Ji Yue glanced at the eighth-layer elder, then turned her gaze back to Lin Xiao. She did not reply to the elder, but her silence appeared to accept his statement.
Swish!
Ji Yue drew a gleaming curved sword. Overwhelming aura burst forth. She swung it casually with one hand, and a sword beam laced with icy chill shot out from the blade. Terrifying fluctuations surged as it slashed towards Lin Xiao. The void crackled like firecrackers, an awe-inspiring display.
At that instant, Lin Xiao activated the fifth layer of the Nether Heaven Demonic Art. Rolling demonic essence poured into the Nether Heaven Demonic Pillar. Unmatched fluctuations erupted from it.
Thick black qi gushed from his body. He looked like a demon god incarnate, his presence terrifying and invincible.
Boom! Lin Xiao swung the pillar. A solid-like column of black light shot forward, smashing horizontally through the air.
At the same time, the mysterious veins in his mind circulated. Only Hand Covering Heaven activated. A tricolour energy palm condensed in the sky, radiating immense pressure. Burning, devouring, and thunder energies filled it as it slammed down towards Ji Yue’s sword beam.
From Lin Xiao’s flank, the Purple Corpse Puppet clawed with five fingers. Five sinister rays of finger light pierced out, carrying horrifying power that seemed capable of tearing through the void itself.
Though the Purple Corpse Puppet had not advanced recently, it still possessed the combat strength of a sixth-layer Martial Emperor. Its power could not be underestimated.
Lin Xiao’s combined essence and spiritual attack, plus the puppet, amounted to three peak sixth-layer Martial Emperors striking together. The momentum was monumental.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the blink of an eye, their forces collided. Lin Xiao’s massive black pillar, the tricolour palm, and the puppet’s five finger rays shattered one after another. They turned into vast oceanic shockwaves that surged outward.
Yet even against three such attacks, Ji Yue’s casual sword beam did not fully disintegrate. A weakened remnant burst through the rolling waves and struck Lin Xiao with lightning speed.
Bang!
The sword beam failed to cut through his body but exploded into tremendous shockwaves. The slashing and shaking force hurled Lin Xiao backwards.
Blood surged within him. A trace of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.
The Purple Corpse Puppet at his side was also sent flying diagonally by the rolling aftermath and the secondary blast from Lin Xiao.
“So strong?”
Lin Xiao’s expression changed drastically.
He had not yet unleashed his strongest attacks, yet his combined essence and spiritual power could already overwhelm seventh-layer Martial Emperors. Adding the puppet, even an eighth-layer Martial Emperor should at least be forced to struggle.
Yet all that power could not even block a single casual strike from Ji Yue?
Jiang Yi and the eighth-layer elder both showed faint surprise.
They were surprised that Lin Xiao had managed to withstand Ji Yue’s attack and emerge relatively unscathed.
As for Ji Yue’s strength, they had expected it. Her displayed combat power was not overly shocking, so neither felt astonishment at the might she revealed.
“You do have some ability, but it is still not enough!”
Ji Yue’s figure swayed. She spun gracefully. A curved sword beam arced through the air like a heaven-shocking scythe, radiating dazzling brilliance. Piercing shrieks tore through the sky as it slashed towards both Lin Xiao and the Purple Corpse Puppet.
Lin Xiao sensed mortal danger. He instantly activated the Nine Nether Demonic Body. His strongest demonic essence surged within him. The demonic physique reached the First Nether stage. Rolling black qi poured from his skin. Terrifying fluctuations erupted from the Nether Heaven Demonic Pillar.
With a downward smash, an even more horrifying giant black pillar thundered forth, sweeping waves of black qi and destructive force straight at her.
The same pillar attack, yet its power far exceeded the previous strike.
At the same time, the mysterious energy martial skill derived from the Eternal Heavenly Spirit Art activated once more. This time he directly unleashed his strongest version: Sacred Hand Covering Heaven.
An even more colossal tricolour energy palm condensed in the void. Terrifying burning, thunder, and devouring energies gathered within it, spreading across hundreds of li. The very trees on the ground began to ignite. Light and darkness flickered around the palm as though it could swallow the void itself.
Boom! The tricolour palm, like the hand of a Martial Saint, slammed downward. The void trembled. It met Ji Yue’s sword beam first.
Immediately after came Lin Xiao’s black demonic pillar and another set of five finger rays from the Purple Corpse Puppet. All three attacks streaked forth with unstoppable destructive might.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Deafening explosions like nine heavens thunder resounded. Towering shockwaves erupted. A storm of energy raged through the sky, sweeping in all directions for hundreds of li.
Having unleashed his attacks, Lin Xiao retreated at maximum speed, yet he was still caught by the terrifying aftermath and forced back once more.
This time, however, Ji Yue’s sword beam did not break through. It too shattered completely.
The rolling energy waves did not surge excessively towards Lin Xiao nor towards Ji Yue.
This exchange had been perfectly even.
Naturally, the Purple Corpse Puppet beside Lin Xiao could not escape the blast either. It was hurled backwards alongside him.
The sheer force shook the ground. The commotion spread countless li in every direction.
Ji Yue herself was pushed outward by the sweeping shockwaves and residual force, yet she remained motionless, standing firmly in her original spot in the void.
Jiang Yi and the Sacred Heaven Sect eighth-layer elder had retreated far away the instant the clash began.
At that moment, both were utterly shocked.
They were shocked by the power Lin Xiao had unleashed, especially that tricolour energy palm. For a brief instant, they had both felt a shiver, as if facing the hand of a true Martial Saint. An inexplicable dread had risen in their hearts.
And after combining essence, spiritual force, and the corpse puppet, he had actually managed to meet Ji Yue’s attack head-on and match her blow for blow.
Swish!
Amidst the rolling shockwaves, Ji Yue suddenly shot skyward. She switched from one-handed to a two-handed grip on her curved sword.
Terrifying power surged rapidly from her hands into the blade. Her long hair danced wildly. Her aura reached the heavens. An absolutely horrifying strike was brewing.
“Lin Xiao, unleash your strongest attack. We strike together!”
At that instant, Jiang Yi’s voice rang inside Lin Xiao’s mind. He had used divine-sense transmission, completing the message in a fraction of a second.
