Fierce Battle: Talisman Treasure God-Sealing Lock

Both battlefields were deadlocked, the fighting intense to the extreme. Although Xu Yang was locked in a fierce struggle with Hu Xinrong, he still observed the situation on the field. After a quick calculation, he immediately made a decision.

Xu Yang pushed his Iron Body to the limit, using the Iron Wall technique to temporarily protect himself. He immediately pulled out the Talisman Treasure God-Sealing Lock, pouring his full Gang Qi into it. The talisman instantly transformed into a massive lock; it was entirely golden-yellow, looking exactly like a common padlock from the mortal world.

Once the giant lock appeared, Xu Yang immediately maneuvered it to fly toward the battlefield where Ling Feng and the others were fighting. Seeing Xu Yang's move, Hu Xinrong felt a sense of foreboding and hurriedly unleashed a barrage of punches at Xu Yang. However, he was blocked by the Iron Wall in front of Xu Yang; although he struck the wall until it shook repeatedly, he could never break its defense to reach Xu Yang himself.

Enduring Hu Xinrong's attacks, Xu Yang manipulated the God-Sealing Lock to hover above Liu Peng and Zhao Man. The God-Sealing Lock descended a golden pillar of light, enveloping the two of them. They were horrified to discover that their divine sense had been sealed within their bodies, unable to project outward, and all the magical artifacts they controlled lost their connection, coming to a halt in mid-air.

Seeing this, Ling Feng was stunned for a moment, then filled with wild joy. He immediately used one hand to control his broad Flying Sword to shoot toward Liu Peng, while using the other to direct a golden needle artifact toward Zhao Man.

Liu Peng and Zhao Man's expressions changed drastically. They hurriedly retreated, simultaneously slapping their Qiankun Bags to retrieve a shield and a green treasure bead. Liu Peng held the shield in front of him to block the Flying Sword's strike, while Zhao Man raised her hand and threw the green bead at the golden needle.

With a loud bang, the Flying Sword struck Liu Peng's shield, instantly carving cracks into it. Liu Peng's expression shifted wildly, and with a ruthless look, he spat out a mouthful of essence blood onto the shield. The shield absorbed the blood, its power surging, and it successfully blocked the Flying Sword's attack.

Zhao Man's green bead collided with the golden needle and immediately exploded, transforming into vines that coiled around the needle, pinning it firmly in mid-air. Seeing this, Zhao Man breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly moved to the edge of the golden pillar and struck it with her hand, hoping to break the light and escape.

With a thud, Zhao Man's right palm struck the pillar, shaking her back two steps, but the pillar remained motionless, showing no signs of change. Zhao Man's expression turned grim; she hadn't expected the pillar to be so sturdy.

Left with no choice, she took out her Silver Phoenix Hairpin, gripped it tightly, and stabbed it fiercely into the pillar. With a loud bang, the Silver Phoenix Hairpin pierced the pillar, creating a large hole. Overjoyed, Zhao Man quickly swiped her palm along the edge of the hole to widen it, then retrieved her hairpin and escaped the pillar.

Just as Zhao Man escaped the confinement of the God-Sealing Lock, a scream came from behind her. Her expression changed, and she turned to look; she saw Liu Peng with a golden needle piercing through the center of his brow, thin trickles of blood flowing continuously from the wound.

It turned out that Ling Feng had spared Zhao Man to focus entirely on Liu Peng. After all, Liu Peng's cultivation was one realm higher than Zhao Man's, so it was only natural to eliminate him first before killing her. Thus, after Ling Feng's golden needle broke free from the vines, it had struck directly at Liu Peng.

Liu Peng had already been struggling to defend against Ling Feng's Flying Sword; now, under the assault of the golden needle, he could no longer hold on. With a look of despair, he was pierced through the brow and fell dead to the ground.

These events happened too quickly; before Hu Xinrong could react, Liu Peng had already fallen. Furious, he abandoned his attack on Xu Yang and moved to Zhao Man's side. While warily watching Xu Yang and Ling Feng, he said sternly to Zhao Man, "Junior Sister Zhao, at this point, let's stop the scheming. You'd better bring out your real skills! Otherwise, both of us will be left here today."

Hearing this, the look of shock on Zhao Man's face vanished. She giggled coquettishly at Hu Xinrong, "I didn't expect Senior Brother Hu to see through my disguise. Since that's the case, I have no choice but to show my true strength."

Hu Xinrong snorted coldly, "I saw long ago that you weren't simple. Only Junior Brother Liu was foolish enough to believe you—look where that got him, dead with no place to be buried! Do you think I'm blind to you and the master flirting? That old ghost surely wouldn't treat you poorly; he must have passed on some good things to you while ordering you to monitor me in secret."

Zhao Man's face turned ugly at these words. So she had been seen through by Hu Xinrong all along! And here she had thought he was just a lecherous man with no ambition! It was all an act. Fortunately, Xu Yang and his companion were so powerful that they forced him to reveal his true colors. Once this was over, she would definitely report this to the master.

Thinking this, Zhao Man moved quickly, her hands forming seals to undo the seal within her body. Her cultivation level rose rapidly until it stopped at the peak of the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. Simultaneously, Hu Xinrong's cultivation also began to rise, reaching the peak of the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm as well.

Seeing Zhao Man's cultivation level, Hu Xinrong looked jealous. He said sourly, "I didn't expect that even though you just became Old Ghost Huang's disciple, you've already reached the peak of the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm. It seems Old Ghost Huang has put quite a bit of effort into you!"

Zhao Man gave Hu Xinrong a charming smile, "Blame it on the fact that you are a man, Senior Brother. If you were a woman, the master would naturally dote on you as well."

"Hmph! Forget it! If I were a woman, I wouldn't be like you, offering yourself up in bed without a shred of shame," Hu Xinrong retorted coldly.

Zhao Man giggled as if she didn't care, but a flash of hidden malice crossed her eyes; clearly, she was not as indifferent as she appeared.

Seeing the changes in the two, Xu Yang wore a grave expression. He hadn't expected them to be hiding their strength. It seemed he would have to use the Talisman Treasure Samadhi Ring. Thinking of this, Xu Yang felt a pang of pain; using the talisman this way would quickly exhaust its power.

Taking advantage of the time Hu Xinrong and Zhao Man spent raising their cultivation, Xu Yang raised his hand and tossed the God-Sealing Lock talisman to Ling Feng, saying, "This is the Talisman Treasure God-Sealing Lock. You know its function; you can use it when you face Zhao Man later."

Ling Feng caught it and nodded at Xu Yang, "I understand. Hu Xinrong is also a dual cultivator of magic and body, and his realm is higher than yours. You need to be careful when you fight."

Xu Yang nodded to show he understood. Afterward, he signaled to Ling Feng and immediately charged toward Hu Xinrong, hoping to strike first. Seeing this, Ling Feng rushed toward Zhao Man, drawing her to another part of the battlefield to avoid interfering with each other.

Xu Yang clashed with Hu Xinrong again and immediately felt immense pressure. He hadn't expected his strength to increase so much. Within moments, Xu Yang was pushed onto the defensive. This was partly because Hu Xinrong was a powerful dual cultivator, and partly because Xu Yang's Qi Refining realm was too low—he was only at the peak of the eighth layer, a full major realm behind Hu Xinrong.

Seeing this, Xu Yang's heart sank. He knew he couldn't win a head-on collision, so he increased his attack to force Hu Xinrong back temporarily. Taking this opportunity, Xu Yang quickly retrieved the Samadhi Ring talisman and sent a blast of fiery-red Samadhi True Fire toward Hu Xinrong.

Hu Xinrong's expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected Xu Yang to have another Talisman Treasure. He hurriedly took out a Black Small Banner and threw it into the air to block the Samadhi True Fire, while taking the opportunity to close in on Xu Yang, hoping to interrupt his spellcasting.

The Black Small Banner grew rapidly in the air, becoming a three-meter-tall flag. It was pitch black, and the fabric moved without wind, releasing waves of black baleful energy that temporarily blocked the burning of the Samadhi True Fire. However, seeing the flag dimming rapidly, it wouldn't last long; once the baleful energy was burned away, it would be completely destroyed.

Seeing the Samadhi True Fire blocked, Xu Yang's heart sank completely. At this moment, Hu Xinrong charged over with a ferocious expression. Xu Yang calculated that if he were allowed to get close, his spellcasting would be interrupted, so he had no choice but to recall the Samadhi Ring and release another blast of Samadhi True Fire to force Hu Xinrong back. The two were deadlocked once again.

On the other side, Ling Feng was manipulating his Flying Sword and golden needle to attack Zhao Man while looking for an opportunity to use the God-Sealing Lock. Having suffered greatly from the lock before, Zhao Man was constantly on guard, not giving Ling Feng the slightest chance.

At the same time, she manipulated the Silver Phoenix Hairpin to strike at Ling Feng repeatedly and took out a white bracelet to trap his golden needle, making Ling Feng's needle restricted and unable to attack recklessly. His Flying Sword was also blocked by the Silver Phoenix Hairpin, and the two were evenly matched.

Ling Feng was growing anxious. He knew Xu Yang's strength was inferior to Hu Xinrong's and that he might be losing ground. If Xu Yang were defeated, their situation would be dire. As for the Lunar Divine Light Ray talisman, with Xu Yang's cultivation, he couldn't activate it at all; that was a spiritual talisman that only Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators could use.

Ling Feng dared not delay any longer. He activated the God-Sealing Lock to cover Zhao Man. Seeing this, Zhao Man's expression changed, and she hurriedly darted around, not daring to stay in one place for long. The God-Sealing Lock had already locked onto her aura; if she hesitated for even a moment, she would be sealed within the pillar of light.

Ling Feng manipulated the God-Sealing Lock to cover Zhao Man while using his Flying Sword and golden needle to hinder her movements. Seeing this, a look of despair appeared on Zhao Man's face. She changed her tactics and charged toward Ling Feng. Ling Feng retreated while holding the God-Sealing Lock in front of him.

Zhao Man hurriedly changed direction, continuing to pounce on Ling Feng. Ling Feng grew wary and manipulated the God-Sealing Lock to block her path, while his Flying Sword and golden needle attacked her relentlessly. Seeing Ling Feng so vigilant, Zhao Man had no choice but to raise her hand and throw a talisman she was holding, which landed on the God-Sealing Lock. Originally, Zhao Man had intended to strike Ling Feng with this talisman.

The talisman landed on the God-Sealing Lock and immediately transformed into a golden chain, locking the lock firmly in place so it could no longer move. Ling Feng was shocked and blurted out, "Lesser Sealing Talisman! How do you have this kind of talisman?" At the same time, he felt a wave of relief; fortunately, he had been very vigilant and hadn't let Zhao Man get close, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The function of the Lesser Sealing Talisman was to seal; once struck by it, one would be instantly sealed, unable to mobilize either Gang Qi or divine sense, becoming a lamb for the slaughter within the span of an hour.