The Eight Aspect Worlds vs. the Little Li Flying Dagger

The Eight Aspect Worlds now displayed an entirely new power. The golden waves of earth that surged toward the heavens formed an impregnable shield of soil, time and again deflecting the peerless blade and dissolving the sword-light that flickered between its fingers.

The soaring divine fire seemed capable of burning through all things within heaven and earth, threatening to melt even the flying daggers at the blade's fingertips. Rings of flame coiled around the wielder, forcing him to sweep with his blade-aura and drive back the inferno, lest he be reduced to ash in an instant.

A hurricane swept across the sky as if charging from the outer stars—a black storm that tore apart the space around the blade.

The phases of Water, Mountain, and Swamp each held unfathomable natural force, vast and terrifying, as if they would annihilate the very heavens and earth.

Finally, when the Heaven phase rotated into place, it seemed a true celestial kingdom descended—beams of annihilation light rained down like a final judgment, striking the peerless blade so fiercely that the flying daggers held between its fingers snapped.

"Pfft!"

The blade coughed blood, suffering heavily within the Eight Aspect Worlds. It felt as if struck by a colossal mountain; every bone in its body threatened to break, and traces of blood seeped through its skin. At that moment, it turned its fingers and raised its arm—the second strike was unleashed!

It could no longer hold its ground within the Eight Aspect Worlds. This was not its domain; here it was completely passive. The only way was to break out, or the result would be one thing alone—defeat and death.

A stroke of uncanny, god-defying power was unleashed. Deathly aura filled the air, spirits and gods wailed between heaven and earth, heavenly thunder rolled, and phantoms of gods and demons actually materialized in the sky.

Grimacing evil ghosts and gods with pierced hearts rushed toward Xiao Chen together. They shattered the golden earth waves, extinguished the blazing divine fire, blocked the space-tearing hurricane—and slowed the revolving Eight Aspect Worlds.

This was an extremely sinister affair. The Little Li Flying Dagger technique had always been called a peerless wonder of heaven and earth, a nearly demonic divine ability. Some things were simply beyond comprehension.

Xiao Chen's eyes shot forth two brilliant beams of divine light. He was on high alert. The scene before him was too eerie; a single misstep could bring death.

"Wooo..."

Wailing gods lunged at him with claws bared, already touching his sleeve—which instantly dissolved to ash. This deeply shocked Xiao Chen. The Earth phase rotated into place, tearing open space and devouring all the near phantoms, briefly resolving the crisis.

What was happening? Xiao Chen felt a deep bewilderment. How could those phantoms attack him? And space was being affected—time itself seemed to warp and slow. Could it be that the terrifying Little Li Flying Dagger could even influence time and space? How else could it be so sinister and fearsome?

This strike was not aimed at Xiao Chen. Instead, it ripped a spatial tunnel straight through the Eight Aspect Worlds, and the blade rushed into it like a flying arrow.

The flying dagger had carved a spatial passage!

It ignored the barriers of space, traveling through different dimensional layers! And so the blade escaped the Eight Aspect Worlds.

By the time Xiao Chen understood, it was too late. The sky full of weeping gods and ghosts vanished, and heaven and earth returned to clarity. The blade stood still in the sky not far away, a flickering dagger of crystalline light between its fingers, murderous aura surging to the heavens.

They had returned to their starting point, facing each other with merciless gazes. Both their robes were stained with blood—blood coughed up when wounded.

The first round ended in a draw.

Just now, Xiao Chen's Eight Aspect Worlds had not yet displayed their ultimate power, but he knew the legendary Little Li Flying Dagger should also have even stronger expressions. Therefore, he still dared not relax in the slightest.

After all, before this, eight experts from the Buddhist Kingdom—including Yizhen—had encountered thirteen elite cultivators from the Great Shang Empire and the Roman Empire. Of the three who died, two had been killed by the blade's sure-kill technique, enough to prove his unfathomable strength.

The sky was eerily silent. No one spoke. All eyes were fixed on the two figures in the air—a true battle of experts, a combat that was still as water when motionless, but earth-shattering when stirred.

Xiao Chen stood motionless like a fossil that had existed since ancient times. The Eight Aspect Worlds expanded without limit, eight overlapping spaces seeming to envelope the entire sky.

But he knew that even within the Eight Aspect Worlds, the Little Li Flying Dagger could still be unleashed. His move was merely to maximally hinder the blade's release.

According to legend, the Little Li Flying Dagger was the unity of one's entire essence, energy, and spirit—a burst of blade intent launched in an instant. Sealing space was useless.

Moreover, Xiao Chen recalled certain legends: true inheritors of the flying dagger all received the spiritual imprint of the previous generation, the true "Little Li's" personal transmission, containing an indestructible, unstoppable blade intent. That was an alternative Mark of the Dao!

Xiao Chen's speculation deepened. The phantoms of slain gods likely resided within that murderous blade intent—they were the manifestations of deities "Little Li" had once slain!

"Wooo..."

Gods wailed. A peerless, breathtaking strike was unleashed once more.

Space annihilated itself. Endless spirits and demons roared. The corpses of angels and devils appeared.

Xiao Chen's eyes shot forth two dazzling beams, sharp as sword-light. Clanging resonance filled heaven and earth.

His Weapon-Melting Divine Art activated; the Eight Aspect Worlds manifested. His hands blazed like heavenly blades, space overlapping, constantly flickering and extinguishing, resisting the attack.

Murderous aura instantly charged into the clouds. The Little Li Flying Dagger appeared! Emerging from the annihilated space! Aimed directly at Xiao Chen's throat!

A streak of flowing light, though brief, was like the light of doom. In that fleeting instant, it became the sole focus of heaven and earth!

Xiao Chen's throat instantly split open with bloody light—the blade aura had arrived first, even though the dagger itself was still a finger's breadth away.

His right palm, infused with the Golden Divine Halberd, shot out at the critical moment, barely blocking the death-dealing strike!

But this time, the flying dagger was utterly different from the previous two. Like a meteor changing trajectory, it traced breathtaking arcs, sliding out from between Xiao Chen's fingers.

Time and space seemed to freeze. The Little Li Flying Dagger once more passed through space, vanished, and then—"Pfft!"—stabbed into Xiao Chen's shoulder. Blade aura instantly entered his body.

Xiao Chen's physical form nearly collapsed. If not for the sixteen divinized acupoints instantly erupting with boundless life energy, every bone in his body might have shattered.

Even so, he spat out a mouthful of blood and nearly fainted.

Enduring the searing pain, he spewed a mouthful of lifeblood. The Little Li Flying Dagger that had entered his body was forced out, followed by a gush of sky-piercing blade aura that he expelled from his flesh.

His eyes blazed with cold light. Like a wounded beast, Xiao Chen roared and charged toward the peerless blade.

The Eight Aspect Worlds revolved. This time, the four phases of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water moved together. Though not all eight, their power was overwhelming—far beyond before.

Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water seemed to re-evolve, spurting strands of chaotic primal energy. Xiao Chen condensed them into sword-light of murderous intent, slashing toward the blade.

Blazing chaotic radiance burst forth. Those strands of chaotic primal energy resembled the four death-swords of Lord Tongtian—unbreakable, unstoppable!

Xiao Chen's black hair stood on end. Wounded heavily by the Little Li Flying Dagger, he was now enraged. The trump card he had planned to keep secret for dealing with the Golden Lion King had been prematurely exposed to the world.

"Clang!"

The moment the Little Li Flying Dagger inheritor was enveloped by the Eight Aspect Worlds, blade-light continually burst from his fingertips, countering the chaotic sword-qi!

But even his flying daggers, forged from a thousand tempered sacred weapons, could not withstand the chaotic sword-qi. Five crystalline daggers shattered in succession.

A hazy strand of chaotic sword-qi instantly pierced the blade's right thigh. Blood splattered. The Little Li Flying Dagger inheritor's face changed drastically.

Chaotic sword-qi could not be blocked. It was the purest primal energy from legend.

"Pfft!"

Blood sprayed. The sixth flying dagger shattered. The blade inheritor's left shoulder and right flank were pierced through again, severely wounded—more gravely than Xiao Chen's pierced shoulder. Blood gushed from the wounds, and in some places, white bone was exposed.

First Roman Empire expert Samoth, the peerless enchanting demoness of the Heavenly Demon Palace, and the pure-hearted, transcendent fairy of the Cihang Sword Lodge all moved at once, turning into three streaks of light that rushed into the Eight Aspect Worlds.

Samoth held an ancient scripture that flipped open continuously, spewing enormous golden characters to counter the chaotic sword-qi. Even when the golden characters were shattered, the ancient book remained unharmed, blocking a great wave of killing aura.

The peerless enchantress of the Heavenly Demon Palace danced her devilishly graceful body, twisting space itself. Dimensional passages opened, swallowing the overwhelming chaotic sword-qi.

The fairy of the Cihang Sword Lodge drew her celestial sword, immediately dimming the mountains and rivers. Heaven-and-earth-rending sounds burst forth. Beneath her ethereal, otherworldly exterior lay a killing heart of exquisite resolve that soared to the nine heavens! Peerless sword-light annihilated space, connecting to the remnants of an unknown dark domain, channeling the chaotic sword-qi away.

Xiao Chen roared to the heavens, his disheveled hair flying wildly as he battled four great experts alone, without a trace of fear. The light in his eyes was cold and merciless. Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water were about to re-evolve chaos.

Legend says that earth, fire, wind, and water evolving into chaos is the power of creation, capable of opening new worlds...