Lin Xuan's strength far surpassed Ye Li's, and his strike was as swift as a sneak attack.
Ye Li had absolutely no chance to dodge.
At that moment, Ye Li felt his heart tremble violently and his scalp go numb.
The incoming sharpness made his skin ache, as if countless steel blades were scraping across it.
Only then did he realize just how vast the gap between him and Lin Xuan was.
It was so immense that he couldn't even fathom it.
And yet, he had recklessly come to provoke him, oblivious to his own doom.
A flicker of fear flashed in Ye Li's eyes.
With strength like this, even if it fell short of Senior Brother Duan, it couldn't be far off, could it?
How could he possibly be a match for such an opponent?!
But now, there was no dodging—only blocking.
He didn't hope to escape unscathed, only to survive.
That was his sole demand now.
As long as he could stay alive, he believed Senior Brother Duan would come and avenge him.
With these thoughts, Ye Li's expression turned grim as he frantically channeled his spiritual power, activating every aspect of his intent.
He swung his treasured blade in a single strike.
"Blazing Yuan Explosion!"
Under the threat of life and death, Ye Li unleashed his strongest attack.
With the加成 of blade intent, wind intent, fire intent, and other intents, its power surged several times over.
It transformed into a colossal blade light dozens of feet long, charging to meet the twelve Falling Lotus Sword Qi Lin Xuan had unleashed.
An unmatched force swept across the area, stirring up endless layers of airwaves.
Many among the crowd were sent flying.
Even some late-stage Opening Spirit Realm martial artists were forced to retreat repeatedly.
They only stopped after pulling back hundreds of meters.
Everyone present was stirred by this great battle.
Watching the scene, they were all horrified.
Was this the full strength of Ye Li, the Fourth Senior Brother of Wind Flame Valley?
It was far beyond them!
They couldn't even withstand the aftershocks.
That alone showed its power.
But what shocked them even more was that Ye Li's opponent was merely a youth under twenty.
The twelve sword beams he unleashed were incredibly sharp, too dazzling to look at directly.
A young man could produce sword beams of such might, forcing Ye Li to go all out as if facing a great enemy.
This revealed how terrifying his talent was.
Probably no one here could compare, right?
Even if he wasn't as strong as the Four Young Masters, he wasn't far off.
Everyone present was utterly stunned, their eyes fixed on the scene.
Then, under the gaze of the entire crowd,
The twelve Falling Lotus Sword Qi Lin Xuan had unleashed struck the massive blade light born from Ye Li's full power.
Clang!
A sound like metal clashing rang out.
The first Falling Lotus Sword Qi shattered.
The speed of the massive blade light also slowed.
Before Ye Li could feel any joy, his heart sank to the depths.
Clang, clang, clang!
Three more Falling Lotus Sword Qi struck simultaneously and broke apart.
But cracks began to appear on the massive blade light.
Clang, clang!
Two more Falling Lotus Sword Qi slammed into the massive blade light.
Crack, crack...
This time, the massive blade light could no longer hold. Cracks spread like a spiderweb across its entire surface at lightning speed.
Boom!
Another sword qi fell, and the massive blade light instantly collapsed, breaking apart and dissolving into countless spiritual energies that dissipated.
The aftershocks surged like endless waves, spreading in all directions, forcing the crowd back another hundred meters.
The onlookers were even more horrified.
On the battlefield,
Seven of the twelve Falling Lotus Sword Qi had shattered, leaving five completely intact.
They continued their assault on Ye Li.
Only then did Ye Li realize he had underestimated Lin Xuan's strength.
This time, there was no need for the twelve Falling Lotus Sword Qi to merge into one.
Even individually, they were beyond his ability to withstand.
But by then, it was too late.
The remaining five Falling Lotus Sword Qi descended like they were tearing through space.
"Stop!!"
A thunderous roar erupted from hundreds of meters to the west, echoing through the entire third layer.
Many felt their blood stagnate and eardrums ache from the shout.
Yet even so,
The five Falling Lotus Sword Qi showed no sign of slowing, continuing their descent.
Pfft!
Ye Li could no longer hold out. His treasured blade flew away.
The Falling Lotus Sword Qi fell, piercing through.
Leaving bloody holes in their wake.
Ye Li coughed up blood repeatedly, like a torn sack, flying backward a hundred meters.
He crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
His body was covered in blood and dirt.
Several bloody holes on him gushed blood like fountains.
Before he could even scream in agony, he sank into endless darkness, losing all signs of life.
The crowd stared at the scene in dead silence.
Their pupils dilated, frozen in place, disbelief filling their eyes.
It took several breaths before anyone reacted.
After a wave of sharp intakes of breath, the crowd erupted like an explosion.
"Am I dreaming? Ye Li of Wind Flame Valley... just died like that?"
"And he was one-shot!"
"There's actually an Opening Spirit Realm martial artist who can one-shot Ye Li?!"
"This is too strong! It's freakishly strong!"
"Even the Four Young Masters might not have managed that at the Opening Spirit Realm!"
"And this guy isn't even twelve yet—could he be a new Young Master-level genius?!"
"..."
The crowd buzzed with exclamations, voices rising like a boiling tide.
All eyes were fixed on Lin Xuan, filled with endless shock.
No one had expected that Ye Li, a top genius of the entire Red Sun Domain and the Fourth Senior Brother of Wind Flame Valley, would be defeated here.
And it wasn't just a defeat—he was killed on the spot.
What's more, Ye Li was slain with a single sword strike.
And the one who struck was a youth under twenty, strikingly handsome.
Such a scene was beyond even the wildest dreams.
Yet now, it unfolded before everyone's eyes.
They were plunged into endless shock, unable to believe it.
But it happened right in front of them, witnessed by so many.
They had no choice but to accept it.
Thus, the crowd grew even more astounded.
Both by the youth's strength and his talent.
After all, Ye Li, as the Fourth Senior Brother of Wind Flame Valley, was a top-tier genius ranked across the entire Red Sun Domain.
Among all the martial artists present, fewer than a handful could match him one-on-one.
Let alone defeat or kill him.
But now, Ye Li was slain on the spot by this youth's single sword strike.
This showed that the youth's strength, even if not comparable to Spirit Origin Realm experts, was among the very top in the Opening Spirit Realm.
What shocked everyone even more was that
This youth, under twenty, had already reached such a level.
Even Ye Li, a top genius of the Red Sun Domain, was killed by his single sword strike.
This highlighted just how terrifying his talent was!