Chapter 858: Crushing Defeat!

There was no stalemate.

Ssshh!

The thunder pillar was split apart from the bottom all the way to the top, and the crimson Sword Qi kept going without losing any momentum.

Bang!

The first bolt of lightning exploded.

Bang!

Then another.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Dozens of thunderbolts were annihilated one after another, and within a single breath the storm that had covered the whole arena was gone.

The crimson sword light continued upward and struck the Qianyuan Five Thunder Seal.

Crack.

A thin line appeared across the purple seal.

Han Juefeng’s eyes went wide, and Lei Xuankong shot to his feet.

"No!"

Crack!

The line spread across the entire artifact’s manifestation.

Boom!

The Qianyuan Five Thunder Seal’s manifestation form exploded, and countless purple fragments scattered through the air like rain.

The audience went completely silent. Lei Xuankong’s strongest spiritual artifact had been destroyed by a single sword, and Li Yun had not even used a sword art. He had simply released part of his Slaughter Sword Intent.

Han Juefeng stared blankly at the falling fragments, his lips trembling.

"No... that’s impossible."

Li Yun calmly lowered his sword.

"Your strongest offensive artifact..." His gaze settled on Han Juefeng. "Was that really it?"

Han Juefeng’s face flushed crimson.

"You bastard!"

Fear and humiliation churned together inside him, and then he remembered the defenses still surrounding him.

The Thousand Waves Spirit Barrier Formation, the Ninefold Scarlet Flame Battle Armor, and the Purple Heaven Guardian Bell were all still in place.

Three defenses.

However terrifying Li Yun’s attack had been, Han Juefeng refused to believe he could break all three at once, and a little of his confidence came back.

"So what if you destroyed the Qianyuan Five Thunder Seal?" He spread his arms and laughed again, though the sound came out far more forced than before. "Can you break my defense? The Thousand Waves Spirit Barrier Formation weakens attacks continuously. The Ninefold Scarlet Flame Battle Armor can hold up against direct strikes from powerful Spirit Manifestation Realm experts. And outside all of that sits the Purple Heaven Guardian Bell. Even a perfection-stage Spirit Manifestation Realm 3rd level attack can’t easily break all three together."

His eyes turned bloodshot.

"Li Yun, you still can’t beat me!"

Li Yun studied him for several seconds, then slowly raised his sword again.

"That’s exactly your mistake."

Han Juefeng froze.

"You think that because ordinary Spirit Manifestation Realm 3rd level attacks can’t break them..." The crimson aura around Li Yun grew slightly stronger. "...my sword can’t either."

Boom!

The Slaughter Sword Intent erupted, still not at full strength, yet the pressure was far heavier than before, and the air above the arena seemed to turn crimson. The Thousand Waves Spirit Barrier Formation’s manifestation began to tremble, and Han Juefeng’s expression changed.

Li Yun swung his sword just once, and a crimson sword light swept forward.

The first obstacle was the Thousand Waves Spirit Barrier Formation. Countless blue waves rose instantly, one layer, then ten, then a hundred, as the formation tried to wear the incoming attack down. It failed.

Ssshh!

The crimson Sword Qi passed straight through, splitting every water barrier in its path, and the massive formation flag shook violently before cracking down the middle.

Bang!

The Thousand Waves Spirit Barrier Formation’s manifestation shattered, and Han Juefeng’s face went pale.

The Sword Qi kept going, and next came the Ninefold Scarlet Flame Battle Armor.

Boom!

Nine layers of scarlet flame erupted, and the crimson Sword Qi cut into them. The first layer vanished, then the second, the third, the fourth, and the fifth, until in less than a breath all nine had been sliced apart.

Crack!

A sword mark appeared across the Scarlet Flame Battle Armor’s manifestation, then another, and the whole thing shattered as pieces of burning armor flew through the air.

Han Juefeng’s eyes widened in terror, though one defense still remained, and it was the strongest of them all.

The Purple Heaven Guardian Bell descended fully and covered him as violet qi surged wildly around it.

Clang!

The crimson Sword Qi struck, and an enormous bell’s manifestation toll shook the arena. For the first time, the sword light paused.

Han Juefeng’s terror instantly turned to joy.

"Blocked!" He laughed. "It blocked it!"

Li Yun did not even react. He simply looked at Han Juefeng the way one might look at an idiot.

The next moment, a soft crack sounded.

Han Juefeng’s laughter stopped. A thin fracture had appeared on the Purple Heaven Guardian Bell, and then another.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Hundreds of fractures spread across the bronze surface.

Han Juefeng stared upward, all the color draining from his face.

"No..."

Boom!

The Purple Heaven Guardian Bell’s manifestation shattered, and bronze fragments exploded outward. All three defensive artifacts he had relied on to make himself supposedly invincible had been destroyed by the same attack.

Only then did the remaining crimson sword pressure reach Han Juefeng himself.

Bang!

His protective essence qi collapsed instantly, blood burst from his mouth, and his body flew backward across the arena before smashing violently into the ground.

Boom!

A crater opened beneath him. Han Juefeng coughed several times and tried to push himself up, but his arms shook so badly that he could barely hold his own weight, and he could only stare at Li Yun in disbelief.

The audience had gone completely quiet. Four powerful spiritual artifacts, one offensive and three defensive, had all been destroyed.

Li Yun had used no secret technique, no special sword art, and no hidden treasure. He had simply drawn his sword twice, and he still had not truly unleashed the full 50% of his Slaughter Sword Intent.

The people who had mocked him earlier had nothing left to say, and the geniuses who had lent Han Juefeng their treasures wore increasingly sour expressions. Lei Xuankong’s face was darkest of all.

Everyone now understood something. Their elaborate preparation had not merely failed; it had turned into a stage for Li Yun.

The more impressive their artifacts had seemed beforehand, the more terrifying Li Yun looked after destroying them, and the more confidently they had called Han Juefeng’s defense unbreakable, the more humiliating the outcome became.