From beside that young man, who looked every bit like a banished immortal, a figure drifted into view. The moment he appeared, the surrounding temperature noticeably rose. It was a stern-faced middle-aged Daoist. He formed a hand seal and summoned a yellow talisman. The talisman ignited without wind, instantly transforming into a ferocious fire dragon! Flames roared toward Li Yanchu with overwhelming force. Nearly half the night sky was lit up by this domineering spell, and a wave of searing heat rolled outward, making it nearly impossible to approach! This must be the guardian Daoist at Hong Baiwei’s side... Li Yanchu recalled some information about the Mount Mao Sect. The disciples of Mount Mao quickly retreated to avoid the area. The Southern Heaven Crimson Flame this Daoist wielded was incredibly destructive, and any slight misstep could result in self-immolation. They had once witnessed a high-ranking monk from a Buddhist sect burned to death by this very flame. Even Gongshu Peiyu’s mechanical beasts, such as his famed wooden oxen, had been destroyed by this Daoist Master, forcing him to flee with severe injuries. A chilling killing intent flickered in Li Yanchu’s eyes, and he immediately summoned the Heaven-Illuminating Seal! It expanded in a flash into a giant radiant and awe-inspiring ancient seal over a zhang wide. Divine fire surged forth, shrouding the heavens and blotting out the sky. You want to use fire? Then I’ll answer with fire! It was a direct clash of fire against fire! The Daoist’s face suddenly twisted in shock; he could sense the immense fire energy within the Heaven-Illuminating Seal and was struck with a chilling dread. The divine fire of the Heaven-Illuminating Seal instantly overwhelmed his crimson flame. “Aaahhhh!” The Daoist let out a miserable scream as his entire body was engulfed in divine fire, and he shrieked in agony. After all, being burned alive by flames was unbearable torment. And this was his own signature technique; yet today, he was forced to taste its own pain. Li Yanchu swept his saber down, and a brilliant saber light over ten zhang long roared into existence. “How dare you!” the young man wearing the purple-gold crown shouted in fury. He immediately summoned a bronze bell, no bigger than a palm. It was ancient and weathered in appearance. As it caught the wind, the bronze bell grew rapidly, becoming a massive bell two zhang tall. It intercepted the attack, placing itself in front of the burning Daoist. A deafening metallic clash rang out, shaking the heavens. Everyone instinctively covered their ears, overcome by a dizzying disorientation. The ancient bronze bell shimmered with divine power, and it was clearly an extraordinary artifact from this ruin, and its preservation was relatively intact. But now, having taken Li Yanchu's powerful, forceful slash head-on, a visible crack had appeared on its surface. That young man was none other than Hong Baiwei, the so-called young Daoist Master of Mount Mao. He was a man of noble birth and tyrannical nature. Seeing the bronze bell cracked, his brows furrowed involuntarily. “You dare kill someone from Mount Mao right in front of me? You’re asking for death!” Hong Baiwei said coldly. Li Yanchu’s gaze was icy, yet he laughed in fury. “So you’re allowed to kill, and I’m not allowed to fight back? Where in this world is there such a logic? Seems to me you’re the one who’s tainted the name of Mount Mao! You still dare to talk big in front of me? You’re courting death!” Hong Baiwei’s white jade belt suddenly shone with dazzling light, illuminating the surroundings like broad daylight. From within that brilliant radiance, six golden-armored warriors strode forth. Clad in imposing armor and wielding gleaming weapons, their presence surged like a rising tide. They charged at Li Yanchu without hesitation. Though there were only six of them, their momentum made it feel like a thousand troops stampeding forward. The sheer pressure of this technique was almost unbelievable. The lead golden-armored warrior bellowed and slashed downward with his massive halberd. Li Yanchu’s blood and qi surged into the sky like a smoke banner, his eyes burning with battle intent. His talismanic armor shimmered with pure yang lightning fire and blazed upward. He didn’t retreat; instead, he sidestepped the halberd’s edge, and with a calm motion, raised his hand and caught the halberd. With the Daoist talismanic armor enhancing his body, Li Yanchu’s power of dragons and elephants surged to an utterly tyrannical level as fiery brilliance surged from his hand. Once he gripped the halberd, the golden-armored warrior couldn’t even budge it. CRACK! The halberd was snapped in two! Li Yanchu didn’t retreat; instead, he stepped forward, and the earth itself trembled. Divine Astral Hands! Iron Mountain Slam! The golden-armored warrior’s body was shattered, blasted away by this searing pure yang inner force! Newest update provided by novel⸺fire.net Everyone’s breath caught in their throats, and their eyes flew open wide. What just happened!? Someone actually used mortal martial arts to go head-to-head against an immortal qi-imbued golden-armored warrior!? It was almost too much to believe. Li Yanchu moved in a flash, grabbing one of the golden-armored warriors by the head with one hand and slamming it straight into the ground. The golden-armored warrior was blown to pieces, disintegrated by the overwhelming surge of inner force from Li Yanchu’s hand. The mountain stones beneath cracked little by little, and all of this happened in a split second. The six golden-armored warriors had charged forward like an unstoppable force, but Li Yanchu went against the current, and in the blink of an eye, instantly killed one. This was what it truly meant to be unstoppable, and he cut through them like a hot knife through butter. CRACK! A visible fracture appeared on Hong Baiwei’s white jade belt. Like a fierce tiger unleashed, Li Yanchu charged into the midst of the golden-armored warriors. He struck with palms and elbows, his techniques both profound and devastatingly heavy. His surging qi and blood pressure were so intense, even the divine light around the warriors dimmed noticeably! Another golden-armored warrior was shattered by his Divine Astral Hands! One warrior with his face obscured thrust forward with a spear, causing wind and lightning to howl with the strike. Li Yanchu smashed forward with a punch! Divine Astral Hands! Mountain-Splitting Strike! Though the sharp spear remained undamaged, the warrior holding it began to crack from the arm down, and then exploded into fragments, vanishing into the void. Two more golden-armored warriors lunged in unison, and their swords stabbed with blinding speed and brute force. Li Yanchu suddenly leapt high into the air, soaring over the two of them, then stomped down with explosive force. Thousand-Jin Drop! The two golden-armored warriors were crushed beneath the blow, smashed into pieces on the spot. The ground shook violently, and everyone nearby staggered from the shockwave, unable to keep steady. In just a few breaths' time, Li Yanchu had annihilated all the golden-armored warriors. His aura was vast and unstoppable! "You sure that belt of yours can hold up much longer? Don't tell me your bare ass is gonna be hanging out in a moment," Li Yanchu sneered. His words were sharp as sabers. All along the way, everyone had witnessed the overbearing might of Mount Mao’s divine arts and grown used to the young Daoist Master’s domineering arrogance, where gods were slain when met. But this was the first time anyone had dared mock him outright, showing not the slightest fear. He’s absolutely audacious! That was the only thought in everyone’s mind. Yet... This seemingly unremarkable young Daoist... did appear to have the strength to back it up. Hong Baiwei’s expression darkened instantly. He said coldly, "You’re a disciple of the Dao, yet you stoop to learning martial arts of the jianghu? Utterly ignorant! Today, I’ll show you what it means to be truly out of your league!” He began to form a spell seal with his fingers to unleash the Spirit Commanding Art. A scent pouch at his waist flew into the air, and at once, a cold wind howled through the heavens and earth. Countless vicious, ghastly specters emerged from the pouch, and resentful qi surged into the skies. It was a true scene of horror! It was as if the gates of the underworld had been thrown wide open, and vengeful spirits were flooding out. A cacophony of voices from men, women, old folks, children burst forth in an instant, assaulting the ears and shaking the soul. Seeing this, terror gripped one’s heart. Li Yanchu’s eyes were cold as ice, and his voice boomed like thunder, “You’re clearly born of righteous lineage, yet you walk the crooked path. You’re deserving of death!" Golden light flared across his entire body, and his talismanic armor materialized, enshrouding him completely, like a divine general from the Celestial Court! He was a mighty and overbearing slayer of demons and subjugator of evil! And then, he deactivated the talismanic armor entirely, letting his martial artist’s body bear the full weight of this Daoist divine artifact. His aura surged to its peak, and he was undeniably powerful.