienced such a thrilling battle in a long time, and a worthy opponent had ignited his fighting spirit.
As the rules of the Sword Dao and Lightning Dao converged, Zhang Fan unleashed the eighth sword of the Wordless Sword Manual once more, slashing towards the old man in white.
"Condense!"
The flying swords that had been blown away earlier were once again manipulated by the old man in white to form a massive sword formation, meeting the giant sword of rules.
Rumble!
Neither of them showed fatigue. Zhang Fan, with his advantage in the number of Dao rules, continuously unleashed swords of rules, while the old man in white, unafraid, used the power of his soul and rules to repeatedly condense sword formations to resist head-on.
Their battlefield was like two cannons firing at each other, their collisions emitting earth-shattering roars, shocking Liu Mu and the others who were engaged in a fierce battle in the distance.
"The Grand Elder is at the Half-step Nascent Divinity realm. His magical power is far superior to Zhang Fan's. Even if he can exert the strength of a Half-step Nascent Divinity by relying on the power of Dao rules, he has not yet reached that realm. He is destined to lose!" Zhao Nanqiang and Nangong Pu, while attacking, did not forget to taunt Liu Mu.
Upon hearing this, Liu Mu couldn't help but let out a cold, mocking sneer.
He had witnessed Zhang Fan's methods many times. When he was at the early stage of the Nine Tribulations realm, Zhang Fan already possessed the strength of a Half-step Nascent Divinity. Now that Zhang Fan had broken through to the middle stage of the Nine Tribulations realm, Liu Mu couldn't even imagine how miserably that old man would die when Zhang Fan unleashed his full power, recalling the scene of his breakthrough.
"Is this all the Flying Immortal Mansion and the Black Sand Cave Heaven are capable of? Even two peak Nascent Soul cultivators working together cannot deal with a junior like me who has just entered the Nine Tribulations realm. Yet you still have the nerve to speak to me, truly laughable!" Liu Mu mercilessly belittled the two.
"Hmph, it's merely thanks to the power of an immortal treasure. If I had an immortal treasure in hand, I could have killed you with a single move!" Nangong Pu's mouth was stiff, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration. They had cultivated to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage for over a hundred years but had not obtained a single immortal treasure.
Yet this young cultivator, who had just broken through to the Nine Tribulations realm, possessed an immortal treasure.
"Once I kill you, I'll naturally have one," Zhao Nanqiang said with a sneer, his thoughts unhidden.
"What's an immortal treasure? Regardless, you two will die today. I'll let you open your eyes." Liu Mu suddenly retreated rapidly, a strange smile appearing on his face, which made Nangong Pu and Zhao Nanqiang feel an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
"Show us whatever means you have, don't try to bluff!" Zhao Nanqiang shouted, but he gave Liu Mu no chance to breathe, lunging forward with his fingers forming claws, attempting to block his retreat.
Nangong Pu, understanding his intention, attacked Liu Mu from the left, giving him no chance to withdraw.
However, as the two approached within three feet of Liu Mu, they suddenly sensed a peculiar power that made their hearts tremble and their souls involuntarily shake.
"Today, I'll test the might of my Great Dao Secret Treasure on you two. I originally intended to sharpen it on that old man, but it's all thanks to Zhang Fan for not letting me have him. Peak Nascent Soul cultivators can only barely suffice."
In the Great Luo Realm, the Great Luo Artifact Spirit offered them six Great Dao Secret Treasures to choose from. Among them were two sword artifacts: one heavy sword and one sharp sword.
Unexpectedly to the Great Luo Artifact Spirit, Liu Mu, who appeared refined and gentle, chose the heavy sword.
The heavy sword was without a sharp edge, entirely black, and named "Wanjun."
When Liu Mu took out the Wanjun Sword, Nangong Pu and Zhao Nanqiang both felt their hearts churn. A formless power seemed to be pressing down on them, making it difficult to breathe, and their cultivation techniques slowed down by a notch.
"Is that a Great Dao Secret Treasure?" Nangong Pu, Zhao Nanqiang, and others lacked sufficient knowledge to recognize the treasure. However, the old man in white, who was fighting Zhang Fan in the distance, recognized it and was instantly overjoyed.
At this moment, on the Great Luo Sea, he was the only one who had reached the Half-step Nascent Divinity realm. Although Zhang Fan could fight him to a draw, he believed that if the battle continued, Zhang Fan would be the first to run out of stamina.
As for Zhao Nanqiang and Nangong Pu, they were merely at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. How dare they contend with him for treasures?
"You old fellow, don't let treasures cloud your judgment. It's not just him who has a Great Dao Secret Treasure; I have one too," Zhang Fan shouted.
The old man in white suddenly understood, "So the opportunity in the third level of the Great Luo Hall was to obtain a Great Dao Secret Treasure. However, with your strength, how much of the Great Dao Secret Treasure's power can you exert? It would be a waste to keep it in your hands."
Upon hearing that Zhang Fan also possessed a Great Dao Secret Treasure, the old man in white could no longer contain himself. He had originally intended to wear Zhang Fan down with his vast magical power and soul rule advantage, but his heart was already stirring with uncontrollable excitement.
After all, it was a legendary Great Dao Secret Treasure, a divine weapon that only legendary powerful beings could forge. Perhaps it contained the secret to his breakthrough to the Nascent Divinity stage.
With this thought, his resolve strengthened, and he decided not to delay any longer, to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.
"Emerge!"
As he mobilized the soul rules within his sea of consciousness, flying swords imbued with his soul power shot out from the mark on his brow, once again forming a Xiao Qian Sword Formation.
"You can block one sword formation, but how about two?"
Two sword formations, imbued with great terrifying power, hovered in front of the old man in white. Within the sword formations, sword qi raged. Under the traction of the soul rules, the two sword formations moved in tandem, attracting and repelling each other. The space in the middle was torn apart, creating a giant spatial rift that extended towards Zhang Fan.
Under the terrifying power, space itself seemed to be suppressed. The two sword formations attacked from the left and right. Once trapped within them, even a cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage would be instantly shredded into nothingness.