The two gray-robed men's expressions changed slightly, then they revealed sinister smiles. "So you do know about the Underworld! It seems the fairy isn't entirely without connections. Since you know, you should understand even more that no 'material' set in our Underworld can escape!"
The short man suddenly raised his hand and threw a small, pitch-black banner. The banner grew taller in the wind, instantly becoming about ten feet in size, hovering in mid-air, spewing out billowing black mist. Within the black mist, countless hideous ghost faces vaguely appeared, emitting mournful howls, forming a huge black light shield that enveloped an area of several hundred feet around, isolating the surrounding atmosphere and sight.
" Yin-Locking Banner! Rise!" the tall man shouted simultaneously, his hands forming a seal, and streaks of gray-black runes were driven into the ground. Instantly, a complex array pattern lit up on the ground, radiating a powerful binding and suppressing force, specifically targeting Spiritual Power of the Yin and cold attributes.
Yin-Locking Great Formation! They were prepared and laid a trap here!
"Fairy, stop struggling! This Yin-Locking Great Formation and Yin-Locking Banner are specially tailor-made for someone with a Yin constitution like you! Surrender obediently, and you'll suffer less!" The short man laughed smugly, activating the black banner. Countless ghost faces transformed into black chains, wrapping around the Snow Empress from all directions.
The Snow Empress's face was frosty, but her heart was utterly calm. The two opponents' auras were around the Dao Palace Third Heaven, which was different from her current " Dao Palace Peak " aura. However, with their formation and magic treasures that specifically countered the power of Yin and cold, they could indeed cause her considerable trouble.
However, it's just a hassle.
"You think you can take me?" Snow Empress shouted, no longer concealing her cultivation level. The aura of Dao Palace Peak (actually Four Extremes Secret Realm ) erupted! Terrifying Taiyin cold energy swept out from her center, and the moisture in the air instantly condensed into countless ice crystals. The ground froze into a thick layer of ice with crackling sounds. The black chains that Entanglement her slowed down when they got within three zhang of her, and their surfaces were covered with a thick layer of white frost.
"What?! Dao Palace Peak?! No, this chilling aura..." The two gray-robed men were shocked. The intelligence was wrong! This female cultivator's strength was far greater than they had sensed! Moreover, this Taiyin chilling aura was purer and more domineering than they had imagined!
"Attack together! Activate the great formation to suppress her with all your might! She has already sent out a distress signal, and Lord Yin Sha Guard will be here soon!" The tall man shouted fiercely, and he and the short man simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood essence onto the black banner.
The banner shone with a brilliant black light, the wailing of ghosts and howls became even more piercing, the array patterns glowed with explosive light, and the suppressive power increased exponentially. At the same time, two particularly solid black shadows flew out from the banner, exuding an aura comparable to the Dao Palace Secret Realm, and pounced towards the Snow Empress.
The Snow Empress's eyes were as cold as ice, her hands formed a hand seal, and moonlight shone brightly around her.
"Taiyin, Ice Seal!"
A chilling moonlight burst forth from her body, instantly enveloping the entire area. The two dark figures that rushed towards her were the first to be struck by the moonlight, instantly freezing into ice sculptures before shattering with a bang! The black chains broke inch by inch, turning into ice shards. The patterns of the Yin-Locking Great Formation were eroded by the extreme cold, its light rapidly dimming and its operation becoming sluggish.
"How is this possible?!" The two gray-robed men were horrified. Their Yin-Locking Great Formation and Yin-Locking Banner, which they relied on for their fame, were so vulnerable in front of this woman!
Snow Empress gave the other party no chance to react, her figure disappearing like Gui Mei, and the next moment she appeared in front of the tall man, pointing her fingers like a sword, a point of icy blue light piercing straight into his brow.
"Stop!"
Just then, a hoarse and harsh shout came from the distant sky. A streak of gray-black light tore through the air at an astonishing speed. Before it even arrived, a cold, violent, and deathly pressure had already crashed down upon them!
This oppressive aura far surpasses that of the Dao Palace Secret Realm; it is clearly the work of a powerful expert from the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm!
Snow Empress's expression changed slightly, but her outstretched fingers did not stop.
"Puff!"
A chilling blue light pierced through the tall man's brow, the extreme cold instantly freezing his soul. The man's expression froze, the life force in his eyes rapidly dissipated, and he turned into an ice sculpture.
"Brother!" The short man's eyes widened in fury.
The dark gray streak of light had already reached them when it crashed to the ground, revealing a figure.
It was a tall figure clad in heavy black armor, his face covered by a menacing metal mask. The armor was ancient in style, covered in dark red rust, as if it had crawled out of an ancient tomb. Beneath the mask, two scarlet lights flickered, locked onto the Snow Empress. In his hand he held a jet-black halberd, Entanglement a dense aura of death, its tip pointing at the Snow Empress.
" Yin Sha Guard!" The short man, as if seeing a savior, quickly retreated and hid beside the man, urgently saying, "My lord! This woman is the one with the discovered Taiyin Physique! She is incredibly powerful, and my brother has already been killed by her! Please, my lord, capture her so that we can refine the Ten Thousand Yin Banner for Earth Venerable!"
The black-armored man, known as the Yin Sha Guard, ignored the short man's words, staring intently at Snow Empress with his scarlet eyes. A hoarse voice came from beneath his helmet. " Taiyin Physique... very good. Give up resistance and come back with me, and you'll be spared the torment of soul-searching and refining."
His aura was like ten thousand years of ice, carrying the deathly stillness of mountains of corpses and seas of blood; he was clearly at the Dragon Transformation Third Heaven Realm! Moreover, the cultivation method he practiced was extremely strange and sinister, and he had a certain resistance to the Lunar Power.
Snow Empress's heart sank. The Dragon Transformation Secret Realm was a whole realm higher than hers. If it were an ordinary Dragon Transformation cultivator, she might not be without the power to fight back, and might even have a chance to escape, thanks to the strength of her Taiyin Physique and her experience from her previous life. But the black-armored man in front of her had a strange aura and was obviously not an ordinary cultivator. Moreover, he had come specifically to capture her and must have a way to restrain her.
"You lackeys of the Underworld, do you think you're worthy of my surrender?" Snow Empress coldly replied, unleashing her full Lunar Power, causing the moonlight around her to shine even brighter, and the phantom of a bright, clear moon faintly appeared behind her. She was prepared to fight to the death, even considering using forbidden methods, even if it meant sacrificing her own life force, to tear a path to survival.
"Stubborn to the end." The Yin Sha Guard's voice remained unwavering as he slowly raised his black halberd, its tip aimed at the Snow Empress. An even more terrifying aura of death locked onto her, making her blood seem to freeze. "Then... break her limbs and extract her soul to take her back."
Before the words were even finished, the Yin Sha Guard's figure suddenly blurred, and in the next instant, he had already traversed dozens of feet. The pitch-black halberd, accompanied by the sound of ghosts wailing and gods howling, tore through the air and cleaved down! Even before the halberd arrived, the chilling killing intent and deathly aura made the Snow Empress feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave, her breath catching in her throat.
Snow Empress shouted, his hands moving, and the Taiyin Holy Power surged, condensing into a crystal-clear ice mirror in front of him.
"Taiyin, Profound Ice Mirror!"
"Clang--!!!"
The halberd slammed into the ice mirror, producing a deafening clang of metal against metal. The ice mirror trembled violently, and fine cracks appeared on its surface. The Snow Empress groaned and staggered back seven or eight steps, her face paling even more. Even with her special physique, a direct hit from the Dragon Transformation Secret Realm was extremely difficult for her to withstand.
"Hmm? Interesting." Yin Sha Guard's scarlet eyes flickered slightly, seemingly surprised that Snow Empress could withstand the halberd. However, he did not stop. With a flick of his hand, the halberd transformed into a sky full of halberd shadows, like a black rainstorm, covering Snow Empress's vital points. Each strike was as heavy as a mountain and extremely vicious.