Chapter 167: Unable to Breach the Defense?

Break his limbs and take him away!

Liu Dan spoke these words casually, but to Zhou Yi, they acted like a fuse, completely igniting the anger that had been building up within him for a long time and that he had suppressed over and over again!

"What an arrogant and boorish thing to say!"

Zhou Yi let out a cold shout. Shifting his posture, he raised his right hand and steadied himself with his left, slashing his blade directly at the Daoist-robed figure closest to him!

Despite his boiling anger, he had not lost his composure. The disparity in their strength was evident from what had happened the moment he emerged; facing them head-on, he would find it extremely difficult to cope.

Now that the negotiations had broken down and a brawl was imminent, the only way to seize the initiative was to strike first!

Since a fight was unavoidable, he naturally chose to attack the weakest point. Therefore, although Zhou Yi was deeply infuriated by Liu Dan's words, he was not foolish enough to pick him as his breakthrough target.

While they were talking earlier, he had been secretly observing. The mysterious energies emanating from the bodies of these suddenly appearing individuals were interlinked, forming an unbroken connection where moving one part affected the whole. The term that immediately sprang to his mind was formation!

In his memory, only legendary formations possessed such formidable might under circumstances like this.

The function of a formation was to integrate scattered forces and multiply their output, achieving feats that a single person could never accomplish alone.

The best countermeasure was to disrupt the setup before the formation was fully deployed, but now that the formation had already been completed, that method was obviously useless!

The only alternative Zhou Yi could think of was to break the whole by attacking a single point, probing for a flaw in the formation and reacting accordingly!

Boom!

The Universe Diagram, layered thirteenfold and unleashed with Zhou Yi's current strength, fell upon the blade. The blade light was subtle yet uncontained. On the surface, it looked like an ordinary slash, but the slightly distorted space rippling past the edge revealed that although the form was simple, its power was truly extraordinary!

Moreover, as the blade swept forward, a dull, thunderous roar echoed through the surroundings. When it reached the Daoist, it carried the immense momentum of a mountain-splitting blow, followed by a crushing, mountain-like weight descending upon him, as if an entire peak had suddenly been dropped onto his back.

If Zhou Yi's blade had encountered anyone at the third realm, then without a doubt, even those standing at the very pinnacle would have found it difficult to receive.

It was a pity, however, that the group Zhou Yi now faced all exceeded the strength ceiling of the third realm; they were cultivators of the fourth realm. More importantly, none of them were weak even among fourth-realm practitioners!

Crucially, not only were these individuals extraordinarily powerful in their own right, but they were also currently amplified by the True Luo Fire Cloud Formation—a supreme array of the fourth realm—pushing their might to an unfathomable degree.

At least, relative to Zhou Yi's current self, that was certainly the case.

Each and every one of these factors foreordained the outcome of Zhou Yi's slash.

Swish!

Facing the blade inscribed with the thirteen-layered Universe Diagram, the Daoist remained utterly unperturbed, not even sparing a glance of panic. He gently extended a single finger, its tip descending slowly toward the edge of the blade!

Bang!

The moment they touched, a crisp sound resembling the striking of metal echoed out. The longsword in Zhou Yi's hand shattered into countless pieces, while the finger's momentum remained unchecked, its movement entirely unaffected by the blade. Seemingly slow yet startlingly fast, it descended straight toward the center of Zhou Yi's forehead.

Just as that finger, having shattered the sword and possessing unimaginable destructive power, was about to strike his brow, Zhou Yi's eyes darkened. His body twisted at an incredible angle, his knees bending as he lowered his torso, and his right hand relaxed, discarding the shattered hilt.

Swish!

His left hand moved like lightning, pressing into the empty space right in front of his right hand.

Boom!

The exact moment his left hand aligned horizontally with his right, his right hand clenched fiercely. A longsword suddenly materialized with immaculate timing, as if rehearsed in advance. The instant it appeared, his left hand slammed down onto the blade.