"Hahaha!"
Nangong Yazhi laughed maniacally in mid-air. If one hadn't known that mere moments before she'd been run ragged by Li Yunlin like a harried dog, one might truly have mistaken her for a conqueror assured of imminent victory.
Yet, every single Li family member present simply watched her, their faces utterly expressionless. It was their very calmness that caused Nangong Yazhi's heart to seize with panic!
"Why aren't you afraid?!" she shrieked, her composure cracking. "How can you possibly face me?! Unless... unless every last one of you possesses trump cards like Li Yunlin's!!!"
A fierce wind suddenly whipped up around her. Nangong Yazhi's Golden Thread Clothing flared brilliantly, and behind her, the colossal Millstone Dharma Body materialized once again.
The supreme-grade spirit artifacts – the 'Golden Coin' and the Treasure Gathering Pot – materialized in her hands. This time, the aura radiating from her felt even more potent than when she confronted Li Yunlin!
Facing this furious power, Li Tianyue simply remarked coolly, "Nangong Yazhi, you're actually terrified, aren't you?"
The moment the words left her mouth, a brief flicker of panic flashed across Nangong Yazhi's eyes. Then, forcing down the fear, she gritted her teeth and spat, "Based on the likes of you???"
"A person of your calculation," Li Tianyue observed calmly, "wouldn't lose control like this unless pushed to it by overwhelming terror."
Li Tianyue's words, however, only served to make Nangong Yazhi's expression twist into greater ferocity; paradoxically, they also seemed to solidify her resolve. This Nangong Yazhi, known for her exceptional composure within the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, the very same woman who had turned tail and fled upon witnessing Li Yunlin's true power, this woman was now behaving with startling arrogance and unrestrained. The final vestige of panic disappeared utterly from her eyes.
"Hahaha!" she laughed sharply. "Afraid? Me? Afraid of insignificant ants like yourselves? What reason could I possibly have to fear?!"
"Very well," Li Tianyue replied evenly. "In that case, we shall show you precisely what you should be afraid of."
Li Tianyue wasted no more words. As her voice died away, she merely gave a sharp nod to her assembled clansmen.
Instantly, the totems associated with the Seven Ironclads flared and rose into the air.
Li Tianyi communicated briefly with the remnant souls of the seniors within his soul sea.
The majority then surged into his body, causing his power to escalate wildly, while only three souls remained meditating within. Yet, he did not join the fight directly. Instead, he bought out the zither, wherein he apparently stored his grave-digging tools!
As the zither's music began to play, a musician's unique spiritual power flowed out, forming long filaments that connected to each of his nearby clansmen. Astonishingly, under Li Tianyi's musical support, the power level of all the gathered Li family members began to rise. The Ancestral Spirit Tablets pulsed with brighter light!
And at this moment, Li Wei, too, was observing this scene.
He watched Nangong Yazhi posturing arrogantly in the sky, his own face now as impassive as those of the other Li family members below. Truthfully, having observed the Li family engage numerous foes over the decades, Li Wei recognized the pattern Li Tianyue had identified earlier: often, the more terrified an opponent, the more ferocious and disdainful their outward bravado.
"True disdain," Li Wei mused, "should appear effortless, completely calm and unruffled."
[Your descendant Li Tianyue, honed by years of warfare and confronting innumerable powerful enemies, has developed the ability to keenly perceive the true intentions hidden within her adversaries' hearts. Obtained Trait: Master of Battlefield Psychology.]
[Trait Effect: Grants insight into and ability to influence the hearts and minds of others. Psychological damage inflicted upon opponents increased by 20%, impacting their overall combat performance.]
...
"Kill!"
In an instant, the battle erupted!
The Seven Ironclads, already in their exceedingly bizarre forms, instantly charged forward.
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"Watch out!" someone shouted. "Your Wu technique is our best bet – use the illusion techniques! And try not to die so damn easily!"
"This woman's techniques are weird as hell, but there's an opening!" A different voice directed. "Her millstone still needs to recharge with ambient Spirit Qi, roughly once every finger snap! You lot – keep her artifacts busy! I'll concentrate on draining her ambient Qi supply!"
"Yes, Big Brother!"
Across the sky, the seemingly undying Seven Ironclads surged forward relentlessly!
Meanwhile, inside the trapping formation deployed by the Li family members against Nangong Yazhi, Li Tianyi once again channeled the remnant souls' power. Employing the techniques of a Musician, he formed a protective barrier, reinforcing the inner perimeter of the trap.
[Your descendant Li Tianyi is currently lending his body to be possessed by 'Master Qiyin, the Heavenly Music Saint', a senior from the Azure Cloud Pavilion who perished thirty thousand years ago.]
Though the precise identity of this Master Qiyin remained a mystery, his command over musical arts was undeniably extraordinary. Using Li Tianyi's body as a vessel, Master Qiyin performed a piece known as the 'Long Road Song'. This music instantly elevated the strength of the Seven Ironclads, bringing them infinitely close to the Nascent Soul threshold.
The strength of every Li family member present surged dramatically! The Ancestral Spirit Tablets pulsed with brighter light!
"This... this is the power of our elders?!"
Below, Li Changsheng and Li Changyao, able only to observe from outside the core formation, both swallowed hard in unison.
Although intercepting Nangong Yazhi's path and formulating the rapid countermeasures had entirely been Li Changsheng's own strategic planning, this fact did nothing to diminish the sheer shock he felt at witnessing the power unleashed.
For years, whenever significant events occurred, Li Changsheng had always kept himself hidden. Even throughout the Wu Clan invasion, he remained firmly behind the scenes.
This was ostensibly because his personal strength appeared mediocre, preventing him from being of direct assistance. Furthermore, the clan required someone during the war to manage all the logistical preparations and, crucially, to guard against any potential internal strife or rebellion among their subordinate forces.
This occasion, therefore, aside from secondhand accounts, marked the first time he had personally witnessed the true extent of his elders' capabilities!
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