Within the palace.
The two were locked in a fierce battle.
Chen Shuangbai stood still. The occasional loud noises that erupted inside the hall, accompanied by gusts of strong wind, made his robes flutter loudly, but they couldn't move him an inch.
Sixteen Frost Osmanthus Sword Essence around his body, transforming into sixteen ice dragons that chased Deng Jue back and forth throughout the hall, dodging and weaving.
A series of terrifying sounds rang out, and bursts of dazzling spiritual light exploded from all directions within the hall.
Fortunately, this place is Grotto-Heaven, which is of a higher status. With the blessing of the entire Grotto-Heaven, the interior of the hall is not easy to collapse, which is why the front hall did not collapse into a pile of ruins.
Deng Jue was not afraid of the Frost Osmanthus Sword Essence; as long as it didn't get close, he could block it.
Even he found it quite absurd to be pursued by the sixteen Frost Osmanthus Sword Essence. He was horrified: he never expected that someone could split a sword into sixteen pieces, and these Sword Essence were frost-blue in color, exceptionally cold, yet incredibly agile, making him jump around like a monkey.
But that's not the worst part.
The most deadly thing was the sinister, eerie light that Chen Shuangbai would occasionally unleash.
Deng Jue had to admit that the eerie light was extremely malevolent, and even he dared not use his physical body to catch it, so he could only keep jumping up and down.
However, his ability to reach the Middle Golden Core Stage as a body refinement cultivator was not due to luck.
While frantically dodging, his mind raced, and he quickly seized a good opportunity to strike.
Taking advantage of the opening, he stomped his foot hard, shattering the ground, and his powerful Blood Qi erupted. With a forceful stomp, he broke through the air and head-on collided with the three Frost Osmanthus Sword Essence.
He swung the Bronze axe in a wide arc, the Blood Qi on the blade surging and transforming into a highly refined crimson streak that clashed fiercely with the three Frost Osmanthus Sword Essence.
boom--!
A deafening roar erupted, and the crimson and frost-colored hues exploded, transforming into a visible shockwave that swept outwards in all directions.
The few remaining ritual objects in the main hall were blown away by the shockwave, crashing into the walls and shattering into fragments all over the floor.
Amidst the chaos, Deng Jue rushed out.
His massive body was engulfed in black flames, which spread down his armor and burned continuously. The Blood Qi on his long Blood Qi shimmered and condensed into a huge crimson axe shadow, which slashed horizontally toward Chen Shuangbai's neck with the force to split mountains and cleave peaks.
This series of movements was as fast as lightning and as fluid as flowing water; it was clearly a killing move he had planned in advance.
This terrifying move was reflected in the Daoist's eyes.
But the chaotic scene Deng Jue had imagined did not occur. Instead, he saw a faint smile on the lips of the Daoist priest in front of him, which made his heart skip a beat.
Chen Shuangbai foot, and a point of dark water light emerged from his body, instantly spreading into a shimmering pool. The pool was filled with turquoise water, and white lightning and gentle breezes collided and swirled on its surface, transforming into a mysterious land of about one acre in the blink of an eye.
[ Clouds and Water Share the Same Sky ].
Deng Jue showed no intention of sheathing his axe. Instead, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and the blood-red axe shadow that was slashing horizontally suddenly increased in size, carrying immense and unmatched power as it slashed down heavily.
Wherever the axe blade passed, the air emitted a piercing crackling sound, and even space itself seemed to distort slightly.
He was confident that even a cultivator in the Late Golden Core Stage would not dare to take this axe head-on.
The two collided.
But instead of a terrifying roar, there was only a continuous, ear-piercing shriek, like the sound of wind blowing through Kugu, echoing throughout the entire palace.
Deng Jue stared wide-eyed at the scene before him.
Beneath Chen Shuangbai, in the mysterious pool, the azure water light was wrapped with white arcs of electricity. Driven by the gentle breeze, it resembled countless soft ribbons, entwining around the blood-red axe shadow, constantly weakening and disintegrating its power.
This terrifying blow is becoming increasingly fragile at a visible rate.
Deng Jue's expression changed completely.
A thought struck him, and with his immense physical strength, he twisted his body, his right leg sweeping out like a dragon, using this to escape.
The Daoist's eyes reflected this scene. He stood in the Xuan Pool, his robes fluttering, his gaze calm as he looked at Deng Jue, and said indifferently, "Too late."
A flash of crimson light appeared in Chen Shuangbai's eyes, and an invisible blade flew out silently, following Deng Jue's gaze, slashing into his sea of consciousness and leaving a horrific wound.
[ Lesser Yin Spirit-Slashing Saber ]!
Deng Jue felt a splitting headache, and his powerful Qi and Blood surged forth like flames soaring into the sky, as if he were about to flee.
This is the weakness of physical cultivation.
If one's spiritual energy is not sufficiently tempered, they are extremely vulnerable to Secret Method or moves that suppress the spiritual energy.
He broke free, transforming into a streak of blood-red light, and sped towards the palace gate, ready to flee for his life.
But how could Chen Shuangbai let him have his way?
With a flick of his left hand, the Daoist priest released the golden jade ring from his wrist, which transformed into a golden and jade-colored streak and easily caught up with his opponent.
With a crisp clang, the armor on Deng Jue's body, which appeared to be a Law Treasure, emitted a crimson light. However, in that instant, it was smashed to pieces by the High-Grade Law Treasure -level ring. This person seemed to have used some kind of fierce and powerful technique, and was even faster than before. He landed in the sea not far away and was swept away by the waves.
Chen Shuangbai withdrew the [ Azure Sea Hanging Rainbow Dragon-Binding Ring ], and the Xuan Pool beneath her gradually shrank, then she ignored Deng Jue.
Chasing after him is too much trouble. Instead, we should take this opportunity to explore the palace properly. We might even find a treasure that is just as valuable as the [ Cinnabar Purple Profound Fire ].
but...
Chen Shuangbai looked towards a certain spot in the ruins, raised his hand and grabbed, and saw a stream of light shoot out from the rubble and land in his palm.
It was a jade bead about the size of a thumb, pale blue in color, with a smooth, mirror-like surface, yet inside it seemed as if wisps of mist were slowly flowing, radiating a soft and warm glow.
"Perhaps this was something Deng Jue overlooked; it can still be considered a gain."
Chen Shuangbai placed it carefully, then scanned the entire hall with her Divine Sense.
The main hall was in complete disarray after the fierce battle, littered with rubble and broken objects. He searched carefully once more, and after confirming that there were no other valuable items, he turned and walked deeper into the palace.
This palace is grand in scale, with several courtyards and pavilions in addition to the front hall.
As Chen Shuangbai explored deeper into the area, he encountered several restrictions and traps along the way, but thanks to the [ Jade Palace Bright Abyss True Pupils ], he easily overcame them all and obtained some high-quality materials and Law Artifact.
When he arrived at the third courtyard, he suddenly stopped.
Chen Shuangbai looked ahead at a hall where a human and two demons stood.
Above the palace gate, three layers of light curtains descended, and a square cauldron could be vaguely seen inside. Greenish-blue light gushed out from the cauldron, as if it contained some rare treasure.
"This is good stuff."