76: Chapter 76 Tian Ji's Horse Racing Breaks Through the Seventh and Eighth Levels, Forced 1v1

The three of them stepped onto the seventh floor of the Bone Tower.

The space on this floor seemed even more expansive than the ones below. The bones forming the tower walls had a dull, dark hue, as if saturated with the Death Qi of countless years.

The resentment in the air, unlike the previous floors that attempted to create illusions, was unusually dense and heavy, carrying a cold, murderous intent.

At the center of the floor was not the more complex Formation or larger tide of corpses they had anticipated, but three figures standing silently.

When they clearly saw the appearance of those three figures, the pupils of Li Siwen, Xiao Xiner, and Yue Li all contracted slightly.

Those three figures were not ordinary corpse puppets, but humanoid forms covered in dense, pale white bone armor.

Their height, build, and even the contours of their facial bones...

Were exactly the same as Li Siwen, Xiao Xiner, and Yue Li!

They stood there like three cold bone sculptures, with faint green Soul Power flames burning in their eye sockets, the aura fluctuations emanating from them...

Were also completely identical to the current state of the three of them!

Li Siwen (Great Circle of Viscera Refining, nascent Origin power), Xiao Xiner (Late Stage Kaiyuan Realm), Yue Li (substantial soul body, unfathomable aura)... the auras of the three bone-armored guards opposite them were a perfect match!

What was even more unsettling was that the layer of bone armor on their bodies looked extremely hard and was connected to the Death Qi of the entire Bone Tower, clearly possessing formidable defensive power and rapid recovery capabilities.

"This is..." Xiao Xiner gripped her sword tightly, her cool eyes filled with gravity. "Guards imitating us? Even our cultivation Realms are exactly the same?"

Li Siwen frowned deeply, sweeping his gaze with the Dongxu Spirit Eye Technique. He said gravely, "More than that. The way energy circulates within them also seems to mimic the characteristics of our Cultivation Techniques."

"The 'you' holding the sword carries the chill of moonlight in its Sword Intent. That 'Yue Li' also has purification characteristics in its Soul Power fluctuations. As for 'me'... the way Internal Energy circulates is extremely similar to my special Foundation."

Three replicas with strength completely equal to their own, yet clad in sturdy bone armor and capable of continuous recovery!

If they fought separately, dealing with one "self" would already be extremely difficult, let alone achieving victory.

A single misstep, and they could be worn down to death here!

However, facing such a thorny situation, Li Siwen, Xiao Xiner, and Yue Li exchanged glances and actually saw a trace of understanding, even relief, in each other's eyes?

"This saves us the trouble of figuring out tactics!" Li Siwen suddenly let out a light laugh.

A barely perceptible curve also appeared at the corner of Xiao Xiner's lips. "It seems the one who set this place up, while capable of perfectly replicating our forms and cultivation, may not understand human hearts and strategy."

Though Yue Li didn't speak, a flash of comprehension and confidence also passed through her lively eyes.

Almost simultaneously, the three of them thought of the same ancient strategy — the strategy of mismatch!

Use your weakest against their strongest!

Use your strongest against their middle!

Use your middle against their weakest!

"Yue Li!" Li Siwen called out in a low voice.

"Master, Yue Li understands!"

Yue Li instantly grasped his intent. With a flicker of her figure, she did not charge towards the "Yue Li Guard" that matched her aura, but instead pounced directly at the "Li Siwen Guard" radiating the aura of Great Circle of Viscera Refining!

A beam of grayish-white light shot out, carrying vast purifying power, instantly enveloping it!

Though the "Li Siwen Guard" possessed strength equal to Li Siwen himself, facing Yue Li, whose power far surpassed it and whose characteristics completely countered it, it had no chance to fight back!

The bone armor rapidly dissolved under the purifying beam, and the Internal Energy and nascent Origin power it tried to mobilize were also firmly suppressed!

It was practically an instant kill!

At the same time, with a sharp cry, Xiao Xiner unleashed the Moonlight Sword Gang like a cascading galaxy, boldly meeting the "Xiao Xiner Guard" whose aura was on par with hers!

Sword lights clashed, cold energy spilled everywhere!

The two "Xiao Xiners" instantly engaged in battle. Their sword techniques, movement skills, and even fighting styles were identical, making it difficult to determine a winner for a time, resulting in a stalemate!

Meanwhile, Li Siwen took a deep breath, held the fengwu sword horizontally before him, and faced the most terrifying opponent—the "Yue Li Guard" radiating profound Soul Power fluctuations!

He naturally was no match for it, but his task was not to defeat it.

"Void-Piercing Spiritual Eye, see through its movements!"

Li Siwen shouted low, clear light swirling in his eyes, clearly seeing every action and each fluctuation of Soul Power from the "Yue Li Guard"!

He did not fight head-on. Instead, he pushed his movement technique to the limit, combining it with exquisite sword skills, constantly blocking, dodging, and interfering!

His sword was like a butterfly flitting through flowers, always managing, by a hair's breadth, to block or deflect the deadly grayish-white beams.

His footwork was profound, always allowing him to evade the opponent's pounces at the last possible moment.

He clung stubbornly to the "Yue Li Guard," whose strength far exceeded his, like a piece of tough glue, buying precious time for Yue Li and Xiao Xiner!

The entire process seemed perilous, yet thanks to Li Siwen's precise calculations and extraordinary performance, it proceeded with danger but no actual mishap!

In just a few breaths—

*Poof!*

On the other side, Yue Li's purifying beam had completely annihilated the "Li Siwen Guard," turning it into pure Death Qi Origin, which she absorbed.

Without pause, her figure flashed as she joined Xiao Xiner's battle!

Two against one!

The "Xiao Xiner Guard," originally evenly matched with Xiao Xiner, instantly collapsed with Yue Li's addition!

Moonlight Sword Qi and purifying beams intertwined, shattering and purifying it in an instant!

Finally, the three of them simultaneously turned their gazes towards the last remaining "Yue Li Guard," which Li Siwen had been tenaciously tying down.

The outcome was beyond doubt.

Under Li Siwen's precise containment, the full-force combined attack from Xiao Xiner and Yue Li instantly submerged and destroyed this strongest guard!

The seventh floor, broken!

The process was far smoother and easier than anticipated.

"It seems dead things are ultimately dead things," Xiao Xiner said, sheathing her sword and breathing slightly heavily. Looking at the rapidly dissipating bone armor fragments on the ground, her cool tone carried a faint trace of pride.

Li Siwen also sighed in relief, smiling. "They can replicate form and power, but not spirit and intelligence."

Yue Li quietly returned to Li Siwen's side, absorbing the scattered Origin, her soul body glowing faintly.

After a brief rest, the three of them turned their gazes towards the staircase leading to the eighth floor.

"The eighth floor probably won't be this simple," Li Siwen said, his expression turning grave again. Using the Dongxu Spirit Eye Technique to look up the staircase, he sensed an even more oppressive and dangerous aura.

The three of them heightened their vigilance, proceeding step by step, and ascended to the eighth floor.

The layout of the eighth floor was similar to the seventh.

At the center of the floor, three figures covered in pale white bone armor also stood, their builds and appearances identical to the three of them.

However—

When they sensed the auras emanating from those three bone-armored guards, their expressions instantly turned somewhat grim!

Those three auras still corresponded to them, but their intensity...

Was a full stage higher than their own bodies!

The guard corresponding to Li Siwen had an aura that was unmistakably — Early Stage Kaiyuan Realm! (Stabilized Origin power)

The guard corresponding to Xiao Xiner had an aura that was unmistakably — Perfection Kaiyuan Realm! (Half-step Profound Origin)

And the guard corresponding to Yue Li radiated Soul Power fluctuations that had reached a heart-palpitating — Late Stage Tianyuan Realm!

Not only that!

The moment the three of them stepped onto the eighth floor, the faint green Soul Power flames in the eye sockets of the three bone-armored guards suddenly blazed!

An icy-cold aura instantly locked onto them!

The "Li Siwen Guard" firmly locked onto Li Siwen himself!

The "Xiao Xiner Guard" firmly locked onto Xiao Xiner herself!

The "Yue Li Guard" also firmly locked onto Yue Li herself!

This locking was not mere observation, but a kind of forced restraint originating from the Formation and the rules!

As if on this floor, they could only fight the corresponding replica whose strength far exceeded their own!

The strategy of mismatch was completely ineffective on this floor!

The three of them each had to face... the self that was identical to them, but a full stage stronger!

A terrifying pressure, like a towering mountain range, crashed down upon their hearts!

A true life-and-death crisis had abruptly arrived!