But the burly man’s action was clearly a bit too late!
Although the black axe radiance appeared overwhelmingly powerful, Thundercloud Master’s movements were even swifter.
With a cold snort, ripples surged within the thunder formation, and in a flash of silver lightning, both he and Han Li vanished.
The black streak of light tore through the thunder formation, reducing it to fragments, but it failed to harm even a single hair on the two.
The woman, Baohua, did not block the burly man’s attack, nor did she take any action herself. With a soft sigh, she slowly closed her eyes, as if silently sensing something.
Seeing that his attack had failed, the burly man wore an unwilling expression, but upon noticing Baohua’s actions, he immediately shut his mouth and stood guard beside her, making no further sound.
After an unknown length of time, the woman’s eyelashes fluttered as she reopened her beautiful eyes and calmly said, “At most five or six more times, and I’ll ensure he has no escape. I’ve already identified several possible locations from the earlier teleportation. We’ll head to each of them immediately. It won’t take more than a few moments before we meet him again.”
“Yes, Lady Baohua! These foreign beings of the Spirit Realm have no idea of your true power. However, how did your treasure end up in that man’s hands?” Black Crocodile hurriedly flattered but couldn’t help asking curiously.
“Is that so strange? A fragment of my Profound Heaven Ruyi Blade was stolen by that demon ape long ago. When I awoke and tracked it down, I found the ape had just perished. Naturally, the stolen fragment fell into the hands of its killer. During the time before my awakening, many Tianyun people had entered the mountain range. The killer was one of them. I initially assumed it was a Tianyun cultivator, but due to an agreement with their elders, I couldn’t pursue the matter further. Yet, I never imagined the fragment would end up with a human cultivator. I don’t know how he infiltrated the Demon Gold Mountain Range, but now that I know, I must reclaim my treasure,” the woman said calmly.
“So that’s what happened. I encountered those Tianyun people back then, but I never expected one of them could slay a demon ape at the Body Integration stage,” the burly man paled slightly, a hint of lingering fear in his voice.
“Enough of this. For now, securing the Heavenly Ephemeral Flower is more urgent. Aside from its other uses, this flower can alleviate some of my injuries—I cannot let it slip away. Moreover, according to my recent divination, the true spiritual medicine I seek should also be in this area. Black Crocodile, keep an eye out for it. If you help me find it and restore my full power, you won’t be left unrewarded,” the woman said, her eyes glinting.
“Rest assured, Lady Baohua, I will spare no effort in assisting you. It’s just a pity that even you don’t know exactly what the divination-revealed medicine is. Otherwise, it would save us much trouble,” the man quickly pledged his loyalty.
“Though I know some divination arts, I’m not particularly skilled in them. It’s a shame my Cloud and Dragon Generals perished long ago. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have needed to emerge personally,” the white-robed woman murmured, a trace of loneliness flashing in her eyes.
“I’ve heard of Generals Cloud and Dragon. Though they weren’t Sacred Ancestors, their powers were feared even by them. General Cloud’s divination arts were second only to the legendary Xuan Guang, who ascended through divination,” Black Crocodile said solemnly upon hearing the names.
“Heh, even you know of them. Indeed, their fame once rivaled that of Sacred Ancestors,” the woman chuckled faintly before drifting into thought.
The burly man forced a smile but dared not interject further.
Soon, the woman’s gaze sharpened as she commanded, “Let’s go. Any delay, and catching that brat will take more effort.”
The man naturally had no objections. Bowing, he stepped onto the giant flower, standing respectfully a few feet behind her.
With a flick of her sleeve, the giant flower spun, releasing countless pink rays and a strange fragrance.
With a *bang*, the pink light dissipated, and the flower—along with its passengers—vanished without a trace.
Over the next few hours, the flower appeared in three or four locations, each time only briefly before disappearing again.
Two hours later, as the giant flower materialized above a dense forest, a soft “Hmm?” escaped from within.
The pink light receded, the petals unfurled, and Baohua and the ugly man emerged.
“Did you find them?” Black Crocodile asked, startled but hopeful.
“No, but it seems we’ve encountered some unexpected guests,” the white-robed woman replied, gazing into the distance with a hint of surprise.
“Guests?” Puzzled, the man turned to look but saw nothing, his confusion growing.
Then, at the horizon, two white lights appeared without warning. In a few flashes, they roared into the nearby sky—astonishingly fast!
“Cosmic Disk! Stone Demon Hall!” The burly man gasped as the lights drew near, revealing a massive stone hall and a colossal jade disk. His expression twisted in shock.
Baohua’s gaze at the two objects was equally complex, though her face remained mostly cold.
The occupants of the stone hall and jade disk noticed the giant flower almost simultaneously, their faces paling as they halted their treasures. Four figures emerged above them—Yuan Cha and Xue Guang’s three avatars.
Their expressions darkened upon seeing the white-robed woman.
“Sister Baohua… it’s you?” Yuan Cha’s voice was stiff as she forced out the words.
“Yuan Cha. I never thought we’d meet again, least of all in the Spirit Realm. The Sacred Sacrifice has begun, it seems. But ‘sister’ is no longer fitting,” Baohua replied coolly.
Yuan Cha’s face turned deathly pale, rendered speechless.
Meanwhile, Xue Guang’s avatars inwardly groaned upon recognizing Baohua. When her icy gaze swept over them, they forced smiles, the lead one bowing obsequiously. “Xue Guang pays respects to Lady Baohua!”
“Hmph, you’ve grown stronger, cultivating so many avatars. Since that’s the case, I could use a few servants. You’ll do,” the woman said, her voice turning frosty.
The three avatars paled instantly. Exchanging glances, they seemed to reach a decision. Before Baohua could say more, they transformed into three black streaks, diving into the jade disk below.
With a clear chime, the Cosmic Disk erupted in swirling black and white energy, forming a massive Taiji symbol before vanishing into thin air.
“The Cosmic Disk is indeed extraordinary, but you’re neither its true master nor your true self here. Did you really think you could escape me?” Baohua’s face darkened as she raised a hand and clenched it toward the sky.
Astonishingly, one of the seven blazing suns above suddenly expanded, warping space as a colossal white orb—a thousand feet in diameter—manifested, its blinding light scorching the air and raising temperatures tenfold.
“Phantom Sun Art!” Yuan Cha exclaimed, her face shifting uneasily.
Baohua ignored her, pointing a finger at the giant sun.
With a deafening *boom*, the sun rotated, unleashing countless white threads that pierced through the void below, covering everything in sight.
Yuan Cha summoned an ancient black mirror, shielding herself under a crystalline barrier. Though the threads seemed unstoppable, they merely rippled against the barrier—yet her strained expression showed she couldn’t hold out long.
Meanwhile, a thousand feet away, explosions erupted as space twisted, revealing the jade disk stumbling into view.
The white threads redirected en masse, raining down upon it like a storm.
In an instant, the disk was engulfed, nearly buried under the onslaught.
From within, Xue Guang’s furious roar echoed as the disk spun wildly, black and white energy surging to form another Taiji symbol, barely holding off the threads.
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