Chapter 1326: Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire Talisman
Before unleashing the Nether King Blood Poison, Gu Songzi had sent a voice transmission to warn Zhang Ruochen. Thus, at the first moment, Zhang Ruochen activated his extreme speed, rushed into the interior of the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Heart Grass, and hid himself.
According to Gu Songzi, the central region of the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Heart Grass could withstand the toxins of the Nether King Blood Poison.
"Whoosh."
Ye Xiaoxiang dared not touch the Nether King Blood Poison. Transforming into a black shadowy figure, she retreated rapidly backward. Her speed was so fast that even with Zhang Ruochen's current visual discernment, he could not clearly see her form, naturally surpassing the spread of the blood threads.
Flying a hundred zhang into the air, Ye Xiaoxiang suddenly turned around. Both her sleeves swelled as she unleashed two powerful streams of Nether Yin Wind.
"Whoosh!"
The wind force was extremely strong. In an instant, it turned this cultivation treasure ground beneath the Spirit Mountain into a tattered mess. Tens of thousands of medicinal herbs turned to ash, soil and rocks were swept into the air, and even the nearby forest disappeared patch by patch, transforming into a yellow-brown muddy plain.
With just one gust of wind, the area for dozens of li around became barren, not a single blade of grass remaining.
Fortunately, the remnant formations from the medieval era protected this land; otherwise, the destruction caused by the Nether Yin Wind would have been even more terrifying.
The Nether King Blood Poison was blown away.
The Nether Yin Wind did not stop. Mud, rocks, and trees flew through the air, plunging the sky above everyone into darkness.
At this moment, the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Heart Grass fully displayed its extraordinary nature. Its leaves contracted inward, wrapping itself into a spherical shape. Meanwhile, its roots delved deep into the ground, firmly gripping the earth.
Standing at the center of the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Heart Grass, Zhang Ruochen could hear the piercing wind through the gaps in the leaves and witness a scene of apocalyptic destruction.
"Night Rain Drizzling, Heartbreaking—truly worthy of the name. No wonder the saints of the Kunlun Realm tremble at the mention of her name." Zhang Ruochen pressed his lips tightly together, worrying about Gu Songzi.
Gu Songzi's spiritual power was indeed formidable, unfathomably deep, but his combat ability was quite low, at most equivalent to a Heaven-Connecting Realm martial saint. How could he possibly be a match for Ye Xiaoxiang?
The higher one's spiritual power, the stronger one's strength is not necessarily true.
The key lies in what the spiritual power cultivator's abilities are.
For example, if a spiritual power cultivator's ability is "divination," then even if they reach the level of a Spiritual Power Great Saint, they would have no combat power at all, only becoming a prophet or a strategist.
Gu Songzi's methods in the path of poison were indeed formidable, but they were more suited for ambushes and large-scale warfare.
In a direct confrontation with a top-tier expert, the opponent would already be on guard, and using poison might not have much effect.
Ye Xiaoxiang did not approach Gu Songzi. Her five slender fingers extended from her wide sleeve, and the sacred qi surging from her fingertips condensed into a demonic-qi-infused chain that wrapped around Gu Songzi.
"Snap!"
Gu Songzi crushed a talisman. A cluster of purple flame surged out, covering his body, burning the wine-cup-thick chain into wisps of demonic qi that dissipated, unable to bind him.
"Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire Talisman."
"Elder Ku's methods truly cannot be judged by common sense. No wonder the Sect Leader ordered me to personally invite you," Ye Xiaoxiang said.
Xiao Mie laughed and said, "Elder Ku crossed into the Spiritual Power Saint King level countless years ago. Even if he is not a combat-type spiritual power cultivator, he should not be underestimated. If this Palace Master is not mistaken, over these six hundred years, Elder Ku has not only studied the alchemy and poison paths but has also delved into the talisman path, seeking a breakthrough in combat, am I right?"
Gu Songzi had always wanted revenge but lacked combat power, so naturally, he sought improvement from other avenues.
The talisman path was a good choice.
"Since you wish to try, this old man will grant your wish."
Gu Songzi simultaneously took out two talismans, pinching them between his fingers, and launched them toward the sky, striking at Ye Xiaoxiang and Xiao Mie respectively.
These two Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire Talismans he unleashed were far more powerful than the previous one. They were two of Gu Songzi's trump cards, refined with immense effort and countless precious resources. He would not use them unless absolutely necessary.
"Boom, boom."
Both talismans exploded in the sky simultaneously, forming two rings of purple-red flame. The world's spiritual energy trembled violently, creating two waves of spiritual energy that spread outward.
The entire Xianji Mountain shook slightly. Both the human saints and the ferocious beasts were filled with terror.
"Such terrifying power! Could a Saint King-level figure have entered Xianji Mountain?"
Canglan Martial Saint stood by a stream, gazing at the purple sea of fire in the sky. Clusters of fireballs fell like rain of fire.
Even a purple fireball the size of a fist, upon hitting the ground, would create a large crater, melting the earth for several zhang around into magma.
In the center of the battle, the power of the purple sea of fire would be even more formidable.
Zhang Ruochen hid inside the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Heart Grass. In his line of sight, the majestic Spirit Mountain, thousands of meters high, had only half its body left. The other half had turned into red-hot magma, flowing down the mountain—a truly shocking sight.
"Gu Songzi actually has such powerful means. He must have been hiding his talisman path achievements all along, concealing his strength. A Spiritual Power Saint King, even if not adept at combat, is not someone a saint can provoke," Zhang Ruochen muttered to himself.
Xiao Mie struck out eighteen iron pillars, suspending them in eighteen directions. Dense inscription patterns surged from the pillars, forming a defensive grand formation.
Each iron pillar grew over a hundred meters tall, like eighteen heaven-reaching divine pillars spinning rapidly. They not only protected him but also swept the group of Night Envoys from the Night Palace into the formation.
"Boom." However, the power of the two Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire Talismans was too terrifying. The two seas of fire they formed actually burned the eighteen formation iron pillars, causing them to slowly melt.
All the Night Envoys' faces changed drastically, feeling death approaching step by step.
Xiao Mie also sucked in a breath of cold air. His hands continuously carved formation inscriptions, layering one defensive formation after another around his body.
"Bang, bang."
Cracking sounds rang out. The eighteen formation iron pillars snapped, and the Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire surged toward them like a tidal wave.
Seven layers of defensive formations, fragile as eggshells, could not withstand the Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire. It seemed Xiao Mie and the group of Night Envoys were about to die.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Mie revealed a sinister expression. He actually gouged out the two green eyeballs from his eye sockets, holding one in each hand.
"Ghost-God Peerless Grand Formation."
As he infused his spiritual power into them, a thunderous roar erupted from the two eyeballs. A ghostly shadow and a divine shadow shot out respectively, both dozens of zhang tall, forming a formation.
The power of the ghost and divine shadows finally held back the Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire.
In another direction, Ye Xiaoxiang fled the central area of the Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire Talisman at lightning speed. She used the ten-thousand-pattern sacred artifact, the Xiaoxiang Divine Needle, to protect herself, barely escaping the deadly calamity.
However, the black robe on her body was burned away in a large area, revealing the snow-white skin at her lower abdomen.
For a figure of her stature, this was quite embarrassing and disgraceful.
Xiao Mie held a green eyeball in each hand. The massive divine and ghost shadows followed him on either side. He said, "An alchemy saint master who has also cultivated the talisman path to such a level—truly, a senior is a senior. This Palace Master cannot help but admire you."
Ye Xiaoxiang flew down from midair, hovering about three zhang above the magma. In her delicate hand, she held a cluster of black light, like a black lamp.
A needle as fine as cow hair floated within the black light. It was the ten-thousand-pattern sacred artifact that made the saints of the Kunlun Realm tremble in fear—the Xiaoxiang Divine Needle.
A bitter smile appeared on Gu Songzi's face. He shook his head and sighed, "Since you can withstand the Heavenly Firmament Purple Fire and survive, this old man can only accept his fate today."
"Since you accept your fate, Elder Ku, stop struggling and come back to the headquarters with us obediently."
Ye Xiaoxiang stepped through the void, walking toward Gu Songzi.
Xiao Mie warned, "Be careful, Night Palace Master. How could a Spiritual Power Saint King so easily accept his fate? To be safe, it's best to use the Xiaoxiang Divine Needle first to seal his spiritual power."
Gu Songzi knew his plan had been seen through. Instead of feigning weakness, he struck out ten talismans in succession.
"Whoosh!"
The Xiaoxiang Divine Needle flew out first, forming a winding path of light. It pierced through the ten talismans, leaving a needle hole in each one.
"Chi, chi."
Then, dense cracks appeared on the ten talismans, turning them into ten clusters of ash.
The Xiaoxiang Divine Needle continued flying, aimed at Gu Songzi's brow.
Seeing all ten talismans destroyed, Gu Songzi was utterly disheartened. He did not even bother using a protective talisman, simply closing his eyes, awaiting the judgment of fate.
"Ding!"
A small cyan flower with three leaves flew out from the forest in the distance, colliding with the Xiaoxiang Divine Needle. It actually sent this ten-thousand-pattern sacred artifact flying away.
"Who dares to interfere in the affairs of the Moon-Worshipping Cult?"
Ye Xiaoxiang's voice was icy and piercing.
A wave of cold air surged from her body, cooling all the magma on the ground into hard rock.
Xiao Mie also became alert. After all, with Ye Xiaoxiang's cultivation and the grade of the Xiaoxiang Divine Needle, even a casual strike from her would be terrifying.
To be able to knock away the Xiaoxiang Divine Needle meant that the newcomer was no ordinary character.
"Rustle, rustle."
Qing Mo sat atop the Golden Bat Giant Python, emerging from the forest.
Seeing the devastated scene before her, she was startled. For dozens of li around, everything had turned to scorched earth. Where was the once beautiful, secluded paradise?
Then, the Drunken Madman walked out of the forest, extending a hand to retrieve the Three-Leaf Nine-Life Flower.
At this moment, the Drunken Madman's aura was completely different from before. His posture was as straight as a spear, and his gaze was sharp and fierce. He stared at Ye Xiaoxiang and Xiao Mie, angrily saying, "How dare you! Is this how Shi Qianjue taught you to treat the former elders of the cult?"