Chapter 3496: A Grim and Fierce Battle

This time they didn't break the stone Kuailei's thigh outright, but they shattered many stone fragments, leaving a large chunk missing from the Kuailei's thigh.

At the same time, the others drew various treasures to focus their attacks on the three stone Kuailei.

Although the others' treasure grades weren't as high as those two earlier, they were at least seventh‑ or eighth‑grade items, so the three stone Kuailei were battered into flying stone shards, repeatedly stumbling backward.

Chen Yueying only now realized she had missed the optimal moment to shoot an arrow; the Martial Cultivator's great hammer in hand was clearly guarding against her bow.

If she were to fire now, it would probably be blocked by those opponents.

All this unfolded in an instant, and the situation turned very unfavorable for Ye Liuyun and his companions.

"You all retreat!"

Ye Liuyun shouted toward Liao Yaotian and the others, drew the Demon Slaying Sword and charged forward. The young man with strong Spatial Power suddenly appeared beside him and swung a staff in a sweeping strike.

"Ah!"

Chen Yueying let out a startled cry, but with the two of them so close, she dared not shoot an arrow for fear of harming Ye Liuyun.

Unexpectedly, Ye Liuyun neither dodged nor evaded, but directly released two Soul Sources, charging into the young man's Sea of Consciousness.

Ye Liuyun went all out; if he didn't eliminate that young man, none of them could escape.

But within the young man's Sea of Consciousness was a large bell‑shaped Defense Artifact that cloaked his Soul, making it impossible to attack his Soul.

Moreover, the big bell rang with a "Dong!" sound, shaking his two Soul Sources into a dizzy state. Had his Soul Sources not been strong, this would have scattered them outright.

Ye Liuyun immediately unleashed Nether Ghost Fire and deadly poison to destroy its Sea of Consciousness, then withdrew the Soul Sources. What remained was to let the Nether Ghost Fire and poison gradually erode his Sea of Consciousness. x.

Then, with a "Bang!" Ye Liuyun was struck and sent flying by the young man's staff. Fortunately, his Battle God armor absorbed most of the force.

Immediately after, the Seventh Layer Martial Cultivator also hurled the great hammer at Ye Liuyun. While Ye Liuyun was still airborne, the hammer struck his chest and slammed him sideways onto the ground.

With a "Bang!" the ground erupted in dust and was cracked with several fissures.

"All out!" Liao Yaotian shouted, surged to the front, blocking the young man wielding the staff, and swept him away with another staff strike.

But immediately after, Chen Mo swung his Yi Dao again. The young man, without dodging, struck with a staff; his armor blocked Chen Mo's Yi Dao, yet his staff smashed Chen Mo, splattering his brain matter, and with a "Bang!" he fell to the ground.

Qi Tianlin directly employed his ice‑blue bead, unleashing Ice Power at full strength, but his own power and the bead's grade were insufficient, so the young man shattered the ice with a staff strike that hit his shoulder.

"Crack!" the sound of bone breaking rang out, and Qi Tianlin was blown to the ground.

At this moment Chen Yueying finally released that arrow. It coincided with the Martial Cultivator's great hammer being disarmed and lacking a Defense Artifact.

But now she could no longer worry about the Martial Cultivator; she rushed toward Ye Liuyun, stood in front of him, and blocked the young man.

Seeing the young man about to swing his staff again, she immediately activated her time halo.

She had thought her time halo could freeze time, but there were too many others with stronger Divine Soul Power; her time halo flashed briefly but had no effect, and the man's staff still came at her.

She widened her eyes, unable to understand why the time halo failed, and her heart grew cold, feeling certain of death.

Suddenly, Ye Liuyun pulled her into the Space World. He also grasped the great hammer and rose from the ground. Though his mouth bled from the shock, he suffered no serious internal injuries.

Chen Yueying's arrow pierced the strongest Martial Cultivator's chest, killing him instantly. When the great hammer's control vanished, its power disappeared as well.

The great hammer bearing down on Ye Liuyun was extremely heavy, but its Thunder and Lightning Power had been largely absorbed by his thunder spirit. Once the force vanished, he immediately lifted the hammer and stood up.

But the young man was also in distress; the big bell in his Sea of Consciousness kept ringing, eventually shaking the Nether Ghost Fire's fire spirit out of his Sea of Consciousness, which fled back into Ye Liuyun's Sea of Consciousness.

However, his big bell offered no protection against poison. At this moment his Sea of Consciousness was being corroded and collapsing from toxins, and both the bell and his Soul were tainted with deadly poison. x.

So after smashing a few staff strikes, he became unsteady, even seeing double images of people.

So after he struck several blows with the stick, he was also swaying on the verge of falling, and even when looking at people, double vision had already appeared.

Chen Yueying's sudden disappearance also startled him, leading him to assume her Spatial Power was strong. Moreover, his condition was poor, leaving no time to think, and his backward staff sweep struck nothing.

Then he suddenly saw Ye Liuyun still holding the great hammer and standing up again. He hadn't expected that, despite looking disheveled, Ye Liuyun was essentially unharmed and could rise on his own.

At this moment he realized his Sea of Consciousness could no longer be defended, so he went all out, releasing his entire Soul, charging into Ye Liuyun's Sea of Consciousness, intent on a life‑or‑death clash with Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun ignored him, brushed the blood from the corner of his mouth, and rushed toward the other six Martial Cultivators. This time he employed Technique, instantly eliminating three Martial Cultivators.

He showed no reluctance to pierce their Defense Artifacts, using Technique to shatter them all.

The three stone Kuailei were now smashed into fragments by these people.

Three Martial Cultivators remained; seeing his Technique's power, they turned and fled. Ye Liuyun then activated Time Power, pursued each, and with a Yi Dao cleaved off their heads.

He then released the ninth‑grade Metal Puppet to guard the area and went to check Liao Yaotian and Qi Tianlin's injuries. x.

But Liao Yaotian could no longer hold on; his internal organs were shattered, blood spewed from his mouth, he could not speak, and after a glance at Ye Liuyun he died on the spot.

Ye Liuyun, wincing in pain, set him down and went to check Qi Tianlin. Qi Tianlin had completely collapsed, the upper half of his skeleton shattered, though his internal organs were not severely injured.

Ye Liuyun immediately gave him a few drops of Life Spring Water, retrieved him into the Space World, laid him on the ground, and let him gradually recover.

At this moment the young man's Soul in his Sea of Consciousness was about to be completely consumed by the Ten Thousand Gods Command, so Ye Liuyun immediately performed a Soul Search on him, discovering the man was Sun Youdao, a legitimate heir of the Artifact Refining Clan.

He had come along with an Artifact Refining Master to join the excitement and to bring back some ore. He hadn't expected to be caught in battle; believing his defensive and offensive treasures were strong, he stayed to watch, only to have his life end here.

His previously strong Spatial Power stemmed from the shoes he wore, which were also a treasure with exceptionally strong Spatial Power.