The Ice Soul Divine Light at Grand Accomplishment

At this moment, the vortex formed by the jade-white arcane light suddenly ground to a halt. Deep within the arcane light, Liuli, who had seemed trapped and unable to break free, merged her form with her phoenix-shaped treasured sword. Piercing through layer after layer of arcane light, she burst out violently. At the same time, a strange power seized the opportunity to spread outward. Hidden within the python banner, the three snow pythons felt this wave of energy and instantly experienced an instinctive suppression that struck terror into their hearts. *Crack, crack...* A delicate film of ice needles crept onto the python banner, rapidly spreading across its surface. Being trapped by the python banner had been Liuli's deliberate ploy. She had already cultivated the Ice Soul Divine Light to grand accomplishment. With this divine ability alone, she could suppress the snow pythons; striking by surprise would allow her to counter Shang Lu in turn. The premise was that Qin Sang needed to tie Shang Lu down for a brief period while Liuli sought an opening. However, Qin Sang had adjusted the plan on the fly. Liuli was not even using her full strength yet; the Ice Soul Divine Light was only at a power comparable to when she had used it against Qin Sang in the past, yet it had still shattered the jade-white arcane light at astonishing speed. Naturally, this was the result of combining the Heavenly Eye Butterfly with the Ice Soul Divine Light! Not only was Shang Lu caught entirely off guard, but the gathered guests were also left utterly bewildered. The python banner could be compared to a kind of array formation and indeed possessed weaknesses, but they could not fathom how Liuli had made such a precise judgment so quickly that even Shang Lu had no time to react. Shang Lu had no leisure to think deeply. At this juncture, the three snow pythons could no longer maintain control over the situation. He had to retreat to stabilize the python banner and suppress Liuli anew before he could focus on dueling Qin Sang. "Move Mountains!" Shang Lu bellowed. The jade ruler shook violently, and patterns of mountain peaks surfaced simultaneously on all four of its sides, linking together into an entire mountain range. *Whoosh!* Shang Lu held nothing back. The drastically transformed jade ruler's momentum surged continuously, as if imbued with the actual weight of a mountain range capable of crushing all creation. Its might was terrifying, and its speed was even more blistering. In a flash, the shadow of a ruler materialized directly over Qin Sang's head. This ruler-shadow remained only the size of the original artifact, yet the mountain patterns within had turned exceptionally vivid, bearing down from above as though an actual mountain range had been merged into it. Directly beneath, the various peaks of Snow Listening Tower trembled one after another, and the lantern rites in this area dimmed noticeably compared to those in the distance. Qin Sang bore the brunt of the onslaught, feeling an astonishing pressure come crashing down until the true essence within his body seemed to grind to a halt. A tiny jade ruler, yet comparable to a towering mountain! Having devised this plan with Liuli, he had naturally come prepared. The Jinchen Sword was already poised for battle. The very instant the jade ruler manifested, the Jinchen Sword surged upward against the current. Its sword light shone with consummate brilliance as it charged fearlessly forward, differentiating into sword rays in midair. This was already the embryonic form of a sword array—and one that Qingzhu had comprehended on his own. Regrettably, it had never been completed, and since Qin Sang possessed the Seven Po Killing Array, he had no intention of expending his own energy to pioneer an original sword array. The *Qingzhu Sword Scripture* had thus remained frozen at this stage, leaving hope only to future generations. Seven sword rays transformed into seven sky-propping pillars, holding steadfast against the pressing ruler-shadow. Though the ruler-shadow was impeded, its pressure still bore down, albeit blunted by a layer thanks to the sword rays. Qin Sang formed a heart seal and unleashed the Zhuan Tan Seal—the third seal of the *Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal*. His blood and vital energy seethed, throwing off the crushing weight as his body glided outward like a darting fish. Then, without the slightest hesitation, Qin Sang pounced straight toward the python banner. *Rumble!* The sword rays crumbled beneath the impact, and the ruler-shadow slammed down into empty air. Once Qin Sang slipped away, the true body of the Jinchen Sword immediately broke free from the ruler-shadow's influence, entirely unaffected. The blade then wheeled sharply around, and rather than following its master, it thrust cleanly and decisively straight at Shang Lu. At this moment, around the arena, the guests were all on edge. No one had anticipated that what had just been a lukewarm phase of probing would erupt so abruptly due to the turn of events with the python banner, escalating to such an extent in an instant. Tong Lingyu was the first to react. Pointing a jade finger downward, she cast the Nine Nether Cold Prohibitions. A prohibition chart materialized out of thin air, wrapping around the descending ruler-shadow and neutralizing it before it could smash into the ground and cause unnecessary casualties. She looked at Qin Sang, her eyes gleaming with continuous brilliance. Among all the cultivators present, she understood Qin Sang's strength best. Unsure of whom he was wary of, he clearly had no wish to reveal his true identity. Tong Lingyu was quite eager to see what other means Qin Sang had yet to deploy to break through this impasse. On the other side, Hall Master Yin's gaze flickered as he watched the arena intently, his expression impassive. Shang Lu seemed to have fallen into a passive position, but the outcome was far from decided; who would emerge victorious remained to be seen. The python banner had become the center of the battlefield. The three snow pythons were frantic with anxiety, wildly driving the python banner to resist the encroaching Ice Soul Divine Light, caught in a desperate scramble. Liuli soared outward with her sword, seemingly on the verge of breaking free from the jade-white arcane light. *Whoosh!* Shang Lu's figure flickered repeatedly as he tore through the air to intercept her. He could no longer spare any thought for his earlier boast of refusing to lay a hand on Liuli; directing the jade ruler, which had reverted to its original form, he brought it down toward Liuli's head. At the same time, he swiftly formed hand seals to stabilize the python banner and dispel the frost. At that very instant, an abrupt change occurred! Liuli turned a blind eye to the jade ruler and fixed her gaze on Shang Lu. A wisp of deep blue light flashed within her pure eyes, far more intense than back on Hunmo Island! The Ice Soul Divine Light reappeared! This time, Liuli held nothing back, revealing the Ice Soul Divine Light at grand accomplishment before the world for the first time! *Clatter...* In an instant, the guests rose to their feet one after another, including the Grand Elder and Hall Master Yin. Some overturned tables and jade cups without even noticing. Their gazes shifted away from Qin Sang and Shang Lu, settling unanimously on Liuli, their faces brimming with astonishment. Tong Lingyu glanced sideways at Shi Xue, lost in thought as she murmured, "Snow Listening Tower has finally produced a true genius." Shi Xue nodded gently, her face flush with pride. The foremost true legacy of Snow Listening Tower—the Ice Soul Divine Light. This divine ability had once enjoyed illustrious fame; the founder of Snow Listening Tower had used it alone to awe the North Sea. Yet the difficulty of cultivating it was far too daunting. Snow Listening Tower possessed a mountain of treasure in vain; subsequent generations lacked the talent to carry it on, and the sect had gradually fallen into decline. Disciples of Snow Listening Tower had at best been able to cultivate the Ice Soul Divine Light to near grand accomplishment—a hair's breadth away, yet separated as if by an insurmountable chasm. In thousands of years, Liuli was the first, and she had achieved such an astounding feat while merely in the early Nascent Soul stage. Of course, only Liuli knew that her master, Bing Yao, had been the true first. Having reached grand accomplishment, the Ice Soul Divine Light had become even more enigmatic and unfathomable. Shang Lu only realized it the moment the divine light erupted. Those outside the arena only realized an unseen change had taken place on the battlefield after observing Shang Lu's reaction, from which they deduced that Liuli had cultivated this divine ability to grand accomplishment. Her earlier display had merely been feigned weakness to lure the enemy in deep. No one had expected this sparring match to ultimately evolve into a duel between Liuli and Shang Lu, while Daoist Priest Qingfeng, who was supposed to be the protagonist, was reduced to a bystander. *Flash!* A burst of white light exploded from Shang Lu's chest, instantly blazing in all directions. The source was a magic treasure shaped like a breastplate mirror, possessing the ability to protect its master automatically. The moment the Ice Soul Divine Light swept in, it triggered on its own. A mirror of light materialized out of thin air before Shang Lu, only to be submerged by the Ice Soul Divine Light the very moment it took shape. Seizing this brief window, Shang Lu beat a disheveled retreat.