Everyone remained in their original positions, as if what had just happened was an illusion.
Huang Liang felt as if his body had been completely drained; the brief battle just now had exhausted too much of his Mental Power.
Immediately afterwards Howard, the man in black next to him, and Hong Kui all fell to the ground almost simultaneously.
Huang Liang was startled. Forgetting whether Howard and the others were dead, he rushed over to check on Hong Kui.
Hong Kui wasn't dead, but he was extremely weak, his breathing barely perceptible. Fortunately, Huang Liang was a doctor, and after a quick check, he determined that Hong Kui wouldn't die. As long as he used his mental energy to protect Hong Kui's last bit of consciousness, his life wouldn't be in danger.
While performing CPR on Hong Kui, he used his own spirit to search for the source of Hong Kui's faint consciousness, calling out Hong Kui's name.
Now it all comes down to the outcome of the match between Horemheb and Itjenetjer.
A crystal-clear icicle stick appeared in Itjenetjer's hand. He chuckled sinisterly and said:
" Horemheb, you are indeed stronger than I imagined, but you can't beat me. Besides, I now possess the Soul of Ice."
Horemheb seemed surprised and asked, "You were born in the dark land of black sand, and you stole the power and authority of the Amenhotep Family and the abilities of Tuoxiao, son of Unabu. I believe you can manipulate the power of sand and fire, but how can you control the Soul of Ice?"
Itjenetjer laughed loudly, "I am the Children of Gaia! The Children of Gaia is not limited by spiritual qualities and can control all sacred objects that can guide the spirit! Do you really think what Itza left behind can fight against Gaia? Have you forgotten that Gaia is the source of spirit and consciousness? Gaia is invincible! The Children of Gaia is also invincible!"
Horemheb shook his head and said, "Perhaps we can't fight Gaia against the Book, but we can refuse to be manipulated by her. And you are not Gaia, you're just a dog! No, you're not even as good as a dog! Because even though dogs are stupid, they still have their own brains, while you don't even have a brain, not even your own independent thoughts. You're just a nerve synapse at the end of a tentacle!"
Itjenetjer chuckled maliciously, "No need to be stubborn. You'll soon see who's truly thoughtless. You foolish humans, clinging to this physical form, then I'll grant your wish. I'll freeze your body, and your thoughts, your spirit—those were gifts from Gaia, and will ultimately be taken back by Gaia. Then, you'll be nothing but a cold corpse, drifting in the dark universe. What freedom, what thought then!"
Horemheb sighed, "You've wasted thousands of years of your life! You still don't understand the value of life! You can't see freedom, and you'll never have it!"
"Then let me see the value of your so-called freedom!"
After speaking, Itjenetjer raised the Soul of Ice in his hand. An aura countless times colder than the Siberia wind began to condense in the air. The Soul of Ice in his hand displayed a power a hundred times stronger than that in Hong Kui's hands.
Huang Liang saw streaks of ice appear in the air before him, all the scarce water vapor frozen solid.
He was shivering from the cold. The chill didn't penetrate his body through his clothes, but went straight into his blood and bone marrow, as if the cold air had passed through some distorted space and entered his very bones.
He knew this wasn't real cold, but rather a direct awakening of all the memories of cold within his mind, amplified a hundredfold. This kind of mental attack was far more terrifying than actual cold.
Horemheb stood ready, pulling out a short, red, coral-like object from his person, and said, "Do you think you're the only one with the Sacred Staff?"
Itjenetjer said, "So it was you who took the sacred relic from the top of the tower. But it's no use! You only have half a Soul of Fire, while I have a whole Soul of Ice. Fire and ice are mutually exclusive; you can't beat me!"
"That's not necessarily true," Horemheb said.
A surge of heat erupted from his body, and the nine Sun in the sky seemed to suddenly come alive, shining scorchingly upon the earth.
However, the freezing air remained intense, Itjenetjer exerted its power once more, drawing upon a continuous stream of icy energy from the void, from who-knows-where.
The heat couldn't melt the cold, but it seemed difficult for the cold to completely freeze this warm current.
"You can't win!" Itjenetjer shouted in his sharp, hoarse voice. "Your half- Soul of Fire can only summon half of Tuoxiao's divine power, but this is Chayak's territory. On this icy plain, the power of the Soul of Ice will become even stronger. The whole world is covered in ice and snow. Let's see how long you can last!"
Horemheb stopped talking and focused all his efforts on resisting the icy power emanating from Itjenetjer, and he seemed to be struggling a bit.
Huang Liang was unsure whether he should go up to help. In such a duel between masters, his strength was negligible, and he might even be a hindrance. He didn't know how much difference there was between half and a whole staff of the so-called Sacred Staff, but he understood that Itjenetjer was right. In this icy wilderness, fire would ultimately be at a disadvantage against ice, and judging from the current situation, Horemheb was also showing signs of weakening.
There was no choice.
Huang Liang decided to take a gamble.
He gently placed Hong Kui on the ground. In his faint consciousness, he reminded him: Hold on, don't fall asleep. In this bone-chilling cold, once you fall asleep, you'll never wake up again.
Hong Kui responded in his mind: Go, do your thing, don't worry about me.
Hearing Hong Kui's response, Huang Liang felt a little relieved, which at least indicated that Hong Kui had recovered somewhat.
Without further hesitation, he concentrated all his Mental Power on the red-glowing scalpel in his palm and slashed it at Itjenetjer's back.
However, the moisture in the air had already condensed into ice, and by the time his spiritual blade pierced through the ice, its power was greatly diminished. Itjenetjer simply shook his trench coat, and a powerful force rebounded, sending Huang Liang flying.
Huang Liang couldn't even tell whether he had actually flown away or if it was just a mental sensation.
He felt as if he had been floating for a long time before crashing heavily to the ground. A sudden sweetness rose in his throat, and he felt as if he was about to vomit blood. Although it was just a memory in his mind and he wasn't actually going to vomit blood, it was still quite uncomfortable.
He quickly composed himself, closed his eyes to steady his mind, and when he opened them again, he was back beside Hong Kui.
Itjenetjer seemed a little surprised, let out a soft "Eh," and turned to look at Huang Liang. Two chilling gazes, like two cold lightning bolts, fell upon Huang Liang.