The young warrior instantly understood what the elder was attempting to do. Without wasting even a single breath, he began forming rapid hand signs. Streams of ki flowed through his fingers like blazing currents, causing the air around him to tremble violently as the sky itself started to react to his will.

  Dark clouds gathered above the battlefield in massive spirals, swallowing the faint starlight as thunder rolled across the valley like the roar of ancient beasts. Flashes of lightning illuminated the sky in violent bursts that painted the clouds in a faint crimson hue against the deep night.

  Within those turbulent clouds, a grand formation slowly began to manifest. Its intricate patterns glowed with condensed ki as countless sword-shaped runes appeared one after another, floating like silent harbingers of destruction.

  At the same time, the elder completed his own hand signs. A terrifying formation materialised above his head, directed straight toward the young warrior with killing intent.

  The young warrior’s eyes burned with fury as he spoke, his voice echoing across the battlefield.

  “You used such a filthy method to activate your technique, sacrificing your own comrades without hesitation. You truly deserve death.”

  The elder burst into harsh laughter, his aura swelling with dark power.

  “You brat,” he mocked coldly, “you won’t survive even a minute against this attack, no matter which technique you use to protect yourself. A dying child like you dares to lecture me? What a nuisance.”

  The young warrior’s gaze sharpened as he raised his hand toward the sky.

  “Heavenly Sword Rain!” he shouted.

  At the same moment, the elder roared with savage intent, “Cutting Through Leaf!”

  Their hands moved simultaneously, and the battlefield exploded into motion. Thousands of condensed ki swords formed within the crimson clouds before raining down like a storm toward the elder. Meanwhile, countless razor-sharp leaf-shaped blades surged upward from the elder’s formation and rushed toward the young warrior with terrifying speed.

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  When the two attacks collided midair, deafening explosions echoed across the valley as sword met blade. Each impact sent waves of shattered ki dispersing into the night like fragments of dying stars.

  However, the young warrior’s technique carried greater momentum. His swords moved twice as fast and in overwhelming numbers, gradually overpowering the elder’s formation as the barrage intensified relentlessly.

  After nearly a minute of continuous clashes, cracks began appearing within the elder’s formation as it struggled to maintain its structure under the relentless rain of swords. Realising the inevitable breach, the elder quickly summoned a powerful ki shield around himself just as the young warrior’s blades broke through the formation and descended toward him like falling meteors.

  The swords struck his barrier repeatedly, but due to the elder’s superior cultivation, the shield held firm, resisting the destructive storm despite the relentless assault.

  Gradually, the sky began to calm as both formations exhausted their power. The rain of swords faded until only scattered sparks of dissipating ki remained floating in the air. The thunderous clouds slowly dispersed, leaving the battlefield eerily silent except for the heavy breathing of the two warriors.

  The young warrior hovered in the air, his body trembling slightly from exhaustion. The technique had drained nearly all of his remaining ki reserves. Already wounded from earlier clashes, he felt his strength slipping away—yet he believed that the overwhelming assault must have killed the elder. Still cautious, he lowered his gaze toward the battlefield below to confirm.

  The dust cleared within seconds as a strong gust of wind swept through the valley.

  But the elder was nowhere to be seen.

  Not even a corpse remained.

  A sudden chill crawled down the young warrior’s spine as his instincts screamed in warning. He turned around instantly—

  Too late.

  The elder appeared behind him like a phantom, his sword already carving through the air in a deadly arc that sliced across the young warrior’s back.

  “Ahhh!” the young warrior screamed as searing pain exploded through his body. Blood sprayed into the night as his control over his flight faltered and he began to fall helplessly toward the ground below.

  Before he could stabilise himself, the elder reappeared beside his falling form and delivered a brutal punch straight to his face. The impact sent shockwaves through the air as the young warrior was hurled violently across the battlefield like a broken arrow.

  His body crashed near the edge of the valley, skidding across the rough terrain as blood stained the ground beneath him.

  The elder descended slowly after him, his expression twisted with fury and murderous intent as he approached step by step.

  “That damn brat,” he muttered coldly, wiping the blood from his mouth. “He actually forced me this far… but today, no matter what happens, I will kill him.”