Chapter 755: A Third-Grade Immortal Artifact?

"What a fine sword..." Shi Chuankong's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but praise.

Although Han Li's gaze also lingered on the silver-edged longsword for a moment, his attention was more focused on Hu San.

At this moment, Hu San looked somewhat different from his usual self. Layers of semicircular arcs of light shimmered around him, as if a layer of phantom shadows had enveloped his body, making his figure appear indistinct.

After watching for a while, Han Li felt his eyes grow sore and couldn't help rubbing his brow.

Just then, Hu San, holding the sword in his right hand, flicked his free left hand again, and a golden light lit up at his fingertips, from which a gleaming golden spirit-pattern talisman emerged.

Han Li's gaze swept over the talisman, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. He felt that the talisman was extremely rich in spiritual power, as if it were about to overflow and gush out, but he did not recognize it.

"Could this be... the Golden Firmament Spirit Gathering Sword Talisman..." Shi Chuankong raised an eyebrow upon seeing it, exclaiming in surprise.

Hu San seemed to have entered a mysterious state of mind at this moment, turning a deaf ear to Shi Chuankong's words. Although he had clearly been heavily injured earlier, which was no pretense, his aura was now rising steadily, almost returning to his peak condition.

"Fellow Daoist Shi, what is this Golden Firmament Spirit Gathering Sword Talisman?" Han Li asked.

"It's a type of enhancement talisman that can temporarily boost the power of an immortal sword. Its effectiveness varies depending on the material used to make the talisman. Hu San's talisman is a golden-grade one, which is among the highest quality, and it's not an exaggeration to say it's worth a fortune," Shi Chuankong explained, his eyes still fixed on the talisman.

At that moment, Hu San suddenly chanted softly. He waved the talisman pinched between his fingers in the void and slapped it heavily onto the sword blade. The talisman instantly burst into a blaze of golden fire, burning fiercely.

Han Li's eyes brightened as he saw a half-foot-long golden rune emerge on the silver-edged longsword within the golden flames. The sword trembled violently, and the spiritual power emanating from it suddenly surged tenfold.

The grade of this immortal sword also rose with the surge in power, reaching almost the level of a fifth-grade immortal artifact.

At the same time, Hu San's footwork changed, and his figure swayed. Over a dozen phantom shadows, each hundreds of feet tall, appeared around him, like external Dharma forms, treading the Big Dipper steps and wielding swords as they moved.

Upon seeing this, the Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor's narrow, elongated eyes flickered with a glint of light.

"Chop!" Hu San's body and technique moved in unison as he let out a fierce shout.

The dozen or so figures suddenly turned, their longswords gleaming brightly, tracing a series of enormous, hazy sword shadows in the air as they simultaneously slashed at the cyan chain.

A sharp clang rang out!

A dazzling sword light suddenly blossomed on the cyan chain, like a lamp in a dark room, so blinding that it was impossible to look directly at.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh"

A series of howling winds sounded from the point where the sword and chain collided, stirring up fierce gusts that made the clothes of Han Li and the others rustle loudly.

"Such powerful sword energy..." Shi Chuankong, shielding himself with one hand, couldn't help but admire.

Ti Hun, still not fully healed from her injuries, could only stay farther away and dared not approach.

Han Li also stepped back half a pace, his eyes unable to face the dazzling sword light, but inwardly he sighed slightly.

He noticed that although Hu San's strike seemed powerful, the chain it struck remained almost motionless, not even swaying significantly.

"Rumble"

Just then, a low, muffled thunderclap came from the depths of the Evil Cleansing Pool.

Immediately after, a cyan lightning bolt, shaped like a flood dragon, raced along the cyan chain from the depths of the pool, arriving almost instantly.

"Boom!" A loud crash!

Before the brilliant sword light from the silver-edged longsword could diminish even slightly, the cyan lightning bolt slammed into it, shattering it instantly into countless fragments that shot out in all directions.

Within the shattered sword light, a huge ball of spherical lightning appeared, filled with surging cyan light and thunderous flashes. Vaguely, Hu San's figure could be seen, wrapped in a halo of lightning, enduring the electric strikes but unable to escape.

Hu San's body trembled violently within the electric light, letting out heart-wrenching screams.

Outside the spherical lightning, massive cyan electric bolts continuously discharged, causing the void to crack and pop with explosions. The air was filled with a burnt smell, and even Han Li felt secretly alarmed, as the power was a hundred times stronger than the heavenly tribulation lightning he had faced during his ascension.

"This is bad..." Shi Chuankong, seeing the dire situation, cried out in alarm. He wanted to lend a hand but found no way to intervene.

Ti Hun was still quietly healing her injuries, but she couldn't help furrowing her brows slightly as she looked at her master.

Han Li was alarmed, but his body remained motionless as he shifted his gaze slightly, secretly observing the Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor.

The latter still maintained a prostrate posture, and the streaks of cyan lightning traveled along the chains binding him, striking his body and causing his fur to stand on end, yet he seemed utterly unaware, his expression calm and free of any pain.

Seeing that Fox Three was about to collapse, the Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor narrowed his eyes again out of habit. His gaze was as placid as an ancient well, showing neither disappointment nor surprise. Suddenly, one of his enormous tails rose, swept through the air, and coiled around the cyan chain.

His expression shifted abruptly, and a dark light radiated from his body. A violent aura swept outward. The massive tail coiled around the cyan chain lifted upward, dragging the thick chain with a clattering sound into the air.

"Go!"

The Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor gave a soft shout, and the raised tail slammed down heavily.

The cyan chain trembled violently. A dense dark light burst from the tail of the Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor, surging along the chain's arc like a giant wave on the sea, rushing toward the massive spherical lightning.

A violent explosion resounded!

The dark light and the spherical lightning collided and burst apart simultaneously.

A sky full of cyan electric light and black light masses mingled together, spreading in all directions. A fierce gale of wind and energy immediately dispersed, shaking the surrounding void.

Han Li and the others, seeing this, activated their protective spiritual light and retreated rapidly.

The Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor chuckled, and another of his tails swept forward, blocking in front of the group, shielding them from the incoming storm behind the tail.

After several dozen breaths, the ear-piercing howls gradually subsided. The cyan lightning and black light masses had completely dissipated, and the surroundings returned to normal.

The Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor slowly withdrew that tail, while the tip of another tail coiled around Fox Three, pulling him in front of Han Li and the others.

Fox Three's clothes were tattered, and his body was covered with scorched wounds. Though he looked miserable, the injuries were only superficial and not serious. However, the silver-edged longsword in his hand had dimmed spiritual light, indicating considerable damage.

"Thank you, Ancestor, for your rescue and protection. I was too reckless..." Fox Three sheathed his sword, bowed, and said with some shame.

"For a cultivator of merely the Taiyi stage, launching such a powerful attack is already commendable. But your temperament still needs tempering. Why were you so hasty without understanding the situation? Even if your sword is a sixth-grade immortal artifact, and you used talismans to forcibly enhance it to a pseudo-fifth-grade at the cost of its spiritual energy, you still cannot break this Azure Thunder Lotus Chain, let alone with a true fourth-grade immortal artifact." The Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor shook his head and said slowly.

Han Li inwardly scoffed, thinking that since the old fox knew Fox Three couldn't break it, why didn't he stop him earlier?

"A... a fourth-grade immortal artifact can't break this chain?" Fox Three, ignoring Han Li's thoughts, asked directly.

"Indeed. These four chains in the Cleansing Pool were refined by the Netherworld Tribe with great effort, using various rare materials gathered from the Immortal and Grey Realms. They are inscribed with multiple enhancement runes, perfectly integrating with the pool. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to trap me for so many years." The Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor continued.

"Since even a fourth-grade immortal artifact can't break these chains, I'm afraid we are powerless..." Shi Chuankong frowned and said.

"To break these chains on me with your combat strength, you would likely need to activate a third-grade immortal artifact or higher to have a chance." The Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor squinted, glancing subtly at Han Li, and said.

Hearing this, Fox Three's expression turned grim, and he said helplessly:

"Third-grade immortal artifacts are rare even in the Immortal Realm. Most Daluo cultivators can barely possess one. Only Dao Ancestors can casually store them. Here in the Grey Realm, where can we find such a treasure?"

Shi Chuankong's eyes flickered with hesitation, as if he wanted to speak but stopped, ultimately remaining silent.

The Luozha Pipa in his hand was a third-grade immortal artifact, but it held great significance for their demon race, so he chose not to offer it.

The Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor's gaze swept over each of them, finally settling on Han Li.

"This young friend possesses a third-grade immortal artifact. I wonder if you would be willing to lend it to help this old man?" He squinted, his massive fox face giving an illusion of a half-smile, and asked.

Han Li was startled inwardly, but puzzled as to which third-grade immortal artifact the ancestor referred to—the golden disc obtained from the True Word Sect, the Heavenly Fox Blood Saber, or the Vial hanging around his neck?

Among all his possessions, only these three treasures had grades he couldn't discern.

Before Han Li could speak, Fox Three suddenly seemed to realize something and exclaimed joyfully: "Brother Li, you have a third-grade immortal artifact? Is it that strange blood saber? Can you lend it? Our clan will surely reward you handsomely afterward."

Han Li sighed inwardly and tried to contact Shi Qinghou with his divine sense, but the latter seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber, giving no response.

After a moment's hesitation, he turned his wrist and produced the Heavenly Fox Blood Saber.

As the saber appeared, the Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor's gaze visibly flickered, and he said, "Indeed, this is it."

"Senior, forgive me for speaking out of turn. Given what happened when Fellow Daoist Fox Three attacked, even with this Heavenly Fox Blood Saber, I have no confidence in cutting this chain." Han Li said with an apologetic expression.

"With your strength alone, naturally you cannot sever this Azure Thunder Chain." The Heavenly Fox Dao Ancestor said slowly.

"What do you mean by that, Senior?" Han Li was taken aback.