"A peerless Saint Artifact, huh..." As he looked at the silver longsword in Long Nixian's hand, Xiao Yan couldn't help clicking his tongue. Although his own Ancestral Stone had already evolved into a Saint Artifact, it was merely at the low grade. Compared to that, the weapon in Long Nixian's hand clearly surpassed even high-grade Saint Artifacts—it was a peerless Saint Artifact. No wonder it could so easily shatter the Battle Will Spirit's attack.
An artifact of that level provided massive boosts to experts of such cultivation. Even Earth or Heavenly Sovereigns would be tempted by such power, a clear testament to how terrifying it was. With Long Nixian's current strength at half-step Heavenly Sovereign and a peerless Saint Artifact in hand, he could truly contend with a real Heavenly Sovereign. The Battle Will Spirit formed by the Dragonbone Guards would no longer be able to suppress him as easily as before.
So no matter what, Xiao Yan had to find a way to eliminate that silver sword or at least temporarily render it useless. Otherwise, he couldn't guarantee that even the Battle Will Spirit would be enough to kill Long Nixian. Fortunately, he had made full preparations before this confrontation—including a contingency for Long Nixian possessing a powerful Saint Artifact.
"Time Ancestral Symbol—Stasis." Xiao Yan's hand seal subtly shifted, and a strange ripple expanded outward, instantly freezing Long Nixian mid-motion just as he was about to launch an attack.
This was one of the trump cards Xiao Yan had kept hidden ever since ascending to the Great Thousand World—an Ancestral Symbol he had condensed himself. Of course, the Time Ancestral Symbol's effects here couldn't rival those back on the Dou Qi Continent where it could freeze entire regions. Its consumption was also immense.
Under normal circumstances, Xiao Yan's Time Ancestral Symbol would have had no effect on a Heavenly Sovereign. It only worked now because Long Nixian had just broken free from his seal and was in a weakened state. Plus, Xiao Yan's soul strength had reached a level comparable to a peak Earth Sovereign. Even so, the stasis effect lasted only for a single instant—but that moment was all he needed.
With a swift wave of his hand, the silver longsword vanished from Long Nixian's grasp. During that frozen instant, it had fallen out of Long Nixian's control, and Xiao Yan used the power of the Space Ancestral Symbol to remotely retrieve it into the Heavenly Tomb.
However, this maneuver left Xiao Yan visibly pale. The cost of stopping such a powerhouse, even for a breath, had clearly taken a heavy toll on his soul. If the cost had been spiritual energy instead, he would've already collapsed from exhaustion.
"Damn it!" Long Nixian snapped out of the freeze, cursing furiously. He never imagined Xiao Yan could forcibly strip him of his weapon. In the next moment, countless Battle Will bone spikes fired out again, converging mid-air into a massive bone saber that cleaved violently toward Long Nixian.
"Bone Dragon Severing Blade!"
The saber's cutting power was terrifying. Even Long Nixian didn't dare take it head-on and quickly dodged. But under Xiao Yan's precise control, the blade seemed to have a will of its own, relentlessly pursuing him.
"Don't think I'm afraid of you!" Long Nixian roared, unleashing a surge of spiritual energy that condensed into a massive spiritual dragon, just as enormous as the Battle Will Spirit itself. It charged forward, roaring as it clashed with the Dragonbone Guard formation.
"Dragon Chant Subdues Demon Art!"
"So he really did obtain the Dragon Chant Subdues Demon Art..." Xiao Yan's expression shifted slightly. He had once heard the name from Long Fan's memories—it was said to be one of the Dragon God's ultimate arts, possessing power surpassing even most divine abilities and comparable to the legendary Thirty-Six Peerless Divine Abilities.
Though Xiao Yan had never seen those divine abilities himself, the aura from the spiritual dragon alone made it clear that this technique far surpassed the Sacrificial Demon Fist he had once acquired. And that technique alone could force a half-step Heavenly Sovereign to perish alongside a true Heavenly Sovereign. For a technique stronger than that, killing across realms wasn't out of the question.
If this technique were allowed to fully unfold, it might actually destroy the Battle Will Spirit he had summoned. Xiao Yan couldn't let that happen. He had already gone all-in offending Long Nixian, and now the only option left was to eliminate him completely—no loose ends.
The Battle Will Spirit formed by the Dragonbone Guards was his final trump card. If it too was destroyed, there would be no way left to defeat Long Nixian. So no matter what, he had to block this technique.
Drawing a deep breath, Xiao Yan made a daring move—he released the silver longsword he had just sealed away in the Heavenly Tomb.
"You're seriously going to use my own weapon against me? Are you an idiot?" Long Nixian's eyes lit up with glee. He had been worrying about retrieving the blade, but now Xiao Yan was practically handing it back. Didn't the fool realize that the weapon was already refined and bound to Long Nixian? The moment it appeared, he could reclaim it effortlessly.
"Explode!" But just as the silver longsword flew in Long Nixian's direction, Xiao Yan suddenly formed a hand seal and let out a low shout.
Boom!
The peerless Saint Artifact erupted in a brilliant explosion of spiritual light. Xiao Yan had no means of fully refining such a weapon in such a short time. Even if he could wield it temporarily, he wouldn't have been able to match Long Nixian in a direct clash of power. So instead, he chose the most decisive path—detonate it.
The terrifying storm of spiritual energy instantly annihilated the spiritual dragon summoned by Long Nixian's divine art, reducing it to dust. The shockwave caught Long Nixian himself in its radius, blasting him into the sky, where he vomited blood and plummeted like a meteor.
Seeing the opening, the skeletal dragon formed from Battle Will dove from the heavens, its maw open wide as it lunged to devour Long Nixian.
The support a peerless Saint Artifact could provide to a Heavenly Sovereign rivaled even the power of the Thirty-Six Peerless Divine Abilities—perhaps even exceeding them. And when such an artifact self-destructed, the resulting devastation could reach far beyond its normal might.
Artifacts of that level were so rare that even most Heavenly Sovereigns didn't own one. And those lucky enough to obtain such treasures would guard them with their lives, never allowing them to be destroyed. Long Nixian, however, had the misfortune of becoming one of the rare few to personally experience what it was like to face the detonation of a peerless Saint Artifact—his own peerless Saint Artifact, no less.
It was enough to make anyone cough blood in frustration.
(End of Chapter)
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