A woman in grey emerged from a ball of black light, the same fox phantom that Qi Zhouzhengping had carried away, no, it was Bai Murong.
Bai Murong’s status was clearly high. As soon as she spoke, the black-robed cultivator named Gui Mo, though unwilling, still retreated.
"Didn't expect this, did you, Bai Shengyi? You failed to kill me before, and now my cultivation is higher than yours."
Bai Murong no longer concealed her identity. She smiled gently, and instantly the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator erupted from her!
Bai Shengyi, caught off guard, took a step back.
This step seemed to please Bai Murong immensely, and she giggled even more happily, covering her mouth.
Bai Murong raised her chin and coldly eyed Bai Shengyi, wishing for everything that happened today to leave an indelible shadow in Bai Shengyi’s heart.
"Oh, I should also thank that prince of the Qi Zhou Kingdom and his subordinates. After consuming two Golden Core cultivators, my cultivation…"
Before she could finish, a sharp sword tip, gleaming with cold light, pointed at her forehead and lunged forward.
Bai Murong retreated rapidly. After narrowly dodging the attack, she angrily exclaimed, "Bai Shengyi, you actually attacked sneakily! You bitch, you're getting more venomous!"
"No matter how venomous I am, I can't compare to you! You wantonly murdered fellow disciples of the academy and then helped cultivators from other continents set up this wicked great formation. Bai Murong, you deserve to die!" Bai Shengyi said coldly, the Chun Hong Sword returning to her hand.
She raised her left hand and drew a character.
"Confine!"
In her right hand, the Chun Hong Sword unleashed countless flower petals imbued with deadly intent.
"Blossom!"
With a stroke of her brush and the swing of her sword, they complemented each other, charging directly at Bai Murong!
As Bai Shengyi's cultivation surged, the net formed by the 'Confine' character became increasingly robust. Bai Murong’s attempt to sever it with her sword failed, and she retreated in shock. Just then, the flying flower petals arrived. Amidst their exquisite beauty, one petal, which she couldn't dodge, plunged directly into her body.
Bai Murong hastily examined the petal internally, only to see a profound and mysterious power surge from within it, assaulting her sea of consciousness with boundless killing intent!
"Ah!"
Bai Murong sensed that her recently strengthened spiritual consciousness had been reduced by a third. Enraged, her eyes reddened as she glared at Bai Shengyi, "Bitch! How can you know such evil arts!"
Bai Shengyi smiled faintly. It was merely spiritual power.
"What? If you can't win, it's evil arts? Then what are you? An evil creature?" Bai Shengyi retorted, "Bai Murong, even if you've reached the Nascent Soul stage, I can still suppress you!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Shengyi's Samsara Brush drew another character: "Snowstorm! Go!"
A fierce wind roared, and snowflakes fell. Instantly, an icy world descended from the sky. Bai Murong felt as if she were in a world of frost and snow, utterly insignificant. She had a growing sense of despair, realizing that even with her Nascent Soul cultivation, she was far from catching up to Bai Shengyi.
Bai Murong took out her spiritual artifact to defend herself. She felt her movements were very fast, and indeed they were, but she didn't notice that time around her seemed to have stretched. Everything in Bai Shengyi's eyes appeared incredibly slow, painstakingly slow.
"Pfft!"
Bai Murong looked down at her chest. Bai Shengyi's sword tip had pierced through, while she herself had only just begun to retrieve her spiritual artifact!
"No!" Bai Murong spat out a mouthful of blood and screamed in disbelief, "This is impossible! How could this happen! I am a Nascent Soul mighty cultivator, why would Bai Shengyi… Ah!"
The familiar sharp pain in her sea of consciousness suddenly struck Bai Murong with immense panic. That profound and mysterious power was once again shattering her spiritual consciousness!
Bai Shengyi could truly kill her!
Bai Murong's heart leaped. She immediately abandoned the fox phantom's body, transforming into a pile of gray threads and fled towards the black pillar of light not far away!
"She's trying to escape, Shengyi!" The Samsara Brush quickly warned.
Bai Shengyi hurriedly drew another 'Confine' character. The character transformed into a cage, temporarily trapping Bai Murong. Then, her spiritual power, like vines, entwined and clung to Bai Murong, completely blocking and then bit by bit shattering Bai Murong's spiritual consciousness!
In a short while, Bai Murong was dead, this time truly and completely gone!
The battle between Bai Shengyi and Bai Murong ended swiftly, so quickly that Gui Mo had just picked up a dripping black stone from the ground.
"Whoosh!"
Bai Shengyi swung her sword. Gui Mo swiftly summoned a banner to block Bai Shengyi's attack.
"Tian Yin Banner?" A female cultivator not far away exclaimed, then loudly warned Bai Shengyi, "Fellow Daoist, this banner cultivates ten thousand ghosts. Legend says the ten thousand ghosts share the same grief, and none survive. You must be careful!"
Ximen Hongchun also frowned, "Bai Shengyi, don't overexert yourself. Just stall them long enough to activate the great formation!"
The banner had already unfurled. Bai Shengyi had no time to respond to the female cultivator or Ximen Hongchun. Her entire mind was being pulled into the Tian Yin Banner!
Sorrow! It was like a soul-rending agony, both grief-stricken and painful!
All sorts of sharp and piercing wails and mournful cries could be heard incessantly, as if one were at the brink of despair, facing a death countdown, instantly evoking the deepest despair and pain in one's heart…
"Ximen Hongchun, hold on for a moment."
The female cultivator and Ximen Hongchun had successively killed two Golden Core cultivators. Seeing that Bai Shengyi was already ensnared by the Tian Yin Banner, and the black-robed cultivator was preparing to continue the sacrifice to activate the formation, the female cultivator immediately flew forward to intercept him.
"With us here, you won't be able to activate the great formation!"
…
The Divine Enlightenment World, the Forbidden Area of the Supreme Sect.
This place was originally forbidden to all, but now, a hidden cave dwelling appeared in the center of the forbidden area. Inside, cultivators sat in a circle awaiting news. If any sect disciples were present, they would surely be astonished into speechlessness.
The reason was simple: the cultivators exuded either Deity Transformation or Great Ascension pressure. Upon closer inspection, they were all either Sect Masters or heirs of sects.
Li Tingyun sat in the very center. The beautiful female cultivator to his lower left smiled charmingly, "Sect Master Li, judging by the time, it should be soon, right?"
Li Tingyun stroked his beard and nodded lightly, "Mm."
A young female cultivator seated diagonally opposite the female cultivator spoke in a low voice, "Will there be any problems with us doing this? The Heavenly Mystery Sword has not yet been found. If the discarded slaves find it and damage it, and the barrier shatters, what if the formation affects our Divine Enlightenment World?"
The female cultivator covered her mouth and chuckled mockingly, "Dao Monarch Yi'an, do you think they can find the Heavenly Mystery Sword that we have searched for so diligently and in vain?"
"Besides, even if they find it, what can they do? Can they destroy the Heavenly Mystery Sword under the protection of so many of us? If everyone were as timid and fearful as you, why cultivate at all? Just become a cauldron!"
Yi'an Dao Monarch, who had a past as a cauldron, changed expression slightly, "Shui Lianyan, what do you mean?"
Shui Lianyan smiled again, her charm radiating, "I mean nothing, I just think you're overthinking things."
As soon as she spoke, a male cultivator beside her added, "Young Sect Master Yi'an, that group of discarded slaves is becoming increasingly uncontrollable. And although the Divine Abandoned Continent has suffered from spiritual energy depletion over the years, it has still produced many talents, which shows its favorable destiny."
"I have already dispatched more personnel to search for the Heavenly Mystery Sword. Once found, the boundary wall will be reinforced," Li Tingyun suddenly spoke.
Shui Lianyan smiled, "That's great. Our Hundred Flowers Sect will certainly cooperate fully."
"Our West Music Sect will also do its best to assist."
"Qishan Pavilion as well."
…
More than a dozen sects pledged their support.
Shui Lianyan added, "In any case, the space of the Divine Abandoned Continent can be shattered, but the boundary wall cannot be broken. We can also send people to visit from time to time, perhaps we can discover the secret of this world's destiny. But for now, we should wait for the great formation to activate, so that everyone can achieve enlightenment and ascend sooner…"
Before Shui Lianyan finished speaking, Li Tingyun, who was seated in the main seat, suddenly changed his expression. He raised his hand to cover his chest and spurted out a mouthful of blood without warning.
"Sect Master Li!"