240: Chapter 240 A Fight to the Death

The Vermilion Bird flapped its wings, and flames scorched the sky. Tongues of fire poured down like waterfalls of magma. Wherever they passed, the air hissed and sizzled as it burned. Even the permafrost of the Eternal Graveyard was baked until it cracked, with dark red flames churning within the charred fissures!

Dozens of phantom ancient exotic beasts broke free from the constraints of the Jade Slip, solidifying until they were almost indistinguishable from real entities. They roared and soared into the sky, encircling to form a massive killing formation. At the eye of the formation, the baleful Qi converged into a tangible black pillar of light, shooting straight into the clouds and tearing the firmament apart!

The primordial pressure shrouded the entire area like Mount Tai pressing down. The ground trembled violently, cracking into dense gullies. Thick Death Qi overflowed from the bottomless fissures, yet it was forced back by this baleful Qi—like startled snakes and ants, not daring to come any closer!

"Ten Thousand Beasts Burning Heaven Formation! Take them down!"

Saint Son Yao Wuyue's voice exploded like a thunderclap, making people's eardrums ache and their blood surge.

With a wave of his hand, the beast soul formation descended upon the three of them like a giant net covering the sky, carrying the power to destroy heaven and earth. The baleful Qi at the meshes of the net was enough to ignite the air, and even space itself was scorched, creating fine cracks and emitting a hissing, shattering sound!

"Form up!"

Xuanyuan Zhanxian gave a low shout. Although his voice was hoarse from his severe injuries, it remained full of strength, like a candle flickering in the wind yet still burning tenaciously.

The long sword in his hand slashed through the Void Realm, leaving behind a Chaos-colored sword mark. The sword momentum, carrying his remaining spiritual power, forcefully cleaved through the baleful Qi before him. The blood on the sword blade was stirred by his spiritual power, emitting a faint red glow—like an unyielding battle soul, roaring in a desperate situation!

Jian Tanghuang's Phoenix eyes widened, a flash of determination in their depths. The Phoenix True Fire burned fiercely around her, mixed with golden streamers of light, condensing into a crystal-clear fire shield that blocked the path in front of the three of them.

The Phoenix patterns on the fire shield were vivid and lifelike. As the wings spread, they radiated a scorching aura, repelling all approaching cold air and baleful Qi, like a divine bird reborn through Nirvana, looking down upon all demons with pride!

Chu Zhanxiao clenched his fists, his bones cracking. A silver-golden Dragon phantom illuminated around him, its scales shimmering with dazzling light. Lightning coiled around his fists, crackling and popping—each bolt of lightning carried the power of destruction and purification. Even with his spiritual power exhausted, he still radiated a heart-pounding pressure!

Although the three of them were at the end of their strength, their auras as weak as a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment, they shared a tacit understanding at this moment. They twisted their remaining spiritual power into a single rope, like three streams converging and rushing toward the sea—forcefully holding up a thin yet resilient defensive light shield above their heads!

The light shield flickered with a faint three-colored radiance—the Chaos-colored Sword Qi, the golden Phoenix fire, and the silver-golden lightning intertwined. Under the pressure of the Ten Thousand Beasts Burning Heaven Formation, it trembled slightly like a candle flame swaying in the wind, as if it would shatter the next moment—yet, it did not break!

"Overestimating your capabilities!"

Saint Son Yao Wuyue curled his lips into a cruel sneer, his eyes filled with disdain and killing intent. Just as he was about to urge the formation's power to completely crush the three of them—a cold, bone-chilling voice came from behind him, like the friction of ten-thousand-year ice, carrying endless mockery and majesty:

"Bullying the small, relying on strength to oppress the weak—do you deserve to be called a Prodigy of the Central Plains?"

Before the words faded, an aged finger-wind pierced through the air. This finger-wind seemed slow, like a falling leaf, yet it carried a precision that pierced to the essence, silently penetrating the barriers of the sky-filling beast souls, ignoring the violent baleful Qi—and pointed straight at the eye of the Ten Thousand Beasts formation! This was the center of a Taotie phantom's brow, and also the core of the entire formation's power!

"Pfft—"

The moment the finger-wind landed, the Taotie phantom let out a shriek of extreme misery, its voice filled with fear and unwillingness. Its massive body actually disintegrated rapidly like melting snow, turning into tiny scarlet specks of light that dissipated into the air, as if it had never existed!

Once the eye of the formation was broken, the Ten Thousand Beasts Burning Heaven Formation immediately fell into Chaos! The previously violent beast soul phantoms were like kites with broken strings, their light instantly dimming, and their roars becoming feeble, like dying beasts—the pressure of the formation plummeted by more than half!

Saint Son Yao Wuyue's expression changed drastically, as if he had seen a ghost. His pupils contracted sharply, and he turned his head abruptly. The old woman had approached him at some unknown time. Her withered palm looked like thousand-year-old dead wood, yet it carried a terrifying aura of annihilation that could destroy everything—striking straight at his heart!

Wherever the palm passed, the air was completely annihilated, leaving behind a pitch-black trail that even light could not penetrate, as if even the Void Realm was trembling under this palm!

"Elder Yin! Save me!"

Saint Son Yao Wuyue cried out for help in alarm, his voice filled with unprecedented panic. His figure retreated rapidly like a startled bird, his demonic power surging wildly around him, condensing into a black demonic shield, attempting to block the old woman's offensive.

Elder Yin did not dare to be negligent in the slightest. His sleeves danced wildly, whipping up a sky full of Death Qi to form a thick black barrier. The barrier was covered in eerie runes, radiating a chilling killing intent. At the same time, he unleashed a black bone blade flickering with a ghostly green light. The bone blade was carved with dense skull patterns, emitting a sickening Death Qi—and without hesitation, he met the old woman's palm!

"Boom!"

A deafening, dull explosion erupted, like the collision of two ancient mountains! The violent power spread out from the two of them as the center. The surrounding tombstones instantly shattered into powder, the earth cracked into even deeper gullies, gravel flew, and dust filled the sky!

Elder Yin was hit as if by a heavy hammer. The black bone blade in his hand instantly shattered into countless fragments, and the violent power surged into his body along his arm—he let out a muffled groan, and his whole body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a broken tombstone!

The tombstone shattered upon impact. Elder Yin spat out a mouthful of pitch-black blood, staining the ground before him red. His aura instantly withered away, like a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment!

The old woman's figure swayed slightly, clearly having received some backlash, but her offensive did not stop in the slightest. Her withered palm reached out again, carrying an even faster and fiercer momentum, like a poisonous snake flicking its tongue—grabbing at Saint Son Yao Wuyue once more!

Long Yue seized the opportunity to strike. Lunar radiance surged around her, pouring out like a silver river. The moonlight, like a ribbon of silk, instantly entangled the remaining beast soul phantoms—binding and annihilating them one by one!

At the same time, she said to Xuanyuan Zhanxian and the others in a low voice: "Go! This place is not suitable for staying long!"

The three of them understood and, forcefully enduring the agonizing pain in their bodies that felt like being cut by knives, stumbled after Long Yue, breaking through toward the depths of the Secret Realm. Every step they took felt as if countless steel needles were stirring within their Meridians. Fresh blood constantly spilled from the corners of their mouths, dripping onto the ground—leaving a trail of bright red footprints, shocking to the eye!

Chu Zhanxiao looked back and saw Saint Son Yao Wuyue being forced into a miserable state by the old woman, parrying left and right. The light of the Ten Thousand Beasts Jade Slip had completely extinguished, and it fell to the ground like an ordinary stone. Although there was a trace of satisfaction in his heart, there was more fear of surviving a disaster—if it hadn't been for the old woman from Guanghan Immortal Palace helping, they would surely have died today, and not even their corpses might have remained!

"Want to leave? Not that easy!"

Saint Son Yao Wuyue roared, a flash of crazy determination in his eyes. He knew deep down that the old woman's strength was terrifying and that fighting head-on would only lead to death. Seeing that Chu Zhanxiao and the others were about to escape, he cruelly bit the tip of his tongue—and sprayed a mouthful of essence blood containing his own Origin onto the Ten Thousand Beasts Jade Slip!

The essence blood landed on the Jade Slip and was instantly absorbed. The Jade Slip suddenly erupted with a final, brilliant light. Within the light, a pitch-black portal instantly took shape—the space inside the gate was distorted, emitting a dangerous aura, as if it were a giant beast waiting to devour people!

The next moment, Saint Son Yao Wuyue's figure appeared before the four of them like a ghost. With one palm, he knocked back Long Yue, who had not yet fully steadied her figure. Black Qi swirled in his palm, carrying a vicious and tricky offensive—reaching straight for Chu Zhanxiao!

The timing of this palm was extremely precise, occurring exactly when Long Yue's old strength was exhausted and her new strength had not yet been generated, and when Xuanyuan Zhanxian and Jian Tanghuang were unable to spare any effort. He knew well that Chu Zhanxiao was the one with the most severe injuries and the weakest aura among the three—as long as he captured him, today would not be considered a return without success!

"Junior Brother, look out!"

Xuanyuan Zhanxian's eyes were splitting, filled with bloodshot veins. He wanted to rescue him, but it was already too late. He had exhausted the last trace of spiritual power in his body to form the formation just a moment ago. Now, his old strength was gone, and his new strength had not yet been generated. He could only watch helplessly as Saint Son Yao Wuyue's palm reached for Chu Zhanxiao—his heart filled with despair and unwillingness, as if being cut by a knife, dripping with blood!

Jian Tanghuang's Phoenix True Fire shield was still blocking the outside; it was already too late to return for defense. She watched helplessly as Saint Son Yao Wuyue's palm drew closer and closer. The Phoenix True Fire was almost burning out her last bit of spiritual power, yet it only grazed the corner of Saint Son Yao Wuyue's clothes, failing to cause even a trace of obstruction—her eyes instantly filled with tears and despair, her voice choked with sobs: "Junior Brother!"

Long Yue was shaken by that sudden palm, her blood and Qi surging. Her lunar power stalled slightly. She wanted to turn back to rescue him, but was blocked by the spatial power emitted by the portal—she could only let out an urgent, low shout: "Look out!"

Chu Zhanxiao, who was already in a state of severe injury, no longer had the strength to even lift his hand. He could only watch helplessly as that hand of Saint Son Yao Wuyue, wreathed in black Qi, grabbed toward him—dragging him toward that pitch-black teleportation formation filled with unknowns and danger. The Ancestral Dragon blood within his body seemed to sense a fatal threat and surged wildly, yet it was still unable to break free from this desperate constraint.

Xuanyuan Zhanxian's long sword cleaved through the Void Realm, but when it touched the edge of the portal, it was deflected by a twisted spatial force, shaking his tiger's mouth until it cracked. Blood dripped down the sword blade, staining the ground before him red. He roared at the sky, his voice filled with endless anger and unwillingness, like an injured lion: "Saint Son Yao Wuyue! If you hurt him in the slightest—I, Xuanyuan Zhanxian, will hunt you down to the ends of the earth in this lifetime—and we shall not rest until one of us is dead!"