"What a domineering sword technique!"
The sword net shattered, but the old man in white was not annoyed. Instead, his fighting spirit was ignited. Only now did he truly regard Zhang Fan as an 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 turned serious. While marveling at his talent, his inner desire grew even stronger.
"Xiao Qian Sword Formation, emerge!"
The old man in white formed a peculiar hand seal. A sword-shaped mark appeared on his brow, and then over a thousand flying swords flew out. Each flying sword contained his soul's rule power. Under his control, they formed a massive sword formation.
Within the sword formation, flying swords crisscrossed. Each flying sword was a high-grade spiritual treasure, and when fully combined, the power unleashed was enough to make even peak Nascent Soul cultivators tremble.
The Sword of Rules and the Xiao Qian Sword Formation collided violently. The immense power caused both to explode, emitting a deafening roar. Below, the sea water surged up a hundred-zhang wave, and tides continuously spread outwards like a tsunami.
"Satisfying, again!"
Although fully mobilizing nearly two million strands of rule power had cost Zhang Fan a considerable amount, his current cultivation was sufficient to sustain it. It had been a long time since he had fought so exhilaratingly, facing a worthy opponent, and his battle spirit surged.
As the rules of the Way of the Sword and the Way of Thunder converged, Zhang Fan once again unleashed the eighth sword of the Wordless Sword Manual, striking towards the old man in white.
"Condense!"
The flying swords that had been blown away earlier were manipulated by the old man in white, forming a massive sword formation once more, meeting the giant Sword of Rules.
Rumble!
The two fought tirelessly. Zhang Fan, with his advantage in the quantity of Dao rules, continuously unleashed Swords of Rules, while the old man in white, unyielding, used his soul's rule power 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, making even Liu Mu and the others, who were locked in fierce battles in the distance, watch in alarm.
"The Grand Elder is at the Half-step God Transformation realm. His mana is far more profound than Zhang Fan's. Even if he can exert the strength of a Half-step God Transformation cultivator through his Dao rules, he has not truly reached that realm. He is destined to lose!" Zhao Nanqiang and Nangong Pu said, not forgetting to taunt Liu Mu while they attacked.
Hearing this, Liu Mu couldn't help but curl his lips into a cold, mocking smile.
He had witnessed Zhang Fan's means many times. When he was in the early stage of the Nine Tribulations realm, Zhang Fan already possessed the strength of a Half-step God Transformation cultivator. 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.
"Is this all the Flying Immortal Mansion and the Black Sand Cave Heaven are capable of? Two peak Nascent Soul cultivators working together can't deal with a junior who has just entered the Nine Tribulations realm. You still have the nerve to speak to me, truly laughable!" Liu Mu attacked the two without mercy.
"Hmph, it's merely by the power of immortal artifacts. If I had an immortal artifact, I could have killed you with one move!" Nangong Pu's words were defiant, but inwardly, he felt a sense of frustration. They had cultivated for over a century to reach the peak of the Nascent Soul realm but had never obtained an immortal artifact.
Yet, this young cultivator who had only just broken through to the Nine Tribulations realm possessed one.
"Once I kill you, I will have one naturally," Zhao Nanqiang said with a sneer, his thoughts laid bare.
"What's so great about an immortal artifact? You two will die here today anyway. I'll let you have a glimpse of its power." Liu Mu suddenly retreated rapidly, a strange smile appearing on his face, which made Nangong Pu and Zhao Nanqiang feel an inexplicable sense of unease.
"Show us whatever means you have, don't just bluff!" Zhao Nanqiang shouted, but he didn't give Liu Mu any breathing room. He lunged forward, his fingers forming a claw, intending to block his retreat.
Nangong Pu, understanding his intentions, attacked Liu Mu from the left, leaving him no chance to disengage.
However, as the two approached within three Zhang of Liu Mu, they suddenly sensed a strange power that made their hearts crawl and their souls tremble uncontrollably.
"Today, I will test the might of my Great Dao Secret Treasure on you two. I originally intended to use that old man to break it in, but it's your fault for not letting me have him. Peak Nascent Soul cultivators are barely enough to make do."
In the Great Luo Realm, the Great Luo Artifact Spirit had provided six Great Dao Secret Treasures for them to choose from, two of which were sword artifacts: one a heavy sword and the other a sharp sword.
Much to the Great Luo Artifact Spirit's surprise, Liu Mu, who appeared refined and elegant, chose the heavy sword.
The heavy sword was unsharpened, entirely black, and named Wan Jun.
When Liu Mu drew out the Wan Jun Sword, Nangong Pu and Zhao Nanqiang felt their hearts go cold. An invisible force seemed to press down on them, making it difficult to breathe, and their cultivation techniques slowed down by a fraction.
"Is that a Great Dao Secret Treasure?" Nangong Pu and Zhao Nanqiang, lacking sufficient knowledge, could not recognize the treasure. However, the old man in white, who was fighting Zhang Fan in the distance, immediately recognized it and his heart filled with ecstasy.
At this moment, on the Great Luo Sea, he was the only one who had reached the Half-step God Transformation realm. Although Zhang Fan could fight him to a standstill, he believed that if it continued, Zhang Fan would surely be the first to falter.
As for Zhao Nanqiang and Nangong Pu, they were merely peak Nascent Soul cultivators. How dare they contend with him for treasures?
"Old man, don't let the treasure blind 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 heard this and understood, "So the opportunity on the third floor of the Great Luo Hall was to obtain a Great Dao Secret Treasure. However, with your strength, how much of its power can you unleash? Keeping it in your hands would be a waste of a Great Dao Secret Treasure."
Upon hearing that Zhang Fan also possessed a Great Dao Secret Treasure, the old man in white could no longer resist. He had originally planned to slowly wear Zhang Fan down with his vast mana and the advantage of his soul's rules, but his inner excitement was too strong to suppress.
After all, that was a legendary Great Dao Secret Treasure, a divine weapon that only legendary mighty beings could forge. Perhaps it contained the secrets to his breakthrough to the God Transformation stage.
With this thought, his resolve strengthened. He did not want to drag on any longer and risk unforeseen changes.
"Emerge!"
As the soul rules within his Sea of Consciousness were mobilized, flying swords imbued with his soul power flew out from the mark on his brow, forming another Xiao Qian Sword Formation.
"You can withstand one sword formation, what about two?"
Two sword formations, containing immense terrifying power, hovered in front of the old man in white. Within the formations, sword qi raged, and under the guidance of his soul's rule power, the two formations moved side by side, attracting and repelling each other. The space between them was torn apart, creating a massive 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, even a peak Nascent Soul cultivator would be instantly ground into nothingness.
...