Moreover, aside from sword light, countless blade radiances soared into the sky.
The sword light and blade radiances originated from two different positions. One side was sword light, the other blade radiances, coordinating with one another in a remarkably skillful manner.
In addition, a massive amount of black fog billowed upwards, instantly submerging the space where the several remnant souls of the Azure Dragon Sword Sect were located.
Immediately after, a great many dark shadows rushed out from within that black fog, surrounding the several remnant souls of the Azure Dragon Sword Sect like ghosts and phantoms.
Looking from afar, the space occupied by these Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls had already been overwhelmed by a sea of black fog.
Next, black formation flags shot up from the mountain ridges below. These black flags bore paintings of many ferocious, vengeful spirits and lost souls, emitting screams that stole one's soul and chilled the heart.
The several Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls instantly felt heaven and earth seemed to spin, revealing shocked expressions.
"We are already surrounded and trapped by a large formation. This formation can suppress Soul Bodies. It seems to be specifically targeted against us," an elder of the Azure Dragon Sword Sect cried out in alarm.
At this moment, those dark shadows had already encircled the Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls and launched a frenzied assault.
"These are the Hidden Sword Guards of the Divine Sword Sect. They are indeed still alive. It seems Sword Elder was right—the Divine Sword Sect is indeed suspicious. They were likely the spies of our Sword Realm Continent back then," the Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls said. All were of elder status and had been celebrated top-tier swordsmen on the Sword Realm Continent back in their day. Not only were their strength formidable, but they were also widely experienced. They immediately recognized the dark shadows that suddenly appeared to besiege them as the Hidden Sword Guards of the Divine Sword Sect.
Even as they were astonished, the Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls began to retaliate. After all, they had once been top swordsmen of the Sword Realm Continent. Though they were now only remnant souls, they still retained a portion of their power.
A dazzlingly bright long sword appeared in the hand of each remnant soul. Moreover, many sword shields condensed from sword dao energy materialized around their bodies. Each shield looked as if it were woven together by a dense mass of long swords.
Engraved upon these sword shields were patterns of Azure Dragons, emanating vast draconic majesty and sword dao energy.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The attacks of the dark shadows incessantly struck against these sword shields, releasing deafeningly loud collisions with sparks flying in all directions.
However, cracks soon began to appear upon the shields. Clearly, after enduring the first wave of attacks, they were beginning to show signs of giving way.
"How is this possible? The strength of these Hidden Sword Guards is so great?" one of the Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls cried out in shock.
"That's not it. This black fog is suppressing us, preventing us from unleashing our true combat strength," another Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant soul suddenly realized the crux of the problem.
"That's right. I feel dizzy and disoriented now. Forget fighting, I can barely stand steady," yet another remnant soul exclaimed in dismay.
"Don't panic, everyone. I will summon the Azure Dragon Sword Seal right now!" The remnant soul with the strongest aura, seeing this scene, immediately spoke up.
He then formed an esoteric hand seal in his hands and fired it toward the location of the Azure Dragon Sword Sect headquarters.
Upon hearing that this remnant soul intended to summon the Azure Dragon Sword Seal, the Hidden Sword Guards around them were inwardly alarmed. They fiercely raised the black long swords in their hands and launched an even more ferocious assault.
Simultaneously, beneath the Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls, innumerable sword lights and blade radiances continuously surged upward, attacking relentlessly.
The black fog rolling through the surrounding space transmitted strange, cackling laughter of vengeful spirits and lost souls. Then, apparitions of numerous such spirits appeared, swarming to besiege the Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls.
If genuine sword cultivators were present, they certainly wouldn't fear these vengeful spirits. However, these Azure Dragon Sword Sect elders were already in remnant soul form. The attacks of these spirits held great suppressive power against them. Moreover, the black fog permeating the surroundings contained dreadful energies specifically targeting remnant souls.
The Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls fell into an extremely passive state. The combat strength they could muster grew progressively weaker. Finally, one remnant soul was mobbed by over a dozen Hidden Sword Guards who slashed his form more than ten times. Instantly, this remnant soul became significantly more ethereal.
"Divine Sword Sect! Our Azure Dragon Sword Sect holds no grudge against you, yet you send these Hidden Sword Guards to ambush us! I will definitely settle this score with your Divine Sword Sect!" An Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant soul, seeing his companion instantly weakened so severely, couldn't help but roar in fury.
However, the surrounding space had already been sealed by vast amounts of black fog; his roar simply couldn't be transmitted outwards.
Following this, the Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls were struck continuously by the black long swords wielded by the Hidden Sword Guards. Each strike caused their forms to dim further.
"Damn it! The black long swords in the hands of these Hidden Sword Guards have the specific function of suppressing Soul Bodies and Soul Power energy. Could these swords be artifacts from the Great Netherworld?" one Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant soul, noticing the terrifying power of the black swords that seemed specifically tailored to counter their remnant souls, exclaimed in shock.
"That's right. These long swords are indeed artifacts from the Great Netherworld. Look, they bear certain runes of the Great Netherworld upon them. Good! The Divine Sword Sect truly harbors the heart of a wolf! They actually went out of their way to procure these Great Netherworld artifacts precisely to deal with us remnant souls of the Sword Realm Continent. It seems the Divine Sword Sect had made preparations long ago to move against us. It's laughable that we previously doubted Sword Elder's words and weren't wholly convinced the Divine Sword Sect were the spies. Now it seems we've been blinded by the Divine Sword Sect's tricks," one Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant soul said through gritted teeth.
"No need to complain. Originally, I had not intended to deal with you Azure Dragon Sword Sect fellows so soon. Who asked you to get so close to that old fogey Sword Elder? You brought this destruction upon yourselves. Blame not our Divine Sword Sect," a voice sounded from beneath the ground at this moment.
"Mo Chenzi! It's you! You traitor, you actually dare to move against our Azure Dragon Sword Sect! Just you wait, our Azure Dragon Sword Sect will certainly remember this debt!" Hearing the voice rising from beneath the ground, the Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls instantly recognized its owner as Mo Chenzi, the Grand Elder of the Divine Sword Sect.
"Hahaha... Do you truly believe you can still escape? Such wishful thinking! Your doom has arrived. If you hadn't been associating with that old relic Sword Elder, you might have been able to linger on a while longer. But now you have no chance," Mo Chenzi's voice again came from below.
Rumble!
Just after Mo Chenzi finished speaking, pitch-black dragons surged upward from the ground below. These dragons all exuded billowing black fog, immediately surrounding the Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls. Their massive dragon forms radiated a terrifying energy pressure that instantly suppressed them.
"What's going on? I've been summoning for so long, yet I still cannot connect with the Azure Dragon Sword Seal. What exactly is the problem?" one of the Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls now said, shocked.
"Hahaha... I knew long ago you fellows intended to summon the Azure Dragon Sword Seal. Let me tell you truthfully, the space you occupy has already been isolated by me. You cannot connect with the Azure Dragon Sword Seal here. Once I eradicate you stubborn old things, I will go to your Azure Dragon Sword Sect headquarters and seize the Azure Dragon Sword Seal. Henceforth, your Azure Dragon Sword Sect's legacy shall belong to our Divine Sword Sect. You may pass on in peace. There is no need to worry about your sect's legacy lacking successors," Mo Chenzi's smug voice rose from beneath the ground.
"This is a calamity! If we cannot summon the Azure Dragon Sword Seal, given our current state, we have no hope of escape," hearing Mo Chenzi's voice, the Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls felt a twinge of despair.
They understood that Mo Chenzi had already employed means to suppress and trap them here. Unless they could mobilize the foundational assets of the Azure Dragon Sword Sect, there was a chance of opposing Mo Chenzi. Relying solely on their few remnant souls, they were no match for Mo Chenzi and the surrounding Hidden Sword Guards.
"Enough idle chatter. Wipe out these old relics for me," Mo Chenzi said with a cold laugh.
Immediately, the surrounding Hidden Sword Guards and the pitch-black dragons launched an even more fearsome attack. The Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls were struck repeatedly, their forms growing increasingly illusory.
"To think we have persisted on this continent for such a long time, thinking we could witness the day our Azure Dragon Sword Sect and the Sword Realm Continent rise again. Yet, in the end, we are to be undone by the traitors of the Divine Sword Sect," the Azure Dragon Sword Sect remnant souls felt despair and resentment.
Right at this moment.
"Mo Chenzi, you old dog! You despicable traitor! You still dare to lay hands on these esteemed elders of the Sword Realm Continent? You deserve death ten thousand times over!" An enraged roar resounded. Then, from the ground below, tens of thousands of thick, heavy sword radiances suddenly burst forth, soaring skyward.
Each sword radiance was heavy as a mountain range, instantly blanketing this expanse of the high sky. Then, a figure blazing with dazzling sword light shot up from below.
Ah! Ah! Ah!
The Hidden Sword Guards besieging the Azure Dragon Sword Sect elders immediately let out shrieks of agony.
Ye Yunfei had already cultivated his second unique sword path. Each sword radiance he unleashed bore a profoundly heavy Sword Intent, causing the entire expanse of high sky to instantly become ponderous. The Hidden Sword Guards felt as if they had sunk into a mire, their movements hampered.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ye Yunfei drew his sword and slashed out several more yellowish-brown sword radiances in quick succession. Each radiance transformed into a massive yellow mountain range, suppressing this stretch of the high sky.
"There is also a formation specifically designed to trap and suppress remnant souls here," Ye Yunfei glanced at the churning black fog and the pitch-black dragons around him. With a single look, he discerned that a formation specifically meant to suppress remnant souls had been deployed in this space. Moreover, this formation originated from the Great Netherworld.
Ye Yunfei had devoured the Soul Bodies of many Sovereign Gods from the Great Netherworld previously, making him very familiar with its various cultivation legacies and techniques. For other beings, these Great Netherworld formations might be eerie and difficult to defend against, but to Ye Yunfei, they were transparent at a glance.
Ye Yunfei took out a large handful of Formation Flags and tossed them in all directions.
All these Formation Flags had been refined according to the formations inherited from the Great Netherworld. Previously, to deal with the Fourth Void's Nether Palace, Ye Yunfei had crafted a large batch of Great Netherworld artifacts, including these Formation Flags refined using the Great Netherworld's formation heritage.