257: Chapter 257 A Desperate Gamble

With that pat, the skull seemed to come to life. Its jaw clattered and rattled, and deep within its hollow eye sockets, two clumps of eerie green ghostfire ignited with a "bang," flickering unsteadily.

Immediately after, a scalp-numbing "chi-chi" sound rang out. Countless dark green poison needles, fine as ox hair, sprayed out from the skull's seven orifices like a torrential downpour!

These poison needles were not physical objects; they were condensed by the Ancestor of the Ye Family using his own True Qi, fused with a hundred kinds of toxic miasmas and Evil Qi. In an instant, they covered all the space within thirty feet of Ye Tian!

Not only that, but every single poison needle was coated in bone-eroding venom. Moreover, they carried a sliver of insidious and malicious Soul-eroding power, specifically designed to break through protective True Qi, foul the Meridians, and rot the spiritual consciousness.

Before the poison needles even arrived, a decaying stench had already spread. The surrounding vegetation withered upon contact, and where the ground was swept by the aftershocks, patches of scorched black foam immediately bubbled up with a "zi-zi" sound.

At almost the same instant, the Ancestor of the Zhao Family, who had been silently watching from the side with cold eyes, also moved with killing intent.

He knew well how formidable Old Monster Ye's poison techniques were, but he had more faith in his own sword.

He slowly raised his right hand, forming an ancient sword seal, and then tapped the void seven times in succession toward Ye Tian's position!

With each tap, a wisp of grayish-black cold Qi escaped from his fingertip. It was unnoticeable at first, but once the seventh finger finished tapping...

"Mystic Yin Seven-Kill Swords!"

Seven strands of Sword Qi, fine as hair, deep black in color, and radiating an aura of extinct vitality, condensed in mid-air!

These seven strands of Sword Qi were not released haphazardly; they were arranged according to the positions of the Big Dipper, forming a sword formation that completely locked down all of Ye Tian's possible routes for retreating, sidestepping, or even soaring into the sky!

The Sword Qi had already reached the level of returning to simplicity. As they flew, not only was there no sound of breaking wind, but they even swallowed and absorbed the light they passed through. Looking at them, one could only see seven points of deeper darkness tracing twisted trajectories through the air, striking from the seven most difficult angles to defend against!

These seven swords took their meaning from the solemn killing intent of the Big Dipper. It was a highly sophisticated killing move within the Zhao Family's sword Dao, created specifically to execute powerful enemies.

Between these two great killing moves, one covered a wide area, penetrating every opening.

The other sealed off all paths of retreat.

One poison and one sword, one Yin and one Evil—these were already the top-tier methods the two Old Ancestors could display while under the suppression of this world!

In all directions, above and below, there was no chance of survival.

Let alone the True Martial Sixth Stage; even an ordinary True Martial Eighth Stage or even a powerhouse who had just entered the Sea Transformation Realm would inevitably be thrown into a panic when suddenly facing such a pincer attack. Even with heaven-defying abilities, they would likely end up heavily injured and in critical condition!

"Senior Brother!"

In the distance, Hou Xiaojie saw it clearly. The dark green poisonous cloud and the seven points of life-claiming ghostly light swallowed Ye Tian in an instant!

His fur stood on end, and he instinctively wanted to rush forward regardless of everything. However, the terrifying Spiritual Pressure emitted by the two Old Ancestors as they exerted their full strength pressed him firmly to the spot. He couldn't move an inch and could only watch helplessly.

The Mini Dragon Ape on Ye Tian's shoulder was also howling in a frantic rage. Although its intelligence was only beginning to develop, it could sense its master was facing a desperate situation.

The little thing desperately stimulated the thin Dragon Ape Bloodline Power within its body. Opening its small mouth, it spat out one condensed pale fireline after another in rapid succession, attempting to intercept some of the poison needles and that eerie black Sword Qi.

Its innate spiritual fire did indeed have the effect of purifying Yin, evil, and poisonous filth. Wherever the flames passed, the edges of a few poison needles and Sword Qi were indeed scorched, dimming and dissipating slightly.

However, facing attacks as dense as a meteor shower, its flames were merely a drop in the bucket. It only managed to eliminate an insignificant fraction and could not turn the tide at all.

On the other side, Jing Wutian, Sikong Changhe, and the others had long been forced back repeatedly by the terrifying aftershocks of the offensive. Their faces were pale, and cold sweat dripped from their foreheads.

A clash of this level possessed power far beyond what they could reach. Forget about intervening; even standing closer caused their protective True Qi to fluctuate violently and their blood and Qi to churn. A slight lapse in caution could result in being heavily injured by a stray wisp of energy.

Only shock and helplessness remained in their eyes. They no longer had the slightest thought of competing with Ye Tian; they only thought of self-preservation.

In contrast, wild joy suddenly bloomed on the faces of Ye Yiyi and Zhao Chengzhi.

Ye Yiyi's beautiful eyes stared fixedly at the figure submerged in the poisonous cloud and sword light. Her red lips curled into a look of gratification, as if she had already seen Ye Tian's miserable death, riddled with a thousand holes.

Zhao Chengzhi gripped his sword hilt tightly. Although he felt unwilling after losing to Ye Tian, seeing a Genius like Ye Tian about to fall brought an indescribable sense of satisfaction to his heart.

In their view, with the two Old Ancestors simultaneously performing such trump card techniques, even if Ye Tian had three heads and six arms or vast Divine Abilities, there was absolutely no chance for him. He would surely end up with ten thousand poisons piercing his heart and his body torn apart by Sword Qi!

Facing this inescapable death net, Ye Tian's mind analyzed the situation rapidly!

Resist it head-on?

Let alone the fact that his cultivation was far inferior, even with the ancient sword pill protecting his body, it would be extremely difficult to escape unscathed from such malicious attacks augmented by the Sea Transformation Concept. He would be turned into pus, blood, and powder in an instant!

Flee?

His entire body's Qi had already been firmly locked by the Seven-Star Sword Formation and the sky-filling poisonous evil. It was like being stuck in a swamp. No matter how marvelous the Taixu Star-Shift Steps were, it would be hard to escape this narrow killing trap!

In this breath of life and death, his mind remained clear and unclouded. All the previous anomalies suddenly connected into a single line.

When the two Old Ancestors descended, their pressure shook the entire field. The chaos bead in his robes made his perception of that dark red, sword-shaped stone pillar not far away resonate straight into the depths of his Soul!

The thing sleeping inside that stone pillar had an extraordinary sensitivity and "appetite" for powerful external energy fluctuations, especially the malice and killing intent contained within them!

"To seek life within danger, this is the only way!"

In the spark of a flint, Ye Tian forcibly merged the ancient sword pill's Origin Sword Intent, the Cloud-Breaking Sword Intent, and his Martial Dao Will!

This process was extremely perilous. A slight mistake would result in ruined Meridians and a backlash from the Sword Intent.

Veins bulged slightly on his forehead and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, yet he forcibly compressed this fused, terrifying power into an extreme sword glow, coating the liuguang sword in his hand!

A speck of silver-white starlight flickered at the tip of the sword. The surrounding air emitted a low hum, even giving off a faint sensation of tearing the Void Realm.

Then, using a move from the Taixu Star-Shift Steps called "Star Stream Shadow Chase," he left behind a lifelike afterimage to attract attention. Simultaneously, his true body burned essence blood, exploding with maximum speed as he thrust the liuguang sword toward the dark red sword-shaped stone pillar not far from his side!

His target was none other than that dark red page emitting an aura that made even his Soul throb with fear!

"What is he doing?!"

"Instead of defending against the enemy, he's attacking the stone pillar?"

"Could he have been driven mad by fear?!"

In the distance, Jing Wutian, Sikong Changhe, and the others were all dumbfounded and completely bewildered by this incomprehensible move.

Only Jing Wutian had the most meticulous mind. He had already felt that the stone pillar was strange. Now, seeing Ye Tian strike the stone pillar regardless of everything at the moment of life and death, a flash of insight struck him. His face changed drastically, and he lost his voice crying out, "No!

That stone pillar... has a terrifying anomaly! Retreat, quickly!"

However, it happened faster than it takes to tell!

Just as the torrential rain of dark green poison needles and the seven life-claiming, pitch-black Big Dipper Sword Qi were about to touch Ye Tian's clothes...

"Chii!"

Ye Tian's liuguang sword had already pierced the surface of the dark red stone pillar, at the intersection of the deepest cracks!

And it directly touched that quietly floating dark red page!

Woooong!!!!

A terrifying sword hum suddenly erupted from within the dark red stone pillar!

This sword hum was low and vigorous. It initially echoed within the stone pillar, but in an instant, it spread out like rolling thunder, shaking the entire Sword Pavilion hall and causing dust to fall from the beams and pillars!

Moreover, it contained a supreme Sword Dao killing intent capable of slaying stars and slaughtering all living beings!

Immediately after, the countless cracks on the surface of the stone pillar suddenly burst forth with a blood-colored light so bright it was blinding!

A terrifying Evil Qi and destructive Sword Intent, filled with slaughter, madness, resentment, and the extinction of all life, erupted violently, instantly sweeping through the entire hall!

That aura was so powerful and violent it was almost tangible, pressing down until everyone present stopped breathing. Their hearts hammered like drums, and those with weaker cultivation felt their legs go soft, nearly kneeling down!

Rumble rumble rumble!!!

Centered on that dark red stone pillar, a ring-shaped shockwave, like blood-colored crystal, exploded outward, spreading frantically in all directions!

Bearing the brunt of it were precisely the Ancestor of the Ye Family's all-encompassing "Ten Thousand Poison Sky-Erosion" needles and the Ancestor of the Zhao Family's "Mystic Yin Seven-Kill Sword Qi" that had sealed off all paths of survival!