Breaking through the illusion of the mortal world

Chapter 124 Fleeting Beauty

Just as Li Jingyun's old strength had dissipated and new strength had not yet arisen, his aura became slightly disordered.

The Purple Glass Protector, who had been observing the situation quietly, finally made her move!

"A Hundred Generations of Time—A Tribulation in the Mortal World!"

Zi Li's cool voice carried a hint of ethereal allure. She completed the hand seals and pushed forward with a sudden thrust!

In an instant, an endless, bizarre illusion spread out from her center, instantly enveloping Li Jingyun!

This illusion is not simply a bewilderment of the five senses, but rather a direct arousal and amplification of the seven emotions and six desires, love, hate and obsession, deepest within the hearts of living beings!

Within this illusion, there are picturesque landscapes, beauties as lovely as jade, supreme power, boundless wealth, deep bonds between master and disciple, and camaraderie among fellow cultivators...

All sorts of temptations, all sorts of entanglements, all sorts of worldly tribulations that are hard to let go of, are like an invisible net of inner demons, entangling Li Jingyun's soul and dragging him into eternal damnation!

This is the terrifying killing move of the path of liberation from hatred, which strikes directly at the heart and is impossible to defend against!

No matter how powerful or boundless your supernatural abilities are, if there is even the slightest flaw in your Dao heart, it will be magnified infinitely during this calamity, ultimately leading to your utter destruction!

Li Jingyun, amidst this boundless illusion of the mortal world, momentarily lost in thought, had a fleeting moment of bewilderment in his eyes.

That magnificent scene, that profound affection, that unparalleled cultivation... all these are what people yearn for, and even with his Dao heart, he couldn't help but be moved.

However, just a moment later, his eyes regained their clarity, even carrying a hint of worldly-wise pity and detachment.

"All the myriad phenomena of the world are but dust in my heart. The arising and ceasing of causes and conditions, the beginning and end of eons, what do they have to do with me?"

He laughed loudly, and facing this intangible and formless mental tribulation, he raised the Dragon Roar Sword once again.

A transcendent, detached, and all-encompassing Daoist aura began to emanate from the sword.

"Severing Thoughts from the Void—Severing the Mortal World!"

The sword was swung out without any light or sound, as if it had simply struck empty air.

But wherever the sword intent passed, the boundless mortal illusion that enveloped him was as if it were cleaved in two by an invisible yet incredibly sharp blade of light!

All temptations, entanglements, loves and hates, all shattered like bubbles in the sunlight under this one strike, turning into sparkling points of light and disappearing!

"puff!"

The secret technique was forcibly broken, and the Purple Glass Protector suffered a severe backlash, with a trickle of blood spilling from beneath her veil.

She staggered backward, her gaze towards Li Jingyun filled with shock and a hint of bewilderment.

Her tribulations in the mortal world were actually broken by the other party in such a direct way of severing her thoughts!

The fierce battle raged inside the hall. Although Li Jingyun had defeated several powerful enemies, his spiritual energy was greatly depleted, and his aura was no longer as strong as it had been at the beginning.

Knowing that he could not linger here, he flashed his sword and prepared to break through the palace gates.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Just as he was about to move, a fierce shout filled with boundless rage and chilling killing intent rang out from behind him!

Qiu Xiaochi! He actually took a punch from Lie Xiushan head-on, freeing up his own energy to launch an attack on Li Jingyun!

His face was grim, and the murderous intent in his eyes was almost tangible.

Not only has Li Jingyun mastered the Daoist Academy's true techniques to such an extent, but he also moves about in the Li Tian Palace as if it were his own territory! This boy must not be allowed to live!

The Heavenly Demon Harp hovered in front of him. Qiu Xiaochi brought his right hand together, gathering all the hatred and evil energy and his own demonic essence at his fingertips, transforming it into a finger force that seemed capable of devouring light—the Annihilation Finger!

The wind left a faint black trace in the air, carrying a terrifying power capable of annihilating the soul, and pointed towards Li Jingyun's vital point in the back!

This single finger strike seized the perfect opportunity presented by Li Jingyun's momentary lapse in concentration after a series of battles, and the still-turbulent state of his Dao heart after overcoming the tribulation of the mortal world!

It was an attack that showed absolutely no respect for senior players!

"Senior Brother Li!" Chu Tianyi, Mo Yuan, and the others cried out in despair, but it was too late to come to their rescue.

Li Jingyun felt a chill run down his spine, a deadly sense of crisis enveloping his entire body!

He forcibly twisted his body, but it was too late for the Dragon Roar Sword to return to its parry. He could only unleash the remaining protective sword energy around his body to its maximum, while his left palm contained the essence of Tai Chi, attempting to deflect the force.

"Pfft!"

The Annihilation Finger Force, like a beam of death shot from the underworld, instantly pierced through the hastily formed protective sword energy and struck Li Jingyun's left scapula!

A cold, deathly stillness, carrying a powerful corrosive force and a deep-seated resentment, instantly invaded his body, frantically destroying his meridians, internal organs, and even eroding his soul!

"Hmph!" Li Jingyun groaned, his face turning deathly pale as he spat out a mouthful of scalding blood.

His breath weakened rapidly, and he swayed, almost falling from mid-air.

"Strike while the iron is hot and finish him off!" Upon seeing this, the Xuan Gu Guardian and You Hun Guardian's eyes blazed with ferocity. Suppressing their injuries, they pounced again!

The Xuan Gu Guardian's bone claws aimed straight for Li Jingyun's throat, while the Youhun Guardian activated its remaining soul power, transforming it into a condensed soul thorn that shot towards Li Jingyun's brow!

Li Tiansheng, wielding the demonic sword, transformed into a streak of sword light and thrust forward. Zi Li also suppressed the backlash and flew forward.

Everyone thought Li Jingyun was doomed!

However, at that very moment when he was critically injured and on the verge of death, Li Jingyun's eyes suddenly turned crazed, as if he was concentrating all his last strength into the next strike!

"Hahaha, well done!" Li Jingyun laughed wildly, as if he hadn't been the one who was seriously injured just now.

Using the force of Qiu Xiaochi's finger, he flew backward, narrowly avoiding the fatal combined attack of Xuan Gu and You Hun, while simultaneously sending Li Tiansheng flying with a single sword strike.

He broke through the gates of the Litian Palace and arrived at the vast Litian Cliff outside the palace!

The wind and rain lashed at him, and below lay a horrific battlefield. Li Jingyun staggered to the ground, using his sword for support to barely regain his balance.

Xuan Gu and You Hun followed closely, flanking him from the left and right, their killing intent chilling.

"Li Jingyun, behead him!" Xuan Gu Protector grinned maliciously, raising his dark gold bone claws once more, condensing Xuanming evil energy, and Zi Li flew forward with her jade flute in hand.

Li Jingyun suddenly raised his head, a carefree smile curving his blood-stained lips.

The Dragon Roar Sword in his hand emitted an unprecedented dragon roar. The dark blue light on the sword body intertwined with bloodstains, and an ultimate sword intent soared into the sky!

"A fleeting moment of beauty!"

He roared hoarsely, as if he had unleashed the most brilliant and decisive sword strike of his life!

The sword light was dazzling, and faster than thought could perceive! Like the aurora borealis suddenly illuminating the darkness! Beautiful enough to break your heart, and fleeting enough to make you sigh!

Within the sword intent lies a deep longing for life, a steadfast commitment to the Dao, and an unyielding spirit that will never yield to a powerful foe!

This sword strike simultaneously enveloped both Xuan Gu You Hun and Zi Li!

Xuan Gu felt a flash of light before his eyes, and the extreme sharpness was already upon him! He roared and crossed his dark gold bone claws in front of him to protect himself, and his Xuanming evil energy was condensed to the extreme!

"Snap!"

A deep sword mark appeared on the dark gold bone, almost severing it!

Even more terrifying was that the burning sword intent invaded his body through the wound, frantically destroying his original demonic bones, causing him to scream and fly backward. His aura instantly weakened, and he collapsed to the ground severely injured!

The ghost was even more miserable. The condensed soul thorn evaporated instantly under the sword intent of Moment of Beauty. The sword light swept across his soul body. Although it did not immediately kill him, it was like pouring cold water into a pot of oil.

This caused his soul to become extremely unstable, as if it would collapse at any moment. It let out a painful wail and could no longer maintain its attack form. Its soul dimmed and fled into the distance, clearly having suffered severe damage.

The remaining force of the sword enveloped Zi Li, whose jade flute emitted waves of energy as it struggled to resist the sword's power. It seemed that after defeating two experts, the sword's power was no longer invincible.

At the same time, Li Jingyun moved like lightning, and while unleashing that stunning sword strike, he once again swung his sword at Zi Li.

As Zi Li parried, the aftershocks of the sword's force reverberated.

Li Jingyun did not unleash any more killing moves. Instead, he waved his left hand, brushed away Zi Li's veil, exchanged a glance with her, then laughed heartily and quietly disappeared into the distance.

Beneath the veil was a face of breathtaking beauty, flawless and perfect.

Her skin was like solidified cream, her eyebrows like distant mountains, and her eyes like autumn water. But at this moment, her beautiful eyes were filled with shock, confusion, and a hint of panic.

That poignant beauty added to her captivating charm.

Li Jingyun looked at that stunningly beautiful face. Despite his pale complexion, weak breath, and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, he still burst into laughter.

His laughter, filled with unrestrained joy and carefree spirit, echoed across the war-torn Litian Cliff:

"Hahaha...Good! What a fine Guardian Zili of the Li Tian Palace! No wonder she's a stunning beauty!"

Before his laughter subsided, his figure had already transformed into a staggering yet still swift sword light.

Taking advantage of the moment when the three guardians were seriously injured and Zi Li was distracted, Li Jingyun forcefully rushed towards the iconic cliff of Li Tian Cliff!

"Where do you think you're going!" Qiu Xiaochi was furious when he saw that Li Jingyun, despite being so badly injured, was still able to break through the encirclement and severely injure the four guardians. He was about to give chase again.

If this child continues to grow, he will surely become a major threat to the demonic path!

"Old Demon Qiu! Your opponents are us!" The figures of Elders Lie Xiushan, Shen Yuan, and Wang Yuan had already entangled him again, blocking him tightly.

Despite being surrounded by the four guardians and seriously injured by the deputy hall master's sneak attack, Li Jingyun managed to glimpse Zi Li's true appearance and then gracefully retreated!