"We take the fight to them!" Icaros declared, turning to face the enemy ship. His mind flooded with memories of the old days when he defended humans on Earth.
"Are you crazy?" Nelly shouted. "Do you really think we can beat them? Or that you can beat them?"
Su Yan signaled her partner to calm down. She was about to speak when Li Han interrupted, his voice sharp and reprimanding.
"Now you shut the fuck up! That brat you look down on-the one who calls you Senior-is capable of casually killing a Grade C beast, and more!"
Nelly's jaw dropped in shock, but she quickly recovered and nodded in understanding.
Icaros wondered to himself why Li Han could shout at and order Nelly around when they were in the same cultivation realm. Even Su Yan didn't seem to mind.
Nelly glanced at Su Yan from the corner of her eye, as if asking a silent question. Su Yan nodded, confirming her suspicion. Nelly's mind went into turmoil.
Li Han continued, "We can't just hide away like cowards. We represent one of the Four Supreme Sects. Let's take it to them. Nelly, Su Yan-lower the shield!"
"No need," Su Yan whispered.
Immediately, she and Nelly ducked down.
Seeing a massive ghost-shaped projectile covered in green, malicious aura heading straight for them, Icaros shouted, "Incoming!" He dove out of the way, unsure of the attack's nature or what it would do to him.
Li Han also took cover. Even the remaining participants huddled together in fear.
A disturbing screech echoed as the ghost face slammed into the blue barrier. Like butter hitting a hot pan, the shield-which had withstood countless bombardments-melted into a huge hole. The barrier flickered and vanished completely, as Su Yan and Nelly had stopped supplying it with spirit qi.
Half of the ghost face melted away, but the rest continued hurtling toward the ship. Everyone imagined the destruction it would cause-huge chunks of the vessel melting away, followed by a catastrophic crash.
Instead, a swirling purple energy sphere, nearly half the size of the ghost face, flew out to meet it. It smashed into the projectile, shattering it into small pieces that faded into nothingness.
All eyes on the ship turned to Li Han. His hands were outstretched, clearly the source of that powerful attack.
The participants couldn't help but cheer at their Senior's awesomeness. Even Su Yan, Nelly, and Icaros had smiles on their faces.
Li Han didn't stop there. He drew his sword, channeling purple energy into it until the blade extended several inches with pure power.
"Their leader is mine!" Li Han declared. His carefree demeanor was gone, replaced entirely by the aura of a warrior.
He roared, took a running start, and exploded into a massive leap, clearly powered by spirit qi-Icaros could see traces of blue energy surrounding his body with his enhanced vision. Li Han landed with a roll directly onto the enemy ship.
The others were not far behind. Icaros ran a few steps, then used his internal flight mechanism to propel himself through the air, landing smoothly beside Li Han.
Su Yan rode her flying handkerchief, circling the enemy ship briefly. She dropped what looked like ice balls that exploded on contact, shattering the enemy cannons.
Meanwhile, Nelly was already locked in combat with the female cultivator who had launched the ghost attack-likely using a magic treasure. Nelly's sword was engulfed in green flames, while her opponent summoned small dragons made of demonic qi, clashing violently.
Li Han had already engaged the enemy leader. His blade, wreathed in purple energy, scorched the ship's floor wherever it touched. His opponent blocked the relentless barrage with his twin axes. Spirit qi propelled Li Han's feet, adding devastating force to every clash.
Icaros faced the remaining three enemies, who stared at him like predators eyeing prey. But just before they could lunge, the one with the shield and sword was suddenly assaulted by exploding white energy orbs, leaving scorch marks on his armor.
It was Su Yan. She flew down to join the fight but was immediately intercepted by the dagger-wielding woman.
Now Icaros was left facing two opponents. One vs Two.
Far from being scared, a grin spread across his face. His only regret was that he couldn't use his full abilities.
Bending down, he ripped a large piece of metal plating from the ship's floor. With superhuman strength, he hurled it at the man with the gauntlets, then lunged at the swordsman.
Boom!
His powerful punch landed squarely on the man's shield, leaving a deep dent and forcing the enemy to stagger. The man was shocked by the sheer force, while Icaros was equally surprised by the shield's durability-though he hadn't used his full strength anyway. It was clearly a magic treasure.
Just as the swordsman recovered, his partner-the man with the gauntlets-shook off the debris and exploded forward with incredible speed. His muscular body twisted as he landed a heavy fist directly on Icaros, sending him crashing into the ship's wall with a loud bang!
Elsewhere, Su Yan fought gracefully. She controlled her sword with one hand to fend off the dagger woman, while conjuring explosive orbs with the other to disrupt attacks.
"How annoying," the enemy woman thought, dodging another orb that slowed her advance toward Su Yan's throat.
Su Yan felt cold sweat run down her back. Her opponent was relentless, but her cultivation method allowed her to keep a calm heart as she struggled to create distance and find an opening.
Slash!
A shallow cut appeared on Li Han's cheek amidst the fierce exchange. The enemy leader laughed. "Come on, Li Han! You can do better than that!"
Enraged, Li Han released a surge of even higher energy. His physical sword actually disintegrated from the power, replaced by a massive blade of pure purple energy extending from his fingers. His eyes burned with determination, locked firmly on his target.
The man laughed again. "Come on then! But you should know-you can't cut through my axes with your method. You'll only end up losing. It's just like last time, isn't it?"
