“Boom!” Eight-hundred Commander personally led the bandits against the sword formation. Alas, the latter appeared to be an impregnable fortress.

Nonetheless, the bandits were far from being weak. Their continuous barrages made the island tremble violently. The sword formation pulsed with instability. Perhaps the bandits could actually take it down once given enough time.

Meanwhile, spectators were in awe. This nameless sword formation was actually powerful enough to withstand the forces of Cloud Dream Lake.

They speculated about these mercenaries hired by Li Qiye. The fact that they could use this formation indicated that they should be famous.

The big shots contemplated the origin of the formation, believing that it should be from a dao lord lineage.

At the same time, Tie Jian and A’zhi were watching from a distance with their hands crossed in front of their chest. It was as if this had nothing to do with them even though the sword formation was wavering.

“Dao Brother, you have done a commendable job raising your disciples. They can watch over an entire region with this formation.” A’zhi praised while watching the rampaging sword energies.

“Youths need polishment and further battle experience. This is good for them.” Tie Jian smiled.

“Yes, so many capable successors.” A’zhi nodded, looking a bit sentimental.

“Speaking of capable successors, you’re in a much better spot. You have so many talents under you while we’re just stray dogs without a home.” Tie Jian said.

“If you’re a dog, then the rest of the world is inferior to dogs.” A’zhi shook his head.

Tie Jian chuckled and didn’t comment.

These two clearly knew each other’s history and background. Only Li Qiye didn’t care enough to ask.

They knew that it wasn’t a question of trust for Li Qiye. It’s just that it didn’t matter who they were or their power. Even dragons needed to coil and tigers needed to crouch before Li Qiye. Having any ulterior motive would only result in their death.

“Whoosh!” Thousands of gigantic arrows suddenly rained down on Eight-hundred Commander. He raised his shield to block them but was still sent flying.

“Who dares ambush me?!” He became furious and apprehensive.

“Me.” A figure appeared in the sky, none other than the phantom-like Jian Sanqiang.

His expression was one of laziness and disdain - rather strange for a combatant facing a worthy foe. He said: “Banished one, I am here to take your life.”

“You!” Eight-hundred Commander was startled to see the newcomer.

Sanqiang nodded and showed a rare serious side: “That’s right, I am here to take your dog life lest you continue to humiliate the clan.”

The listeners didn’t expect this development.

“They have a past?” One expert murmured.

“Sounds like they might be from the same branch or clan.” A last-gen member became curious.

“Looks like it, I heard that this bandit was from an ancient clan. As for Jian Sanqiang, I’m not sure, people say that he’s just a vagabond.” A knowledgeable cultivator added.

Many believed that Jian Sanqiang was just a vagabond with no roots. A few top masters disagreed because they noted that his cultivation wasn’t chaotic. On the contrary, it was profound and required deep foundations and resources. Thus, he must be from an important clan.

Sanqiang never talked about his background and rarely interacted with others. As for the commander, everyone knew him as an island lord, a king of bandits.

However, his history before that was a blur outside of uncertain rumors. Now, maybe they were both from an ancient clan but for some reason, the commander was banished.

“Hahaha, you overestimate yourself if you think you alone can kill me here in my own domain. If the old man were here, maybe I would be a little bit afraid…” The commander burst out in laughter.

“Don’t worry, you’ll see him soon enough because I’ll be taking your head to him.” Sanqiang interrupted him.

“Hmph, let’s see how much you have learned from him!” The commander roared.

“Take this!” Sanqiang didn’t waste time and reloaded his bow again. Another barrage of arrows came straight towards the commander.

“Bring it!” The latter raised his shield again, crushing the spatial fabrics.

“Boom!” The two of them flew upward and began a devastating fight.

They were from the same sect despite having drastically different weapons and merit laws. Nonetheless, they had a strong understanding of each other’s abilities and fighting styles.

Weaker spectators had a hard time keeping up with their lightning-fast moves.

On the other side, the other island lords still kept the siege going against Dark Dragon Island.

“Clank!” The sword formation held on while releasing numerous swords and slashes. One could mistake them for heavenly waterfalls pouring from above.

People became increasingly convinced that this was absolutely a dao lord-level formation. The power might not be there right now but it certainly had the potential.

On the other side, Abyss Scion and Ning Zhu also fought fiercely. Their slashes and sword energies filled the entire area, forcing the crowd back as a result.

Ning Zhu’s sword art was peculiar since it didn’t originate from Wooden Sword. Each move contained boundless mysteries and golden particles. She resembled a magnificent golden god at this moment.

The spectators were curious since this art was actually keeping up with Abyss Sword Dao. Of course, she was still at a disadvantage but this battle wouldn’t end any time soon.

“What a black horse.” One big shot said: “Not weak at all, Princess Ning Zhu is a contender for the top spot.”

“True.” An ancestor agreed: “If the scion didn’t have a heavenly sword dao and Violet Abyss, he might not be her opponent.”

“I believe this is why Sea Emperor insists on this marriage. Her incredible talent has to be the answer.” An old lord added.

All in all, the crowd was shocked by her actual power. Though she was one of the Ten Sword Prodigies, their first impression of her was that she would become the future queen of Sea Emperor.

“You have another strong rival.” The spectating Snowcloud Princess smiled at Goldflow Young Noble.