Interception and Elucidation Clash, Armies Unsplit; Dragon Evasion, Zhenyue Locks the Body

Screech!

A beam of ghastly white deathlight grazed Zhao Gongming's cheek, carrying bone-eroding cold that left half his face numb, as though all life had been wiped away.

A chill shot through Zhao Gongming's heart. Instinctively, he drove the dark-gold flying sword hanging at his waist. Its blade shrieked as it tore through the air, slashing straight at Yin Hong's face.

Yet the instant he mobilized his True Essence, a heart-palpitating aura locked onto him from behind.

A completely gilded pillar materialized out of thin air, its surface engraved with intricate cloud patterns. Three gleaming golden rings hovered beside it, silently winding toward his neck, waist, and ankles!

It was the Dragon-Restraint Pillar!

Zhao Gongming's pupils contracted. The space around him seemed locked down by the golden pillar itself, slowing even his flight by a fraction.

He dared not be careless. At once, he sent out another flying sword, its blade striking one of the Dragon-Restraint Pillar's golden rings with a crisp clang! The ring merely paused for an instant before continuing its relentless pursuit.

"Dammit!"

While driving his two flying swords to take turns blocking the Dragon-Restraint Pillar, Zhao Gongming executed an escape art, shooting backward like an arrow loosed from the bow.

But the Dragon-Restraint Pillar seemed sentient. It remained locked onto his aura, and no matter how he darted and shifted, he could not shake off this troublesome magic treasure.

More troublesome still, Xue Baihu, holding the Zhenyue talisman seal, watched him like a tiger eyeing its prey from the side. The earthy yellow light on the seal flickered in and out, clearly waiting for the best moment to strike.

Yin Hong, meanwhile, gripped the Yin-Yang Mirror. The ghastly white light at its face remained fixed on him; at the slightest opening, the deathlight would immediately lash