253: Tianyan Divine Body

“Strange!”

Zhao Jingchen suddenly cried out, his brows knit tightly, his eyes filled with confusion.

Lin Xiuqin, who was beside him, had just crushed the last message talisman. The paper turned to ash before the Spiritual Qi Barrier, failing to transmit even a ripple of Spiritual Power. Clearly, it was useless.

Hearing him, she turned her head, her eyes full of urgency: “Senior Brother, did you find something?

“Look!” Zhao Jingchen raised his hand and pointed to the sky. “The Purple Lightning Cloud Layer that previously covered the sky, and the thunder that made our eardrums hurt, have all vanished! Why would that Elder of the Chusheng Sect voluntarily withdraw his Thunder Spell Divine Ability for no reason?”

“Withdrew his Divine Ability?”

Lin Xiuqin frowned slightly, looking up at the battlefield in the sky.

Sure enough, the Purple Lightning Cloud Layer that had previously covered half the sky had dispersed, and the hair-raising thunder had vanished without a trace, leaving only two figures confronting each other high above.

Ye Hao watched for a moment and suddenly let out a light chuckle:

“As expected of Senior Brother, he’s actually using that Thunder Spell for Body Tempering his Physique!”

The path of Martial Dao is inherently difficult; aside from the monotonous grinding day after day, Opportunities to increase strength are few and far between.

One must either encounter a Body Tempering Divine Pill that is hard to find in a thousand years, or seek out naturally formed desperate environments for Body Forging, such as Thunder Swamps, Flame Caves, or Extreme Cold Ice Chasms. Alternatively, one might obtain the vital blood of Exotic Beasts containing Grandmist Qi and Blood, or break into a Body Forging Secret Realm left behind by ancient Martial Cultivators.

Although the earlier Purple Lightning was not as potent as a naturally formed Thunder Swamp, its effect was still much better than the monotonous grinding of daily practice.

“Hiss...”

As soon as he said this, Lin Xiuqin and the other two were stunned, then gasped sharply, looking at the dark figure high in the sky with eyes full of shock.

This Young Master Li, does he really act so contrary to common sense?

He actually used those deadly Thunder Spell Divine Abilities for Body Tempering his Physique.

Just then, a loud noise suddenly came from high above!

“Boom—!”

Li Pingan shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, his right leg sweeping out like a Flood Dragon whipping its tail. Protective Aura condensed into a faint golden arc along his leg. Fu Yunze's pupils shrank. Hastily mobilizing all his Spiritual Power to wrap around his body, he flew horizontally for dozens of yards like a kite with a broken string, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

He cursed inwardly: *Crude Martial Practitioner!*

In his view, Li Pingan relied entirely on brute force to wreak havoc, but this brute force was ridiculously powerful, making him dare not meet it head-on.

Before Fu Yunze could catch his breath, Li Pingan was already pursuing him like a shadow. The Protective Aura gathered on his right fist was even stronger than before, and it was about to smash into Fu Yunze's chest. But at this critical moment, Li Pingan suddenly halted and sharply turned sideways like a leopard.

“Whoosh!”

An Ink-Black Streamer grazed his shoulder armor. The cold Sword Qi wrapped around the sword sliced through his clothes, leaving a shallow bloody mark on his skin. It was a miniature Flying Sword, its body concealed in the shadows. If Li Pingan hadn't possessed a formidable Physique and keen perception, his heart would have been pierced by now!

“It’s not over yet!”

Fu Yunze's sinister laugh came from behind him!

Two Flying Swords.

Another ink-black Flying Sword sped over, aimed directly at Li Pingan's left arm. The close-range opening earlier had been deliberately baited for Li Pingan.

This time the distance was too close, making evasion impossible. “Pfft!”

The Flying Sword pierced Li Pingan's arm without resistance, and blood instantly gushed out. The cold Sword Qi carried by the blade burrowed into his body like maggots clinging to bone, raging wildly through his Meridians. It felt as if countless ice needles were gnawing at his flesh and blood, and intense pain spread along his nerves to his entire body.

If it were an ordinary Cultivator, they would have already curled up on the ground in pain, but Li Pingan only let out a muffled groan.

He lowered his head to look at the bloody hole in his arm. The muscles around the wound were actually twitching slightly, seemingly resisting the erosion of the Sword Qi.

Seeing this, Fu Yunze smiled even more viciously:

“You like Body Tempering your Physique? My two soul devouring swords will let you have a good time! Today, I'll let you taste the Agony of Sword Qi Gnawing at Bones!”

These two swords were Lifebound Treasures bestowed by his Sect in his early years. Their cold Sword Qi specializes in destroying the Physical Body and Spiritual Power. An ordinary Cultivator hit by one would suffer Spiritual Power disruption and damaged Meridians. He refused to believe anyone could use Flying Swords for Body Tempering!

Li Pingan did not speak. He was naturally taciturn and had no habit of conversing with opponents during a fierce fight.

He simply moved his injured arm, his joints making crisp “clack-clack” sounds, as if he had only been bitten by a mosquito. The faint golden Protective Aura surged around him again, slowly pushing back the Sword Qi that had invaded his body like a tide. Immediately afterward, his figure shot toward Fu Yunze like an arrow once more.

The ensuing close combat allowed Fu Yunze to truly witness how troublesome those who follow the Martial Dao path can be!

Li Pingan remained silent throughout, relying only on his Bare Fists to maneuver. He looked exactly like a fierce tiger descending the mountain to hunt, every punch carrying a sharp sound that broke the wind. Fu Yunze originally wanted to use Movement Techniques to evade, but Li Pingan gave him no chance to shift position.

Knowing the soul devouring sword was coming, he didn't dodge or evade, allowing the sword tip to graze the skin of his shoulder. Using this momentary Opportunity to close the distance, his fist, carrying the force of a thousand pounds, smashed fiercely toward Fu Yunze's chest!

Fu Yunze broke out in a cold sweat. He hastily mobilized Spiritual Power to protect his vital points and sidestepped the fatal blow, but he was still grazed by the force of the punch on his arm, feeling a burst of numbness.

Troublesome and utterly infuriating!

Li Pingan seemed completely indifferent to the attacks of the soul devouring sword. As long as the damage wasn't fatal, he chose to completely ignore it, exhibiting the lunatic posture of Trading Life for Injury.

Dozens of moves passed. Aside from feeling numb when grazed by the force of the punch, Fu Yunze hadn't sustained any substantial injuries, but his face grew increasingly ugly, and the frustration in his heart surged like a tide.

The Thunder Spell couldn't be used, for fear it would become Body Forging nourishment for the opponent!

He dared not cast other Spells, afraid of repeating the same mistake. He wasn't skilled in Swordsmanship, and although the soul devouring sword could wound the opponent, it couldn't stop that lunatic offensive at all. He was clearly the party with the higher cultivation base, yet he was forced to dodge by a Martial Practitioner. This battle of Fighting Across Realms felt worse than swallowing a fly!

Looking at Li Pingan again, his entire body was covered in blood, the exposed flesh full of sword marks and burns, and blood continuously dripped from his wounds.

Yet, his movements showed no sign of stagnation, and the speed of his punches was even faster than when he started.

This was also one of the characteristics of Li Pingan's Heaven-Loathing Divine Body: the Fiercer the Fight, the Crazier He Became, making it perfectly suited for Fighting to Sustain Fighting!

“This... Young Master Li... he couldn't actually win, could he?”

Zhao Jingchen swallowed, muttering to himself as he watched Fu Yunze being forced into constant retreat high in the sky.

Lin Xiuqin said solemnly: “Senior Brother, don't be optimistic too soon. Haven't you noticed that Old Beast from the Chusheng Sect hasn't been injured yet? Although Young Master Li seems brave, his injuries...”

She glanced at Ye Hao beside her out of the corner of her eye, not wanting to speak too definitively,

“I don't know how much longer he can hold on. We should hurry and find a way to get out and seek help from Revered Master!”

Zhao Xu, standing nearby, remained silent, staring at the battlefield like a wooden dummy, his eyes filled with complexity.

Only Ye Hao remained calm. He was too familiar with Senior Brother Li Pingan looking like this. During their sparring sessions, he had seen Senior Brother enter such a frenzied state more than once.

If Fu Yunze had no other tricks up his sleeve, in a moment, the situation would shift from defense to offense.