Chapter 277: Full Force Battle

The warfare intent of martial cultivators in the Five-Sea Realm, upon reaching the Dao Seed Realm, will transform into the more profound "Dao Heart Intent" and "Dao Heart Manifestation."

Dao Heart Intent, after reaching the second heavenly layer of the Dao Seed Realm, "Palpitation," will become significantly more powerful and is a crucial method for martial cultivators to cultivate their own souls.

With just the power of intent, it can overwhelm Five-Sea Realm martial cultivators, making them tremble with fear, causing severe internal distress, and achieving victory without a fight.

At this moment, Qin Qian was in exactly this state.

Li Weiyi also sensed that invisible power of intent and released six warfare intent divine projections, each five zhang tall, blocking Long Ting's intent attack outside the Jade Boat.

Having cultivated Fifth-Tier Qi, he could maintain the six warfare intent divine projections for a relatively long time, unleashing 150% of his combat power.

Naturally, this state consumed a vast amount of spiritual energy.

Bang!

Li Weiyi's gaze met Long Ting's from a distance. Suddenly, he raised his arm and pressed his palm against the back of Qin Qian's head. A surge of profound spiritual energy flowed into her. Before her internal world could collapse, he unlocked the seal on her Wind Mansion. He said, "You operate the Jade Boat; leave Long Ting to me."

Qin Qian had already recovered from the suppression of Long Ting's Dao Heart Intent.

Enduring her injuries, she leaped out of the coffin and obediently hurried to the bow, pressing her palm against the ship's hull. Her spiritual energy continuously surged forth. Qin Qian turned back and warned, "Be careful. Long Ting is not what he used to be. The Dragon Gate's bloodline and cultivation methods are extremely compatible with dragon seeds, and his cultivation is terrifying."

"Don't inflate others' egos and diminish your own prestige," Li Weiyi retorted. "If it comes down to a desperate fight, it's hard to say who will win."

Li Weiyi circulated the spiritual energy throughout his body, breathing deeply to enter his optimal state.

Whoosh!

The Jade Boat's aura surged, and its speed drastically increased again.

From the crystalline surface of the boat, countless densely packed scriptures flew out.

"This is..."

Qin Qian was quite surprised, feeling that the Jade Boat was of no low grade.

If the underground river hadn't been winding and requiring constant changes in direction, its speed would have been astonishing.

Long Ting pursued them to within sixty zhang. Seeing the Jade Boat accelerate, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he summoned his trump card magical artifact, the "Crimson Fire Dragon Scale," from his Ancestral Field.

This dragon scale was left behind by the ancient Emperor Feilong in his youth and refined by the Dragon Gate's ancestors into a seventh-grade hundred-character scripture magical artifact. It was the strongest battle weapon bestowed upon Long Ting when he reached the Dao Seed Realm, and his confidence in being able to contend against higher-realm cultivators.

The Dragon Gate also possessed thousand-character artifacts refined from the Emperor's dragon scales, whose power was even more terrifying.

Under the activation of Dao Seed spiritual energy, the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale caused crimson flame scriptures to appear one by one, making the chilly underground blood river space instantly become as scorching as a summer day.

The dragon scale, almost a zhang in diameter, flew out, slashing, and the power it unleashed made the river water in the entire section of the waterway boil.

Li Weiyi stood at the stern, sword in hand, activating the protective power of the Blood Handprint Demon Armor, and demon script covered his skin.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

All twelve warfare intent divine projections appeared, filling the space around the boat, as if a host of gods had descended.

In the past three months, he had cultivated the Twelve Loose Hands of Chanmen to fully manifest warfare intent.

Li Weiyi's mental state reached its peak, his mind calm, as he judged the speed and trajectory of the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale, seeking the optimal moment to strike.

He held his sword with both hands and swung it horizontally through the air.

A crescent arc of sword energy, more than ten zhang long, flew out.

At this precise moment, the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale broke through the Jade Boat's defenses, appearing directly in front of Li Weiyi. Its crimson fiery glow threatened to incinerate him into ashes.

Qin Qian watched this scene intently, her heart in her throat.

A Five-Sea Realm cultivator facing a Dao Seed Realm expert—how could it be? Boom!

The Yellow Dragon Sword and the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale collided, emitting a metallic screech loud enough to pierce eardrums. The immense power of the high-grade magical artifact forced the stern of the Jade Boat to suddenly dip.

Sword and scale, sparks flew.

The magical artifacts' energies stalemated for a moment before Li Weiyi was blasted backward, smashing through a coffin at the stern and retreating all the way to the very end of the boat. The webbing between his thumbs and forefingers tore open, and blood seeped from his fingers. His outer robe ripped apart, revealing the Blood Handprint Demon Armor worn over his provincial governor's official robe.

It was clearly an official robe, but the specific type was unrecognizable.

Official robes functioning as protective magical artifacts were not uncommon.

Li Weiyi blocked the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale's attack, forcing it to change direction and fly diagonally into the right-hand rock wall, causing large sections of the wall to collapse.

Qin Qian stared at Li Weiyi beside her as if he were a monster.

How could he withstand Long Ting's strongest attack?

If he hadn't been crippled, his future martial arts achievements would be simply unimaginable.

Long Ting frowned, clearly not expecting such a result. He had assumed that by using the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale, he could surely destroy their boat and kill them in one blow.

Given his current cultivation, he couldn't yet control such a powerful artifact at will, so the attack was temporarily interrupted. While continuing to pursue, he released spiritual energy to retrieve the dragon scale from the cliff face.

"Li Weiyi, wasn't your Ancestral Field crippled?" Long Ting called out. "How has your combat power increased so much? From your current appearance, it doesn't seem like you've cultivated Dao in your Wind Mansion either."

Long Ting's voice came from amidst the mist on the river.

Spiritual energy circulated within Li Weiyi, and his numb, aching arms quickly recovered.

He quietly pondered what the chances of killing Long Ting would be if he revealed his provincial governor's official robe. Soon, he abandoned the idea.

The cultivation gap was too large, and the risks were hard to control.

The current Long Ting was indeed a formidable adversary.

Li Weiyi feigned nonchalance, chuckling, "It's not that I've become stronger; it's that you're not as strong as you think you are. You can only bully that woman who hasn't even fully cultivated the Seventh Sea... that woman of Lu Cangsheng..."

Qin Qian rolled her eyes, realizing this guy didn't even know her name.

"My name is Qin Qian," she said.

Long Ting saw the blood between Li Weiyi's fingers and knew he was putting on a brave front.

He was about to activate the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale again.

In his ears, he heard dense chirping of insects and the sound of vibrating wings.

He saw that seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors had summoned a large number of ferocious underground insects, forming a tide of insects like a glowing cloud, flying towards Long Ting.

"I'd forgotten, you're also an insect tamer."

Long Ting stood on the dragon's back, undaunted. He took out a bone flute, infused it with spiritual energy, integrated it with his Dao Heart Intent, and played an incredibly penetrating flute melody.

The sound waves and spiritual energy in the underground space formed visible ripples.

Not only those ferocious insects, but even Seventh-Sea martial cultivators like Qin Qian were affected by the flute's melody, their minds filled with chaotic thoughts, and blood streamed from their ears.

Li Weiyi watched the increasingly chaotic insect swarm and immediately released his Heaven and Earth Divine Nerves.

Using his psychic power, he forced the insect swarm within dozens of zhang back into order.

At the same time, he rapidly sketched insect runes one by one, which flew from his glabella and struck the general-level ferocious insects.

Long Ting used his flute melody to control his insect swarm, pitting it against the swarm controlled by Li Weiyi and the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors in a fierce confrontation.

Insect corpses fell like rain.

When he saw the two divine tree light-projections manifesting behind Li Weiyi, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart, realizing that this person had achieved a major breakthrough in psychic power.

However, this also indirectly proved that Li Weiyi's Ancestral Field must truly be crippled!

Otherwise, why would he shift the focus of his cultivation to psychic power?

Roar!

The Azure Dragon's long roar reverberated, deafening.

The ten-zhang long Azure Dragon light-projection beneath Long Ting's feet suddenly raised a sharp dragon claw and struck at the Jade Boat, coming for Li Weiyi.

Boom!

The Jade Boat's protective scriptures and light shield trembled violently under the dragon claw's strike.

The boat swayed.

"He's caught up!" Qin Qian exclaimed. "He's gotten faster... no, we've gotten slower!"

Li Weiyi looked back at Qin Qian at the stern and saw that her face was extremely pale and her internal spiritual energy was severely depleted.

"Just two Five-Sea Realm cultivators," Long Ting scoffed, "to make me chase for so long, you are already quite capable."

Long Ting's figure flickered, leaving the Azure Dragon light-projection and soaring upwards. He struck downwards with the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale, slashing at the Jade Boat once more.

Li Weiyi knew well that the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale was immensely powerful, and even if he blocked it, he would be injured.

Moreover, Long Ting would use the momentum to board the Jade Boat.

Once he boarded the boat, Li Weiyi would be in a completely passive situation.

Without a moment's hesitation, Li Weiyi executed his movement technique, evading the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale. He soared upwards on the Yellow Dragon light-projection, reaching a position level with Long Ting.

"Directly confronting me?" Long Ting sneered. "You truly don't know your place!"

Long Ting's lips curved upwards, and he pointed the bone flute in his hand.

Densely packed scriptures appeared on the flute's body.

The moment the sword in Li Weiyi's hand touched the bone flute, he felt an irresistible immense force transmit through it, and his battle sword almost slipped from his grasp.

Long Ting saw Li Weiyi's predicament, knowing he held an unparalleled advantage in cultivation realm and strength. Thus, he formed his five fingers into a claw print and aimed for Li Weiyi's neck.

Swish!

Two Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors surged out from behind Li Weiyi, one from the left and one from the right.

One spewed Golden Crow flames from its mouth, while the other released lightning from its eyes.

Long Ting's protective spiritual energy was breached, and he was greatly alarmed. He had no choice but to retract the claw aimed at Li Weiyi's neck. Then, he unleashed a phantom dragon claw of spiritual energy to dissolve the Golden Crow flames and lightning.

At the same time, his Dao Heart Intent sensed that three more Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors rose from behind him, extending sharp claws to attack.

Long Ting compromised again, giving up the initiative to attack Li Weiyi, and instead channeled a large amount of spiritual energy to activate the silver robe he wore.

Countless silver scriptures appeared on his body.

Bang!

The sixth Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor appeared out of thin air and slammed into him, causing the silver scriptures to ripple.

Long Ting felt as if he had been struck by a heavy punch and recoiled backward in mid-air, a cold sweat breaking out.

Fortunately, he had chosen to compromise just now, prioritizing defense. Otherwise, with the tacit cooperation between Li Weiyi and the strange insects, the first wave of attacks alone could have severely wounded him.

The combat power of these seven strange insects, compared to during the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, was simply incomparable.

Li Weiyi now had time to heal. Spiritual energy circulated once through his body, and his arms recovered. He then attacked with the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors, engaging Long Ting in chaotic battle, fighting from mid-air down to the water's surface.

Boom! Boom...

The rock walls on both sides of the river continuously collapsed.

Meanwhile, the Jade Boat, struck by the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale, had its light shield and scriptures explode, and it rapidly sank into the water.

A moment later, the Jade Boat resurfaced.

Qin Qian lay sprawled at the stern, too injured to stand up, watching the two combatants on the water's surface. What she had expected to be a one-sided battle was now a fiercely contested fight.

Long Ting fought with extreme discomfort; despite clearly having a cultivation realm advantage over his opponent, he found himself restricted at every turn.

It was as if he were being besieged by eight Dao Seed Realm martial cultivators.

He could easily repel any single one of them, but the combined effort of one person and seven insects left him flustered and struggling. From time to time, he would also take a hit.

What was even more troublesome was that both Li Weiyi and the seven strange insects possessed extraordinarily formidable defenses and stamina, making it very difficult to defeat them one by one.

After hundreds of moves, Long Ting seized an opportunity. The Azure Dragon light-projection erupted from his body once more, and he used the momentum to burst out of the encirclement. He retrieved the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale, preparing to use this powerful artifact to break through the formation of one person and seven insects.

Swish!

The Phoenix-Winged Moths, known for their speed, were able to catch up to Long Ting, slashing at his neck with their wings, pinning him down.

Even Qin Qian on the Jade Boat could see the danger of the current situation and immediately, with her last remaining strength, activated a lightning technique, summoning an eighteen-strike lightning array to strike at Long Ting.

Li Weiyi's speed reached its limit as he thrust his sword towards Long Ting's glabella.

Long Ting shook off the Phoenix-Winged Moths and roared, "Coiling Dragon Arm!"

This was the first Dao Art he had cultivated!

Cultivating Dao Arts was extremely difficult, and mastering the first layer of a Dao Art would take at least one or two years.

Long Ting had spent much of his time breaking through cultivation realms, so his Dao Art was only at the introductory level, and he had not yet mastered the first layer. Yet, even so, it could instantly unleash formidable combat power.

Dense dark-iron dragon scales appeared on his right arm, colliding with Li Weiyi's thrusting sword and the combined power of the six Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors.

Boom!

Li Weiyi's entire body violently shook, the demon script on his skin dimmed, his internal organs ached intensely, and he was sent flying backward, a mouthful of fresh blood spraying from his lips.

All six Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors also fell into the underground river's water.

On the other side, Long Ting was bleeding from all seven orifices and was even more severely wounded. His body flew backward, colliding with a bang against the rock wall and embedding itself within it.

Both men were decisive, their combat will tenacious, and their battle intelligence extremely high.

Li Weiyi pulled out the Purple霄 Thunder Seal, activating over ten streaks of lightning, and hurled them towards the rock wall.

Long Ting finished activating the Crimson Fire Dragon Scale and sent it flying towards Li Weiyi.

Seeing the heavy artifact flying towards them, both their expressions drastically changed, and they each employed their movement techniques to flee and evade.