The sound of the void being torn asunder, was the only noise Yu Ci heard in that fleeting moment.
The next instant, the coiled green light stood in the way of the astonishing aura emanating from the Suppressing Energy Rod. Yu Ci's body shuddered again as the immense pressure of the rod penetrated him, tearing countless muscles throughout his body. These were hidden injuries, and in the moment of the violent shock, Yu Ci's eardrums were ruptured. The aftermath left his face numb, and a damp sensation trickled down from his ears.
Yu Ci had no time to dwell on his pain. In his eyes, the golden and green lights collided, spreading out in a violent display, creating over a dozen rings of light that expanded in all directions. Accompanied by this intense light, the Primordial Qi surrounding Yu Ci seemed to be sucked into a bottomless pit, vanishing without a trace before he could even register its disappearance. Almost instantly, he felt drained, only the Yin Spirit, which had been connected to the Divine Bronze Mirror early on, remained. Yet, this presence was as precarious as a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
This was the first time Yu Ci had ever actively invoked the soul-devouring power of the Divine Bronze Mirror. In that moment, he understood that he was far from being able to control the Treasure Mirror with ease. The enormous consumption of energy was an obstacle he could barely overcome.
However, he also noticed that the Divine Bronze Mirror remained undamaged in the face of the astonishing power of the Suppressing Energy Rod!
This was within his expectations. Just like that day on the mountain path outside the Still Heart Temple, the Divine Bronze Mirror had successfully blocked the God Slaying Sting, a weapon known to shatter anything in its path. Its most essential function had silently activated after this hard clash.
On the level of the Divine Soul, Yu Ci's consciousness was suddenly drawn by an irresistible force, plunging towards the violently twisted area "above" him. In that moment, Yu Ci felt as if he were being torn apart by a rapidly spinning wheel, the ripping force threatening to take his life instantly.
He wished he could scream in agony, but fortunately, his limited attempts in the past few days had prepared him somewhat. He was not crushed by the sudden onset of immense pain, but managed to endure it. Then, the pain subsided, replaced by relief. His consciousness seemed to merge with the twisted spatial forces, regardless of how they contorted, they could no longer harm him.
This was the advanced state of the Yin Spirit mastering the Treasure Mirror. Yu Ci knew that he had temporarily gained deep control over the Divine Bronze Mirror.
The physical pain was instantly isolated, while his mental acuity was elevated tenfold, twentyfold. Never before had Yu Ci been able to grasp so clearly the subtle movements of Zheng Yan's residual soul two miles away. He was like a skilled fisherman, who could understand the movements of the fish in the water just by the tension in his fishing line.
Zheng Yan was the bait, the Divine Bronze Mirror was the fishing rod, and at this moment, the "fisherman" exerted his strength. On the level of the Divine Soul, the twisted space created by the Divine Bronze Mirror expanded recklessly, like a flood breaking through a dam. It was also like casting a wide fishing net, with thousands of threads interwoven, ready to cast down upon its prey.
Inside the Divine Soul space, the order of time was thrown into chaos. The colors of both parties' "Soul Source" underwent rapid changes, and the light fluctuated between brightness and darkness. On the outside, Tu Ling, with his sharp senses, detected the impending danger. He exerted all his power to activate the Suppressing Energy Rod, a weapon empowered by the Pill Bead True Fiend, hoping to annihilate Yu Ci before the danger could strike.
The Suppressing Energy Rod flew out of his hand, shedding its golden light mid-air to reveal its true form. Its emerald green hue rippled out like waves. Monk attempted to break through the defense of the Divine Bronze Mirror using this method, but he was ultimately one step too late.
Tu Ling was using the Sheridan Bead as the core, manipulating the changes of the Suppressing Energy Rod with all his might, but a sudden, unexpected surge of external force caught hold of the residual soul of Zheng Yan, which was still struggling on the brink of death within the bead. This abrupt force caused the structure of the Divine Soul Vitality, which was initially harmoniously intertwined, to become disordered.
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With the core in chaos, how could the Suppressing Energy Rod remain stable? Thousands of Auras deviated in an instant, and the rod's wave-like radiance immediately veered off course. Although it had already passed the protection of the Treasure Mirror, it landed several feet away from Yu Ci, its energy impacting the ground and erasing half a foot of soil within a ten-foot radius. The newly exposed soil layer was like rotten mud, having been shaken loose.
However, Tu Ling could not afford to pay attention to that. As the Sheridan Bead pulsated, his face turned solemn, and he slowly sank to the ground. The moment his buttocks touched the earth, blood seeped from his facial orifices. Yu Ci had not laid a finger on him, but the Aura emanating from the bead had unexpectedly inflicted severe damage on Tu Ling. And this was just the beginning!
Monk forced his eyes open and, through the scattered light, saw the silhouette of Yu Ci in the distance. There, Yu Ci also slumped to the ground. In front of him, a green light coiled like a wheel, rotating and swallowing, like a standing vortex, very mystical. Tu Ling could see clearly that the force disrupting his Sheridan Bead structure was emanating from there, showing no signs of weakening at the moment.
He was a man of great wisdom. After suffering a major setback, he immediately realized that although the peculiar treasure was incredibly powerful, it could only affect a Cultivator's Divine Soul. Originally, with the flawless integration of the Sheridan Bead and the Divine Soul Vitality, they formed a self-contained system, and the opponent should have had absolutely no opportunity to strike. However, there was a flaw in his Divine Soul that should not have existed:
"Zheng Yan, my disciple, you did well!"
Long-suppressed anger surged forth, and a nameless fire instantly engulfed his entire body, turning even his eyes red. Tu Ling knew this was the result of his spirit being damaged, causing the Heart Demon to grow. But knowing was one thing, resolving it was another. He didn't have the time to calm his spirit now. He had no choice but to use this Demon Fire, risking mutual destruction, to first annihilate the residual soul of Zheng Yan, severing the green light's transmission of magical power, before considering other options!
With a "whoosh", the Sheridan Bead, which had been expanding and contracting, suddenly caught fire. The fire was pitch black, rolling up and down around a round bead, with a constant sizzling sound.
Once Tu Ling made up his mind, the Residual Soul of Zheng Yan had no power to resist. In a blink of an eye, the Remnant Soul was wiped out by more than half, leaving only a tiny bit of remnants carrying indelible hatred and resentment, clinging to the Divine Consciousness Starlight, making a final desperate resistance.
Tu Ling's eyes were bloodshot, regardless of the consumption of his Essence Core, he focused on operating the Demon Fire. As he expected, as the Residual Soul of Zheng Yan was on the verge of exhaustion, the power coming from afar indeed showed signs of weakening. The starlight, which had always been elusive, finally couldn't bear it and started to flicker rapidly, ready to extinguish at any time. Tu Ling even touched some deep mysteries of the starlight through this.
"Such a seed form seems to be from the north."
With his extensive knowledge, a single Divine Light could illuminate many things. He opened his eyes wide, the origin of the treasure was already on his lips, but at this moment, his scalp tightened, looking ahead at the void, there was a grey-green light, like a poisonous snake, wriggling in the air, and in a blink of an eye, it was in front of him.
Such a long whip!
This whip was exactly what Yu Ci was using to attack. He stood still, and with a wave of his hand, the grey-green light whipped the void, crossing two miles in a blink of an eye. The speed of the whip was so fast that it was almost invisible, and it was eerily silent.
Although Tu Ling was in a bad state at this time, he still had basic reactions. He forced himself to move his body two feet sideways, just avoiding the sharp edge of the light whip. But the next moment, a "ding" sound rang in his ears. At first it was crisp and pleasant, but then it rose higher, from pleasant to sharp, and then to a nearly shattering noise, instantly sweeping the Brain Palace.
Monk's brain boomed, and by the time he exclaimed "Damn it", his soul had already left his body, his mind was dull, and the only thread of clarity he had left was still trying to control the floating Sheridan Bead, but what he touched was an irresistible whirlpool.
In his daze, he moved his gaze, and the expanding and contracting green light in the distance, in the alternation of light and dark, was no longer a light, but the silhouette of a giant beast. The monster opened its huge mouth, erased the distance of two miles, and swallowed his Sheridan Bead in one gulp!
Everything went black before his eyes, Tu Ling's Divine Soul was spinning and drifting, as if struggling in a whirlpool, the only bit of clarity he had left was rapidly consuming, and only endless confusion and absurdity filled his heart.
"What's going on with the Raksha Phantom Sound?"
Two miles away, Yu Ci let out a long howl and stood up abruptly. Although he had just forced out that whip, piercing his limit and damaging his Essence Core, his legs were shaking uncontrollably, but now he had a reason to be excited and let go.
In the gradually darkening forest in the distance, Monk Tu Ling's body fell, silent. The Divine Bronze Mirror in front of him retracted its green light and fell to the ground. After spinning low twice, it landed flat on the mud.
Further away, a sword light was like a rainbow, tearing through the night sky, rushing over.
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