Chapter 1843: No Power to Change Fate

Jumang flashed brilliantly once more, its light so intense that even Mother Zhu had to shield some of her eyes. Then, the light receded, and the golden flames vanished without a trace. The Jumang Sword returned almost exactly to where it came from, embedding itself in the ground with a clang, its hilt still trembling. With the golden light gone, it looked like nothing more than a good, ordinary sword. A few wisps of red and black smoke stubbornly clung to its blade, only dissipating slowly as Xiao Wencheng drew the sword out.

"What on earth was that?!" Xiao Wencheng's face was pale. Can primordial energy and karma intertwine? This strike had taken a significant toll on him.

He then looked at Helian Chuan, who was in his black armor; Helian Chuan had also been forced back three zhang. The footprints left on the ground glowed with a dark red light, as if molten lava had just been poured there. This was the venom of the divine bird Jumang, which would turn an ordinary person to ash upon contact. For the first time, the Qianglong Armor also showed signs of damage. Parts of the scales on the shoulders, arms, and legs had melted, hissing with black smoke, yet the runes on the armor plates shone even brighter.

As everyone held their breath, Helian Chuan slowly straightened up, twirled his blade with a backhand flourish, and a low voice emerged from beneath his mask: "Ancient immortals are nothing special!" He had successfully withstood everything!

Hearing that he wasn't severely injured, Mother Zhu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and the Black Armored Army was greatly encouraged. On the Qianglong Armor, a dark shadow emerged from within the heart scales, seemingly wriggling like a snake beneath the armor plates. It circled the damaged areas, and with each rotation, the extent of the damage diminished slightly. The armor was self-repairing.

The situation took a subtle turn. Elder Ning was dead, and the Blood Demon had fled, leaving only Xiao Wencheng, a powerful figure from the Illusion Sect, on the scene. But he was now facing the Spider Immortal, three formidable demonic puppets, and Helian Chuan, whose true strength was unfathomable! Previously, he hadn't believed Helian Chuan could withstand Jumang's powerful blow, but now he had to re-evaluate his opponent. Just then, another anomaly occurred!

From the direction of Yaozi Lake, a blue light suddenly shot skyward and then vanished instantly! The five Divine Radiance Meteorites immediately stopped rotating. The Divine Fire Barrier was shattered once again.

Almost simultaneously, Helian Chuan received a synchronized sensation from the Haoyuan Golden Mirror: The Divine Fire Barrier's restriction on it had vanished! It could once again freely pinpoint locations and allow its master to come and go as desired.

Helian Chuan let out a long laugh, and the Haoyuan Golden Mirror unfolded behind everyone. "Go!" Xiao Wencheng moved his sword, intending to stop Helian Chuan, but Helian Chuan took two steps backward, positioning the mirror directly behind him. He waved at Xiao Wencheng and then vanished with the mirror. Mother Zhu and the Black Armored Army also left without delay.

"Damn it!" Xiao Wencheng stomped his foot in frustration. With that boy having escaped, catching him later would be incredibly difficult. A chill ran down his spine as a terrifying thought suddenly struck him: Would there even be a "later"?

Panlong Solitary City. The South Gate Plaza looked as if it had been thoroughly plowed seven or eight times; not a single piece of standing timber remained.

The Shadow Dragon's front claws were broken, its left eye was blind, a large section of its ribs was missing, and its waist had shrunk to half its original size. Every time it moved, stone fragments would flutter down. There was also a deep laceration on its back neck, which would be a fatal wound for a living creature, typically gushing blood. Yet, the Shadow Dragon could still move and fight desperately against Qianhuan.

The resentment that Helian Chuan had released back into Panlong Solitary City was the belief that had sustained the Shadow Dragon in its last breath, making it incredibly stubborn and determined not to stop until its goal was achieved. In life, it had hated dragons, never giving up on stirring up trouble even when pursued by black dragons. In death, it remained equally stubborn; for sixty years, Qianhuan had tried every method to torment it, but the Shadow Dragon was intent on retaliating in kind.

The Shadow Dragon was now not only violent but also more cunning, understanding how to encircle and intercept, making it more than two or three times harder to deal with than before. As the Divine Fire Barrier shattered once again and Helian Chuan could use the Haoyuan Golden Mirror to escape, Qianhuan realized that shortcuts were no longer an option. There was only one way for him to leave Panlong Solitary City: utterly defeat the Shadow Dragon and dissolve the solitary city! This task was extremely daunting, especially with Miaozhantian lurking nearby, ready to act. No matter how fierce the battle, Qianhuan had to keep an eye on him.

Although Qianhuan resented Miaozhantian for sending someone to unearth the Iron Lotus Lamp and ruin his plans, he now had to swallow his pride and try to entice him: "Don't you want a true immortal's body? I can help you get one. I can even bring you endless nightmare energy and the remaining divinity of Mitian!" "Mitian's divinity?" Miaozhantian was indeed startled. "Mitian fell long ago. How can his death divinity still be in the human realm?"

"You didn't find it in the demon realm, did you? Then it's in the human realm!" Qianhuan gritted his teeth. "Mitian's divinity came from your ancient gods! With this divinity, your power can contend with Saint Lingxu!" Originally, there were three ancient gods in the demon realm, governing life, death, and destiny. After their respective falls, parts of their divinities were acquired by new gods. These "new gods" were the later Heavenly Demons, represented by Saint Lingxu.

It would be a lie to say Miaozhantian wasn't tempted by this bait. But he also knew that this old clam would be tight-lipped, and he wouldn't be able to extract any information without making significant concessions. He didn't immediately refuse; instead, he pondered for a long time. This behavior was learned from Helian Chuan. That scoundrel seemed particularly good at infuriating people to the point of smoke coming out of their orifices.

Qianhuan naturally couldn't wait and urged him several times. Only then did Miaozhantian slowly say, "Never mind. I'm not greedy. All I need is to get rid of you!" After eliminating Qianhuan, the rewards he would receive would be substantial enough, and his position in the divine realm would be secure. Why covet some elusive death divinity? What could be obtained immediately was always the best. Not being greedy was one of his excellent qualities that allowed him to become one of the top three leaders among Saint Lingxu's deities.

Qianhuan was indeed so angry he felt like spitting blood, but he couldn't do anything about Miaozhantian, so he had to focus on killing the Shadow Dragon. As things stood, he could find no other way to escape Panlong Solitary City except by quickly eliminating this creature. It was ironic; one hundred and fifty or sixty years ago, he had desperately coveted the Great Divination Heavenly Bead. Now, he wished he could cast this hot potato aside.

Miaozhantian watched from the sidelines, and the more he observed, the more alarmed he became. Qianhuan, determined to end the fight quickly, suddenly grew larger and his attack power increased from before. This old schemer, despite his earlier disarray before the Shadow Dragon, had apparently held back some of his strength! This hidden reserve was likely intended for Miaozhantian himself, wasn't it?

Qianhuan finally unleashed his full power, immediately fighting the Shadow Dragon to a standstill. Buildings near the South Plaza of Panlong Solitary City were flattened by the two warring dragons, raising clouds of dust. As time passed, the Shadow Dragon gradually weakened. It only suffered attrition without replenishment. Qianhuan had already worn it down for sixty years, so the Shadow Dragon was far from its peak state.

Although its attack power had greatly increased after regaining its resentment, this also caused it to deplete its energy faster and more significantly. The red glow in the Shadow Dragon's single eye grew dim. This was a crucial sign that it was nearing exhaustion!

Upon seeing this, Qianhuan immediately perked up. Once the Shadow Dragon was dead, he would be able to leave! He would eliminate Miaozhantian, Helian Chuan, everyone! Before he could finish his thought, three points of cold light suddenly struck from his left.

Mid-air, Qianhuan quickly twisted, barely dodging two of them, but the last spike pierced his ribs, making him grimace in pain. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Miaozhantian charging towards him!

After watching from the sidelines for so long, he finally decided to enter the fray again. His sworn enemy was already heavily wounded, and the Shadow Dragon was shedding powder all over, clearly on the verge of collapse. This was the perfect moment for him to act. He absolutely could not let Qianhuan destroy the Shadow Dragon first; otherwise, once that old clam's divine soul returned to his sea of consciousness, Miaozhantian would be the next one in trouble.

Qianhuan, however, was not surprised; he turned and lunged at Miaozhantian. He had known all along that Miaozhantian was waiting for this exact moment. Annoyingly, with the dust about to settle, he was left with no options but to fight with all his might.

Helian Chuan and his group used the Haoyuan Golden Mirror for several consecutive teleports, playing hide-and-seek with Xiao Wencheng and infuriating the Illusion Sect immortal. This group was more cunning than loaches; without the barrier's restrictions, Xiao Wencheng simply couldn't catch them.

Dong Rui and the Ghost Ape had just emerged from the mirror, finding themselves by the Upside-Down Lake. They were at the base of a large, protruding jagged cliff. From his vantage point overlooking the area, Xiao Wencheng wouldn't easily spot their tiny, sesame-sized forms. Mother Zhu criticized him, "You were slow in removing the barrier's core!" Otherwise, if the Haoyuan Golden Mirror had appeared earlier, Helian Chuan wouldn't have had to directly take Xiao Wencheng's sword strike.

Dong Rui stated with a straight face, "Liu Qingdao wasn't the only one there. If I had acted sooner, you wouldn't be seeing me now." Mother Zhu wiggled her front claws. "What do you mean? Are there other masters in the Illusion Sect?" After considering everyone, all the powerful fighters from the Illusion Sect had come to apprehend Helian Chuan; only Liu Qingdao, being more seriously injured, had gone to guard the bottom of Yaozi Lake. Could Qianhuan have an additional external manifestation?

"I was about to summon Number Sixty-Six, but he was getting along so well with you," Dong Rui said, pulling out Little Chitu, who now looked even smaller. Struck by Xiao Wencheng's horsetail whisk, its transformation duration hadn't ended, so it couldn't revert to its original form. "As a result, someone got there first." Helian Chuan smirked slightly. While they were engaging the Illusion Sect, someone couldn't hold back and decided to tamper with the barrier's core at the bottom of the lake? In the Upside-Down Sea, apart from his companions, the only ones who could be so keenly interested in his life and death were, well— "Miaozhantian and Bai Ziqi?" "Yes, the Heavenly Demon and Demon Immortal under Miaozhantian came over and fought fiercely with Liu Qingdao," Dong Rui recounted. "With the three powerful figures fighting fiercely, I only had a snail toad with me, so I could only observe for a while. Liu Qingdao truly has some skills; despite his own serious injuries, he managed to gravely wound the Heavenly Palace's Demon Immortal as well. Later, seeing that none of them could spare a hand, I sent the snail toad to dive down, break through the lakebed crystal, and dig out the Iron Lotus Lamp!" With that, he proudly pulled the lotus lamp from his robe. The blue pearl inside the lamp had already been dug out and discarded, so this lotus lamp was now purely the relic of True Monarch Shenxi. Qianhuan's modifications to it were only for supporting the barrier, so it wasn't as difficult to extract as the previous core of the Divine Fire Grand Array.