Gradually, the Snow Empress began to emanate the same purple light as the Ziwei Emperor Bell. Within her body, a powerful force was rapidly awakening—the power of the Ziwei Emperor Soul. Her aura was also rapidly increasing, gradually approaching the Eighth Transformation of Dragon Transformation from the Seventh Transformation of Dragon Transformation. She could clearly feel that every trace of power and every rune within the Emperor Bell resonated with her Ziwei Emperor Soul; she seemed to have merged with the Emperor Bell into one.
" Ziwei Emperor Soul, Awaken!" Snow Empress silently chanted in her heart. Suddenly, her eyes opened, flashing with dazzling purple light. The Ziwei Emperor Qi around her became even more intense, and her imperial might reached its peak. She raised her hand and waved, and the Ziwei Emperor Bell floating beside her instantly burst forth with dazzling purple light. The sound of the bell was earth-shattering as it blasted towards the General Black Armor.
The General Black Armor sensed the attack from behind, a hint of surprise and apprehension flashing in his eyes. He could feel that this power was far stronger than the Snow Empress's attack, even surpassing the power of Black Impermanence after consuming the Yin Soul Pill. He dared not be careless, immediately circulating the Yin energy within his body, and wielding his black greatsword, slashing towards the Ziwei Emperor Bell.
With a deafening roar, the Emperor Bell collided with the black greatsword. Purple light instantly engulfed the black sword energy, and the powerful recoil forced the General Black Armor to stagger backward, spitting out a mouthful of black blood. A huge crack appeared in his armor, and his aura became extremely weak.
Snow Empress moved swiftly, arriving beside Qingyunzi and supporting him. She asked gently, " Qingyunzi, are you alright?" Qingyunzi shook his head, looking at Snow Empress with a hint of surprise and admiration in his eyes. "Holy Maiden, you... your cultivation has actually broken through to the Eighth Transformation of Dragon Transformation?"
The Snow Empress smiled and said, "Thanks to the guidance of the Great Emperor Ziwei, I awakened the Ziwei Emperor Soul within me, and my cultivation has broken through to the Eighth Transformation of Dragon Transformation. Now, let's defeat the General Black Armor together and continue our journey to the East Sea Dragon Palace to find the Azure Dragon Jade Pendant."
"Alright!" Qingyunzi nodded, a determined look flashing in his eyes. He circulated the remaining spiritual energy in his body to repair his wounds, and at the same time, he infused the cyan longsword in his hand with spiritual energy again, preparing to defeat the General Black Armor together with Snow Empress.
The General Black Armor looked at the Snow Empress, a hint of fear and resentment flashing in his eyes. He hadn't expected that the Snow Empress would break through to the Eighth Transformation of Dragon Transformation in such a short time, and even awaken the Ziwei Emperor Soul, unleashing the full power of the Ziwei Emperor Bell. He knew that he was no longer a match for the Snow Empress, and continuing to persist would only lead to his own destruction.
"Damn it! Snow Empress, you just wait! Today, I will retreat for now, but one day I will definitely return to seize the Ziwei Emperor Bell and complete the mission given to me by the Great Emperor Fengdu!" The General Black Armor roared and turned to flee out of the valley. The Underworld disciples and Yin soldiers behind him, seeing the General Black Armor flee, also scattered and fled, not daring to stay any longer.
"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Snow Empress coldly shouted, manipulating the Ziwei Emperor Bell to bombard the General Black Armor and the fleeing Underworld disciples and Yin soldiers. The Emperor Bell blazed with purple light, its tolling incessantly, each strike slaying a group of fleeing Yin soldiers and Underworld disciples. Although the General Black Armor desperately tried to escape, he was still struck by the power of the Emperor Bell, his injuries worsening and his aura becoming extremely weak. He could only flee the Netherworld Valley in a sorry state.
Watching the General Black Armor and the Underworld's people flee in disarray, Snow Empress, Qingyunzi, and the righteous disciples they led all breathed a sigh of relief. They were all injured to varying degrees, and their auras were somewhat weakened, but victorious smiles appeared on their faces. They knew they had won this battle; they had successfully repelled the Underworld's ambush and taken another step closer to their goal of finding the Azure Dragon Jade Pendant.
"Everyone, rest where you are, heal your injured disciples, and restore your strength," the Snow Empress said to the righteous disciples around her. The disciples responded in unison, resting where they were, healing their injured companions, circulating their spiritual energy, and restoring their strength.
Snow Empress helped Qingyunzi to a clean rock and let him sit down to rest. She took out the golden pill that Xuanjizi had given her from her storage bag, handed it to Qingyunzi, and said, " Qingyunzi, this pill can quickly heal your injuries and restore your spiritual energy. Take it quickly."
Qingyunzi accepted the pill, nodded to the Snow Empress, and said, "Thank you, Holy Maiden."
After taking the pill, Qingyunzi's complexion gradually regained its rosy hue, his spiritual energy rapidly recovered, and his wounds healed at a visible speed under the nourishment of the pill's power. He looked at the Snow Empress, who was meditating with her eyes closed not far away, his eyes filled with admiration and worry. He admired her resilience in awakening her Emperor Soul and breaking through her cultivation in a desperate situation, but he was worried about whether her body could withstand the forceful outburst she had just unleashed. He did not disturb the Snow Empress, but silently circulated his spiritual energy while vigilantly observing his surroundings to prevent the people from the Underworld from returning and setting up another ambush.
The remaining righteous disciples also found safe places to rest. Some were treating their more seriously injured comrades, some were circulating their spiritual energy to recover their strength, and others were cleaning up the battlefield and tidying up the bodies of the fallen disciples. Their faces were filled with grief and determination. Although the righteous disciples ultimately won this ambush, they paid a heavy price. More than a dozen disciples fell forever in the Netherworld Valley. They used their lives to clear the first obstacle on the road to finding the Azure Dragon Jade Pendant.
About an hour later, the Snow Empress slowly opened her eyes. The purple light in her eyes gradually subsided, and the Ziwei Emperor Power within her body had recovered to 70%, with the damage to her meridians also undergoing initial repair. She stood up, walked to Qingyunzi's side, and softly asked, " Qingyunzi, how are you recovering?"
Qingyunzi quickly stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the Snow Empress, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Holy Maiden. With the pills bestowed by you, I have almost fully recovered. My wounds have mostly healed, and my spiritual energy has recovered to 80%, which is enough to deal with the dangers ahead."
The Snow Empress nodded, her gaze sweeping over the disciples present. Her tone was firm as she said, "Everyone has worked hard. Although we repelled the ambush from the Underworld in the battle just now, we paid a heavy price. Those comrades who sacrificed their lives protected the righteous path and all living beings. We cannot let their sacrifices be in vain. We must find the Azure Dragon Jade Pendant as soon as possible, gather the three ancient treasures, completely destroy the Underworld's conspiracy, and avenge our fallen comrades!"