Chapter 897: Annihilation Blade!

Thousands of swords moved at once, forming huge rivers of swords that swept across every approach, and mountains collapsed beneath the formations. Yuan Zhenhai was still terrifyingly fast, and golden afterimages appeared among the swords.

One moment he was directly ahead, and the next he had crossed hundreds of feet. Then he suddenly changed direction and slipped between two rivers of swords.

Li Yun reacted instantly. Hundreds of swords turned, and another thousand came down from above. His Five Element Intent shifted, with Water adding flexibility, Metal increasing sharpness, and Fire boosting destructive power, and the sword formation closed in around Yuan Zhenhai.

Yuan Zhenhai did not slow down. He moved through the six thousand swords like a golden divine roc flying between raindrops, and then he raised his saber.

“Voidflash Annihilation Blade.”

Violet light appeared. Li Yun barely saw the swing before the blade light was already in front of him, far too fast to avoid. Hundreds of swords immediately formed a defensive wall, and all five Intents erupted. The violet blade light struck with a boom, and hundreds of swords were thrown back. Li Yun himself slid dozens of feet across the ground, and a mountain behind him exploded.

The crowd gasped.

“Li Yun was actually forced back.”

“That attack broke through hundreds of swords carrying five different Intents.”

Li Yun steadied himself, and his expression turned serious. The power Yuan Zhenhai had released went far beyond what an ordinary cultivator at the suppressed level should have. Li Yun was not discouraged, however. Instead, his eyes filled with battle intent.

“So this is the level of someone standing at the edge of Dao Resonance.”

Yuan Zhenhai laughed. “You noticed?” He rested the violet saber on his shoulder. “My cultivation hasn’t entered the Dao Resonance Realm. But after spending several centuries at the perfection stage of the 9th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm, my Blade Dao and my understanding of combat have already touched that boundary. Suppression can reduce my essence qi, but it can’t erase my comprehension.”

Li Yun understood at once that this was the difference.

“Then let’s go again.”

Li Yun raised his hand, and the six thousand swords returned. This time, his five Intents erupted without any restraint.

“Myriad Sword Spirit Command Art.”

With a boom, the swords split into five enormous formations. The first was dominated by Slaughter Sword Intent, and its crimson swords formed a river of killing intent. The second carried Immortal Sword Intent, and its pale swords formed an extraordinarily resilient defensive formation.

The third carried Destruction Intent, and its black Sword Qi tore cracks across the surrounding mountains. The fourth held Devouring Intent, and a giant vortex formed among its countless blades. The fifth carried Five Element Intent, with Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth constantly transforming so the formation could switch between offense and defense.

Then all five formations converged, and six thousand swords completely surrounded Yuan Zhenhai. There was nowhere for him to escape.

Yuan Zhenhai stopped moving and looked around, and then he smiled.

“A good formation.” He gripped the violet saber with both hands. “But your Sword Dao is still missing something.”

Li Yun’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

“Accumulation.”

Yuan Zhenhai’s Blade Domain suddenly contracted with a boom. Rather than spreading outward, all of it gathered around his saber, and the violet blade began to vibrate.

“Violet Star Ruin Slash.”

He swung, and a gigantic violet blade light erupted and slammed straight into Li Yun’s sword formation. The first hundred swords were thrown aside, and then another hundred.

Li Yun’s five Intents reacted at once. Immortal Sword Intent kept the swords sharp, Devouring Intent absorbed part of the incoming Blade Qi, and Destruction Intent tore into the violet light. Slaughter Sword Intent struck again and again at the core of the technique, while Five Element Intent held everything steady.

Neither side gave way, and mountain after mountain collapsed under the shockwaves. The battlefield changed rapidly as peaks turned to rubble, valleys split apart, the clouds vanished, and the ground cracked for miles. Many spectators fell completely silent, because they knew that at the same cultivation level, they would not survive even the aftermath of this battle.

Then Yuan Zhenhai suddenly disappeared. Li Yun’s expression changed, because Golden Roc Skystride was simply too fast. He spread his Soul Power outward, and the six thousand swords spun around him and formed a curtain of swords.

Yuan Zhenhai did not attack right away. Golden afterimages appeared everywhere, to the left and right, above, and behind, and Li Yun could not tell which one was real.

Then Yuan Zhenhai’s voice came from overhead.

“Li Yun, you rely heavily on controlling the battlefield.”

Li Yun looked up and saw that Yuan Zhenhai had already raised his saber.

“Against someone fast enough to ignore your formation, you first have to be able to keep up with him. Starfall Heavenblade!”

A violet saber light came down like a falling star with a boom.

Li Yun’s gaze turned cold. “Myriad Sword Spirit Command Art.”

All six thousand swords shot upward as his five Intents erupted, and the formation met the descending attack. The explosion covered half of the mountain range, and countless peaks disappeared. Li Yun grunted as his body was driven downward, and the sword formation shook, but it did not collapse.

“Devour.”

Dark currents surged through the six thousand swords and swallowed part of Yuan Zhenhai’s blade energy.

“Destruction.”

Black Sword Qi erupted, and cracks appeared in the violet saber light.

“Slaughter.”

Crimson light flooded into those cracks.

“Immortal.”

The six thousand swords refused to break.

“Five Elements.”

Five-colored light revolved, and the violet blade light finally shattered with a boom.

Li Yun was breathing hard, and before he could recover, his pupils shrank. Yuan Zhenhai was already beside him.

‘When did he…’

Violet light flashed. Li Yun instinctively raised the Profound Origin Sword and blocked with a clang, but the impact sent him flying, and his body crashed through three mountains before he finally stopped.

The spectators erupted.

“He broke through the whole sword formation and still had enough speed to hit Li Yun right afterward.”

“This is absurd.”