Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 163 The End of the Crossbow
Just as everyone was locked in a stalemate with the man in black robes, the six Nascent Soul stage experts exchanged glances and simultaneously unleashed their respective ultimate techniques.

One person manipulated lightning, and a thick bolt of purple lightning struck down from the sky; another summoned a gale, which carried sand and stones like sharp blades; the others unleashed ice spikes, earth spikes, and other spells, raining down on the black-robed man.

Despite being surrounded by the crowd, the man in black showed no fear. He tucked his flute into his waistband and moved his hands rapidly, sending black runes flying from his fingertips, colliding with the crowd's spells.

In an instant, flashes of light and explosions filled the air.

During the fierce battle, Liu Sijun suddenly noticed some strange runes engraved on the black-robed man's flute, which seemed to have some connection with the power of the flute's sound.

A thought struck her, and she called out to Gu Changzhou, "Changzhou, that flute might be the key! Attack him with the flute!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Changzhou immediately changed his attack direction, channeled the power of the stars, and unleashed an enhanced version of "Starry Sky Rift"—"Starry Sky Rift".

An even more powerful star-shaped sword aura, carrying a world-destroying momentum, slashed towards the black-robed man's flute.

The man in black robes noticed the ferocity of Gu Changzhou's attack, and his expression changed drastically.

He didn't have time to think, and his hands quickly formed hand seals, causing a thick layer of black mist to rise around him in an attempt to resist the powerful star sword energy.

The starlight sword energy collided with the black mist, unleashing a deafening roar. The powerful impact caused the surrounding stone forest to collapse instantly, sending dust billowing and blotting out the sun.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, everyone was surprised to find that the black mist surrounding the man in black robes had been torn open by the Starry Sky Sword Qi, and the remaining power of the sword Qi was undiminished, slashing straight towards the flute.

The man in black robes' expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly reached out to protect the flute.

The sword energy grazed his arm, leaving a deep wound that splattered blood, and also left a shallow crack on the flute.

"You...how dare you hurt me!"

The man in black robes glared angrily, his eyes flashing with venomous resentment. He suddenly pulled out a flute, put it to his lips, and began to play a rapid and eerie melody.

As the flute music began, the ground suddenly cracked open, and streams of black flames shot out from the fissures, sweeping towards the crowd.

The black flames were extremely hot; wherever they passed, stones instantly turned to dust.

Seeing this, Tong Lei quickly gathered all his spiritual power into his longsword and unleashed "Flaming Dragon Breaks the World".

A gigantic fire dragon roared out from the longsword and collided with the black flames.

In an instant, flames intertwined, heat waves rolled, and the surrounding air seemed to be ignited.

Min Rui quickly formed hand seals and chanted, "Earth Spirit Shield, protect me!" A thick earthen wall instantly rose beneath everyone's feet, temporarily blocking the black flames.

However, as the black flames continued to pound against the earthen wall, tiny cracks began to appear.

Gao Kuo knew that the earthen wall wouldn't last long, so he circulated his late-stage Nascent Soul spiritual power, and the longsword in his hand shone brightly as he unleashed "Sword Controlling Ten Thousand Waves".

Countless sword energies surged towards the man in black robes like a raging sea, attempting to interrupt his playing.

The man in black robes played his flute while dodging the sword energy.

A hint of madness flashed in his eyes. As the flute music played, a black moon suddenly appeared in the sky. The moonlight shone down and transformed into countless black blades, shooting towards the crowd.

Liu Sijun activated the Taixu Mirror with all his might, and a huge spiritual energy barrier shot out from the mirror, protecting everyone inside. The black blades struck the barrier, making clanging sounds, but the barrier was also trembling constantly, as if it would shatter at any moment.

"This can't go on. Let's all attack his flute and destroy it!"

Gu Changzhou shouted loudly.

After saying that, he once again channeled the power of the stars and unleashed "Star Shattering the Sky," sending streaks of starlight sword energy flying toward the black-robed man's flute.

Min Rui also controlled the wind blades, attacking the flute together with the star sword energy.

Tong Lei then infused his fiery spiritual power into his longsword, threw it out, and the longsword transformed into a fiery meteor, heading straight for the black-robed man's flute.

The six Nascent Soul stage experts also unleashed their strongest spells, with lightning, gales, ice spikes, and other spells converging to form a powerful energy torrent that rushed towards the black-robed man's flute.

The man in black robes felt an unprecedented crisis. He tried to escape, but found himself surrounded by attacks from all sides.

The man in black robes had a ferocious expression on his face. Once the flute was destroyed, he would have no chance of winning.

At this critical moment, he frantically poured all his spiritual power into the flute, causing the runes on the flute to shine brightly and collide with the powerful energy torrent.

With a deafening roar, it seemed as if the heavens and earth trembled.

The powerful energy surge created a massive vortex, engulfing everything in its vicinity.

The stone forest collapsed completely under this force, turning into dust that scattered in the air.

As the light gradually faded, everyone was surprised to find that the man in black robes had actually used his own spiritual power to forcefully withstand this fatal blow.

However, his face was as pale as paper, and a trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating that he had also suffered a serious injury.

"You...you ants, I will make you pay the price!"

The man in black robes gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with madness and resentment. Just then, Liu Sijun suddenly noticed that the crack on the flute in the man in black robes had widened further due to the impact.

A thought struck her, and she quickly shouted to the crowd, "Don't stop! He's at his last gasp. Keep attacking the flute, and we'll definitely win!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Changzhou immediately activated the power of the stars and unleashed the ultimate form of "Starry Sky Slash"—"Starry Unity".

Starlight gathered around him, and a sword aura containing endless star power condensed on his sword. This sword aura seemed capable of tearing through space, and with a world-destroying momentum, it slashed towards the black-robed man's flute.

Min Rui formed hand seals, unleashing his mid-stage Nascent Soul spiritual power to its fullest extent, and shouted: "Wind Spirit Gathering Blade, World-Destroying Gale!"

Suddenly, a fierce wind arose, and countless wind blades converged into a giant wind blade, which, together with the star sword energy, attacked the man in black robes.

Not to be outdone, Tong Lei recalled his longsword and poured his late-stage Nascent Soul spiritual power into it without reservation. The longsword instantly burst into flames, with a faint dragon shadow appearing within the flames.

He unleashed his strongest technique – "Flaming Dragon Burning Heaven Technique," a gigantic flame dragon roared out of the flames, carrying intense heat and immense power, charging towards the black-robed man's flute.

Gao Kuo also channeled his late-stage Nascent Soul spiritual power, wielding his longsword to unleash countless sword shadows, each containing the full force of his attack, raining down on the black-robed man like a storm.

(End of this chapter)