Wherever the black dragon passed, the air was corroded and shattered, even the sunlight was blocked, and the entire halfway up Mount Hua was plunged into darkness once again.
"Boom--!"
The enormous sword shadow collided with the black dragon phantom, producing a deafening roar that shook the heavens and the earth. The entire Mount Hua trembled violently, and rocks on the mountainside shattered and tumbled down, forming a small mudslide. Many Underworld soldiers and righteous disciples were unable to dodge in time and were hit by the falling rocks, suffering serious injuries or even dying on the spot.
The golden, righteous energy and the black, sinister energy intertwined and collided, bursting forth with light that dyed the entire sky half gold and half black. The two forces were evenly matched, locked in a stalemate, neither able to suppress the other. Daoist Kunlun felt his spiritual energy rapidly depleting, a tearing pain shooting through his meridians, and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Yet, he still gripped his longsword tightly, refusing to let go. He knew this was their only hope; if he released it, they would all perish.
Seeing this, the Wudang Sect leader's eyes flashed with determination. He took a deep breath, activated the Wudang secret technique, and concentrated all the spiritual energy in his body onto the whisk in his hand. The white light on the whisk grew brighter and brighter. " Wudang Secret Technique, Taiji Returns to One!"
With a shout from the Wudang Sect leader, he swung his whisk, and a massive white Tai Chi diagram appeared out of thin air. The diagram slowly rotated, radiating a gentle yet powerful force, and flew towards the point of impact between the sword shadow and the black dragon phantom. "Daoist Master, I'm here to help you!"
After the white Tai Chi diagram joined the battle, it instantly released a powerful aura of righteousness, suppressing the black dragon phantom. The black dragon phantom's attacks weakened instantly, and the black light on its body dimmed slightly. Seeing this, a glimmer of hope flashed in the eyes of Daoist Kunlun. He gritted his teeth, once again urging the remaining spiritual energy in his body, raising the power of the sword shadow to its limit, and fiercely slashing at the black dragon phantom.
"Snap--!"
With a crisp sound, the black dragon phantom was struck by the combined attack of the sword shadow and the Tai Chi diagram. A huge crack appeared on its body, which continued to widen. Finally, the black dragon phantom let out a mournful howl, turning into countless wisps of black smoke and dissipating into the air. Netherworld Lord felt a powerful impact surge into his body. He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of black blood, and his body involuntarily staggered back more than ten steps, crashing into the cliff behind him. The cliff shattered instantly, and debris tumbled down.
The Netherworld Lord, leaning against the cliff edge, struggled to his feet. His face was ashen, and his breath was extremely weak. He looked at the Daoist Kunlun and the Wudang Sect Leader, his eyes filled with rage and resentment. "Damn it! How dare you harm me! Today, I will tear you to pieces to vent my hatred!"
As he spoke, Netherworld Lord rapidly formed hand seals and chanted eerie incantations. The sinister energy around him surged wildly once more, and his body began to undergo strange changes. His face grew increasingly dark, black scales sprouted from his body, his eyes turned blood red, and a pair of enormous black wings grew from his back. He looked like a demon from hell, and his aura became increasingly powerful, showing signs of breaking through to the Dragon Transformation Nine Changes Middle Stage.
"Not good! He's burning his own soul to enhance his cultivation!" Daoist Kunlun's expression changed drastically, his eyes filled with shock. "Sect Leader, we must stop him! Once he breaks through to the Dragon Transformation Nine Changes Middle Stage, we will no longer be his match!"
The Wudang Sect leader nodded, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes. "The Daoist is right! Let's join forces and stop him!"
After speaking, Daoist Kunlun and the leader of the Wudang Sect exchanged a glance, and simultaneously moved, rushing towards Netherworld Lord. Daoist Kunlun's longsword once again condensed into a huge sword shadow, slashing towards Netherworld Lord's chest; the leader of the Wudang Sect waved his whisk, countless white energy blasts piercing towards Netherworld Lord's body. The two cooperated perfectly, and their attack was extremely fierce.
The Netherworld Lord sneered, his black wings flapping violently as he instantly dodged their attacks. Simultaneously, he swung his black scepter, unleashing a massive black energy blast towards them. "So what if your souls are burning? Today, you are doomed! Netherworld Ultimate Technique, Evil Soul Devours the Heart!"
Within the black energy was the wailing of countless wronged souls, capable of eroding one's mind, trapping them in illusions, and rendering them powerless to fight. The expressions of the Daoist Kunlun and the Wudang Sect Leader changed, and they hurriedly circulated their spiritual energy to protect their minds, while continuing to attack the Netherworld Lord.
Just then, the Shaolin Sect abbot, who was lying behind the boulder, suddenly opened his eyes. A resolute glint flashed in them. Ignoring his injuries, he rapidly formed hand seals and chanted Buddhist scriptures. Golden Buddhist light surged around him once more, " Shaolin's ultimate technique: Sacrifice for righteousness, the Buddha Light Illuminates All shines everywhere!"
As the abbot of the Shaolin Sect chanted, the righteous energy within his body surged forth like a tide, converging into a massive golden Buddhist light that blasted towards the Netherworld Lord. This Buddhist light contained the Shaolin Sect's lifelong cultivation and hard work, possessing immense power capable of purifying all evil and malevolent things.
Netherworld Lord sensed the Buddhist light behind him and his expression changed drastically. He hadn't expected that the severely injured Shaolin Sect would still be able to launch such a powerful attack. He tried to dodge, but it was too late. The golden Buddhist light instantly struck his back, and he let out a shrill wail. The black scales on his body fell off one by one, and the black wings on his back were also scorched by the Buddhist light, emitting puffs of black smoke. The evil energy within his body was also being rapidly purified by the Buddhist light.
"Abbot!" Daoist Kunlun and the Wudang Sect Leader shouted, their eyes filled with emotion and grief. They knew that the Shaolin Sect Abbot was burning his own life to buy them a chance.
The Shaolin Sect abbot looked at the two men, a faint smile on his face, and said weakly, "Daoist Master, Sect Leader... This humble nun... This humble nun has done her best... The rest is in your hands... You must guard the White Tiger Token... Protect all living beings..."
After speaking, the abbot of the Shaolin Sect gradually became transparent, eventually transforming into a wisp of golden Buddhist light that dissipated into the air, leaving only a string of prayer beads that fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
"Abbot!"
The Daoist Kunlun and the Wudang Sect Leader shouted in unison, their eyes filled with tears, their hearts brimming with grief and anger. The righteous disciples present also stopped fighting, bowing deeply in the direction where the Shaolin Sect Abbot had disappeared, their eyes filled with sorrow, while their anger burned ever brighter. They vowed to kill the Netherworld Lord, to avenge the Abbot, and to avenge all their fallen comrades!
"Hahaha!" The Netherworld Lord cackled, his smugness undiminished despite his severe injuries. "I never imagined this old bald monk would be so foolish, burning his own life for you righteous scum! How utterly laughable!"