"Shifting Form!"
As Li Xuan's words fell, his body vanished from its original position. The figure that then appeared beneath Liu Xuan's palm was Liu Shaoyun, who had already been subdued by Li Xuan.
Liu Xuan's eyes narrowed sharply at this, and the palm he had struck out with was hastily moved aside. The spiritual energy he had unleashed was instantly drawn back into his body.
However, a muffled groan emanated from Liu Xuan, indicating that the last-moment retraction of his strike had caused a backlash within him.
"You have impressive skills, sir."
After taking a deep breath, Liu Xuan looked at Li Xuan, who had reappeared where Liu Shaoyun had been standing, and spoke slowly.
Liu Xuan's expression was grave. Li Xuan's move just now had almost caused him to kill his own son with his own hands.
Furthermore, Liu Xuan was somewhat astonished by Li Xuan's maneuver; he hadn't detected the slightest fluctuation in spiritual energy. Considering the terrifying nature of array masters, Liu Xuan's demeanor grew serious.
"Do you intend to intervene?" Li Xuan asked, neither confirming nor denying, his gaze shifting towards Wu Yigou, Hong Shisan, and the others.
At this moment, before Hong Shisan, Zhao Ling'er, and Hua Yuechang, there stood a middle-aged man and two elders. Clearly, these three were the leaders of the Hong, Zhao, and Hua families.
As Li Xuan spoke, Liu Xuan's brow furrowed, and he looked towards Wu Yigou, Wang Can, and the others.
Liu Xuan now recognized Li Xuan's unusual capabilities. While the spiritual array was immensely powerful, Liu Xuan believed that if Wu Yigou and Wang Can were to act, the array would be as good as non-existent to them.
However, Liu Xuan also knew that if that were to happen, the implications would not be favorable.
"Since Sect Master Liu has personally taken action, we naturally will not stoop to the level of ganging up on one person. Sect Master Liu, you will surely not blame us."
"Moreover, my granddaughter has already voiced our stance on behalf of the Hong family. Since this matter was initiated by the Liu family, and Sect Master Liu is personally present, the Hong family will not be involved. However, we implore you not to harm any innocents and to not damage the foundation of our Nine Sects."
Under the watchful eyes of Li Xuan and Liu Xuan, the leaders of the various families deliberated. After a moment, the elder standing before Hong Shisan spoke.
He then clasped his fists in greeting to Li Xuan and Liu Xuan before pulling Hong Shisan a few steps back, signifying their stance.
Upon hearing this, Li Xuan's eyes fell on Hong Shisan, a hint of gratitude in his gaze.
Li Xuan knew that when the elder had appeared, Hong Shisan had already explained the situation to him. Furthermore, Hong Shisan must have spoken favorably of him, otherwise, the head of the Hong family would not have withdrawn so easily.
"Since Sect Master Liu is taking personal action, our Hua family will also remain uninvolved." As if following the Hong family's lead, the elder before Hua Yuechang declared.
"It has been a long time since I've seen Sect Master Liu in action. I presume today will be a fulfilling experience. If that is the case, then our Zhao family will not meddle further." After the Hua family spoke, the middle-aged man before Zhao Ling'er looked helplessly at Zhao Ling'er before smiling and saying.
"..."
"Sir, rest assured. This is a personal feud between you and Sect Master Liu. Although we are all part of the Nine Sects, it is inappropriate to interfere in personal disputes. Therefore, the Wu family will not comment further on this matter."
After the leaders of the various families had stated their positions, Wu Yigou let out a slight sigh of relief and then spoke to Li Xuan.
"If that is the case, then we request that everyone withdraw from the Immortal Slaying Sword Array."
Following the Wu family's final declaration, the leaders of eight of the Nine Sects had chosen not to interfere in the personal conflict between Li Xuan and Liu Xuan.
This turn of events somewhat surprised Li Xuan.
Although Li Xuan knew that there might be reasons he was unaware of, it was, at this moment, a highly advantageous situation for him.
Li Xuan then changed his hand seals, and a wave of formation light flashed around Wu Yigou and the others.
As the formation light flickered, no one remained within the spiritual array except for Liu Xuan, Liu Shaoyun, and Li Xuan.
"It seems we underestimated this young man."
As a beam of spiritual light flashed, Wu Yigou and the others found themselves outside the array. Witnessing this display by Li Xuan, Wu Yigou was momentarily stunned and then understood.
Li Xuan's displayed strength was not as simple as it appeared. With this realization, Wu Yigou shook his head with a wry smile and sighed.
"It's not that we underestimated the young man, but rather that we underestimated the power of a sixth-grade array master. Such profound arrays are perhaps the first I have ever witnessed. And given his youth, his future achievements are likely beyond our reach."
As Wu Yigou finished speaking, the elder before Hong Shisan nodded in agreement.
"This day's events could have been resolved amicably, but Liu Shaoyun was too arrogant and disrespectful. In a way, it is Liu Xuan's excessive pampering of Liu Shaoyun that is to blame. Otherwise, to be able to associate with such a formidable individual would have been a blessing for our Nine Sects."
"But alas, it is too late now. I hope today's events serve as a wake-up call for Liu Xuan, and that Liu Shaoyun will learn to restrain himself in the future."
"Liu Xuan's indulgence towards Liu Shaoyun stems from Yun'er's sacrifice during his heavenly tribulation. In essence, Liu Xuan's methods are misguided. Past actions lead to present consequences. Hopefully, this incident will bring Liu Xuan to his senses."
"A little over a month ago, this person took a 'Haizi' from a sea cave within our Wu family's Sand Sea. Even Wu Xue could not withstand his power then."
"Initially, I thought his strength was merely due to his family's backing. But now it seems that without immense comprehension and talent, such achievements are difficult to attain."
"Fortunately, I ordered Wu Xue to cease pursuing him at the time, otherwise, who knows what trouble we might have stirred."
Wu Yigou nodded with a wry smile, a hint of relief in his expression.
"Let's see how it plays out. Although this person is not weak, Liu Xuan's strength is not something we can match. While he currently possesses the power of a sixth-level array master, it remains uncertain whether he can defeat Liu Xuan."
Wang Can looked at Wu Yigou with some surprise and then spoke slowly.
Everyone nodded, and they all turned their gaze towards Li Xuan and Liu Xuan within the spiritual array.
"Sect Master Liu, we can now fight without restraint."
Hearing Li Xuan's words, Liu Xuan's expression grew even more solemn.
Liu Xuan could sense that Li Xuan was prepared for a fight to the death.
Although Liu Xuan did not fear Li Xuan's spiritual array, he had some understanding of the methods employed by array masters. If he couldn't suppress Li Xuan directly, his advantage would gradually diminish over time.
"It seems you are prepared. Then let me witness just how powerful your so-called sixth-level spiritual array truly is!"
As Liu Xuan's words fell, a beam of spiritual light enveloped Liu Shaoyun, clearly to prevent Li Xuan from attacking him.
Then, a red light flashed across Liu Xuan's body, instantly covering him as he surged towards Li Xuan.
Watching Liu Xuan fly towards him, Li Xuan's lips curled into a slight smile, as if speaking to himself, he murmured, "Don't you know that within a spiritual array, an array master is omnipotent?"
As Li Xuan's voice faded, he pointed a finger at Liu Xuan.
A brilliant golden light instantly illuminated the spiritual array barrier surrounding them. The golden light transformed into a massive hand, which then closed in on Liu Xuan.
"Return to Origin Mysterious Hammer!"
Seeing the spiritual energy giant hand approaching, Liu Xuan's eyes sharpened. He immediately formed hand seals, and a battle hammer appeared before him.
The aura emanating from the Return to Origin Mysterious Hammer indicated it was a Chaos Spiritual Treasure!
With the appearance of the battle hammer, a fierce glint flashed in Liu Xuan's eyes. He poured his spiritual energy into the Return to Origin Mysterious Hammer.
As spiritual energy flowed in, the Return to Origin Mysterious Hammer rapidly grew in size and then fiercely slammed down upon the spiritual energy giant hand.
*Boom!*
With Liu Xuan's hammer strike, golden light flashed everywhere. The spiritual energy giant hand formed from the golden light was pulverized upon contact.
"Interesting, he actually wields a Chaos Spiritual Treasure."
Seeing the spiritual energy giant hand instantly shattered, Li Xuan's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
However, considering that Liu Xuan was not only the head of the Liu family but also the leader of the entire Nine Sects, he felt somewhat at ease.
Liu Xuan, naturally, noticed the surprise in Li Xuan's eyes. He then let out a cold snort and said, "Although my use of a Chaos Spiritual Treasure is somewhat unfair, if your spiritual array is only this much, you will have no escape today!"
As Liu Xuan's words fell, the Return to Origin Mysterious Hammer in his hand grew even larger. When the Return to Origin Mysterious Hammer reached the same size as the spiritual array barrier, Li Xuan saw cracks appearing in the barrier.
"So even a sixth-level array master is nothing more than this!" Liu Xuan said with a cold sneer as the spiritual array barrier began to shatter.
Li Xuan remained remarkably calm. As the spiritual array barrier completely dissipated, Li Xuan's figure moved, vanishing instantly from his position.
"Thinking of escaping now is too late!"
Seeing Li Xuan disappear, Liu Xuan snorted and reached out to grasp the void.
An invisible force pierced through the void and descended directly upon Li Xuan within it. Li Xuan's speed slowed, and he was instantly sealed within the void.
"What's going on? This sixth-level array was broken so easily?"
As the spiritual array vanished, Wu Yigou and Wang Can exchanged glances, confusion evident in their eyes.
Amidst their bewilderment and surprise, Li Xuan, now within the void, showed no trace of panic. Tiny specks of starlight condensed within his calm eyes.
And as for the invisible force that sealed Li Xuan, he glanced at it and let out a cold laugh. Then, this invisible force automatically dissipated.
"Liu Xuan, do you truly believe my spiritual array is so easily broken by you? It seems your understanding of array masters is still insufficient."
As everyone waited, Li Xuan's voice slowly echoed.
Wu Yigou and the others exchanged glances. Could it be that Li Xuan had hidden trump cards?
"Playing the fool! I am the master of this Huayang Continent. With your strength, how can you possibly contend with me! To offend my Nine Sects and injure my beloved son, no one can save you today!"
Liu Xuan's heart tensed, but he quickly regained his composure.
Array masters' formations, while powerful, required time to set up. Since Li Xuan had not been apprehended, he must be preparing a more potent killing blow.
With this thought, Liu Xuan saw no reason to give Li Xuan more time to prepare. His divine sense instantly surged outwards, rapidly spreading across the surrounding space.
"No need to search. I told you, within a spiritual array, the array master is the sovereign. You have indeed broken my spiritual array, but you have only broken one layer. Haven't you heard of arrays within arrays?"
As if sensing Liu Xuan's actions, Li Xuan's voice rang out again.
Then, the golden light that had already dissipated reappeared out of thin air.
A more brilliant spiritual array once again appeared before everyone's eyes.
"An array within an array!"