The remaining few members of the Li family were the elite of the Li family's collateral branch. Apart from a few uncles and cousins whose depths Li Yi couldn't fathom, the rest were all at the pinnacle of Fighter level. Such individuals, having reached this level, naturally carried a sense of pride. They couldn't bring themselves to gang up on Li Yi, who seemed to be just a Crystal Fighter. Moreover, Li Yi's strength had already shocked them. If they ganged up and won, it would be fine, but if they lost, they could not afford to lose face.
"Master Li Yi, if you step back now, I will not make a move," said a man with a cold face, stepping forward. He held no weapon, but his palms were unusually large and rough, evidently a practitioner of a powerful Li family fighting technique. Li Yi frowned slightly. This man, just standing there, gave him an inexplicable sense of oppression. Li Yi didn't know which powerful cousin he was from the collateral branch, but it didn't hinder him. He just shook his head, revealing a slight smile, and said lightly, "Do you think I can still retreat under these circumstances?"
The man looked around and sighed, "Indeed not... But I will not take advantage of you. I specialize in unarmed combat. You can't beat me barehanded. I'll give you time to arm yourself."
Li Yi shook his head slightly, "It's okay. For me, it's the same with or without a weapon. Let's not be so polite!"
The man didn't persuade further and nodded lightly, "Alright, then please be careful, Master Li Yi." As he finished speaking, his palms began to glow with a faint red Dou Qi, fluttering like flames. Li Yi recognized it as the Li family's ancestral Huyun Jue, a widely practiced and powerful technique within the Li family.
Standing still, the man's palms subtly shifted, and he suddenly slashed towards Li Yi. A sound of tearing wind accompanied the red Dou Qi blade slashing diagonally towards Li Yi. Sensing the sharp momentum, Li Yi stepped back half a step, and a black Dou Qi appeared on his right hand, similarly slashing forward.
"Boom—" The two Dou Qi collided mid-air with a loud noise. Clearly, Li Yi's Dou Qi was slightly weaker. He frowned and involuntarily took another half step back. This was the first time Li Yi had retreated since entering the hall and the first time he adopted a head-on approach. But this exchange caused his chest to churn with blood, and a taste of blood seemed to spread in his mouth.
"This Fighter at the peak is indeed different from ordinary trash," Li Yi sighed inwardly. "But after all, a Fighter is just a Fighter!" With this thought, Li Yi couldn't help but smile, somewhat self-mockingly, "It seems I'm really not suited for head-on clashes. So, you better be careful!"
As his words fell, Li Yi's figure flashed forward like lightning. The man frowned slightly and swung his hands together, sending another Dou Qi blade towards Li Yi. Li Yi's figure twisted impossibly to the side, the Dou Qi blade grazing his face and cutting off a section of his hair. Even so, his right hand eerily landed on the man's chest.
With a soft "crack", the man's chest caved in. Blood trickled from his seven orifices, and after stumbling back a few steps, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Li Yi's face showed a playful expression, but his right palm was twitching, barely holding back a tremor. The Fighter at the peak was indeed not to be underestimated. Although Li Yi had wounded him in one strike, the recoil had rendered his right hand temporarily useless.
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Li Yi's heart grew solemn. Having fought to this extent, he couldn't back down at this crucial moment. "Bring me a sword!" he finally said.
Catching the long sword thrown by Li NaNa, Li Yi's left hand flickered, and the sword traced a dazzling arc. The hall erupted in amazement. Li Yi's right-hand swordsmanship had been sharp and unmatched, but now, wielding a sword in his left hand with just a light flick, his momentum was no less formidable. For Li Yi, there was no significant difference between his left and right hands. Ordinary people might have a dominant hand, but Li Yi had overcome this limitation in his previous life, and he hadn't neglected this skill in this world.
With a sword in hand, Li Yi emanated a terrifying killing intent. He looked at the remaining few people and said lightly, "Come at me together. Don't waste my time!"
The two men in front exchanged glances, both showing a hint of surprise in their eyes. The defeat of their comrade had indeed astonished them. Now they took a careful look at this young master of the Li family. Their hands simultaneously reached for the sword hilts at their waists.
"Clang—" Another crisp sound rang as swords and sabers intersected in mid-air, sparking a series of flames. Among the two, only the one on the left took the initiative, while the one on the right just squinted, seemingly trying to find flaws in Li Yi's saber technique. But Li Yi's saber moves were long and continuous, forcing his opponent to defend with full strength without any room for evasion.
After three consecutive slashes, Li Yi forced his opponent to step back half a step. Suddenly, he drew back his saber, tapping it against the left side and landing it precisely on the man's wrist. The man's hand trembled, and his long sword fell to the ground.
Although the blow didn't injure him, the man's face was filled with astonishment, showing no intention of continuing the fight. The scene momentarily stagnated, and Li Yi slowly withdrew, revealing a faint smile. The defeated man's face alternated between red and white, and finally, he retreated with a bitter smile. Li Yi let out a cold laugh, his long sword twirling in his hand as he lunged forward again.
"Enough!" A thunderous shout suddenly erupted. It was none other than the Li family's Great Elder. His face was extremely ugly as he glared at the domineering Li Yi, looking as if he wanted to swallow him whole. His eyes flickered unpredictably, reflecting his complex inner turmoil. Mo Yi, sitting in a higher position, understood the Great Elder's thoughts quite well. The Great Elder had been single-mindedly aiming to place the collateral branch on the patriarch's seat, believing that the direct line of the Li family, represented by Li Han, was in decline. With the apparent lack of a successor, ascending to the patriarch's position seemed easy. However, he hadn't expected Li Yi, notorious as a waste, to display such strength. At Li Yi's age, being able to repel nearly a hundred personal guards of the Mo family and defeat dozens of Li family members in the hall without showing any signs of defeat, his talent was a once-in-a-century phenomenon. With such performance, unless someone killed him on the spot, who in the Li family could surpass his prestige? The position of the family head was undoubtedly destined for him!
At the same time, Mo Yi felt complicated. The emergence of Long Aotian from the Long family had already irked him, but now Li Yi, seemingly surpassing Long Aotian, emerged from the Li family. With these two figures, it might not seem significant at the moment, but in a few decades, the Mo family would certainly be suppressed. This thought added a layer of worry to Mo Yi's annoyance. He began to consider whether to abandon the four Old Coots and instead collaborate with Li Han to avoid being suppressed by the Li family in the future. These complex thoughts flashed through Mo Yi's mind, almost unbelievably.
As for Li Han, he smirked. He had prepared numerous contingencies for his appearance at the Mo family's event, ensuring he wouldn't be passive under any circumstance. But unexpectedly, his 'useless' son had displayed such astonishing strength. What could the few Old Coots of the collateral line do against him now? Especially since their most valued Li Qiao was now crippled, and Li Yi was emerging as the most dazzling talent of this generation in the Li family. Li Han's palms began to slowly circulate Dou Qi, resolving that if anyone dared to harm his son today, they would regret ever being born.
"What exactly do you want, Li Yi!?" The Great Elder asked in a low voice, his face grim. He had intended to order the remaining people to attack Li Yi, but recalling Li Yi's current prowess, he felt a chill in his heart. If his remaining men were also defeated, he could forget about ever reaching the position of the family head.
Li Yi hadn't expected the Great Elder to interrupt him. Although he appeared unexhausted, his heels were softening, and his physical strength was at its limit. If not for his Dou Qi support, he might have collapsed numerous times. After all, killing nearly a hundred and felling dozens, even if they were just ordinary people, would have exhausted anyone. Li Yi wouldn't miss such a rare opportunity. He steadied himself, his gaze settling on the Great Elder, and said with a slight smile, "Great Elder jests, but perhaps this question should be asked of you. As the chief elder of the Li family, your duty is to protect the Li family and its legacy. Yet you wished to send me, Li Yi, to the Mo family, severing the Li family's direct line... What exactly do you want?"
"Great Elder, you've repeatedly sent assassins after me. I originally didn't want to appear tonight, but you sent that waste along with two uncles to kill me in my room. If not for some luck, wouldn't my head be severed by now? What exactly do you want with such actions?"
"Great Elder, you've also used the incident three months ago to force my father to yield and cede the position of family head to you. For this, you allowed outsiders to freely choose fighting techniques and skills from our Li family's Wuge, don't you know that these skills are the foundation of the Li family's thousand-year standing? To discard the foundation so easily, what exactly do you want, Great Elder!?"
The two sides had already torn their faces apart, and Li Yi pointed out the Great Elder's faults word by word, turning his old face dark. Although these matters were well known to everyone, Li Yi's direct confrontation made any reconciliation with the Great Elder impossible. The Great Elder, who had suppressed his rage, was ignited by Li Yi's words. He chuckled coldly, and a red light flashed in his eyes. The murderous intent he had been suppressing surged forth like a tsunami. Now, apart from Li Yi, who wore a faint smile, he saw nothing else.
"Arrogant! Presumptuous! Deserving of death!!!"