Chapter 2316: Fierce Battle

"Qing Kuang's aura has vanished here. It seems she encountered a formidable enemy and used an escape technique to flee?" a tall, slender elder in a green robe remarked with a frown. A treasure like a life-bound soul lamp was naturally kept in one's lair, not carried around.

The girl in the golden skirt reached down with one hand, and a broken red command flag flew out from underground, landing in her hand. "She didn't flee; she's dead. This is her life-bound magical artifact. Based on my understanding of her, if she couldn't win, she would rather die than fall into the enemy's hands." The girl in the golden skirt spoke with a heavy tone. She was well aware of her companion's formidable abilities, capable of fighting even late-stage Void Refinement cultivators.

A silver light shone from the brow of a short, stout elder in a purple robe. A silver eye appeared out of thin air, radiating a dazzling silver glow. "No trace! Did that person use an escape technique to flee? Or did Qing Kuang encounter an ancient beast?" the purple-robed elder said with a frown.

The girl in the golden skirt flicked her wrist, and a red light shot out from her spirit beast bracelet, revealing a massive exotic beast. This creature had the head of a sable, the body of a lion, and the wings of a bird. It was entirely red, its body covered in red scales, and its eyes were crimson. Thirty zhang long and over ten zhang tall, its four hooves ended in sharp blades, resembling eagle talons. It was a Scarlet Flame Beast, a spirit beast unique to the Fiery Spirit Tribe, known for its rapid flight and special eyes that could see through concealment spells. The Scarlet Flame Beast before them had been passed down from her grandfather and nurtured by three generations; it was currently a low-grade sixth-tier creature. As soon as the Scarlet Flame Beast appeared, its eyes brightened considerably, and it scanned its surroundings.

The Scarlet Flame Beast let out an excited roar, and a crimson flame surged from its body. The green-robed elder reacted quickly. With a flick of two fingers, a stream of green flame shot out. After a momentary blur, the green flame swelled in size, transforming into a green fire spear that flew directly towards Wang Changsheng's hiding spot. At the same time, crimson fire light appeared in the void, blurring into tens of thousands of millstone-sized crimson fireballs. These tens of thousands of crimson fireballs rained down from above, with Wang Changsheng's hiding place as the primary target.

A blue light emerged from the void, and Wang Changsheng appeared. Wang Changsheng's gaze was grim. He had used the Azure Chi Pearl to conceal himself, evading the detection of several sixth-tier demonic beasts, but this was the first time a beast had seen through his disguise. He was merely surprised; the Azure Chi Pearl wasn't infallible, as there were always exotic beasts or secret arts capable of piercing through its concealment. Given this, Wang Changsheng had no choice but to fight to the death.

Wang Changsheng flicked his finger, and a blue rainbow shot out, colliding with the green fire spear. The green fire spear instantly disintegrated, while the blue rainbow continued directly towards the green-robed elder. The green-robed elder frowned, and with a flip of his right hand, a shimmering green feather fan appeared. With a gentle wave, countless green runes emerged from the fan's surface, and a torrent of green flame swept out, transforming into a green fire python that met the attack. With a loud crash, the green fire python was shattered by the blue rainbow, which then also dissipated. A powerful surge of air kicked up a large amount of dust.

Crimson fireballs rained down on Wang Changsheng, while crimson flames suddenly erupted from the ground beneath him. Wang Changsheng shook his sleeve, and nine Sea-Calming Pearls flew out. After a quick spin, they unleashed an endless torrent of blue seawater. The water surged violently, creating blue water barriers that enveloped and protected Wang Changsheng. The dense crimson fireballs struck the blue water barriers, erupting into a thick white mist, but Wang Changsheng remained unharmed.

The seawater glowed with dazzling blue light, transforming into nine torrents of blue, surging rapidly in different directions. Suddenly, a red light shone above Wang Changsheng's head, and a shimmering red brick appeared out of thin air. After emitting a brilliant red light, the red brick slammed down. Wang Changsheng dissolved into specks of blue light and vanished, clearly a decoy.

"A nine-piece set of Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures! This person must be a human elite. Don't let him escape!" the girl in the golden skirt said sternly. Even within the Fiery Spirit Tribe, few Void Refinement cultivators possessed a nine-piece set of Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures; such an advantage was reserved only for elites.

The Scarlet Flame Beast's eyes widened, and it let out a low growl. The green-robed elder produced a completely green horn, shimmering with astonishing spiritual energy. He brought the green horn to his lips and blew softly. A loud, resonant horn blast echoed, as if thousands of soldiers were clashing in battle. The nine blue torrents suddenly halted, clearly affected.

Seizing this opportunity, the girl in the golden skirt opened her mouth, and twelve golden lights shot out, revealing twelve shimmering golden orbs, each radiating astonishing spiritual energy and serving as a low-grade Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure. Her ancestors for three generations had all been Soul Transformation cultivators, giving her a higher starting point than other tribe members. The girl in the golden skirt formed a hand seal, and the twelve golden orbs immediately glowed brightly, flying in different directions. With a series of thunderous crashes, the twelve golden orbs struck the ground, each emitting a beam of golden light. A massive golden barrier then materialized, encompassing an area of ten thousand li. The surface of the golden barrier was covered with intricate runes, shimmering with spiritual light. A look of triumph appeared on the girl in the golden skirt's face. With this set of life-bound magical artifacts, she had defeated many powerful enemies; even late-stage Void Refinement cultivators trapped by her artifacts would find it difficult to escape.

Golden fire light suddenly surged from the ground, transforming into house-sized golden fireballs that hurled themselves towards the blue torrents. A series of loud explosions echoed, and white mist filled the air. The girl in the golden skirt attached a wisp of her divine sense to the Scarlet Flame Beast, discovering that all nine blue torrents emitted a faint blue light. The Scarlet Flame Beast's eyes could discern concealment spells, but they were powerless against illusionary abilities.

One of the blue torrents surged towards the golden barrier, its water violently churning before transforming into Wang Changsheng. As soon as Wang Changsheng appeared, a piercing whoosh sounded behind him. Five green rockets shot forth, blurring into the forms of jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, rushing directly towards him.

Wang Changsheng abruptly turned, and a dazzling blue light surged from his arms as he struck at the jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards. With a thunderous crash, the jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards exploded, transforming into a torrent of green flame that engulfed Wang Changsheng's figure. Soon, a dazzling blue light shone within the green flame. The green flame abruptly dissipated, and a palm-sized snow-blue firebird materialized, devouring the green flame.

"A sixth-tier spirit flame!" An expression of disbelief appeared on the girl in the golden skirt's face. Even among the Fiery Spirit Tribe, not many Void Refinement cultivators possessed a sixth-tier spirit flame, despite their mastery of spirit flame cultivation methods.

A blinding flash of fire suddenly erupted in the void near Wang Changsheng, transforming into the Scarlet Flame Beast. As soon as the Scarlet Flame Beast appeared, a bright red light surged from its body, and a massive beast shadow materialized above its head. It opened its mouth and spewed a thick torrent of crimson flame towards Wang Changsheng. Almost simultaneously, ripples spread through the void above Wang Changsheng's head, and a colossal human-shaped phantom appeared, with a portion of its body shimmering with spiritual light. As soon as the Dharma Idol manifested, its right hand clenched into a fist and fiercely slammed down onto the beast shadow.

With a loud crash, the beast shadow abruptly disintegrated. The Scarlet Flame Beast let out a pained shriek as a black fist projection slammed into its body, causing the ground to shake. The Scarlet Flame Beast was driven deeply into the ground, wailing in agony.

"A Body Cultivator!" The girl in the golden skirt's face was filled with disbelief. Ordinary Dharma Idols certainly didn't possess such immense power; most Dharma Idols manipulated the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cast divine abilities and harm enemies. The opponent was clearly a Body Cultivator, but that wasn't the main point. The sheer density of their Dharma Idol was such that she wouldn't doubt if they were the successor of a prominent human sect or family.