Chapter 616: Taiji Magic Array!
Not far away, everyone’s emotions were difficult to calm.
Defeating the bearded giant with a punch and defeating Wei Cangshan with one sword were already shocking. But defeating Mo Qingyao with a single sword truly stirred the hearts of the crowd and caused waves of excitement.
After all, this was a top-five powerhouse on the Earth Ranking. Even a 1st level Heavenly Core Realm expert might not be able to defeat such an opponent in one move, yet Li Yun had accomplished this seemingly impossible feat.
While everyone was shocked, Li Yun himself was not surprised by this result.
Over the past month or so, he had not only been cultivating Soul Suppressing Nine Strikes. He had not neglected his other aspects either.
His cultivation had already reached the perfection stage of the 1st level of Earthly Core Realm, only one step away from the 2nd level of Earthly Core Realm. In his view, his current strength had long surpassed the top five experts of the Earth Ranking. In fact, his current combat power was already beyond what the Earth Ranking could measure.
Moreover, his earlier sword strike had been imbued with the second strike of Soul Suppressing Nine Strikes. It did not contain Slaughter Sword Intent, but it was still more than enough to deal with normal disciples here.
Whoosh!
The next moment, his figure appeared on the seventh small floating island, where he faced his fourth opponent.
This opponent was none other than Ye Qingmu, who ranked fourth on the Earth Ranking.
"Li Yun, I truly never expected your strength to reach such a level."
Ye Qingmu’s expression was solemn, but his eyes burned with intensity as he stared intently at Li Yun and said gravely, "I admit that I am probably not your match, but you still will not be able to reach the sixth floor. Of everyone on this Floating Island, only Senior Sister Feng is qualified to step onto the sixth floor."
As he spoke, Ye Qingmu looked toward Feng Qingxiao. His eyes blazed with fervor, and his face was filled with fanaticism. Clearly, he was a devoted admirer of Feng Qingxiao.
"Is that so?"
Li Yun’s expression remained indifferent.
He did not care about the relationship between Ye Qingmu and Feng Qingxiao. All he needed to do was defeat every opponent before him and step onto the sixth floor of the Floating Island.
"One Leaf Obscures the Eye, Ninefold Illusory Bodies!"
Ye Qingmu let out a long cry.
Suddenly, his forehead split open, but no blood flowed out. Instead, a strange eye emerged from within.
This eye had clear patterns and distinct veins. It looked less like an eye and more like a leaf.
From this leaf-like eye, wisps of gray mist projected outward, enveloping Ye Qingmu’s entire body. In the next moment, the mist vanished, but Ye Qingmu’s figure had multiplied into nine.
All nine Ye Qingmus had identical builds, identical expressions, and identical auras. There was no discernible difference between them.
"Hahaha!"
Ye Qingmu’s voice suddenly echoed. "Li Yun, although I cannot defeat you, I can still delay you and make you consume more essence qi. With nine illusory bodies, can you figure out which one is the real me?"
All nine Ye Qingmu figures laughed heartily at the same time, making it impossible to find any flaw.
"Figure it out?"
Li Yun’s expression remained indifferent. He shook his head and said calmly, "Why bother?"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In the next moment, a green gourd suddenly appeared in his hand, shimmering with green light. He pulled off the gourd’s stopper, and three hundred and thirty-three precious swords roared out at the same time.
The three hundred and thirty-three precious swords transformed into nine sword formations, each radiating unparalleled sharpness as they shot toward Ye Qingmu’s nine illusory bodies at the same time.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
In an instant, eight of Ye Qingmu’s nine illusory bodies were directly shattered. Only the last one remained, and it blocked the sword formation attacking it.
Although it blocked the sword formation, his true body was also exposed.
"Found you."
Li Yun’s voice was cold.
The three hundred and thirty-three precious swords suddenly merged into one formation. At the same time, the Flowing Cloud Formation Diagram flew out, and under the support of the formation diagram, the power of the sword formation instantly surged by thirty percent.
Simultaneously, Li Yun activated the second strike of Soul Suppressing Nine Strikes. With a fourfold burst of combat power, the sword formation erupted, flashing with dazzling light as it sent Ye Qingmu flying.
"No!"
Even as he was sent flying, Ye Qingmu’s face still carried a look of shock.
He could not believe that his proudest technique had been broken so easily by Li Yun.
"Another one!"
"Even Ye Qingmu was easily defeated by Li Yun. Could Li Yun really be about to create a miracle?"
"It is still too early to say that. Do not forget, Feng Qingxiao, Jian Wuhen, and Fang Yuanliang have not made their moves yet."
"Regardless, Li Yun might actually have a chance to create a miracle."
In the blink of an eye, another top-five genius on the Earth Ranking had been defeated by Li Yun, once again drawing gasps of astonishment.
Clearly, ordinary opponents could no longer pose any hindrance to Li Yun. Perhaps only experts of Feng Qingxiao and Jian Wuhen’s caliber could give him some trouble.
Sure enough, in the fifth battle that followed, Li Yun once again achieved an easy victory.
In the sixth battle, Li Yun faced Luo Chen.
Luo Chen was the third-ranked powerhouse on the Earth Ranking and also the strongest Inner Sect Disciple of the Profound Heaven Sect. His strength was not quite equal to Jian Wuhen’s or Feng Qingxiao’s, but he was not far behind either.
"Li Yun, your winning streak ends here."
Luo Chen wore blue robes with a taiji diagram painted on them. Standing with his hands behind his back, he said indifferently, "A mere 1st level Earthly Core Realm cultivator dares to dream of stepping onto the sixth floor of the Floating Island? What a delusion. Someone like you should stay in your place."
As his words fell, he suddenly formed a hand seal.
In an instant, his blue robes erupted with intense light. The taiji diagram in particular seemed to come alive, radiating boundless brilliance.
The intense light reflected in the air, forming a Taiji-shaped magic array. As the array descended, all of Li Yun’s essence qi was completely sealed.
"This Taiji Magic Array can only be activated once a month. Originally, I planned to use it against Feng Qingxiao, but I never expected to waste it on someone like you."
Luo Chen’s expression was arrogant as he said coldly, "For an ant-like creature like you to force me to use the Taiji Magic Array, you should feel proud even in death."
As his words fell, Luo Chen’s aura suddenly erupted.
He took a fierce step forward, and his entire presence surged like a humanoid vicious beast. Then, he abruptly slapped his palm toward Li Yun’s head.
"It is actually the Taiji Magic Array. How despicable of Luo Chen!"
"That is not necessarily despicable. The battles on the Floating Island do not forbid any methods. Since Luo Chen thought to use the Taiji Magic Array, that is also his skill."
"Now that Li Yun’s essence qi has been sealed, how will he respond?"
"It seems Li Yun’s winning streak is about to end here. Not only that, but his life might also be in danger."