During Aono's years in the No Immortals Realm, he had evidently forged extraordinary achievements.
Not only did his cultivation advance rapidly, but his reincarnation swordsmanship also underwent intense refinement, transforming completely.
Coupled with his inherent stellar body, his current strength was likely on par with the pre-Dao Proving level of Gu Tiangang, almost indistinguishable!
Lu Qingyang gazed at the fierce battle on Tianyang Cave, where the mysterious young expert was none other than Aono, who had resided long in the No Immortals Realm.
Since Aono entered that secret realm, Lu Qingyang had paid him little attention. After all, the followers of the Heavenly Court chat group numbered in the billions, and even though Aono was a standout among them, he couldn't keep him in mind constantly.
Moreover, Aono was only at the peak of the fifth tier in the past, and even as a saint, he was no longer exceptional in Lu Qingyang's eyes.
Only those beyond the saint level could catch his eye.
However, the Qingyang Immortal Nation did not regard this lightly.
Aono had trained for many years in the No Immortals Realm, gaining fame with his reincarnation swordsmanship. Though others might not know his true identity, the high ranks of the Immortal Nation were well aware.
When Aono first entered the No Immortals Realm, he had interactions with Elder Lu Wanqing of the Immortal Nation, a fact known to other high-ranking officials.
This time, to counter Tianyang Cave, the Immortal Nation specifically sought Aono's assistance, as one of their strategic moves.
The strong warriors of the Immortal Nation mobilized fully, primarily attacking the deeply rooted Taixu Cave, while the remaining forces confronted Tianyang Cave.
Relying solely on Zuo Ling, how could they flatten Tianyang?
At this moment, above Tianyang Cave, the reincarnation swordsmanship danced in the air, intertwining the forces of life and death, aiming to obliterate everything. Even a saint's vitality showed signs of collapse under this pressure.
Zuo Ling's strength was also formidable. In his fierce battle with the Shengyang Saint, his understanding of the Transformation Sword Technique deepened, and the two of them together forced the Shengyang Saint to proceed cautiously.
Previously, Zuo Ling had severely injured the Shengyang Saint with dozens of top-grade sixth-tier talismans, leaving his strength unrecovered to its peak.
After watching for a moment, Lu Qingyang had a conclusion: unless unexpected changes occurred, this battle would likely end in a three-way draw.
Aono and Zuo Ling both halted at the sixth tier, with Aono still in the late stage of the sixth tier, yet to reach perfection.
If he could break through, Aono would surely stand shoulder to shoulder with Gu Tiangang, becoming a dominant force.
Zuo Ling was slightly inferior to Gu Tiangang, but if he could make further progress in the Transformation Sword Manual or fully control the quasi-emperor bloodline, matching Gu Tiangang wouldn't be difficult.
As for the Shengyang Saint, being a Dao-proven saint, his strength was naturally formidable, yet compared to Dao Xuanshan of the Ancient Wild Cave and the ancient saints of Taixu Cave, the Shengyang Saint was only at the early stage of the seventh tier, equivalent to a second-turn saint, somewhat inferior.
Though his strength was impressive, killing Aono and Zuo Ling would not be easy. After all, he had just awakened from slumber, and his power had not fully returned to its peak.
Therefore, Lu Qingyang asserted that unless changes occurred, this battle would conclude in a three-way draw.
However, even so, it was not a fortunate event for Tianyang Cave.
The Qingyang Immortal Nation's army surrounded them, with formations rising and falling continuously, turning the cave into a battlefield of Shura in an instant.
Despite being an ancient cave, after the fall of Qiuchengfeng, Tianyang Cave had been oppressed by two major caves, greatly diminishing its strength, making it hard to withstand the fierce attack of the Immortal Nation.
As long as they could contain the Shengyang Saint, Tianyang Cave would be doomed.
Lu Qingyang was well aware of this, and so was the Shengyang Saint.
Seeing the cave's strong warriors falling one after another, a ruthless gleam flashed in the eyes of this ancient saint, as if he had made a decision.
In an instant, the Shengyang Saint's vitality burst forth like a blazing sun, shattering the void with extraordinary power. He was burning his essence blood, injecting it into the ancient cauldron, causing the saint's treasure to unleash a terrifying pressure.
Aono's expression changed slightly, as the reincarnation sword energy around him formed a yin-yang grinding disc, circulating the forces of life and death to dissolve this tremendous impact.
At the same time, Zuo Ling's sword energy was cold and intimidating, converging into a towering sword gang, slashing through space.
"Boom—"
The three forces collided fiercely, the saint's treasure radiating brilliantly, instantly dissolving the two torrents of sword energy.
Aono and Zuo Ling trembled violently, spitting blood, while the Shengyang Saint's aura also waned. Seeing the two injured, he felt slightly relieved and was about to suppress the remaining forces of the Immortal Nation.
Suddenly, a chilling aura silently spread from the void, and a sword light silently pierced through space, aiming directly at the Shengyang Saint's heart.
Caught off guard, the Shengyang Saint was horrified, not expecting a hidden expert to strike from the shadows, failing to defend in time.
"Slash!"
The sword light pierced the saint's body, erupting in a blood mist.
The intense pain twisted the Shengyang Saint's face, and in an instant, his muscles tensed, locking the sword inside his body. He then punched the space, trying to force out the hidden attacker.
Ye Jiu reacted swiftly, decisively abandoning the sword and retreating, causing the Shengyang Saint's strike to miss, stirring up turbulent waves.
"Bastard!"
The Shengyang Saint roared in fury.
Ye Jiu managed to escape, while the Shengyang Saint's eyes flashed coldly. Enduring the pain, he pulled out the sword from his body, with blood gushing out, but the wound scabbed over in an instant.
Just as he was about to kill Ye Jiu, Aono and Zuo Ling's attacks resumed, forcing the Shengyang Saint back into a bitter struggle...