From the looks of it, the burly man had the upper hand in the battle, relentlessly attacking the golden shield. With every strike, the shield trembled and seemed on the verge of breaking. Yet, no one knew that the burly man, despite his seemingly overwhelming strength, was inwardly suffering.
Each time his fists or feet struck the golden light, a formidable rebound force struck him, and with each successive blow, the rebound grew stronger. His hands and feet were already in excruciating pain, and if he were to stop for even a moment, they would undoubtedly swell up. Furthermore, the golden light had an incredible resilience. The dents he made were immediately restored to their original shape as if nothing had happened.
Even though the golden shield trembled with each hit, the burly man's attacks were failing to break through. He could only slightly deform the shield, but it wouldn't break, leaving the onlookers realizing that his immense power, while impressive, was only shaking the shield rather than breaking it.
This realization made Jia Tianlong abandon the thought of sending reinforcements. Even the dwarf, who had been rattled by the shield's shaking earlier, now regained his composure.
But the Golden Light Taoist's expression grew darker with each passing moment. He stared viciously at the burly man, silently cursing him in a language none of the bystanders could understand. The dwarf was so consumed by frustration that he even stopped his incantations, instead glaring at his opponent, muttering venomous curses under his breath.
Meanwhile, the burly man kept relentlessly attacking the golden shield, completely ignoring the dwarf's curses. It seemed as though he would keep up his assault until his body could take no more.
But just when everyone thought the burly man would continue his attacks endlessly, something unexpected happened.
Bang! Bang! Boom!
After delivering a powerful punch, followed by a mighty kick, the burly man suddenly spun around and began running toward the safety of the Seven Celestial Sect's formation. His enormous body was surprisingly swift.
The sudden change in direction shocked the onlookers, but soon, gasps of disbelief filled the air. The Golden Light Taoist, too, was momentarily stunned. He immediately crossed his legs and sat down, placing the black box in his lap. Then, he began to chant quickly, his hands in strange gestures as he desperately struggled to activate something. The effort was so intense that his fingers trembled as though they carried an immense weight.
The burly man was only a few steps away from returning to the Seven Celestial Sect's formation when a loud "Rise!" echoed from behind him. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly dodged to the side.
But before he could fully react, something flashed by his right arm with incredible speed—a gray streak of light that seemed like an electric flash.
For a brief moment, the burly man thought he had dodged the attack, but then a sharp pain shot through his right arm. He looked down in confusion, only to see his right arm had been severed at the shoulder, blood pouring out.
"What happened?" The burly man's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Before he could utter another word, he collapsed to the ground, his body lifeless.
To everyone's horror, the attack had been nearly invisible—too fast to react to. No one had anticipated the gray streak of light, which had passed through the air and struck the burly man with deadly precision. The other members of the Seven Celestial Sect and Wild Wolf Gang had seen it clearly, and now the truth became undeniable.
The gray light, which had initially missed the burly man's chest, had abruptly turned back mid-air and struck him again, this time fatally. The weapon—though indistinct in its form—had clearly demonstrated extraordinary speed and lethality.
Everyone was left stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened. But one thing was certain: the gray streak of light was a flying sword.
The thought crossed the minds of almost everyone present, despite their lack of knowledge about cultivators. The legendary tales of flying swords were known even to ordinary people. The resemblance between the gray streak and the flying swords wielded by sword immortals was uncanny.
Could this humble-looking dwarf really be a sword immortal?
As the realization spread, the members of the Wild Wolf Gang looked at the Golden Light Taoist with a mixture of awe and unease. On the other hand, the Seven Celestial Sect's disciples were struck silent, their morale quickly deflating.
In the midst of this, Han Li, standing on the sidelines, was the only one whose heart was filled with excitement.
He recognized the technique used by the dwarf. The gestures and incantations that activated the gray streak of light were eerily similar to the Control Objects technique that Han Li himself had learned. Though he didn't know whether the gray light was indeed a flying sword, he was certain it was controlled by the Control Objects technique. The feeling was unmistakable.
Han Li's mind raced, his thoughts consumed by the idea of seizing this treasure. His fascination with cultivators had deepened, and the desire to kill and take the weapon for himself began to grow. This incident had only intensified his interest in the mysterious world of cultivation.
As the battlefield fell into a stunned silence, Han Li's excitement was palpable, while the rest of the spectators were caught in a whirlwind of confusion, fear, and awe.