Chapter 1667: External Dharmic Image

Bai Ziqi, tracking the Netherworld Emperor, intercepted a clue about True Master Qianhuan along the way. He then came to Tianshui City to ask Miaozhantian for reinforcements. He surely didn't realize that another crucial clue about True Master Qianhuan was in the Yao Palace, right there in the Jade Spring Palace he had just passed through!

Just then, Bai Tan, pursued by the giant hydra, cried out loudly for divine help.

Wu Linghe turned to Qingyang and said, "Save him first!"

"Okay," Qingyang readily agreed. Bai Tan was her partner in rebellion and a key figure in their subsequent plans, so she couldn't truly stand by and do nothing.

She raised her wooden staff, using it like a javelin, and hurled it at the giant hydra's back.

When it first left her hand, it was a short staff, but it grew longer as it flew through the air, exceeding one and a half zhang by the time it reached the giant hydra's back.

Seeing this from his vantage point, King Yao commanded the giant hydra, which turned and snatched the wooden staff with a swift motion.

As it tried to snap the staff, the staff suddenly exploded into dozens of vines, swiftly coiling around it.

To an observer, it looked as if dozens of thick pythons had entangled the giant hydra, coiling around its waist, shoulders, back, arms, and especially its neck. People could feel the vines straining to constrict, like pythons strangling their prey.

At the same time, slender, sharp thorns emerged from the vines. Though seemingly soft at first glance, they relentlessly dug and drilled into the gaps in the hydra's scales.

The giant hydra's scales, which the Yao soldiers couldn't even pierce with all their might, were penetrated by these seemingly fragile soft thorns. Yuan Xuan even saw tiny, dark blue liquid beads seeping from the hydra's cold, gray body.

This was likely the giant hydra's blood.

Moreover, the vines grew increasingly numerous and robust, covering the giant hydra layer by layer until it was completely encased in an airtight ball of woody vines.

King Yao was greatly alarmed by this sight. Seeing Qingyang chanting spells with her hand forming incantations, he knew she was casting mischievous magic. Clutching his inner core, he commanded, "Break it! Break it quickly!"

He then turned to the Palace Attendant and ordered, "Shoot down that old witch, now!"

A muffled roar came from within the ball of vines, and streams of white frost burst through the gaps. Clearly, the giant hydra was beginning to exert its power at King Yao's urging.

The vines turned white, and cracking sounds filled the air. Before they could freeze solid, the giant hydra impatiently began to destroy them.

This strategy made sense; most vines easily crack and lose their toughness in extreme cold. It would be much easier for the giant hydra to tear them apart.

Qingyang changed her hand gestures, even closing her eyes, fully concentrating on controlling the transformation of her staff.

The giant hydra was destroying the vine ball quickly, so she had to accelerate the growth of the vines to keep the colossal beast contained.

At this point, she no longer considered using any immobilizing spells, as they wouldn't have much effect on such a monster.

Soldiers near the vine ball, seeing this, also tried to stab the giant hydra with their polearms. However, as soon as their polearm tips tried to pierce it, their weapons were snatched away by the wildly growing vines!

Lagging even a step would mean being crushed into a pulp by the giant ball.

With these two great powers engaged in a magical duel, how could anyone else intervene?

This was a magical duel, but also a test of raw power.

It was as if Qingyang, by herself, was fighting this massive demon, which was the external manifestation of an immortal. At the same time, King Yao was continuously pouring vast amounts of primal energy into it!

Only then did Qingyang's true level become apparent; she held her own against this colossal demon in a head-on confrontation.

However, the stalemate lasted only a few dozen moments. Sweat poured down her forehead, and her complexion was no longer as relaxed as before.

Trying to suppress the monster and make the vines grow faster than it could destroy them was incredibly draining every single second. Even Qingyang felt herself rapidly depleting.

"Palace Master!" Yuan Xuan quickly handed her a large piece of red profound crystal.

Qingyang snatched it, and the red profound crystal visibly shrunk in her hand at a rapid pace!

In just a few dozen breaths, the profound crystal halved in size, costing tens of thousands of taels of silver.

This single move astonished other cultivators. Most could only use profound crystals during meditation or breath regulation, allowing the spiritual energy to slowly release throughout their bodies. Otherwise, it would be like a small ditch trying to contain a sudden mountain flood, damaging their meridians instead.

Yet, Qingyang was able to convert the profound crystal into her own True Essence rapidly and flawlessly while engaged in high-intensity combat, an astonishing feat of efficiency.

This was not something achievable merely by possessing secret techniques.

It was the result of daily arduous training to refine her physique, expand her meridians, and consolidate her foundations.

Qingyang was past the age of showing off her skills and had rarely taken action in recent years. But from this small glimpse, it was evident that her cultivation foundation, accumulated over nearly two centuries, was truly extraordinary.

Outsiders could only see the vine ball rolling wildly, hearing clangs and thuds mixed with the giant hydra's muffled roars. But Qingyang knew clearly that the struggle inside the vine ball had reached a fever pitch; if she faltered even slightly, the giant hydra would break free!

This was True Master Qianhuan's manifestation, equivalent to an ancient immortal's clone. Even fighting purely on instinct, it would be enough to level the Frost Immortal Palace. Moreover, she noticed that the giant hydra's combat was becoming increasingly refined, with fewer wasted movements.

Was King Yao becoming more skilled at controlling it, or did the giant hydra itself possess some inherent ingenuity?

Her face was subtly pale.

Every second of combat incurred an astonishing toll!

At the Palace Attendant's command, the archers changed direction and concentrated their fire on Qingyang and Wu Linghe.

Yes, King Yao also sensed that something was amiss with this Beijia envoy and decided to eliminate him quickly, once and for all.

Yuan Xuan and others formed a circle, tightly protecting Qingyang and Wu Linghe in the center.

They had to simultaneously block the imperial guards' arrow volley and repel the stone beast attacks. With Qingyang unable to join the fight, they found themselves stretched thin and no longer as composed as before.

Perhaps having discovered a new use for the inner core, King Yao heavily patted the bronze ball several times. The white mist pouring from Jade Spring Palace then spontaneously sought out the stone beasts, not only forming a layer of icy armor on them but also adhering to their claws and fangs.

Soldiers bitten or scratched by them developed pale blue ice crystals in their wounds, after which their bodies began to frost over and their joints became increasingly stiff.

Using this method to eliminate enemy forces was much simpler.

Yuan Xuan cursed. These little monsters even had an advanced version!

The intensity of the battle rapidly escalated by two levels. In just a few dozen breaths, Bai Hengbo's subordinates were successively tackled, with ten of them swiftly dragged away and gruesomely dismembered among the stone statues.

Even one Qing Guard died, and two were injured.

"Charge! Attack!" Bai Tan seized the moment, pointing at King Yao on the stone steps and shouting, "Kill him!"

He knew very well that at this point, he could only charge forward. He, his subordinates, and his family had no retreat.

Behind them lay a bottomless abyss; a single step back meant utter annihilation.

In the Frost Immortal Palace, no one desired victory more than him.

With the giant hydra held back by Qingyang, Bai Tan's soldiers quickly rallied and resumed their assault on the Frost Immortal Palace's courtyard walls.

They were primarily temple soldiers. After witnessing the manifestation of the Goddess Fengho, their resolve to fight for the heavenly deities and for Bai Tan became even stronger. They now recited prayers and desperately pressed forward. Tu Han and Dan Zechong's armies, attacking from the rear, surprisingly gained no advantage.

Zhao Song and his men, holding the courtyard entrance and enduring the fiercest attacks, were already exhausted. He had just cut down two more men, his right arm throbbing. He was a fraction too slow in raising his blade, and a Qing Guard, mixed in with the crowd, seized the opening and swiftly stabbed him in the ribs.

The single stab wounded his liver, and Zhao Song's strength immediately drained away.

Two guards behind him were also knocked down, and Zhao Song took another knife to the chest. He was then dragged to the ground and swiftly hacked into pieces.

The courtyard entrance was lost.

Bai Tan's side gained the upper hand and desperately pushed their troops into the courtyard.

Those inside resisted stubbornly, but once they lost the tactical advantage of the terrain, their numerical disadvantage immediately became apparent.

If not for the stone beasts diverting the enemy's attention, preventing Bai Tan's army from fully committing to the assault, the Yao army's casualties would have been far heavier.

Seizing the moment as their opponents tightened their defensive perimeter, Bai Tan darted forward, reaching Qingyang and the others, successfully achieving a junction of forces!

He knew well that standing beside Qingyang meant significantly greater safety.

Then, he noticed that the Beijia envoy, Wu Linghe, had closed his eyes at some point and was muttering to himself.

A meteor suddenly appeared in the western night sky. It wasn't particularly bright, and almost no one in the chaotic Tianshui City or Yao Palace noticed its arrival.

But it hurtled towards the Yao Palace, specifically the Frost Immortal Palace, at astonishing speed.

The bird-demons flying in mid-air were the first to notice its presence.

Upon closer inspection, it became clear that it was not a meteor at all, but a sphere of purplish-red light!

Wu Linghe suddenly stopped his incantations.

Time seemed to briefly pause.

Two breaths later, the sphere of light arrived instantaneously, striking him with pinpoint accuracy!

A blinding flash of light erupted, causing even King Yao on the stone steps to instinctively turn away and cover his eyes.

Simultaneously, three large hands burst out of the vine ball. With several tearing sounds, the giant hydra ripped apart the vine ball and roared its way free!

Qingyang coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered back two steps, caught by Yuan Xuan.

The Verdant Wood Staff was one of her life-bound artifacts, having been with her for over thirty years and constantly nourished with her essence. When the staff was damaged, she immediately suffered a backlash.

Yet, her expression became relaxed, for the task of holding back the giant hydra was complete.

She whispered a single word to Yuan Xuan:

"Retreat!"

From now on, she would no longer be the primary force combating the giant hydra.

Just as the giant hydra shattered the vine ball, it turned its head and fixed its gaze on Bai Tan.

Bai Tan involuntarily shivered, as if he could see bone-deep hatred in its icy blue eyes.

Then, it hurled the trident in its hand towards Bai Tan!

The divine weapon descended from the heavens with unparalleled might, far more impressive than Qingyang's staff throw earlier.

Along with it came a blizzard that swept everything before it.

Bai Tan felt a blinding flash of cold light before him, utterly unable to retreat or evade in any direction, and was overcome with terror.

"Regent..."

Before he could utter the words "Save me," Wu Linghe stepped forward two paces and threw out two pale purple light rings.

One in front, one behind.

The true nature of these light rings was indiscernible; they rapidly expanded in mid-air. One flew towards the trident, while the other soared towards King Yao.

The trident, naturally, did not change its course and continued its trajectory towards the light ring.

With a whoosh, it vanished the moment it entered the light ring, even causing the swirling blizzard to momentarily halt!

The next instant, it emerged from the other light ring, its direction and distance completely altered, and continued its path with dazzling white light, fiercely striking—

King Yao!

A thunderous crash echoed, and snow dust billowed.

Divine Art: Spatial Fold.

The heavy blow the giant hydra aimed at Bai Tan was intercepted by Wu Linghe using a divine art and redirected back to King Yao.