The world fell deathly silent. Both Great Xia's side and Great Yu's side were utterly awestruck by this single finger from the Immortal Fairy.
Anyone could see that when Wu Youdao unleashed Universe in the Palm just now, he had staked his very life on it—it was his ultimate trump card, a lethal finishing move.
Yet this technique had been neutralized by his opponent with utter casualness; even the rule trapping Hanshui City had been punctured.
Just how terrifying was her mastery over power, spells, and [rules]?!
When low-realm cultivators obtained high-realm power, constrained by their mindset, breadth of vision, and various other factors, they often could not exert the strength a high realm ought to possess. Furthermore, the power of national destiny was an immortal method; even Tribulation Transcendence cultivators struggled to comprehend how to wield it. That was precisely why Provincial Governor Lü had remained entirely on the defensive throughout the battle.
In contrast, during her own Tribulation Transcendence stage, the Immortal Fairy had clashed with peers of the same realm countless times; she was as familiar as could be with the power appropriate for that level. After attaining immortality, her horizons had broadened by yet another tier, to the point where she could guide and critique Tribulation Transcendence battles.
Under heaven, not a single person was better equipped than her to bring out the advantages of the power of national destiny.
"Are you all right?" Venerable Wu Ji stepped forward to tend to Wu Youdao's injuries, offering an exceptionally precious half-immortal grade grand elixir. Not only did refining such pills demand an immense cultivation base, but the ingredients were extraordinarily hard to find; once one was successfully crafted, heaven knew when another might ever be produced.
With a formidable foe before them, they could not afford to be stingy.
Wu Youdao was the key to Great Yu's restoration. In the Imperial Preceptor's plan, Wu Youdao was to ascend the throne once Great Yu was restored; he could not be lost here.
The half-immortal grade grand elixir proved remarkably effective. After swallowing a pill, the effects of the rule's backlash were no longer serious, and his pierced palm began to slowly knit together. However, the rate of healing was far slower than anticipated—the lingering effect of the Immortal Fairy's move at work.
"Attack together!" Wu Youdao was forced to admit that she was not an opponent he could defeat on his own.
"Hold nothing back! The commotion here is too massive. We must end this quickly before other Great Xia powerhouses arrive!"
The power of national destiny was right before their eyes; Wu Youdao was determined to seize it no matter what!
If they returned empty-handed, their losses would be far too immense.
Conventionally speaking, in a battle between Tribulation Transcendence cultivators, the contest lay in their application of rules. But the trio had already realized that their opponent was very likely a genuine immortal.
To play around with rules in front of an immortal—they wouldn't even know how they died!
It was far better to fight with spells!
Both Venerable Cang Lei and Venerable Wu Ji realized they faced a formidable foe. Bypassing any petty skirmishes or probing exchanges, they unleashed their trump cards right from the start.
"Majestic heavenly thunder, obey my command!"
Venerable Cang Lei bore "Lei" in his honorific title; what he excelled at was precisely thunder magic!
In an instant, the vault of heaven seemed to cave in. Silver serpents danced wildly, as though countless flood dragons were transforming into true dragons and surging through the sky.
The colossal roar shook Hanshui City. Had there not been formations protecting it, everyone's eardrums would have been ruptured!
The [rule] had just broken, and those outside the city, unaware of what had transpired, only saw a canopy of dark gloom over Hanshui City as lightning poured down like rain. Terrified, their legs trembled so violently they could not even stand, slumping onto the ground on their backsides.
The thunder's might was not the least bit inferior to the lightning tribulation just now—it was even stronger!
After all, a lightning tribulation still offered a slim chance of survival in nine deaths, whereas Venerable Cang Lei's strike left not the slightest room for maneuver; it was certain death without any hope of life!
Lightning interwoven formed layer upon layer of cages, trapping the Immortal Fairy within.
The cage compressed space. One could easily imagine what manner of lightning bombardment anyone trapped inside would suffer once the lightning cage contracted to its limits!
Faced with all this, the Immortal Fairy remained completely unperturbed. In a whisper audible only to the three from Great Yu, she spoke softly:
"All tribulations and punishments in this world originate from Immortal Ying Tian's Tribulation Responding Dao fruit, and tribulations are mostly lightning tribulations. Even Immortal Ying Tian never dared attack this Immortal with thunder magic, so how could your clumsy imitation ever succeed?"
Venerable Cang Lei's pupils shrank, his face filled with shock. The Immortal Fairy's words revealed far too many ancient secrets!
A smug smile curled the corners of the Immortal Fairy's lips. Unfortunately, shrouded under the power of national destiny, no one could clearly see her features, let alone her expression.
She raised a scallion-white index finger toward the sky. Her lips moved slightly as she spoke a few words, and in an instant, the terrifying cage of lightning vanished completely. The sky turned clear, as if nothing had ever happened.
Only Venerable Cang Lei, who stood closest, clearly heard what she said, and he could not help but shudder.
What she said was: "Decree: Disperse."
A decree was a command issued by a superior to an inferior. For a few simple words alone to disperse an attack he took immense pride in—one that imitated lightning tribulation—could only mean one thing:
Her standing was above lightning tribulation, and lightning tribulation dared not strike her!
How was that possible?!
Venerable Cang Lei had never heard of such a thing, yet right now, this was the only explanation!
Terror welled up from the bottom of his heart. She was his natural nemesis!
"Fist of Sacrificing Myself!" Venerable Wu Ji strode forward, his steps sending ripples through the air as he unleashed his boxing art.
This was his strongest move, and the source of his honorific title.
Venerable Wu Ji's boxing style was domineering beyond measure. Golden radiance tore through the air, divine light pierced the eyes, and a murky gray mist billowed behind him—the corpse qi he had accumulated over time, all serving as nourishment for his Fist of Sacrificing Myself.
"Fairy Boxing."
The Immortal Fairy swung her dainty pink fists. They looked soft and feeble, but in reality they contained the ultimate principles of the Great Dao, boundless in mystery.
Fairy Boxing was the grand culmination forged from melting together tens of thousands of fist styles, such as Monk Fruit Fist, Forsythia Fist, and Tiankuizi Fist. Among these tens of thousands of fist styles, plenty could dispel corpse qi, such as the heat-clearing and toxin-purging Monk Fruit Fist, Forsythia Fist, and so forth.
Before Fairy Boxing, the corpse qi dispersed automatically. Deprived of nourishment, the Fist of Sacrificing Myself became like rootless duckweed, its power reduced almost to nothing.
Venerable Wu Ji was flabbergasted. Since learning boxing, he had never encountered such a situation. Before he could react, Fairy Boxing came striking straight for his face.
The dainty pink fists pelted down on Venerable Wu Ji's face like firecrackers, pummeling him black and blue.
"Grand Luo Triple Force!"
"Cang Lei Body Tempering!"
"Fist of Sacrificing Earth!"
The three Great Yu cultivators attacked together. Their spells shook the heavens with an apocalyptic momentum, yet the Immortal Fairy transformed into a martial immortal. Fighting one against three, she captured dragons and seized tigers, ignored thunder spells, and wielded an invincible boxing art that swept everything before her. With heaven-defying combat power, she beat the three into steady retreat, utterly routing them.
Even for the topmost geniuses, the world's highest praise was merely that they possessed the potential to attain immortality.
Yet the Immortal Fairy was a true immortal; even that supreme compliment was an insult to her.
The Immortal Fairy fought with effortless ease, capable of neutralizing any attack.
The secret arts mastered by Wu Youdao's trio had long been seen by the Immortal Fairy back in ancient times, so countering them was second nature to her.
Whatever moves the enemy knew, she knew as well—and far better. And whatever moves the enemy did not know, she also knew.
The Immortal Fairy shook her head. Placed in ancient times, these three wouldn't even qualify to vie for immortality. They were simply too weak.
Without the qualification to contend for immortality, they were not qualified to be her opponents.
Boom—!
With a single punch, the three were sent flying across half of Hanshui City by the Immortal Fairy, embedding themselves straight into the Corpse Driving Sect's Yin Corpse Mountain Range.
"None of you can cut it. You're far worse than Ying Tian and the rest."
Chapter 445