Chapter 1248: Caught You

Xinghuanzi, once the top prodigy among ascenders, possessed extremely rich combat experience. Since joining Xu Qing, in particular, his arrogance had notably subsided. He had also learned to observe and to adopt others' strengths. Overall, his growth had been astonishing among the group.

Therefore, the moment he appeared, even though he found it absurd to materialize directly in front of the Divine Maiden, he didn't hesitate for a moment. After all, this wasn't his first time, and he had grown accustomed to the bizarre occurrences surrounding Xu Qing during their journey.

The instant he saw the Divine Maiden, he charged forward! Seizing the opportunity while the Divine Maiden's divinity was fluctuating and her mind was shaken, he instantly unleashed hundreds of chains of order. A clattering sound instantly reverberated through the starry sky. Though piercing through the void, they were mysteriously connected to the Divine Maiden.

The moment they connected, a strong murderous intent flashed in Xinghuanzi's eyes. He formed hand seals and let out a low roar.

"Balance!"

His Law, which had been 'Order' before reaching the quasi-immortal stage, transformed into 'Balance' afterward. This Law could forcefully balance the strengths and weaknesses of two parties, weakening the stronger one. It also empowered him through this balance.

And this time, he had gone all out, regardless of the cost. He even brought out the Heavenly Principle, using it as a weight to tip his balance. His aim was to… weaken the Divine Maiden! He didn't empower Xu Qing because he knew Xu Qing was stronger than him. If he balanced Xu Qing with the Divine Maiden, the weakening effect on her would be limited. So, he balanced himself with the Divine Maiden. This way, he would rise in power, while the Divine Maiden would surely be weakened.

If his Law were considered a curse, then he was using himself as a conduit to curse the Divine Maiden!

And it was true. The moment the balance formed, a rumbling sound reverberated through the starry sky. The Divine Maiden's body trembled, feeling as though she was invisibly ensnared. Her aura sharply diminished. It was as if shackles had appeared on her. Her overall appearance presented a strange, bound beauty.

This sensation forced her to quell all inner turmoil. With a raised hand, she prepared to unleash her full divine might to break the balance. For her, if she were at her peak, a single sound would shatter it. Even with her current diminished cultivation and injuries, destroying it would not be difficult!

But how could Xu Qing allow her this chance!

Almost the instant Xinghuanzi risked his life to establish the balance, Xu Qing moved. He stepped forward, golden intent dyeing the starry sky around him, giant trees materializing in all directions, and a vast sea spreading through the void, as if a sea of stars accompanied him. Black flames coiled around his feet, emitting world-destroying heat and congealing into a black sun. In the distance, yellowish-brown stars appeared. Together, they formed a magnificent celestial map. Within this map, Xu Qing's elemental powers of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth were contained. The map itself emanated spatial fluctuations, and its operation unleashed temporal power. All converged, forming a devastating power that suddenly descended upon the Divine Maiden.

At this critical juncture, a cold glint flashed in the Divine Maiden's eyes. She had no time to break Xinghuanzi's balance; Xu Qing's attack at this moment created an intense sense of crisis in her heart. Instantly, her entire body shone with golden light. She raised her right hand and pointed at Xu Qing. A divine sound erupted from her lips!

"Command the Nether!"

Her divine authority was, astonishingly, the Nether itself! This was also the divine authority of her father, Emperor Lizhu. However, constrained by her current realm, she clearly couldn't display its full power, yet its strangeness remained astonishing.

As her finger descended, the starry sky around her seemed to be flayed. All light and dust were swept away in that instant, making extreme blackness the sole presence in the starry sky. In this darkness, whispers transformed into a dirge, seemingly emanating from the Netherworld, becoming a song of reincarnation in the land of the living. This wavering song materialized within its melody, transforming into sheets of black paper money. Formed by her divine authority, these could buy divine abilities, techniques, stars, everything, and even life itself! As they scattered, they blocked Xu Qing's path.

The moment they made contact, Xu Qing's elemental powers of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth strangely dissipated, as if purchased and taken away. Even space and time could not escape this astonishing divine power; they, too, dissipated, bought away. Several sheets flew directly towards Xu Qing, while others targeted Xinghuanzi and the balanced path formed by his Law.

The moment they drew near, Xu Qing's pupils contracted, and a strange feeling about this divine authority arose within him. But as he raised his hand, the sound of a bell suddenly echoed. If the enemy were a true god, the bell's effect would be limited, but against a Divine Platform, then the bell's sound would become a heavenly melody. Instantly, all the incoming "life-buying money" trembled, and Xu Qing's iron spike flashed forth.

The Divine Maiden's expression darkened, and she was about to retaliate. But at this moment, Xinghuanzi let out a low roar. Veins bulged across his body, blood flowed from his seven orifices, and he stared intently at the Divine Maiden, causing his Law of Balance to fluctuate to its extreme. Immediately, an invisible force, guided by the Law of Balance, was mysteriously drawn from the Divine Maiden and poured into Xinghuanzi. This caused Xinghuanzi's aura to surge dramatically.

The Divine Maiden, subjected to this drain, instantly paled, and her aura sharply diminished. Her already injured body now showed signs of her cultivation realm dropping. She had previously only been able to maintain the peak of the Divine Platform. Now, under this balance, due to Xinghuanzi's weakness, she struggled to even maintain that peak.

"Damn it!"

The Stareye Divine Maiden's expression changed, and she was about to act, but the bell's sound rapidly echoed, followed by a sharp whistling sound piercing through the void. It was Xu Qing's iron spike! Accompanied by fragments of space-time, it instantly sped towards the Divine Maiden. Xu Qing himself, following the iron spike, raised his right hand. A long spear, containing the spirit of the Golden Crow, materialized in his grasp, and he charged directly at the Divine Maiden.

All of this takes time to describe, but in reality, it occurred in a flash. In an instant, the iron spike was already before the Divine Maiden's glabella. The Divine Maiden's expression twisted. Her divine art was obstructed by the bell and couldn't form immediately. However, she was, after all, the daughter of a Divine Emperor and possessed divine treasures. The phoenix coronet she wore on her head, with its dull eyes, now glowed brightly. All of them materialized outwards, blocking the iron spike.

A booming sound suddenly erupted. The iron spike, irresistible, pierced directly through all the eyes, causing every eyeball on the phoenix coronet — those that had barely remained intact through Ling Ke's efforts — to shatter and explode. Furthermore, the wail of the Boundless Sea echoed, raising a blue illusory sea that once again blocked its path. It finally halted the iron spike!

But Xu Qing, behind the iron spike, had already charged out. His figure, long hair flowing, clad in a black robe, and holding a black long spear, appeared within the Divine Maiden's pupils. The next instant, the long spear, like a dragon, suddenly thrust forward! It struck the Divine Maiden's chest. It was about to pierce through… but the Divine Maiden's face contorted, and countless divine patterns, like tadpoles, instantly flowed across her body before surging into her red lips. Then… an incredibly sharp, soul-shattering, star-collapsing shriek of divine sound erupted from the Divine Maiden's mouth.

This sound possessed astonishing penetrative power. Wherever it passed, Xu Qing's black long spear disintegrated. His body trembled, and despite the immortal embryo's resistance, he still spat blood and was sent flying backward. He was injured further! Xinghuanzi's chains also shattered inch by inch at this moment. His Law of Balance instantly disintegrated. Blood spurted, and he was severely injured by the backlash.

However, the Divine Maiden was also in an extremely sorry state. The divine sound erupting from her mouth was a manifestation of her forcibly activating true god power. In her current state, using this technique was like damaging eight hundred of herself to wound a thousand of the enemy. Her body staggered backward. The phoenix coronet on her head turned to dust, and her blue long dress shredded into pieces and dissipated. Large areas of her skin were exposed. Her cultivation also plummeted, from the peak of the Divine Platform to its mid-stage. This decline brought the Divine Maiden an extreme sense of insecurity and an intensely strong life-or-death crisis.

She tried to call her Father God, but he still showed no response. A golden light flashed in her eyes. In her weakened retreat, she had already made a decision. She raised her right hand and slammed it hard onto her chest. With this press, her entire body trembled, and she extracted her own divine source! Her cultivation shockingly fell again, becoming the early stage of the Divine Platform. Despite this, by leveraging the drop in cultivation, the divine source she extracted was enough to unleash a trump card!

"Descend, Nether!"

A mournful divine sound suddenly echoed. The next instant, an illusory Netherworld mansion strikingly appeared behind the Divine Maiden. This mansion, with its carved beams, painted pillars, upturned eaves, and dougong brackets, was covered in strange runes and ferocious ghost-face carvings. Yet, it lacked any trace of vitality, possessing only endless eeriness and coldness. The anomalous matter around it was unprecedentedly strong at this moment. Moreover, strange shadows were emerging within. Their eyes were hollow and cold, seemingly still harboring past grievances and hatred as they stared indifferently at the outside world. Although they couldn't leave, the moment it descended, it seemed to transform this entire starry sky into the Netherworld!

This technique, "Nether Descent," transformed into a Nether Divine Realm! It suppressed all immortal spirits. Only anomalous matter reigned supreme.

As for Xinghuanzi, his body instantly became like that of a mortal, losing all his cultivation. Already severely injured, he immediately fell unconscious. Xu Qing's expression changed. His immortal spiritual power was also suppressed and isolated within his body. So, relying on his physical body, he barely retreated, and as he raised his hand, he seemed to be continuously attempting to recover.

As for the Divine Maiden, her mind was fatigued, and she was extremely weak. However, compared to Xu Qing and Xinghuanzi, she still possessed the early Divine Platform realm, placing her at a relative peak of combat strength at this moment.

"Mere ants!"

A cold light flashed in the Divine Maiden's eyes, and she instantly moved, heading directly for Xu Qing. She wanted to personally kill Xu Qing, utterly annihilating this person who had caused her heart to palpitate and whom she intensely abhorred during her divine fluctuations.

But… just as she was speeding at full power, nearing Xu Qing whose expression had dramatically changed, and as she raised her right hand, about to deliver a strike, a sudden anomaly occurred! The surprise on Xu Qing's face instantly subsided, and a hint of coldness appeared in his eyes. Astonishingly, anomalous matter erupted from his body! It was anomalous matter from the mud fox, borrowed by Xu Qing. At this moment, amidst the isolation of immortal spirits, it surged up, poured into his right hand, and was instantly raised.

"You..." The Divine Maiden's expression drastically changed. Shaken by this scene, her mind reeled, and she wanted to retreat. However, she had been too close to Xu Qing, and her current realm was no longer what it once was. Furthermore, the incident was too sudden; there was simply no time to block it.

In the blink of an eye, Xu Qing's raised right hand, like an iron clamp, seized the Divine Maiden's neck! His five fingers gripped tightly with full force, digging deep into her flesh. Simultaneously, divine authority sealed, Little Shadow bound, and the mud fox's soft laughter echoed, enveloping her in mud.

Having done all this, Xu Qing spoke calmly.

"I've got you."

"My Father God..." Under these layers of seals, the Divine Maiden's face was pale, but her eyes held intense fluctuations as she stared fixedly at Xu Qing. She spoke hoarsely. But before she could finish her words...

"Annoying."

Xu Qing remained expressionless and squeezed hard.