Chapter 671 - 618: Candle Dragon Domain
Xiong Yanhong staggered to a stop in front of the water-flow stairway, sneering coldly at Jiang Yuebai and Lu Nanzhi.
"Even if I’m heavily injured, don’t even think you can act recklessly."
The name of True Monarch Wangshu, Jiang Yuebai, was well-known to Xiong Yanhong. Coupled with the previous encounter with Moh Baichun, Xiong Yanhong knew she was no easy opponent. That’s why he didn’t tangle with her when he kidnapped Shen Mingjing earlier.
Furthermore, Jiang Yuebai, being a Guest Elder of the Zhuge Family, would surely stand up for Zhuge Ziyin. Even if she wouldn’t, Xiong Yanhong could not allow the Zhuge family’s people to enter the Divine Palace he had painstakingly opened to take the treasures.
Thinking of this, Xiong Yanhong quickly swallowed a blood-red Elixir. The Demonic Qi on his body immediately began to boil, fusing with the blood from his various wounds. A radiant blood light enveloped him, and his aura rose wildly, instantly advancing from the Nascent Soul Stage to the Early-Stage Divinity Transformation.
Xiong Yanhong’s eyes turned blood-red, clearly extracting all life force within him for a temporary power increase.
The blood aura around him clashed with the air, creating strange roars, forming a blood-colored Qilin phantom that enveloped his entire being.
"Anan, help me hold the front for a moment."
Jiang Yuebai transmitted a message to Lu Nanzhi, whose gaze turned cold as she raised her hand with two fingers.
Zheng!
The Ice Soul Sword flew from her back into the sky. With her arm’s swing, the sword’s shadow split into light, emitting the sounds of ice crystals colliding, transforming into a sea of Cold Ice Sword Tide, like waves surging across the sky.
Compared to the last Cold Ice Sword Tide Jiang Yuebai saw Lu Nanzhi deploy, this tide, majestic and spanning the horizon, left her unable to distinguish if this was real sword aura or actual waves. The surging Water Element Sword Qi and Ice-Moving Sword Qi merged perfectly within.
Lu Nanzhi’s expression was resolute. Before the blood-colored Qilin phantom fully formed, she slashed with her fingers.
The massive waves surged, mountains and rivers poured down!
Xiong Yanhong’s eyes widened in shock, as he hadn’t expected a Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator like Lu Nanzhi to wield such power. He immediately put away his underestimation, fully controlling the Qilin phantom around him. With its forepaw raised, he fiercely clawed at the waves pouring down from above.
Qilin Sea Split!
The air shook violently, and Lu Nanzhi’s Cold Ice Sword Tide was torn open by the Qilin’s sharp claws.
Yet, Lu Nanzhi showed no fear, her hand quickly changing the sword technique.
Green Sea Ice!
Suddenly, from the torn sword tide erupted an extreme cold, fierce Sword Qi, carrying a potent corrosive force, rapidly freezing everything around it.
Even the Qilin phantom condensed from Xiong Yanhong’s own Essence Blood emitted sounds of ice cracking, its movements becoming increasingly sluggish, and the forepaw that tore the sword tide froze into an ice sculpture quickly.
Xiong Yanhong, horrified, hurriedly cut off his arm to protect himself, decisively severing the frozen Qilin phantom’s forepaw, retreating continuously to avoid the sweeping sword tide, drenched in blood shadow.
Simultaneously, he gathered his entire body’s blood shadow, transforming into numerous Qilin claws, launching a torrent-like assault on Lu Nanzhi with terrifying momentum.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The continuous and fierce collisions between Qilin claws and the sword tide swept the ground in front of the Divine Palace gates, causing the floor to buzz loudly.
The originally sturdy ground reverted to its watery form, unleashing surging tides, water droplets splattering, creating a chaotic scene, akin to a sea storm, with a menacing momentum.
While Lu Nanzhi battled Xiong Yanhong with all her might, Jiang Yuebai, enduring the residual effects, took Zhuge Ziyin behind the half-opened White Jade Gate.
She had noticed earlier that, no matter how intense the battle between the two, all the shockwaves were completely absorbed by these jade gates. This was the safest spot.
Zhuge Ziyin was about to speak when Jiang Yuebai interrupted him.
As Jiang Yuebai healed Zhuge Ziyin using the Demon Art ’Transformation’, she coaxed a Pure White Cloud Mushroom from her white hair and communicated with Zhuge Ziyin via transmission.
After hearing Jiang Yuebai’s plan, Zhuge Ziyin widened his eyes in shock. Jiang Yuebai, without giving him a chance to argue, painfully pulled the Cloud Mushroom from her hair and handed it over.
"Use Spiritual Energy to dissolve and absorb it; it will detoxify you. There’s no time to lose, help me!"
In Zhuge Ziyin’s view, he and Jiang Yuebai couldn’t be considered friends, perhaps even at odds. Yet at this moment, Jiang Yuebai’s wholeheartedly healing him, and the sincerity in her eyes when asking for his help made Zhuge Ziyin feel deeply ashamed and undeserving.
Zhuge Ziyin disliked any female getting close, yet now facing Jiang Yuebai up close, he surprisingly felt no discomfort.
He realized that what he cared about, Jiang Yuebai didn’t. Perhaps she never considered him an opponent, never thought of competing with him. It was all his own imagination.
Moreover, Jiang Yuebai didn’t hold the aversion to him that he assumed; he had overthought it all.
In his daze, the Cloud Mushroom had already been pressed into his hand by Jiang Yuebai. She picked up the Candle Dragon Spear beside her and turned to join the fierce battle.
Zhuge Ziyin’s gaze turned solemn. He immediately began absorbing the strange Cloud Mushroom in his hand. As the medicinal power entered his body, the toxic smoke that had rendered him helpless vanished, astonishing him. His gaze at Jiang Yuebai grew more curious and explorative.
"Suspended River!"
Xiong Yanhong’s roar vibrated through the gales as he condensed all his Essence Blood into a blood-colored river, flowing upwards, cascading from above Lu Nanzhi with overwhelming force.
The Cold Ice Sword Tide was instantly shattered into pieces, Lu Nanzhi’s Ice Soul Sword was hurled away by immense force, crashing deep into the ground with intense vibrations, resonating with a sword hum.
Essence Blood is formed by the ultimate concentration of a person’s or monster’s entire strength, containing immensely powerful force.
The oppressive force seeping from the torrent above Lu Nanzhi made even her steadfast Sword Heart tremble involuntarily. Without touching it, she already sensed its terrifying power.
At this moment, a dragon’s roar, accompanied by a crimson light shadow, broke through the air.
Jiang Yuebai’s clothes fluttered as she soared, her spear pointing skyward, confronting the river above.
In that instant, everyone seemed to see a crimson dragon defying the flow, breaking through everything, charging straight into the Dragon Gate.
Deafening roars of the collision erupted madly in mid-air, the blood-red river was effortlessly pierced by Jiang Yuebai’s Candle Dragon Spear.
Jiang Yuebai returned to Lu Nanzhi’s side, her spear planted to the ground, unleashing a sudden arc of crimson light from the spear’s tip.
Roar!!
The dragon’s roar reverberated, Xiong Yanhong struck as if by a heavy blow, spewing blood. His Divine Soul was injured by the Candle Dragon’s furious roar, instantly dispersing much of his blood shadow.
He hastily summoned a Brass Bell Spiritual Artifact with a wave, and its clear, melodious sound immediately stabilized his shaken Divine Soul.
For any Demon Cultivator, during cultivation, they are prone to losing control, requiring strong willpower or a Spiritual Artifact capable of calming the mind to maintain sanity.
Xiong Yanhong, eyes bloodshot, suddenly lifted his head to glare at Jiang Yuebai and the long spear in her hand, which emanated a formidable pressure of Acquired Spiritual Energy.
Previously, when the spear hadn’t activated, he thought it was merely an ordinary Spiritual Artifact. Now he recalled the celestial phenomenon during the emergence of the mystical artifact in the Jiuxiao River Basin earlier.
It turns out she was refining an Acquired Spiritual Treasure!
Gravely injured and unable to sustain himself, Xiong Yanhong staggered down onto the water steps, suddenly feeling a desire to retreat, unwilling to continue the battle.
Jiang Yuebai exchanged a glance with Lu Nanzhi, "Finish this quickly!"
Lu Nanzhi nodded, "Finish this quickly."
The moment the words were spoken, Xiong Yanhong resolutely chose to flee. But Jiang Yuebai, already prepared, gave him a sharp look, her spine and the long spear in her hand simultaneously let out a long dragon roar.
The two sound waves converged, creating ripple after ripple of black waves in the air, akin to ink spreading in clear water. As the ripples spread, all light around was swallowed, plunging the surroundings into utter darkness.
This was her Candle Dragon Domain!