He thought carefully and judged that it wasn’t that the opponent’s tunneling speed had increased, but rather that his own Spiritual Energy had unknowingly been depleted, causing his tunneling speed to become significantly slower than before.
He silently pondered and said to himself, "If this continues, at most one incense stick of time will pass before this person catches up to me. I must make preparations early."
He spread out his palm, revealing the Spiritual Crane Jade Talisman he had been tightly gripping earlier, letting out a low laugh. After so much time of flight, he had already refined the token using the sect’s Direct Inheritance Heart Method to make it his own.
Although he had rarely exchanged blows with cultivators, he was highly adept at survival and avoiding calamity. He frequently observed others’ combat methods and often imagined how he would respond to various situations if he were involved, making his mind turn quickly.
The moment Zhang Yan arrived, he immediately thought about Zhang Pan’s Crane Spirit Jade Talisman. Now, the Crane Spirit had been taken into his Three Qi Earth Covering Umbrella, and he had snatched the token. Soon, he would rely on this item to fight the opponent—not only probing Zhang Yan’s foundation, but also allowing himself time to escape should he truly lose.
At this point, he stopped his movement, withdrew the tunneling light, extended his hand to open the umbrella, released the Spiritual Crane Essence, and then held the token. Driven by his Mana, the white-feathered, black-tailed Spiritual Crane Essence let out a clear and piercing cry, flapped its wings, and rose into the air. Its body grew larger in the blink of an eye, reaching a size of over ten zhang.
Within the clouds above, there appeared a graceful spirit bird, its beak raised in dance, its floating feathers exuding an immortal aura, its crimson crown as vivid as blood. The bird’s cry seemed to cut through the azure clouds, and its eyes radiated vitality—completely different from the stiff appearance it had when it was under Zhang Pan’s hand.
Shi Yangzi shook the token in his hand, and the Spiritual Crane Essence circled around before lunging at Zhang Yan with its long, reddish-yellow beak.
Zhang Yan sneered internally. He hadn’t anticipated this person using the Dharma Treasure he had given to Zhang Pan against him.
Yet mere Spiritual Cranes were nothing to him. Not only did he not dodge, but he charged forward, roaring loudly, and swung the Iron Gold Hammer in his hand downwards!
A muffled sound reverberated like a drumbeat in the air. The hammer’s strike felt as though it landed on a water surface, sending white Qi and ice beads scattering in all directions. Ripples surged across the Spiritual Crane’s body, and its form, conjured from essence, flickered intermittently, giving off a faint sense of disintegration under the force of the hammer blow.
At the same time, the crane’s beak pierced into Zhang Yan’s shoulder, digging several inches deep. Faint traces of blood seeped from beneath his clothing, but he seemed utterly indifferent. He abandoned one golden hammer, stretched out his other hand, grabbed the Spiritual Crane by its neck, yanked it toward himself, and raised the hammer in his hand high before slamming it down heavily!
This strike landed squarely on the crane’s skull. With a mournful cry, its wings flapped wildly, and its feet kicked chaotically, as if trying to break free. Yet Zhang Yan’s grasp, reminiscent of an iron cast, did not budge in the slightest.
He raised the Iron Gold Hammer once again, uttered a thunderous roar like spring thunder bursting forth from his tongue, and swung down with explosive force. With a deafening crash, the crane below shattered entirely. Bits of Spirit Light scattered outward, leaving only faint traces of Clear Qi lingering on the hammer, gradually dissipating.
Shi Yangzi’s token shattered with a brittle "crack," crumbling into powder and slipping through his fingers. He watched in stunned disbelief. A Spiritual Crane Essence equivalent to a Xuan Guang Third Realm Cultivator had been forcibly dispersed in this brutal fashion?
A shiver ran through him, and he dared not linger for even a moment longer. Hastily, he summoned his tunneling light, fleeing in desperation.
Zhang Yan activated the Mysterious Skill, and the wound on his shoulder instantly closed and vanished. Seeing Shi Yangzi attempting to escape, a trace of mockery flickered across his face. He made a gesture casting the spell, and the golden hammer he had abandoned earlier was inexplicably waiting overhead, aimed straight at Shi Yangzi as it descended.
Shi Yangzi barely fled a dozen zhang before sensing something amiss. Looking up, he saw a golden hammer smashing toward him, instantly frightening him to the point that his soul was nearly scattered. He quickly twisted his body to dodge, narrowly avoiding a direct hit but suffering a glancing blow to his side, which caused him to spit out blood.
Zhang Yan transformed into a gust of Clear Wind, charging forward with intense momentum. Surrounding him was a storm-like force, raging and tumultuous like ten thousand horses galloping.
After a few exchanges, Shi Yangzi realized Zhang Yan was a Power Dao Practitioner. He dared not allow Zhang Yan to close in further. Summoning all his Mana, he manifested his Xuan Guang above him and shook his body. Points of the Xuan Guang scattered downward like hail toward Zhang Yan.
Wielding both hammers, Zhang Yan swung them furiously, dispersing the incoming Xuan Guang as water splashes against jagged rocks. Within steps, he reached Shi Yangzi and struck at his face with his hammer. The Xuan Guang shielding him shattered like paper, failing to block Zhang Yan’s assault, which continued unabated until landing squarely on Shi Yangzi’s shoulder.
"Crack!" The sound of bone fracturing rang out, and Shi Yangzi let out a painful howl, his posture collapsing downward.
Relishing the battle, Zhang Yan swung the other golden hammer horizontally like a sweeping force. Shi Yangzi was overwhelmed with terror, urgently using the Three Qi Earth Covering Umbrella to block the strike. Yet the umbrella crumbled like rotting wood under the blow. The hammer then descended onto his abdomen, causing him to spurt blood uncontrollably. His Xuan Guang dispersed, and he could no longer stand, falling backward.
Zhang Yan stretched out his hand, grabbing Shi Yangzi by the collar and lifting him up. His hammer once again rose high into the air.
Seeing death looming, Shi Yangzi coughed up blood and spoke with resentment, "Wait—wait! Your Excellency, who are you? Could you reveal your name?"
Zhang Yan glanced at him, laughing loudly. "Remember this well! I am Li Yuanba!"
With a thunderous roar, his hammer fell, smashing Shi Yangzi’s skull, killing him on the spot.
Simultaneously, as Shi Yangzi met his end, thousands of miles away, in a dilapidated Daoist Temple hidden deep within the mountains, a statue—neither entirely demonic nor divine—suddenly opened its eyes. The brilliance from its gaze illuminated the entire temple, and flakes of dust fell from its sculpted eyelids.
The statue muttered, "Li Yuanba, is it? Interesting... You’ve destroyed one of this seat’s avatars. Well, if it’s gone, so be it. It’s merely a matter of creating another one..."
The statue murmured for a moment before returning to silence. The radiance filling the Daoist Temple gradually dimmed until it faded away entirely.
...(To be continued. If you work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)