"Clang...!"
The instant he caught Ping'an, the Human Sovereign Sword shot away like lightning, carrying the two of them toward the outside of Helian Temple.
Boom!!
Amid the qi explosions, they reached the outskirts of the Black Lotus Temple in just one or two breaths.
Dong-!!
At the same time, however, amid a violent tremor, a beam of black light shot skyward from the direction of the Sutra Hall.
What followed was a terrifying aura fluctuation that sent both Xu Taiping's and Ping'an's hearts pounding, along with the Mad Monk's furious roar-
"You won't escape!!"
Xu Taiping dared not linger. He immediately drove the Human Sovereign Sword with all his strength.
Clang-!!
With another deafening sword cry, the Human Sovereign Sword's light enveloped Ping'an and Xu Taiping, hurtling out of the Black Lotus Temple.
Having successfully prevented the Mad Monk from merging with the Yama Inheritance, the two had effectively completed their mission.
Boom!
Then, amid another qi explosion, Xu Taiping and Ping'an flew dozens of li beyond the Black Lotus Temple in one go.
Rumble...
Just as they stopped to recover some magic power, a violent trembling shook heaven and earth, and the black lotus pedestal beneath the Black Lotus Temple abruptly closed up completely.
Then it grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, lifting the entire Black Lotus Temple.
From a distance, it looked like a black lotus growing on the Nine Valleys Corpse-Moss Shoal, swaying in the wind.
Boom! Boom, boom...!
Almost simultaneously, the petals of an enormous lotus shadow unfurled layer upon layer, centered on that black lotus.
Seeing them about to unfurl beneath his feet, Xu Taiping immediately grabbed Ping'an and flew backward on his sword again.
This time, however, his retreat was nowhere near as fast as the petals unfurling.
Within just