A thousand swords rained down, accompanied by shimmering green shadows, crashing towards a single point like a thunderstorm. The space basked in an emerald radiance, the momentum overwhelming. Beneath the dazzling light, the masked figure appeared insignificantly small, like an ant, yet stubbornly raised both hands skyward. His actions seemed almost laughable.

Most observers were awestruck by the imposing power of this High-level Magical Treasure, while the green brilliance dyed everyone watching in shades of jade.

Some stared at the masked figure in disbelief—why wasn't he running? Was he really planning to resist head-on?

Xu Anzhang and You Mu wore grim expressions; their lack of any reaction revealed their decision to abstain from helping. Both understood clearly— even if they wanted to act now, it was too late.

Of course, others who noticed the masked figure shattering the gourd watched expectantly, curious to see what desperate effort he might muster. Li Hongjiu, for example.

The overwhelming Sword Rain carried momentum so strong that even those observing from far away could feel the vibrations in the air. Winds gusting around the area were violently displaced.

The countless rays of green light arrived in nearly simultaneous bursts, their power akin to a divine judgment capable of slaying gods and demons.

Gu Lianni pressed her lips tightly together, her gaze flitting uncertainly. Deep down, for some inexplicable reason, she didn't want to watch, and felt a faint sense of pity.

Shi Chun, standing firm with hands raised to the heavens, remained utterly calm despite everything, his composure forged through countless life-and-death trials in the Land of Exile. He knew that even the slightest error right now would erase the significance of his struggle thus far, and he would never see that carefree smile etched in his mind again. Thus, he stared unflinchingly at the crushing force hurtling towards him.

Suddenly, his arms, stretched skyward, jerked with decisive force, tremoring cleanly and sharply.

No one else could see, but he alone knew an arcing distribution of immobilization material had spread out through his spellcasting. With a powerful motion, he hurled it into the skies.

This wasn't reckless—it was a move born of experience. Last time, when countering the Black Tiger Magical Treasure, the residual force of the attack had left him gravely injured. There was no point in enduring such direct blows now. Especially since Wu Jinliang's survival was not at stake this time.

As his arms cast the immobilization material skyward, his hand suddenly conjured yet another gourd out of thin air, pressed it against the ground with force—bang!—and shattered it.

His other hand ploughed through the air and dug into the earth from afar. Seamlessly, he cradled the void above with fluid grace, his movements natural and unbroken.

The terrifying assault of Sword Rain was indeed intimidating, especially since their attacks were staggered. Shi Chun feared a single gourd's immobilization material might not suffice. In case of unexpected developments, he wasn't shy about adding another gourd to the equation.

At this moment, survival mattered above all. No matter how precious the contents of the gourds were, they had to be unleashed now.

He couldn't afford to care whether others discerned his methods or not.

Almost simultaneously, a furious, vibrating hum descended from above, nearly tangible in its intensity.

The sound itself seemed to give his skin an almost material sensation—never before had he felt it so acutely.

Still gazing upwards, his tense nerves somewhat eased, and he exhaled a breath of relief. Luckily, despite the multitude of flying swords, their ultimate power remained within the bounds of a fifth-grade Magical Treasure.

A moment ago, he had truly feared the treasure's attack would surpass the scope of a fifth-grade artifact.

The torrential downpour of Sword Rain halted abruptly.

In the eyes of the observers, the Sword Rain showed signs of slowing about five zhang above the masked figure's head. This delay caused subsequent waves of swords to collide unpredictably with the ones ahead, producing a chaotic symphony of clanging sounds and dense layering.

The slowed Sword Rain pressed downward towards the masked figure, pushing roughly one zhang deep before coming to a complete halt in midair. Its suspension was unnervingly absolute.

The incoming Sword Rain from behind failed to dislodge those immobilized ahead.

For an instant, all eyes turned toward Yin Tianlu at the center. His face had undergone a drastic transformation.

Not only was the immobilized Sword Rain entirely imperturbable, but when Yin Tianlu, as the wielder, tried to withdraw the trapped swords, he discovered they were firmly ensnared by an overwhelming power. His face flushed bright red, yet the immobilized swords remained utterly unmoving.

Panic set in immediately—this Sword Rain represented one of Extreme Fire Sect's valuable treasures for their mission, second only to the Black Tiger Magical Treasure, and losing it was unthinkable.

Realizing the danger, the remaining swords surrounding the immobilized area dared not continue their assault and quickly looped upward amidst chaotic collisions and metallic clangs.

Thus, an extraordinary scene unfolded before the crowd's eyes.

Above the masked figure's raised hands, at a height of three to four zhang, a bowl-shaped green light barrier formed, dazzling against the night backdrop.

The onlookers quickly understood that this wasn't a genuine barrier. It was instead a chaotic mesh of intersecting swords. But the real astonishment lay in the fact that such a ferocious attack had been stopped entirely by the masked figure's empty-handed technique.

Gu Lianni stood gaping, as did her group from Shudao Mountain. They were utterly shocked, feeling that this madman's strength bordered on absurd—repelling a fifth-grade Magical Treasure barehanded?

They began questioning—was this really Shi Chun?

Xu Anzhang and You Mu were equally dumbfounded. If this was indeed Shi Chun, they now understood why the higher-ups had sent him in. So, it turns out he was this formidable.

The remaining Sword Rain cascaded downward before spiraling back skyward, forming sprays like a waterfall bursting upwards—not scattering, but snaking erratically in retreat.

Shi Chun couldn't foresee the outcome beforehand either. He certainly hadn't anticipated the opponent would withdraw immediately after realizing their plan wouldn't work.

Shouldn't they have assessed the situation and tried attacking from other directions, from below and around? If it were him, that's what he would have done.

His own unease over immobilizing the remaining Sword Rain prompted him to shatter an additional gourd as precautionary backup—only for the confrontation to end just like that?

Although his opponent wasn't attacking from below yet, Shi Chun acted on reflex, scanning the cracked ground beneath his feet for potential danger. Swiftly, he consolidated the immobilization material hovering above, compressing it into a single sphere, balancing it in his palm.

Then, without hesitation, he darted out from underneath the overturned green Sword Rain canopy, ascending into the air to land atop it. Gracefully, he settled onto a fixed sword hilt, his gaze coldly sweeping across the surroundings.

With the immobilized Sword Rain beneath his feet forming a barrier, he wasn't particularly worried about a sneak attack from below anymore.

Li Hongjiu chuckled and remarked, "Even if you can't recover this treasure, consider it wasted now. This man's cultivation shouldn't exceed Wu Shanshan's. He's surely running out of gourds to shatter—how could he carry an endless supply?"

He directed his words toward Yin Tianlu.

Zuo Zisheng, catching the implication, chimed in mockingly, "What's the point of starting halfway, only to leave it undone for the opponent to pretend nothing happened?"

Yin Tianlu understood their intent—to goad him into testing the waters once more.

Although aware of their ulterior motives, Yin Tianlu had to admit their reasoning was sound. The remaining Sword Rain surrounding the green barrier immediately whipped into action, resuming its assault.

Shi Chun had already drawn out the Wind Scale in his hand. He estimated that his earlier display had been enough to intimidate many onlookers into holding back, giving him a chance to escape. But trouble had arisen again; glancing upwards, he realized the situation had grown more complicated.

His concern wasn't the Sword Rain itself—having overcome one encounter already, he was acutely familiar with the treasure's capabilities now. With over two-thirds of the Sword Rain immobilized, the remaining portion posed little threat to him.

What truly unsettled him was the potential for a collective assault from various sects.

Though such an outcome was unlikely, Shi Chun wouldn't gamble on it. Preoccupied as he'd been earlier, seeking help wasn't an option. Now, freed up, he wouldn't hesitate. Casting his spell, he shouted, "How much longer will you two just watch?"

His words left many stunned; Gu Lianni, Yuan Yao, and Pang Hou even wondered in self-reflection—was he referring to us? But it was clear he had directed his call to two individuals specifically.

Xu Anzhang and You Mu instantly recognized Shi Chun's voice and realized he was calling them out directly.

Publicly singled out, the two knew they now had no choice but to act. Shi Chun's declaration was a psychological attack—avoiding involvement might lead to upper management taking drastic measures against them, even if Shi Chun managed to escape.

Exchanging a glance, Xu Anzhang and You Mu suddenly leapt forward together. Shi Chun's bold counteraction had bolstered their confidence enough to intervene.

The guards from Refining Heaven Sect were caught completely off guard. Someone shouted immediately, "Stop!"

A handful of sect disciples sprang into action to apprehend them; without permission, there was no way they'd let the two escape.

Unexpectedly, the Six Paths Golden Wheel swirling calmly around You Mu suddenly burst with killing intent, transforming into a radiant flurry as it expanded its circuit and spun outwards from You Mu.

"Ahhh—!"

In just a moment, several screams tore through the air. These disciples were shredded mid-flight into gory sprays, unable to put up any resistance.

The sheer destructive power of the Six Paths Golden Wheel wasn't something mere High Martial Realm cultivators could endure. In fact, even those of the Human Immortal Realm would crumble like fragile chickens before its might.

The emergency Magical Treasure gifted by Demon Path forces wasn't meant for trivial use.

Zuo Zisheng happened to glance back at this moment, suspecting the masked figure had referred to those two. Witnessing the bloody scene, he was furious and instantly hurled his own treasure, "Sudden Slash," into battle.

As this treasure whirled outward, it appeared as a dark purple disc with three triangular indentations resembling battle axes arranged back-to-back, connected by a circular handle in its center.

The moment it was released, it rapidly expanded to the size of a house, crushing downward towards the Six Paths Golden Wheel-protected duo, its presence overwhelmingly oppressive.

You Mu showed no fear, commanding the Six Paths Golden Wheel to spin faster, ready to collide head-on with "Sudden Slash."

However, to You Mu's shock, just as the two artifacts were about to clash, "Sudden Slash" suddenly shimmered with illusory flickers, shrinking to the size of a dish and deftly circumventing the Six Paths Golden Wheel's attack.

Even more terrifying, after shrinking and bypassing the defense, "Sudden Slash" immediately expanded again to a formidable diameter of one zhang and pressed down on the duo. With Xu and You's cultivation, there was no way they'd withstand a High-level Magical Treasure's deadly strike.

This hesitation was precisely why they hadn't acted recklessly until now—standing against factions comprised of Artifact Refining sects, who could predict what deadly treasures they carried?

Fortunately, Demon Path forces hadn't sent them here unarmed; they had potent countermeasures prepared.

Just as You Mu faltered, Xu Anzhang acted quickly, unfurling the Boundless Banner with a flick of his pole. The banner grew as it caught the wind, emanating a swirling black aura that intercepted the charging wheel.

When the two artifacts collided, there was no earth-shattering explosion, nor even minor tremors. Only a faint ripple spread across the surface of the banner.

The massive circular weapon seemed to dive into the Boundless Banner like a pebble sinking into water, vanishing without a trace—an artifact so large disappearing into mere fabric.

In that instant, Zuo Zisheng realized he had lost all connection with his treasured "Sudden Slash." Such an invaluable artifact was gone, just like that—vanished.

Impossible! His eyes widened in disbelief.

However, as a disciple of a major sect, his knowledge was vast. Suddenly recalling something, he gazed at the two figures who had darted overhead, and cried out in shock, "Sky Covering Island's 'Boundless Banner'!"

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