Join hands
The divine power at Yunxiu's fingertips suddenly exploded, and the vivid scenes in the illusion instantly shattered into light fragments all over the sky, splashing everywhere along with the cold white divine power surging in her body.
"You woke up quickly." Zhi Huan's voice, shrouded in a fierce aura, came from beside the black stone. He had just suppressed Yan Xiu's resistance. Dark red blood still dripped from the hem of his black cloak, and cold white divine power gathered into a vortex in his palm.
He had wanted to kill Yunxiu while she was trapped in the illusion, but he hadn't expected her to break free in such a violent way, with the fluctuations of her divine power being several times stronger than when she was in Qinglan Sect.
Yunxiu didn't waste any more words. He tapped the bluestone slab with his toes and leaped out like an arrow. The divine power in his body was like a ignited fire, rushing through his blood vessels to his fingertips.
This was the first time she took full control of this power, without hesitation or retreat.
Zhi Huan obviously did not expect her attack to be so swift, and subconsciously raised his hand to condense a divine power barrier.
The crisp sound of "ding" made the cave vibrate, and sparks flew when the tip of the iron sword hit the cold white barrier.
Yunxiu clearly sensed that the opponent's divine power was much weaker than when he was fighting with Yan Xiu just now. There were even tiny ripples on the surface of the barrier, like thin ice shaken by a strong wind.
"You think that just because of this..."
Zhi Huan's taunting words caught in his throat. Yun Xiu suddenly flipped his wrist, and his sword moves changed dramatically. Instead of a straight-forward thrust, he used the inertia of divine power to draw a smooth semicircle in mid-air, sweeping towards Zhi Huan's vulnerable spot like a bird's wings.
With a "swish", the black cloak was torn open by the sword with a length of one foot, revealing the bleeding wound inside.
Zhi Huan groaned and took a half step back. The surprise in his eyes instantly turned into rage: "You dare!"
The cold white divine power in his palm suddenly surged, transforming into countless light blades as thin as ox hair, shooting densely towards Yunxiu. These light blades were wrapped in a biting coldness, even more brutal than the attacks on the Qinglan Sect's competition stage, clearly aiming for a quick victory.
Yunxiu's pupils shrank sharply, and as he dodged sideways, he poured all his divine power into the sword. A cold white light spread along the sword's spine, condensing into a translucent sword shield in front of him. The patterns on the shield glowed with a faint golden light.
This was the move she had mastered in the semi-finals, but now she used it more skillfully than before, as if she had achieved some kind of deep resonance with the divine power within her body.
The light blade flew past the hem of his clothes and landed on the black stone behind him, instantly creating countless spider-web-like cracks.
"Xiao You!"
Yunxiu turned around and saw Yan Xiu slowly rising from behind the black stone, leaning on the Broken Water Sword. His dark suit was soaked in blood, but his eyes remained clear.
"Senior Brother!" Yunxiu's heart tightened, and he was about to rush over to help him, but was interrupted by Zhi Huan's attack.
Zhi Huan sneered, and the light blade on his fingertips suddenly split into two, half of which went towards Yunxiu, and the other half flew towards Yan Xiu's face.
Yan Xiu didn't respond, but just gripped the Broken Water Sword tightly and went forward to meet him.
He still accurately blocked every blade of light that flew towards Yunxiu. The clear light of the Broken Water Sword collided with the cold white blades, making a crisp "ding ding" sound. Every tremor made his arm turn white, but he did not retreat a single step.
Yunxiu reacted and immediately pushed the sword and shield in front of him. The cold white shield moved towards Yanxiu, blocking the remaining light blades and buying him a moment to breathe.
The two men stood back to back in front of the black stone, one holding an iron sword and the other holding a water-breaking sword. Although they were covered in wounds, they were like an invisible barrier, temporarily blocking Zhi Huan's murderous intent.
Zhi Huan looked at them protecting each other, and the hostility in his eyes became even stronger.
He raised his hand, and the cold white divine power in his palm began to condense into a black vortex, emitting a heart-pounding dark light.
"There's quite a bit of camaraderie... Do you want to die together?"
The black vortex spun faster and faster. Yunxiu could clearly feel that this force was enough to shatter her divine essence.
Yan Xiu held the Broken Water Sword horizontally in front of him, and the immortal power at his fingertips began to blend with the cold white divine power in Yun Xiu's body. The two forces intertwined and formed a thick and solid wall of light in front of the two of them.
Yunxiu nodded, took a deep breath, and poured all the divine power he could mobilize into it.
The interwoven two-toned light wall barely managed to block the impact of the black vortex. However, the vortex's suction was too strong, and their feet scratched shallow marks on the bluestone. The veins on their arms bulged from the strain, and their breathing became rapid.
Yunxiu gritted her teeth, feeling the divine power draining from her body like an hourglass. The wound opened again, blood soaking through her clothes. The pain made her vision blacken.
Yan Xiu's condition wasn't much better. His face was as pale as paper, and dark red blood foam continued to flow from the corners of his mouth, but he still held on tightly.
If this goes on, both of them will die here.
He turned to look at Yunxiu, suddenly reached out and held her hand tightly.
It was a warm hand, thinly calloused, its palm still roughened from sword practice. Yunxiu froze for a moment, and before she could react, she felt a familiar force flowing through her palm, instantly merging with the cold white divine power within her body.
Like two drops of water meeting in a stream, they completely merge and burst out with unprecedented power.
"Buzz—"
The two-colored light wall suddenly expanded, the cold white light becoming even stronger. The suction force of the black vortex was instantly suppressed, and it even began to retreat.
Zhi Huan's face suddenly changed, and he hurriedly increased his divine power output, but the black vortex was still being swallowed up by the two-color light wall bit by bit.
"What...what's going on?"
Yunxiu looked at the two people's clasped hands in surprise, and felt that the divine power in his body was like a ignited flame, pouring out continuously, and the previous fatigue and pain were alleviated a lot.
But at this moment, something strange happened.
A golden light suddenly appeared above the cave. It was neither the power of Yunxiu and Yanxiu, nor the cold white divine power of Zhihuan, but a golden light that was divine, gentle but irresistible.
Yunxiu looked up, her heart skipping a beat—a figure slowly emerged from the golden light, with silver-white hair falling on his shoulders, and cyan-gold pupils emitting an indifferent light. It was none other than the ancient god Gao whom she had seen in the illusion!
"Gao!" Zhi Huan was stunned at first, then he was ecstatic, "Help me kill them! As long as you absorb their divine essence, you will be able to fully recover!"
However, the ancient god ignored Zhi Huan. His eyes fell on the clasped hands of Yunxiu and Yanxiu.
The next second, he raised his hand and condensed a golden blade of light, slashing towards the two of them!
"Be careful!" Yunxiu and Yanxiu reacted simultaneously, quickly stepping back. A golden blade of light landed where they had been standing, instantly splitting the black stone in two. Debris flew everywhere, the cavern vibrated violently, and stone chips rained down from the rock wall.
Yunxiu was also confused. She looked at the ancient god, then looked at the hand she was holding with Yan Xiu, and suddenly realized something.
She subconsciously loosened her hand, and at the moment her fingertips separated, the golden light in the sky suddenly dimmed, and the figure of the ancient god gradually became transparent like mist blown away by the wind, and finally disappeared completely.
"Disappeared?" Yunxiu stared blankly at the empty top of the cave, and the heart-pounding feeling of oppression just now also dissipated.
But before she could gather her thoughts, Zhi Huan's attack struck again. Unable to suppress it, the black vortex surged again, rushing towards the two.
"Now! Die!"
Yan Xiu made a prompt decision and reached out to hold Yun Xiu's hand again.
The familiar power surged through his body once again, and the two-colored light wall condensed again, blocking the black vortex. But at the same time, the golden light above the cave was lit again, and the figure of the ancient god reappeared. He raised his hand and fired another golden light blade, targeting the two people again!
It was indeed so! Both of them confirmed their suspicions.
"Why is this happening?!" Yunxiu shouted as he dodged the light blades. "Why does he appear when we hold hands? And disappear when we let go?"
This transcendent point touched the ancient gods.
Yan Xiu frowned, his eyes moving back and forth between the two people's clasped hands and the ancient god, feeling somewhat helpless.
Perhaps it was the fusion of power that triggered the remaining divine essence in Yunxiu's body, causing his residual soul to appear. However, it was useless to say this now.
As they spoke, the golden blade of light arrived. The two were forced to let go and dodge again. The figure of the ancient god disappeared, and Ke Zhihuan's black vortex pressed forward again.
After a few exchanges, the three of them fell into a strange stalemate - if they held hands, their divine power would increase greatly, but the ancient god would appear and attack; if they let go, the ancient god would disappear, but would not be able to withstand Zhi Huan's killing move.
Yunxiu gritted his teeth, dodging the attack, feeling his divine power begin to run out again. Blood soaked half his robe, and every movement was accompanied by piercing pain.
Yan Xiu's condition worsened. His already severe shoulder injury was now exacerbated. The radiance of the Broken Water Sword grew dimmer.
"Xiao You, I'll hold Zhi Huan back, and you can take advantage of this opportunity..."
"You might as well shut up instead of talking nonsense." Yunxiu interrupted him, "You clearly know it's impossible, can you please say something useful?"
Zhi Huan looked at their bewildered state and sneered even more. He suddenly changed his strategy, and the black vortex turned sharply, rushing straight towards Yunxiu.
Yan Xiu was quick-witted and quickly blocked Yunxiu's way, using his Broken Water Sword to resist the black vortex. However, his strength had already been exhausted, and tiny cracks appeared on the Broken Water Sword.
Yan Xiu's body was pulled forward by the huge suction force of the black vortex, and his shoulders under the ink-black tights were shaking violently. The wounds that were already deep enough to see the bones were now even more bloody due to the backlash of the divine power. The dark red blood flowed down along the cracks of the Broken Water Sword, dyeing the lines on the sword a dark color.
The cracks on the Broken Water Sword were still expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if it would completely shatter in the next second.
Yunxiu's heart tightened when he saw this, but he was violently knocked away by the cold white airflow escaping from the edge of the vortex. He felt a dull pain in his chest, and the little divine power left in his body instantly became disordered, and even his breathing became sluggish.
Zhi Huan obviously also noticed that Yan Xiu was exhausted. The divine power in his palm surged again, and the speed of the black vortex suddenly increased, pressing closer to Yan Xiu by another half a foot.
Yan Xiu slid back an inch uncontrollably, his back hitting the cold black stone hard.
When the vortex was only a few millimeters away from the two of them——
"Xiao You? Where are you?!"
"Damn it Zhihuan! Get out here!"
Those were Wu Yi and Ying Tang's voices! Yun Xiu and Yan Xiu were both startled.
Yan Xiu's originally distracted eyes suddenly became clear. He gritted his teeth and used his last bit of strength to push the Broken Water Sword forward, temporarily resisting the advance of the black vortex.
But at this moment, a wave of spiritual power came from the entrance of the cave, followed by two figures quickly rushing in.
As soon as Wu Yifu stepped into the door, his eyes were accurately locked on Zhi Huan's right hand that was controlling the black vortex. He did not use an ordinary weapon, but condensed light blue spiritual power at his fingertips and lightly tapped the ground.
Instantly, several sycamore vines, each as thick as a bowl, burst forth from the cracks in the bluestone slabs, their trunks still bearing fresh buds and leaves. Like serpents, they coiled around Zhi Huan's wrist. Their surfaces shone with a lustrous azure light, and when they came into contact with the cold, white divine energy, they emitted a sizzling, counteracting sound. Far from being eroded by the divine energy, they grew even stronger, nourished by it, and clung to Zhi Huan's wrist, attempting to disrupt his control over the black vortex.
At the same time, countless palm-sized sycamore leaves floated around him, with sharp blades on the edges of the leaves, hanging beside Zhihuan.
As soon as the opponent struggles, he will fly out immediately and block his retreat.
Caught off guard and not knowing how to solve the problem, he actually temporarily blocked all of Zhi Huan's moves.
"As expected... After so many losses, I finally know not to fight head-on. Damn you... I finally caught you, didn't I?"
Wu Yi was still admiring his own work.
Yingtang walked straight over to the two of them and stuffed something into their mouths. She nurtured the spiritual fruit condensed from her body with her own spiritual energy, and the flesh contained a unique gentle healing power.
Her fingertips brushed across both men's bleeding wounds simultaneously, and pale green spiritual energy seeped out from her palms, transforming into slender banyan tree roots that gently wrapped around the wounds. As soon as those "roots" touched the flesh, they slowly seeped into the tissues, rapidly repairing the damaged spiritual veins and gradually stabilizing the lost energy of both men.
There were also a few tender green banyan leaves floating around her, which automatically floated in front of the two of them, stacking up layer by layer to form a flexible leaf shield, which weakened most of the impact of the cold white divine power.
Yunxiu finally couldn't help it, and without caring about anything else, he hugged Yingtang.
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