A burning pain shot through my chest.
The long-dormant Eternal Night Emperor Seal suddenly ignited.
Xiao Han stopped in his tracks, frozen in place.
Su Linglong.
It can't be wrong.
That familiar scent was right in front of him, so strong that he could hardly breathe.
The surrounding noise had completely disappeared at some point.
The normally bloodthirsty and ferocious creatures in the forest were eerily quiet at this moment.
Instead of crawling, they stood silently on both sides of the path like well-trained guards, making way for a passage.
A Shadow Leopard King of exaggerated size even strolled slowly up to him, making a low growl in its throat, and gently nudged his leg with its head.
He urged him to move forward.
Eccentric.
Everything about it felt strange.
He reached out and pushed aside the vines blocking his path. His hands were wet, cold, and sticky, and the bumps on them scratched his palms painfully.
Beyond the vines was an open space.
In the center of the open space, a black stone altar was covered with withered, dark purple vines, emanating a musty, cold smell.
Su Linglong was up there.
She was trapped in a twisted ice crystal cage, and she had already lost consciousness.
The illusory image of her Extreme Ice Phoenix Martial Soul was so faint that it was almost extinguished, and was being devoured by wisps of black energy.
"Linglong!"
Just as Xiao Han was about to move, a soft and sweet voice came from behind the altar.
"Don't rush."
The sound made the air feel heavy.
When old friends meet, they should catch up, right?
A figure emerged from the shadows of the altar.
The newcomer was dressed in a pure white Divine Court robe, making him stand out conspicuously in the dark forest.
It's Bai Xue'er.
She was also holding a glowing scepter in her hand.
Xiao Han's throat was terribly dry, and he could only manage to squeeze out a single word after a long while.
"You..."
"I?"
Bai Xue'er chuckled softly; the laughter was pleasant to hear, yet it sent chills down one's spine.
"I shouldn't die, right?"
"Xiao Han, how can you still be so easily fooled?"
The moment she finished speaking, the phantom of a fox demon slowly took shape behind her.
Its entire body was pure white, with holy flames dancing on its nine tails; its appearance was so sacred that it made people nauseous.
"Do you really think our meeting was just a coincidence?"
"This entire show, from beginning to end, was put together just for you."
As she spoke, the phantom of a fox spirit quietly appeared behind her.
No longer the S-rank Bewitching Spirit Fox from memory, this fox was bathed in white light, with some kind of flame burning on its nine tails, its holiness so pure it was nauseating.
The Holy Demon Fox – A completely new form after being modified by the Divine Court.
"Are you from the Divine Court?" Xiao Han's arm muscles tensed.
"To be precise, I'm an undercover agent tailor-made for you by the Divine Court." Bai Xue'er savored his ugly expression and said slowly, "From the moment you awakened your dual Martial Souls at eighteen, your file has been on the Divine Court's desk. My mission was to get close to you, become your most trusted person, and then watch you walk step by step into today's trap."
"So, the breakup back then was also..."
"Otherwise what?" Bai Xue-er interrupted him, her expression momentarily dazed, but immediately covered by cold indifference. "However, I must admit, that act went on for too long; even I almost got myself into character. Unfortunately, a mission is still a mission."
Xiao Han's chest heaved violently, a pain akin to being ripped open and having all trust emptied.
"Did you bring Su Linglong here too?"
"That's right." Bai Xue'er's smile widened. "Using her as bait, you, the big fish, have indeed taken the bait. Look around you, this [Purification Grand Formation] was personally set up by me over three days and three nights, just waiting for you to come."
The moment the words left his mouth, the vines around the altar suddenly burst forth with a blinding white light.
One after another, sacred runes rose from the ground, forming a huge cage of light that trapped Xiao Han firmly in its center.
The [Divine Punishment Mark] within him activated simultaneously, unleashing a domineering force that surged through his meridians, forcibly suppressing his cultivation to the first level of the Martial Grandmaster Realm.
"How does it taste? The highest masterpiece of the Divine Court, [Divine Punishment Mark]." Bai Xue'er leisurely twirled her scepter. "Any marked 'evil' will become utterly vulnerable before the divine."
She no longer concealed herself, and the terrifying pressure of the Fourth Level of Martial Grandmaster Realm was released with a roar.
"You... your cultivation level..."
"I broke through three years ago. The [Divine Grace Essence] from the Divine Court is far more useful than your meager talent." Bai Xue'er's expression was almost fanatical. "I'm no longer the little girl who could only depend on you!"
The Holy Demon Fox roared to the sky, and the divine fire on its nine tails surged, each flame carrying a sense of purification.
Xiao Han gritted his teeth and forcefully activated the [Primordial Eternal Night Overlord] Martial Soul.
Darkness surged forth, but was incinerated the instant it came into contact with the divine light, unable even to fully unfold his Shadow Domain.
"Save your energy."
Bai Xue'er raises her scepter. "Sacred—Sanction!"
A beam of light crashed down.
Xiao Han rolled away in a disheveled manner, but his shoulder was still grazed by the light, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound with an inextinguishable white flame clinging to it.
A tearing pain shot through the [Eternal Night Emperor Seal] between his brows, as if an invisible hand was trying to pry it out of his forehead.
"Does it hurt?" Bai Xue'er touched her smooth forehead, where a golden Divine Court mark appeared. "The [Divine Seal] bestowed upon me by the Divine Court is your nemesis."
It's over.
Her strength and mark were all suppressed, yet Linglong still...
Just then, Su Linglong, inside the ice crystal cage, suddenly opened her eyes.
That wasn't her usual look.
"Xiao Han..."
The voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable will.
The Extreme Ice Phoenix Martial Soul behind her condensed once more, but this time, the phoenix was no longer a pure ice-blue color.
Its feathers turned a deep, abyssal darkness, its eyes burned with black flames, and a chilling aura capable of freezing the soul spread out.
[Extreme Ice Hell]!
"Impossible!" Bai Xue'er's composure vanished instantly. "The Extreme Ice Phoenix is a sacred beast Martial Soul; how could it possibly awaken its Hell form!"
Su Linglong stood up.
The solid ice crystal cage shattered inch by inch before her, turning into dust.
"Because..."
She looked at Xiao Han, and his image was reflected in her eyes burning with black flames.
I don't want to see him injured.
The chill of hell erupted suddenly, freezing even the light of the [Purification Grand Formation] and causing its operation to stagnate.
The sacred fire on Bai Xue'er's body was actually condensed into a layer of black ice crystals.
"Linglong!"
Su Linglong gave him a pale smile, and the Extreme Ice Phoenix carried her to Xiao Han's side.
The two looked at each other.
No words are needed.
They acted simultaneously.
"Eternal Night Ice Seal!"
The extreme darkness and the extreme cold of hell merged together, forming a huge dark ice crystal cage, which in turn trapped Bai Xue'er inside.
Damn it!
Bai Xue'er frantically pounded the cage with her scepter, but the cage, filled with hellish ice, was more sturdy than anyone could imagine.
She suddenly pulled a golden talisman from her bosom and crushed it.
"It belongs to the Divine Court, come quickly!"