Moments later, the arrow rain dissipated, and Dun Shan retracted the shield he held in his hand.
But at this very instant...
A piercing sound suddenly echoed!
More arrows streaked forward. These arrows were incredibly large, about the thickness of a wrist and a meter long. As they flew, the surrounding airflow was completely disrupted.
Even the nearby demonic beasts were torn apart by the gale, their bodies instantly disintegrating into bloody messes.
Dun Shan intended to raise his shield again, but at this moment, Bai Ye strode forward.
"Leave it to me!"
Bai Ye let out a soft cry, quickly formed a sword seal, and then pointed his finger forward.
Where his sword finger pointed, the seven flying swords around Bai Ye trembled, emitting humming sword cries.
Qi Hong Chuan Tian (Seven Swords Unite, attack enemy targets)
The seven flying swords soared through the air, aligning into a single line before transforming into a black long rainbow that shot forward.
Boom!
The black long rainbow collided with the giant arrow.
After a deafening roar, the black long rainbow and the giant arrow exploded simultaneously, their light shattering. The giant arrow also split into several sections, scattering on the ground.
Then...
From the horde of demonic beasts, a remarkably tall one emerged.
This demonic beast had the body of a bear and the head of a deer. It was immensely tall, wielding a hard bow in its hand and a greatsword about two meters long slung at its waist.
Bai Ye narrowed his eyes. This presence was interesting; it was likely the leader of the demonic beasts!
Bomb Cat said, "We can't let it get close. Dun Shan only knows defense, and I'm not good at close combat."
"No worries," Bai Ye said with a smile. "I am!"
As Bai Ye spoke, he dashed forward!
Bai Ye ran swiftly, his hands rapidly changing sword seals, and then, a humming sword cry once again echoed around him.
The seven swords that had collided with the giant arrow quickly flew back, circling around Bai Ye.
Simultaneously, as the seven swords swept by, any demonic beasts that tried to approach Bai Ye were swiftly slain.
Gushes of blood continuously sprayed out in all directions, forming a thin red mist in the air.
Bai Ye pointed his sword finger forward and uttered a soft command, "Go!"
The seven swords rapidly transformed into beams of light and flew towards the leader of the demonic beasts.
The demonic beast leader directly dropped its hard bow, then pounded its chest and roared. Following that, the leader drew the greatsword from its waist and swung it forward repeatedly.
Clang, clang, clang!
The demonic beast leader was ferocious, its greatsword constantly colliding with the sword light of the seven swords, emitting crisp ringing sounds.
At the same time, the demonic beast leader's steps didn't falter as it charged forward, closing in on Bai Ye.
Soon, the two met!
Roar!
The demonic beast leader let out a roar, its exhaled gust of wind capable of kicking up dust, blowing away the surrounding demonic beasts.
Then...
The demonic beast leader raised its greatsword high and brought it down upon Bai Ye.
At that instant, Bai Ye clenched his fist and, as the greatsword descended, unleashed a punch.
"Phoenix Flame!"
Blazing flames erupted around Bai Ye. With his punch, vast swathes of fire appeared, engulfing the area ahead and swallowing the demonic beast leader.
However, the demonic beast leader was exceptionally ferocious. Its sword momentum did not cease, and it managed to cleave open a path through the flames, continuing its attack on Bai Ye.
"Flame Burst!"
Bai Ye's expression remained unchanged. The moment the greatsword descended, he detonated the flames scattered in the air.
Boom!
A deafening explosion occurred, and terrifying ripples spread outwards, causing the demonic beast leader's towering body to involuntarily lean backward.
Bai Ye showed no intention of stopping. He leaped forward, passing through the flames, reached out to grasp a flying sword suspended in mid-air, and slashed it downwards.
Puff, puff!
The blade swept across, and as it descended, two wounds tore open on the leader's chest, erupting with a spray of blood.
The demonic beast leader let out a pained cry, then gripped its greatsword and swung it horizontally. But just as the blade was about to strike Bai Ye!
Bai Ye's figure flickered!
Instantaneous Movement!
Bai Ye unexpectedly appeared behind the demonic beast leader, his long sword thrusting towards it again.
Puff, puff!
Two long swords pierced the demonic beast leader's abdomen, directly impaling its body.
Blood trickled from the demonic beast leader's lips. Gritting its teeth, it stubbornly raised its greatsword.
But at this moment...
Puff, puff, puff...
The remaining five flying swords simultaneously pierced downwards, continuously pinning the demonic beast leader's body.
Bai Ye gracefully leaped backward, black mud wriggling at his fingertips, quickly transforming into a black talism.
"Thunderclap Strike!"
Boom!
A thunderous roar erupted!
The next instant, a bolt of lightning from a clear sky suddenly descended, striking the demonic beast leader and leaving it charred black.
In intense pain, the demonic beast leader struggled, then its legs gave way, and it finally knelt on the ground, black smoke rising from its entire body as it lost all signs of life.
Bai Ye pursed his lips. The leader of the demonic beasts was nothing special; earning a hundred merit points was quite easy.
However, Bai Ye discovered even better news.
Five Spirit Disc, Spirit Gathering (3000/3000)
"You have completed Spirit Gathering cultivation. Your Strength, Speed, Stamina, and Spirit stats have increased by 5 points."
"You have completed Spirit Gathering cultivation. Your Five Spirit Curses have been enhanced."
"Due to the enhancement of your Five Spirit Curses, Water Curse has evolved into Rain Nourishment."
Rain Nourishment: Summons wind and rain, reducing enemy movement and attack speed, increasing own attack power, clearing negative effects on speed attributes, and weakening fire-attribute attacks.
The Five Spirit Curses had been improved!
The final Water Curse had become Rain Nourishment, its effects quite comprehensive. It weakened enemies, buffed oneself, could remove certain negative status effects, and countered fire-attribute attacks.
However, the meaning of "comprehensive" was that no single aspect was outstanding; the effects were varied but not exceptionally prominent. Each individual effect was not particularly strong.
But any improvement was a good thing. With this, all five of Bai Ye's Five Spirit Curses had advanced from the first stage to the second stage. This also meant that with continued Spirit Gathering, the Curses would begin to advance to the third stage.
The Spirit Gathering cap had also increased, and this time it had risen significantly, directly by 2000 points, becoming (0/5000).
This was not entirely incomprehensible, as all the first-stage Curses had been completed. To advance the second-stage Curses, more Spirit Gathering would undoubtedly be required.
"The road ahead is long and arduous," Bai Ye sighed. "I can only keep working hard."
...