117: Desperate Showdown

"Pfft!"

A mouthful of fresh blood spurted from Li Dong's mouth, splashing onto the bloody barrier and being instantly absorbed.

The Black Scale Armor covering him was already dull and covered in cracks, clearly having endured unimaginable pressure.

Inside the Flesh Furnace, waves of stench and heat surged one after another, and the shrieks of resentful souls assaulted his Divine Soul like demonic music.

"Li Dong, how does it feel? This is a feast meticulously prepared just for you!" Qiankun Zi's voice, filled with morbid excitement, drifted in from outside the Furnace. "Your Spiritual Domain is indeed extraordinary to have lasted this long, but... this is the end of the line!"

The attacks of the five Golden Core Puppets became increasingly treacherous and vicious. Every time they struck the Furnace barrier, the internal pressure increased by several points. Li Dong gritted his teeth; the light of his Spiritual Domain flickered erratically, and the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning also thinned out, indicating his spiritual power was nearly exhausted.

"Old bastard... is this all you've got?" Li Dong gasped for breath, his voice hoarse, but his eyes remained sharp as knives.

"Stubborn fool!" Provoked by Li Dong, Qiankun Zi's anger surged. "I'll see how long you can last! Ku Rong, Xuan Sha, increase the intensity and crush him!"

Upon hearing this, the Withered Elder on the altar suddenly made the chanting of his spell sharper, while the Black Robed Elder urged his hands forward, making the five Puppets attack even more fiercely, giving Li Dong no chance to catch his breath.

Li Dong felt as if his internal organs had been crushed by a giant boulder, and his vision swam. The Black Scale Armor let out a mournful sound, acquiring even more cracks, nearly shattering.

"Am I... truly going to fall here?" A feeling of powerlessness welled up in his heart. He had never imagined he would be defeated in such a humiliating manner.

Just as his consciousness was about to blur, the faint but pure "dragon vein will" he had sensed earlier, originating from the depths of the Jing City Dragon Vein, seemed to perceive his despair and suddenly became active!

"Buzz—!"

An indescribable sense of intimacy, like timely rain after a long drought, instantly flooded Li Dong's nearly dried-up Sea of Consciousness. The "dragon vein will" was no longer a silent lament or plea for help; instead, it transformed into a surging, supremely pure Dragon Vein Power, forcefully pouring in through the subtle connection he shared with this land!

"This is..." Li Dong's spirit lifted, and his previously scattered gaze refocused.

This Dragon Vein Power came at the perfect time, and it was overwhelmingly potent! It was like a clear spring, instantly nourishing his parched Meridians, and generating an unprecedented Spiritual Resonance with the Spirituality within his body!

"Boom!"

The Spiritual Domain surrounding Li Dong instantly erupted with an unprecedented, dazzling light upon receiving the augmentation of this pure Dragon Vein Power! The light was no longer merely pure; it now carried a trace of vast, profound Dragon Vein Aura.

The Domain rapidly expanded. The malevolent energy and resentment, which had been so thick they were inseparable within the Flesh Furnace, emitted a "sizzle" sound in the face of this power, quickly being purified and dispersed like residual snow meeting the scorching sun!

"What?!" The expressions of Qiankun Zi and the two others outside the Furnace changed simultaneously.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

What horrified them even more was that the five Golden Core Puppets, which were frantically attacking the Furnace barrier, seemed to be violently struck by an invisible massive force the moment Li Dong's Spiritual Domain erupted. They were all sent flying back, the red light in their eyes flickering rapidly, and their movements became incredibly sluggish!

"A good chance!" A sharp glint flashed in Li Dong's eyes.

He endured the intense pain of his body being impacted by the massive energy, seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to catch his breath, clasped his hands together, and once again formed the hand seals for the Heavenly Pill Sky-Rending Demon Suppression Seal!

"Old villain, break!"

Countless golden runes surged from his palm. This time, these runes not only fused with the Purple Firmament Divine Lightning but also absorbed the pure Dragon Vein Power, becoming more solid and more majestic!

In an instant, an incredibly thick golden lightning pillar, seemingly capable of piercing heaven and earth, roared like a Dragon and shot up from above Li Dong's head. It did not strike the barrier of the Flesh Furnace, but instead aimed directly at the "Dragon Vein Fragment" suspended above the altar, which was emitting an ominous Aura!

"How dare you, brat!" Qiankun Zi's eyes were about to split open when he saw this.

The "Dragon Vein Fragment" was one of the core elements of the entire sacrificial ritual; if it were destroyed, the consequences would be unimaginable! He no longer cared about maintaining the Flesh Furnace. With a furious roar, his figure flickered, and he personally moved to intercept the attack.

A thick pillar of bloody light erupted from Qiankun Zi's palm, carrying sickening gore and malice, and fiercely met Li Dong's golden lightning pillar!

"Rumble—!"

The two fundamentally different powers violently collided in mid-air, unleashing a deafening roar! The entire underground space shook violently, and countless stones rattled down.

Terrifying energy shockwaves swept outwards. The Flesh Furnace trembled violently under the impact, its surface flashing with bloody light, and fine cracks actually began to appear!

Li Dong let out a muffled groan, blood once again spilling from the corner of his mouth. Qiankun Zi was, after all, a powerhouse at the peak of the Golden Core Late Stage, and an attack fueled by rage was no small matter.

However, right in the midst of this head-on collision, Li Dong keenly sensed something unusual.

Although Qiankun Zi's bloody light pillar was overwhelmingly potent, the moment it contacted his golden lightning pillar, a minuscule portion of the "spiritual essence" within him—the power originating from the same source as the Forbidden Power of the Vortex Trap Zone—was quietly drawn in by his Spiritual Domain!

Although it was only a trace, Li Dong perceived it clearly!

"So... that's it!" Li Dong's heart stirred. "My Spiritual Domain can not only purify malevolent energy but also... absorb this 'spiritual essence'?"

This discovery greatly boosted his morale, as if he had seen a ray of hope in despair!

Just then, a series of urgent sounds of rushing air suddenly came from the entrance of the underground space!

"Fellow Daoist Mu Feng, we are here to help you!" A clear, sharp shout rang out.

Immediately following, several powerful Auras surged in like a tide!

Leading them was none other than Wei Zheng, the Chief of the Demon Suppression Division! Behind him followed the solemn Royal Ancestor, as well as Mr. Xu from the Seventh Princess Manor, Lu Yunfei, and a host of other experts.

The moment they entered this space, they were greatly shocked by the sight before them. Especially upon seeing the towering Flesh Altar and "Mu Feng" (Li Dong) trapped in the ruined Furnace, confronting Qiankun Zi from afar, their hearts trembled violently.

"That's... Qiankun Zi of the Shadow Council!" Mr. Xu exclaimed in shock. He had dealt with Qiankun Zi's Clone before.

"What nerve, Shadow Council, to dare commit such an act of extinction here!" Wei Zheng's hair stood on end with fury, and the terrifying Aura of a Golden Core Great Perfection expert erupted without reservation. "Royal Enshriners, heed my command! Follow me and kill this fiend!"

"Mr. Xu, Commander Lu, leave those two to us!" The Royal Ancestor's hair and beard bristled, his gaze like lightning, locking onto the two other Golden Core Late Stage Elders on the altar.

"Understood!" Mr. Xu, Lu Yunfei, and the others did not hesitate, immediately splitting up to attack the Withered Elder and the Black Robed Elder.

In an instant, shouts of battle shook the heavens, and the spiritual light of various Magic Treasures shot forth. The entire underground space immediately turned into a fierce battlefield!

"A bunch of ants, daring to ruin our great undertaking!" Qiankun Zi's face was ashen, but his primary attention remained on Li Dong. "Wei Zheng, do you really think you can contend with me?"

He roared in anger, increasing the power of the bloody light pillar by another third, firmly suppressing Li Dong's golden lightning pillar.

Wei Zheng and the Royal Ancestor exchanged glances and attacked simultaneously. The ancient longsword in Wei Zheng's hand transformed into a shocking rainbow, while the Royal Ancestor summoned a shimmering golden pagoda. The two joined forces to attack Qiankun Zi.

"Boom! Boom!"

With two loud bangs, Qiankun Zi's figure swayed slightly but remained as steady as Mount Tai. The strength of a peak Golden Core Late Stage expert was far beyond that of an ordinary Golden Core Great Perfection expert. Even the combined forces of Wei Zheng and the Royal Ancestor could only barely hold him back, preventing him from fully dealing with Li Dong.

"This old monster's strength... is terrifying!" Wei Zheng felt a chill in his heart.

During the fierce battle, Li Dong's Perfect Dao Body suddenly transmitted a strange tremor. He could clearly feel that the fluctuations of the dormant Ancient Forbidden Power, emanating from the deepest part of the Flesh Altar, were becoming clearer and more active.

Moreover, the fluctuation was not merely energy dissipation; it seemed more like... "breathing"? No, it was more like consciously "screening" or "sensing" some specific existence!

"What is it looking for?" Li Dong was filled with doubts.

Could it be... searching for him, the holder of the Perfect Dao Body? Or was it searching for something that resonated with it?

"I can't drag this out any longer!" Li Dong's gaze sharpened. The thumping sound beneath the ground was becoming increasingly rapid, as if something was about to burst forth at any moment.

He glanced at Qiankun Zi, who was fiercely fighting Wei Zheng and the Royal Ancestor, then at the two other Elders being held back by Mr. Xu and the others, and finally, his gaze returned to the high-hanging "Dragon Vein Fragment."

He had to finish this quickly!

Li Dong took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently. He bit the tip of his tongue hard, forcibly suppressing his surging vital Qi and blood.

"Dragon Vein... assist me!"

He activated Spiritual Resonance again, gathering all the remaining spiritual power in his body, along with the pure Dragon Vein augmentation power he had just acquired, and focused it all without reservation!

He was ready... to fight with his life!