The trident shaft rose inch by inch, while the sword blade was drawn out bit by bit.
The cracks in the hall floor widened. Rubble broke away from the bases of the two divine artifacts and struck the stone tiles with crisp clatters.
The entire hall trembled faintly. The murals on the dome shook with it, and the portraits of the Sea God and Asura God seemed to come alive amid the vibrations. Two pairs of divine eyes gazed down from above at the young man in the center of the hall, struggling to pull out the weapons.
One hour passed. Then two hours passed.
Bing Yekong was already drenched in sweat. His robe clung to his back, and the outlines of his shoulder blades and back muscles were stretched taut beneath the edge of Shui Bing'er's palm.
Both his palms were covered in blood. The shaft of the Sea God Trident and the hilt of the Asura Demon Sword were rougher than any divine artifact should have been, their friction scraping at his flesh like sandpaper.
But he did not let go.
Most of the trident tip had emerged from the stone floor, with only the very last point still embedded in a crack. Half the Asura Demon Sword's blade had also been pulled free, its dark-red edge gleaming with a cold, bloodlike light beneath the lamps.
Every muscle in his arms trembled. Veins bulged across the backs of his hands, while the patterns of the Ice Jade Scorpion and Frost Giant Dragon Soul Bones lit up across his skin at the same time, helping him bear part of the strain.
Shui Bing'er continued sending Ice Phoenix soul power into him. Her face grew paler and paler, and the eight-pointed star on her forehead flashed fiercely. Both of them