Qingyunzi nodded. He knew that he couldn't be of much help at the moment and might even be a hindrance to Snow Empress. So he immediately sat down cross-legged, took out a healing pill, and circulated his spiritual energy to quickly recover from his injuries and restore his strength.
Black Impermanence looked at Snow Empress and sneered, "You think you can contend with me alone? Today, I'll let you taste the power of the Soul-Locking Chain!" With that, he raised his hand and waved the Soul-Locking Chain, which instantly flew towards Snow Empress at incredible speed, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, aiming straight for Snow Empress throat. On the Soul-Locking Chain, yin flames burned fiercely, and a sinister aura permeated the air, making one's scalp tingle, as if countless wronged souls were wailing within the chains.
The Snow Empress's eyes sharpened as she manipulated the Ziwei Emperor Bell, smashing it towards the Soul-Locking Chain. "Clang!" A crisp, resounding clang echoed as the Emperor Bell and Soul-Locking Chain collided, purple light and black yin fire intertwining and sparking dazzling flames. The Soul-Locking Chain trembled slightly from the Emperor Bell, and the black yin fire dimmed somewhat, but they were not repelled; instead, they continued to entangle the Snow Empress.
"I didn't expect the Ziwei Emperor Bell to be so sturdy." A hint of surprise flashed in Black Impermanence's eyes, but he quickly regained his cold expression. "However, do you think you can stop my Soul-Locking Chain like this? You're too naive!" With that, he once again circulated the Yin energy within his body and poured it into the Soul-Locking Chain. The Yin fire on the Soul-Locking Chain blazed up again, and the chains became even thicker, frantically wrapping around the Snow Empress.
The Snow Empress dared not be careless, pouring all her Ziwei Power into the Emperor Bell. Purple light surged on the Emperor Bell, exuding imperial might, and the bell tolled continuously, bombarding the Soul-Locking Chain. Each toll caused the Soul-Locking Chain to vibrate slightly, and the evil energy dissipated somewhat, but the Soul-Locking Chain seemed to be supported by an inexhaustible source of power, still wrapping around the Snow Empress.
The two were locked in a fierce stalemate. Snow Empress was able to barely withstand the attack of the Soul-Locking Chain with the divine power of the Ziwei Emperor Bell, but Black Impermanence's cultivation was two levels higher than hers, and the power of the Soul-Locking Chain was extremely strong. Snow Empress gradually felt a bit strained, her Ziwei Power was greatly depleted, her aura became somewhat weak, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
"Holy Maiden, I'm here to help you!" Just then, Qingyunzi's voice suddenly rang out. He had recovered most of his strength and moved swiftly, rushing towards Black Impermanence. With a swing of his cyan longsword, a cyan sword aura, wrapped in rich spiritual energy, pierced towards Black Impermanence's back. He knew that Black Impermanence was currently attacking Snow Empress with all his might, and his back must be a weak point in his defense. This attack might cause considerable damage to Black Impermanence.
Black Impermanence sensed the attack from behind, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, but he didn't turn around. He simply raised his hand and sent a black energy blast towards Qingyunzi. "Overestimating yourself!" Black Impermanence sneered. He didn't take Qingyunzi seriously at all. In his eyes, Qingyunzi was just a cultivator at the Third Transformation of Dragon Transformation, and could not possibly pose any threat to him.
Qingyunzi's eyes sharpened, and he dodged the black energy with a flash. At the same time, he once again wielded his cyan longsword, and several cyan sword energies intertwined and stabbed towards Black Impermanence's back. This time, he poured all the spiritual energy in his body into the longsword, making the sword energy much stronger than before. It carried a sharp edge and went straight for Black Impermanence's vital points.
Black Impermanence's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected Qingyunzi to be so fast, and the power of his sword energy had also exceeded his expectations. He had to be distracted, turning around to strike Qingyunzi. The Soul-Locking Chain also temporarily stopped attacking Snow Empress and instead wrapped around Qingyunzi.
Seizing the opportunity, Snow Empress took a deep breath, channeled the remaining Ziwei Power within her body, and poured it into the Emperor Bell once more. The purple light on the Emperor Bell instantly surged to its peak, and the bell's resounding chime shook the heavens and earth as it blasted towards Black Impermanence. " Ziwei Emperor Bell, a full-force attack!" Snow Empress roared, manipulating the Emperor Bell to smash it towards Black Impermanence. This attack concentrated all her power and was the strongest strike she had unleashed since the Emperor Bell was repaired.
Black Impermanence sensed the attack from behind and his expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected the Snow Empress to launch an attack at this moment, and with such power. He tried to dodge, but it was too late. He could only exert all his strength, circulating the Yin and Evil Qi within his body to Soul-Locking Chain behind him, while simultaneously forming a black barrier around himself to resist the attack of the Emperor Bell.
With a deafening roar, the Emperor Bell slammed into the Soul-Locking Chain and the black barrier. Purple light instantly pierced the barrier, suppressing the Yin Fire of the Soul-Locking Chain, and the powerful force blasted towards Black Impermanence. Black Impermanence let out a shrill scream, his body thrown backward, spitting out a mouthful of black blood. Most of the Yin energy around him instantly dissipated, and the Soul-Locking Chain, now dull and lifeless, fell to the ground, having lost their former power. A huge wound appeared on his body, and the Ziwei Power continuously eroded his flesh, worsening his injury and weakening his aura.
"Damn it!" Black Impermanence struggled to stand up, a trace of resentment and venom flashing in his eyes. " Snow Empress, Qingyunzi, I will remember this grudge! One day, I will surely return with a vengeance, grind you to dust, and make the entire world pay for your deaths!" With that, he took out a black jade slip from his storage bag, crushed it, and a black light flashed, enveloping him and instantly disappearing from the spot. Clearly, he had used the power of the jade slip to escape in a sorry state.
Snow Empress watched the direction Black Impermanence fled in but did not give chase. She knew that Black Impermanence was highly skilled and already injured. Even if she caught up with him, it would be difficult to kill him completely, and she might even fall into an ambush in the Underworld. Moreover, she and Qingyunzi were exhausted, and their spiritual energy had been greatly depleted. They needed to recuperate as soon as possible.
"Holy Maiden, we have finally defeated Black Impermanence!" Qingyunzi walked to Snow Empress's side, a smile appearing on his face. Although he was still injured, his eyes were full of joy.
Snow Empress nodded, a relieved smile appearing on her face. Then, she swayed and almost fell to the ground. The continuous battles had exhausted the Ziwei Power within her, leaving her extremely tired.
"Holy Maiden, are you alright?" Qingyunzi quickly helped Snow Empress up and asked with concern.
"I'm fine, just a bit tired from the excessive use of spiritual energy," Snow Empress said softly. "Let's find a safe place to rest and recover our spiritual energy and injuries, then return to the Kunlun Sect as soon as possible to report the situation to Daoist Kunlun. Although Black Impermanence has escaped, he certainly won't let this go easily. We must prepare for his counterattack as quickly as possible."
Qingyunzi nodded, helped Snow Empress, and walked towards a cave not far away. The cave was located halfway up the Kunlun Mountain Range. The entrance was hidden, and there was no dangerous aura around it, making it an excellent place to recuperate.