Chapter 1204: A Bitter Battle
The great battle at Moyou Valley began.
"Swish, swish."
The saints of the Blood God Sect dispersed in an instant, appearing on all sides of Moyou Valley, occupying the most advantageous positions.
Night fell, and a bright, clear moon appeared in the sky.
The Juegu Snow Mountains became even colder, and a biting gale condensed from the sky, surging back toward the ground, producing a roar like that of a giant beast.
Within Moyou Valley, the peach forest, dozens of miles wide, rustled. Peach blossom petals, like red rain, flew between the vermilion towers.
The Sect Leader's Wife sat in the peach forest, her long robe spread on the ground like a bright red fan. She watched the rain of flowers before her, her expression serene, her phoenix eyes emitting shimmering points of light.
Zhen Yin and Fan Yin stood behind her, standing tall and proud, outlining two graceful and curvaceous perfect figures.
The peach blossoms were beautiful, but the women were even more so.
Suddenly, Zhen Yin sensed the killing intent from outside the valley. Her heart jolted with alarm, and her eyes emitted a brilliant sacred light as she looked toward the sky.
Zhen Yin's expression changed drastically. She stepped forward and said, "Master..."
The Sect Leader's Wife had obviously long known the situation outside the valley. Just as Zhen Yin began to speak, she said, "What is there to panic about? I have been waiting for them here. Since they have taken the initiative to attack, none of them will be able to return alive."
Thinking of her master's powerful cultivation, Zhen Yin calmed down again.
Other saint-level figures in Moyou Valley also sensed the approaching crisis. They rushed out, appearing behind the Sect Leader's Wife, and began to stand ready.
Outside Moyou Valley, the five Saint Elders of the Blood God Sect—Elder Yuan Xing, Elder Yuan Zhou, Elder Yuan Dian, Elder Yuan Hu, and Elder Yuan Quan—all wore loose blood-red robes and stood in the vast white wilderness.
At the center of the five of them stood an ancient purple cauldron, three zhang tall, cast with four legs and two ears, covered with dragon-scale patterns.
It was the Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact, the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron.
"Rise."
Elder Yuan Xing let out a low roar, taking the lead in mobilizing his sacred energy and injecting it into the ancient cauldron.
Immediately after, the other four Saint Elders also shot out pillars of sacred energy, pouring them into the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron. One by one, inscriptions emerged.
The Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron rose from the ground, becoming as massive as a mountain, suspended in the sky, emitting an increasingly intense purple glow.
In an instant, the sky within a thousand miles was covered in purple energy, with bolts of lightning shuttling through it, producing a deafening roar.
The power of a Ten-Thousand Pattern Sacred Artifact was naturally terrifying. Even the aura it released made all the saints present feel extremely oppressed.
"Chi chi."
Tens of thousands of lightning bolts flew out from the purple clouds first, falling like a rainstorm, colliding with the protective grand formation above Moyou Valley.
Then, the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron, carrying a patch of purple clouds, flew toward Moyou Valley and rapidly descended.
With a thunderous roar, this region of heaven and earth trembled violently, causing avalanches across ten thousand miles. Some snow-capped mountains near Moyou Valley directly collapsed, turning into flat land.
The power unleashed by the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron was truly terrifying, something no human strength could withstand.
Even the saints of the Blood God Sect gasped in shock.
In the end, the defensive grand formation of Moyou Valley was breached. The illusions shrouding the valley dissipated in an instant, revealing the valley's true appearance.
Inside the valley, there were no peach trees, peach blossoms, or pavilions. There were only buildings constructed from white bones, as well as blood-red lakes and streams.
The previous beautiful scene was all an illusion created by illusion techniques.
Even the cultivators within Moyou Valley were greatly startled, never expecting that the place they had always lived and cultivated in was so bloody and terrifying.
The Sect Leader's Wife, however, remained very calm. She stared at the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron suspended in the sky and let out a pleasant voice, saying, "Divine Son, you have ultimately betrayed me. Do you know what your fate will be?"
Her voice carried for hundreds of miles.
Zhang Ruochen said loudly, "I, the Divine Son, have never been loyal to you, so how can this be considered betrayal? Besides, by working for the Undying Blood Clan, you are opposing all of humanity, and everyone has the right to kill you."
The Sect Leader's Wife stood up, standing by the blood-red lake. Her figure was tall and slender, her skin as white as spiritual jade. Her lively eyes revealed a sharp light. She said, "Well said: everyone has the right to kill me. But people like you are far from being my match. All saints of the Blood God Sect, listen: if you stop now, it is not too late. I can spare your lives."
"Madam, no matter how profound your cultivation, you cannot withstand the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron," said Elder Yuan Xing.
"Is that so?"
The Sect Leader's Wife revealed a mocking expression and then said, "Elder Yuan Quan, why haven't you made your move yet?"
Elder Yuan Quan was an old woman with white hair. Among the five Saint Elders, she had always been very low-key, almost never speaking.
However, at this moment, Elder Yuan Quan's pupils turned dark red.
She struck with lightning speed, attacking the other four Saint Elders by surprise. In an instant, all four Saint Elders were sent flying, suffering severe injuries.
Elder Yuan Quan did not stop and continued her attack.
"Pfft."
Elder Yuan Quan's five fingers lengthened by half, growing sharp claws. She pierced through Elder Yuan Dian's body, penetrating through his chest.
Elder Yuan Dian spat sacred blood from his mouth, his eyes wide open. "You... why are you doing this..."
"Why ask why? Opposing the Madam is a path to death."
Elder Yuan Quan's old face twisted grotesquely. She pulled a sacred source from Elder Yuan Dian's body, her hand covered in bright red sacred blood, dripping to the ground.
Then, she struck out with a palm. With a slap, Elder Yuan Dian's sacred body collapsed limply to the ground, turning into a pile of flesh and blood.
The remaining three Saint Elders—Elder Yuan Xing, Elder Yuan Zhou, and Elder Yuan Hu—were enraged by this sight. They struggled to their feet again.
Elder Yuan Quan coldly glared at the three Saint Elders, took control of the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron, and struck at them.
"You two, retreat quickly."
Elder Yuan Hu roared, then took the initiative to charge forward. He activated a Divine Communication Art, causing his sacred blood to burn, unleashing ten times his cultivation base, and collided with the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron.
"Boom."
Elder Yuan Hu blocked this strike from the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron, but his sacred body became even more shattered, and his injuries worsened.
Elder Yuan Xing and Elder Yuan Zhou fled to a distance. Looking back, they saw Elder Yuan Hu lifting the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron, turning it into a purple electric cloud, and charging toward Moyou Valley.
At this moment, Elder Yuan Hu was fighting with his life on the line. He not only wanted to buy time for Elder Yuan Xing and Elder Yuan Zhou to retreat but also hoped to turn the tide of battle and eliminate the Sect Leader's Wife.
Seeing the overwhelming purple lightning pressing down, Elder Yuan Quan was also intimidated. She did not dare to clash head-on with the desperate Elder Yuan Hu and immediately used her movement technique, turning into a streak of light, dodging to the left.
"Where do you think you're going? Die!"
Elder Yuan Hu struck with the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron, crushing toward her.
"Pfft."
Elder Yuan Quan failed to dodge. The Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron struck her, sending her flying horizontally, her body covered in dense blood marks like a spiderweb.
Then, Elder Yuan Hu struck a second time.
The Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron struck Elder Yuan Quan again, directly obliterating her, body and soul.
In just a few breaths, two Saint Elders had fallen.
The battle situation changed so quickly that all the saints present could barely react.
Elder Yuan Hu knew he was severely injured. By forcibly using the Divine Communication Art, his injuries could never heal. Even if he survived today, he would have at most a few more years to live.
Since that was the case, he would use his remaining peak state to make one final desperate attempt.
"Fight."
Elder Yuan Hu's hair stood on end. He grabbed the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron with both hands and unleashed his final, dying strike.
This strike exhausted all of Elder Yuan Hu's sacred energy, combining it with the power of the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron, and smashed it down toward the Sect Leader's Wife.
As long as he killed the Sect Leader's Wife, the remaining enemies would no longer be a threat.
Elder Yuan Hu, having activated the Divine Communication Art, had already unleashed ten times his own cultivation base. With his dying, all-out effort, the attack was even more terrifying.
Elder Yuan Hu was fully confident he could eliminate the Sect Leader's Wife.
As the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron descended, all the cultivators in Moyou Valley lay prostrate on the ground, unable to move.
Even saints like Zhen Yin and Fan Yin were no exception.
Only the Sect Leader's Wife remained standing by the blood-red lake. She slightly raised her eyelids and slowly extended a jade-white hand, which transformed into a giant handprint dozens of miles long.
Elder Yuan Hu's dying, all-out strike hit the palm of the giant handprint, only stirring up ripples.
"No..."
Elder Yuan Hu roared in unwillingness and anguish.
"Chi chi."
In the end, he exhausted all his power. In the flames, Elder Yuan Hu's body gradually turned to ashes, leaving only a sparkling sacred source falling to the ground.
All the terrifying energy dissipated.
The Sect Leader's Wife slowly withdrew her hand. The Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron shrank to the size of a fist, delicate and exquisite, hovering in her palm.
"I told you, you are far from being my match, yet you refused to believe me," the Sect Leader's Wife said calmly.
The saints of the Blood God Sect were all stunned, holding their breath, not daring to make a sound.
Too terrifying!
Elder Yuan Hu was an extremely powerful figure among saints. His dying, all-out strike was casually neutralized by the Sect Leader's Wife. Who could remain calm?
Now, the Sect Leader's Wife had also obtained the Jingzhe Dragon Pattern Cauldron, making her even more formidable.
Who could still fight her?
"Submit, or die. It is time for you to make a choice." The Sect Leader's Wife's gaze was domineering as she stared at the saints of the Blood God Sect surrounding Moyou Valley.