Chapter 362: Unbounded Banner

Thousands of sword-like projectiles, trailing luminous green phantoms, descended like a myriad of lightning bolts striking a single point. They bathed the entire area in a dazzling green light, creating an astonishing spectacle. Beneath the brilliant radiance, the masked figure appeared as tiny as an ant, yet, seemingly overestimating his own strength, he raised his hands towards the sky in a seemingly ridiculous gesture.

Most people were amazed by the formidable power of this high-grade magic treasure, and spectators were likewise bathed in the green glow.

Some stared at the masked figure, eyes wide with surprise. "Not running? Is he truly going to take it head-on?" they wondered.

Xu Anchun and You Mu wore troubled expressions. Their complete lack of reaction indicated they had given up on intervening. Both knew well that even if they wanted to act now, it would be too late.

Of course, those who had noticed the masked figure smashing a gourd were filled with anticipation, curious to see what kind of last stand he would make—Li Hongjiu, for example.

The torrential sword rain, with its immense momentum, caused even distant spectators to feel the vibrating ripples in the air. The swirling gales around them gave way. Though the thousands of green lights arrived with slight variations in timing, they reached their target in an instant, their power seemingly capable of slaying gods and demons.

Gu Lianni pursed her lips, her gaze slightly wavering. Honestly, she found it hard to watch; she felt a distinct reluctance.

At this point, Shi Chun, in his stance of holding up the sky with both hands, showed no panic at all. Instead, he was exceptionally calm. This was a normal reaction after repeatedly facing life and death in the Land of Exile. He knew that even the slightest oversight now would negate the meaning of his struggle to this point, and the graceful figure who smiled casually in his mind would never be seen again. Therefore, he calmly and intently watched the crushing onslaught approaching.

Suddenly, his arms, still raised as if holding up the sky, executed another sharp, decisive flick. The movement was swift and resolute.

Only he could see the immobilizing substance, which he had spread out in an arc through his spellcasting, now being pushed into the air by him.

This move was also born of experience. The last time he contended with the Black Tiger magic treasure, he was severely injured by the residual force of the attack. This time, there was no need to take it head-on again, especially since he no longer had to worry about Wu Jinliang's safety and thus hold nothing back.

While swinging his arm to unleash the immobilizing substance, he simultaneously brought down his other palm, conjuring another gourd out of thin air. He pressed its opening to the ground, and with a 'bang,' it exploded on the surface. With his other palm, he scooped up the ground from a distance, then his hands naturally formed an empty embrace, lifting upwards. His movements were as smooth and fluid as flowing clouds and water.

The sword-rain attack truly looked terrifying. The main reason was that the sword-like projectiles attacked with slight variations in timing, and he feared that the immobilizing substance from one gourd wouldn't be enough to hold them all. Should anything go wrong, he wouldn't hesitate to add another gourd. At this moment, survival was paramount. No matter how precious the contents of the gourds were, he had to frantically unleash and use them, paying no mind to whether his methods would be discerned.

Almost simultaneously, a dense, humming, vibrating roar from above crashed down as if it were a physical entity. This was the first time he had so clearly felt sound as a tangible sensation on his skin. However, as he gazed up, his taut nerves finally relaxed a little. He sighed with relief, "Good, good. Despite seemingly so many flying swords, it's still just the power of a fifth-grade magic treasure after all." He had genuinely been worried that the attack power of this treasure exceeded the scope of a fifth-grade magic treasure.

The sword rain, falling like a downpour, stopped.

In the eyes of the bystanders, the sword rain showed signs of slowing down about five *zhang* above the masked figure's head. This even caused the subsequent sword rain to unexpectedly collide with the buffering sword rain ahead of it, creating a cacophony of clanking and clanging, while also embedding themselves densely together. The slowed momentum of the sword rain pressed down about one *zhang* onto the masked figure before completely hovering in the air, a perfectly motionless suspension. The sword rain colliding from behind was actually unable to shake the earlier, fixed projectiles.

All eyes immediately turned to Yin Tianlu in the center, whose expression had already drastically changed. Not only was the later sword rain unable to shake the fixed projectiles, but Yin Tianlu, as the controller, realized something was wrong and tried to withdraw the trapped sword rain. However, he found it was firmly held by some powerful force. His face flushed red, but the trapped sword rain remained completely immobile.

He suddenly felt a bit of panic. This was a crucial treasure granted by the Extreme Fire Sect for their mission, second only to the Black Tiger artifact; how could it be lost so easily? The subsequent sword rain that wasn't trapped dared not continue to feed into the "tiger's mouth" and immediately veered upwards amidst clanging and clinking sounds.

Thus, everyone witnessed a spectacular sight.

Above the masked figure, who was holding up his hands, a bowl-shaped, glowing green shield had formed three to four *zhang* high. It looked remarkably beautiful against the night sky. Everyone knew this was no ordinary light shield; it was clearly formed by chaotic, interlocking swords. The problem was that such a powerful assault was being held up by the masked figure's empty hands.

Gu Lianni stood there dumbfounded. The entire group from Summer Dao Mountain, led by her, was stunned. They felt this guy was impossibly strong. Could he really withstand a fifth-grade magic treasure head-on with bare hands? They truly began to doubt, "Is that really Shi Chun?"

Xu Anchun and You Mu were also somewhat stunned. If it truly was Shi Chun, they now understood why the higher-ups sent him here; he was unexpectedly powerful.

The subsequent sword rain, which had fallen and then veered back upwards, was even more striking. It was like water splashing from a waterfall, but instead of falling, it was spraying upwards, rising and weaving in all directions. Overall, it gave the impression of a chaotic scramble back to where it came from.

Shi Chun wasn't clairvoyant; he hadn't anticipated this outcome. He never expected his opponent to immediately withdraw upon realizing their attack was ineffective. "Shouldn't they have tried attacking from below and around if the overhead attack failed? If it were me, I would certainly have done so." He had even worried about not being able to immobilize all the other sword rain simultaneously, and had prepared by smashing another gourd as an emergency measure. "Was this all there was to it?"

Although his opponent hadn't attacked from below yet, Shi Chun had to be on guard. He glanced at the cracked ground beneath his feet, worried about unforeseen dangers, and quickly gathered the floating immobilizing substance into a ball, holding it with one palm. Then he swiftly darted out from under the inverted green sword-rain shield. He then leaped into the air, floating down onto the green shield, landing on the hilt of a fixed sword, his cold gaze sweeping around. With the immobilized sword rain beneath his feet acting as a barrier, he wasn't worried about further surprise attacks from below.

Li Hongjiu smiled faintly, "If you can't get it back, your treasure will be useless. This person's cultivation won't be higher than Wu Shanshan's. The two gourds he smashed must have a special purpose. I don't believe he carries an endless supply of gourds." These words were meant for Yin Tianlu.

Zuo Zisheng, understanding the implication, quickly added, "If you stop halfway through an attack, will they just pretend you never attacked?"

Yin Tianlu knew what these two meant: they were instigating him to test the waters again. Although he knew they didn't have good intentions, what they said indeed made sense. The remaining sword rain swirling around the large umbrella immediately resumed its offensive.

Shi Chun had already pulled out a Wind Scale with his other hand. He figured that his previous move had momentarily stunned the group, and seeing no reaction, he had already planned to seize the opportunity to escape. Unexpectedly, complications arose again. Looking up, he immediately knew he was in trouble.

It wasn't that he feared the sword rain's attack; he had already dealt with it once and understood the magic treasure's limits. Over two-thirds of the sword rain had been immobilized; with less than one-third remaining, he feared it even less. What he feared was a coordinated assault launched by the various factions. Although that might not necessarily happen, he absolutely wouldn't gamble on that possibility now. Previously, he hadn't had the time to call for aid, but now he did, and he certainly wouldn't shoulder the burden alone. He immediately cast a spell and shouted, "How much longer are you two going to just watch?"

These words stunned many. Gu Lianni, Yuan Yao, and Pang Hou even started introspecting, "Is he talking about us?" But he specifically mentioned two people.

Xu Anchun and You Mu also recognized it as Shi Chun's voice this time. They also understood that Shi Chun was calling them out. Being called out in public, both knew that evasion was no longer an option. Otherwise, that shout would be a damning indictment, and even if Shi Chun escaped unscathed through his own abilities, the higher-ups would not let them off the hook.

The two exchanged glances, then suddenly leaped forward together. Shi Chun's powerful counterattack also gave them considerable confidence to intervene.

The Sky-Forging Sect's guards were caught completely off guard. Someone immediately yelled, "Stop!" Several Sky-Forging Sect disciples also leaped up to apprehend them, as they certainly couldn't allow the two to escape without permission. What caught them off guard was that the six golden wheels, which had been gently swirling around You Mu, suddenly unleashed their full killing intent. They burst into a dazzling, rapidly swirling motion, expanding their range as they violently spun out from around You Mu.

"Ah..." In an instant, several screams erupted as a few individuals were utterly torn apart in mid-air, reduced to bloody mist, with no power to even parry. The attack power of those six golden wheels was simply not something people of the mere High Martial realm could withstand. Not to mention the High Martial realm, they could even slaughter those in the Human Immortal realm like dogs. An emergency magic treasure granted by the Demonic Path lineage could hardly be simple.

Zuo Zisheng also happened to turn his head to look in this direction, as he too suspected if the two people the masked man called out were indeed those two. To his surprise, he witnessed this scene and was instantly enraged. He immediately released the magic treasure 'Sudden Slash,' which he had been holding. As this treasure spun out, it appeared to be a dark purple disk. In reality, it was a circular blade with three cutouts, resembling three halberds joined back-to-back, with a central circular hole for gripping. No sooner had it been thrown than the treasure suddenly expanded to the size of a house. It bore down on You Mu and Xu Anchun, who were escaping under the protection of the six golden wheels, its momentum even more astonishing.

You Mu, however, was not afraid. He swiftly propelled the six golden wheels, intending to directly confront the treasure. But to his great surprise, just as impact seemed imminent, 'Sudden Slash' flickered like a phantom, abruptly shrinking to the size of a bowl or dish. It effortlessly evaded the rapidly spinning six golden moon wheels, which struck empty air. Even more terrifying, after 'Sudden Slash' flashed, shrank, and bypassed their defense, it instantly grew back into a circular wheel about a *zhang* in diameter, bearing down on the two. Given You Mu and Xu Anchun's cultivation levels, how could they possibly withstand the cleaving power of such a high-grade magic treasure?

This was also the reason why the two had hesitated to act rashly against the various factions. They were all artifact-forging sects; who knew what magic treasures each sect had brought? Fortunately, the Demonic Path lineage hadn't sent people there just for fun; they had provided strong support.

The moment You Mu faltered, Xu Anchun, who was by his side, immediately waved his staff, shaking the black banner. The black banner also expanded in the wind, its cloth rippling with black mist, moving to confront the incoming giant wheel. The two treasures collided, but there was no earth-shattering commotion, not even a small one. Only a ripple spread across the black banner. The huge circular disk that collided with the black banner seemed to have plunged into water; after sinking into the banner, it vanished without a trace. Such a powerful magic treasure had actually disappeared into a piece of cloth.

In that instant, Zuo Zisheng discovered he had lost all connection with his magic treasure 'Sudden Slash.' Such an important treasure, simply gone, vanished. "How is this possible?" His eyes widened in disbelief. Yet, being a disciple of a major sect, his knowledge was not lacking. He suddenly remembered something. Staring at the two figures flashing past overhead, he blurted out, "The Sky-Veiling Isle's 'Boundaryless Banner'!"