After the earlier battle, Xu Yang had gained a good understanding of Senior Brother Xu and the other four cultivators' realms. Senior Brother Xu was the strongest of the five, at the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. The woman in yellow who had spoken earlier and a tall, gaunt man in black were at the fifth layer, while the remaining man and woman were the weakest, at only the fourth layer.
As for the giant turtle, Xu Yang couldn't tell what realm it was at. It was probably a demonic beast at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining Realm or higher. Among the five, Senior Brother Xu and the woman in yellow controlled Flying Swords, the man in black controlled a small black seal, and the other two controlled a Red Silk and a Flying Knife.
The first three cultivators' Dharma Artifacts were all mid-grade, while the other two had only low-grade ones. The giant turtle demon beast had a powerful defense. Mid-grade Dharma Artifacts could still hurt it somewhat, but low-grade ones couldn't harm it at all.
The five attacked with their Dharma Artifacts, but achieved little. Instead, they thoroughly enraged the giant turtle. It roared, and more than ten ice blades appeared before it, each about a meter long and as thick as a wrist. They shot toward the five, who hurriedly used their Dharma Artifacts to intercept them while retreating in different directions.
Under the Dharma Artifacts' attacks, the ice blades shattered one after another. Seeing this, the giant turtle roared again. Sharp ice spikes erupted from the ground beneath Senior Brother Xu and the others. Two screams rang out: the man and woman at the fourth layer had been pierced through from below, their deaths gruesome.
"Junior Brother Liu! Junior Sister Guo!" Seeing the two die so horribly, Senior Brother Xu and the other two looked ashen. They immediately recalled their Dharma Artifacts to their sides. Senior Brother Xu told the others, "Stop holding back. Use every trick you have, or none of us will leave this place alive."
As he spoke, he flipped his hand and tossed two Talismans into the air. They transformed into two enormous fire dragons, which roared as they charged toward the giant turtle.
At his words, the other two brought out their ultimate moves as well. The woman in yellow beckoned, and a crimson Flying Sword appeared before her. She formed a hand seal, and flames immediately engulfed the sword, transforming it into a fire phoenix that flew toward the giant turtle.
The man in black also produced a dark, murky bead and hurled it toward the giant turtle. As soon as he threw it, he sprang backward, putting as much distance between himself and the others as he could. The other two saw what he was doing and paled, then quickly retreated as well.
When the giant turtle saw the attacks closing in, it immediately let out a roar. A dazzling white light shone from its body, and layers of solid ice formed around it. In just a moment, the turtle was clad in a suit of icy armor.
Three tremendous booms rang out as the attacks from Senior Brother Xu and the other two struck the ice armor. Steam billowed, and clouds of white mist enveloped the giant turtle, obscuring it from view.
The three watched the white mist from afar, their Dharma Artifacts raised and ready to attack again at any moment. When the mist cleared, the giant turtle came into view. It was in a pitiful state. Blood streamed from its massive body, one eye was destroyed, and its thick legs were covered in wounds so deep that bone showed.
Its one remaining eye glared viciously at the three. It opened its mouth and exhaled streams of freezing air. The white vapor gathered in front of it, gradually compressed inward, and finally became a white beam as thick as a little finger and two meters long.
Senior Brother Xu's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly said to the other two, "That looks like an Ice Soul Cold Light Beam. Its power is enormous, and its penetrating force is terrifying. One hit would freeze us to death on the spot. From the looks of it, the beam hasn't finished forming yet. Once it does, it'll be as thin as a strand of hair."
The other two turned grim and exchanged a glance. "What do we do now? How can we counter this Ice Soul Cold Light Beam?"
Senior Brother Xu's expression shifted as he weighed their options. Then he suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "I know you must still have trump cards. Now's no time to hold back. The power of this Ice Soul Cold Light Beam is far beyond what you imagine. How about this? I promise that once we kill the beast, the three of us will share that precious bead. What do you say?"
The woman in yellow smiled. "In that case, this junior sister will naturally give it everything she's got." The man in black nodded as well. "I'll do as you say, Senior Brother. I'll give it my all."
"Good! Then let's join forces, break through the Ice Soul Cold Light Beam, and kill the beast. We can auction off the precious bead afterward. The Spirit Stones and pills will be enough to support our cultivation for years." Senior Brother Xu spoke with great enthusiasm.
Then he took a crimson bead from his Qiankun Bag. The other two were both astonished when they saw it. The woman in yellow exclaimed, "I didn't expect you to have an Earth Fire Yin Thunder, Senior Brother. That should be enough to counter the Ice Soul Cold Light Beam, shouldn't it?"
Senior Brother Xu shook his head. "It still won't be enough. The Earth Fire Yin Thunder is powerful, but the Ice Soul Cold Light Beam has such tremendous penetrating force that we could very well die alongside the giant turtle. Junior Sister Zhao, Junior Brother Yin, please act quickly. The beast is about to attack."
Junior Sister Zhao nodded. She took out the crimson Flying Sword from earlier and slapped a Talisman onto it. "This combined Talisman-and-sword strike is powerful. It's my last trump card."
Junior Brother Yin said nothing. He simply took two black beads from his Qiankun Bag. "I only have two Flame Demon Beads left. I'll use them all on this beast!"
Seeing that the two had brought out their trump cards, Senior Brother Xu said happily, "Good! Let's join forces and attack the beast at once." As he spoke, Senior Brother Xu turned toward the giant turtle, a strange smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Junior Sister Zhao and Junior Brother Yin exchanged a covert glance, then moved to Senior Brother Xu's side. The three launched their attacks with solemn expressions. One red bead, two black beads, and an enormous fire phoenix flew toward the giant turtle.
When the giant turtle saw the attacks closing in, it immediately released the still-forming Ice Soul Cold Light Beam. A tremendous boom shook the entire cave. Huge rocks fell from the ceiling, and rolling clouds of dust engulfed both sides.
Xu Yang, hiding nearby, watched the scene intently. When the dust settled, he looked over and was immediately shocked. The giant turtle demon beast lay on the ground, blood pouring from its mouth. It had clearly been gravely wounded.
But what truly shocked Xu Yang was the state of Senior Brother Xu and the other two. Senior Brother Xu lay on the ground, his entire body covered in a thin layer of ice. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and a small black seal was embedded in his chest. His eyes were wide open, but he was already lifeless.
Junior Brother Yin was also lying on the ground. He glared furiously at Junior Sister Zhao, his eyes still open. One of her Flying Swords was buried in his chest, and he had died.
Junior Sister Zhao's Flying Sword had been destroyed in the explosion, and the backlash had left a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth. Senior Brother Xu's Flying Sword was stuck in the ground at her feet, while a circular ring floated over her head. A transparent curtain of light descended from it, shielding her.
At that moment, Junior Sister Zhao looked exhilarated. She giggled and said, "You two senior brothers never guessed that I had a protective Dharma Artifact, did you? I should thank you both for your help. Once I reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, I'll be sure to honor the great favor you've done me."
As she spoke, she walked over to Junior Brother Yin and said gently, "Especially you, Senior Brother Yin. I won't forget how you felt about me."
At that, she turned to look at the precious bead atop the enormous Ice Soul Root. A feverish glint flashed in her eyes. She sprang into the air and shot toward the top of the Ice Soul Root, carefully picking up the precious bead.
The deep-blue bead held its power in check and felt as warm as jade to the touch. A faint, delicate fragrance drifted into her nose, and Junior Sister Zhao was intoxicated by it for a moment.
Suddenly, a gust of wind struck. Pain shot through Junior Sister Zhao's hand, and the precious bead flew from her grasp. A large black hand snatched it out of the air. At the same time, a crimson Flying Sword stabbed toward her.
Junior Sister Zhao was startled. The Indeterminate Ring above her head immediately cast out a curtain of light, blocking the Flying Sword. She turned to look at her attacker and saw a strange figure, its entire body a bluish black, standing behind her. The figure held the blue precious bead in its hand.
Furious, Junior Sister Zhao formed hand seals and sent two Fire Arrows flying toward the strange figure. It was none other than Xu Yang. He had taken advantage of Junior Sister Zhao's lapse in concentration, activated his Iron Body, and launched a sneak attack, snatching the precious bead in one stroke.
Seeing the Fire Arrows coming, Xu Yang immediately leaped down from the top of the Ice Soul Root. In midair, he casually put the precious bead into his Qiankun Bag. Junior Sister Zhao panicked and immediately chased after Xu Yang, rapidly forming hand seals as she sent one Fire Arrow after another toward him.
After landing, Xu Yang immediately sent his crimson Flying Sword to meet the Fire Arrows, knocking them all aside. Then it continued toward Junior Sister Zhao, only to be blocked again by her Indeterminate Ring.
Xu Yang felt helpless. With the mid-grade Dharma Artifact Indeterminate Ring protecting her, he had no way to kill Junior Sister Zhao. They fought for a while, but neither could get the better of the other. After the fierce battle, Junior Sister Zhao had used up all her treasures and was wounded, leaving her greatly weakened.
Xu Yang, on the other hand, had only one Flying Sword and didn't know a single spell. His attacks lacked power. By now, Junior Sister Zhao had calmed down. As they fought, she smiled at Xu Yang and said, "Junior Brother, from your clothes, you look like a disciple of Bailian Pavilion too. Why don't we stop fighting for now and split the treasure?"
Xu Yang replied with a cold laugh, "Forget it. I don't want to die feeling like a fool. You should just die!" As he spoke, Xu Yang pulled out a Talisman and hurled it at Junior Sister Zhao.
Junior Sister Zhao's expression darkened. She was just about to speak when she saw the Talisman flying toward her. Her face changed drastically, and she cried out, "A high-grade Talisman, Ice Fire Rain!" She immediately retreated and urged the Indeterminate Ring to its limits to defend herself.
The Talisman released a mingled red-and-white light. Within a ten-meter radius, Ice Bolts and Fire Arrows filled the air, flying in every direction. Whenever a Fire Arrow and an Ice Bolt collided, they exploded at once. Caught in the middle of the barrage, Junior Sister Zhao was bombarded again and again, and the curtain of light shuddered violently.
With one final, violent explosion, the barrier before Junior Sister Zhao shattered. She screamed as the blast's aftershock hurled her away. Seeing this, Xu Yang immediately sent his Flying Sword toward her.
Junior Sister Zhao screamed as the Flying Sword pierced her. She fell to the ground in front of Xu Yang. Xu Yang cautiously walked over and saw her glaring at him viciously. With a sigh, he raised his Flying Sword and thrust it toward her head.
The woman shrieked, "You're cruel! I'll take you down with me!" Then, with a boom, she blew herself up.
Hearing her words, Xu Yang immediately sensed that something was wrong. He hurriedly leaped backward, but it was too late. A massive force surged toward him. Xu Yang immediately activated the Earth-Queen Talisman while channeling all his strength into his Iron Body to defend himself.
A yellow light had barely enveloped Xu Yang when the tremendous force struck. With a boom, the light shook violently before breaking apart in every direction. Xu Yang's body was struck by the full force of the impact and hurtled straight toward the cave wall behind him.
Drops of blood danced through the air, and huge rocks flew in every direction. The cave ceiling gradually began to fall, and the whole cavern started to collapse.
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