357: Chapter 357 The Righteous Path of the Northern Region

A tidal wave of gold and black energy crazily intertwined, annihilated, and collided in the sky. The surging waves shot straight into the Nine Heavens, tearing the black clouds filling the sky to shreds—the clear blue sky suddenly reappeared!

The terrifying shockwave swept in all directions like an apocalyptic tsunami. Wherever it passed, sand and stones flew, ancient trees were snapped, and palace halls cracked!

The Formation light screen surrounding the arena, set up by generations of Xuantian Sect experts and already covered in spiderweb-like cracks, could no longer hold under this violent power. It let out a shrill cry, shattered with a boom, and dissipated into the world as specks of spiritual light!

The entire Martial Arts Arena instantly became a purgatory on earth where energy ran rampant!

The turbulent energy chaos rushed in all directions like an unbridled Vicious Beast, and the air waves howled as they swept up broken stones and shattered wood.

The Disciples around the Martial Arts Arena were so frightened that their Souls Flying Away and Spirits Scattering; they screamed and scrambled backward in a sorry state.

Cultivators who were too close to the arena couldn't dodge in time. They were fiercely blown away by the air waves and slammed heavily into stone pillars in the distance, vomiting large mouthfuls of blood on the spot—their protective spiritual light completely shattered, scattering like starlight!

Crack—! A crisp, ear-piercing sound that tore through the heart suddenly exploded from the core of the energy storm, overpowering all the roaring noise.

Everyone looked up—the Xuantian Demon-Suppressing Seal, which had been blocking out the sky and possessing world-topping pressure just moments ago, after clashing head-on with the golden fist imprint for several seconds, was actually blasted backward by the unparalleled power of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body!

The pitch-black body of the seal was covered in dense spiderweb-like cracks, deep enough to see the bone.

The mysterious runes that had been circulating flickered on and off, dimming to the point of near-invisibility, and the suppression power around it receded like a tide—it was clearly severely damaged and on the verge of shattering!

The Enforcement Elder, who was controlling the ancient seal, was struck as if by a thunderbolt from the Nine Heavens. His chest heaved violently, and he spat out a large mouthful of scalding blood with a "wa" sound, which splashed onto the jade tiles, scarlet and eye-catching.

His complexion instantly turned as pale as paper, devoid of any color. His Soul Transformation Stage pressure declined sharply, and he staggered back several steps—if not for the timely support of an Elder beside him, he would have collapsed to the ground!

He stared fixedly at the golden figure in mid-air, his eyes surging with extreme shock and inexplicable fear—

A Golden Core Late Stage junior, relying solely on the brute force of her Physical Body, had actually clashed with and defeated the life-bound Divine Ability he had activated with all his might at the Soul Transformation Stage?!

This level of combat power completely overturned his understanding from hundreds of years of cultivation—a bone-chilling cold surged from the bottom of his heart, freezing his entire body!

Luo Xiaojiu stood proudly in mid-air, the brilliant golden light around her body slowly receding, turning into faint golden radiance lingering around her.

However, the unique, world-dominating, and heaven-ruling aura of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body still pressed down like a heavy mountain, permeating the space above the Martial Arts Arena—no one dared to cross the line.

She lowered her eyes slightly, her chest trembling slightly, with a barely perceptible pant.

That punch just now had almost drained all the Origin of the Sacred Body she could mobilize at this moment, exhausting her mind and spiritual power to the limit—but the effect gained from this extreme consumption was earth-shattering, shocking the entire audience!

The golden light supported her as her figure sank slightly, landing slowly. Her toes tapped the ground lightly, without stirring up even a speck of dust.

She raised her eyes, her gaze sweeping across the surroundings with disdain.

Her cold, clear gaze swept over the livid members of the Xuantian Sect on the high platform, over the various Northern Region forces on the observation platform with their varied expressions, and over the thousands of Disciples below who were silent as cicadas in winter—there was no triumph in her eyes, only bone-chilling coldness and disdain, cold enough to freeze one's heart.

The vast Martial Arts Arena was silent at this moment; one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone was stunned by these successive earth-shattering events and stood frozen on the spot, their minds blank.

First, Li Jiuyou achieved a Breakthrough in a desperate situation, condensing the legendary, never-before-seen Nine Nether Monarch Dharma Image, and decisively defeating the Northern Region's number one Prodigy.

Then, this mysterious girl appeared out of thin air, repelled a Soul Transformation Elder with one punch, revealed the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body that had been extinct for ages, and even defeated a Soul Transformation life-bound Divine Ability head-on...

Was today's Xuantian Sect Grand Competition still just a Sect martial contest?

This was clearly a series of Heaven-Defying miracles unfolding—shattering everyone's perception into dust!

Luo Xiaojiu's crisp yet cold voice exploded again in the silent Martial Arts Arena, like ice beads hitting an iron plate. Every word was clear, every word struck at the heart—it was just like loud slaps, fiercely striking the face of the Xuantian Sect and the faces of all the "Righteous Path" forces in the Northern Region:

"Do you see? This is the power possessed by the friend you call an 'Evil Path'!"

"Aren't you accustomed to considering yourselves the 'Righteous Path', accustomed to oppressing others with power, accustomed to arbitrarily convicting 'outsiders', and accustomed to letting those who follow you prosper and those who oppose you perish?"

Her voice rose suddenly, wrapped in a world-dominating arrogance, causing the surrounding air to hum and tremble:

"Now, is my power 'Righteous' enough? Is it strong enough? Can it catch the eyes of you 'Righteous Path' members of the Northern Region?"

"If it's not enough—you can all come at me together! No need to talk about rules, no need to care about face, I, Luo Xiaojiu, will take it all! I want to see if you 'Righteous Path' members of the Northern Region are more powerful with your numbers, or if my 'Evil Path' friend and her fists are harder!"

Her words were arrogant to the extreme, domineering to the bone—mercilessly tearing away the hypocritical veil of the Northern Region's Righteous Path, trampling their arrogance and narrow-mindedness underfoot, and grinding them into powder!

With Golden Core Late Stage cultivation, heavily injuring a Soul Transformation Elder with one punch, revealing the legendary Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, and openly challenging the entire Righteous Path of the Northern Region—

This confidence and this courage made everyone tremble in their hearts, losing all their nerve!

On the high platform, the Xuantian Sect Master's face was as livid as ink, his spiritual power surging crazily due to extreme rage. His knuckles were clenched white, making clicking sounds, and his whole body was trembling violently.

The other Elders were also shocked and angry, the murderous intent in their eyes almost solidifying, and the pressure around them was ready to move—yet each of them was afraid of breaking the vase while catching the rat!

The Desolate Ancient Sacred Body has appeared; how could there not be a heaven-shaking force supporting her from behind?

Moreover, the girl's own combat power was already incredible; a Golden Core Late Stage Cultivator could clash head-on with a Soul Transformation Cultivator—if they really made a move, the Xuantian Sect might not necessarily gain any advantage, and might instead invite disaster, leading to their own destruction!

The various major forces of the Northern Region watching the ceremony had even more complex and unclear thoughts at this moment, with undercurrents surging.

Some had eager desires to befriend her in their eyes, secretly wondering how to cling to this great Desolate Ancient Sacred Body expert and rise by borrowing her momentum.

Some were calculating to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, wanting to take the opportunity to suppress the Xuantian Sect's arrogance and share its power as the number one Sect in the Northern Region;

Even worse, some had naked greed surging in their eyes, staring fixedly at Luo Xiaojiu—coveting the Origin of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body that could defy the heavens and change fate, and vicious schemes were already breeding and spreading in their hearts!

For a time, the entire Martial Arts Arena fell into an eerie stalemate.

No one dared to make the first move, and no one dared to speak out in reprimand—only the tension and murderous aura permeating the air, like ink dripping into clear water, became increasingly thick, pressing down until people couldn't breathe.

Luo Xiaojiu still stood proudly in the arena, her goose-yellow dress fluttering in the wind, and the faint golden radiance around her was like the halo of a war god.

She was like an undefeated female war god, using her still-tender yet incomparably firm shoulders for the boy behind her, who had just struggled out of the abyss of despair only to be pushed into deeper darkness by the cold and resolute Xuantian Sect—

To prop up a small but sufficiently dazzling and warm world.

Li Jiuyou lay on the cold, gravel-strewn ground, his whole body in excruciating pain, and black blood was still slowly seeping from his seven orifices.

Yet he used all his strength to lift his head with difficulty, gazing at the figure before him whose golden light had not yet dissipated and who had been deeply branded into his Soul.

His dry, cracked lips trembled slightly, but he could not make a sound.

Only those eyes, which had been dead for half a lifetime and had just ignited a glimmer of light—

Were now gathering light crazily, becoming brighter and brighter, like a bonfire in the cold night, dispelling layers of gloom.

Perhaps... this world was not entirely cold, and not entirely unable to accommodate him, this "outsider" with the Nine Yin Absolute Veins.

At least, the one who brought him light at this moment, stood up for him, and dared to be an enemy of the entire Northern Region Righteous Path—

Was not the "Righteous Path" Sect for which he had fought with all his might, only to be discarded like worn-out shoes in the end, but a strange girl he had never known, had just happened to meet, and who had even once boasted that she would let him "eat and drink the best".

A warm current—a warm current he had never felt before—broke through the layers of ice, slowly flowing through his long-frozen heart.

He used the last of his strength to pull at his dry, cracked lips, struggling to spit out hoarse and broken words—each word wrapped in deep gratitude, and also each word hiding the determination not to drag her down:

"Fellow Daoist... thank you... for your help... this is my affair... it has nothing to do with you... you... leave quickly... this grace and sentiment... I, Li Jiuyou... will never forget..."

Luo Xiaojiu heard Li Jiuyou's words, which were feigned toughness but actually as weak as a gossamer thread, and couldn't help but roll her eyes—the murderous, violent aura that had been wrapped up in the fierce battle just now dissipated by more than half in an instant.

She simply turned around, akimbo, and looked down at the boy lying in the pile of rubble, her crisp voice exploding with spiritual power, full of unquestionable dominance:

"Hey! Why are you more stubborn than a stone in a latrine?"

"What are you talking about, your business and my business? Since this young lady has dared to stand up—from now on, this matter is my business!"

She raised her eyes to sweep over the group of livid old guys on the high platform, and then glanced sideways at the Xuantian Sect Disciples who were eyeing her covetously but dared not act rashly, her tone filled with undisguised disdain:

"What Xuantian Sect, what Northern Region Righteous Path—in the end, you are just a bunch of old stubborn fools who bully others by taking advantage of your power and turn black into white!"

Her voice paused slightly, and her gaze fell back onto Li Jiuyou, her eyes suddenly fixing like iron, each word resonant, cutting through nails and chopping iron:

"Li Jiuyou, listen to me carefully!"

"Today, with me, Luo Xiaojiu, here—"

She said every word clearly, her voice like gold and stone clashing, causing the stone walls of the Martial Arts Arena to hum, resounding through this silent world:

"There—is—no—one—who—can—touch—a—single—hair—on—you!"

"Let—alone—cripple—you!"

She almost roared the last few words—they contained both the sky-high spirit of a newborn calf not fearing the tiger, and were wrapped in the unique, world-dominating aura of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body!

The golden divine light rose faintly around her body again, as if she had been plated with a layer of molten gold.

The roar of surging blood and Qi was like the beating of war drums, hitting the hearts of everyone one by one—making the whole audience clearly feel her determination, which was all-in and unquestionable!

"Who—dares—to—touch—him—!"

"First—get—past—me—!"

She slammed a step forward—the already shattered arena stone slab beneath her feet cracked inch by inch in response, and broken stones splashed like rain!