Chapter 656: Shadow Domain!
"Li Yun, I already told you. Before my Shadow Divine Ability, all your methods are useless."
The crimson-robed youth’s voice drifted unpredictably from within the darkness, making it impossible to locate his true position. "If you cannot even land an attack on me, how do you expect to fight me? To me, killing you is not much harder than crushing an ant."
He paused briefly, and his voice became even more mocking. "By the way, that sword immortal puppet of yours is quite decent. It is wasted in your hands. After I kill you, I will take it for myself."
Before his voice had fully faded, the crimson-robed youth appeared behind Li Yun again and struck down with a ruthless palm.
Li Yun reacted immediately.
His Indestructible Body erupted, and a powerful physical aura surged through his flesh. At the same time, he used Slow Sword to turn and block, but the crimson-robed youth’s attack was far too strange. It came from the shadows at an extremely tricky angle, and the palm force still landed on Li Yun’s back.
Bang!
Li Yun staggered forward, and a wave of numbness spread across his body.
The crimson-robed youth was, after all, a powerhouse at the 8th level of Heavenly Core Realm. Even without the Shadow Divine Ability, his strength far surpassed Elder Chen Ming’s. With the Shadow Divine Ability added on top of that, he became even more difficult to deal with.
"Li Yun, do not worry. I will not kill you all at once."
The crimson-robed youth disappeared into the shadows again, and his elusive voice rang out from all directions. "The thing I enjoy most in this life is letting my enemies be slowly tortured to death in despair, especially geniuses like you. That feeling is truly enjoyable."
Whoosh!
As soon as he spoke, he appeared directly in front of Li Yun. His palm spread open, and his five fingers descended like five giant pillars, grabbing toward Li Yun’s arm.
Li Yun’s gaze turned cold.
"Soul Sword Control Art."
The Sword-Nurturing Gourd opened, and six hundred and sixty-six precious swords rushed out at once. The Flowing Cloud Formation Diagram appeared beneath them, causing the entire sword formation to rotate rapidly around Li Yun.
At the same time, his thirty percent Xiantian Stage Slaughter Sword Intent and twenty percent Xiantian Stage Immortal Sword Intent poured into the formation. Crimson killing power and pale immortal sharpness overlapped on every sword, increasing the power of the sword formation even further.
The six hundred and sixty-six swords swept outward together.
The crimson-robed youth’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately withdrew into the shadows.
The sword formation strangled the area where he had been standing, tearing apart the ground and cutting the air into countless fragments. However, it still failed to hit his true body.
A cold laugh came from within the shadows.
"It is useless."
In the next moment, the crimson-robed youth appeared from another direction and struck Li Yun’s shoulder. Li Yun tried to block with the sword formation, but he was still half a step too slow.
Rip!
A piece of flesh was torn from his right arm.
Intense pain surged through him, and Li Yun could not help letting out a muffled groan.
His face turned pale, but his eyes remained sharp.
He knew that relying solely on his own strength would make it extremely difficult to kill the crimson-robed youth. The Shadow Divine Ability made the opponent’s movements too unpredictable. If he could not lock onto the crimson-robed youth’s true body, even the sword immortal puppet would be wasted.
Because of that, he had to stay calm.
He had to wait.
Without absolute certainty, he could not casually use the puppet’s full power.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The crimson-robed youth continued appearing from the shadows. Each time he appeared, he left another wound on Li Yun’s body. Some wounds were shallow, while others cut deep into his flesh. Although none of them were fatal, the accumulated damage gradually became serious.
Li Yun’s breathing grew heavier.
Even so, he did not panic.
His sword formation continued circling around him. Slow Sword defended against the attacks he could sense. His Indestructible Body endured the attacks he could not fully avoid. His Slaughter Sword Intent and Immortal Sword Intent continued searching for traces of the crimson-robed youth’s true aura.
Finally, when the crimson-robed youth appeared once more, Li Yun’s eyes flashed.
"Dreamlike Bubble."
He suddenly swung his sword.
This strike did not carry overwhelming killing force. Instead, it was graceful, mysterious, and strangely beautiful. The Sword Light seemed to contain a dream that drew the mind into it, making one instinctively lose focus.
Even the crimson-robed youth could not help becoming dazed for a brief instant.
His eyes turned hazy, and a trace of blankness appeared on his face.
If Li Yun had used Thunder Rain Soul-Seizing directly, the crimson-robed youth might have guarded against it. However, he had not expected Li Yun to possess another soul-confusing sword technique.
That moment of carelessness was enough.
"Thunder Rain Soul-Seizing."
Li Yun swung his sword again.
Suddenly, thunder roared and rain poured inside the crimson-robed youth’s mind. Countless raindrops transformed into sharp Sword Qi, stabbing toward his soul from every direction.
"Ah!"
The crimson-robed youth let out a painful cry. His soul trembled, and his body was forcefully delayed for a fraction of a breath.
At the same time, Li Yun moved.
"Grand Profound Five Elements Sword."
Five-colored Sword Qi erupted from his sword. Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth circulated within the strike, forming a complete cycle. Li Yun poured his Five Elements comprehension into it without holding anything back, then added the overlapping power of his Slaughter Sword Intent and Immortal Sword Intent.
The five-colored Sword Qi slashed forward.
The crimson-robed youth barely recovered from the soul attack and immediately merged into the shadows again. However, this time, he was not completely unharmed. The edge of Grand Profound Five Elements Sword caught his shoulder and tore open a bloody wound.
His expression finally darkened.
"Good. Very good, Li Yun."
The crimson-robed youth’s voice became colder. "I originally only wanted to play with you, but I did not expect you to be hiding so many methods. In that case, do not blame me for using a sledgehammer to crack a nut."
"Shadow Domain."
He let out a furious roar.
With his body as the center, darkness rapidly expanded. In the blink of an eye, the surrounding area was completely swallowed by shadows. Within a hundred-zhang radius, not a single ray of light remained. There was only endless darkness, filled with a spine-chilling aura.
Inside this Shadow Domain, the crimson-robed youth’s voice echoed from every direction.
"Li Yun, with this Shadow Domain, I have even killed powerhouses at the 9th level of Heavenly Core Realm. Being able to die here can be considered your honor."