Chapter 867: Clash of Archrivals

Deep within the Wan Dao Mountain Range, inside a hidden cave dwelling.

Yan Buji sat cross-legged at the center of the blood pool, the Dao patterns on his bronze arm flickering bright and dim, the Swallow Desire Pot hovering before him, the cracks on its body completely healed.

Suddenly, he flung his eyes open, a hint of surprise flashing in his gaze.

"Someone is calculating my position?"

He pinched his fingers to calculate, his face instantly darkening: "Ye Zhilong?!"

The memory of that battle from years past surfaced; he still remembered the terror of that black spear nearly piercing his chest.

"Heh… he came too?" Yan Buji gave a cold chuckle, yet a hint of gravity flickered in the depths of his eyes.

Ye Zhilong's martial dao cultivation was tougher than he imagined. What surprised him even more was that the opponent had also mastered the Qi Tian Wu Secret?!

No, this is too much of a coincidence.

"Back then, the Great Sinful Sect gave me the Qi Tian Wu Secret to find Hong Chengtao… Could it be that the Qi Tian Wu Secret actually comes from the Fu Hai Gate?" A hint of gloom crossed Yan Buji's eyes.

Has that Ye Zhilong seen Hong Yuan or Hong Chengtao?

Forget it!

Either way, Ye Zhilong has probably been to the Youming Realm, and maybe that old beast and several martial dao powerhouses have taken note of him.

He slowly rose, gripping his bronze arm tight; the formation inside the cave instantly activated, countless blood lines spreading across the floor and finally converging into a massive Blood Sacrifice Grand Formation!

"Since you insist on coming…"

"Then let's see who dies first!"

Three days later, deep within the Wan Dao Mountain Range.

Ye Zhilong strode through the void; wherever his spear pointed, mountains split and gales raged. Yang Qing and Yang Lan followed closely, their spiritual power surging, ready to strike at any moment.

"Yan Buji, get out here!" Ye Zhilong bellowed coldly, his voice shaking the nine heavens.

"Boom!"

In response came a blood-red blade light shooting up from the earth, cleaving the heavens! Ye Zhilong swept his spear sideways, spear-light like a dragon, colliding with the blade light and erupting in an earth-shaking roar!

The smoke and dust cleared, and a figure slowly emerged.

Yan Buji stood upon the blood pool, his bronze arm glowing coldly, the Swallow Desire Pot hovering at his side, its mouth exhaling scarlet mist.

"Ye Zhilong, long time no see, you've made quite some progress." Yan Buji smirked.

Ye Zhilong's eyes glinted icy: "I let you escape back then; today I will surely take your life!"

Yan Buji snorted: "Just you?"

Before his words faded, he suddenly raised his hand; the Swallow Desire Pot expanded rapidly, its mouth like a black hole devouring the surrounding spiritual energy, a terrifying suction erupting that even twisted space!

Ye Zhilong gave a cold snort, shook his spear, his martial dao true intent exploding; he stubbornly resisted the suction, stepped forward, spear thrusting like a dragon straight at Yan Buji's throat!

"Boom!"

The clash of the two powerhouses instantly tore apart a radius of a thousand zhang of mountains!

Yang Qing and Yang Lan exchanged a glance, then struck simultaneously; sword qi crisscrossed, heading straight for Yan Buji's back!

"Heh… bullying the few with the many?" Yan Buji gave a vicious grin, slammed his bronze arm into the ground: "Open!"

"Rumble—"

The entire mountain range trembled violently; deep underground, an ancient blood-colored altar slowly rose, countless vengeful spirits wailing, transforming into towering blood waves that surged in all directions!

Ye Zhilong's pupils contracted: "A Blood Dao Grand Formation?!"

Yan Buji laughed maniacally: "Today, nobody thinks they'll get out alive!"

The blood waves surged skyward; upon the altar, Yan Buji's magical energy rose wildly, actually faintly touching the Spirit Transformation realm!

This Blood Dao Grand Formation was, back when he was in the Great Sinful Sect, a topic taught by Sect Master He Yun when instructing Yan Buji in the way of formations, to teach him how to set it up.

Although Yan Buji didn't learn it back then, after all these years, figuring it out naturally made him understand how to arrange this grand formation.

After all, Blood Dao is an extremely dangerous grand path; gaining its power is relatively easy, yet one may also suffer a terrible backlash. Even though Yan Buji's formation can at most reach Fivefold Transformation, the terror of Blood Dao's might makes his boost in combat power very obvious!

Ye Zhilong held his spear horizontally, battle intent boiling in his eyes, he lowly roared: "Yang Qing, Yang Lan, step back! This fight is mine!"

Yang Qing gritted his teeth: "Senior Brother Ye, he's turned demon; we can't clash head-on!"

Ye Zhilong, however, laughed loudly: "On the martial dao path, what is there to fear in a battle?!"

Before his words faded, his qi and blood burned; he directly unleashed a forbidden technique, forcibly raising his cultivation to Early Void Refinement!

"Great Alteration of Heaven!"

He thrust his spear; the spear-light transformed into a myriad-zhang giant dragon, roaring as it charged at Yan Buji!

Yan Buji gave a vicious grin, his Immortal Essence surging; he threw a punch, blood light like a tide, colliding with the spear-light!

"Boom!!!"

Heaven and earth lost color, the mountains collapsed!

Dark clouds pressed down, wild winds howled.

Yan Buji stood in midair, his body surrounded by two utterly different forces.

On his left side flowed thick martial dao Immortal Essence like mercury; on his right surged turbulent magical undulations. He gripped a black fissure scepter, its shaft's fine cracks occasionally bursting with dangerous spatial undulations.

"Ye Zhilong, Yang Qing, Yang Lan..." Yan Buji whispered softly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, "Since you insist on seeking death, don't blame me for being ruthless."

In the distance, three streaks of light tore through the sky. Leading was Ye Zhilong, wielding a black spear whose tip was coiled with draconic killing aura; each step he took left golden ripples in the void. Yang Qing and Yang Lan followed close behind, their sword light pure and clear, their robes fluttering.

"Yan Buji!" Ye Zhilong exploded in a shout that shook the nine heavens, "Today is your day of death!"

Yan Buji curled the corner of his mouth into a cold smile, lightly waved his scepter: "Boastful words."

In an instant, dozens of black spatial rifts split open like poisonous snakes around the three, countless fine as cowhair spatial stingers shooting out.

Yang Qing reacted fastest, jade hand forming a seal; a azure sword curtain instantly unfurled, blocking most of the stingers. Yet a few broke through, leaving several blood marks on Ye Zhilong's arm.

"Cosmic Dao Principle?" Ye Zhilong's brows furrowed slightly, then he sneered, "Trivial tricks!"

He shook his spear; the spear-light turned into a golden dragon, roaring as it rushed at Yan Buji.

At the moment the spear's light was about to reach his body, Yan Buji's figure suddenly became illusory, and he directly slipped into a spatial rift.

"Watch your back!" Yang Lan suddenly exclaimed.

Ye Zhilong turned around sharply, only to see Yan Buji already flashing out from another rift, his right fist wrapped in terrifying annihilative power crashing toward him.

"True Flow Fist·Chaos Break!"

Ten streams of chaos qi surged from different directions simultaneously; Ye Zhilong hastily blocked with a horizontal spear, yet was still blown back a hundred zhang, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"The fusion of Martial Dao and Cosmic Dao laws..." Ye Zhilong wiped away the blood, his fighting spirit intensifying, "Interesting."

Yan Buji gave him no chance to catch his breath; with a flip of his left hand, a blood-pattern coiled Sea Kun Hammer appeared out of thin air. His entire body surged with blood and qi, his Martial Dao realm instantly rising to mid Transformation Spirit.

"Blood Heaven Ascension Degree!"

The huge hammer smashed down, space shattering inch by inch!

Ye Zhilong did not dare to be negligent; his spear moved like a dragon as he unleashed the "Great Phase Revolution Heaven Technique," the spear's light transforming into a ten-thousand-zhang golden dragon to meet the attack.

"Great Phase Revolution Heaven Technique? I know it too!" Yan Buji narrowed his eyes, roared, and unleashed the Great Phase Revolution Heaven Technique again, amplifying his combat power even further!

"Boom!"

The two terrifying forces collided, the shockwave flattening all mountains within a ten-li radius. Yang Qing and Yang Lan had no choice but to unleash their body-protecting treasures, barely managing to steady themselves.

Both men's eyes were filled with shock; they never imagined Yan Buji could be this ferocious!

Amid the smoke and dust, Yan Buji suddenly raised his scepter, chanting: "Twelve Zodiac!"

In the void, an illusory river appeared, twelve zodiac phantoms leaping out, forming a battle array that bolstered him. His aura surged again, while the weather within a hundred-li radius suddenly changed—dark clouds gathered, thunder roiling.

"Four Seasons Scene!"