A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 231 Timely Rescue
When the Cloud Gathering Banner in Tianyun Zhenren's hand shone with spiritual light, the forbidden pillar formed by the cloud light runes was pierced open by streaks of emerald sword energy. The runes flickered rapidly a few times and then suddenly shattered. The cloud light immediately dimmed, and a figure flew out from inside, wrapped in a layer of emerald light.

Qi Ye had already sensed the power of Tianyun Zhenren when he used his supernatural abilities. Although he did not understand the principle behind the "Cloud Light Day Origin" technique, he knew the principle of one force breaking all laws. The previous clone's dissipation was not due to Tianyun's supernatural abilities, but rather a method he deliberately used to make Tianyun lower his guard.

Just as Qi Ye had expected, Tian Yun couldn't help but relax a little after seeing Qi Ye's clone dissipate. Although he quickly recovered, that one moment was enough for Qi Ye to find the flaw and break through the divine power at the fastest speed.

Qi Ye stared intently at Tianyun Daoist. With a swift movement, he raised his hand, unleashing a dense barrage of sword energy that shot forth like celestial stars, causing the earth to crack and mountains to crumble.

Master Tianyun looked at the incoming sword energy and light with a grim expression. He waved the Cloud Gathering Banner repeatedly, and strands of jade-white cloud energy condensed into a cloud wall in an attempt to block the sword's momentum. However, Qiye's Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique was as fast as lightning and as powerful as a raging fire.

In an instant, the sword light and sword energy collided with the cloud wall. After a few breaths of silence, a series of shocking explosions rang out. The scene before him startled Master Tianyun. The cloud wall had been completely swept away, while the dense sword energy seemed to have not consumed much power and continued to attack him with undiminished momentum.

Seeing this, Master Tianyun shouted and reached out to support the Cloud Gathering Banner. He formed a hand seal, and streams of cloud light entered the banner. The white cloud light on the banner surface surged out and swept away the incoming sword light and sword energy. The cloud light flowed like water, engulfing the sword energy and sword light. In a short while, the dense sword energy was slowly dissipated, and at the same time, the cloud light gradually lost its luster.

"So it was Xuan Magnetic Sand."

As Qi Ye watched Yun Guang reveal his true form, his expression grew more serious. This Xuan Magnetic Sand was a spiritual substance produced by the earth's veins, and once refined into a treasure, it was extremely effective against sword cultivators.

However, this item is extremely rare and is a consumable. Once released, it will lose its effect within a day, whether it is used or not. Qi Ye was quite surprised that Tian Yun could find so much Gang Sha.

Master Tianyun was heartbroken to use this item. It was the culmination of hundreds of years of accumulation by Miaoyunque and was originally intended to be stored in the Juyun Banner for the future, but now he had to take it out ahead of schedule.

"As long as we can counter the Demon Lord's swordsmanship, using this item won't matter."

Thinking of this, Master Tianyun changed his previous defense. With a thought, the Cloud Gathering Banner moved without wind, shining a beam of light onto the dull and lusterless Xuan Magnetic Sand. Instantly, the sand, which had lost its luster, became bright and active again. Under Master Tianyun's control, it surged towards Qiye.

Seeing this, Qi Ye snorted coldly. Although his most prized skill was the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique, it did not mean that his other supernatural abilities were weak. He stirred up his magic power and poured it into the Yi Xi Sword. The azure light shone on the sky, and a rain of dark green sword energy shot out, attacking the Xuan Magnetic Sand. Although the sword energy was broken by the sand, the sand was also being consumed.

At the very moment the sword energy collided with the sand, Qi Ye and Tianyun Zhenren made their moves simultaneously.

A flash of crimson appeared in Qi Ye's eyes. He floated into the air and pushed his right hand down. A five-finger palm print radiating black and red evil energy crashed down towards Tianyun Zhenren. Before the palm print even landed, an overwhelming evil energy caused the protective light shield around Tianyun Zhenren to tremble. The palm print grew larger as it went down. When it was three zhang away from Tianyun Zhenren, the palm print was like a giant hand that covered the sky and pressed down.

This technique is called "Five Yin Imprisoning Heaven Hand," a divine ability that all the holy rulers of the Yin Moon Dynasty were required to learn. Once struck by this technique, the opponent can be instantly sucked into it and controlled by the master.

During the battle at Honghe Village, Demon Lord Liudao used this technique to repeatedly intercept the "Heavenly Gang Two Extremes Arrows" shot by Yan Chixia, while also converting some Xuanxin disciples into the purest essence to replenish his own energy depletion.

Master Tianyun didn't know what this technique was, but he could sense the dangerous aura. Without hesitation, he formed a sword with his fingers, and the cloud light on his body suddenly intensified. Pillars of cloud soared into the sky and lined up around him, protecting him. The cloud pillars shone brightly, like pillars supporting the sky, blocking the rapidly descending "Five Yin Imprisoning Heaven Hand".

A deafening roar followed as the two immense forces clashed repeatedly. Upon contact, a flash of light appeared, followed by the collapse of the void. The cloud pillar trembled violently, causing even True Person Tianyun's blood to surge.

On the other hand, Qi Ye handled the situation with ease. As the recoil force struck him, a ghostly figure appeared on Qi Ye's body, diverting the recoil force to his clone. The clone could not withstand it and shattered on the spot.

However, taking advantage of this brief respite, Qi Ye unleashed another series of sword energies, while simultaneously adding three points of force to the "Five Yin Imprisoning Heaven Hand." The two forces were combined and seamlessly connected, with one wave arriving before the next, quickly gaining the upper hand and forcing Tianyun Zhenren to retreat repeatedly.

"No, if this continues, my magic power will be depleted exponentially. I'm afraid that before the aura sand can wear down the sword light, I will be dragged to death by Qi Ye. At that time, with no one to control the aura sand, the Heaven-Slaying Sword Technique will definitely fall without hesitation."

Although Master Tianyun possessed considerable magical power, the continuous battles had taken a toll on him. Coupled with the formidable strength of his opponents, he was forced to concentrate fully, resulting in a significant drain on his energy.

Just as Tianyun Zhen was pondering a solution, a cracking sound reached his ears. Tianyun Zhen looked over and saw that a cloud pillar could no longer withstand the pressure from the Five Yin Imprisoning Heaven Hand above, and cracks began to appear. Moreover, the speed was getting faster and faster. In just a short while, spider web-like cracks appeared on the cloud pillar, and it was only a matter of time before it collapsed.

Master Tianyun's face immediately darkened. He unleashed a burst of spiritual light with his right hand, temporarily slowing the crack's spread. At the same time, he focused his mind, causing the originally aggressive Xuan Magnetic Sand to slow down and retreat, circling around his side.

Seeing that his opponent had given up attacking, Qi Ye's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He reached out and took out more than a dozen jet-black Xuan Yin Gang Thunderbolts. With a burst of magic power, he threw them directly at where Tian Yun Zhenren was. He did not expect these objects to break through the opponent in one blow, as long as they could buy him a moment of opportunity.

Tianyun Zhenren watched as Qiye threw out the Gang Lei, his expression unchanged. He lightly waved the Gathering Cloud Banner with his left hand, and wisps of cloud appeared out of thin air in the realm. Before the Xuan Yin Gang Lei had even reached halfway, it was enveloped by the cloud, flickered rapidly a few times, and then made no sound.

Just then, Qi Ye's figure suddenly disappeared. Tianyun Zhenren immediately sensed something was wrong and hurriedly chanted an incantation. Cloud light shone from his body, and several Tianyun Zhenren appeared in one place, their auras in unison, looking around warily.

This technique is called "Light Jade in the Clouds," a life-saving and protective art. It creates several phantoms. If the true body hidden among them cannot be accurately located, the phantoms will continuously increase their energy over time until they reach the level of the true body. At that time, the opponent will no longer be facing just one person.

Although using this technique would consume a large amount of one's vital energy and might damage one's foundation, affecting one's future path, True Person Tianyun could not care about anything else at the moment. If he could not survive, everything would be in vain.

"The Demon Lord must have used some kind of supernatural power to obscure my senses. Even the Cloud Light Realm cannot find this person. The Demon Lord's power has improved considerably."

Hidden within the illusion, Tianyun Zhenren pondered how to break the deadlock. Upon seeing the evil dragon and demon, his eyes lit up, and he immediately devised a brilliant plan. With a thought, the Gathering Cloud Banner swayed gently, and a cloud of jade-colored light suddenly descended from the sky, heading directly towards the evil dragon and demon.

Upon seeing this, the dragon and the demon's expressions changed slightly. They exchanged a glance and immediately channeled all their magical power upwards. The dark, ghostly light and the jade-colored light cloud collided back and forth, causing lightning to flash, thunder to rumble, and waves of energy to surge back, creating a powerful and overwhelming spectacle. However, after holding out for half a breath, the dragon and the demon gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.

A cold glint flashed in Tianyun Zhenren's eyes. He added another bit of force, and just as the jade-colored light cloud was about to engulf the evil dragon and the evil ghost, a streak of emerald light suddenly flashed across the sky. The realm flickered for a moment, and the jade-colored light cloud was abruptly dispersed.

The dragon and the demon who were originally there had also disappeared without a trace.

However, just as Qi Ye revealed his presence, Master Tianyun had already unleashed a powerful attack with his magic seal, striking him with a cloud of light and electricity without any mercy.

The azure sword light collided with the light and electricity of the clouds. The sword light seemed to be seriously injured, and its spiritual light dimmed a few points. Then, it disappeared again in a flash. Master Tianyun retrieved the cloud light shuttle and found that it was stained with blood.

However, upon seeing this, Master Tianyun did not relax at all; instead, his expression became even more solemn. It was clear that the bloodstains did not belong to Qiye; they must have belonged to one of the two, the evil dragon and the evil ghost.

"Since you want to hide, then I will grant your wish."

Master Tianyun and his five phantoms simultaneously performed hand seals and incantations. Streams of cloud pillars shone brightly, shattering the "Five Yin Imprisoning Heaven Hand" into pieces. The cloud pillars continued their momentum, connecting directly to the realm's sky. Under Tianyun's control, cloud patterns slowly appeared on the celestial wall, soon transforming a corner of the realm into a jade-white expanse.

This is Master Tianyun using the "Cloud Light Eliminates Yuan" technique, employing the power of the realm to completely remove all impurities from this place.

Hidden in a corner, Qi Ye was unconcerned. He had been waiting for an opportunity. This old Taoist Tianyun had a wealth of combat experience. To fight him with skill would be to use one's weakness to attack the enemy's strength. Qi Ye knew that his advantage lay in his explosive power in a short period of time.

"A sage ruler?"

The evil dragon saw that the jade-white cloud continued to spread, and after a few breaths, it had covered most of the realm and was still surging toward them at a visible speed.

The evil spirit was in a much better situation than the evil dragon. Seeing the Holy King's calm demeanor, it said softly to the evil dragon, "The Holy King has his reasons. Let's just watch patiently."

Upon hearing this, the evil dragon glanced at the calm-faced Holy Monarch and said no more. He silently swallowed a few pills. The magical power he had painstakingly accumulated to resist the Heavenly Cloud Divine Power had been completely exhausted, and he hoped to recover some of it as soon as possible.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the jade-white cloud light had covered ninety percent of the realm, with only one corner remaining unchanged. Upon seeing this, True Person Tianyun snorted coldly and summoned the Gathering Cloud Banner. Simultaneously, six figures took out a jade ruler, which was smooth and shiny, radiating light. Six beams of light, perfectly aligned, attacked the location of Qi Ye and the others, while the jade-white cloud light scattered around quickly spread towards that location.

Just as the six beams of light shot over, a glint flashed in Qi Ye's eyes, his aura fluctuated for a moment, and he suddenly disappeared. When he reappeared, the evil dragon noticed that the Holy Lord seemed to have undergone some kind of change, and a terrifying aura made him tremble.

Seeing the incoming beams of light, Qi Ye reached out and grabbed six crimson jade pieces, which flew out to meet the six beams of light. When the beams of light collided with the jade pieces, they seemed to sink into the mud and sink into the sea, without causing the slightest ripple. Not only that, but Tianyun Zhenren felt a sense of dread.

"not good!"

Before he could react, the six jade pieces converged into one, their crimson light flickering erratically, before finally standing still. Then, a beam of crimson light pierced through the Xuan Magnetic Sand without hindrance, shining directly on the body of True Person Tianyun. As the crimson light shone, the five phantoms shattered like bubbles, and a beam of emerald green sword light descended from the sky, striking True Person Tianyun's protective light shield.

The moment Tianyun Zhenren was frozen in place by the crimson light, he was terrified. When he realized that the illusion had been destroyed, he tried to shake the Gathering Cloud Banner, but he lost his composure and was seized by Qiye. His sword energy swept across the sky and slashed down vertically, and the Xuan Magnetic Sand did not play its due role.

With a deafening roar, the protective aura surrounding Master Tianyun shattered instantly. Not only that, the Heaven-Slaying Sword Qi struck his body directly. If Master Tianyun hadn't sacrificed most of his cultivation to force out the sword qi in time, he would have been more than just severely injured; he would have lost his life.

Qi Ye's all-out sword strike not only severely injured Tian Yun, but also broke through the boundary. The evil dragon and the evil ghost were immediately surprised and, after a brief look, realized that they had escaped from the boundary.

"Holy Lord, Tianyun must not be let go! Shura is still in his hands."

Upon hearing the message from the evil dragon, Qi Ye nodded and, looking at Tian Yun who was lying heavily injured not far away, slowly stepped forward with his sword.

Master Tianyun was in a terrible state. His white Taoist robe was stained with blood, his fish-tail crown was shattered, his hair was disheveled, his face was pale, and his internal condition was even worse. Not only was his magic power exhausted, but most of his foundation had been damaged. Even if he survived, his path to Taoism would end here.

As Qi Ye approached step by step, Tianyun Zhenren was no longer afraid. His eyes flashed, and he reached out to take the Gathering Cloud Banner, intending to destroy the Asura trapped inside. Suddenly, a sword light flashed, and Tianyun Zhenren groaned as one of his arms disappeared. Blood gushed from the severed arm, quickly staining his Daoist robe dark.

Qi Ye looked at Tian Yun with a slightly cold gaze, about to draw his sword and kill the man, when suddenly he felt a warning and immediately fled to the side, taking the two evil dragons with him to escape.

A thunderbolt struck from the spot, flashing with lightning, and a golden figure emerged from it.

"Golden light!"

(End of this chapter)