Seeing that they couldn't take down Chen Changxuan for the moment, Old Devil Hong coldly glanced at Old Devil Zhang.
"Junior Brother Zhang, the three of us will hold this old man in check. You go and assist the Zuo cultivators in breaking that formation. Then we'll combine our forces to destroy this old man's defensive shell in one fell swoop."
"Understood."
Old Devil Zhang agreed readily and sneered as he flew toward the Fiery Sun Heavenly Fire Formation.
He looked at the Chen family members maintaining the array and sneered. "Back in the day, your Chen family's array was broken by me. How dare you use it again? You're courting death!"
With those words, he summoned a black banner magical tool, which released a black streak of light slicing toward the array.
At that moment, Elian struck. With a wave of his hand, the Green Ape Pearl transformed into a massive orb and smashed toward Old Devil Zhang.
Caught off guard, Old Devil Zhang hurriedly redirected the black banner to intercept the incoming Green Ape Pearl. The collision created a dazzling burst of light.
In the blink of an eye, Elian followed up with another strike. The Crimson Iron Sword Embryo transformed into a brilliant sword light, flying faster than the Green Ape Pearl and arriving almost instantly in front of Old Devil Zhang.
Unable to evade in time, Old Devil Zhang activated a defensive shield to save his life at the last moment, but he still lost an arm to the strike.
"Argh!"
Grievously injured, Old Devil Zhang cried out in pain and crashed to the ground, temporarily losing his combat capabilities.
Having succeeded in his ambush, Elian's gaze turned icy as he directed the sword light to strike again, aiming to kill Old Devil Zhang.
But at that critical moment, the battle took a sudden turn. Zuo Zhouqi unleashed a fiery red blade light that shattered the Fiery Sun Heavenly Fire Formation with a clang.
After breaking the array, Zuo Zhouqi ignored the injured Chen family elders and directed the blade light to block Elian's sword embryo.
"That's... the Crimson Flame Spirit Blade!"
Elian's eyes narrowed as he recognized the fiery red blade light.
After so many years, he hadn't expected to encounter the old patriarch's natal artifact here.
"The Lin Clan…"
In an instant, Elian's gaze turned cold. He remembered that it was the Lin family, the leading clan among the six Foundation Establishment families of Yu County, who had purchased the patriarch's artifact.
Though the six clans competed, they were supposed to stand united against the beast hordes. Elian hadn't expected the Lin family to sell the artifact to the Chen family's enemies.
Having missed the chance to kill Old Devil Zhang, Elian saw the injured devil hurriedly swallow a pill to stabilize his condition. Rejoining the battle, Old Devil Zhang teamed up with Zuo Zhouqi to attack Elian.
Despite being outnumbered, Elian held his ground.
Zuo Zhouqi's strength was mediocre, relying almost entirely on the Crimson Flame Spirit Blade. Meanwhile, Old Devil Zhang, though at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, had lost much of his strength after being gravely injured and was now weaker than Zuo Zhouqi.
The three exchanged over thirty moves, with Elian alternating between his two magical tools to press them back. Eventually, Zuo Zhouqi grew desperate and retrieved a talisman from his storage pouch.
As soon as the talisman was activated, a surge of Dao fire erupted, blazing toward Elian.
"Blue Spirit True Fire Talisman."
Elian's expression shifted slightly. The Blue Spirit True Fire Talisman was a second-tier high-grade talisman and one of the Zuo family's treasured assets.
Its power was formidable. If wielded by a mid- or late-Foundation Establishment cultivator, it could threaten even late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Although Zuo Zhouqi's cultivation was insufficient to fully utilize the talisman, it could still unleash seventy percent of its power—enough to incinerate a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator who wasn't careful.
As the fire surged forth, Elian immediately hurled the Green Ape Pearl to intercept it.
Empowered by Elian's sharp and abundant true essence, the Green Ape Pearl's strike weakened the talisman's power by thirty percent. Elian then activated the pearl's azure shield, which blocked another forty percent of the flames.
Even so, the Blue Spirit True Fire Talisman lived up to its reputation, burning through the shield and dimming the Green Ape Pearl's light.
To prevent further damage to the pearl, Elian quickly recalled it and activated the Nine Deflection Bell. The phantom bell enveloped him entirely, blocking the remaining flames.
The weakened fire failed to penetrate the Nine Deflection Bell's defense, leaving Elian unharmed.
Having endured the talisman's assault, it was now Elian's turn to counterattack. With the Nine Deflection Bell protecting him, he ignored their attacks and unleashed a flurry of blows with his sword embryo, overwhelming his opponents.
After another hundred exchanges, Zuo Zhouqi's lack of cultivation became evident. Repeated use of the Crimson Flame Spirit Blade and the talisman had drained his energy.
Seizing the opportunity, Elian struck decisively. With a single blow, he bypassed Zuo Zhouqi's Golden Light Shield and pierced his chest, leaving a deep and fatal wound.
"Zhouqi!"
Seeing Zuo Zhouqi gravely wounded and possibly dying, Zuo Mingxu's face twisted in grief and regret. He activated the Mingxu Sword and slashed at Elian.
The Mingxu Sword, Zuo Mingxu's natal artifact, was thirty percent more powerful than typical second-tier mid-grade tools when wielded by him. Its strike was so powerful that even the Nine Deflection Bell might not withstand it.
However, the old patriarch remained vigilant on the battlefield. With a cold laugh, he shouted, "You dare to be distracted while fighting me?"
"Clang—"
The sound of a sword reverberated across the desolate plain as the renowned Heavenly Flame Sword Art reappeared in its full glory.
The old patriarch pointed a finger, and a brilliant sword light, blazing like the sun, erupted into the sky. Its sharpness left everyone present in shock.
Forced to defend himself, Zuo Mingxu redirected his natal sword to block the attack. He could only watch as his Mingxu Sword was sent flying.
This brief defense allowed him to react further, and he hastily summoned a bronze-colored miniature tower. The tower spun, generating a defensive barrier.
The Heavenly Flame Sword collided with the bronze tower, producing a thunderous boom that echoed for hundreds of feet. The sword art dissipated, and the bronze tower's light dimmed, rendering it temporarily unusable.
"A second-tier high-grade defensive artifact."
The old patriarch's eyes narrowed in envy.
"If only Zuo Mingxu had greater cultivation, that artifact could block three to four strikes from my Heavenly Flame Sword. Truly a remarkable defense."
The Heavenly Flame Sword consumed a tremendous amount of energy, even for someone at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment. Continuous use was impossible.
Having broken Zuo Mingxu's defense, the three enemies began to waver.
Seizing the moment, the old patriarch swiftly activated the Blazing Fire Divine Flags, expanding their range to encompass the enemies within the fiery array.
...
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