Yang Chengji guarded the main entrance, with Nie Wushang standing silently nearby. Slightly further in were Jing Xingzhi and Qin Xi. The four of them held the most advantageous positions, swords drawn, magic treasures at the ready, standing in strict formation. Arrayed like this, they reckoned that even a Late-Nascent Soul great cultivator would find it difficult to enter easily.
Mo Tiange, Ling Yunhe, and Xiaofan surrounded the Orb of Xuanwu. Not far away, Xiaofeng and the puppet stood guard, while Stone carried Feifei and hid far away—Feifei was only seventh rank, and Stone had not yet taken human form. In this situation, it was best they didn't get involved.
"Master," Xiaofan was drawn by the watery aura of the Orb of Xuanwu, drooling as he looked at it. "Can I eat this?"
Mo Tiange raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "You want to eat it?"
"Mhm, mhm." Xiaofan drooled. "It looks really tasty."
Mo Tiange smiled faintly. Xiaofan was a Cang Dragon, but unlike the wood-attributed Azure Dragon, he was a water-attributed spirit beast. The aura of Xuanwu held an immense attraction for him.
"Fellow Daoist Ling, let's act quickly," Mo Tiange said.
Ling Yunhe took a step back. "Fellow Daoist Mo, you first."
Mo Tiange didn't know if he did this out of gratitude or for some other reason, but she wasn't one for excessive politeness. She nodded. "Then I won't stand on ceremony."
With that, she activated the Primordial Chaos Art and reached for the Orb of Xuanwu.
The Orb of Xuanwu smoothly landed in Mo Tiange's hand, suddenly emitting a brilliant light.
Mo Tiange felt a slight dizziness in her mind. For an instant, it felt as though countless things flowed through her consciousness, as if she had personally experienced all of time since antiquity. Moreover, an overwhelming tide of water-attributed spiritual energy submerged her... She didn't know how long it lasted before she suddenly regained clarity. Looking down, she saw the aura of Xuanwu coiled around her entire arm. As it stopped, the Orb of Xuanwu uncontrollably flew out of her hand, still floating in mid-air.
Mo Tiange secretly felt regret. She had never cultivated a water-attributed technique, only the Primordial Chaos Art, and thus couldn't make it acknowledge her as its master. She had only managed to absorb some of its aura.
"They're here!" From the stone passageway, figures appeared. Yang Chengji let out a low shout, pointed between his brows, and the Heavenly Demon Tower began spinning rapidly above his head. The surrounding Demonic Qi vanished, all surging toward the Heavenly Demon Tower. Even Nie Wushang struggled somewhat to control her own demonic energy.
Only then did they understand why Yang Chengji could so easily defeat that mid-stage demonic cultivator. The Heavenly Demon Tower could manipulate the surrounding Demonic Qi; any demonic cultivator would be affected.
The arrivals were none other than Demon Lord Yueying, accompanied by that wandering cultivator from the clouds, Old Donkey Ma. Demon Lord Yueying was in front, with Old Donkey Ma riding his donkey backwards close behind, his old face still smiling like a chrysanthemum, strolling forward accompanied by a "ding-ling, ding-ling" sound.
The bell sound entered their ears, and everyone felt their minds grow unsettled. They hurriedly each focused on guarding their mental fortitude.
As Demon Lord Yueying drew near, they heard Yang Chengji give a light shout. The Heavenly Demon Tower suddenly shot toward Demon Lord Yueying.
Following that was Jing Xingzhi. Myriad sword lights, like a silver vase suddenly shattering, abruptly shot forth.
Demon Lord Yueying was not slow in the slightest. With a hand seal, Demonic Qi billowed out, and the refined corpse pounced forward.
"There's no time," Mo Tiange turned her head and said. "Fellow Daoist Ling, if you don't mind, my spirit beast will try with you. How about it?"
Ling Yunhe nodded. "Good." Just now, when Mo Tiange easily grabbed the Orb of Xuanwu, his heart skipped a beat. He thought he had missed another opportunity and secretly regretted it. Only when the Orb of Xuanwu automatically broke free did he breathe a sigh of relief. He smiled bitterly to himself. Originally, he thought that since Mo Tiange didn't cultivate a water-attributed technique, while he cultivated the Ice-Fire Art, the Cold Ice Palace's legacy technique, his chances of making the Orb of Xuanwu acknowledge him were much greater. That's why he generously gave the opportunity to Mo Tiange. After this experience, he felt that in the future, it was better not to pretend to be magnanimous.
"Xiaofan." Mo Tiange patted Xiaofan's head. "If you want to eat it, then eat it. But you'll have to compete with Fellow Daoist Ling to see who the Orb of Xuanwu acknowledges as its master."
"Oh." Xiaofan nodded obediently and happily pounced toward the Orb of Xuanwu.
Mo Tiange said, "Fellow Daoist Ling, please."
Ling Yunhe didn't stand on ceremony either. With a flick of his sleeve, countless specks of moonlight dust transformed into a clear radiance. Then, half of his body erupted in flames, while the other half was wrapped in profound ice, as he reached for the Orb of Xuanwu.
This was the first time Mo Tiange had seen the Ice-Fire Art unleashed at full power. Recalling the Vermilion Bird Ritual Temple, it was completely different from today. Presumably, Ling Yunhe's Ice-Fire Art hadn't reached great completion back then. If the Guixu Sea had emerged today, with Ling Yunhe already having formed his Nascent Soul, the ownership of the Vermilion Bird Bow would truly be hard to say. Thinking of this, Mo Tiange felt somewhat fortunate. Luckily, they had made it in time and obtained a sentient magic treasure for free.
The Orb of Xuanwu paused between Xiaofan and Ling Yunhe. Under the influence of the pure, clear profound ice conjured by the Ice-Fire Art and Xiaofan's overflowing water-attributed spiritual energy, the Orb of Xuanwu suddenly erupted with brilliant light.
While Xiaofan and Ling Yunhe contended for the Orb of Xuanwu, a fierce battle had already broken out at the entrance.
Yang Chengji and Jing Xingzhi joined forces. The Heavenly Demon Tower suppressed Demon Lord Yueying, the Ghost-Faced Banner repelled the refined corpse, and myriad sword lights pressed down like snow. Demon Lord Yueying found it difficult to advance even an inch for the moment.
After being repelled, Demon Lord Yueying's eyes flickered. He said, "Fellow Daoist Ma, the divine beast's treasure is about to be taken by them. Are you still going to stand by and do nothing?"
The Old Donkey Ma behind him didn't answer, only chuckled. He patted the donkey beneath him, and the donkey soared into the air, treating the sword lights as if they were nothing, leaping toward them.
This donkey only looked like a donkey on the outside; in reality, it was a rare spirit beast. Its snow-white hooves traced a marvelous trajectory in the air, and the surrounding space rippled strangely...
Jing Xingzhi felt his vision blur. Clearly, the sword lights were still there, yet the donkey, carrying Old Donkey Ma, passed through his sword lights and leaped over the stone gate, entering.
Qin Xi frowned. The sword formation he had prepared long ago immediately descended upon them.
Old Donkey Ma separated from his donkey. The donkey rolled its body and transformed into a black-clothed youth.
The black-clothed youth ignored Qin Xi and flung out a string of bells, striking toward Nie Wushang.
"It's been many years, Fellow Daoist Qin. Your cultivation has advanced yet again!" Old Donkey Ma said with a beaming smile. "Truly, the waves behind drive on those before. I never expected the younger generation nowadays to be so outstanding. Us old fellows are almost left with nowhere to go!"
Even as he spoke, Old Donkey Ma's movements were not slow. With a light flick of his whip, countless wind blades appeared out of thin air, easily blocking Qin Xi's sword formation.
Late-Nascent Soul cultivators are indeed extraordinary! The thought flashed through Qin Xi's mind. With a sweep of his sleeve, flames of the Vermilion Bird surged out continuously, reforming the sword formation.
"It's been many years. Senior's elegance remains as before. How dare we juniors compare ourselves to Senior?" Searching his heart, Qin Xi believed he had the power to contend with a Late-Nascent Soul cultivator, but if it came to a life-and-death struggle, he would be somewhat lacking. The higher one's cultivation, the harder it becomes to kill an enemy across realms. Early-Nascent Soul cultivators might have some weak ones, but Late-Nascent Soul cultivators were all solidly among the top cultivators of the human world, first-rate in both methods and temperament.
Facing Qin Xi's sword formation, Old Donkey Ma didn't seem troubled. With another flick of his whip, countless flowers composed of wind blades suddenly appeared in the air, blooming slowly one by one.
These flowers appeared silently and were formless and intangible, yet breathtakingly beautiful. Each petal was composed of wind blades, spinning rapidly, stirring up a faint, elusive chill. Anything that drew near was silently shredded to pieces. It was truly a first-rate underhanded method.
The wind-flowers collided with the sea of swords. The red sword lights went "puff, puff, puff" several times, like candle flames gently blown out.
Qin Xi's pupils contracted. Another sword light swam out from his sleeve. This sword light was utterly unremarkable, no different from the others. In reality, this sword light contained an extremely dense aura of the Vermilion Bird; it was the true body of the Three Yang True Fire Sword.
Old Donkey Ma's wind-flowers bloomed more and more, covering half the plaza in an instant, even affecting Nie Wushang.
"Xiaofeng, go help them." Seeing this, Mo Tiange waved the Heaven and Earth Fan, unleashing golden lightning that densely wove into a net of thunder, firmly protecting Xiaofan and Ling Yunhe. Simultaneously, she manipulated the puppet forward, slashing out a sword strike toward Old Donkey Ma.
The Fusheng Sword was originally lightning-attributed, and Mo Tiange had further imbued it with Heavenly Tribulation Golden Lightning, greatly increasing its power. Although not as potent as the Heavenly Demon Tower, it was still a rare top-grade flying sword. Originally, the puppet was a lifeless object. Although it had the cultivation of a Nascent Soul, it couldn't compare to a true Nascent Soul cultivator. But because it wielded the Fusheng Sword, it was no worse than an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator.
With one slash, the Fusheng Sword cleaved out a bolt of lightning. Even Old Donkey Ma didn't dare to take it head-on and retreated.
Seizing this opportunity, Qin Xi struck with his sword formation, shattering most of the wind-flowers. Pressing the advantage, he quietly laid an ambush with the true body of the Three Yang True Fire Sword.
On the other side, Yang Chengji and Jing Xingzhi were fighting Demon Lord Yueying to a standstill. Originally, Demon Lord Yueying's strength was greater than this, but he was suppressed by Yang Chengji's Heavenly Demon Tower and couldn't unleash it fully. Moreover, Jing Xingzhi was a sword cultivator, actually suppressing him so that his divine abilities couldn't be deployed.
As they fought fiercely, Mo Tiange keenly sensed that someone else had entered the ritual temple.
She turned her head to look. Xiaofan and Ling Yunhe were still fully focused on subduing the Orb of Xuanwu.
Seemingly stimulated by the auras they exuded, the Orb of Xuanwu shone brightly, yet it remained steadily floating in mid-air, still not subdued by them.
Mo Tiange's heart sank. She thought to herself, it's already been so long, and the Orb of Xuanwu still hasn't been subdued. Could it be that neither of them is sufficient to make it acknowledge a master? Looking more carefully, she was somewhat astonished. The Orb of Xuanwu indeed hadn't been subdued by them, but it wasn't like her case where she couldn't sense it. Instead, it was shifting left and right. The blue-glowing orb spun rapidly, sometimes leaning a bit toward Ling Yunhe, sometimes shifting slightly toward Xiaofan, as if being pulled back and forth between them.
"...Could it be that both of them can subdue the Orb of Xuanwu?" Once this thought arose, Mo Tiange grew concerned. If they couldn't subdue it, then so be it. But if they could, yet fell just short, that would be truly regrettable.
As time slowly passed, the Orb of Xuanwu gradually drifted toward Ling Yunhe. This time, Xiaofan couldn't pull it back.
Mo Tiange sighed, putting aside her regret. Well, at least it's Ling Yunhe and not someone else. It's just a pity for Xiaofan. If he could devour the Orb of Xuanwu, perhaps he could advance a rank in one go, breaking through to human form.
Just as she was thinking this, Xiaofan, probably growing anxious, opened his mouth wide and bit toward it. Of course, he couldn't actually bite the Orb of Xuanwu—that wouldn't be contending, but snatching. Xiaofan's action was just releasing his water-attributed spiritual energy. His behavior proved effective. The Orb of Xuanwu suddenly paused, stretched into an oval shape, and then, under the astonished gazes of the three, slowly separated into two orbs, each flying into Xiaofan's mouth and Ling Yunhe's hand.
Mo Tiange was stunned for a moment, murmuring to herself, "That works too?"