Battling Alone

Old Demon Ye was bent on having his way. Knowing further words were pointless, Qingjun violently hurled the Five Directions Pagoda, sending it swooping down through the air to envelop Old Demon Ye! However, the illusory silhouette flew even faster than the physical pagoda, appearing directly above the cage. Old Demon Ye glanced at the white figures diligently spewing cold qi. His black robes billowed as several unintelligible syllables slipped from his mouth, causing the illusory pagoda to meet tremendous resistance and halt in midair, unable to descend any further. The white silhouettes did not even lift their heads; their eyes remained fixed solely on the cage. At the same time, just as Old Demon Ye's true body seemed about to be suppressed by the Five Directions Pagoda, he vanished into thin air. His figure reappeared thirty feet to the side, effortlessly slipping out from under the pagoda's suppression. Before him, two beams of light—one black and one white—had materialized at some point. They were two short dagger-axes. Their physical forms were likewise one black and one white; these were his true natal magic treasure—the Yin-Yang Dagger-Axes! The Yin-Yang Dagger-Axes shot forth, transforming into two flood dragons. The white one was the Yang Dagger-Axe, possessed of matchless might, surging and irresistible. The black one was the Yin Dagger-Axe, silent and insidious, vicious and cunning. Baring fangs and brandishing claws, the white flood dragon pounced toward the Five Directions Pagoda. *Dong!* The two supreme treasures collided fiercely without the slightest artifice. The Five Directions Pagoda had originally been flying toward Old Demon Ye, but was struck by the Yang Dagger-Axe right on the central character "Fang." However, the Yang Dagger-Axe failed to break the pagoda's radiant aura, nor did it directly strike the pagoda's physical structure. The body of the Five Directions Pagoda merely tilted slightly and ground to a halt, completely unscathed. Failing to gain the upper hand and even shaken back by the recoil, the Yang Dagger-Axe immediately shifted back into the white flood dragon and lunged forward once more in desperate entanglement. Dragon silhouettes circled around the Five Directions Pagoda, and for a time, neither magic treasure could overcome the other. "Eh?" Old Demon Ye was somewhat surprised. The Five Directions Pagoda was by no means inferior to his Yin-Yang Dagger-Axes. What was even more remarkable was that this treasure was not anyone's natal magic treasure, allowing it to serve as a sect's ancestral heritage treasure. Nevertheless, no matter how high a magic treasure's quality was, it still depended on whether its wielder could unleash its power. The Yuanshen Sect Master before him had always maintained a low profile. Although she had earned some fame in several past battles, Old Demon Ye had never taken her seriously. When he sent only the Yang Dagger-Axe to deal with the Five Directions Pagoda, he had thought that even if it fell slightly behind, it would easily hold the pagoda at bay. He had not anticipated this outcome. Old Demon Ye took a deep look at Qingjun, growing increasingly surprised. He actually could not see through this person! Though being hailed as the foremost figure of the Beichen Realm was flattery from others, Old Demon Ye possessed enough confidence to live up to that title. Yet there was actually someone he could not see through. The performance of the Five Directions Pagoda proved that both he and Old Man Tianzheng had underestimated her previously. He wondered whether she had intentionally hidden her abilities in the past, or if she had only recently come across a fortuitous opportunity and made rapid progress. Even as Old Demon Ye scrutinized Qingjun, the Yin Dagger-Axe vanished into thin air, reappearing before her in a flash and thrusting straight toward her face. The Yin Dagger-Axe remained completely silent, like a black flood dragon gliding through the shadows. With the space between her brows locked upon, Qingjun felt a sharp sting. Alarm bells ringing in her heart, she silently chanted an incantation, and a streak of azure light shot out from her sleeve. A sudden phoenix cry rang out. The azure light expanded with the wind, transforming into a Qingluan. Radiant with vigor, the Qingluan differed in appearance from before. After Qin Sang obtained the Qingluan blood essence, he had once revealed the true spirit and charm of a genuine Qingluan to Qingjun. With that, Qingjun had refined her Qingluan puppet, bringing its spirit to completion so that it closely resembled a real Qingluan. However, during its initial crafting, Qingjun had planted spiritual fire runes inside the Qingluan, causing it to develop into a Fire Luan; the transformation was deeply ingrained, and it could no longer revert to a Thunder Luan. Even so, the Qingluan puppet had undergone a metamorphosis because of it, and had grown much closer to Qin Sang. With a crisp cry, the Qingluan twisted its head and locked its gaze on the black flood dragon formed by the Yin Dagger-Axe. Flapping its wings, it extended sharp talons and pounced forward. *Bang! Bang!* In an instant, the Yin Dagger-Axe and the Qingluan clashed for several exchanges, locked in struggle. Having learned his lesson, Old Demon Ye spared no effort in driving the power of the Yin Dagger-Axe. Sure enough, he gained the upper hand, and the Qingluan began to show signs of exhaustion. Seeing this, Qingjun summoned another scroll—none other than the Rivers and Mountains Concealing the Moon Scroll she had used before. The Rivers and Mountains Concealing the Moon Scroll slowly unfurled. Ten thousand li of rivers and mountains stretched like dark ink, endless and boundless. Amidst an infinite sea of clouds, billows rose and fell as a bright moon rose slowly, breathtakingly beautiful. The Rivers and Mountains Concealing the Moon Scroll was also far superior to what it once was; not the slightest flaw could be detected in the painted world, as if it truly existed. The magic treasure's physical body swirled around Qingjun, forming a barrier. Only the bright moon rose high, flying out from the world within the painting to hang suspended above the two of them. The clear moonlight shimmered as it projected a pillar of radiance that sank into the Qingluan's body. Empowered by the treasure, the Qingluan's strength surged drastically. Crying out excitedly twice, it clung tightly to the black flood dragon. Old Demon Ye's intention to end the fight swiftly fell completely flat. However, it was also difficult for Qingjun to prevent Old Demon Ye from undoing the seal. Withdrawing a portion of the mind focus she had placed on the Qingluan puppet, she drove the Five Directions Pagoda, attempting to force back the white flood dragon and shatter the white silhouettes gnawing at the cage. Yet Old Demon Ye gave her no such chance. Shifting hand seals in quick succession, an inexplicable resonance arose between the two Yin-Yang Dagger-Axes, boosting their momentum once again. Just as the battle grew increasingly fierce, Old Demon Ye sensed something and snapped his head up. Above, black chains crisscrossed in every direction, blotting out the sky. His gaze seemed to penetrate the blood water, looking up toward the surface of the blood pool. Then, Old Demon Ye retracted his gaze, his eyes flickering as if deliberating over something. After a moment, he let out a cold snort and suddenly forced several drops of blood essence from his fingertips, flicking them into the white silhouettes. Devouring the blood essence, the white silhouettes instantly turned incomparably ferocious. The cage's seal hung by a thread! ... Outside the blood pool. Qin Sang panted heavily, frowning as he looked at the Blood Demon avatar before him. The demonic fire had been recalled by him. At this moment, the sword radiance and lightning light around him had just dispersed—he had clearly used both Thunder Escape and Sword Escape. Just now, Qin Sang had used the demonic fire to pressure the Blood Demon avatar, intending to catch him off guard and rely on his exquisite escape arts to forcibly break through the avatar's blockage and enter the blood pool, yet he had still been intercepted. With Qingjun and Jingyu having been down there for so long while no commotion emerged from the blood pool, not only was the Sin Abyss side anxious, but Qin Sang was also worried about whether Qingjun and Jingyu were a match for Old Demon Ye. Qin Sang's peripheral vision glanced toward the other two battlefields. At the entrance of the blood pool. The two grand formations were intertwined, each penetrating the other. A single move in the grand formations would affect everything, locking everyone in their grip. It was at the height of its ferocity; under such circumstances, no one inside the formations dared pull away easily, or it could trigger a chain reaction, allowing their opponents to seize the chance and break through. Meanwhile, it was still unknown when Demon Monarch Tongyou and Old Man Tianzheng would decide their battle. In the beginning, Demon Monarch Tongyou had merely been an inconspicuous shadow within the river of stars. Now, the shadow had already corrupted half of the river of stars, with chilling winds howling as they battered the remainder. Earlier, when the Star River Chart was forcibly breached by them, Old Man Tianzheng had suffered some damage to his vitality. Demon Monarch Tongyou's demonic might surged as he held the upper hand; victory was only a matter of time. Yet time was precisely what was most precious! Even if injured, holding off Demon Monarch Tongyou for a short while was by no means difficult for Old Man Tianzheng. Qin Sang sighed inwardly. It seemed the breakthrough could only come from his side.