I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

Han Li had just escaped the blood cloud's range and hadn't even had time to catch his breath or determine his direction.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure rapidly approaching from the woods below.

"Senior Brother Zhou?!"

At that moment, Han Li's face was instantly filled with astonishment and disbelief.

He never imagined that he would encounter this mysterious and unpredictable fellow disciple here and at this time!

He should be at Yanling Fortress, or... Han Li's mind raced, and he instantly understood something—Senior Brother Zhou probably already sensed something was wrong and didn't go to Qixia Peak at all!

But how did he discover the anomaly so early on? Or was he just always so cautious that he just happened to avoid disaster?

"ah--!!!"

Almost at the same time that Han Li was freed, a fierce roar filled with pain and anger came from inside the gap in the blood cloud!

Through the gap in the billowing blood mist, the scene inside could be vaguely seen:

Wang Chan's magnificent brocade robe was now tattered and charred, the thick blood aura protecting her body had completely disappeared, and her curly, yellowish hair was gone.

His face even bore the marks of lightning burns, making him look utterly disheveled.

Several small shields, jade pendants, and other defensive magical artifacts with dim spiritual light or even cracks floated in front of him.

It was these treasures that blocked most of the power of the "Heavenly Thunder" at the critical moment; otherwise, he would have been reduced to ashes by now.

"Heavenly Thunder Child! I never expected that a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator like you would possess such a one-time devastating weapon as the Heavenly Thunder Child!"

Wang Chan's eyes were bloodshot.

He stared intently at Han Li, who had escaped, his eyes filled with a murderous intent that was almost tangible.

That last moment.

It truly made him feel the threat of death, and fear and rage intertwined within him.

Han Li was also taken aback upon seeing this: "Even the Heavenly Thunderbolt couldn't kill him? The young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect truly has an endless array of ways to save his life!"

"There are other helpers?"

Wang Chan's roar came to an abrupt halt.

His bloodshot eyes instantly locked onto Zhou Yuan, who was rapidly approaching from below.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

When did this person appear?

Aura... Mid-Foundation Establishment stage?

But his inner violence intensified!

What's wrong with having one more mid-Foundation Establishment stage cultivator?

Both of them must die today!

however.

He received no answer.

It's swords! Endless swords!

Thousand Blade Technique!

Zhou Yuan thought to himself with a cold sneer.

He casually swung his hands forward.

"Buzz—!"

The metallic spiritual energy instantly became restless.

Before him, thousands of pale golden sword lights appeared out of thin air!

Each sword strike was about three feet long, solid and tangible, its sharp energy piercing the air.

Thousands of golden swords appeared like a golden forest rising in an instant, or a metal storm poised to unleash its power.

It completely enveloped the space in front of Zhou Yuan, and its fierce and unparalleled aura soared into the sky!

"What?! An instant-cast intermediate spell?! And a group attack spell like Thousand Blades?!"

Just as Wang Chan was about to urge the blood cloud to close again and capture and kill the two, her pupils suddenly contracted.

The rage on his face was instantly replaced by immense shock!

Born into a major sect of demonic cultivation, he was knowledgeable and well aware of the difficulty of mastering intermediate-level spells.

Not to mention mastering the Thousand Blades Technique, a wide-area attack spell, to the point of near-instantaneous casting! What astonishing magical talent and arduous effort would that require? Who is this person?!

However, something even more chilling and mind-blowing happened.

Zhou Yuan showed no sign of stopping! It was as if the consumption of releasing thousands of golden swords in an instant was insignificant to him!

The thought arises again!

"Buzz!"

A second array of densely packed, pale golden sword lights, no less impressive than the previous one, reappeared almost right next to the first one!

Immediately afterwards—

"Buzz!" The third piece!

"Buzz!" The fourth piece!

Four golden sword formations, totaling more than four thousand exquisitely condensed pale golden sword lights.

Layer upon layer, like four golden waves of death, stretching across the sky!

The sword light flowed, and the sharp energy intertwined, illuminating the sky with a golden glow. Even the mountains and forests below were tinged with a light gold, and a chilling aura permeated the world!

Wang Chan's expression changed completely.

Shock turned into horror.

It carried a hint of unbelievable fear.

Four consecutive, perfectly executed Thousand Blade Techniques in an instant?!

How terrifying must that be in terms of mana reserves and regenerative abilities?!

This is something a Foundation Establishment cultivator simply cannot do!

Even a cultivator in the early stage of Core Formation could not possibly expend so much mana to cast a mid-level area-of-effect spell as easily as he did!

"go!"

Zhou Yuan's eyes were icy as he locked onto Wang Chan, and he pushed forward with both hands!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!!!"

Four thousand golden swords moved!

They did not shoot out haphazardly, but were divided into several torrents under the exquisite control of Zhou Yuan's powerful divine sense.

Some launched a frontal assault, some maneuvered along the flanks, and some blocked off retreat routes.

Like a living golden metal storm, it instantly tore through the air, carrying a fierce momentum that could destroy everything, and swept towards Wang Chan, who had just been hit by the Heavenly Thunder, whose blood cloud had not yet fully condensed, and whose protective blood light had been shattered!

"Hiss hiss hiss—!!!"

The blood cloud, which had not yet fully recovered from being blasted apart by the Heavenly Thunder, was pierced through in large swathes by the incredibly dense and sharp golden sword tide, like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun.

The area of ​​the blood cloud shrank and thinned rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Wang Chan was filled with shock and anger. She roared and desperately tried to activate the remaining blood cloud to defend herself. At the same time, she summoned several spare defensive magic artifacts, and a thin layer of blood light shield rose up around her again.

But Zhou Yuan's attack.

That's not all!

Just as the storm of four thousand golden swords was about to completely engulf Wang Chan.

Golden light rapidly flowed between Zhou Yuan's brows!

The Twelve Assassins of the Divine Court – Activated!

An invisible and intangible yet extremely sharp and concentrated divine sense spike ignored spatial distance, the rolling blood clouds, and the dazzling golden light, instantly traversing a distance of tens of feet.

This divine consciousness spike pierced Wang Chan's sea of ​​consciousness with unparalleled precision, which had become slightly lax due to shock, anger, and hasty defense!

"Ugh—!!!"

Wang Chan's life-saving technique, which she was about to use, came to an abrupt halt. She let out a short, shrill scream, as if she had been struck hard on the head by an invisible hammer.

His body suddenly stiffened.

His face instantly lost all expression.

His eyes became empty and unfocused.

All movements, all spells, and all defenses were brought to a fatal standstill at this moment!

Although this pause may only last for a brief moment, or even less than half a breath, it was enough for Zhou Yuan, who had already planned everything and whose attacks came like a storm!

"Puff puff puff puff puff—!!!!"

The next instant.

The blood cloud, now without effective control and defense, was completely torn apart by the golden sword tide!

Thousands of golden sword lights flashed like a swarm of piranhas attracted by the smell of blood.

It penetrated the thin layer of blood-red light shield without any hindrance, as well as the defensive magic weapon that Wang Chan had hastily summoned with dim spiritual light.

All of them bombarded Wang Chan's body!

Blood rained down from the sky!

Wang Chan's still relatively upright body was instantly pierced and cut by countless golden swords.

The protective robe shattered, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and the sound of bones breaking was drowned out by the sword's roar.

He didn't even get to let out another complete scream before the light in his eyes completely dimmed, and his broken body was shattered like a rag doll by the subsequent torrent of golden swords.

Wang Chan, the ambitious young master of the Ghost Spirit Sect, was defeated in just a few breaths.

—He fell here!

The golden sword light in the sky slowly dissipated, but the remaining sword energy still stirred the air, emitting a wailing sound.

The blood-red cloud that blotted out the sky had long since vanished, leaving only a faint smell of blood and burnt flesh in the air, a testament to what had just happened.

Han Li stood frozen in the air, forgetting to even urge the flying boat beneath his feet. His mouth was slightly agape, his face filled with extreme shock, bewilderment, and a hint of... numbness.

This Senior Brother Zhou... his fighting style remains as simple, brutal, and efficient as ever.

You could even say... it's extravagant!

That's a perfected Thousand Blade Technique!

Intermediate-level spell!

With such power and such a range, the amount of magical power consumed is enormous!

How... how could he fire four shots in quick succession, like scattering beans?

Han Li asked himself, even if he were at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and used all his magic power, he could probably only barely unleash the Thousand Blade Technique (five hundred golden sword lights) at the Great Perfection level once.

As for Senior Brother Zhou... his breathing was steady, and his expression was normal, as if the earth-shattering 'four consecutive attacks' just now were nothing more than a casual wave of his sleeve.

What kind of magical power and recovery speed is this?!

Countless questions churned in Han Li's mind.

The look in his eyes as he gazed at Zhou Yuan contained not only the relief and gratitude of surviving a disaster, but also a deep-seated apprehension and scrutiny.

This senior brother.

It is far more mysterious and terrifying than what was shown in the Blood Forbidden Land!