Zhang Yuanqing raised a hand and pressed down lightly!
A colossal gravity descended, washing over the Mountain Ghost faction members present. With their frail constitutions, the Illusionists' knees went weak, and they collapsed directly onto the ground.
*The Saint stage? No, approaching the Saint stage. He actually has such a powerful item, not to mention the set bestowed upon him by the Five Elements Alliance...* The spirit walkers of the Mountain Ghost faction felt a jolt of alarm, finding the situation suddenly troublesome.
From Tone-Deaf's ambush attack to Yuanshi Tianzun's return, using illusions to bait out the Moving Forest's reward item, and then slaying Tone-Deaf while displaying combat prowess rivaling a weak Level 4—in just a minute or two, he had single-handedly closed part of the gap, turning what should have been an overwhelming disparity into a standoff where both sides watched each other warily.
A-Yi spread his elytra. Amidst a buzzing vibration, he whipped up a gust of fierce wind and was the first to lunge toward the simple, ancient Mountain God Temple.
Zhang Yuanqing looked toward the high-speed flying youth and pressed both palms downward hard. The gravity afflicting the crowd vanished, completely transferred onto A-Yi.
Such immense force should have dragged the youth straight down from midair, yet A-Yi shot directly toward the stone temple without being affected in the slightest.
*I've been hit with an illusion!* Zhang Yuanqing immediately realized.
Among the three evil classes at the Transcendent stage, Illusionists were an extreme case of specialization. Their areas of expertise were mind control and mental strikes, from which derived a series of methods like weaving illusions and manipulating emotions.
However, their physical bodies were exceptionally frail, their close-quarters combat ability even inferior to that of a Scout.
Their weaknesses were glaringly weak, and their strengths overwhelmingly strong.
Just as Zhang Yuanqing fell under the sway of the illusion, Guan Ya, positioned at the entrance of the temple, raised her muzzle and aimed at A-Yi.
The insect-beast youth fluttering toward her suddenly jerked his head up, pulling straight upward like a fighter jet.
He had anticipated Guan Ya's shot.
*Bang!*
Guan Ya slightly shifted her muzzle. A fleeting tongue of flame spat from the pitch-black barrel. With a sharp squelch, the high-speed spinning warhead ripped through A-Yi's chest, tearing apart his hard cuticular armor and blasting a hole straight through from front to back.
Guan Ya had anticipated his anticipation; her aim just now was merely a feint to force him into an evasive maneuver.
A-Yi plummeted from the air. His amber vertical pupils gleamed with a cold light, his somewhat hideous insectoid face showing no emotion.
The cuticle covering his body "melted," turning into a segmented, ringed gelatinous skin like that of an earthworm.
Soft yet remarkably resilient, the gelatinous skin squirmed frenetically, repairing the lethal wound in the blink of an eye.
That A-Yi ranked atop the Five Elements Alliance's wanted list was not only because he lacked morals, acted like a beast, and operated with brutal cruelty, but also because he was born with an innate affinity for gu arts and possessed terrifying talent.
An ordinary Witch Doctor at the Transcendent stage could only fuse with one gu at a time to gain a single ability—such as strength, speed, or healing.
Yet A-Yi could harbor three kinds of gu simultaneously without his genetic sequence collapsing.
Moreover, his degree of fusion with gu was extremely high—it was as though he had transformed into a real gu—making his combat strength far superior to Witch Doctors of the same level.
*Splash!*
Amidst the rushing sound of water, a surging river materialized out of thin air on the clearing at the mountain summit. Concealed within the water, Only I Am Supreme rode the tremendous kinetic energy, charging straight for Guan Ya.
No matter how powerful a bullet was, it could not strike him.
On the other side, Zhang Yuanqing methodically took out the Demon-Subduing Pestle and stabbed it into his thigh. In a burst of radiant golden light, all illusions shattered.
He immediately looked at the river surging toward the temple, extended his palm, and lifted upward.
The ground before the stone temple surged upward. A wall of earth erected itself in front of the temple gate, perfectly blocking the torrent of water.
*Boom!*
Carrying massive momentum, the surging water slammed into the earth wall, shaking it violently and generating a thunderous crash, like towering waves crashing against a reef.
*Thud, thud, thud...*
Within the Mountain Ghost faction, several figures dashed forth, swift as lightning, assaulting the Mountain God Temple from different directions.
Their objective was crystal clear: enter the Mountain God Temple and seize the staff.
With his right hand, Zhang Yuanqing repeatedly raised wall after wall of earth, blocking the enemies' paths. At the same time, his left hand "lifted" slabs of bluestone, shattered them with the power of the Mountain God, and swung his arm forcefully, sending countless rock fragments like torrential rain and arrows showering over the enemies from all sides.
His assault successfully held back most of the enemies, yet two nimble Bewitching Demons broke through the layers of blockades and attacks, charging right to the temple entrance.
They were Nothing Is Taboo and All Under Heaven Is White. The former was ranked fifth on the wanted list, while the latter was ranked second among rogue cultivators, second only to Only I Am Supreme.
*Bang!*
Without aiming or looking, Guan Ya swung the long gun barrel and fired a shot to her front left.
The bullet hit the exact spot where Nothing Is Taboo's next step would land, blasting out a fist-sized shallow crater. Had this Bewitching Demon not exhibited astonishing reflexes and physical coordination, abruptly negating his momentum and diving sideways, that crater in the ground would have appeared on his body instead.
Nothing Is Taboo felt a sharp tremor in his heart, finally realizing that this mixed-race woman who looked like a decorative vase possessed extraordinarily proficient insight and marksmanship.
At this moment, All Under Heaven Is White, wielding a military saber, accelerated his sprint. Like an agile tiger, he bounded over the stone steps, lunging to slaughter the mixed-race beauty at the temple entrance.
Guan Ya gripped the barrel with both hands, twisted her slender waist, and swung the long rifle like a golf club.
*Smack!*
Caught midair, All Under Heaven Is White was batted back down below the steps.
Guan Ya didn't look at him again. The rifle vanished from her hands, returned to her inventory. Then, taking a lunge to the left, her delicate fist cracked like a spear thrusting straight forward.
The "spear tip" struck squarely against Nothing Is Taboo's crossed forearms.
Agony shot through Nothing Is Taboo's arm bones, and he stumbled backward.
What followed was one of the few humiliating moments of his life. This gorgeous mixed-race woman was practically a tigress; her strikes were as swift as a squall and as violent as thunder.
Her collapsing fists thrust like spears, and her kicking legs whipped like lashes.
Her combat technique was so sophisticated that every hard part of her body—hands, feet, elbows, knees, head—could serve as a weapon, tightly coordinated and freely chained into diverse combos.
Combined with the equipment set she wore, her defense was so formidable that even weapons wielded by a Bewitching Demon—who specialized in armor piercing—could hardly breach it.
Lastly, the gravity Yuanshi Tianzun applied to them drastically impaired the evil classes' fighting capabilities.
Crisp slapping impacts echoed continuously in Nothing Is Taboo's ears—the groans of his flesh and skin enduring assault. Every punch and every kick churned the blood and qi within him.
Only when All Under Heaven Is White attempted once more to storm the Mountain God Temple, forcing Guan Ya to turn and intercept him, was Nothing Is Taboo able to escape the predicament of being battered.
Seeing Guan Ya turn and pounce toward him, All Under Heaven Is White decisively retreated, his face full of wariness.
Seeing this scene, the crowd locked in combat with Zhang Yuanqing instantly wore odd expressions.
They had assumed their true enemy was Yuanshi Tianzun and that this woman was merely an afterthought, but never expected her to be a ferocious tigress.
Feeling the gravity that continually weighed on him, Nothing Is Taboo opened the map. He saw the green markers representing the Mountain God faction drawing closer and closer to the summit; in fifteen minutes at most, they would arrive at the Mountain God Temple.
Nothing Is Taboo's thoughts raced:
*Yuanshi Tianzun's near-Saint-stage combat strength isn't the trickiest part. The real headache is his ability to "borrow momentum." The entire summit is his domain. The gravity alone severely undermines our power...*
*This woman's close-combat prowess is too strong, and with Yuanshi Tianzun holding the line in front, it's hard to overwhelm her with numbers...*
*We must split the battlefield. Pin down this woman and deny her the chance to provide sniper support, then have A-Yi and the others shatter Yuanshi Tianzun's "domain." With their strength, let alone someone approaching the Saint stage, they could slaughter even an actual Saint...*
With that thought, Nothing Is Taboo shouted:
"All Under Heaven Is White and I will pin down this bitch. You only have five minutes. Deal with Yuanshi Tianzun as fast as you can!"
Hearing this, A-Yi's body abruptly ballooned, transforming into a three-meter-tall monster covered in shield-shaped cuticle plates, with rigid bone spikes protruding from his spine, elbows, knees, and knuckles.
Meanwhile, the elytra behind his back retracted into his body.
This form was the absolute limit A-Yi could unleash; both his strength and defense reached the ceiling of the Transcendent stage.
This hulking monster strode with heavy, powerful steps, rushing toward Yuanshi Tianzun amidst rumbling tremors.
Zhang Yuanqing retreated swiftly. Defying gravity, stones around him took flight on their own, adhering to his body.
Countless stones, large and small, congregated upon him.
In the blink of an eye, he too had turned into a stone giant over three meters tall.
Both giants threw straight punches at each other simultaneously. With a thunderous boom, their colliding fists unleashed a terrifying shockwave, kicking up a storm of dust and sand.
A-Yi's right scapula cracked with a sharp snap. He stumbled backward uncontrollably, each step leaving deep footprints in the earth, until he finally crashed into the dense forest behind him, snapping a swathe of sturdy arbor trees.
His right arm hung limp. He immediately switched forms, his skin turning into an earthworm-like, segmented gelatinous layer to activate his self-healing ability.
As for the stone giant's right arm, large chunks of rock crumbled away, costing it its fist.
Yet a steady stream of rocks flew up from the surroundings, filling the fissures and repairing the fist, quickly restoring it to pristine condition.
"Croak, croak~"
Zhang Yuanqing had just repaired his "armor" when he heard a deep, powerful croak.
Trampling the Firmament was half-crouched on the ground, brown nodules bulging across his skin. His flecked-gold eyeballs protruded outward, and his mouth had stretched long and wide, turning him into a hideous giant toad.
The giant toad's belly suddenly puffed up, followed by his cheeks. In the next second, a massive stream of turbid yellow fluid—foul-smelling and carrying a pungent, acidic stench—spewed forth like a fountain.
The eye sockets of Chubby, My Fate Is Mine, Not Heaven's, and the other Illusionists seemed to collapse inward like vortexes as invisible, intangible telekinesis battered the stone giant in rapid succession,
inflicting negative statuses such as dizziness and headache.
Even though illusions seemed useless against Yuanshi Tianzun, direct mental strikes remained effective.
*Sizzle, hiss...*
Puffs of white smoke rose from the stone giant's surface. Rocks were corroded into craters of varying depths, shaving off an entire layer.
Immediately after, three Fire Masters strode forward. With a shake of their arms, a two-meter-tall fire hurricane ignited in front of them.
The surrounding temperature spiked drastically, the cool mountain breeze turning into a scorching blast.
The flames consumed oxygen and surged rapidly. When it towered five meters high, seemingly reaching its limit, the three Fire Masters shoved it forward with great effort toward the stone giant.
Cooperating with the Fire Masters were two Wood Demons. Pressing both palms against the ground, they summoned thick tree roots that coiled around the stone giant's ankles.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Earth walls continuously rose from the ground, blocking the encroaching fire tornado.
The Scout, Dropout Fish, dashed forward with dual sabers. Agile and nimble, his flashing blades crossed, cleaving through wall after wall of earth to clear obstacles for the fire tornado.
*Whoosh!*
The fire tornado smoothly engulfed the clumsy stone giant. Licked by intense heat, the giant's surface quickly took on a glaring, bright glow. Rocks melted, and scalding lava dripped down with soft spatters.
Seizing the opportunity, Only I Am Supreme held high the Water God Seal, summoning a rushing river wrapped in mud that turned into turbid waves, slamming fiercely against the glowing-red stone giant.
*Hiss—* Billows of white steam rose as the water evaporated furiously.
By this time, A-Yi had already repaired his right arm. Like a burly rugby player, he charged clumsily and brutally before the stone giant, which had now shrunk to two meters, and threw a heavy punch.
*Crack... crash!*
Subjected to alternating extreme heat and cold, the blackened, brittle rocks shattered instantly. Amidst the flurry of rock fragments, a figure flew backward, rolling and bouncing along the ground like a ball before slamming heavily against the stone temple behind him.
The entire stone temple shuddered.
Seeing this, the twenty spirit walkers of the Mountain Ghost faction looked thrilled, shouting excitedly:
"Charge in!"
"Kill Yuanshi Tianzun!"
In tacit accord, the crowd launched a charge toward the stone temple's entrance.
Guan Ya's expression shifted, and she decisively retreated into the temple.
Kou Beiyue charged along with the Mountain Ghost faction members, glancing now and then at Yuanshi Tianzun sitting sprawled against the wall. His predicament was rather awkward.
If he wanted to help Yuanshi Tianzun, his strength was limited. Even if he boldly jumped ship and betrayed his side right here, he wouldn't be able to protect Yuanshi Tianzun anyway, and it wouldn't change anything.
Yet if he didn't, his conscience would gnaw at him.
Pondering back and forth, the only thing he could do was get his hands on the staff first. According to his newly recruited lackey's speculation, members of the Mountain Ghost faction could most likely wield the staff's power.
Only that would align with the quest's requirements.
If that was true, the moment Kou Beiyue got the staff, he would first slaughter his lackey and the rest.
If the guess was wrong, he would just grab the staff and run.
"Ptui!"
Zhang Yuanqing spat out a mouthful of bloody foam, baring his teeth as he cursed, "Hurts like hell, you dogs."
With a sweep of his hand, he pulled a robe from his inventory—black-based, embroidered with surging waves and flames, bearing the Yin and Yang on its back.
With a flick of his wrist, he flung it into the air.
The robe unfurled in midair. The Taiji fish on its back emerged, spinning like a millstone. The Yang fish unleashed blazing flames, while the Yin fish discharged illusory water.
Water and fire descended to the ground, coursing swiftly to condense into a Taiji fish of water and fire that spanned a thirty-meter radius.
By now, the fastest among them—Nothing Is Taboo, A-Yi, and the others—had already charged into the mountain temple, less than ten meters away from the statue holding the staff.
Yet as the Yin-Yang Array formed, an invisible barrier blocked their way, trapping everyone inside the formation.
Only Guan Ya, who had entered the Mountain God Temple beforehand and stood beside the divine statue, remained outside it.
"What kind of technique is this..."
"Fuck, we can't break the barrier! Quick, think of something!"
Amidst their shock and fury, two clay figurines rose from the twin arrays of water and fire.
The clay figurines' facial features were identical to Yuanshi Tianzun's.
The clay figurine in the water array looked around at the trapped Mountain Ghost faction members and sneered:
"Next up is the second half!"
The clay figurine in the flames burst into wild, arrogant laughter:
"Idiots, are you ready to tremble beneath my crotch? Ahaha haha~"
Chapter 262