The Green Ripple Sword remained as dark as ever, while the Clear Spring Sword now bore a faint mark.
The Green Ripple Sword showed no exceptional sharpness, yet its unparalleled durability remained unchanged. Even when clashing with Mo Wen's Blood Blade, it emerged unscathed.
However, the Clear Spring Sword, a Top-Grade Magic Artifact obtained from the Holy Land of Myriad Stars Sea, now displayed a hairline crack on its silvery blade—a fissure so fine it was nearly imperceptible without close scrutiny.
Han Yi's face turned grim.
He's strong... terrifyingly strong. That blade... it's fearsome.
A hundred meters away, Mo Wen's blood-colored robe billowed in the wind as the Blood Blade hovered before him. Gently stroking the crimson longsword, his expression shifted from initial surprise to puzzled contemplation.
For the first time, a furrow appeared on his brow.
The Blood Blade's power had inexplicably diminished by a third—an unprecedented occurrence.
"There's something peculiar about your swords," Mo Wen remarked.
His Blood Blade was no ordinary weapon; it stood on the cusp of becoming a true Magic Treasure. Given that Han Yi had only recently achieved Foundation Establishment Advancement, Mo Wen refused to believe that the Top-Grade Magic Artifact in his opponent's possession could match his own blade's might.
Mo Wen was completely taken aback. The fact that an ordinary sword artifact could diminish the power of his blade was beyond his expectations. He concluded that the opponent's sword artifact must possess extraordinary properties.
"No matter," Mo Wen said calmly. "Once I kill you, the sword artifact will be mine. If there's anything strange about it, I'll soon find out."
With a flicker, Mo Wen vanished from his position, reappearing just thirty meters away from Han Yi.
Instead of retreating, Han Yi charged forward. Beside the two swords he already wielded, a set of daggers materialized: the Nine Li Daggers.
The nine daggers positioned themselves in a precise formation, each guided by Han Yi's Divine Sense. Radiating destructive power, they shot forth like arrows loosed from a taut bow.
Without hesitation, Han Yi detonated all nine daggers in rapid succession.
One after another, the daggers exploded.
Then, the Clear Spring Sword and Green Ripple Sword transformed into twin streams of Spirit Energy-rending Sword Light, striking at Mo Wen from opposite directions.
Simultaneously, a thread of blood-colored energy, concealed by the chaos of the exploding daggers, silently slid into the ground and crept along the earth.
This was his third Top-Grade Sword Artifact: the Blood Sword, acquired from Xue He.
"Hmph, childish tricks."
What would have been a fatal blow against an elderly cultivator was merely a minor inconvenience for Mo Wen.
With a swift sweep of his Blood Blade, he obliterated the self-detonating daggers. Even the shards that splattered against his body were completely blocked by his top-grade magic robe, leaving him unharmed.
Visibly enraged, Mo Wen abandoned his nonchalant demeanor and became utterly serious. With a thunderous roar, he declared, "Die!"
The Blood Blade soared into the air, obliterating the surging Spirit Energy. Violently vibrating, it transformed into a raging river of blood. As the blade descended, the crimson river crashed down with it.
Secret Art: Blood Sea.
This Blood Sea was no illusion; it was a tangible, horrifying reality conjured from the killing intent imbued within the Blood Blade. Mo Wen had channeled his Mana to awaken this latent slaughterous force, creating a sea of murderous intent.
For an ordinary Qi Refining Stage cultivator, even a single glance at this Blood Sea would shatter their Divine Soul, spawning inner demons that seized their mind, leaving them paralyzed and vulnerable.
Even Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators—especially those in the Early Foundation Establishment Stage with weaker Divine Souls—would find their power diminished by the Blood Sea's influence, able to unleash no more than seventy percent of their full strength.
Han Yi was different. Though he hadn't yet engaged in direct combat on the Divine Soul level, he had condensed the first layer of his Ninefold Soul Tower. With the Tower now fully integrated into his Divine Soul, its strength far surpassed that of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.
A mere glance at the Blood Sea caused a phantom image of it to materialize within his Sea of Consciousness. However, the moment this illusion appeared, Han Yi's Divine Soul, seated at the center of his Sea of Consciousness, opened its eyes and fixed the phantom with a gaze. The spectral sea instantly disintegrated into nothingness.
In reality, Han Yi remained completely unaffected. He drew his swords once more. The Clear Spring Sword soared high, arcing towards the Blood Blade, while the Green Ripple Sword pierced through the void. A flash of dark azure energy accompanied its trajectory as it closed the distance to Mo Wen in an instant.
Mo Wen recoiled in shock. This time, it wasn't mere surprise or confusion, but genuine astonishment tinged with disbelief.
Something's wrong.
There was something strange about Han Yi's swords, and something even stranger about Han Yi himself. Mo Wen's Secret Art, Blood Sea, which he had fortuitously acquired from the Blood Sea, was designed not only to influence reality but, more importantly, to affect the Divine Soul.
In fact, the three strikes he had used to annihilate You Wu at the Dragon-Slaying Temple in Taibai County had all been executed using the Secret Art: Blood Sea.
The moment the true Blood Sea manifested, even You Wu, a master swordsman, was violently shaken.
The Blood Blade then enveloped him, annihilating his physical body. You Wu's Divine Soul emerged from the shattered remains, finally breaking free from the Blood Sea's corrosive influence and awakening from its daze. But it was too late. The Blood Sea surged again, crushing his Divine Soul into miserable fragments that sank into its depths to be utterly obliterated.
Just then, the Reverse Dragon Sword struck. The Blood Blade shattered it, wounding Mo Wen in the process. Unable to retrieve the fragments of his broken sword, he fled the scene.
The tale of Mo Wen's three-strike victory over You Wu held a grain of truth. However, without the Secret Art: Blood Sea, victory would have been far from assured—indeed, defeat loomed as a distinct possibility.
In that fleeting instant of shock,
the Clear Spring Sword crashed down upon the Blood Blade. The sound of cascading spring water swelled abruptly, but it was fractured and discordant. A metallic taste flooded Han Yi's throat as he forcefully suppressed the churning in his internal organs, his eyes flashing with fierce determination.
The Green Ripple Sword, having pierced through space to close in on Mo Wen, sliced harmlessly through his afterimage.
Mo Wen's expression grew grave. He shifted again, dodging the returning Green Ripple Sword. A flicker of mockery crossed his face.
Just then, a flash of crimson caught Mo Wen's eye.
Bloodlight?
His sword?
No, something was wrong.
The instant this unsettling thought surfaced, a deadly sense of crisis overwhelmed him, seizing his Divine Soul and consciousness.
Thud.
The sound of a longsword piercing flesh echoed sharply across the battlefield.
A Blood Sword shot dozens of meters away, plunging diagonally into the ground, its crimson blade more than halfway buried. Blood dripped from its edges.
On the battlefield, Mo Wen lowered his gaze to the gaping hole in his chest, his pupils dilating in shock. Before the horror could fully register on his face, a dark cyan light streaked toward him like a soul-reaping arrow, aimed straight for his face.
His Spirit Sea shattered. In that instant of terror, his Mana spiraled out of control. Even the slightest movement became impossible under the oppressive force of the sword light.
Thud.
The Green Ripple Sword pierced through his skull, shattering it completely in an explosion of gore.
A bloody shadow plummeted from the sky, landing before him—the Blood Blade that had clashed with his Clear Spring Sword.
Simultaneously, Han Yi showed no relief. Instead, his vigilance intensified as he retreated swiftly over a hundred meters. With a gentle gesture, he summoned both the hidden Blood Sword that had pierced Mo Wen's Spirit Sea and the Green Ripple Sword that had repeatedly pierced his flesh before finally shattering his skull, back to his side.
Having learned from past mistakes, both the Demon Cultivators of the Myriad Stars Sea and Han Yi, with his deep understanding of the Foundation Establishment Stage, knew that even if a cultivator's Spirit Sea shattered, their head was severed, or their Sea of Consciousness crumbled, death wasn't certain.
Because the Divine Soul remained intact.
Take Mo Wen, for example. His Divine Soul could still control the Blood Blade, sending it lunging forward to self-destruct. If the Blood Blade's explosion caught Han Yi off guard, it could definitely result in mutual annihilation.
This was precisely what Han Yi had been wary of.
And sure enough.
A soul shadow emerged from Mo Wen's fallen corpse—a miniature version of Mo Wen himself. As soon as it materialized, his Divine Soul's eyes were filled with confusion. Then, with a sudden shudder, as if sensing the chill, it finally regained its senses.
The Divine Soul glanced at the corpse beneath it, then at Han Yi, who was rapidly retreating, and immediately understood the situation.
Without hesitation, the Divine Soul surged toward Han Yi. The two swords before Han Yi once again twisted into a deadly spiral, but this time they passed harmlessly through the soul's ethereal form, leaving it unscathed.
"Your body is mine now!" Mo Wen cackled, his Divine Soul plunging into Han Yi's Sea of Consciousness through his forehead.
Inside the Sea of Consciousness Space...
Mo Wen's triumphant grin abruptly vanished.
Staring at Han Yi's Sea of Consciousness Space, his Divine Soul went blank.
"This... this can't be right. How is your Sea of Consciousness Space so vast?"
"Even a First-Grade Immortal Foundation couldn't create something this massive."
"Damn it, I understand now! You're a reincarnated True Monarch. Only that could explain such an enormous Sea of Consciousness Space."
"But even if you are a reincarnated True Monarch with a boundless Sea of Consciousness, what good does it do you? You're just preparing a wedding gown for me!"
Mo Wen's Divine Soul erupted in maniacal laughter before lunging at Han Yi, who sat cross-legged in the center of the Sea of Consciousness Space.
For Mo Wen, this was both a life-or-death crisis and an extraordinary Immortal Opportunity.
Such a vast Sea of Consciousness Space was already at the level of the late Foundation Establishment Stage.
He had once heard of a similar situation: a reincarnated Nascent Soul True Monarch. When their reborn Divine Soul advanced to the Foundation Establishment Stage and shattered the prenatal amnesia, awakening memories of their past life, their Sea of Consciousness Space would immediately expand to the size of a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator's. Given time, it could even reach the Golden Core Stage.
However, in such cases, the strength of the Divine Soul would still correspond to their current cultivation realm—and that was Mo Wen's chance. He had never heard of a First-Grade Immortal Foundation affecting the Divine Soul itself. Had he known such a thing was possible, he would have fled as far as possible instead of charging straight toward the center of the Sea of Consciousness.
At the center of his Sea of Consciousness, Han Yi's Divine Soul stood up. Behind him, a sword materialized—not a Magic Artifact, but a construct formed entirely of Divine Soul energy, which Han Yi named the Divine Soul Sword, or Soul Sword for short.
The gray-white blade, resembling Primordial Chaos Qi, pierced silently into Mo Wen's onrushing Divine Soul.
"What is that?!" Mo Wen shuddered, his Divine Soul convulsing with terror.
Before he could react, the Soul Sword whirled and slashed relentlessly, shredding Mo Wen's Divine Soul into fragments.
Unlike a Physical Body, a shattered Divine Soul could reform. However, this time, it reconstituted at half its original size, barely reaching Han Yi's waist.
Mo Wen's diminished Divine Soul screamed in despair, turned, and fled.
But the Sea of Consciousness Space was Han Yi's domain. Where could Mo Wen's Divine Soul possibly escape?
Finding the initial strike insufficient, Han Yi conjured a second Soul Sword, sending it forth to join the frenzied assault.
Then...
...a third, a fourth... until nine Soul Swords materialized, each radiating lethal intent. Only then did Han Yi begin to feel the strain.
Under the relentless barrage of nine Soul Swords, Mo Wen's Divine Soul withered in just three breaths. By the end, it couldn't even maintain a coherent form.
"Senior... please spare me... I swear a Divine Oath to follow you for eternity..."
"Please... have mercy... let me live..."
"Please..."
Finally, Mo Wen's Divine Soul shattered completely into fragments, drifting aimlessly within the Sea of Consciousness Space, never to coalesce again.
Nine Soul Swords stood guard before the remnants of his Divine Soul.
The battle of Divine Souls had ended in the blink of an eye.
In the outside world, Mo Wen's Divine Soul surged toward Han Yi, who froze mid-motion.
Gu Yu, who had retreated over thirty meters away, snapped out of his shock. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, intent on killing Han Yi.
In his mind, Mo Wen's Divine Soul had undoubtedly succeeded in seizing Han Yi's body. However, if the host died again after a Body Seizure, the Divine Soul would be severely weakened, unable to attempt another possession for a considerable time.
This was his chance.
But the instant he moved, Han Yi turned around.
"Senior Brother Gu, it's me, Han Yi."
The voice was familiar, but Gu Yu couldn't be sure if the soul within was still Han Yi's.
Gu Yu paused, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face. He had never encountered such a situation before.
Han Yi's display of strength had genuinely made him believe he was facing a seasoned Senior Brother in the mid-Foundation Establishment Stage, rather than a newcomer who had just entered the stage.
However, the speed and abruptness of Han Yi and Mo Wen's clash had caught him completely off guard, leaving him utterly astonished.
Yet...
After Mo Wen's Divine Soul had plunged into Han Yi's Sea of Consciousness, Han Yi recovered far too quickly. Body Seizure couldn't possibly be this swift.
While Gu Yu hesitated, Han Yi wasted no time. They were still on the battlefield, not a moment to let his guard down.
First, he retrieved the two longswords hovering before him, storing one in his Storage Pouch and sheathing the other behind him.
Then, with a flicker of movement, he traversed over a hundred meters, landing beside Mo Wen's headless corpse. He retrieved the Storage Pouch from the body and collected the Blood Blade embedded in the ground beside it, stowing both away.
Finally, he gathered the Clear Spring Sword and Golden Light Shuttle scattered around the area, which Mo Wen hadn't had time to retrieve.
A faint scratch marred the edge of the Golden Light Shuttle. Han Yi quickly inspected it, relieved to find the Magic Artifact undamaged.
The Clear Spring Sword, however, bore a deep crack running from its tip to its hilt along its silver-white blade. The fissure penetrated halfway through the sword's thickness, leaving this Top-Grade Magic Artifact on the verge of ruin.
As for the Nine Li Daggers scattered around—the same ones he had just used to self-destruct and conceal the Crimson Longsword—Han Yi didn't bother collecting their shards. Despite their mystical name, this set of Magic Artifacts was merely a set of ordinary Mid-Grade artifacts. Their contribution to this battle had pushed them to their absolute limit.
Before leaving, Han Yi habitually tossed an Exploding Talisman onto Mo Wen's corpse. Only after the talisman detonated did Han Yi realize this wasn't the Myriad Demon Mountain Range or the Myriad Stars Sea. Here, killing cultivators from the Blood God Sect or Heavenly Soul Sect carried no risk of exposure. His earlier reaction had been purely instinctive; he would need to be more mindful in the future.
Meanwhile, nearby...
Gu Yu watched in astonishment as Han Yi skillfully gathered his Magic Artifacts and Storage Pouch, then tossed an Exploding Talisman to incinerate Mo Wen's corpse and erase all traces. It was as if he were seeing his junior brother for the first time.
However, he also breathed a sigh of relief. Han Yi's proficiency with his Magic Artifacts and his composed demeanor showed no signs of the weakness expected after a Body Seizure. It seemed this remarkable junior brother had truly annihilated Mo Wen's Divine Soul.
With this realization, Gu Yu exhaled deeply. Regardless of the details, the outcome was positive—and far exceeded his expectations.
Having just entered the Foundation Establishment Stage, Han Yi had already slain Mo Wen.
Without proof, who would believe such a feat?
As Han Yi incinerated Mo Wen's corpse with the Exploding Talisman, Gu Yu began to understand why his junior brother kept such a low profile.
If not for the Myriad Stars Sea incident, where Han Yi had eradicated Demon Cultivators, most would likely assume his Foundation Establishment Advancement was due to luck rather than genuine strength.
Still, under normal circumstances, even Legendary Disciples advancing to the Foundation Establishment Stage shouldn't have such a significant advantage over ordinary Peak Qi Refinement cultivators making the same breakthrough.
It was now clear that Han Yi was truly extraordinary.
"Senior Brother Gu, do you still have the strength for another battle?" Han Yi's question jolted Gu Yu awake.
Gu Yu nodded gravely, his face grim. "Yes. Having come this far, I fear nothing, not even death. We must fight to the bitter end."
Han Yi surveyed their surroundings, then tilted his head to glance at the aerial battlefield above.
The conflict had escalated rapidly. Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators streaked across hundreds of meters in an instant, transforming both land and air into battlefields. Golden Core cultivators clashed high above, their terrifying methods of combat shaking the very heavens. Huo Ming, wielding the Abyssal Fire Cauldron, fiercely battled an opposing Golden Core cultivator in the sky.
Despite the Abyssal Fire's power, it had a critical flaw: if an opponent was prepared and deliberately evaded it, the liquid flame's element of surprise would be lost.
Even without directly burning his opponent, Huo Ming used the Abyssal Fire Cauldron to force the Golden Core cultivator into a desperate struggle.
Han Yi lowered his gaze from the aerial battle, his solemn expression unchanged.
"Senior Brother Gu, Senior Brother An Xin is losing ground. We must assist him."
As Han Yi finished speaking and prepared to take flight, a chilling voice echoed in their minds:
"Trying to escape? Not so fast."
The moment the voice faded, Han Yi and Gu Yu whirled around, their eyes darting to the figure approaching from three hundred meters behind them.
In the blink of an eye, the figure had closed the distance to two hundred meters.
Then, with a speed that defied perception, he materialized less than thirty meters away.
The sudden shift in distance sent a wave of panic through Han Yi and Gu Yu. Gu Yu's eyes, in particular, widened in horror.
"It's Yu Ming of the Heavenly Soul Sect! Run!" Gu Yu hissed.
Though prepared to fight to the death, Gu Yu wasn't foolishly suicidal. His willingness to die in battle stemmed from a desire for meaningful sacrifice, not pointless slaughter.
"Too late to run now!" the cultivator sneered.
Yu Ming sneered, flipped his hand, and a palm-sized bronze bell appeared. He gently shook it, but strangely, no sound rang out. Yet Gu Yu's terrified expression instantly froze.
Beside Gu Yu, Han Yi's eyes flashed with momentary confusion.
Within his Sea of Consciousness Space, the deafening clang of a massive bronze bell reverberated, its vibrations churning into a destructive wave that surged toward his Divine Soul.
But when the wave washed over Han Yi's Divine Soul, it merely caused a slight tremor, like riding in a carriage on a bumpy road—uncomfortable, but ultimately harmless.
The confusion in Han Yi's eyes dissipated, replaced by a focused glint.
A Divine Soul attack, he realized. Of course. He's a cultivator from the Heavenly Soul Sect. That sect specializes in such attacks, employing methods so bizarre and unpredictable that defense is nearly impossible.
If I can close the distance and strike him with a surprise sword strike, it might prove surprisingly effective.
With this thought, Han Yi remained motionless, feigning continued confusion.