Chapter 2055: Desperation

“My two fellow Daoists have already demonstrated their divine abilities to me. If I were to transform into two of them simultaneously on my own, it would be impossible to do so without flaws; the opponent would detect it after a few exchanges, especially since the old attendant's cultivation is far superior to mine. However, as long as Brother Ji fully sets up the grand formation taught by Elder Quan and helps me with cover, it shouldn't be difficult to deceive them.”

After the white-robed figure finished speaking, a burst of white smoke rose from his body. His form twisted, rapidly faded, and merged into the smoke. The white smoke abruptly converged, as if a void in space absorbed it, leaving only a single white dot.

Immediately afterward, white smoke surged out from the void again, but this time it split into two streams. Amidst the swirling smoke, two figures materialized. They had different faces and wore outfits completely unrelated to the white-robed figure.

One of them had wolf ears, indicating he was from the Canine-Sealed Tribe, the same clan as Ji Liang.

The other was a woman dressed in a warrior's attire, looking valiant and spirited. Her facial features were indistinguishable from a human's, but she had a long, bushy tail.

Upon their initial appearance, both figures looked lifeless and expressionless. In the blink of an eye, however, their eyes became lively. Observing their expressions, gestures, flesh, and hair, it was clear they were two living beings, without any discernible flaws.

Not only were they lifelike, but their auras were also completely distinct. Both were early-stage Void Realm experts, equivalent to early-stage Refined Void, making it hard to believe they were transformations of a single person.

Ji Liang observed the two, circling the Canine-Sealed Tribesman with exclamations of wonder. “Brother, your divine ability is truly remarkable. Ji Qiong and I have spent many years together, and if I hadn't known beforehand, I might have mistaken this for the real Ji Qiong.”

The woman said nothing, leaped into the sea of clouds, and vanished in an instant.

The Canine-Sealed Tribesman chuckled and said in a hoarse voice, “I am Ji Qiong!”

Ji Liang nodded, glanced downwards, and said gravely, “Ji Qiong, everything is ready. The grand formation will be under your control from now on. Do you have anything to add?”

Ji Qiong's ears twitched. “To prevent our spiritual energy from leaking, it's best if we provide support from the side, and Brother Ji takes the main offensive. This way, all the pressure will be on you.”

“No problem!”

Ji Liang waved his hand, a confident expression on his face. “The younger one should have only recently broken through to the Void Realm, so he's not a concern. Although the older one has late-stage Void Realm cultivation, they've been on the run and must have endured countless fierce battles to get here. Our last three-pronged attack almost pushed them to their limit, forcing them to expend vital energy to perform their transference technique. This shows they are already at the end of their rope. Not much time has passed since our last major battle, so they couldn't have recovered significantly.”

Hearing this, Ji Qiong's expression did not relax. He reminded, “They are from the Siyou Imperial Family, after all. They might still have some hidden tricks.”

“If they truly possess such abilities and have kept them hidden until now, using them would surely come at a great cost. They wouldn't easily deploy them unless they were truly desperate. We just need to stick to our strategy of sustained combat and attrition, forcing them to deplete more vital energy and transfer with their last companion beast, cutting off all their escape routes. Once they are weakened further, the rest will be up to Elder Quan,” Ji Liang said confidently, showing no worries.

Seeing that he had considered everything, Ji Qiong nodded. “Elder Quan won't be afraid of two weakened individuals. However, Elder Quan wants them alive, so we must wear them down as much as possible.”

As the two communicated telepathically, they detected two auras rushing skyward.

Ji Liang sneered, “I didn't expect them to dare to attack proactively!”

Ji Qiong's expression shifted slightly. He cupped his hands and, like the woman before him, vanished into the surging clouds.

Ji Liang stood alone, calmly watching the two streaks of rainbow light as if they were already dead.

The two revealed their true forms, their auras completely unmasked. A powerful oppressive force immediately descended upon the sea, causing nearby creatures to tremble in fear, even though the auras were directed skyward.

They had never witnessed such overwhelming auras in their lives. Even when the Pavilion Lord occasionally patrolled here, he never publicly released such pressure. The creatures felt no different from ants, and the islands beneath them seemed equally fragile, capable of being obliterated by a mere flick of an opponent's hand.

The rainbow lights surged straight into the clouds, unstoppable. Yet, Ji Liang could discern their feigned strength and couldn't help but sneer again. He spread his fingers and pressed his large hand downwards.

Instantly, dark clouds swirled wildly, and endless mist gathered beneath him, forming a colossal black palm.

The giant palm obscured the sky, visible to all creatures on the surrounding islands. Each finger resembled a celestial pillar, carrying a terrifying, world-destroying power as it descended towards the ground.

They had no doubt that once the giant palm fell, all islands and creatures would be obliterated in one strike. However, they were helpless, utterly unable to escape from the palm's grasp.

Facing the crushing giant palm, the two streaks of rainbow light seemed insignificant. Just as they were about to be extinguished by the strike, they suddenly erupted with a deep blue mystical light. The mystical light was intensely rich, like a profound ripple of water undulating across the sky.

*Splash!*

The void seemed to tremble, and all creatures heard a deafening sound of water. Then, two enormous silhouettes appeared in the sky: two monstrous whales!

The Siyou Clan's companion beasts were not conjured from imagination; they had to be based on real-world creatures. If powerful beings were chosen, their essence blood was required. Within the Misty Sea, ninety percent of the area was ocean, so at least one of the Siyou clan's chosen companion beasts would be a sea creature.

Among the sea overlords, creatures like flood dragons, whales, and sharks were most favored. The Siyou Imperial Family, however, often chose a demonic whale known as a Cloth-Sky Whale!

Companion beasts that dissipate through the transference technique are different from those forcibly destroyed by an enemy. If destroyed by an enemy, the companion beast is completely lost until it can be reformed. In this case, they were merely temporarily unable to use it for the transference technique but could still borrow its power in combat.

At this moment, both the young master and Attendant Xia transformed into Cloth-Sky Whales. Two giant whales, one large and one small, hovered in the air, their full lengths impossible to see at once. Their massive mouths emitted long wails that pierced through the underworld.

*Moo!*

Those below only heard two bovine roars, staring blankly at the sky. They watched as the two giant whales, acting in unison, charged head-on into the colossal palm.

*Boom!*

The giant palm became covered in cracks and then disintegrated. The dark clouds in the sky were churned, winds surged, and profound waves pulsed. The battlefield became a chaotic mess, completely obstructing the view of the creatures below.

This earth-shattering collision released few aftershocks. The spiritual energy was masked, leaving Haitang Academy completely unaware.

Seeing their strategy work, Ji Liang felt relieved and was about to focus on the powerful enemies. However, his ear twitched slightly, detecting an anomaly: the two Cloth-Sky Whales were mere illusions, and the two Siyou tribesmen had vanished.

Without panic, Ji Liang conjured an item from his sleeve and threw it towards a specific spot in the sea of clouds.

A black streak of light fell straight down to that spot. The treasure within the light revealed itself to be a black jade bi.

As it plunged, the jade bi expanded to the size of a mountain, becoming immensely heavy.

At that moment, sounds of tearing air came from both sides. A grey and a white chain pierced through the dense clouds. The other ends of the chains were connected deep within the cloud sea, being manipulated to strike where the jade bi was falling.

The three attacks converged simultaneously, and an unparalleled powerful aura had already locked onto this section of the cloud sea. Immediately, the void slightly warped, forcing the two Siyou tribesmen to appear, whereupon they transformed into two demonic birds.

This time, their companion beasts were different.

The young master's companion beast was a Crimson-Feathered Demonic Bird. This bird was not large, but its body was quite slender, with a long neck, pointed beak, and a streamlined form. When its wings were folded, its body resembled a long arrow.

Attendant Xia's companion beast was a Bone Bird. This bird was not without flesh and blood, but its flesh had grown within its bones, leaving clean white bird bones exposed, forming a hard bone armor. It resembled a skeletal bird and was extremely large; its wingspan was no less than that of a Cloth-Sky Whale.

The Bone Bird spread its wings wide, easily shielding the Crimson-Feathered Demonic Bird beneath it, intending to withstand the three-pronged attack alone.

*Whoosh!*

*Swish! Swish!*

As the jade bi and chains struck, a rattling sound, like colliding iron rings, emanated from the Bone Bird.

Silver gleams appeared in multiple places on its body, revealing actual iron rings between its bone joints. These rings interlinked, forming an additional layer of iron ring armor outside its bone plating.

With a deafening crash, the three attacks simultaneously struck the Bone Bird. The Bone Bird plummeted downwards, emitting a sharp shriek, and its entire body erupted with layers of strange light.

As the strange light dissipated, some of the Bone Bird's iron rings were shattered. It still stubbornly protected the Crimson-Feathered Demonic Bird, flying rapidly forward.

“Trying to escape?”

Ji Liang snorted coldly, surprised that his opponents, who had been so aggressive just moments ago, were attempting to flee immediately after the first exchange.

He immediately performed a magical incantation, causing the jade bi to firmly suppress the iron rings on the Bone Bird. Simultaneously, the two chains were flung out again, changing strategy. Each hooked onto an iron ring and suddenly tightened.

Its forward momentum blocked, the Bone Bird made an unexpected move: it shook its body, actively shedding all the iron rings.

This action was also within Ji Liang and his allies' expectations. While controlling the jade bi, a chanting sound emerged from Ji Liang's ears.

As soon as the Bone Bird broke free, a sudden sense of danger arose in its heart, and its body became enveloped in blood-red light.

Above its head, the void turned blood-red. A bizarre blood map had appeared there at some unknown point, descending directly towards its back.

The danger wasn't limited to this. From its left, dark tides surged, and a decaying aura relentlessly assailed it. From its right, there was only a point of silver light, yet its momentum was more astonishing than the other two attacks: a silver long arrow piercing through the void.

Having fought before, Attendant Xia knew the power of these three attacks well. His body stiffened slightly.

Ji Liang displayed a confident smile, sure that he could force his opponents back. Unexpectedly, the Siyou tribesmen's next actions completely defied their expectations.

The Bone Bird raised its head and roared furiously. Its bone armor instantly turned from white to crimson, and blood-red flames billowed. Attendant Xia was actually burning his own essence blood. When the blood map descended, it not only failed to exert its intended effect but instead acted as fuel, causing the blood flames to surge dramatically.

*Boom! Boom!*

The dark tide and silver arrow were engulfed by the blood flames, yet caused no ripple. The two transformed into a ball of fire, fleeing with astonishing speed.

Ji Liang's expression changed to one of shock and anger. His opponents had resorted to desperate measures right after the first engagement, which defied logic. They clearly had a retreat path; doing this would only weaken them unnecessarily.

Had Elder Quan misjudged? Had their companion beasts truly dissipated, leaving them cornered?

Or perhaps they intended to use this tactic to scare them away?

Regardless, they had to stop them. They absolutely could not let them escape. Even with Elder Quan observing, their reputation would suffer greatly, and it would also draw the attention of Haitang Academy.

Thinking this, Ji Liang sent a telepathic message. His ears flapped, and gray ripples spread out. The ripples moved extremely fast, extending above the blood flames.

Ji Liang's true body remained still, channeling his divine abilities with full power. The ripples in the void became increasingly distinct and rapid.

This wasn't just his power; the white-robed figure, who had transformed into two people, was also fully manipulating the grand formation to assist. Two more figures shimmered faintly in the void, forming a pincer movement with Ji Liang, encircling the blood flames.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…*

The blood flames were at the very center of the vortex, with ripples pressing in relentlessly.

No matter how fast the blood flames moved, the vortex persisted, preventing Attendant Xia and the young master from escaping its center. Ji Liang's and the white-robed figure's energies were linked with the ripples, moving in sync with the vortex.

The next moment, the three figures flickered simultaneously, as if teleporting. When they reappeared, they had moved a little closer to the center of the vortex.

Concurrently, the pressure on Attendant Xia suddenly intensified, drastically reducing his escape speed.

As the three continuously flickered, the ripples became almost tangible. The pressure at the center of the vortex reached a terrifying level, and the blood flames' speed decreased steadily.

“Time to use the transference technique, isn't it?”

Ji Liang watched the blood flames with cold eyes, not believing Attendant Xia would continue such a futile struggle.

Indeed, just as he expected, seeing no escape, the blood flames momentarily faltered, and Attendant Xia seemed to cease burning his essence blood.

But the next moment, the blood flames erupted with a roar!

Ji Liang was engulfed by the blood-red light, watching the scene before him in disbelief. He could feel that Attendant Xia had, at that very moment, ignited all his essence blood.

Within the blood flames.

The Bone Bird lowered its head and glanced at the Crimson-Feathered Demonic Bird. On its forehead was an eye-shaped crystal. The crystal glowed a dazzling red, having absorbed almost all of Attendant Xia's essence blood.

“Go!”

The Crimson-Feathered Demonic Bird heard a fierce shout, its eyes brimming with tears. It performed the transference technique and vanished from the spot.

Simultaneously, the crystal shattered, unleashing countless streaks of blood-red light. It instantly annihilated the vortex, and the three figures, unable to dodge, were engulfed by the blood light.

The Bone Bird displayed an expression of satisfaction. Unfortunately, it was too weak, and sacrificing the treasure brought from its clan would likely not be enough to annihilate all enemies here. However, the most important thing was that the enemies would surely believe they were fiercely defiant, preferring death over surrender, and that the young master had died alongside it.

The young master could thus make his escape.

In the instant before its consciousness faded, the Bone Bird suddenly saw two of the figures, struck by the blood light, dissipate like illusions on the spot.

Something was wrong!

Even if those two had only early-stage Void Realm cultivation, they shouldn't have been so fragile, offering no resistance and being instantly annihilated.

Unless...

The Bone Bird's pupils abruptly dilated. It suddenly understood something, gave a bitter smile, revealing profound despair, and then completely lost consciousness.