Chapter 138: Breaking into the Heavenly Palace, Bloodstained White Jade Steps
Jiuxiao Palace, once a sacred place for the immortals, had now become a battlefield for the Shura clan. Demonic energy and spiritual light intertwined, and the clash of shouts and weapons was deafening. As the epicenter of the storm, Xuannv Palace bore the heaviest brunt of the impact.
Ye Li broke through the outer formation, her figure like a streak of silver lightning tearing through the darkness, charging straight towards the Xuannv Palace. Her consciousness had already locked onto the most powerful source of demonic energy in the area—the Ghost-Faced Man in the middle stage of the Nirvana Realm—and the cold, lingering presence of the "Erosion God Demon Seal," which lingered at the palace gate, entangled with Qin Yixuan's weakened aura.
"Senior Yun Ying, Qingxu is in your care! I'll handle the Ghost-Faced Man!" Ye Li shouted, her voice piercing the chaotic battlefield with undeniable determination. She didn't even have time to spare a glance at Yun Ying; her entire focus was on the Ghost-Faced Man.
Envoy Yunying was already at the end of her strength, bleeding profusely from a deep wound on her left arm that reached the bone. But she still perked up at Ye Li's voice. "Be careful, he's in the middle stage of Nirvana!" she rasped, then summoned a powerful spiritual force, wielding her longsword like a lotus flower, strangling a demon cultivator who had attempted a sneak attack. Then, she fixed her gaze on Elder Qingxu, who was also covered in blood, but whose eyes were even more ferocious and insane. "Traitor, die!"
Fighting within the same sect is often the most brutal. The two knew each other's techniques, moves, and even combat habits intimately. In this life-or-death struggle, every move was lethal. The aftermath of the collision of spiritual energy plowed deep furrows into the surrounding ground.
The ghost-faced man looked at the charging Ye Li, and from the shadow beneath his hood, a disdainful snort emanated. "You're in the late stage of the Divine Power Realm, and you dare to confront me? The owner of the Samsara Mirror truly knows no bounds!" He didn't move, merely slowly raising his hands adorned with pitch-black ghost claws. The claws, made of an unknown material, were dark and shimmering, seemingly absorbing all surrounding light. A chilling, chilling light emanated from their tips.
"Netherworld Ghost Claw: Weeping of Ten Thousand Souls!"
He clawed in the air, not attacking Ye Li directly, but ripping her apart violently! In an instant, the space a hundred feet in radius, centered around him, seemed transformed into the entrance to the Nine Netherworld Hell! Countless shrill soul shadows appeared out of thin air, emitting piercing screams. These soul shadows, twisted and in agony, carried a chilling demonic energy that corroded the soul, and surged towards Ye Li like a tide. This was not just a physical attack, but a devastating blow directly targeting the soul! An ordinary cultivator in the Divine Ability Realm would suffer severe damage to their soul, or even shatter, if touched by a soul shadow.
Yet, Ye Li's expression remained unwavering despite this terrifying sight. Within her sea of consciousness, the four fragments of the Samsara Mirror vibrated simultaneously, emitting a soft and steady white light, like a stabilizing force, firmly protecting her soul. Those shrill soul-screaming sounds and bewildering demonic voices, like ice and snow meeting the sun, dissipated into nothingness the moment they came into contact with this white light.
Her footsteps never stopped, and the Xuanbing Sword made a clear sound. The sword body was no longer purely icy cold, but instead flowed with a mysterious meaning.
"Six Paths of Reincarnation: Karma Slash!"
The sword light wasn't dazzling, but rather dim and distorted. It seemed to have detached itself from reality, following the causal line of the Ghost-Faced Man's "Ten Thousand Souls Weeping" move, flowing upstream! Wherever the sword light passed, the mournful soul shadows dancing in the sky seemed to be erased by an invisible eraser, dissipating in pieces. Even the suffocating scene of the Nine Netherworlds shook violently, becoming illusory.
"Hmm?!" The ghost-faced figure finally reacted, letting out a soft exclamation. His "Ten Thousand Souls' Weep" technique, combining a spiritual attack with a domain suppression technique, required even cultivators of the same rank to carefully counter it. Unexpectedly, it was broken by a junior in the late stage of the Divine Ability Realm in such a bizarre manner. "There's something to it, indeed. The Mirror of Samsara fragment lives up to its reputation. Unfortunately, you still don't understand that the gap in realm is a chasm that no external force can bridge!"
Before he finished speaking, the ghost-faced figure suddenly blurred. The next moment, six identical ghost-faced figures appeared simultaneously, attacking Ye Li from six directions—up, down, left, right, front, and back—at speeds beyond human vision! Each phantom was incredibly solid, emitting a powerful demonic aura. Their waving ghost claws tore through the air, leaving behind black trails that resembled cracks in space.
"Netherworld Illusionary Body, Six Paths of Killing!"
This was the Ghost-Faced Man's renowned skill. Each of his six avatars possessed a fraction of the attack power of his original form, making it difficult to distinguish between real and fake. Their attacks were synchronized, creating a deadly situation. The formidable cultivation of a mid-stage Nirvana Realm was fully on display at this moment, the terrifying pressure suffocating even the lower-level disciples battling in the distance.
Ye Li's pupils shrank slightly, feeling an unprecedented pressure. She pushed her ethereal form to its limits, simultaneously harnessing the spatial power of the Samsara Mirror fragments. Her figure became ghostly, weaving and flickering amidst the onslaught of six phantoms. Her Xuanbing Sword transformed into arcs of icy light, constantly blocking and parrying.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Mysterious Ice Sword and the Netherworld Claw collided frantically at speeds indiscernible to the naked eye, the piercing clash of metal mingling in unison, sparks flying everywhere. With each collision, Ye Li felt a chilling, violent force surge through her arms and into her body, shaking her blood and making her internal organs seem dislocated. The knuckles holding the sword had already cracked, blood staining the hilt red.
The gap in realms was like a chasm. She was able to entangle the Ghost-Faced Man thanks to the mystical power of the Samsara Mirror, the battle consciousness of a former Supreme Being, and her determination to do whatever it took. However, in a head-on confrontation, she was definitely at a disadvantage.
"Can't retreat! Absolutely not!" Ye Li screamed frantically in her heart. Her gaze passed through the layers of demonic shadows, as if she could see the figure within the Xuannv Palace, its aura steadily weakening. This conviction sustained her, allowing her to repeatedly suppress the fishy sweetness in her throat and push her sword intent to its limit.
Under the immense pressure of life and death, her potential was constantly stimulated. Her mastery of the spatial and temporal power of the Samsara Mirror fragments grew ever more refined, her movements becoming more elusive, even allowing her to dodge dangers with the Samsara Mirror's fleeting foresight. Her understanding of the Six Paths of Samsara sword intent also rapidly deepened, her sword moves no longer confined to a single principle of "extinction" or "cause and effect," but instead exploring integration and transformation.
Elsewhere, the battle between Yun Ying and Qing Xu reached a fever pitch. Both were bloodthirsty, their moves unreserved, a fight of utter desperation. Yun Ying, relying on the temporary boost in strength gained from burning her life essence, managed to eke out a draw with Qing Xu, but her injuries were worsening, and her breathing was becoming unstable.
"Yun Ying! Look at the Heavenly Palace you are guarding! Look at these dead disciples! Is it worth it? Only by joining forces with the Shadow Demon can you have a chance of survival in this catastrophe!" Elder Qingxu attacked frantically while trying to disturb Yun Ying's mind with words.
"Bah! You betrayed the sect, harmed your fellow disciples, and associated with the devil. Qingxu, you are no longer worthy of being an elder of Jiuxiao Tiangong! Today I will clean up the mess for the Palace Master!" Yun Ying shouted angrily, and the power of her sword became more and more fierce, but when she exhausted all her strength, Qingxu seized the flaw and slammed a vicious palm force on her right shoulder.
"Crack!" The sound of bones breaking could be clearly heard. Yun Ying groaned and flew backwards, smashing a white jade pillar and spurting blood.
"Uncle Master!"
"Senior Yun Ying!"
Seeing this, the disciples of the Heavenly Palace who were struggling to hold on around them cried out in grief and anger.
Elder Qingxu grinned fiercely and was about to step forward to finish Yunying off when several fearless Heavenly Palace disciples roared and rushed forward, blocking his path with their bodies...
On the white jade square, blood flowed like streams, and severed limbs were everywhere. Constantly, people fell: demonic cultivators and even disciples of the Heavenly Palace, sworn to defend Xuannv Palace. A horrific aura rose to the sky, stained the bright moonlight with a bloody hue.
Ye Li's battle with the Ghost-Faced Man had reached its most crucial moment. She already had dozens of wounds, the most serious of which was her left rib, where a ghost claw had scraped away a large piece of flesh, leaving her bare ribs visible. The intense pain and massive blood loss had left her face as pale as paper, and her breathing had become rapid.
Although the ghost-faced man had the upper hand, he grew increasingly anxious as the battle dragged on. He hadn't expected Ye Li to be so formidable, like an indestructible cockroach, with astonishing resilience. Even more alarming was the fact that he seemed to be constantly improving during the fight, becoming increasingly adept at mastering his strange sword technique.
"We can't delay any longer!" A fierce gleam flashed in the ghost-faced man's eyes, and he decided to use his killing move. His six phantom forms suddenly merged into one, and a monstrous demonic energy condensed in his claws, and his entire aura became extremely dangerous.
And amidst this life-or-death dilemma, Ye Li experienced a sudden enlightenment, as something in her mind suddenly clicked. She had previously focused on the "end" (extinction) and "connection" (cause and effect, space) of samsara, overlooking the fact that samsara itself is also a form of "carrier." Everything in the universe, life and death, growth and decay, love and hate, is contained within samsara, carried, digested, and transformed by it.
A heavy, vast, all-embracing aura emanated from her. The Xuanbing Sword in her hand also seemed to grow heavier, its momentum no longer a fierce attack, but a harmonious defensive stance.
"Six Paths of Reincarnation Sword, Pure Land Carrying Path!"
As she swung her sword, the sword's power didn't radiate outwards, but rather, it transformed around her into an illusory, hazy, pure land. This pure land seemed fragile, yet it seemed capable of withstanding any attack and absorbing any force.
The ghost-faced man concentrated all his magical power in an attack—"Netherworld Breaking Kill!"—and it came crashing down! The dark magic light was like a torrent of destruction, fiercely crashing into the illusory Pure Land world.
The predicted earth-shattering explosion didn't occur. The destructive torrent of demonic light, upon reaching the Pure Land, vanished like a drop in the ocean, its speed drastically reduced, its power gradually weakened, broken down, and contained! Although the Pure Land itself was violently trembling, flickering and seemingly on the verge of collapse, it had indeed blocked the fatal blow!
"What?!" The ghost-faced man's pupils suddenly shrank, and his mind was slightly shaken and in a trance of disbelief at this moment.
It’s this momentary flaw!
The opportunity Ye Li had been waiting for for a long time finally appeared!
"The Threat of Reincarnation!"
She forcibly condensed her almost exhausted spiritual power, and drew upon the deepest soul pressure of the fragments of the Samsara Mirror, transforming it into an invisible mental shock that pierced the ghost-faced man's soul, which was cracked due to shock!
"Ah!" The ghost-faced man let out a short scream. He seemed to see countless fragments of his past lives flashing before his eyes, and saw his own tragic scene of falling in a chaotic light. His soul was like being hit by a sledgehammer, and fell into a brief state of stiffness and confusion.
For top masters, this moment of trance can determine life or death!
"Nirvana Shura Path!"
Ye Li merged with the sword, channeling all her strength, all her will, all her worry and protection for Qin Yixuan into this single sword. She transformed into a brilliant gray sword beam, no longer dazzling, but instead carrying a dead silence that ended all things, as if emanating from the end of reincarnation. It pierced through space and flashed past the ghost-faced man just before he regained consciousness.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment.
The ghost-faced man remained in his forward-charging stance, frozen in place. He lowered his head, staring at his chest in disbelief. There was no visible wound, but he could feel a cold, deadly, all-ending sword intent erupting within him, madly devouring his vitality and annihilating his demonic soul.
"Impossible..." He uttered these words with difficulty, the light in his eyes quickly dimming, and the surging demonic energy around him quickly dissipated like a popped balloon. Finally, his tall body collapsed to the ground with a thud, sending up a cloud of dust.
In the middle stage of Nirvana, the Shadow Demon Elder Ghost-faced Man fell!
puff--
Ye Li paid a heavy price for forcing herself to leapfrog and slay a powerful foe. She knelt on one knee, propping herself up with the Mystic Ice Sword, and suddenly spat out several mouthfuls of blood mingled with fragments of her internal organs. Her breath instantly weakened to the point of collapse, her vision darkening, and she nearly fainted.
But she bit her tongue tightly, using the intense pain to stimulate herself to stay awake. As soon as the ghost-faced man died, she immediately became acutely aware that the fluctuations of the "Erosion God Demon Seal" that was entangled with Qin Yixuan in the Xuannv Palace, although still present, seemed to have lost some core driving force, and its operation became noticeably sluggish and chaotic!
"Sure enough... Even if he is not the caster, he must be the key..." Ye Li was invigorated. He forced himself to take a breath of spiritual power and struggled to stand up. His eyes were fixed on the gate of Xuannv Palace, which was so close yet seemed to be separated by a chasm.
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