The stone cave grew deeper, yet Li Xuan felt no apprehension. Before entering, he had inquired of the Heavenly Dao Brush if it sensed any danger. The answer, naturally, was no. Though Li Xuan wasn't entirely sure if the Heavenly Dao Brush was reliable, he couldn't bring himself to turn back without exploring.
Despite the pitch-blackness of the cave, to Li Xuan, it was no different from the outside. Ever since cultivating the Illusionary Realm eye technique, his vision had become remarkably clear and bright. He could perceive the true nature of things at a glance. If only time permitted, Li Xuan truly wished he could absorb sunlight daily.
Half an hour passed. Li Xuan's eyes suddenly brightened as a vast, open plaza appeared before him.
What shocked Li Xuan was the presence of dozens of stone sculptures on this plaza. Each sculpture was human-shaped, their forms and postures incredibly lifelike.
Hiss!
As Li Xuan approached for a closer look, he gasped in cold shock. These stone sculptures were actually living people who had been directly petrified.
"Young master, you must be careful. This place is extremely perilous!" At this moment, the Heavenly Dao Brush's voice sounded, tinged with solemnity, in Li Xuan's mind.
Hearing this, Li Xuan's expression immediately turned grave. With a thought, he drew the Soul Grasp sword and vigilantly scanned his surroundings.
*Crack!*
A crisp sound echoed. Li Xuan's nerves tightened, and he immediately looked in that direction. The next instant, Li Xuan's face contorted in shock. The stone sculpture before him began to crack. What shocked Li Xuan even more was that the cracks only appeared on the surface, like ice, while the person within moved their eyes!
Danger!
Li Xuan's scalp tingled. As the cracks widened, a terrifying aura emanated from within the stone sculpture. In an instant, Li Xuan sensed that the being inside had reached the Martial God realm, and its aura was rapidly climbing.
The next moment, Li Xuan swung his sword down. To his astonishment, the man within the stone sculpture suddenly opened his eyes and, with two fingers, caught Li Xuan's Soul Grasp.
Li Xuan was terrified. This was the first time he had encountered someone who could block his attack. At this moment, the man's aura had already ascended to the peak of the Martial God realm.
"Insignificant wretch, daring to enter my Mount Moving Sect. Your crime warrants death!" The man's expression was icy. Although his voice was somewhat stiff, his killing intent was undiminished. The next moment, he unleashed a punch towards Li Xuan.
Seeing this, Li Xuan's expression turned cold. He immediately channeled the physical strength of the Silver Bone realm and met the punch with his own.
*Bang!*
The two fists collided, and a terrifying force instantly spread outwards in all directions.
*Crack!*
The stone sculptures around them also began to crack, and their auras immediately permeated the air.
Damn it!
Li Xuan couldn't help but curse inwardly. This wasn't a fight; it was a mob attack! Once all the people within these stone sculptures awakened, he would be no match for them.
"One Sword Shatters All Laws!"
"Heavenly Slaying Three Swords!"
With this thought, Li Xuan immediately activated the Azure Cloud sword. Terrifying sword energy surged forth, flowing into the Soul Grasp, and with a single strike, he slashed downwards.
*Boom!*
The sword, infused with sword intent, surged with immense power, sweeping across the area. The man's expression shifted, and he immediately retreated. However, the surrounding stone sculptures exploded. In a flash, of the dozens of stone sculptures, only the initial man remained.
"You, deserve to die!"
The man, seeing all the surrounding stone sculptures destroyed, his eyes filled with a murderous intent that seemed almost tangible, glared at Li Xuan and said coldly.
Li Xuan curled his lips. Although the man's current aura had reached the Half-Saint realm, Li Xuan was not without a fighting chance. However, if the people within the stone sculptures had all awakened, he would have no choice but to flee. Moreover, if the man hadn't attacked him the moment he awakened, Li Xuan wouldn't have directly destroyed the stone sculptures.
*Bang!*
The man threw a punch at Li Xuan. Li Xuan responded with a sword strike, then retreated once more.
"A bit strong," Li Xuan muttered, wiping a trickle of blood from his lip, his gaze sharp as he looked at the man. Li Xuan was somewhat shocked. His physical body had reached the Silver Bone realm, yet he couldn't withstand the force of the man's punch. Clearly, the man's physical strength surpassed his own.
"I underestimated you! But if that's the case, you can be on your way!" The man glanced at Li Xuan, then moved, walking directly towards him.
Sensing the man's formidable aura, Li Xuan's expression slightly tensed. With a wave of his hand, five high-grade spiritual swords appeared before him. The man stopped, seemingly unfazed, waiting for Li Xuan's next move. But the next moment, a subtle change occurred on the man's face.
The five high-grade spiritual swords before Li Xuan had actually plunged into his dantian.
"What, committing suicide?" The man sneered at Li Xuan, then shook his head slightly. But soon, his expression completely changed.
"You, you actually broke through!" The man stared at Li Xuan in shock. As a Half-Saint, he could sense the change in Li Xuan's aura. While he couldn't quite comprehend how Li Xuan had achieved this, the process itself was beyond his understanding.
Martial God Realm, early stage.
Li Xuan took a deep breath, clenched his hands slightly, and his aura instantly surged. The next moment, the Soul Grasp sword in his hand shot out.
"Mount Moving Technique, One Technique Suppresses the Mountain!"
The man's pupils contracted. He pressed his hands down, and a giant palm broke through the air, pressing down towards Li Xuan.
"Heavenly Slaying Three Forms!"
*Bang!*
A terrifying spiritual pressure descended, and Li Xuan was sent flying by a single sword strike. Seeing this, Li Xuan took a deep breath and unleashed the third strike of the Heavenly Slaying Three Swords.
"One Sword Shatters All Laws!"
As the Heavenly Slaying Three Swords were unleashed, Li Xuan once again channeled his sword intent, unleashing his strongest blow.
*Puchi!*
With a flash of his sword, the Soul Grasp appeared before the man. The next moment, the Soul Grasp's blade cracked, but it was pressed against the man's brow. Seeing this, a flicker of pain crossed Li Xuan's eyes, but he quickly and resolutely channeled all the sword intent within the Soul Grasp, sending it surging into the man's brow.
*Boom!*
Terrifying sword intent flooded into the man's body, like a torrent, rapidly shredding his life force.
"Such powerful sword intent..." The man's body, like porcelain, began to crack rapidly. After a low murmur, his body suddenly expanded.
*Puff!*
A terrifying shockwave erupted, flinging Li Xuan heavily backward. After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Li Xuan sat down on the spot and closed his eyes.
A quarter of an hour later, Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes. His pale complexion had regained some color.
"These people, they don't even have space rings!" Li Xuan surveyed the battlefield, feeling utterly speechless. Dozens of stone sculptures, including the man from before, had not left behind a single space ring.
Li Xuan shook his head in exasperation, then rose and continued towards the palace gate before him.
As the gate creaked open, Li Xuan froze.
Inside, there were ten more stone sculptures!
Holy cow!