Chapter 1839: Interception

He Xiao said, "There are things to do, and things not to do." This deeply moved Bai Ziqi, and he even felt a little envious.

Serving a Celestial Lord, how could one speak of "things not to do"?

But the thought was only fleeting.

Bai Shi was also puzzled: what was He Xiao's true intention?

Before he could ask, the grey parrot flapped its wings and said, "Goddess Shimei sent word that the Illusion Sect dispatched Liu Qingdao to guard the bottom of Yaozi Lake."

"He is seriously injured." At this point, Bai Ziqi remained respectful and polite. "Thank you, both immortals."

When the Blood Demon appeared, He Lingchuan knew trouble was brewing. He immediately ordered everyone to spread out, with the team advancing in a fan formation.

Sure enough, after only three to five breaths, Madam Zhu suddenly sent a telepathic message to everyone:

"Above!"

He Lingchuan's Floating Life Saber also appeared out of thin air, buzzing a warning.

What heavy killing intent!

He Lingchuan shifted his stance and darted forward. However, a golden and a silver streak of cold light flashed past, moving even faster than him.

With a roar, a large crater erupted where He Lingchuan had stood, and a millstone-sized boulder near his feet was blasted over six meters high.

The silver light was the "Many Courtesy Powder" refined by Elder Ning of the Illusion Sect. Its true form was a dart with a hilt containing orange and white incendiary oil. When it struck its target, the two colors of oil mixed, instantly creating a powerful explosion. Elder Ning's divine ability allowed him to amplify the power of his self-refined artifacts and talismans, from several times to over a dozen times, posing a threat even to powerful cultivators.

Previously, when the Illusion Sect and Heavenly Palace teams were engaged in chaotic combat, Elder Ning would unleash these whenever the enemy clustered together, dispersing them with excellent effect.

If He Lingchuan had been walking with his companions, this strike would have sent them sprawling.

Unfortunately for his attackers, He Lingchuan often used the Haoyuan Golden Mirror to observe the battlefield, memorizing the combat styles of several immortals, knowing himself and his enemy.

That golden beam, on the other hand, was one of Xiao Wencheng's natal artifacts, the Gou Mang Golden Sword.

This perfectly fit the common perception of a "flying sword," wielded by divine ability to swiftly stab at enemies. However, this sword was crafted from the sharp beak of the Gou Mang Divine Bird, and one of its characteristics was to emit an incredibly dazzling light during flight, preventing enemies from looking directly at it.

As soon as the Illusion Sect immortals appeared, Xiao Wencheng and Elder Ning attacked together, aiming to kill He Lingchuan on the spot!

Qianhuan's battle in the Sea of Consciousness had reached a critical juncture, and his only demand to his disciples was one word: "Quick!"

Slay He Lingchuan, the faster the better!

Amidst the pervasive dust and smoke, a grey shadow flickered into view. No one could tell if he had been blasted away or if he had intentionally dodged.

This shadow was, of course, He Lingchuan.

A small fan-shaped shell had just fallen from his hand, splitting into five or six pieces.

The two immortals were incensed upon seeing it, because it was a piece of combat equipment Xiao Wencheng himself had given He Lingchuan before he went to fight in Yu Village. This shell, obtained from Qianhuan, could absorb one powerful attack for its owner.

At the time, He Lingchuan had joined them as an ally, so the Illusion Sect naturally had to show their appreciation. However, He Lingchuan had never used it until now, when he brought it out to defend against the Illusion Sect immortals themselves!

The shield he had given away had blocked the spear he had thrown. Xiao Wencheng was seething with rage and cursed himself for being so blind at the time. He immediately spread his left hand, formed a crane-claw hand seal, and roared:

"Freeze!"

The Gou Mang Golden Light surged, its brilliance completely unobscured by the hazy, thick fog filling the air.

This light gathered into a beam, shining on He Lingchuan, who had just recoiled, illuminating him entirely in a golden glow, like a searchlight.

But in the very center of the beam, a strange sight appeared:

He Lingchuan's figure was frozen mid-air.

Not only was he motionless, but his robes no longer fluttered, and not a single strand of his hair stirred.

The shell that had fallen from his hand was also solidified near his feet; though nothing supported it from above or below, it simply hung there motionless.

This was the Gou Mang Golden Sword's second function: a binding spell.

Any figure illuminated by the golden light would be unable to escape, held firmly within the beam for a duration of seven breaths.

Seven breaths was enough time for any unlucky target of an immortal to die seven or eight times over.

At this moment, Elder Ning's Twin-Phase Flying Rings, which he had hurled, also arrived, spinning as they flew towards He Lingchuan from both his left and right sides.

If struck, a living person would instantly be sliced into three pieces.

Elder Ning and Xiao Wencheng's coordination was seamless. No sooner had Xiao Wencheng frozen the enemy than Elder Ning's flying rings arrived, moving so fast that one could barely blink.

However, before the flying rings could crush He Lingchuan, a bundle of spider silk shot out, sticking to one ring and dragging it backward.

The other ring was knocked aside by a lightning-fast purple-gold staff, which didn't strike it down but deflected its trajectory, causing it to fly past He Lingchuan's side.

The Ghost Ape had learned its staff-throwing skills from He Lingchuan and had long since mastered them.

Of course, immortal artifacts possess a self-correcting ability. The flying ring automatically made a half-circle turn and lunged at He Lingchuan again, taking very little time.

This move was very similar to the Floating Life Saber's "Guaranteed Hit" technique.

The Gou Mang Golden Sword in front was not idle either; while emitting light to bind He Lingchuan, it also shot towards him.

With two great immortals working together, a mere cultivator had no chance of survival.

But the instant the flying ring was deflected by the Ghost Ape's staff, large clouds of black smoke suddenly erupted from He Lingchuan's body, like ink squirted by a squid, enveloping his entire being.

Oddly enough, the Gou Mang's golden light could penetrate any haze or dust, yet it failed to pierce the night-like black mist surrounding this young man.

Then, the black mist surprisingly became mobile, and a silver light shot out from within, clashing with the Gou Mang Golden Sword.

*Clang!* Metal struck metal.

The Gou Mang Golden Sword was repelled, returning to its original form in Xiao Wencheng's hand. He looked down and saw that the sword blade was completely intact, but it no longer glowed, and several wisps of black mist were coiled around its body.

Upon closer inspection, faint, tiny ghostly figures could be vaguely discerned within the black mist, complete with heads, faces, and bodies, silently roaring at him.

Xiao Wencheng swung his sword twice, but surprisingly couldn't shake off the black mist, which greatly astonished him.

Gou Mang's light was specifically for dispelling evil spirits. What were these black mists that not only weren't afraid of Gou Mang's brilliance but dared to cling to the sword blade?

He exerted a bit more true energy, and the Gou Mang Sword once again radiated golden light, causing those wisps of black mist to quietly vanish.

Looking at the opponent's silver light again, it was merely a long saber with a dragon head hilt, otherwise unremarkable.

However, what mortal weapon could clash with a divine artifact like the Gou Mang Sword and remain completely undamaged?

The large mass of black mist didn't disappear after landing; instead, He Lingchuan's figure became visible within it, and then it transformed into roaring black flames.

Xiao Wencheng frowned. These black mists didn't seem like divine abilities; rather, they had a faint familiarity, resembling something he hadn't seen in a long time:

Karma.

He stared at He Lingchuan and demanded, "What are you?"

Mortals were all burdened by karmic obstacles, which over time affected their fortune, but he had truly never heard of karmic power manifesting physically or being used in combat against an enemy.

He also remembered the Immortal Venerable saying on Stone Dragon Peak that no trace of karmic power could be found on He Lingchuan, which was very abnormal.

He had not expected this young man to be able to control it at will. The karmic power he was now unleashing was so intricate, entangled, and dense that it ranked among the top five Xiao Wencheng had ever witnessed.

Could someone with such an ability be merely a cultivator?

From another perspective, did anyone have the qualifications to be burdened by so many karmic obstacles? An ordinary person would have already died on the spot!

*Clink, clatter*, came a few small sounds, and the shell fell to the ground.

Madam Zhu stood in front of the others, still not having returned to her original form; meanwhile, He Lingchuan took two steps forward, the black flames all over his body gradually vanishing.

"Sect Master Xiao, I went through thick and thin for your sect, and this is how you repay my kindness with enmity?"

Xiao Wencheng choked slightly.

This question was indeed difficult to answer. On the surface, He Lingchuan had been helping them fight the Heavenly Demons ever since entering the Upside-Down Sea. As for the Immortal Venerable's conviction that He Lingchuan harbored malicious intentions, secretly harmed the Illusion Sect, and blockaded Panlong Isolated City, it was all hearsay without a shred of evidence.

Matters within the Sea of Consciousness were ethereal and intangible; how could one produce concrete evidence?

However, as the Sect Master of the Illusion Sect, Xiao Wencheng had to obey whatever Qianhuan commanded.

It had nothing to do with whether he believed it or not.

So he could only vaguely say, "You know best what you've done."

He Lingchuan gave a self-deprecating smile. "If I had known your sect's true colors, I should have accepted Bai Ziqi's request."

Bai Ziqi had invited him to destroy the Illusion Sect together, but he had refused, instead sending Madam Zhu and his subordinates to aid them. Now, ironically, the Illusion Sect wanted to wipe them out.

Elder Ning angrily retorted, "Stop feigning innocence! You were behind the Immortal Venerable being trapped in Panlong Isolated City!"

"Oh?" He Lingchuan glanced at him. "Did you see it? Where's the evidence?"

What evidence was needed? The Immortal Venerable's words were law! But even Elder Ning couldn't bring himself to say that aloud.

He Lingchuan's gaze swept across. "Why isn't Elder Liu here?"

The Illusion Sect only had three elders left, plus a Blood Demon. Madam Zhu had previously discussed with him that if they fought the Illusion Sect, they should first target Elder Liu, who was the most heavily injured.

Unexpectedly, Elder Liu was not here at all. Instead, Xiao Wencheng and the others had bloodstains on their robes, likely from their previous battle with the Heavenly Palace, giving them a fierce and murderous appearance.

No sooner had He Lingchuan finished speaking than he suddenly, without looking back, swung his saber behind him, aiming for Wanqilong!

The attack was completely unexpected. Just as Wanqilong reacted, the saber tip had already grazed his neck and shot into the darkness behind him.

A growl seemed to emanate from there, extremely grating to the ear.

Wanqilong turned back in shock, discovering a wisp of red mist rapidly retracting.

It turned out he had stood too far out, and this red mist had quietly drifted close from behind, intending to possess him.

But it had taken another one of He Lingchuan's saber strikes.

"Why!" The Blood Demon simply couldn't understand how He Lingchuan could see it!

It had already compressed itself repeatedly and was far from He Lingchuan. Moreover, He Lingchuan was directly facing the great immortal Xiao Wencheng; how could he have the presence of mind to keep an eye on it?

Three times! Every time it approached, He Lingchuan inevitably pinpointed it.

He Lingchuan's action triggered a new round of combat, as Elder Ning attacked Dong Rui.

With a pointing hand, a flying ring shot out.

This was a standard opening move for an immortal. Xiao Wencheng didn't expect it to succeed in one blow, but as long as He Xiao and Madam Zhu turned to provide support, the attacks from Xiao Wencheng and the Blood Demon would be relentless.

To their surprise, these two individuals completely ignored the flying ring, disregarding their companion's safety.

Madam Zhu unleashed a bundle of spider silk directly at Xiao Wencheng, because He Lingchuan's words had just echoed in her ear a second ago: "Madam, Xiao Wencheng is yours."