The two began to gather their Qi again.
This time, the aura of their attack was significantly smaller than the first.
However, in their heavily injured state, as long as they could hit the target, the Queen Mother of the West would hardly survive.
Watching Zhang Tian and the other gather their strength, the Queen Mother of the West's hands trembled slightly.
At the same time, a disturbance seemed to appear within the dark cave.
Concurrently, a surge of Yin energy swept over.
The Queen Mother of the West's previously waning aura instantly recovered.
Simultaneously, her injured body began to heal.
"Fall!"
Zhang Tian and his companion dared not hesitate any longer, launching two attacks directly towards her vital point.
Following their assault, a golden shield appeared before the Queen Mother of the West's eyes.
Meanwhile, their attacks had vanished without a trace.
Zhang Tian and the Queen of Jingjue exchanged a look, both beginning to retreat while replenishing their strength.
Around them, the Yin energy started to spread gradually.
Within the black cave, strange sounds began to emerge.
The Yin Spring, which had been purified by Hu Bayi, was now shaking violently.
The Yin energy, which had been gradually dissipating, suddenly grew stronger and more abundant.
From the Yin Spring, waves of terrifying energy continuously emanated.
Hu Bayi couldn't help but take a step back.
"Lao Hu, what's going on? Why is there suddenly more dark energy?"
Fatty stared at the scene before him, his face filled with astonishment.
Hu Bayi's expression was equally grave as he observed the unfolding situation.
The Yin Spring, once tranquil, now churned like boiling water, emitting energy outwards.
"This is bad. If this continues, the Yin energy will only increase, making things even more difficult for Brother Zhang."
Shirley Yang seemed to have realized something.
She spoke suddenly.
A hint of worry appeared on her face.
Hu Bayi nodded, his tone serious.
"It seems we must seal it as soon as possible."
As Hu Bayi spoke, several talismans appeared in his hand.
The previous purification had dispersed most of the surrounding Yin energy.
However, due to the turmoil of the Yin Spring, the Yin energy had resurfaced.
Hu Bayi placed the talismans once more, attempting to dispel the Yin energy before him.
But just as Hu Bayi was about to succeed, a powerful force suddenly erupted.
Following the surge of power, Hu Bayi was thrown back by an immense force.
Hu Bayi stumbled back several steps, a trickle of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"What's happening?"
"Lao Hu, are you alright?"
Fatty, witnessing Hu Bayi being repelled, rushed forward with concern.
Hu Bayi waved his hand.
His expression grew more serious.
"There's another force within there, a very strong one."
As Hu Bayi finished speaking, a handle slowly emerged from the pool.
With the appearance of the handle, a long spear gradually floated within the pool before them.
"Lao Hu, over there, it looks like there's a spear..."
Fatty pointed at the pool, his voice laced with surprise.
Hu Bayi and Shirley Yang quickly turned their gaze to the pool.
Upon seeing the spear slowly rising from the pool, Hu Bayi shivered.
He recalled the statue of the Queen Mother of the West in the Nine-Story Demon Tower, which held a spear.
However, the Queen Mother of the West they saw here was empty-handed.
This suggested that she hadn't lost her weapon, but rather that it was elsewhere.
"We can't let this thing out."
Hu Bayi resolved inwardly.
If the spear escaped, Zhang Tian and the others would be in grave danger.
After all, the current Queen Mother of the West was unarmed, allowing Zhang Tian and his companions to potentially gain an advantage in terms of weaponry.
But once she had her weapon, her strength would undoubtedly soar.
Judging by the appearance of the weapon, Hu Bayi speculated that it was used to suppress the Yin pool, and therefore its surface would be imbued with Yin energy.
This would make it even more potent when wielded by the Queen Mother of the West.
"Lao Hu, look! The spear seems to be leaving the pool."
Fatty shouted.
Hu Bayi naturally saw it as well.
"If the spear escapes, then..."
Shirley Yang trailed off, her gaze shifting to Hu Bayi.
"We cannot let this thing leave."
"Therefore, our only course of action now is to trap this weapon at all costs."
Hu Bayi stated earnestly.
"Swish, swish."
As Hu Bayi's words fell,
The spear before them unleashed a wave of sharpness.
Tornadoes swept towards them, causing Hu Bayi and the others to wince.
Simultaneously, the spear oriented itself and began moving towards the cave entrance.
"Damn, Lao Hu, could this thing be possessed by some evil spirit? How is it so agile?"
Fatty exclaimed, shielding his eyes with his hand.
"No, that spear is escaping! It's heading to the right!"
Shirley Yang possessed a keen sense of perception.
She had felt the spear's movement as it began to relocate.
As Shirley Yang spoke, Hu Bayi's peach wood sword struck out.
"Clang!"
The two objects collided, producing a ringing sound.
Infused with True Qi, the peach wood sword was already harder than steel.
It was not surprising that it could block the Queen Mother of the West's spear.
Following the sound of the impact,
The surrounding tornadoes vanished.
Simultaneously, Hu Bayi opened his eyes.
He saw that on the tip of his peach wood sword, a spear was vibrating with a humming sound.
"Swish, swish."
In barely a second, the spear began to shake rapidly, as if controlled by someone.
Countless attacks rained down like a torrent.
Hu Bayi managed to fend them off with difficulty.
The spear's attacks were by no means weak.
Even someone with Hu Bayi's cultivation was struggling to cope.
Seeing this, Shirley Yang quickly moved to assist.
Lacking a suitable weapon, Shirley Yang could only wield a damaged longsword and fiercely defend herself.
The sounds of constant clashing echoed between them.
Fatty also joined in. The three of them defending together prevented the spear from advancing further.
Meanwhile, outside, the Queen Mother of the West had been summoning for a long time without anything arriving.
Her brow furrowed.
Although some Yin energy had been restored here, it was only enough to somewhat recover her physical condition.
Relying on this limited energy to deal with Zhang Tian was hardly realistic.
After all, Zhang Tian had two people on his side, and Zhang Tian was only slightly injured, while the Queen of Jingjue's True Qi had only diminished.
She, however, had been genuinely harmed.
If it weren't for the sudden lack of energy replenishment, she would have settled the outcome within three moves.
"Damn it! Those ants are so troublesome. Why hasn't my spear arrived yet?"
The Queen Mother of the West muttered, her demeanor now serious.
If she didn't get serious, she would surely fall into a trap.
At the same time, the Queen Mother of the West also witnessed the strong luck and fortune of Zhang Tian and his companions.
On several occasions, the Queen Mother of the West had clear opportunities to strike Zhang Tian lethally, such as during their first encounter. Unfortunately, the Queen of Jingjue had blocked the blow.
Later as well, there were instances where Zhang Tian managed to narrowly escape danger.
This was not solely due to their strength; luck played a significant role.
And luck, in another sense, was called destiny or fortune.
"If I could absorb all of their destiny, wouldn't that mean..."
The Queen Mother of the West mused, her eyes gradually burning with desire.
She knew a forbidden technique that could refine others' destiny for her own use.
If she could seize the destiny of Zhang Tian and the others, wouldn't she become invincible? Perhaps eternal life would then naturally follow.