Born as an ant, I was summoned to ascend to immortality.

Chapter 49 Returning to the Ruins

"I'm afraid Zhou Li won't even be able to withstand a single move!" A chorus of exclamations arose from the disciples watching the battle.

Zhou Li remained motionless, but he swiftly formed a hand seal in front of his chest with his left hand, chanting softly, "Mysterious Origin Draws Water, Heavenly Mist Manifestations!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the spell was completed. When the spell was unleashed, clouds and mist rose and filled the air.

This mist was not ordinary dust or water vapor, but rather a manifestation of a wondrous technique containing water-based spiritual power. It rose at an astonishing speed, instantly enveloping Zhou Li for dozens of feet.

Someone immediately recognized the technique: "This is... the Mist Manifestation Technique? If I remember correctly, it seems to be a Yellow-rank technique."

"This technique seems to interfere with even the caster's own spiritual thoughts. It is truly unwise of Zhou Li to choose this path to cultivate."

In the thick fog, Zhou Li thought to himself, "Although my meridians are wide and resilient, they have not yet been fully opened up for the Great Circulation. The spiritual power I can mobilize is limited. I cannot fight for a long time. I should avoid their sharp edge and win by surprise."

At this moment, Fang Lan had already crashed into the thick fog, her speed increasing rather than decreasing, and she rushed straight to the spot where Zhou Li had just stood, slashing with her sword.

"boom!"

The sword strike, capable of splitting stone and shattering monuments, sent the blue bricks flying inch by inch. A powerful gust of wind tore a ten-zhang-long clearing through the thick fog, only to be enveloped by the swirling mist once more.

However, Zhou Li had vanished without a trace, and his sword strike had missed its mark.

"Hmm?" Fang Lan frowned slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes.

He probed the mist with his spiritual sense and felt that the water element was unusually active. Deep within the mist, there seemed to be dozens of auras moving about, making it difficult to distinguish the real from the fake.

"A petty trick!" Fang Lan sneered. "If your technique were like the Feng family's 'Blocking String,' capable of trapping and neutralizing the enemy's energy, there would still be a chance of victory. But if it's merely meant to confuse the enemy..."

Before Fang Lan could finish speaking, she suddenly raised her right foot and slammed it heavily onto the fighting platform.

With a muffled "thud," a visible shockwave exploded outwards, momentarily dispersing the mist.

"It's on the right!" exclaimed the crowd below the stage.

In that instant, Zhou Li revealed himself, which was enough for Fang Lan to pinpoint his location.

Fang Lan twisted her body, took a step, and swung her sword. Her movements, honed through countless trials, were executed in one smooth motion. This sword strike, carrying the force of the wind, was aimed directly at Zhou Li, locking onto him with its aura, leaving him no way to dodge.

Shen Qingfang, sitting in the audience, felt her heart leap into her throat and closed her eyes in unbearable pain.

At this moment, a pair of eyes emerged from Zhou Li's collar, the Heavenly Thunder Eyes in full operation. Fang Lan's seemingly invincible sword moves were dissected layer by layer in the eyes, revealing numerous flaws.

He calmly raised his hand, the sword tip pointing diagonally, and effortlessly executed the "Sword Drawing Stance" from the "Cloud Walk and Listen to Rain Sword" technique.

Under the influence of the sword's movements, the surrounding moisture condenses more easily. With the clouds and mist accompanying it, and the water element enhancing it, the sword's momentum gains an even more ethereal, unpredictable, and continuous quality.

Zhou Li thought to himself, "Although my technique cannot trap or neutralize an enemy's strength, when combined with the Cloud-Walking and Rain-Listening Sword, its power is greatly amplified, giving my sword moves the foundation to counter your moves."

"Ding ding ding—!"

The two swords clashed, but there was no deafening roar; all that could be heard was a rapid and continuous clanging of metal.

Zhou Li's three-foot-long sword trembled incessantly, and under the pull of the sword, he actually lightly guided Fang Lan's powerful sword strike to his side.

Before the sword's momentum was exhausted, Zhou Li suddenly twisted his wrist and unleashed a "Piercing Sword Style," a cold light like a white rainbow piercing the sun, directly striking Fang Lan's face!

Even Fang Lan, who was usually arrogant, couldn't help but praise the sword at this moment.

He felt that the opponent's "Sword Drawing Style" had struck precisely at the weakest point in the flow of his sword, causing all the immense power contained in his sword to vanish under its pull.

In his haste, just as he was about to change his move, Zhou Li's "Piercing Sword Style" struck him precisely when his old strength was exhausted and his mind was slightly distracted!

The timing was perfect, as if a pair of eyes could see through his every move.

As the sword tip approached his face, Fang Lan's pupils shrank drastically. He did not retreat an inch and secretly activated the "Mysterious Embryo Unbound Technique". Like Fang Yu, a phantom of a mountain appeared on his body.

At the same time, he slammed his left fist forward like a heavy hammer. He was confident that Zhou Li's sword would not be able to cut through his flesh, while his punch would be enough to break Zhou Li's bones and tendons.

Fang Lan knew that this kind of fighting style of exchanging injuries for injuries was almost shameless, but in order to win quickly, she could not care about saving face.

Although Zhou Li's Heavenly Thunder Eyes could pierce through the fog and decipher sword moves, they could not help him break Fang Lan's defensive techniques.

Adhering to the principle of conserving spiritual energy, Zhou Li's sword stance changed from slashing to striking, transforming the sword into a palm strike. With a palm strike containing skillful force, he aimed at Fang Lan's chest, using the force to gracefully retreat, narrowly avoiding the mountain-splitting, rock-crushing punch.

Fang Lan's punch missed, and when she looked again, Zhou Li's figure had already disappeared into the vast white mist. The contempt on his face completely disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression.

In just this one exchange, Fang Lan knew that he was no match for Zhou Li in swordsmanship. He was unaware of the mystery of Zhou Li's Heavenly Thunder Eye, only knowing that his swordsmanship was superb, and he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

"Could it be that Zhou Li has already mastered the basics of swordsmanship? His swordsmanship is even better than that of the elders in my family. Given time, once he has established his foundation, wouldn't his sword control skills allow him to easily surpass me?"

Fang Lan's expression shifted between light and dark: "If this person grows up, he will surely become a major threat to our aristocratic families. Today, we should take him down with overwhelming force, undermine his prestige, and destroy his Dao heart."

Thinking of this, Fang Lan seemed to have made a decision. She raised her hand and formed a mysterious hand seal, and an even more domineering sense of oppression swept out.

Zhou Li didn't know what Fang Lan was thinking; he only knew that he had achieved his goal.

The intention was to provoke Fang Lan at the outset, hoping that he could finish the battle quickly. If Fang Lan proceeded steadily and slowly, it would be much more difficult for him to deal with the situation given his limited meridian circulation.

Looking at Fang Lan now, one could see that the earth element power around him was rapidly gathering, and a surge of earth element true energy was flowing wildly across his body.

Countless grains of sand and dust rose from beneath his feet, condensing into countless egg-sized, yellowish-brown pellets around his body, swirling and emitting a low hum.

The mist around it was completely dispersed, and the massive fluctuation of spiritual energy even caused the surrounding space to distort slightly.

The disciples watching the battle did not personally experience the danger that had just occurred in the blink of an eye. They only saw Fang Lan swing her sword astray, and Zhou Li retreat after one strike. Then the two of them were shrouded in mist.

At this moment, Fang Lan dispersed the mist around her, and everyone was surprised to see that half of the scene was shrouded in mist, while the other half was filled with flying sand and stones. It seemed that Zhou Li and Fang Lan were evenly matched in their battle.

"This week, Zhou Li actually managed to withstand Fang Lan's sword strikes without retreating!"

"It's merely relying on the power of the mist; how can a mystical cultivator's body possibly withstand a physical cultivator's attack?"

"Look! Fang Lan has actually used the Fang family's secret divine power—Returning Dust to Nothingness!" someone knowledgeable exclaimed.

"Oh no! Senior Brother Zhou is in grave danger!" Fang Yu's face darkened suddenly. "This 'Dust Gathering and Returning to Nothingness' technique is based on acupoints, allowing one to gather countless specks of dust for one's own use."

"Once this technique is activated, thousands of sand and stones will follow with every move. When exchanging blows, the sand and stones will obscure the view and can even transform into mysterious pellets that shoot out on their own, making it comparable to cultivating both body and magic!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing's pretty face turned deathly pale: "What should we do?"

Fang Yu sighed, "I've only ever seen this technique on the elders of my clan. I never imagined that my elder brother had actually mastered it. If I had known this earlier, I would never have let Senior Brother Zhou go on stage."

"It really is this 'Returning to the Void'!" On the deck of the Flowing Cloud Boat, Jiang Yanqiu could not hide his shock. "I had only heard rumors about it before, and this is the first time I have seen this supernatural power of the Fang family in person."

"Zhou Li actually managed to push Fang Lan to this point?" Another disciple found it hard to believe.

Xia Mingduo, standing to the side, pursed her lower lip tightly, her bright eyes fixed on the enigmatic figure on the cloud platform.