"One technique, Heaven Suppression!"
As Li Xuan's voice fell, two streams of spiritual power, each with a capacity of ten billion, instantly collided. The terrifying explosive force scattered, causing the Xuan Ming River, already forced back a hundred miles by the auras of Li Xuan and Zu Chengtian, to churn and surge with colossal waves.
However, the formation's core, protected by the formation itself, remained intact despite the monstrous impact.
Seeing this out of the corner of his eye, Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. If he had accidentally aided the Wan Gu Domain in destroying this formation core, it would have been a grave sin.
In truth, Li Xuan's worries were unnecessary. The Great Domain Protection Formation was jointly set up by the Great Venerable Lin Yi and the Supreme Elder Chen Yu, and the formation core was the most critical point, so it was naturally handled with utmost care.
As for Zu Chengtian and his two companions, they relied on a supreme spiritual treasure, gifted by the Great Venerable Wan Gu, to damage the formation core. Even so, it would have taken them several days to completely break the formation at the core.
*Bang!*
The two spiritual pillars met with a deafening roar. Li Xuan and Zu Chengtian, at the center of the explosion, clashed once more. In just ten breaths, they had exchanged over a hundred blows.
"Damn it! How can this kid's physique be so resilient!" After a hundred exchanges, Zu Chengtian felt a chill creep into his heart.
Although their spiritual powers were roughly equal, in this exchange, Zu Chengtian clearly felt Li Xuan growing stronger with each passing moment. Each punch he threw was more ferocious than the last. By now, Zu Chengtian's hand felt numb.
*Boom!*
After exchanging over ten more punches, Zu Chengtian could no longer withstand the immense force of Li Xuan's physical body. He was sent flying back a hundred meters by the rebound.
"Divine Technique, Demonic God Transformation!"
Zu Chengtian stabilized his figure and immediately formed hand seals.
Vast spiritual energy surged from all directions, and with the fusion of his Star Spirit Beads, it instantly condensed into a colossal body, a hundred zhang tall.
Around this body, swirling black mist emanated. The entire world was plunged into darkness, as if black clouds had eclipsed the sun. Zu Chengtian's own body merged into this colossal form, causing the surrounding black mist to become even more solidified.
"This is... demonic energy?" Li Xuan frowned as he recognized Zu Chengtian's actions. Although the Cloud World did not prohibit spiritual masters from cultivating demonic arts, it was somewhat frowned upon.
After all, demonic cultivation techniques were excessively fierce, and a slight misstep could lead to demonic possession, causing one to lose all reason and kinship. The harm caused was immense, so few people revealed their demonic cultivation methods in front of others.
However, demonic cultivation techniques were powerful, and many spiritual masters secretly practiced them in pursuit of greater strength. Zu Chengtian's current actions undoubtedly signaled his intention to launch his final attack.
"You are indeed powerful, both in spiritual energy and physique, enough to be proud among your peers. If you were to break through to the Divine Soul Enlightenment stage, you would surely become a major obstacle to our Wan Gu Domain. To have forced me to use the Demonic God Body, you can die without regret. By eliminating you today, I have reduced some trouble for our Wan Gu Domain!"
Zu Chengtian's voice boomed from within the Demonic God Body, his demonic aura reaching its peak.
Li Xuan's expression turned solemn. In the next instant, his aura erupted.
His spiritual pressure only slowed down when it reached twelve billion Star Spirit Beads.
At this point, Li Xuan held nothing back.
"Is this all you have? If so, then be on your way!" Zu Chengtian sneered as he saw Li Xuan unleash his full power. He then threw a punch, sending torrents of demonic energy surging towards Li Xuan.
"Unrivaled Overlord Fist!"
Li Xuan clenched his left hand and threw a punch forward. In the next instant, a flash of cold light flickered and vanished into the void.
This needle was precisely the Chen Wu Divine Needle.
*Boom!*
The torrent of demonic energy was scattered by Li Xuan's punch, and Zu Chengtian's attack arrived simultaneously. As the two fists collided, an invisible shockwave swept outwards in all directions.
*Hum!*
At this moment, a buzzing sound echoed as a Chen Wu Divine Needle, only the size of a finger, shot from behind towards the back of the Demonic God Body's head. Zu Chengtian seemed to sense it and flickered, attempting to evade.
However, Li Xuan was prepared. The Master Sword instantly appeared and slashed down. With the Master Sword attacking from the front and the Chen Wu Divine Needle striking from behind, Zu Chengtian dared not face the onslaught.
With no other choice, Zu Chengtian quickly circulated his demonic energy, forming a barrier behind his head. Meanwhile, the demonic energy in front of him churned, swiftly resisting the attack of the Master Sword.
*Boom!*
Although the Master Sword's offensive was blocked by demonic energy, the Chen Wu Divine Needle's attack had already arrived. With a resounding boom, it pierced through the barrier of demonic energy and directly penetrated the Demonic God Body.
"You're a sword cultivator! That needle... damn it, so this is your trump card!"
Zu Chengtian, having just blocked Yuan Ding's attack and about to mock Li Xuan, suddenly felt a dizziness in his mind. He stared at Li Xuan in horror.
His face was already etched with fear.
Originally, Zu Chengtian believed the Master Sword's might to be the greatest threat, as he had felt its terrifying power the moment Li Xuan produced it. Its power was sufficient to break through his Demonic God Body's defenses.
But he never expected that the silver needle he had overlooked would be Li Xuan's true killer move. The divine soul was the most vital aspect of a spiritual master. Any damage to it could lead to a regression in cultivation, or worse, direct demise.
Li Xuan's Chen Wu Divine Needle, seemingly harmless, had pierced Zu Chengtian's divine soul in mere moments. Within these brief seconds, Zu Chengtian already felt his limbs stiffening.
"You are indeed powerful, but too arrogant. As you said, if you were to break through to the Divine Soul Enlightenment stage, our Tian Yi Domain would indeed gain a formidable enemy. Since that is the case, you shall remain here!"
Li Xuan's divine soul surged, and the Chen Wu Divine Needle continued to wreak havoc within Zu Chengtian's body. In less than ten breaths, Zu Chengtian's body had completely stiffened.
At this moment, only the whites of Zu Chengtian's eyes could still move.
"I am not reconciled! How can I perish here!"
"Even in death, I will not let you have an easy time!"
"Demonic God Sacrifice to Heaven!"
Zu Chengtian's consciousness roared, and the dissipated demonic energy around him began to surge again. In less than ten breaths, the surrounding demonic energy was even more potent than before. Even space itself began to shatter like a mirror, unable to withstand the corrosive influence of the demonic energy.
"Brother Li, retreat quickly!"
At this moment, Zhou Qingzi, a hundred miles away, having also suffered great exhaustion after dealing with Zu Chengwen, saw Zu Chengtian's actions and his pupils contracted sharply. He shouted urgently.
Zu Chengtian's move was undoubtedly an attempt to self-destruct and drag Li Xuan down with him.
Upon hearing Zhou Qingzi's words, Li Xuan could only shake his head with a wry smile. Zu Chengtian had already locked onto Li Xuan's aura. Even if Li Xuan chose to retreat, he would likely be caught instantly. At this point, Li Xuan had no choice but to face the impact head-on.
"Chen Wu Divine Needle, return." Li Xuan summoned the Chen Wu Divine Needle back into his body. His eyes then sharpened, and the Star Spirit Beads within his divine mansion began to rotate rapidly.
"I hope this is enough time."
Li Xuan murmured softly and then pointed a finger at his forehead.
"Dream Clan, Dream Infusion Technique."