Standoff

The Qingyang carried Su Yao all the way, and in less than half a day, they had arrived within a thousand miles of Golden Ao Mountain.

The Great Void emptiness can stretch for thousands of miles, yet it can only reflect a thousand miles of the present world. Su Yao had previously gone to Wumeng Mountain, but his return to Golden Ao was blocked by Cang Lan. He fled all the way westward, having already traveled an unknown distance. It took him half a day to barely make it back to the Golden Ao Mountain area.

As soon as he approached within a thousand miles of Golden Ao Mountain, Su Yao sensed a surge of spiritual energy in the Great Void, with five kinds of spiritual energy— Cold Qi, He Wood, Subterranean Water, Fu Water, and Heavenly Chaos Qi —entangled incessantly.

Sensing the familiar energy, Cold Qi, He Wood, and Subterranean Water are Li Chaoxue, Ni Polu, and Yang Nan, Fu Water is probably Ao Xiao, the Lake God of Cibi Lake, and Heavenly Chaos Qi is the Red Rock Kuiwu True Person of the Hongyan Zhao Household.

Su Yao felt annoyed. One problem after another. He was seriously injured and could not exert much of his strength. Of the three, Li Chaoxue Li Chaoxue a second- Divine Ability cultivator, while the other two were Divine Ability. Ao Xiao and Kuiwu were both at the Purple Mansion Middle Stage and were True Person with three Divine Ability. He knew he could not make Ao Xiao and Kuiwu Wu retreat on his own.

After a moment's thought, he made up his mind and no longer hesitated. He straightened up, sat cross-legged on the Qingyang, held the Vermilion Brightness Sword in his right hand, and headed towards the battlefield ahead.

After all, he still had trump cards up his sleeve, but they weren't suitable to carry around.

Before even getting close, one could see the spiritual energy boiling in the Great Void ahead, with five streams of energy intertwined endlessly. The Cold Qi was like frost, He Wood to form Subterranean Water flowed submerged. Three streams of energy formed a defensive triangle, guarding one side; the Fu Water was vast as a marsh, and the chaotic Heavenly Chaos Qi was as unpredictable as stars, with two pressing down on the three, step by step.

Su Yao held Qingyang down and stopped not far from the battlefield. He used the remaining Greater Yin power of the Great Yin Feather Robe to shield himself and Qingyang, and looked ahead through the aftershocks of the spiritual energy.

Li Chaoxue's long sword gleamed coldly, and layers of frost spread around her. With each strike, frost spread for miles, freezing the cold rain that had gathered in the Fu Water into falling ice beads.

This is precisely Divine Ability "Strange Cold Branch" of the Cold Qi Technique.

At the same time, the radiance of the Three Yins behind her was faintly visible, and her Fate Divine Ability "Aid the Three Yins" had been forced out, using the power of the Three Yins to resist Ao Xiao's overwhelming force of the Fu Water.

Ni Polu stood amidst a Forest of All Beings, his spiked club in hand. The human faces and trees around him surged like waves, and the energy of the He Wood continuously spurred the growth of new tree trunks, repairing the breached defenses time and time again. A drum hung in front of his chest, and with each vibration of the drumhead, thick fog surged from the forest, spreading like smoke and deflecting the trajectory of the falling meteor from the Heavenly Chaos Qi.

Yang Nan transformed into a body of Subterranean Water, weaving through the earth's ley lines like an invisible underground river, patching up Li Chaoxue and Ni Polu's weaknesses one by one. At the same time, he activated the power of the Subterranean Water with the conch shell Spirit Artifact in his hand, not seeking to harm the enemy, but only to protect himself.

Even so, the three were already showing signs of defeat.

Ao Xiao stood with his hands behind his back on a body of water, the Fu Water flowing continuously from beneath him, like a vast swamp suspended in the Great Void. A dark, ancient bowl hung before him, its contents churning. With each rotation, countless drops of cold rain fell from the sky—this was the divine Divine Ability "Dawn Cold Grows).

He then used the "Nurture the Marsh Embryo" technique to protect himself, and the vast swamp beneath him nurtured life force, replenishing his and Kuiwu's energy reserves.

At the same time, bursts of dragon breath flew out from the great swamp, heading towards Li Chaoxue and the other two. This was the "Nurture the Flood Dragon's Breath" Divine Ability of the Fu Water Arts.

Kuiwu stood on the other side, a long, flowing silver mace held horizontally across his chest, its surface covered in star patterns, as if etched with countless meteor trails. Heavenly Chaos Qi surged around him, and the phantom of a calamity star flickered behind him—this was the "Reveal the Omen of Disaster of the Heavenly Chaos Fate Divine Ability.

With each swing of the mace, comet-like rays rained down, striking the Forest of All Beings and turning the trees with human faces into charred remains. This was the alternating use of "Draw the Comet's Light" and "Falling Star Rain".

"Li Chaoxue, Ni Polu." Ao Xiao's voice came through the cold rain, carrying a hint of confident composure. "I'll ask you one more time, are you truly unwilling to hand over those two Spirit Treasure? I can swear that as long as you hand over the flute and drum, I will let you both leave today and will never pursue this matter again."

"Bullshit!" Ni Polu smashed a falling comet with his staff, his voice booming like thunder. "I don't know anything about flutes or drums! If you want to fight, then fight, stop with the nonsense!"

Li Chaoxue didn't speak, but swept her sword horizontally, freezing all the cold rain that was approaching her. Her face was pale, obviously her Law Power was greatly exhausted, but she still held the long sword horizontally in front of her, not retreating half a step.

The Kuiwu was no longer the kind-hearted person he once was; he sneered.

"If they won't listen to reason, they'll have to suffer the consequences. Brother Ao, why waste words with them? Just take them down; those two Spirit Treasure won't escape."

As he spoke, he pointed his long, silver mace toward the sky, and the phantom of a calamity star behind him suddenly lit up, with countless starlight gathering in the Great Void, like a meteor shower about to be unleashed.

Upon seeing this, Li Chaoxue and the other two's expressions changed simultaneously.

Just then, Ao Xiao suddenly frowned, as if sensing something, and abruptly turned his head to look beyond the battlefield.

The Kuiwu paused slightly in his movements.

A streak of azure light sped from afar, arriving in just a few breaths.

Su Yao sat cross-legged on the back of the Qingyang, holding the Vermilion Brightness Sword. The sword was radiating heat, and the nine lines on it shone brightly. His face was pale and his lips were bloodless, indicating that he was seriously injured. However, his eyes were terrifyingly bright, as if a clear sword light was flowing endlessly in the depths of his pupils.

The Qingyang stopped at the edge of the battlefield.

Su Yao didn't dismount; he simply sat there, his gaze slowly sweeping over Ao Xiao and Kuiwu, finally settling on Li Chaoxue and the other two, and spoke softly:

"The three of you, please go first."

Upon hearing this, all five of them were taken aback.

Hesitation flashed in Li Chaoxue's eyes. "Abbot, you..."

Su Yao didn't look at her, only staring at Ao Xiao, his tone calm and without a ripple. "Ao Xiao, I don't care what your purpose is today. But you should know that this place is only a thousand miles from Golden Ao Mountain. Do you want Qixia Temple to issue an edict reprimanding the Dragon Palace of the South Sea for causing trouble in my Qixia territory?"

Upon hearing this, Ao Xiao's expression changed slightly. He turned his head to exchange a glance with the Kuiwu, then regained his composure. "Abbot, I do not wish to offend Qixia Temple, but I must obtain the Dusk Snow Flute and the Morning Mist Drum today."

Su Yao slowly raised the Vermilion Brightness Sword, its tip pointing diagonally forward, and an extremely light and faint Sword Intent emanated from the tip. The Sword Intent was not intense, but it was astonishingly clear, like the quietest ray of light before dawn, chilling people to the bone.

"Then you two can give it a try."

A look of struggle flashed across Ao Xiao's face, and he was about to stop. But at this moment, Kuiwu, aged voice came:

"Abbot, please don't underestimate us. Qixia Temple may be powerful, but in terms of strength, the two of us are far superior to the four of you."

He paused, then continued:

"Master, the Lake God and I do not wish to offend you, but we are determined to take those two Spirit Treasure from Li Chaoxue and her companion."

Su Yao's gaze remained calm, the tip of his sword not moving an inch. He looked at Ao Xiao and suddenly said:

"Ao Xiao, those disciples of the Lu Household are still cultivating at your Water Mansion."

Ao Xiao's expression changed drastically.

Su Yao continued, "If you continue to make moves, from now on, you won't be able to protect a single member of the Lu Household."

After he finished speaking, the Great Void fell into complete silence.