Chapter 2317: Breaking Out of the Deadlock

Nine Profound Spirit Treasures, a body cultivator, and a partially condensed Dharma Idol – any one of these conditions wouldn't be remarkable on its own. But all three on a single person made him stand out.

Wang Changsheng flicked his sleeve, and nine Sea-Stabilizing Pearls flew out, settling into the Dharma Idol's left hand. The Dharma Idol's right hand pressed down on the Chihu Beast's body, then clenched into a fist and struck the beast.

Just then, a horn blast, reverberating through heaven and earth, sounded. Wang Changsheng frowned, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead. With his early Void Refinement stage spiritual power, he couldn't sustain frequently controlling his Dharma Idol to injure enemies for long. He had to finish quickly; the longer the fight dragged on, the more trouble Wang Changsheng would face.

As the horn sounded, Wang Changsheng was horrified to find he couldn't mobilize even a trace of spiritual power, and the Dharma Idol's movements ceased. The purple-robed elder had already produced a shimmering purple longbow. He drew the bowstring, four purple arrows nocked, glowing with dazzling spiritual light – clearly Profound Spirit Treasures.

With piercing "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sounds, the four purple arrows shot forth, tearing through the void. A harsh whistling accompanied them as they instantly reached Wang Changsheng. The ground suddenly glowed green. Countless green thorns sprouted rapidly, growing and weaving into a shimmering green net that rose like a towering green wall before Wang Changsheng. Numerous weeds grew from the ground, quickly enlarging and enveloping Wang Changsheng, protecting him within, like a giant green cocoon.

With a muffled thud, the green net instantly shattered. Four green arrows struck the green cocoon, piercing directly through it, and a man's muffled groan was faintly heard.

Almost simultaneously, the golden-skirted girl summoned a shimmering golden gourd, exuding astonishing spiritual energy – clearly a mid-grade Profound Spirit Treasure. The Golden Flame Extinguishing Gourd was a treasure she had commissioned a seventh-tier artificer to refine, spending most of her fortune. It had helped her slay powerful enemies multiple times.

Generally, a body cultivator's Dharma Idol is condensed using materials that increase resilience, such as Gold Adamant Essence, which can enhance its power. Even when cultivating the same technique, different cultivators might use different materials to condense their Dharma Idols, leading to varying power levels. Judging by the divine ability and natal magic treasure the opponent had just used, he cultivated a water-attribute technique. However, his Dharma Idol was likely condensed with materials like Gold Adamant Essence to boost its power. Even if it had been condensed with water-attribute materials, she wouldn't have been afraid. A small piece of Gold Flame Divine Jade had been refined into the Golden Flame Extinguishing Gourd. Gold Flame Divine Jade is a seventh-tier artifact forging material, and if there were enough of it, it could be used to refine high-grade Profound Spirit Treasures. Water counters fire, but if the fire is strong enough, water cannot stop it.

The golden-skirted girl cast a spell, and the Golden Flame Extinguishing Gourd immediately burst forth with dazzling golden light, its size rapidly expanding. It then spewed out a stream of golden flames, tearing through the void wherever it passed.

A crimson flame surged from the Chihu Beast's body, engulfing the humanoid phantom's right arm. The humanoid phantom's left fist slammed hard onto the Chihu Beast's head. The Chihu Beast let out a tragic wail, its head splitting into pieces like tofu. If the Dharma Idol hadn't used the nine Sea-Stabilizing Pearls, one punch wouldn't have shattered its head. With the nine Sea-Stabilizing Pearls, its power had increased severalfold. Dharma Idols can use treasures to attack and also unleash divine abilities. Cultivators above the Void Refinement stage rely heavily on their Dharma Idols in combat, and less so on their treasures.

On the other side, the golden flames reached the green cocoon. The humanoid phantom's arms glowed brightly and slammed into the golden flames. With a thunderous roar, the surrounding hundred miles transformed into a golden sea of flames, thick with white mist. Soon after, the mist dispersed, and the golden sea of flames vanished.

The humanoid phantom was unharmed. The Nether River Water is not ordinary spiritual water; common flames were simply ineffective against Wang Changsheng's Dharma Idol. The green cocoon had disappeared, and Wang Changsheng had a terrifying bloody hole on his left shoulder, where white bone was vaguely visible. He held two dim purple arrows in each hand. Upon closer inspection, the surface of the purple arrows was wrapped in a bloody mist, a result of the Blood Toad Gourd.

The golden-skirted girl's eyes widened. The Golden Flame Extinguishing Gourd was a mid-grade Profound Spirit Treasure, yet it couldn't harm the opponent's Dharma Idol. What materials was his Dharma Idol condensed from? A bold conjecture involuntarily arose in her mind: could the opponent be a descendant or a clone of a Grand Ascension cultivator? An early Void Refinement stage cultivator this ridiculously strong, with the three of them combined, only managed to injure him.

With a flash of golden light, a shimmering golden pagoda suddenly appeared in the void above Wang Changsheng's head, exuding astonishing spiritual energy. As soon as the golden pagoda appeared, it burst forth with dazzling golden light and rapidly expanded in size. The giant golden pagoda spewed out a stream of golden mist, enveloping Wang Changsheng and the humanoid phantom.

Wang Changsheng activated a spell, and the humanoid phantom's body glowed intensely blue. Its arms moved, forcefully tearing through the golden mist, and its right fist slammed fiercely into the giant golden pagoda. With a loud bang, the giant golden pagoda flew backward.

The humanoid Dharma Idol lightly clapped its right hand towards the void. The seawater violently churned, then suddenly shot up into the sky, transforming into a massive, shimmering blue sky-reaching hand, which clapped down towards the three of them. The green-robed elder waved his green feather fan, releasing a stream of crimson flames that transformed into an enormous green fire palm, meeting the attack. The green fire palm collided with the sky-reaching hand, erupting in a powerful shockwave. Mist spread, and countless blue seawater splattered.

"Qingxu, be careful!" The golden-skirted girl's urgent cry reached the green-robed elder's ears.

Wang Changsheng had, at some unknown point, cast the Water Escape Technique and appeared behind the green-robed elder. A giant humanoid phantom appeared above Wang Changsheng's head. The humanoid phantom's right fist slammed fiercely towards the green-robed elder. Wherever it passed, the void tore open, creating numerous cracks, an astonishing display of power. The unique treasure this person wielded could interfere with Wang Changsheng's movements. If he didn't eliminate this person, Wang Changsheng would find it difficult to escape.

The green-robed elder reacted quickly. A red light flew out from his body, and after a blur, it transformed into a crimson giant phantom, its right fist glowing red as if it were solid. His Dharma Idol had only condensed a single fist, just like Wang Changsheng's hundreds of years ago. The crimson giant phantom swung its right fist, meeting the incoming attack. The green-robed elder summoned a shimmering green command flag, which circled him once, transforming into a thick green light barrier protecting his entire body.

The two fists collided. The crimson giant's fist was like an egg hitting a rock, instantly shattering. The crimson giant was smashed to pieces, and the green-robed elder's defense was like paper, utterly shattered by Wang Changsheng's Dharma Idol.

"No..." The green-robed elder let out a desperate cry, watching helplessly as a giant fist slammed down. With a loud bang, the green-robed elder was smashed into meat paste by Wang Changsheng's Dharma Idol, instantly perishing. A miniature Nascent Soul flew out from his body. A green thorn shot out from Wang Changsheng's sleeve, piercing the miniature Nascent Soul. The miniature Nascent Soul disintegrated into specks of spiritual light and vanished. The green thorn wrapped around a green horn and a green storage ring, then disappeared into Wang Changsheng's sleeve.

Two shimmering golden flying knives shot towards him, aiming for Wang Changsheng's head. Wang Changsheng's hands were already adorned with blue gauntlets. His arms moved, and his fists collided with the golden flying knives. With muffled "clank clank" sounds, the two golden flying knives flew backward.

A gigantic purple seal slammed down. The humanoid phantom's right fist glowed brightly and struck the purple seal. The purple seal flew backward, with several small cracks appearing on its surface. Wang Changsheng shook his sleeve, and eighteen Sea-Stabilizing Pearls flew out. His spiritual sense and spiritual power were severely depleted; he couldn't last much longer. The eighteen Sea-Stabilizing Pearls spun around Wang Changsheng, unleashing countless blue seawater that enveloped him. Wang Changsheng transformed into an enormous water wave tornado that shot up into the sky, piercing through the golden light barrier and disappearing into the horizon.

"Chase him! His mana is almost depleted. If this person grows stronger, he'll definitely be a formidable enemy. We absolutely cannot let him escape!" The golden-skirted girl's expression turned cold, her eyes filled with dread. To possess such powerful divine abilities at the early Void Refinement stage, eighteen Profound Spirit Treasures, a body cultivator whose physical body could withstand low-grade Profound Spirit Treasures, and a sixth-tier spiritual flame... if this person were to advance to the Integration stage, what would become of them?

The two of them transformed into two streaks of light and pursued him, disappearing into the sky.