Han Li glanced at these round beads—could it be that they were also types of lightning beads? This thought flashed through his mind, yet he did not pause in his efforts to activate the Dageng Sword Array. These golden filaments were one of the array's divine techniques, somewhat akin to sword cultivators' methods of transforming swords into threads, where the powerful sword qi from a hundred beams of sword light is condensed into fine filaments. Thanks to the array's amplified power and the infusion of Geng essence, the flying swords themselves were already exceptionally sharp and potent. As a result, the resulting sword filaments far surpassed those of ordinary sword cultivators. Even ancient artifacts and regular法宝 could not withstand the cutting power of these filaments. As for lightning beads or similar items, Han Li had no concern. As long as the thirty-six flying sword bodies remained unharmed, even if the filaments were shattered, they would continuously regenerate, ensuring an unbroken defense—this was precisely what made the Dageng Sword Array so formidable. While Han Li was pondering, a flash of golden light passed through, causing the round orbs to trigger the sword array's restrictions. They were sliced into several fragments by numerous golden threads and then burst apart. Unexpectedly, these orbs contained no hidden lightning or fire. Instead, upon bursting, they released thick, dark-red blood mist. As this mist dispersed, it immediately spread throughout the area, emitting a peculiar and unpleasant odor so sharp and intense it was almost unbearable. These orbs were known as "Blood Lightning Orbs," said to be crafted from the most impure and contaminated substances of heaven and earth. When they came into contact with an opponent's artifact or weapon that had not been enchanted by a magical method from the School of the Demon Path, the power of the artifact would significantly diminish, and its spiritual essence would be severely compromised. No matter how powerful the artifact or how refined its spiritual nature, it would require several days of re-enchantment using infant fire to restore its original strength. Of course, Blood Lightning Orbs were rare among the Demon Sects. Not only were their raw materials extremely scarce, but their success rate in crafting was also very low—far less successful than ordinary lightning orbs. These ten or so already represented the accumulated reserves of the black-robed young man over nearly a century. As a senior monk of one of the Ten Great Magic Sects of Jin State, he had broad experience and keen insight. Upon recognizing the sword array established by Han Li, he immediately conceived of using the Blood Thunder Seed to contaminate Han Li's flying swords. The sword array inherently required seamless coordination to unleash its full power—any minor malfunction in one of the flying swords would inevitably cause the entire array to collapse. This method was one of the most commonly employed strategies by Jin State's magic practitioners when countering sword-based sects that relied on such arrays. Naturally, the Blood Thunder Seed—being exceptionally rare—was rarely used in individual duels; it was typically deployed during large-scale confrontations, since a single individual could hardly manage a full sword array under normal circumstances. Though Han Li did not yet understand the exact nature of the situation, he clearly sensed something unusual and began to wonder. Suddenly, a deep, resonant thunderous rumble echoed through the air. Amidst the blood mist, patches of golden light emerged simultaneously, followed by cascades of pale golden arcs. As these arcs touched the blood mist, they instantly exploded and vanished—seemingly annihilated. In an instant, these十余 clusters of blood mist, even the divine, righteous thunder from Han Li's divine-protecting lightning, were all consumed and extinguished. "The divine shield lightning—these flying swords are all golden lightning bamboo artifacts! Impossible! How could there be so many golden lightning bamboo ones?" The young man in black robes grew pale at this sight, gasping aloud. "This question, I'll tell you when we reach the underground," he said, without hesitation. Hearing this, Han Li responded promptly. At the same time, he took a deep breath and further activated his spell. Originally paused due to the blood mist, the golden silk threads quietly pressed inward, converging toward the center. Though the Dazheng Sword Array was powerful, it still strained Han Li's current cultivation level. He could indeed maintain the array, but at a tremendous cost of spiritual energy. Once the array was activated, he found himself unable to sustain its acceleration. Otherwise, with a sudden, decisive convergence of the sword threads, he could have instantly annihilated the man in black robes. Instead, he had to watch helplessly as the young man in black employed further countermeasures. Han Li estimated that, based on the spell consumption of this sword array, a Yuan婴 mid-stage cultivator would have been the optimal choice for mastering this technique. It wasn't until he only activated half of the sword array and possessed significantly greater spiritual energy than an ordinary Yuan婴 initial cultivator that he could even begin to employ it. "Hmph! Do you truly believe that a mere sword array can truly imprison me? Your array may be sharp, but can it possibly sever our sect's foundational treasure?" The young man in black robes raised a layer of dark energy on his face, speaking with a cold, stern tone. He then glanced at the golden silk now less than ten zhang away from him, and without further words, raised his hand and delivered a powerful blow to his chest. "Pff!" A thick stream of black blood erupted from his mouth, mingling with a small green banner about a cun long, which floated out with it. As soon as the banner emerged, it emitted a shimmering green light, instantly absorbing the surrounding black blood, leaving none behind. The banner then transformed into a bright jade-green hue. The young man in black robes gestured solemnly toward the banner, and with a sudden *whoosh*, the small banner transformed into a streak of black light, landing in his hands. With a quick twist of his palms, the light intensified, and the green banner expanded to several feet in size. The surface of the banner shimmered with green light, veiled in dense, gray clouds, making it difficult to discern its form. Clearly, however, the banner was missing a corner, as though it had sustained damage that had not yet fully healed. Seemed utterly confident in what was held in his hands. Then, the young man suddenly grasped the banner tightly, gently swaying it in the direction of a golden thread... A soft "pffft" sound, and a jade-green mist surged forth from the banner, rapidly swelling until it completely enveloped the young man. A piercing, icy wind arose around him, and by the time the scene had unfolded, dark clouds had gathered from the sky, turning the heavens into a dense, oppressive black, completely blotting out the sunlight. The sky grew profoundly dim. Greenish spectral mist began to rise all around, and ghostly wails echoed throughout the area. With merely a gentle sway of the banner, the very heavens had changed—no wonder this man was so confident in it. Han Li now felt a strong sense of confidence in the Dageng Sword Formation, yet he was also deeply startled. At that very moment, a sound of rushing air came from across the way, and countless slender black threads burst forth from the mist where the young man stood, swiftly converging toward Han Li, wrapping around him. A flash of golden light activated the seals within the sword formation. Countless golden threads intersected and flashed, causing the black lines to pause briefly before breaking into numerous fragments that fell down. Yet immediately, these broken black lines swiftly transformed into clusters of green mist, shooting back and reabsorbing into the green mist. "Huh!" While Han Li hadn't noticed anything unusual, the young cloaked figure within the green mist exclaimed in surprise. These ethereal threads were remarkably resilient, yet they were equally vulnerable to the sword formation's assault—something he had not anticipated. After a brief pause, he finally unleashed the full power of his ghost banner. Suddenly, he hurled his banner from within the green mist and planted it precisely three feet in front of himself, where it remained motionless. Then, from the mist, a series of obscure incantations echoed, and gusts of cold wind swept the surrounding fog from all directions toward the center. The green banner swayed and surged, rising rapidly to two zhang in height within moments. The mist clinging to its surface began to dissipate, revealing its true form. "You shall die." "Die? I've heard this very phrase from countless people. Yet I am very much alive. On the contrary, the very souls of those who uttered it have been absorbed into this banner, now forming part of it. You will not be spared either." The young man said with a mocking tone. Then, unwilling to speak further, he cast a red spell upon the great banner. A surge of green light erupted, and suddenly a large hole—several feet in diameter—appeared on the banner's surface. As black mist rose, a steady gust of阴 wind blew from within. A series of soft "pffft" sounds followed. One after another, several massive, ghost-lit skeletons, each exhaling wisps of green vapor, emerged from the banner with calm precision, aligning themselves in a line. Among them, the largest bore two towering horns, yet the facial features of the lower part of the skeleton were remarkably human. Could it be that this creature had once been a mythical beast in the form of a spirit-being? A sudden surprise flashed through Han Li's mind. But what followed next quickly put that question aside. Only those skeletons who had stepped forth first remained visible. From the black voids on the green banner, various ghostly flames and skeletal heads continued to surge forth without cease, and within a moment, hundreds emerged, filling the space around the black-robed figures. Ordinary talismans and ancient relics could not withstand the slicing power of the golden filaments. As for items like thunder pearls, Han Li had no fear. As long as the thirty-six intrinsic flying swords remained unharmed, even if the sword filaments were shattered, they would continuously regenerate, making the attack virtually unstoppable—this was precisely what made the Dazheng Sword Array so formidable. While Han Li was pondering this, a flash of golden light passed through, and the round pearls likewise triggered the array's restrictions, being sliced into several fragments by the golden filaments and then bursting apart. Unexpectedly, these pearls contained no hidden lightning or fire. Upon bursting, they emitted thick, dark-red blood mist. Once this mist dispersed, it spread rapidly throughout the area, carrying with it a peculiar, nauseating odor so sharp and intense it was almost unbearable. These pearls were known as "Blood Thunder Seeds," said to be crafted from the most impure elements of heaven and earth. When they came into contact with such blood mist, any opponent's treasure or artifact not previously enchanted by a magical method of the demonic schools would suffer a significant reduction in power and a loss of its inherent vitality. No matter how great your divine artifacts or how refined your spiritual essence, to restore their full power, you must rekindle and cultivate them with infant fire for several days. Of course, blood lightning orbs are rare within the demonic sects—both in raw materials and in success rate, often proving harder to craft than ordinary lightning beads. These fifteen orbs represent the entire accumulated stock of the black-robed youth over nearly a century. As a senior elder of one of the Ten Great Demonic Sects of Jin State, he is well-versed and observant. Upon recognizing the sword formation laid out by Han Li, he immediately conceived the idea of using the blood lightning orbs to contaminate Han Li's flying swords. Since the sword formation demands seamless coordination to unleash its full potential, any minor malfunction in one of the flying swords would inevitably cause the entire formation to collapse. This method is one of the most commonly employed strategies by demonic cultivators in Jin State to counter sword-specialized sects that rely on such formations. However, such a rare and precious substance is typically reserved for large-scale confrontations and rarely used in individual duels. After all, how could a sword formation normally be controlled by a single person? Though韩立didn't know exactly what was happening, he clearly sensed something strange and began to wonder. Suddenly, a deep rumbling thunder echoed. Within the blood mist, patches of golden light emerged simultaneously, followed by streams of pale golden arcs that shot out. As these arcs touched the blood mist, they instantly exploded and vanished—completely extinguished. In an instant, these十余clusters of blood mist, including韩立's own辟邪神雷, were all consumed and destroyed. 韩立was left stunned. The辟邪神雷had not waited for him to activate it—instead, it had spontaneously launched from the flying sword. This was the first time such a phenomenon had occurred. Moreover, the blood mist, which clearly belonged to a malevolent nature, managed to neutralize the辟邪神雷—something truly astonishing. 韩立was unaware that these blood lightning entities specifically contaminated the treasures of the orthodox path, a property almost identical to that of the辟邪神雷, which specifically countered the techniques of the demonic path—thus, the two perfectly neutralized each other. Generally, no one could restrain the other. Though the blood mist had been substantial, it was still far behind the divine lightning concealed within the thirty-six flying swords. Thus, the mist vanished swiftly and completely. "Divine辟邪lightning! These swords are all made of Golden Lightning Bamboo! Impossible—how could there be so many Golden Lightning Bamboo swords?" The young man in black robes, seeing this, paled instantly and cried out. "This question, I'll tell you when we reach the underground!" Han Li replied promptly and without hesitation. Meanwhile, he took a deep breath and further activated his spell. Originally paused due to the appearance of the blood mist, the golden threads silently pressed forward toward the center. Although the Dazheng Sword Array was immensely powerful, it still strained Han Li's current level of cultivation. He could indeed maintain the array, but it came at a significant cost of spiritual energy. Moreover, once the array was activated, he found himself unable to further accelerate it. Otherwise, as long as he suddenly pressed the sword filaments together firmly at the center, he could instantly eliminate the opponent. How could he just watch the black-robed youth employ any further tactics against him? Han Li estimated that, based on the spell consumption of this sword formation, a Yuan-Enlightened中期 (mid-stage) cultivator would have been the ideal candidate to first master this technique. It wasn't that he had only activated half of the sword formation and that his inner energy far surpassed that of an ordinary Yuan-Enlightened initial cultivator—otherwise, at his current stage, he simply wouldn't have been able to manifest this sword formation at all. After it was unfurled, the banner flashed with green light, instantly absorbing the surrounding black blood completely. It now appeared a jade green. The young man in black robes, his expression gloomy, extended a hand toward the banner, and with a sudden "whoosh," the small banner transformed into a streak of black light, landing in his hands. After rubbing his palms together, the light intensified, and the banner expanded to several feet in size. The surface shimmered with green light, veiled in dense gray clouds, making it difficult to discern its form. Clearly, however, the banner was missing a corner, as though it had sustained damage that had not yet fully healed. Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly, and he murmured softly, "The Ghost Luo Banner!" The former abbot of Yin Luo Sect had once mentioned that he intended to use the Sect's most precious treasure—the Ghost Luo Banner—to counter the Héhuān Elder. Though the Elder never actually deployed it, Han Li had kept that name firmly in mind. Now, upon seeing the young man present this small banner, Han Li was certain of its identity. "You're quite perceptive! This is one of the main banners of the Twelve Ghost Luo Banners. As for The young man in black robes was momentarily stunned when Han Li recognized the object in his hands, then immediately chuckled, clearly confident in it. Suddenly, he tightly grasped the banner and gently waved it in the direction of a golden thread... "A soft crack!"—a jade-green mist surged forth from the banner, rapidly swelling and enveloping the young man entirely. A sharp, icy wind swept up from the surroundings, and by the time the observer noticed, numerous dark clouds had gathered in the sky, transforming it into a dense, oppressive blackness that completely obscured the sunlight. The sky grew dim and gloomy. Green, ethereal mist began to rise all around, and the mournful cries of ghosts echoed throughout. With merely a gentle sway of the banner, the very heavens had changed—no wonder this man was so confident in it. Even though Han Li had strong faith in the Dageng Sword Formation, he was now deeply awed. At that moment, a sound of rushing air came from across the way, and countless threads of black energy shot out from the mist where the young man stood, rushing directly toward Han Li. A flash of golden light revealed the activation of the incantations within the sword formation. Countless golden threads interlaced and flashed, causing the black threads to pause briefly before snapping into fragments that fell to the ground. Yet immediately, these broken black threads swiftly transformed into clusters of green mist, shooting back and reabsorbing into the green mist. "Huh!" Han Li still felt nothing unusual, but the young man in the green robe, immersed in the green mist, exclaimed in surprise. These ethereal threads, known for their extraordinary resilience, had been utterly defeated by the opponent's sword formation—something entirely unexpected. After a brief pause, he finally decided to unleash the full power of his ghost banner. He suddenly hurled the banner from within the green mist and planted it precisely three feet in front of himself, where it remained motionless. Then, from the mist, a series of obscure incantations rose, and gusts of cold wind swept the surrounding fog toward the center. As the green banner swayed, it surged upward rapidly, soon reaching a height of two zhang. The mist clinging to its surface began to dissipate, revealing the banner's true form. "You shall die." "Die? I've heard this very phrase from countless people. Yet I am very much alive. On the contrary, the very souls of those who uttered it have been absorbed into this banner, now forming part of it. You will not be spared either." The young man said with a mocking tone. Then, unwilling to speak further, he cast a single red spell upon the great banner. A surge of green light erupted, and suddenly a large hole—several feet in diameter—appeared on the banner's surface. As black mist rose, a steady gust of阴 wind blew from within. A series of soft "pffft" sounds followed. One after another, several massive, ghost-lit skeletons, each exhaling wisps of pale mist, emerged from the banner with calm precision, aligning themselves in a line. Among them, the largest bore two towering horns resembling those of a bull, yet the facial features of the lower part of the skeleton were unmistakably human. Could it be that this creature had once been a mythical beast in its transformation phase? A sudden surprise flashed through Han Li's mind. But what followed next caused Han Li to set aside this very question. Only, besides the first few skeletons that emerged, various ghostly flame-headed spirits continued to surge forth from the black hollows on the green banner, flooding out in waves. In a moment, hundreds had appeared, filling the space around the black-robed figures. "Go!" the young man in the black robe, gesturing toward Han Li within the green mist, raised his hands and pointed.