As Jian Fanchen spoke, the vast river of stars suddenly brightened, each point of starlight like a blazing sword, swiftly attacking Wan Lei.
The overwhelming sword intent that enveloped him left Wan Lei with nowhere to hide.
If he could use the Wind Blade Escape technique, his speed would surpass that of the starlight, allowing him to launch a fierce assault on Jian Fanchen with lightning speed.
Alas...
Wan Lei gritted his teeth inwardly.
The scorching starlight sword intent, imbued with boundless power, surged towards him, and Wan Lei thought of a divine ability that could counter it.
Wan Lei's eyes turned pitch black in an instant, and ten colossal dragons appeared behind him. The dragons opened their massive mouths, spewing torrents of dark, Yin winds towards the expanse of starlight.
Immediately after, the dazzling night sky was suddenly shrouded by dark clouds, and a torrential downpour of purple rain began. The Yin and deathly stillness carried by the Yin wind and purple rain were the perfect antithesis to the vast and majestic aura of the starlight. The two forces filled all the space, consuming and neutralizing each other.
"Calling the wind and summoning the rain?"
Jian Fanchen, drenched in the purple rain, looked at Wan Lei with confusion.
"From the Hall Master of the Water Hall," Wan Lei replied.
You don't admit it? Then I'll make you take the blame, to death.
After all, this divine ability was created by you, and you gave it to me.
Following the Hall Master of the Fire Hall, another Hall Master burdened with blame appeared.
Wan Lei's words caused an uproar in the outside world.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible. How could our Hall Master give him divine abilities? Didn't he offend our Hall Master?"
"What's going on? How could Wan Lei possess divine abilities created by the Hall Master of the Water Hall?"
"Perhaps there's a hidden secret between Wan Lei and the Hall Master of the Water Hall? Hmm, it must be so, otherwise how could a disciple of the Tai Xu Realm bully a Saint?"
"Holy cow, what a scandal."
"Brother, by your logic, the Hall Master of the Fire Hall is jealous of Wan Lei, which is why he's targeting Wan Lei, right?"
"Precisely."
"Indeed..."
The Hall Masters of the Water and Fire Halls were unaware of the gossip being spun about them. However, the Sword Saint was present. Upon hearing their words, he stroked his chin, a sly smile gracing his lips.
He wondered if he should loudly denounce Li Yan for being a third party, breaking up the loving couple Xi Sha and Wan Lei...
After all, it was just entertainment, and it didn't hurt to stir up trouble. No one cared about the truth.
Inside the Creation Pagoda.
Starlight permeated the air, and purple rain poured down.
The two immensely powerful forces of completely different attributes clashed fiercely. Wan Lei and Jian Fanchen, at the core of these two forces, were both severely affected.
The purple rain consumed Jian Fanchen's life force, while the starlight exploded upon Wan Lei, penetrating his body.
While resisting each other's attacks, both had to continuously supply energy to their respective divine abilities, the consumption being far from ordinary.
Wan Lei didn't know if Jian Fanchen possessed any trump cards for rapid energy recovery, but he did.
The cosmic energy within him continuously supplied him with power, making him more capable of enduring the drain than Jian Fanchen.
The two stood still, allowing the two great divine abilities to clash for a full half hour.
Wan Lei began to grow restless. Jian Fanchen must have something on him that could rapidly restore his energy, otherwise, why would he be able to sustain this stalemate?
Since you're so good at enduring, I'll make the rate of consumption exceed your rate of recovery.
Blood Demon Art!
A stream of blood energy suddenly appeared within Wan Lei. In mid-air, it transformed into a bloody, colossal demon head.
This head was much larger and more ferocious than before, appearing more lifelike, likely due to Wan Lei's cultivation advancement.
With the appearance of the Blood Demon Art, the colossal demon opened its gaping maw and began to suck towards Jian Fanchen.
With this move, not only was Jian Fanchen's internal energy continuously absorbed, but even the starlight in the air was drawn into the Blood Demon Art's mouth.
Those outside were puzzled. Wan Lei had clearly not exchanged merit points, yet he possessed so many divine abilities from the Five Elements Hall.
Calling the wind and summoning the rain, and the Blood Demon Art – these were once Wan Lei's signature moves against high-level enemies. This combination of three attacks could weaken even the strongest opponents.
Indeed, after only a quarter of an hour, Jian Fanchen's face turned pale. The transmission of energy from his body to the starlight slowed considerably. The power of the purple rain gradually began to overpower the starlight.
Jian Fanchen glanced up at the dark clouds overhead, then swung his long sword and turned to fly away.
He intended to first escape the range of the purple rain and restore his energy.
"Hmph, trying to run?"
Wan Lei snorted coldly, then slapped his storage bag. An array bead flew out, and instantly, the entire area covered by the purple rain was enveloped, trapping Jian Fanchen within.
The great array not only had the effect of trapping enemies but also of killing them.
Streams of lightning and flames rained down upon Jian Fanchen. Wan Lei sneered inwardly, thinking that Jian Fanchen, a sword cultivator, wouldn't have the energy to learn formations on the side.
Even if he had a formation-breaking device, it would take a while to break the array, giving him ample time to weaken or even heavily injure him.
However, what happened next made Wan Lei dumbfounded.
Jian Fanchen's speed suddenly increased dramatically. His form turned into a wind blade, slicing through the space before him, and in the blink of an eye, he passed through the array and escaped to the outside.
Damn it, this guy knows the Wind Blade Escape technique!
Of course. Even Chai Lian knew the Wind Blade Escape technique, let alone Jian Fanchen, the foremost disciple of the Tai Xu Realm in the Five Elements Hall.
Wan Lei was so furious he almost used the Wind Blade Escape technique to pursue, but his reason prevailed, causing him to stop.
This round of combat concluded with Jian Fanchen's defeat.
Anyone could see that Jian Fanchen was at a disadvantage and had fled.
After escaping the array, Jian Fanchen quickly stabilized himself for a few seconds, then looked up and raised his long sword again.
Wan Lei recalled the array, and the purple rain and starlight all dissipated.
A new battle was about to begin.
"Ten Thousand Swords!!!"
Jian Fanchen's long sword flew from his hand, then circled around him, instantly transforming into over ten thousand identical long swords.
As the swords were unleashed, they surged towards Wan Lei like a mighty river.
The ten thousand swords, each possessing the full power of Jian Fanchen's strike, attacked Wan Lei in a chaotic and unorganized barrage.
Wan Lei swung his great hammer, but could only block a portion of the swords. The remaining swords still managed to strike him.
Before long, Wan Lei was covered in wounds, all inflicted by the swords. His clothes were torn to shreds, and he looked utterly pathetic.
After this onslaught, Wan Lei's injuries worsened.
However, one sword transforming into ten thousand was not the final form of this divine ability.
Jian Fanchen tapped his finger lightly and roared,
"Unite!!!"