Naked Sword Art

Chapter 498: Earth Seal: Great Turtle Dome

"This way."

Yan Mei didn’t hesitate. She grabbed Yuan Fei and bolted, while Ye Ming seized Ruo Shi the instant they turned. The two slower girls were lifted off the ground as Yan Mei and Ye Ming carried them out of the collapsing Nameless Guild guildhouse.

Behind them—

The clash of titans erupted.

Li Lian’s Heavenly Flames pulsed with powerful waves of Qi as it collided with Chen Li’s Demonic Blood aura, their battle power stretching far beyond the Divine Realm. Neither woman moved an inch, yet their mere spirit pressure obliterated everything around them. The guildhouse didn’t collapse—it was incinerated, reduced to ash and molten debris in mere seconds.

"Not bad," Chen Li said coldly, "but you’re still not my match."

She raised her hand and bit down on her thumb, blood welling instantly. Without hesitation, she smeared it along her forearm.

"Third Seal — Seal of Transformation. Open."

Her aura detonated.

Crimson Qi erupted outward as a horn tore through her brow and massive wings unfurled from her back, blotting out the light.

For the first time, the unshakable—almost bored—expression on Li Lian’s face fractured.

A flicker of excitement ignited in her eyes.

’Finally,’ she thought, ’someone other than Xiao Fang worthy to test my strength.’

Chen Li’s wings flapped till she was eye level with Li Lian in the air.

"Dance for me, ugly toad," Li Lian said, her beautiful features twisting into a devilish smile.

"Don’t worry," Chen Li replied, her voice low and resonant, heavy enough to shake the soul. "I’ll dance on your corpse."

...

Meanwhile—

Inside a speeding carriage, Supreme Elder Xue Jinghua suddenly turned her head, her brows knitting tightly.

"Mother, what’s wrong?" Xue Li asked, sensing the abrupt shift.

"Return to the clubhouse without me," Xue Jinghua said sharply.

Before another word could be spoken, she leapt from the carriage, her figure streaking back toward the Nameless Guild in a blur of Qi.

"Those girls..." she muttered grimly. "If I don’t contain them, there’s no telling how much damage they’ll cause."

Landing deep within the surrounding forest, Xue Jinghua raised her hands and began weaving rapid, complex seals. Formations shot outward in all directions, embedding themselves throughout the woods.

[ Earth Seal: Great Turtle Dome ]

Pillars of earthen-gold light erupted skyward, converging high above as a massive dome formed around the ruins of the Nameless Guild.

The moment the barrier closed—

BOOM!

A violent shockwave smashed into the barrier, shaking the earth and tearing through the air.

’Damn it,’ Xue Jinghua cursed inwardly.

The battle had already begun—and despite being reinforced with Divine Realm power, the barrier was already teetering on the edge of collapse from the very first clash.

’Just from the shockwave?!’

Xue Jinghua couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Without hesitation, she reached into her spatial pouch and withdrew a treasure—a golden turtle shell, heavy with dense Qi.

She hurled it into the air and fired another formation into it mid-fall. The shell froze in place, then began to rotate, radiating blinding golden light. A beam shot from it into the surrounding pillar formations.

The dome shimmered.

Solidified.

Now, not even a Halfstep-Heavenly Realm attack should have been able to breach it.

’I can’t believe they’re forcing me to use this,’ Xue Jinghua thought grimly.

In the next instant, Chen Li’s body slammed into the barrier as if she had been hurled through the air. Before even a single breath could pass, Li Lian’s foot followed—descending like divine retribution.

Chen Li twisted aside at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the strike—but Li Lian was already on her heels, her pressure relentless.

"Hahahaha! Come here, ugly toad!" Li Lian laughed wildly. "I just want to show you what’s beneath my foot!"

"Crazy bitch," Chen Li thought out loud. "You really think I’m afraid of you!?"

They collided again—then again—then again. This time it was Li Lian that got pushed back, but that only seemed to excite her even more.

...

Xue Jinghua’s breath hitched.

’This—’

A thin crack crept across the barrier. It would take far more than that to shatter the formation—but doubt had already taken root.

’I can’t hold these girls. I need to inform the Matriarch,’ she thought.

With a single thought, a clone split from her body and shot toward the Core Court in a blur, leaving the original behind to desperately maintain the struggling formation.

’How could a Spirit Attribute be so destructive,’ Xue Jinghua thought.

It was common knowledge that the First-Stage Dragon Perception of any spirit attribute was a power reserved for Heavenly Realm experts. Yet Li Lian was still only in the Profound Realm. By all reason, she shouldn’t have been able to draw out even a fraction of that power—let alone wielding it at full strength.

However, Li Lian had a secret, a secret not even the Matriarch was aware of.

...

On the outside of the barrier, Yan Mei stumbled forward and collapsed, still clutching Yuan Fei. Ye Ming landed beside her, lowering Ruo Shi to the ground as the dome sealed shut behind them.

They had escaped—barely.

"Lucky for us," Yan Mei said breathlessly, "that Supreme Elder Xue arrived when she did."

Behind the barrier, the sounds of battle continued—roaring beasts, searing flames, and thunderous explosions that shook the earth.

Only Ye Ming remained silent. She alone knew Chen Li’s true identity. And because of that, her shock ran deeper than anyone else’s.

’To think Li Lian can actually hold her back...’

Ye Ming clenched her fists.

If this fight dragged on... even Supreme Elder Xue might not be enough.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when the formation ruptured.

A pillar of scorching Heavenly Flame and Demonic Blood Qi tore through the barrier, shooting skyward like a signal flare the entire sect could see.

Below it, Li Lian stood firmly on the ground, blood streaking down her beautiful face as she looked up at Chen Li, who hovered above her, wings still beating.

Less than thirty seconds had passed since the battle began—but that was more than enough.

Enough for both of them to grasp the other’s strength.

Enough for Chen Li to realize that killing Li Lian would take far longer than she had anticipated—and that she wouldn’t have the strength left to escape the Black Paradise Sect once reinforcements arrived.

"This isn’t over," Chen Li said coldly as she surged toward the opening in the barrier.

Li Lian scoffed. "What makes you think I’ll let you leave?"