The moment Li Xuan finished speaking, a spiritual energy barrier lit up around his body.
Clearly, after being ambushed in the previous round, Li Xuan had taken precautions. Seeing Li Xuan's actions, Xuan Yi Xian and the others also smiled.
As the spiritual energy barrier appeared around Li Xuan's body, a figure slowly materialized in mid-air.
Unlike the previous guardian's phantom, this figure was entirely enveloped by a black spiritual shield, making its face impossible to discern. The black light entwined around its body seemed out of place in this world.
"Such powerful aura!" Feeling the phantom's oppressive presence, Li Xuan's expression grew solemn. As the phantom appeared, the previously bright world dimmed with the spread of the black light, giving one the feeling of entering an apocalypse.
Li Xuan had a fleeting illusion that each wisp of black energy was a manifestation of the guardian's phantom itself.
"Retreat!"
The instant Li Xuan pondered, the black light filling the sky seemed to be drawn, boiling like water and then surging towards Li Xuan's space like a dark tide, its momentum incredibly grand.
Seeing this, Li Xuan didn't hesitate and retreated rapidly. Where the black light passed, surrounding trees, peaks, and even space vanished completely, indicating that any contact with this black light would undoubtedly be a considerable trouble.
"Damn it, retreating like this won't solve anything!" Seeing that he had already retreated for hundreds of miles, the surrounding black light only grew deeper and more profound. Observing its dense and almost solidified state, Li Xuan became anxious.
"One Sword Breaks All Laws!"
With this thought, Li Xuan acted directly, launching a massive divine sword towards the black mass in front of him.
*Boom!*
The divine sword pierced into the black light, and a deafening roar erupted. But after the sound, only a single beam of sword light illuminated the world before it was once again engulfed in boundless darkness.
"What's going on!" Li Xuan's expression changed drastically upon seeing his attack have no effect whatsoever.
In his previous strike, Li Xuan had used nearly eighty percent of his strength, yet the result was akin to a stone dropped into a lake, creating only a ripple.
"How are we supposed to pass this round? We can't even see the guardian phantom, and the surrounding black light is getting denser. If Senior Brother Li Xuan keeps retreating, he'll have nowhere left to go."
"That black light seems to have an assimilation effect. Anything it touches becomes part of the black light. It's hard to imagine a way to control it."
"If that's the case, will Senior Brother Li Xuan fail in this round?"
"..."
The discussions among the disciples echoed the confusion in the hearts of Yue Ming Chi and the others. After all, if it were them, they would also struggle to find a solution.
"I wonder if this young fellow can find a way to overcome this trial. Based on the current situation, it seems rather precarious," Wen Yuan Bai sighed helplessly, glancing at Gong Zi Mo, whose eyes were filled with worry, as he watched Li Xuan continue to retreat.
Xuan Yi Xian smiled at this. "Everything has a cause and effect. For every cause, there is an effect. For every Yin, there is a Yang. And where there is darkness, there is naturally light. If he cannot grasp this point, this young man might not pass this round."
"Junior Brother Zi Mo, for Li Xuan to have reached this point in the trials is already unprecedented among our Xuan Sect disciples. Even if he fails here, he can still be proud."
Gong Zi Mo nodded. "It is my fault for not guiding him more. Otherwise, this round would be much easier. Well, after this is over, I must fulfill my responsibility as a master."
Xuan Yi Xian and the others looked at him with a hint of surprise. It seemed they were completely unaware of Gong Zi Mo taking on a disciple.
However, upon further reflection, they understood. A disciple who could reach the highest level of the Divine Soul Tower would likely be taken in by any of them as a disciple.
"Hmm?"
As Li Xuan continued to retreat, he suddenly felt a barrier forming behind him. He was already nearing the edge of this space.
"What do I do?" Seeing the encroaching barrier, Li Xuan felt a sense of helplessness. He had been forced to retreat without even getting a clear look at the guardian phantom's appearance. Failing in such a manner would be quite embarrassing.
"No! This black light's speed is clearly faster than mine, yet it hasn't surpassed me. There must be..." Li Xuan's mind suddenly raced, and he calmed himself down.
Observing the black light's speed, which had now slowed, Li Xuan's eyes lit up, as if he had a sudden realization.
"The spiritual energy barrier around my body emits white light. Compared to the black light, although it doesn't cover as large an area, it seems to have some effect on it. Could it be..."
Li Xuan's eyes grew brighter. As the black light was about to envelop him, the anxiety in his eyes gradually subsided.
"So, I was wrong from the beginning." As Li Xuan spoke, he slowly closed his eyes.
"Condense!"
Just as the black light was about to surround Li Xuan, he suddenly opened his eyes. A sharp glint shot out from his black and white irises.
With Li Xuan's stern shout, countless spiritual lights erupted from his body.
In an instant, amidst the countless black lights, spiritual lights burst forth. Wherever the spiritual lights passed, the black light retreated. In less than ten breaths, the spiritual lights connected, sweeping away the surrounding darkness.
"Night may shroud the land, but it can never resist the dawn. The day of breaking dawn, the light is at hand!"
As Li Xuan spoke, his mind moved again. With a flash of spiritual light, the golden lights transformed into white light, surging outwards.
*Hum!*
As the white light intensified, the black light in the world thinned.
In a flash, a figure shrouded in black light appeared in Li Xuan's sight. Under the brilliant white light, the guardian phantom was almost transparent.
Li Xuan glanced at the guardian phantom, his face devoid of emotion. Then, with a wave of his hand, he said, "Annihilate."
As his voice fell, the sky-filling white light surged towards the guardian phantom. In a blinding instant that the naked eye could not endure, the guardian phantom's figure completely dissolved into the white light.
"Another round passed..." Watching the world return to clarity, Fu Yao Jin couldn't help but swallow and stammer in astonishment.
Seeing Li Xuan flee like a cornered dog earlier, only for him to suddenly transform into a battle god, had been a profound shock to Fu Yao Jin.
Yue Ming Chi pondered for a moment. "When the guardian phantom appeared earlier, the world turned dark. That phantom seemed to represent darkness, and wherever it went, everything was absorbed into the darkness."
"Junior Brother Li Xuan must have realized this, which is why he transformed his spiritual energy into white light to counter it. With the emergence of light, darkness naturally retreats into the abyss."
"Senior Brother, what you're saying is too profound. I'm more curious about how Junior Brother Li Xuan came up with this idea." Wan Yu Quan asked with a curious tone upon hearing this.
After all, Li Xuan's solution was beyond their wildest imagination.
"Do you think everyone is as strong-limbed as you? Junior Brother Li Xuan displayed extraordinary strategy in the Ying Long Cave Heaven. It's natural that he could devise a solution now," Fu Yao Jin chided, giving him a playful glare.
Upon hearing this, Wan Yu Quan couldn't help but laugh wryly again. Although the disciples of Hong Shang Peak primarily cultivated their bodies, they also practiced spiritual arts and divine abilities. Now, in Fu Yao Jin's eyes, he had become a strong-limbed brute.
In the void, Xuan Yi Xian and the other five watched Li Xuan pass the round with expressions of admiration.
"I must admit, this child has given us too many surprises. First the Divine Soul Tower, then the Ying Long Cave Heaven. And in dealing with the Sacred Sect, he was the one who strategized. This child truly deserves to be called the lucky star of our Xuan Sect."
Leng Fei Hong said to Gong Zi Mo, a hint of envy in his eyes. After all, Li Xuan was now a disciple of Lang Ya Peak, and all the glory naturally fell upon Lang Ya Peak.
Gong Zi Mo let out a proud laugh. "Senior Brother Fei Hong, you envy this old man, don't you? It can't be helped, who made this little fellow choose my Lang Ya Peak? I didn't force him at all back then."
Xuan Yi Xian couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile and said gravely, "Li Xuan has now passed twenty-nine rounds and has obtained nearly thirty-five percent of the Law Power left by the Ancestor. This will greatly benefit his future cultivation."
"As for the next, the thirtieth round, I fear this child will not be able to pass. The guardian of this round is not a simple entity."
Gong Zi Mo and Wen Yuan Bai's expressions grew serious. The guardian phantom of the thirtieth round was condensed from a drop of blood from Old Ancestor Cang Xuan.
Old Ancestor Cang Xuan was once the supreme powerhouse on this Saint Yuan Continent, with one foot already in the realm of creation. A phantom condensed from a drop of blood naturally possessed some of Old Ancestor Cang Xuan's memories and methods.
Furthermore, after so many years of nourishment, its power would likely be even more terrifying.
No matter how strong Li Xuan was or how many trump cards he had, he was still only at the initial stage of the Dao Integration Realm. The chance of him winning was less than one percent.
On the screen, after absorbing the Law Power of the twenty-ninth round, Li Xuan's understanding deepened.
The moment he opened his eyes, Li Xuan directly said, "No need to ask, let's continue."