Within the arena.
Water Moon Bodhisattva and Purple Poison Ghost Emperor, two masters, were mutually wary of each other. Water Moon Bodhisattva feared Purple Poison Ghost Emperor's deadly poison, while Purple Poison Ghost Emperor feared the Great Pure Great Still Empty Gate Whisk in Water Moon Bodhisattva's hand. Thus, both fought with extreme caution.
Purple Poison Ghost Emperor had been looking for an opportunity to withdraw, because he felt that dragging things out like this was not only meaningless for him, but also brought a hundred harms without a single benefit.
Water Moon Bodhisattva similarly felt that dragging things out was meaningless. After all, within the arena, Eastern Peak Great Emperor and Pure Robe Bodhisattva, among others, were still eyeing the Seven-Colored Lotus covetously. Moreover, the longer time dragged on, the more people would arrive. Dragging things out like this would only bring more and more opponents.
But the current situation no longer allowed her to withdraw. She also worried that if she withdrew, she would give Purple Poison Ghost Emperor an opening to exploit.
There was no choice but to grit her teeth and drag it out.
While locked in this stalemate with Purple Poison Ghost Emperor, she also remained deeply concerned about Lady Water Mirror in the distance.
Compared to them, the battle between Lady Water Mirror and the Three-Eyed Demon Lord was especially fierce.
The Three-Eyed Demon Lord was not Purple Poison Ghost Emperor.
Purple Poison Ghost Emperor, upon discovering that Da Xing the Mad Monk and Gu Qingfeng were also present, deeply regretted his rash attack. However, the Three-Eyed Demon Lord was different. Not only did he not know that Da Xing the Mad Monk and Gu Qingfeng were present, even if he did, he wouldn't care. He had only one thought: seize the Seven-Colored Lotus. Whoever dared to obstruct him would be killed without mercy!
At this moment.
The Three-Eyed Demon Lord and Lady Water Mirror were locked in a fierce battle in mid-air. The Three-Eyed Demon Lord stood a full nine meters tall, clad in crimson armor, with nine great banners hanging from his back. He wielded a blood-red long trident, his ferocious and menacing appearance resembling a demon god.
This Three-Eyed Demon Lord was truly formidable. His Heavenly Demon physique was incredibly powerful, as if impervious to water and fire, immune to blades and spears, indestructible like diamond. Lady Water Mirror unleashed various divine abilities and mystic arts, even deploying Magical Treasures, yet none could subdue the Three-Eyed Demon Lord. Instead, she was forced into continuous retreat by his attacks.
The Three-Eyed Demon Lord seemed to possess boundless strength. Every move and strike was like heaven collapsing and earth rending. Demonic might rolled forth, baleful aura surged like tides. He brandished his blood-red long trident, wildly assaulting Lady Water Mirror. The divine abilities and mystic arts she deployed shattered like bubbles under that trident.
Everyone present knew the Three-Eyed Demon Lord was terrifying, but none had imagined he was terrifying to this extent. Lady Water Mirror, a Great Dao Empress who had inherited the Mandate of Heaven, was actually being beaten back without any means to retaliate.
One must remember, the Three-Eyed Demon Lord also possessed the terrifyingly powerful Nine Nether Banners, the Earth Fiend Crimson Eye, and his Original Sin Retribution Body. These great trump cards had not yet been deployed. If they were, it was truly unimaginable how terrifying the Three-Eyed Demon Lord's true strength would be.
However.
Lady Water Mirror was, after all, a Great Dao Empress who had inherited the Mandate of Heaven.
Although she appeared to be beaten back without any means to retaliate, forced into retreat, that was merely how it looked.
Both Eastern Peak Great Emperor and Pure Robe Bodhisattva within the arena could see that Lady Water Mirror was using retreat to advance, probing the Three-Eyed Demon Lord's true strength, searching for his weakness, waiting for an opportunity to strike with a single, decisive blow.
"Jiejie! Little lady, you think you can stop this lord? Truly overestimating yourself!"
The divine abilities and mystic arts unleashed by Lady Water Mirror were all shattered like bubbles by the Three-Eyed Demon Lord. Laughing wildly, the Three-Eyed Demon Lord thrust his blood-red long trident forward.
Lady Water Mirror neither dodged nor evaded. With a shake of her form, she transformed into what appeared to be an ordinary Water Mirror. Without even looking, the Three-Eyed Demon Lord thrust his trident directly at the Water Mirror.
But this thrust was as if truly piercing into water. What was even more puzzling was that when the Three-Eyed Demon Lord tried to pull his trident back, he found he couldn't. The blood-red long trident seemed to be held fast by something.
At that moment, the Water Mirror shimmered with light. The radiance, like icy mist, spread along the blood-red long trident. Wherever it passed, instant freezing occurred. First the trident, then the Three-Eyed Demon Lord's entire body was frozen solid, appearing like an ice sculpture.
Whoosh!
Lady Water Mirror's figure materialized out of thin air. With a wave of her hand, she summoned a deep blue long silk ribbon.
The ribbon was covered in all manner of profound runes. As it was deployed, it coiled around the frozen Three-Eyed Demon Lord, wrapping him layer upon layer.
Indeed!
Lady Water Mirror had finally begun her counterattack, and she was starting with a killing move!
That long ribbon was called the Nine Profound Demonic-Slaying Talisman. It was Lady Water Mirror's proud, signature technique, and also an extremely powerful Sect-Suppressing Magical Treasure.
As was well known.
The most formidable Magical Treasures in the world were none other than Great Dao Magical Treasures.
These things were powerful indeed, but too rare, encountered only by chance. Another important reason was that Great Dao Magical Treasures were not something everyone could master. Even if one could master it, they might not necessarily unleash its true power.
For example, Duke Lingyin possessed a Great Dao Magical Treasure. He had been nurturing and refining it for who knew how many years, yet even now he had not comprehended its mysteries. Without comprehending the mysteries, he naturally could not unleash the treasure's power.
Compared to Great Dao Magical Treasures, Sect-Suppressing Magical Treasures were more manageable. Some Sect-Suppressing Magical Treasures, after years and years of refinement and nurturing, were not inferior to Great Dao Magical Treasures.
Lady Water Mirror's Nine Profound Demonic-Slaying Talisman was such a treasure. This Magical Treasure was forged by the Ancestor of the Longevity Pavilion. Lady Water Mirror had been refining and nurturing it since the Remote Ancient Era. Refined to this day, its power was undeniably formidable. Lady Water Mirror's ability to carve out a reputation in the Great Desolate relied not merely on her title as a Mandate-Heir Great Dao Empress, but more so on this Nine Profound Demonic-Slaying Talisman. Throughout the ages, countless demons, ghosts, and monsters had been utterly annihilated within this talisman.
"Lin! Bing! Dou! Zhe! Jie! Zhen! Lie! Zai! Qian!"
Lady Water Mirror formed hand seals with both hands. The myriad profound runes on the Nine Profound Demonic-Slaying Talisman, which had wrapped the Three-Eyed Demon Lord layer upon layer, began to shimmer like stars.
Witnessing this scene, Eastern Peak Great Emperor, Pure Robe Bodhisattva, and the others within the arena held their breath, staring intently. They knew the power of the Nine Profound Demonic-Slaying Talisman; some had even seen its might with their own eyes. Seeing the Three-Eyed Demon Lord wrapped layer upon layer by the talisman, they felt that this time, even if the Three-Eyed Demon Lord didn't die, he would likely be severely wounded.
"Slay the Demonic!"
As Lady Water Mirror formed the final hand seal, the myriad runes on the Nine Profound Demonic-Slaying Talisman bloomed open like flowers. Each bloom contained ten thousand layers of profound mystery; each layer of mystery contained the force of ten thousand jun. Countless forces of ten thousand jun exploded one after another.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Nine Profound Demonic-Slaying Talisman emitted a series of crackling explosions, sounding like thunderclaps, their sonic might rolling forth. Everyone witnessed with their own eyes how the Three-Eyed Demon Lord's seemingly invincible blood-red long trident, amidst the explosive sounds, became shattered and scattered, vanishing completely.
The explosive sounds continued. Although the blood-red long trident had been shattered and vanished, the Three-Eyed Demon Lord's true form did not seem to have disappeared yet.
At least, it appeared he hadn't vanished. He was still wrapped layer upon layer by the Nine Profound Demonic-Slaying Talisman. The crowd was puzzled and was about to send out their divine senses to investigate when suddenly, the Three-Eyed Demon Lord's maniacal and sinister laughter rang out.
"Jiejiejiejiejie—Such petty tricks dare to think they can annihilate this lord! Jiejiejiejie—"