Lei Xiuyuan also made his move. A flash of golden light, and he was already in front of Qin Yangling. The golden radiance of the White Tiger Tail suddenly scattered wildly, shattering the light blue water walls conjured by the two Mystical Treasures in an instant. Qin Yangling hurled the unconscious Baili Changyue toward him, then swiftly dodged to the side, his two treasures following closely as they erected blue water walls once more.
Lei Xiuyuan raised his hand to catch Changyue, gently tossing her downward. Li Fei had already summoned vines to wrap around her and pull her close, enveloping her in a Healing Net. Her Immortal Technique was incredibly swift—within moments, she had erected the Earthen Guardian and multiple layers of defense. With a push, an invisible force sent Ye Ye and Changyue flying behind the group. At this, everyone finally breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Something felt off—it was all too smooth. Lei Xiuyuan shattered Qin Yangling’s water walls again with a few more strikes, yet the latter still refused to attack, only dodging incessantly. Was he conserving his Spiritual Energy for the Tribulation Mirror? Earlier, Baili Changyue had warned them to be wary of something on his person—what did she mean?
Suddenly, Lei Xiuyuan reached out. Qin Yangling couldn’t evade in time, and his arm was seized. With a flip, Lei Xiuyuan kicked him square in the face, sending the bronze mask clattering to the ground. Unexpectedly, Qin Yangling’s face showed no change. Why had he been wearing a mask? Those conch-like Mystical Treasures were also bizarre—had he crafted them himself? The light blue water walls could even withstand the Tremor of Mountain Fire and the Demon’s Wail—hardly something Qin Yangling could have forged.
A bad premonition struck him. Then, Qin Yangling flipped his palm, and Lei Xiuyuan felt a bone-chilling cold surge from it. The golden light of the White Tiger Tail immediately pressed against his shoulder, shoving him back violently until he was slammed against the cave wall. Some defensive Immortal Technique had been cast on him—the golden light couldn’t pierce through at all.
"Stop," Lei Xiuyuan commanded as he landed.
Ji Tongzhou and Baili Gelin immediately withdrew their techniques. The successive powerful attacks had drained them considerably. Li Fei stepped forward, grasping one in each hand and channeling Wood Elemental Spiritual Energy into them. Everyone sensed something was wrong—Qin Yangling had dodged every attack, appearing flustered yet completely unharmed. In contrast, they had expended massive amounts of energy with their unrestrained assaults, leaving them at a disadvantage.
Qin Yangling chuckled, glancing down at the golden light sword pressed against his chest yet unable to pierce through, then looked up at Lei Xiuyuan. His eyes gleamed intensely, brimming with venom—yet beneath that malice lurked boundless triumph. After a pause, he finally spoke leisurely, "How dull it is to capture all of you so easily. Lei-shidi, what kind of monster will you turn into this time to amaze me?"
Lei Xiuyuan didn’t answer. He tilted his head slightly and murmured, "Baili Gelin, find a chance to get them out."
The moment he finished speaking, he struck first. The dazzling brilliance of the Earth-Piercing Golden Dragon instantly blinded the eyes. No matter how strong Qin Yangling’s defenses were, they couldn’t withstand the Earth-Piercing Golden Dragon. He leaped into the air—suddenly, the scene seemed to revert to the day of their magical combat. Lei Xiuyuan’s golden figure was swift and elusive, darting back and forth within the narrow cave, dazzling everyone with his speed.All defenses shattered instantly under his fierce attacks, yet Qin Yangling burst into laughter. With a sudden wave of his hand, the Yin-Yang Tribulation Mirror arrayed itself around him, but before it could fully form, it was already devoured by Ji Tongzhou's Black Fire. Golden mist transformed into a net, ensnaring Qin Yangling as the light sword turned into a bowstring. Once again, Lei Xiuyuan drew it taut like a full moon—this time, dozens of light arrows nocked upon it, whistling forth like meteors, piercing the golden net countless times.
A massive, thick leaf gently enveloped the heavily injured Ye Ye and Baili Changyue. Baili Gelin, transformed into a gust of wind, carried the two toward the cave exit when suddenly a figure flashed at the entrance—another person wearing a bronze mask appeared before them, their spiritual energy fluctuation identical to Qin Yangling's.
An illusion spell? Shocked, she whistled, and the Green Snake Demon lurking in the shadows abruptly opened its bloody maw and swallowed the figure whole.
Baili Gelin exhaled in relief and was about to continue when her legs suddenly went numb. Wild bursts of ice erupted from the ground, instantly freezing her lower half solid. Strength and spiritual energy seemed to vanish from her body in an instant, and the biting cold within the ice left her trembling uncontrollably, unable to utter a single word. The Green Snake Demon, along with Ye Ye and the others, were also frozen. Then, the snake's belly was torn open, and the bronze-masked man leisurely stepped out.
Horror gripped Baili Gelin's heart. She hadn’t seen the Tribulation Mirror—when had this happened?
Lei Xiuyuan frowned, silently observing the bloodied, lifeless figure that had fallen from the golden net—now with white hair and clad in the robes of a No Moon Court elder. Zheng Xu Zhang Lao?! Li Fei hurried forward to check his breath and pulse, only to turn back in shock moments later. "He's dead."
The man in the bronze Yaksa mask at the cave entrance chuckled. "Junior Brother Lei, you truly are a traitor. To strike down an elder—such insubordination is a grave crime."
Switched in an instant? Impossible. Qin Yangling didn’t have such skill. Had it been an illusion spell from the start? How could Zheng Xu Zhang Lao have been subdued by his own disciple? Qin Yangling had only just broken through the fourth bottleneck!
Seeing Gelin and the others frozen in ice, Li Fei grew even more bewildered. Without the Tribulation Mirror, how had he trapped them?
Lei Xiuyuan studied Zheng Xu Zhang Lao’s corpse, then glanced back at Qin Yangling before speaking abruptly. "Who is it? Is Zhen Yunzi helping you?"
Those conch-like mystical treasures, that near-impenetrable defense as hard as iron, and these indistinguishable illusions—none of it was within Qin Yangling’s capabilities. Someone must be aiding him. Initially, he had assumed Zheng Xu Zhang Lao’s excessive indulgence had allowed Qin Yangling to run wild, but now it seemed the elder had fallen victim to his beloved disciple’s betrayal, dying unjustly at their hands.
Even if Qin Yangling harbored boundless malice, he couldn’t have reduced Zheng Xu Zhang Lao to this state alone. This place was near the Eastern Sea, and Zhen Yunzi had been hunting demons here for two or three consecutive years. Too many coincidences—all man-made. First, the pretense of Qin Yangling’s lustful abduction of Baili Changyue, luring them into this narrow cave to battle Zheng Xu Zhang Lao under the Nightmare Art’s influence, while he and Zhen Yunzi played the role of hunters trapping their prey?Qin Yangling sneered coldly, "Do you think just because those Celestials from No Moon Court favor you, you can ride the wave of success forever? I have eyes! You can deceive others, but not me! You monster! How hateful that those Celestials are blind! They actually mistake a monster like you for a prodigy!"
Before he could finish speaking, Lei Xiuyuan transformed into a streak of golden light and shot toward him. Two Mystical Treasures immediately erected a water wall in his defense. The next moment, black flames surged skyward around them. Ji Tongzhou swiftly drew his Mystic Sword, which elongated into a black fiery blade several zhang long. Tiny black flames fell like dense raindrops. With a light flick of his finger on the blade, those minuscule flames shattered, unleashing countless tongues of pitch-black fire. The two water-attribute Mystical Treasures recoiled in fear from the black Profound Splendor Fire, hastily retreating.
Such terrifying Black Fire! Qin Yangling hadn’t expected such power from the remaining three. Before he could react, Lei Xiuyuan landed right before him. With no room to dodge, a flash of golden light pierced his left eye—his left eye was impaled by the light sword! Qin Yangling let out a bloodcurdling scream and stumbled back several zhang. Just as Lei Xiuyuan was about to pursue, his legs suddenly went numb—the frost from the Yin-Yang Tribulation Mirror had already frozen him in place. Where was the mirror?!
His gaze locked onto Qin Yangling, who clutched his left eye, howling in agony. Yet his right eye gleamed with a cold light—had he embedded the Tribulation Mirror in his eye?! Behind him, Ji Tongzhou rushed forward urgently. Lei Xiuyuan wanted to warn him but found himself voiceless, forced to watch as Ji Tongzhou, too, was immobilized by the mirror, his face frozen in shock.
Qin Yangling cast a Healing Net over his left eye, his face streaked with blood and sweat. He kicked Lei Xiuyuan viciously, then followed with a punch to his face. Consumed by hatred for this youth, he suddenly drew a dagger from his sleeve, itching to stab him to pieces.
Another flash of golden light erupted before him—a swirling golden mist surged forth. Traumatized by metal-attribute Immortal Techniques, Qin Yangling immediately retracted his dagger and dodged. Only after retreating several steps did he realize it wasn’t Lei Xiuyuan breaking free from the mirror’s restraint. Deep in the cave stood a girl—Li Fei.
Seeing her, Qin Yangling actually smiled, his voice softening. "Jiang Shi Mei, if not for you, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I really must thank you."
Just as Li Fei raised her hand to unleash an Immortal Technique, a chill crept up her legs—ice encased her in an instant. The glow of Spiritual energy in her palm dimmed and faded.
Qin Yangling was utterly triumphant. He slowly walked toward her. The others’ vision blurred as countless massive Yin-Yang Tribulation Mirrors densely filled the entire cave, even coating the ceiling. As the Ice Mirrors multiplied, layers of frost thickened around their bodies. In the blink of an eye, the entire ground was frozen solid.
"I’ve waited for this day for so long," Qin Yangling murmured, gripping Li Fei’s chin and forcing her stiffened face toward his. "I won’t repeat past mistakes."
Being sent away by No Moon Court—ostensibly to reflect and cool off—what difference was there from being exiled? Years of grueling training, effort, pride, and ambition had all been shattered in an instant! In this cruel world where strength dictated everything, he refused to accept it. He was a legitimate disciple of cultivation—what was Lei Xiuyuan? He had seen it clearly that day! Damn that Zheng Xu—when he reported everything he witnessed, he was dismissed as spouting nonsense!Qin Yangling turned his blazing gaze back toward Lei Xiuyuan. Was he expressionless again, poised to strike like that day? He raised his hand, a Flying sword materializing in his palm—this time not a small one, but a radiant, massive Flying sword.
"I'll cut your head off and send your corpse to No Moon Court! Let those blind Celestials see what you really are!"
The Flying sword emitted a piercing whistle like a bamboo flute. Just as Qin Yangling was about to hurl it, a sudden chill shot down his spine. Instinctively, he twisted aside, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow, and rolled across the ground. Stunned, he turned to see Jiang Li Fei—who should have been frozen solid—somehow having broken free from the ice. She wielded a light sword, striking with eerie silence and terrifying speed.
Her first thrust missed, but she reversed her grip and slashed again. A deadly chill surged between Qin Yangling’s brows as he watched helplessly—the blade aimed straight for the space between his eyes.
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