"Hun Yuan Ling Bo!"
With Chen He's low shout, the imposing aura emanating from his body instantly transformed into a heatwave, rapidly spreading outwards. Then, like a colossal tide, it surged fiercely towards Li Xuan head-on.
Li Xuan's expression immediately changed upon seeing this.
The moment Chen He unleashed this move, Li Xuan felt a strong sense of crisis welling up within him. If it were a contest of pure physical strength, Li Xuan would have been unfazed.
Even in a direct confrontation, Li Xuan wouldn't have had such concerns. But this move by Chen He, though seemingly substantial, was in reality ethereal and insubstantial, leaving no opening to grasp.
It was akin to seeking warmth by a fire, not by the flames themselves, but by the heat they radiated. Chen He's current technique was like that heat – difficult to resist.
"As expected of a veteran top-hundred disciple. This move, for anyone else, would likely have led to immediate surrender." As the sense of crisis intensified, Li Xuan's physical defenses activated instantly.
Not only that, but a golden light materialized around Li Xuan's body, quickly forming a golden bell that enveloped him completely.
*Hummm.*
Just as Li Xuan finished this, Chen He's attack arrived. With a low hum, the golden bell barrier around Li Xuan shattered into fragments and dissipated.
*Hiss!*
In an instant, Li Xuan felt as if he had plunged into a sea of fire. Two completely different sensations, one cold and one hot, directly assaulted his soul.
Feeling the pain in his soul, Li Xuan couldn't help but gasp.
Furthermore, Li Xuan also felt that as the light wave passed over his body, his skin felt as if it were being flayed by knives. If not for his powerful physique, he would have been defeated by now.
Fortunately, the sensation was as brief as it was intense. The three breaths it lasted felt like half a century to Li Xuan.
"So strong! It's actually quite similar to my Divine Soul Blade!" Recovering his senses, Li Xuan stood rooted to the spot, motionless. His mind was still reeling in shock.
Chen He's attack was remarkably similar to his own Divine Soul Blade.
However, its power against the soul was significantly less potent. And there were distinct differences between the two. Li Xuan's Divine Soul Blade was a technique primarily focused on attacking the soul, and it was immensely powerful. But it was relatively singular in its application.
As for Chen He's attack, it targeted both the physical body and the soul simultaneously. Compared to Li Xuan's Divine Soul Blade, it was clearly more comprehensive.
Thinking of this, Li Xuan suddenly had an idea: if his Divine Soul Blade could be combined with this move of Chen He's, it would likely leave the opponent utterly defenseless.
The reason for this thought was that Li Xuan's own physical strength was already considerable. As long as a balance could be found, it would naturally be possible to fuse them.
"This is bad! How many people have fallen victim to this move of Chen He's? Judging by our fifth junior brother's state, he might not have escaped either." Seeing Li Xuan standing in a daze within the pillar of light, Song Wu Wen and the others became increasingly worried.
Even Luo Kang, standing on the main plaza of the Azure Hall, looked concerned. After all, Li Xuan's current condition was truly worrying.
"Kid, I told you long ago to get lost. Now, it's too late to regret it." Seeing Li Xuan standing like a puppet in the pillar of light, Chen He grew triumphant.
This Hun Yuan Ling Bo was something he had obtained in a cave during his travels. With this move, he had suppressed many opponents of the same cultivation level, and even those a level above him were extremely wary.
However, the effectiveness of Hun Yuan Ling Bo was minimal against those with extremely powerful souls who far surpassed him in strength. In fact, the moment this move was unleashed, they would notice it and be prepared.
As for the present situation, Chen He naturally didn't believe Li Xuan possessed such power.
Seeing Li Xuan's frozen expression, Chen He let out a loud laugh and raised his hand, intending to strike Li Xuan down with a palm.
"Stop!"
Su Yue Ze and the other four, who were within their own pillars of light, roared out. Then, they moved, breaking free from their respective light columns.
However, Su Yue Ze and the others were quite far from Li Xuan's pillar. Even now, they were too late.
*Hmm?*
Li Xuan, who was in a daze, suddenly felt a sense of danger. He immediately refocused his mind and, without hesitation, unleashed a punch forward.
*Bang!*
Chen He hadn't expected this at all. Li Xuan was completely unharmed by his attack. Li Xuan's punch was an all-out effort, with no reservations. It was, in essence, the full power of Li Xuan's peak physical strength.
Moreover, as he approached Li Xuan, Chen He hadn't anticipated such a turn of events. His defenses were down, and he hadn't even conjured his spiritual energy shield. With one punch, Chen He spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent crashing heavily backward.
"What!"
"How is this possible?!"
"This Li Xuan is completely unharmed? Could it be that Chen He was going easy on him?"
"..."
Many of the onlookers were watching the battle between Li Xuan and Chen He. They had initially assumed that after Chen He used that move, Li Xuan would be killed by Chen He's palm strike.
To their surprise, Li Xuan had sent Chen He flying with a single punch. And from Chen He's appearance, his injuries were not minor.
The sudden turn of events caused Su Yue Ze and the other four, who were rushing towards Li Xuan, to halt their advance. Exchanging glances, a look of shock filled their eyes.
"It seems we underestimated our fifth junior brother. Let's go back. We might have to challenge others soon." Su Yue Ze said with a wry smile, then moved back into his pillar of light.
Chai Jing Yuan and the other two shook their heads with wry smiles and then flew back to their respective pillars.
Li Xuan, having regained his senses, saw Chen He being sent flying by his punch and finally understood. If it hadn't been for that sense of vigilance in his heart, he would likely have been killed by Chen He by now. Muttering a word of fortune, Li Xuan then shot towards Chen He's landing point.
"I didn't expect your attack to also contain soul-like assaults. Since that's the case, let me show you the power of my attack!" Seeing the look of horror in Chen He's eyes, Li Xuan's voice fell as his soul power stirred in his mind, and the Divine Soul Blade was unleashed.
*Hummm.*
A faint aura materialized and shot towards Chen He. In just a moment, Chen He's eyes, filled with terror, turned vacant. Clearly, Li Xuan's Divine Soul Blade had completely annihilated Chen He's soul.
"Rest in peace!"
To conceal his secret, Li Xuan struck again. With a punch, he destroyed Chen He's corpse, collected the eight floating marks, and returned to his pillar of light.
In a flash of lightning and stone, it was done with no lingering hesitation.
"This Li Xuan, such decisive execution!"