The light mirror bought Shang Lu precious time.
His attention had been tethered to the python banner; he had never expected Liuli to have cultivated the Ice Soul Divine Light to grand accomplishment. Caught completely off guard, he had no time to dodge.
Had this treasure not stepped in to protect its master in time, the duel would already be decided.
For he had to face not only the Ice Soul Divine Light, but also Qin Sang's Jinchen Sword—attacked from front and back.
*Crack!*
A rapid succession of explosive cracks sounded from the light mirror before Shang Lu.
Cracks rapidly spiderwebbed across the mirror, its surface coated in a layer of frost. Before the treasure could unleash its full power, it was frozen solid, stripped of all efficacy.
The Ice Soul Divine Light surged forth soundlessly.
Liuli concealed her strength no longer. The bone-chilling cold made Shang Lu's heart palpitate with dread.
The Snow Listening Tower's foremost divine ability truly lived up to its reputation.
At the same time, the scream of a sword rang out across the heavens. Sword light tore through the void, trailing a dazzling rainbow across the night sky and radiating an extreme, razor-sharp intent as it went straight for Shang Lu!
Outside the arena, Hall Master Yin and the others wore solemn expressions, mobilizing their true essence and readying themselves to intervene at any moment.
In a clash between Nascent Souls, victory and defeat hung on a split second.
Shang Lu had failed to see through the trap and had been caught unawares, losing the initiative. His defeat was practically set in stone—unless he still had some trick up his sleeve to turn the tables.
With the Ice Soul Divine Light ahead and the Jinchen Sword behind, Shang Lu instantly found himself in dire straits.
However, for Shang Lu to have attained his present cultivation, he was by no means an ordinary figure.
Remaining calm in the face of peril, he did not even glance back at the Jinchen Sword, immediately summoning back the jade ruler.
The jade ruler had originally been hurtling toward Liuli, but it snapped back midway, flying straight past Shang Lu and transforming into a streak of white light that charged at the Jinchen Sword.
*Boom!*
Sword and ruler clashed.
Countless sword qi and rays of white light scattered in every direction—streaks of flowing luminance and thousands of auspicious colors blooming like a brilliant firework in the night sky, breathtakingly gorgeous.
Engaging in battle so hastily, the jade ruler was predictably batted away by the strike.
However, the momentum of the sword light was also knocked off course.
With the pressure on him abruptly relieved, Shang Lu slapped the mustard seed bag at his waist, and a ten-foot snow-white sash flew out.
The moment this treasure appeared, it shattered inch by inch, dispersed without a trace by the shockwaves from the clash between sword and ruler, appearing remarkably fragile.
Just as the onlookers were wondering what had happened, a plume of white mist rose inexplicably around Shang Lu, engulfing him.
*Crack, crack, crack, crack...*
The Ice Soul Divine Light followed close behind, freezing the outer layer of mist into solid ice. Shang Lu was enclosed within an ice sphere as the Ice Soul Divine Light continued to seep into its interior.
***
On the other side, Qin Sang flashed into motion.
This was also his first time seeing Liuli unleash the Ice Soul Divine Light at full strength; no wonder she had been so confident in facing Shang Lu.
Had it not been for that magic treasure that automatically protected its master, he and Liuli would have taken Shang Lu down just now.
Qin Sang's eyes flickered. Recalling the Jinchen Sword, he twisted around and dashed straight toward the python banner, making no move to coordinate with Liuli to press the attack on Shang Lu.
Outside the arena, numerous Nascent Soul cultivators watched like tigers stalking prey, ready to step in at any moment. Even if they won, they could not gravely injure or kill Shang Lu.
Shang Lu's defeat was merely a matter of time.
In that case, why not teach him a lesson?
Having made up his mind, Qin Sang ignored Shang Lu. His figure abruptly appeared above the python banner, and he pointed a finger downward.
*Whoosh!*
The Jinchen Sword shot down like lightning.
Pressed by the sword qi, the python banner teetered precariously.
The banner's task had been to suppress Liuli; in the blink of an eye, the situation had shifted so abruptly that there was no time to adjust. What was worse, the three snow pythons had not yet recovered from the shock of the Ice Soul Divine Light, issuing terrified hisses.
*Whoosh!*
The python banner ripped up from the ground, violently sweeping up jade-white arcane light to clash against the Jinchen Sword.
*Rumble!*
Because the response was too rushed, the true bodies of the three snow pythons were jolted right out of the banner's surface. Left dazed and disoriented, their ferocity was stoked instead, and they whipped around to strike back.
Unexpectedly, the moment they manifested, the snow pythons felt their vision blur as a figure appeared out of thin air—Qin Sang.
Their intelligence was not low. Their demonic eyes glinted ferociously, and emitting piercing roars, they whipped their long bodies in unison, three massive tails crashing toward Qin Sang with terrifying momentum.
If a Nascent Soul cultivator had no defensive measures in place and took such a blow with their physical body, they would be severely injured at the very least.
Qin Sang felt the foul demonic wind lash against his face.
"Vile beasts, how dare you!"
Qin Sang scoffed coldly. Envisioning the Buddhist seal in his mind, he stepped across spiritual lotuses, moving like a phantom. He easily bypassed the sweeping tails and suddenly appeared right above the snow pythons' heads—inches away!
Qin Sang had fully mastered the first four seals of the Seven Masters' Buddhist Seal, including the Demon-Crushing Seal, attaining the realm of contemplating the seals within his heart.
He reached out with an airy palm and pressed it against the forehead of one of the snow pythons.
The snow python had no time to react.
*Splat!*
Brains splattered; the skull cracked apart.
Even though his Heavenly Demon Refining Form was only at the early fourth tier, Qin Sang's physical body was comparable to an early Transformation stage demon king. Unleashing the Demon-Crushing Seal, how could mere Demon Core stage minor demons hope to withstand him?
The luster in the snow python's eyes quickly faded, and it died on the spot!
The guests had originally focused all their attention on Liuli and Shang Lu, but now their gazes were finally drawn to Qin Sang.
"Body refinement?"
The crowd was filled with astonishment and doubt.
The groom's spirit sword was held up by the python banner and jade-white arcane light. He held no magic treasure in his hands, nor were there any fluctuations of Daoist arts, yet he had instantly slaughtered a demon beast with his bare palm!
His cultivation in the Heavenly Demon Refining Form had fallen behind, making his physical body his least significant capability at present, which made it perfect for deflecting attention from his real trump cards.
The remaining two snow pythons were scared out of their wits and turned tail to flee.
Qin Sang reached out and grabbed one snow python by its long tail. With a fierce yank of his arm, scales exploded outward, and the python's skeleton crackled violently as a terrifying force detonated within its body, shattering its internal organs.
The last one was quick-witted enough to wrap itself around the python banner and bolt desperately toward its master.
*Whoosh!*
The Jinchen Sword shattered the jade-white arcane light and struck like a bolt from the west, piercing straight through the snow python's head.
*Clack!*
The cultivator surnamed Yue slammed down his jade cup and shot to his feet, all traces of calm gone from his face.
Qin Sang's actions had been too swift: one palm strike, one grasp, one sword blow, and the three snow pythons were dead in an instant. Those outside the arena had no time to react at all, watching helplessly as the three precious snow pythons were slaughtered.
When the last snow python died, the corpse of the first had not even begun to fall.
Qin Sang caught the long tails of the three snow pythons, extracted their demon cores, and with a light flick of his arm, tossed the carcasses toward Shi Xue. He laughed heartily. "I hear that snow python meat is tender and exquisite—a rare delicacy! Fellow Daoists, it seems you are in for a treat today!"
Shi Xue caught the snow pythons with a beaming smile.
Shang Lu had disregarded their fellow sect members' bond to stir up trouble at the wedding ceremony, so Shi Xue no longer cared about saving face for Tianshan. Feeling that Qin Sang had done wonderfully in venting their pent-up anger, she called out in a clear voice, "Our thanks to Lineage Master Shang for delivering such a generous gift!"
Meanwhile, on the other side, Shang Lu finally managed with great difficulty to break free from the Ice Soul Divine Light.
*Bang!*
The ice sphere burst open.
Shang Lu flashed out in a hurry, his face somewhat pale. He let out a bitter laugh. "Junior Sister Liuli is indeed a peerless genius, having cultivated the Ice Soul Divine Light to grand accomplishment."
Having personally experienced the might of the Ice Soul Divine Light, Shang Lu harbored no more doubts.
Liuli did not answer. The deep blue hue reappeared in her eyes, and she prepared to strike again.
Qin Sang flashed over to Liuli's side, casually twirling the python banner in his hand.
"There is no need to fight further. I, Shang, concede."
Shang Lu took it gracefully. He knew that without the python banner, he would struggle even against Liuli alone, let alone fighting two at once.
Chapter 1480