"Looks like this is a tough one. Let's go together!"
After Li Xuan knocked Bai Song to the ground with a single punch, the purple-robed man finally understood.
The man in the white robe before them was not as simple as he appeared. The purple-robed man knew very well what Bai Song's strength was. Even if he himself were to act, it would be impossible to deal with Bai Song so quickly.
Reacting in an instant, the purple-robed man glanced at the green-robed man beside him.
"Alright," Liu Qi nodded upon hearing this. Although he was somewhat wary of Li Xuan's strength, Bai Song's ability was comparable to his own.
Since Li Xuan could defeat Bai Song so easily, Liu Qi knew he was no match. However, Liu Qi also knew that Bai Song had been somewhat careless earlier, which was why he had lost so quickly. Now, as long as he and Zhu Yuanhao joined forces, they would surely be able to defeat Li Xuan.
"I've been waiting for you to come together," Li Xuan murmured as he watched Zhu Yuanhao and Liu Qi charge towards him, showing no intention of moving.
Li Xuan's actions made Zhu Yuanhao and Liu Qi become even more vigilant. However, their speed towards Li Xuan did not slow down at all.
"A deliberate ploy! Since you are so stubborn, do not blame us for showing no mercy!" Zhu Yuanhao's voice fell as his charging figure abruptly stopped. Then, a spiritual light flashed from his wrist, instantly rushing towards Li Xuan.
Within the spiritual light, the outline of a bowl-shaped object was faintly visible. Under the intense spiritual light, its aura was exceptionally powerful. In a mere instant, this spiritual light enveloped Li Xuan, and then a spiritual artifact, like an inverted bowl, descended, sealing Li Xuan's retreat.
Li Xuan sensed the situation and felt that the surrounding space had been sealed. Clearly, the divine ability of this spiritual artifact was extraordinary.
"I never thought Brother Yuanhao would even bring out the Spirit Sealing Bowl. With this, this brat is surely doomed!" As Zhu Yuanhao suddenly stopped, Liu Qi followed suit. Seeing Zhu Yuanhao take out his family's Spirit Sealing Bowl, Liu Qi's eyes showed a hint of surprise.
It was known that Zhu Yuanhao rarely used the Spirit Sealing Bowl when fighting others, unless he felt a great threat. Yet now, before any direct confrontation, Zhu Yuanhao had already produced it.
In Liu Qi's moment of surprise, Zhu Yuanhao himself was also extremely unsettled.
While Zhu Yuanhao was charging towards Li Xuan, as the distance grew shorter, Zhu Yuanhao felt an inexplicable, strong sense of impending doom, as if taking another step would plunge him into an abyss of no return.
Although he had strong confidence in his own abilities, Zhu Yuanhao chose to trust his intuition, which led him to produce the Spirit Sealing Bowl and reveal his trump card.
Recalling the countless times he had overcome difficulties through this intuition, Zhu Yuanhao believed he would not be wrong this time either. However, even seeing Li Xuan trapped within the Spirit Sealing Bowl, Zhu Yuanhao dared not advance further. The sense of crisis still lingered in his heart, not yet dissipating.
At this moment, on the various courtyards and pavilions of Spirit Mountain, the leaders of various factions and the onlookers all looked in surprise at the unfolding battle between Li Xuan, Zhu Yuanhao, and Liu Qi.
"It is said that once Zhu Yuanhao's Spirit Sealing Bowl traps someone, unless Zhu Yuanhao wills it, it is very difficult for the trapped person to break free. Moreover, the Spirit Sealing Bowl is named so because it can seal the space within the bowl, cutting off all communication and spiritual energy. Those trapped will surely be slowly worn down to death."
"It's not entirely absolute. There was once a prodigy who broke the seal of the Spirit Sealing Bowl in just twenty-five breaths. As long as one possesses immense physical strength, the Spirit Sealing Bowl becomes useless. You saw Li Xuan's combat prowess earlier; he likely won't give up so easily."
"Indeed, I agree with this view. Haven't you noticed that even though Li Xuan is currently trapped by the Spirit Sealing Bowl, he shows no trace of nervousness or worry on his face? It is likely he has made some preparations."
"Perhaps he simply doesn't fully understand the power of the Spirit Sealing Bowl. You know, in the Spirit Pool, the longer one stays, the greater the gravity of the spiritual water becomes."
"..."
The viewers debated heatedly, forming two opposing camps. As time passed, screens of light quickly appeared projected by the round mirror.
Evidently, in other parts of the Spirit Pool, other contestants were also encountering each other and engaging in battles. The appearance of these screens drew the attention of the crowd.
"Liu Qi, go get the foundation stone. I'll suppress him!" Seeing Li Xuan looking at him with an innocent expression, Zhu Yuanhao said to Liu Qi. The sense of foreboding in his heart grew stronger.
Liu Qi nodded immediately. Although he was somewhat puzzled by Zhu Yuanhao's extreme caution, the foundation stone was of utmost importance. Without a word, Liu Qi flew towards the foundation stone, which was currently being contained by Li Xuan's spiritual energy barrier.
At this moment, Li Xuan watched Liu Qi fly towards the spiritual energy barrier he had set up, a faint smile curling up the corners of his lips.
"Stop!"
Zhu Yuanhao, who was closely watching Li Xuan, suddenly roared at Liu Qi. The crisis in his heart intensified unprecedentedly.
*Boom!*
Just as Zhu Yuanhao finished speaking, Liu Qi's fist landed squarely on the spiritual energy barrier Li Xuan had erected. As the punch landed, the spiritual energy barrier instantly shattered. However, these fragmented spiritual lights dispersed rapidly in all directions as if being pulled.
Simultaneously, in the surrounding void, countless spiritual seals appeared. A vast sword domain was instantly connected.
"Brother Yuanhao, what do we do now?" Liu Qi also regained his senses, his gaze towards Li Xuan filled with a hint of apprehension. He then quickly looked at Zhu Yuanhao, whose face was fluctuating with emotions.
As for the foundation stone, after Liu Qi shattered the spiritual energy barrier, it shot off into the distance. However, in a mere instant, the foundation stone was intercepted by the sword domain.
"This person is a sword cultivator. No wonder he didn't choose to flee when the three of us arrived. But now that he is trapped by my Spirit Sealing Bowl, his consumption of energy will be difficult to replenish. As long as we join forces to suppress him, this foundation stone will still be ours."
Listening to Liu Qi's inquiry, Zhu Yuanhao's expression gradually firmed. Competing for twenty foundation stones among a thousand people, winning against a fifty-to-one odds was already extremely difficult.
It was also evident that Zhu Yuanhao, Liu Qi, and Bai Song, who had been knocked unconscious by Li Xuan, had previously made an agreement to seek foundation stones together, thereby increasing their chances of obtaining them.
Although Li Xuan had posed a certain danger to the three of them, Zhu Yuanhao clearly had no intention of backing down.
"As Brother Yuanhao says. However, this person is not like other contestants whose physiques are weak. Being able to knock Bai Song out with one punch means his strength is also immense. Since Brother Yuanhao has produced the Spirit Sealing Bowl, I will not hold back my battle puppet either."
Liu Qi nodded slightly upon hearing this. As his voice fell, a human-shaped relief sculpture appeared in his hand.
With a wave of Liu Qi's hand, the human-shaped relief sculpture instantly stood upright in mid-air, becoming indistinguishable from a normal person.
The dark and gleaming armor shone brightly under the light. The double axes in its hands emanated a chilling aura. Although it appeared lifeless, its terrifying aura was no different from that of a peak Creation Realm existence.
"Good! I never thought Brother Liu Qi had the Heaven's Battle Puppet on him. With this, victory is assured!" Upon seeing the battle puppet Liu Qi produced, Zhu Yuanhao's eyes lit up. His face was filled with excitement, as if victory was already within his grasp.
"Although this Heaven's Battle Puppet can increase my strength by thirty percent, it requires my soul's guidance and can only be used three times. For this foundation stone, I have no choice but to do this." Liu Qi's face showed a hint of pain upon hearing this, but he quickly suppressed it and looked at Zhu Yuanhao, saying, "For this foundation stone, I have no choice but to do this."
Zhu Yuanhao nodded upon hearing this. Then, he looked at Li Xuan within the Spirit Sealing Bowl and said coldly, "As long as we kill him, we will not only obtain the foundation stone, but he will surely have many treasures on him. We can then split them fifty-fifty."
"Alright!" Liu Qi's eyes also flashed with heat. With a thought, a ball of light shot from his forehead into the battle puppet floating in the air.
In that instant, the battle puppet seemed to come alive. It glanced at Zhu Yuanhao and then rushed towards Li Xuan within the Spirit Sealing Bowl. Simultaneously, Zhu Yuanhao also moved, and in just a few breaths, he was outside the circle of the Spirit Sealing Bowl.
"You've been discussing for so long, and you still don't intend to give up?" Seeing one person and one puppet standing outside the Spirit Sealing Bowl, Li Xuan's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at the battle puppet with amusement before shifting his gaze to Zhu Yuanhao and saying,
"I think you should consider yourself first. Although you are a sword cultivator, as long as you are suppressed, your sword domain will crumble on its own, right? Moreover, within my Spirit Sealing Bowl, your spiritual energy is consumed more and more. If you agree to withdraw, I can let you go."
Zhu Yuanhao heard this and glanced at Li Xuan, who still had a calm expression. He pondered for a moment and then said,
Li Xuan heard this and immediately smiled. Truly, ignorance breeds fear.
"I'll give you a chance too. Retreat now, and I can let you leave." Although he didn't know why Zhu Yuanhao had said such a thing, Li Xuan also looked at Zhu Yuanhao seriously and said,
Zhu Yuanhao sneered upon hearing this. He had initially considered letting Li Xuan go, but it seemed unnecessary now.
"Since you are insistent on seeking death, I will fulfill your wish today. Liu Qi, attack!"
As Zhu Yuanhao's voice fell, a spiritual light emerged from him. In an instant, it enveloped the battle puppet, and as if passing through a no-man's land, it instantly entered the Spirit Sealing Bowl. The man and puppet, one on the left and one on the right, instantly shot towards Li Xuan. The dark, ominous axe light and the surging spiritual light, like dragons, struck towards Li Xuan.
"Don't you know that within this sword domain, I am the sole king?"
Li Xuan chanted softly, then his expression turned cold, and he directly unleashed his divine sword.
"Heaven-Shattering Three Swords!"