Chapter 1597: The Power of the Roaming Dragon Sword Formation

"Oh no, human reinforcements have arrived! Retreat quickly!" the golden-robed woman exclaimed, her beautiful face contorting in alarm.

The human defensive line was too stretched, a clear weakness. If the demon forces pursued them deep into human territory, they risked being easily encircled.

"Reinforcements! Block them!" Daoist Ziyang exclaimed with delight. He quickly formed a hand seal, and the giant ape puppet beast he controlled unleashed a thick beam of silver light directly at the golden-robed woman.

The golden-robed woman remained unperturbed. With a swift slash of the golden short blade in her hand, a flash of golden light erupted, sending a barrage of golden energy blades flying towards the silver beam.

A deafening roar followed as the silver light and golden energy blades exploded simultaneously, unleashing a powerful shockwave.

"You may leave, but your lives stay behind," a cold male voice echoed from the sky. A streak of azure sword light then descended rapidly from the heavens.

As the azure sword light tore through the air, it created a piercing, ripping sound, as if the very fabric of space was being shredded by its passage.

Wang Qingshan stood atop the azure sword light, his expression unreadable.

As they had rushed to this location, they had witnessed countless fallen human cultivators and a vast number of displaced mortals. The demon race was clearly the sole perpetrator.

Tens of thousands of demon beasts roared in unison, unleashing a barrage of colorful magical attacks towards Wang Qingshan.

Wang Qingshan frowned slightly. With a flick of his wide sleeve, a vast expanse of hazy azure sword energy surged forward to meet the incoming attacks.

Boom! The magical attacks exploded in the sky, and the resulting powerful shockwave swept away hundreds of demon birds.

A deafening peal of thunder then reverberated through the high heavens, as a massive black thundercloud materialized without warning, crackling with lightning.

A flash of lightning was followed by a torrent of thick silver bolts, raining down on the demon beasts below.

After a tremendous roar of thunder, swathes of lower-tier demon beasts collapsed, their bodies charred. Third-tier demon beasts fared better, managing to maintain their footing, but soon, another vast expanse of silver lightning descended. The silver lightning appeared ceaseless.

Thousands of demon birds converged from all directions, launching a variety of spells at Wang Qingshan.

With a flash of golden light, two massive golden wheels shot forth, positioning themselves on either side of Wang Qingshan. The wheels spun rapidly, emitting a piercing, tearing sound as they absorbed the dense magical attacks, which vanished upon impact as if swallowed by the sea.

The void rippled, and a gigantic red hand, over ten zhang in size, materialized out of thin air. Like plucking a treasure from the depths, it seized several third-tier demon birds, crushing their bodies instantly into a rain of blood that splattered across the sky.

"It's the Azure Lotus Sword Venerable! Retreat, now!" the golden-robed woman shrieked, thoroughly startled by the sight of Wang Qingshan. During the last major battle, she had only been at the Core Formation stage and had personally witnessed his immense power. She never imagined encountering him again.

The three Nascent Soul stage demon cultivators, in their panic, scattered and fled in different directions.

"Trying to run? Are you faster than my flying swords?" Wang Qingshan sneered. With a swift sword seal, nine shimmering Azure Jade Swords shot forth, transforming into nine streaks of azure light that streaked directly towards the golden-robed woman.

The sword lights moved like lightning, their shadows like rainbows. The nine azure streaks circled, cutting off the golden-robed woman's escape, then darted straight for her.

The golden-robed woman brandished her golden short blade, unleashing another volley of golden energy blades towards them.

"Clang, clang, clang!" A muffled clash of metal resonated, sending sparks flying as all the golden energy blades shattered.

Wang Qingshan altered his sword seal, and the nine Azure Jade Swords instantly flared with dazzling azure light. Their humming grew louder as a vast expanse of azure sword energy surged forth, coalescing into a colossal azure tiger. It opened its gaping maw and lunged at the golden-robed woman.

The golden-robed woman's eyes blazed with golden light, each emitting a golden beam that shot towards the approaching tiger.

Boom! The azure tiger was pierced by the two golden beams, dissolving into motes of azure light that vanished.

A loud dragon roar echoed from behind, as an azure sword dragon, over thirty zhang in length, swooped in. Its massive tail lashed out towards the golden-robed woman.

The azure giant eagle beneath the golden-robed woman abruptly accelerated, narrowly evading the sword dragon.

At that very moment, ripples appeared in the void, and a small, exquisite purple orb materialized directly above the golden-robed woman's head. The orb spun in the air, glowing with countless mysterious purple runes.

A flash of purple light, and the orb emitted a stream of purple ethereal glow that enveloped the golden-robed woman.

The golden-robed woman felt her body instantly stiffen, unable to move.

Witnessing this, the other two Nascent Soul stage demon cultivators attempted to intervene and rescue her, but Daoist Ziyang and his allies swiftly moved to block them.

The azure sword dragon crashed into the golden-robed woman, producing a sharp "clank, clank" of metal on metal as sparks flew.

The golden-robed woman shrieked in agony, blood pouring from her back, as golden scales began to emerge on her skin.

With a flash of golden light, she abruptly transformed into her true form: a hundred-zhang-long golden python. Its entire body was covered in glittering golden scales, and its eyes glowed emerald green.

The golden-robed woman had reverted to her true form to withstand Wang Qingshan's relentless assault.

Wang Qingshan formed another sword seal, and the humming of swords intensified. Nine streaks of azure light shot forth from all directions.

The golden python opened its jaws and spewed a torrent of golden flames, while its eyes each shot a golden beam. The golden flying swords' speed abruptly decreased as a vast expanse of incredibly sharp azure sword energy swept forth, clashing with the golden light and golden flames.

A tremendous rumbling sound erupted as all the azure sword energy burst, unleashing a rolling wave of air.

A thick bolt of purple lightning then descended from the heavens, striking the golden python. The python let out a pained female shriek, its massive body writhing violently.

The nine azure sword lights then darted from all directions, swiftly sweeping over the golden python.

Golden scales tore away from the python's body, revealing bloody flesh beneath, as sparks flew.

The nine azure sword lights were incredibly fast, leaving only blurry afterimages in their wake. Whenever the golden python attempted to retaliate, the azure lights would deceptively slow down, unleashing sharp azure sword energy to intercept its attacks.

The Wandering Dragon Sword Array was as still as a maiden when inactive, yet as dynamic as a flood dragon when in motion.

The golden python's body flared with golden light, and its tail thrashed wildly, swatting away the nine azure sword lights. Its body was covered in blood, and scales had been torn off in numerous places.

With a loud tearing sound, a streak of azure light shot forth, piercing directly through the golden python's body. The python let out a piteous shriek, its massive form writhing uncontrollably.

Wang Qingshan altered his sword seal again, and the nine azure sword lights exploded with blinding azure brilliance. After a brief blur, they transformed into nine azure flood dragons, each over ten zhang long. The nine dragons swarmed from all directions, opening their blood-red jaws to bite into the golden python's body, tearing at it with immense force.

With a final, agonizing shriek, the golden python was brutally ripped apart by the nine azure flood dragons, its blood raining down across the sky.

A flash of golden light, and a miniature snake shot out from the bloody downpour. No sooner had the tiny snake appeared than a colossal azure pagoda descended from the sky, trapping it within.

Witnessing this devastating sight, the remaining two Nascent Soul stage demon cultivators were utterly terrified. They transformed into streaks of light and fled in separate directions, while hordes of lower-tier demon beasts furiously assaulted Wang Qingshan and his allies.

Boom! A tremendous roar of thunder erupted, as thousands of thick silver lightning bolts struck down. Lower-tier demon beasts fell in vast numbers, their charred bodies littering the ground.

Wang Qingshan did not pursue the fleeing demon cultivators. This engagement had been a good test. The power of his Wandering Dragon Sword Array was decent, but it still fell short of the Azure Lotus Demon Slaying Sword Array. This was not surprising, as the Wandering Dragon Sword Array was one that Wang Qingshan had personally comprehended, whereas the Azure Lotus Demon Slaying Sword Array was an inherent part of the *Azure Lotus Sword Scripture*.