Great Elders differ from each other, these differences arising from the various primary Cultivation Techniques they practice and the different magical treasures they use.
At the level of Great Elder, even the slightest gap can be immensely magnified.
Li Yuanba switched from holding the Third-grade Sword Base with one hand to grasping it with both hands, abandoning the idea of using the Xingyi Sword to block.
Whether it was the Supreme Yang Sword Intent or the Golden Core Middle Stage Spiritual Power within the Xingyi Sword, both were far inferior to Elder Shi Mingâs Lifebound Flying Sword Magical Treasure.
Most frightening was that, through the use of âDivine Eye Skill,â Li Yuanba observed that Elder Shi Mingâs Lifebound Flying Sword Magical Treasure was almost impregnableâat least to his vision, he could find no weaknesses to counterattack.
However, with the support of âDivine Eye Skill,â he could see clearly the attack trajectory of Elder Shi Mingâs Lifebound Flying Sword Magical Treasure, while the âFiery Sun Jade Body Techniqueâ ensured his body remained agile under the influence of the opponentâs ice Sword Intent.
"Chop!" Elder Shi Ming shouted loudly, and his Lifebound Flying Sword Magical Treasure struck towards Li Yuanba with an unrivaled force.
Li Yuanba also shouted loudly, his hands gripping the Third-grade Sword Base as he attempted to block the Lifebound Flying Sword Magical Treasure.
With a thunderous boom, Li Yuanba felt an indescribable cold sweep over his entire body. Although his body was protected by the âFiery Sun Jade Body Technique,â he was still enveloped by a mass of solid ice.
At the same time, the tremendous force from Elder Shi Mingâs Lifebound Flying Sword Magical Treasure made it impossible for his body to resist being knocked away.
Since Elder Shi Mingâs Lifebound Flying Sword Magical Treasure had struck at a downward angle, Li Yuanba, now a big ice block, was hit and plunged into the sea.
Elder Shi Ming did not show any signs of joy because he had knocked Li Yuanba into the sea. His gaze followed the location where the ice block had created a splash, and without the slightest hesitation, he rushed towards that spot.
He was very clear that Li Yuanba had not suffered any severe damage because he noticed that Xingyi Sword, carrying Li Yuanbaâs life essence, had entered the sea first.
The Xingyi Sword had Li Yuanbaâs life essence on it, meaning it was his Lifebound Magical Treasure.
If Li Yuanba had perished, this Lifebound Magical Treasure would not display such spirituality.
Elder Shi Ming had no intention of showing mercy. He knew that Li Yuanba, having taken his full-strength strike, was definitely not in good shape, and at the very least had sustained considerable injuries.
Indeed, Li Yuanba had some regrets. He had not expected that with the strength of Great Elder-level Body Refining, he would fail to defend against Elder Shi Mingâs Lifebound Flying Sword attack.
The terrifying ice Sword Intent desperately tried to destroy his insides, while the Supreme Yang âFiery Sun Jade Body Techniqueâ filled him with Supreme Yang Energy, striving to prevent the ice Sword Intent from invading.
In such a state, his combat strength was less than half, nowhere near enough to face a Sword Cultivation Great Elder as formidable as Elder Shi Ming.
He finally understood the terror of a Sword Cultivation Great Elder. As a Sword Cultivator himself, Elder Shi Mingâs Sword Intent was at least several times more powerful than his own.
After falling into the sea, he found that being wrapped in the ice block transformed by the ice Sword Intent made him unable to perform âStep by Step Lotus.â
With a thought, his body transformed, shifting from human form to the Corpse Refining state.
The moment he transformed into the Corpse Refining state, his body forcefully engulfed the ice Sword Intent.
In the Corpse Refining state, the Extreme Yin Energy within Li Yuanba was colder than the ice Sword Intent. Besides the Sword Intent itself, the ice property could not affect his Corpse Refining body.
His defensive power in the Corpse Refining state was much stronger than in human form, which allowed him to absorb the ice Sword Intent into his body, which in turn forcibly consumed it.
Nevertheless, digesting this ice Sword Intent and converting it to energy for his body would still take some time, and he did not concern himself with this Sword Intent for now.
With a slight shake of his body, the ice block surrounding him crumbled to dust.
Because of the impact, he had been driven over a hundred meters below the sea surface along with the large ice block. He sensed Elder Shi Ming chasing after him from above.
A white lotus appeared beneath his feet, and his figure disappeared in an instant.
Elder Shi Ming entered the water, his Lifebound Flying Sword Magical Treasure in the lead, and himself following behind, a standard combat style for a Sword Cultivator.
After entering the water, his divine thought spread out, and he discovered the transformation process of Li Yuanba. At last, his face showed an expression, revealing a look of shock.
Even though he was from the Skywalk Trading Company and had seen much of the world, he had never seen a cultivator transform into a refined corpse.
Or perhaps Li Yuanba was originally a refined corpse, typically transforming into a human being.
While he was pondering, Li Yuanbaâs figure vanished, and soon after he felt a trace of spatial energy fluctuation beside him.
Elder Shi Ming immediately commanded his lifebound flying sword magical treasure to return. The sword was almost a hundred meters away from him, a distance that would normally be crossed in an instant.
But this was in the sea, where the flying sword magical treasureâs speed was slower than in the air.
This slight delay, insignificant under normal circumstances, represented the most lethal danger at this moment.
In his state of body refinement, Li Yuanba used âStep by Step Lotusâ, along with the headband on his forehead, to directly appear beside Elder Shi Ming.
No matter how fast a sword cultivatorâs lifebound flying sword was, it couldnât surpass Li Yuanbaâs preemptive use of the Divine Foot Skill, which was faster than the flying sword.
Elder Shi Ming wasnât panicked; he had been through too many battles. To grow into a Great Elder, especially a Sword Cultivation Great Elder, he had extremely rich combat experience.
If given just a tenth of a breathâs time for the lifebound flying sword magical treasure to defend, he could escape the dangerous situation.
Although a sword cultivatorâs defensive power could not compare to a cultivator who specialized in body refinement, the sword intentâs long-term enhancement made their defensive power much stronger than that of other cultivators.
Moreover, with the power of a Great Elder, he was confident he could block Li Yuanbaâs single strike, and Li Yuanba had only one chance.
He had many secret techniques, each capable of exerting tremendous power, enough to place Li Yuanba in a deadly situation.
Li Yuanbaâs claws reached toward Elder Shi Ming, and as they made contact with Shi Mingâs defensive spiritual power, strange patterns flashed on the claws.
Elder Shi Mingâs eyes widened. When faced with danger, his mind was exceptionally clear, and he sensed the essence on Li Yuanbaâs claws.
He wanted to scream, wanted to dodge, but it was too late.
The conditions for using the âSky Splitting Divine Abilityâ were harsh, but in the sea water, Elder Shi Mingâs movement speed was reduced. Added to that, he had placed his hope on the lifebound flying sword magical treasure, giving Li Yuanba the opportunity to execute the âSky Splitting Divine Abilityâ.
Executing a close-range Divine Skill, the defensive spiritual power on Elder Shi Mingâs body had no effect at all, and a terrifying spatial tear appeared on him.
Along with it came a large amount of horrific corpse poison as well as Crack Space Energy, causing Elder Shi Mingâs body to stiffen.
At that moment, his lifebound flying sword magical treasure flew back, shooting towards Li Yuanba.
Unfortunately, due to the severe damage Elder Shi Ming suffered, the lifebound flying sword magical treasure lost most of its spirit, and Li Yuanba caught it with an outstretched hand.
In his state of a refined corpse, a Third-grade Lifebound Flying Sword Magical Treasure without the support of a sword cultivator simply could not break through his defense.
Li Yuanba then dealt another blow to Elder Shi Ming, finishing him off completely.
He took the space ring from Shi Mingâs body and collected the corpse.
He let out a long sigh of relief. He had been careless this time, but at least he now knew the gap between himself and a Sword Cultivation Great Elder.
The sword cultivation technique practiced by Elder Shi Ming was indeed, as he had guessed, of lower quality compared to his âSky-Surging Sword Intent Techniqueâ, a conclusion that could be made from the sword intent itself.
Although Elder Shi Mingâs sword intent was extremely formidable, vanquishing him with a single blow, objectively speaking, it was mainly the frost effect of the ice sword intent that played a decisive role.
Having personally come into contact with Elder Shi Mingâs ice sword intent, Li Yuanba had an accurate judgment of the cultivation technique practiced by Shi Ming.