Victory and Defeat
However, Guren's hand seals did not stop. Several enormous crystal pillars then descended from the sky. One of these pillars slammed down towards the Uzumaki Hane atop the lava dragon's head. The Uzumaki Hane swung its right fist upwards, smashing the falling crystal pillar away. In mid-air, the pillar shattered into countless crystal particles that dissipated into the air. Meanwhile, the other crystal pillars, taking advantage of the lava dragon's unsteady stance, pinned it to the ground. The lava dragon roared, but it could not break free from the crystal pillars.
Guren's lips curled into a dangerous expression as she controlled the crystal dragon, repeatedly charging towards the lava dragon.
At this point, the lava dragon had nowhere to avoid being hit and could only be repeatedly struck by the crystal dragon, with countless pieces of lava flying everywhere.
Uzumaki Hane, naturally, wouldn't be so passive. With a loud shout, he unleashed "Great Eruption," bringing his hands together to form a gigantic lava fist that blotted out the sky and charged towards the crystal dragon. With a deafening roar, the crystal dragon shattered like glass, directly smashed by the Rock Fist. The Rock Fist continued its momentum, creating a large lava crater in the ground.
When the crystal dragon shattered, Guren knew she couldn't withstand it. She leaped forward, narrowly avoiding the lava fist, and landed on the edge of the lava crater. Looking at the lava crater before her, she was filled with lingering fear.
Uzumaki Hane naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass. As soon as it landed on the ground, it unleashed a Great Eruption, another enormous Rock Fist, crashing down towards Guren.
Guren's face was extremely solemn, knowing that if she were hit, she would be completely obliterated.
"Crystal Release: Piercing Crystal Falling Dragon!" Crimson Guren was surrounded by several crystals, forming a multifaceted crystal, before being blasted into the ground by Rock Fist, leaving only a large lava crater still emitting black smoke.
The lava dragon beneath Uzumaki Hane crumbled, turning into countless lava fragments that crashed to the ground. Uzumaki Hane landed steadily and walked towards the lava crater, thinking to himself, "What a pity, I didn't expect Guren to die like this. But now, I need to hurry back to the Land of Demons. There were five people who entered the volcanic cave, and I dealt with four of them. That means there's still one person missing. If I'm not mistaken, that person should have gone to capture Shion to use as leverage against me. Although I'm confident in Shion's current strength, I still feel uneasy if I don't go and check on her."
Suddenly, from within the giant lava crater, Guren was enveloped in a multifaceted crystal and lifted into the air. Guren appeared unharmed, her face filled with murderous intent, and she roared, "Uzumaki Hane, die! Crystal Release: Piercing Crystal Falling Dragon!" A beam of light shot out from the center of the multifaceted crystal, aimed directly at Uzumaki Hane.
In the blink of an eye, it rushed in front of Uzumaki Hane. Uzumaki Hane was caught off guard and the beam of light pierced through her left chest.
Guren, seeing that Uzumaki Hane had been pierced, excitedly said, "Uzumaki Hane, die! You think you can oppose me? Go train for another ten years!" Suddenly, Guren saw a large hole appear in Uzumaki Hane's chest. No blood was flowing out; only lava was slowly rolling around, and it was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Guren exclaimed inwardly, "What a monstrous Kekkei Genkai!" She released her Ninjutsu and landed on the ground. While Uzumaki Hane was still recovering, she quickly Hand Seals, "Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Hexagonal Pillars!" Clusters of crystals emerged from the ground, enveloping Uzumaki Hane. Caught off guard, Uzumaki Hane was directly submerged by the crystals and sealed inside by Guren.
Guren approached the crystal, looked at the Uzumaki Hane inside, and exclaimed excitedly, "Now I can fulfill Lord Orochimaru's orders! I imagine Lord Orochimaru will once again consider my body as a vessel candidate!"
At this moment, the crystal began to melt faintly.
"What?!" Sensing the crystal's presence, Guren exclaimed in surprise. Even her own crystal seal couldn't contain the opponent? Guren retreated swiftly, watching the crystal slowly slide down. Uzumaki Hane stretched, thinking to herself, "That was close. I was a bit careless and almost made a mistake. Luckily, I knew the weakness of Crystal Release. When I was sealed by the crystal, I quickly covered my body with Chakra and then used magma to melt the crystal."
Having used a series of powerful Ninjutsu, Guren's Chakra was almost depleted, and she stood on the ground, slightly panting.
Uzumaki Hane remained unchanged. Without saying a word, he unleashed a powerful "Great Eruption," a massive Rock Fist crashing down on Guren.
Guren could barely muster her Chakra Crystal Release: Piercing Crystal Falling Dragon! " Crystals flew around her, forming a multifaceted crystal. Boom! The Rock Fist slammed into the crystal, failing to destroy it, but instead creating a deep lava crater where the crystal was.
After a while, the crystal rose into the air and landed at the edge of the lava pit. The crystal shattered and dissipated into the air. Guren landed on the ground, but she was unsteady on her feet and almost fell. The Ninjutsu she had just used had exhausted her Chakra.
Suddenly, Guren felt a chill run down her spine. Turning around, she saw that Uzumaki Hane had appeared behind her at some point and delivered a chop to her shoulder, knocking Guren unconscious.
Uzumaki Hane picked up the Guren and headed towards the Land of Demons.
Gozu, acting on Guren's orders, prepared to capture the priestess to threaten Uzumaki Hane. It took Gozu quite a while to arrive at the priestess's palace complex.
Gozu walked toward the gate, and the guards had already spotted him. Lately, there had been constant intrusions into the witch's palace, and all the soldiers were on high alert.
Upon seeing a fierce-looking, burly man approaching, the soldiers immediately became alert, drew their weapons, pointed at Gozu, and shouted, "Who are you? This is the witch's palace; no unauthorized entry is permitted!"
Gozu wasn't a talkative person. He leaped up and instantly appeared above the soldiers' heads. He clenched his right fist and slammed it down. With a bang, the soldier in front was sent flying, crashing into several other soldiers, who were also sent flying and knocked unconscious to the ground.
Gozu walked to the gate, punched it, and with a loud bang, smashed a hole in the gate, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere. Gozu stepped inside, and the soldiers inside, hearing the commotion, sounded the alarm and rushed towards the gate.
Seeing the soldiers rushing towards him, Gozu charged forward, crashing into more than a dozen soldiers in front of him. He grabbed one of them and asked, "Where is the priestess?" It turned out that Gozu had only realized after entering the palace that he had no idea where the priestess was.
The soldier defiantly declared, "I will never betray the priestess!" Without another word, Gozu slammed him into the ground, his fate unknown.
Gozu continued forward. Although he didn't know where the priestess was, he figured that the most luxurious place in the very center must be her palace.
Soldiers continued to pour out, but Gozu wasn't Kakuzu had made such a bold statement; he couldn't possibly fight these soldiers head-on. So, Gozu quickly leaped among the soldiers, constantly dodging their attacks. If he couldn't avoid them, he would just punch a few times to clear a path.