The unity of man and sword—that is a realm of comprehension of the Sword Dao far surpassing mere sword Qi!
If grasping sword Qi in the Spirit Pill Realm could already be called a Sword Dao genius, then achieving the unity of man and sword in the Human Emperor Realm made one a true Sword Dao monster!
Among the elders present were sword cultivators; even with their Transcendence Realm cultivation, not everyone had attained the unity of man and sword!
Yet Ye Xiaoyao was merely at the Spirit Sea Realm Third Layer, and just moments ago he had seemingly only grasped sword Qi; now, he was already showing the embryonic form of the unity of man and sword.
How could they not be shocked!
Yet Ye Xiaoyao was completely unaware of his own transformation!
After all, according to the general principles of the Myriad-Phase Devouring Heaven Sword Classic, whether it was sword Qi or the unity of man and sword, both were merely the foundations of the Sword Dao.
Thus, in Ye Xiaoyao's perception, there was nothing particularly special about this; it simply felt as though, with his deepening comprehension of the Sword Dao, the pressure was no longer quite as crushing.
He even found himself occasionally able to launch a counterattack against Gu Qingqing.
Although these counterattacks lacked overwhelming offensive power, they managed to disrupt Gu Qingqing's rhythm, which in turn continuously reduced the pressure on Ye Xiaoyao.
As time passed, under the heavy pressure, Ye Xiaoyao's comprehension deepened further, and his counterattacks grew more frequent, posing an increasing threat to Gu Qingqing.
An hour passed in this manner. The one-sided suppression by Gu Qingqing had now turned into a back-and-forth battle between the two.
Although hindered by the suppression of the Supreme Bone runes, Ye Xiaoyao was still mostly defending rather than attacking, but his defeat was no longer as glaringly obvious as it had been at the start.
Gu Qingqing naturally understood that Ye Xiaoyao was comprehending the Sword Dao right in the middle of battle!
Yet even though she had gouged out Ye Xiaoyao's Supreme Bone, she had not yet truly been accepted into the Lihuo Sect, and the only presentable technique she possessed—the Gu Family's Yunhuan Thousand-Kill Slash—had already been executed three times over.
She even felt that if this continued, as Ye Xiaoyao's mastery of the Sword Dao deepened, he might very well turn the tables and defeat her.
Though anxious at heart, Gu Qingqing could think of no effective countermeasure.
Yet Gu Qingqing was a decisive person. Relying once more on the power of the Supreme Bone runes to force Ye Xiaoyao back with a single blow, she immediately took out her token.
Killing Ye Xiaoyao to silence him would certainly be ideal, but since she could not manage it right now, there was no need to keep taking such risks.
Crack...
The token was crushed, but Gu Qingqing was not teleported out as she had expected.
"What is going on?" Gu Qingqing's expression inevitably changed.
At the same time, Ye Xiaoyao's expression also shifted, for he could already sense a faint spatial fluctuation in this area.
He knew this meant that outside, an elder of the Lihuo Sect was lifting the blockade placed upon this region just moments earlier!
They had sealed off the area when he was pushed to the brink of death, and now that Gu Qingqing wanted to leave, they were immediately opening it up again.
Such flagrant favoritism toward Gu Qingqing made Ye Xiaoyao realize that once she escaped, avenging himself would become nearly impossible.
Instantly, as the thunderous purple leaves on the Sword Dao seed within his dantian flashed with light, his previously crimson spirit sword turned a brilliant purplish-blue.
Though it had absorbed a considerable amount of the Fire Bodhi's power along the way, it still could not compare to the thunder force infused by the Heavenly Punishment Tribulation.
Knowing he had only one chance left, Ye Xiaoyao no longer held anything back.
Bounding into the air, Ye Xiaoyao shouted fiercely, "You've had your fun, and now you think you can just pat your backside and walk away? Not so easily!"
This was a furious rebuke directed at Gu Qingqing, as well as a roar aimed at the Lihuo Sect elders outside.
With that, he slashed horizontally with his sword. Though no sword Qi surged forth, for a brief moment, the entire world seemed to contain only this single streak of purplish light carrying the might of thunder.
Such was the terror of the unity of man and sword!
Even though Ye Xiaoyao had only just touched the threshold of this realm, the momentum behind it was still vast and imposing.
" You're courting death!" Gu Qingqing naturally saw the murderous intent in Ye Xiaoyao.
Moreover, she faintly sensed a subtle pulling force of space radiating around her body.
Although she did not know why her broken token had not immediately teleported her out, she could still feel that she was about to be transported away.
With an angry shout, golden light burst from her entire body, countless characters surging within the radiance to form an ultimate defense.
Boom... Ye Xiaoyao's sword slashed down!
Amidst a deafening crash, a powerful rebound force surged back, and Ye Xiaoyao felt his arm go numb.
Yet Ye Xiaoyao did not stop there; leveraging the rebound force, his body spun, and he delivered another slash!
Boom... Boom...
For a time, countless explosive sounds, accompanied by the sparks of Ye Xiaoyao's sword striking the golden light, wove together into a magnificent spectacle.
Puff... Puff...
Continuously enduring the shock of the rebound, Ye Xiaoyao coughed up blood.
Yet every single one of Ye Xiaoyao's sword strikes landed on the exact same spot of the golden light!
Although the power of the Supreme Bone runes was extraordinary, the impact of the aftershocks from Ye Xiaoyao's blows grew heavier with every strike!
As Gu Qingqing likewise vomited blood repeatedly, the golden light enveloping her body began to flicker violently.
"Is this necessary? With the talents the two of us possess, as long as we continue to cultivate, we will both be paragons among men. Must we fight to such mutual destruction?" Gu Qingqing was starting to feel afraid.
"Do you even have the right to speak to me about talent? Have you forgotten where your Supreme Bone came from?" Endless murderous intent burned in Ye Xiaoyao's eyes.
This time, as Ye Xiaoyao swung his sword down once more!
With a loud crash, a breach was finally slashed open in the golden light. Though Ye Xiaoyao's spirit sword could not penetrate it fully, the thunder force along the blade carried a roar like countless electric serpents, surging directly into Gu Qingqing!
"Ye Xiaoyao, stop this!" At that moment, Elder Qingyang's stern shout echoed from overhead.
Simultaneously, a flaming palm print descended from the sky, smashing straight down toward Ye Xiaoyao's head.
"Master, save me..." Gu Qingqing recognized the owner of that voice.
Hearing Gu Qingqing revert to her former address, Elder Qingyang felt a surge of joy. "Rest easy, with your master here, no one can harm you!"
Elder Qingyang's domineering palm strike, infused with the power of the Tianji Lihuo Map, instantly brought a sense of suffocation to Ye Xiaoyao.
At the same time, Gu Qingqing felt the spatial forces distorting both her surroundings and her physical form, and she knew teleportation was imminent.
She immediately crowed triumphantly, "Ye Xiaoyao, I can kill you once, and I can kill you a second time. Just wait!"
Yet at that moment, Ye Xiaoyao's eyes were filled with ruthless ferocity as he roared, "No, you won't get a second chance!"
Amidst his fierce shout, Ye Xiaoyao pulled out his own token. The moment he crushed it, however, a golden light suddenly burst forth from his palm.
Just as Gu Qingqing felt she was about to merge into the spatial teleportation, her body abruptly stalled.
What was happening?
Before Gu Qingqing could recover from her shock, her body was struck by the purple thunderbolts!
Ah... Amidst a miserable scream, the golden light around her instantly receded, and countless runes gathered before her to block the onslaught of the purple lightning.
This, however, left Ye Xiaoyao's spirit sword unobstructed.
A streak of purple light struck. This sword carried the entirety of Ye Xiaoyao's power, intertwined with his overflowing fury and encompassing his lost youth!
Puff...
The spirit sword plunged directly into Gu Qingqing's chest, and Ye Xiaoyao executed a fierce slash, tearing open a gash in her chest just as Gu Qingqing had once torn open his.
Amidst a burst of golden light, the tip of Ye Xiaoyao's sword flicked upward, cleanly severing Gu Qingqing's Supreme Bone!
Boom... At that exact moment, Elder Qingyang's ferocious palm came crashing down upon Ye Xiaoyao's head!
With a muffled grunt, Ye Xiaoyao vomited blood and collapsed to the ground.
Simultaneously, amid violent spatial fluctuations, the figures of both Ye Xiaoyao and Gu Qingqing vanished from within the Tianji Lihuo Map.