358: Chapter 358 A Sudden Change!

A wave of Sacred Body Aura, more tyrannical and purer than before, swept out like a tsunami—the very energies that had been secretly locking onto her and Li Jiuyou were forcibly repelled by this pressure, and the surrounding air was even slightly distorted by the force!

In this moment, she was no longer the little disciple who acted spoiled behind her Revered Master, or who respected and secretly competed with her Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters; she was no longer the naive little girl hiding under the wings of the Sect.

She was Luo Xiaojiu!

She was the holder of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, a power unseen in the world for ten thousand years, capable of sweeping across an entire generation!

She was the self-proclaimed "Senior Sister" who would see injustice and intervene until the very end!

She wanted to use her own fists, to use the power of this Sacred Body, to tell this cold and narrow-minded Xuantian Sect, to tell this chilling Northern Region—

Some people, some Dao, are not things they can deny just because they want to, nor can they bully them just because they wish to!

Li Jiuyou stared blankly at the petite figure standing before him.

Her goose-yellow dress fluttered violently in the gale, a faint golden light swirling around her—though she looked thin and fragile, she seemed capable of supporting the heavens alone.

Listening to her declaration, which was domineering to the extreme yet wrapped in gentle warmth, his throat felt as if it were blocked by molten iron; it ached and swelled, and his eyes inexplicably grew hot.

Even the black blood seeping from his seven orifices seemed to have lost some of its biting coldness.

He moved his chapped lips with difficulty; the refusals and bravado that had already reached his lips were now choked back, turning entirely into a silent sob.

Perhaps... could he really believe just this once?

Believe in this eccentric and domineering girl who had suddenly burst into his desperate situation, shattered his overwhelming despair, and brought him a ray of completely different light?

On the high platform, the expressions of the Xuantian Sect Master and the various Elders were already so gloomy they could drip water, the malevolent Aura around them almost solidifying.

This yellow-haired brat had provoked them again and again—daring to trample the dignity of the Xuantian Sect underfoot right in front of the entire Northern Region!

If they did not grind her bones to dust today, how would the Xuantian Sect have the face to stand in the Northern Region in the future? How could they have the virtue or ability to call themselves the number one Sect in the Northern Region?!

"You evil spawn! Do you really think my Xuantian Sect has no one left?!"

A roar exploded, and the Transmission Elder, who had an equally fiery temper, could no longer hold back. The Soul Transformation Stage Aura around him erupted like a collapsing mountain, in no way inferior to the previous Enforcement Elder:

"Fellow Sect members, attack with me! Execute this demoness along with that Jiuyou evil spawn, to restore the prestige of our Sect!"

Following his command, several Soul Transformation Elders on the high platform simultaneously formed hand seals. Lights of various colors surged like daylight—sword shadows crisscrossed, heavy seal glows, and surging Lightning Tribulation all appeared at once, carrying earth-shattering killing intent as they charged fiercely toward Luo Xiaojiu!

"Yo! Can't win, so you're calling for backup? You're actually going to gang up on me?"

Luo Xiaojiu not only showed no fear, but instead curled her lips into an even deeper sneer.

The golden light of her Sacred Body became increasingly brilliant and intense, like a raging golden torch, illuminating the entire Martial Arts Arena:

"Come on, come on! By all means, come at me together! Today, this young lady wants to see just how many shameful 'Righteous Path' tricks your so-called number one Sect in the Northern Region actually has!"

She actually took half a step forward to meet them, protecting Li Jiuyou tightly behind her, her back as straight as a pine, assuming a stance of one man guarding the pass, impenetrable by ten thousand.

Although she knew deep down that facing the joint siege of several Soul Transformation Elders, her cultivation level would likely lead to misfortune, and she might even end up severely injured or near death—she could not lose even a fraction of her Aura!

The pride of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body would not allow her to retreat even half a step!

Just as the killing moves of the Xuantian Sect's several Elders were about to reach her, the various Divine Ability lights like a collapsing galaxy of stars, and it seemed Luo Xiaojiu was about to be completely submerged, with several fatal killing intents already locked onto her vital points—

A sudden change occurred!

"Hahaha! Fellow Daoist of the Xuantian Sect, why make such a big fuss to deal with a little girl?"

A sinister, long laugh wrapped in undisguised greed suddenly exploded from the spectator seats, the eerie tone making one's scalp tingle:

"Why not hand this girl over to this old man? I am willing to exchange three Emperor-grade Magic Treasures for her, how about it?"

Before the words had even faded, an old man wearing blood-colored robes with a withered face suddenly stood up, the sinister blood-evil Qi around him rising to the sky, piercing through the clouds.

He waved his hand, and a blood-colored handprint that blocked the sky condensed out of thin air. The handprint was covered in strange runes and carried a potent poison that could corrode the Divine Soul—it ignored the killing moves of the Xuantian Sect members and reached straight for Luo Xiaojiu, clearly intending to kidnap her alive!

This person was the notorious Loose Cultivator demon "Blood-Hand Slaughterer" of the Northern Region, whose cultivation had already reached the Late Stage of Undergoing Tribulation, and whose methods were ruthlessly peerless.

Having heard that the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body had appeared, he had long been salivating, and now he could no longer hold back, fiercely making a move to snatch her!

"Old Demon Blood, what kind of thing do you think you are? You dare to covet the Sacred Body?"

An icy, piercing female voice sounded immediately after.

On the other side of the spectator seats, a brilliant sword light like an inverted galaxy, arriving after but striking first, carrying the biting coldness of freezing ten thousand miles, slashed directly at that blood handprint!

The one who attacked was a woman with a cold and elegant temperament, dressed in plain white robes; she was the Grand Elder of the "Ice Soul Sword Sect," another major power in the Northern Region, whose cultivation was equally unfathomable.

A glimmer of certainty flashed in her eyes; clearly, she had also long coveted Luo Xiaojiu's Desolate Ancient Sacred Body—how could she allow others to take a step ahead?

"Hmph! This girl disrupted the Sect Grand Competition, insulted my Northern Region Fellow Daoists in public, and has no regard for moral laws—she should be taken back by my Zhenyue Mountain for strict interrogation to rectify the atmosphere!"

A rough, violent shout exploded, and another powerful Aura shot into the sky from the spectator seats.

A burly man, as sturdy as an iron tower of black iron, stepped through the air, his massive frame blocking half the light of the sky.

He raised his hand and threw a punch fiercely, the Fist Intent as heavy as ten thousand mountains collapsing, the gale wind swirling with gravel, whistling and tearing through the air—it looked like it was aiming straight for Luo Xiaojiu, but deep within the fist force, it hid a locking and seizing momentum, clearly using the pretext of "upholding justice" to actually snatch the Sacred Body!

The Revered Master of Zhenyue Mountain, with Void Refining Early Stage cultivation, was originally an overlord of the Northern Region—at this moment, he completely disregarded his Sect's reputation and fiercely entered the fray to compete!

In an instant, several terrifying Auras on the spectator seats erupted simultaneously.

Various Divine Ability lights and Magic Treasure glows intertwined and collided in mid-air, rainbow lights piercing the sky, demonic mists surging—all the killing edges were locked onto that petite golden figure in the arena!

The so-called Righteous Path principles and Sect reputation—in the face of the temptation of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body, which could defy the heavens and change fate, allowing one to ascend to immortality in one step, were all thrown to the Nine Heavens!

Everyone was too lazy to make up any more high-sounding excuses; they tore off that layer of hypocritical fig leaf, each showing their Divine Abilities and revealing their trump cards—they actually intended to forcibly snatch this peerless treasure, which was hard to encounter in ten thousand years, right in the important territory of the Xuantian Sect's mountain gate!

The scene instantly fell into extreme chaos!

Before the Xuantian Sect Elders' profound Sect Divine Abilities could reach her, the Blood-Hand Slaughterer's corrosive blood handprint, the Ice Soul Sword Sect's extreme cold Immortal-slaying sword light, the Zhenyue Mountain Revered Master's mountain-like fist Aura, plus several strange killing moves hidden in the shadows—all came thundering toward Luo Xiaojiu!

Thousands of terrifying energies collided, intertwined, and annihilated madly above the Martial Arts Arena, erupting with earth-shattering power.

The roaring sounds shook the world, causing the surrounding mountains to tremble violently, as if the end of the world had arrived!

The entire Xuantian Sect Martial Arts Arena was tottering, cracks on the ground spreading like spiderwebs in all directions, stone pillars crumbling, palaces collapsing—in the next second, it was about to completely collapse and overturn!

Luo Xiaojiu was at the very center of the storm, the pressure around her suddenly increasing ten million times!

She gritted her teeth until they chattered, pushing the power of the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body to the limit.

The golden divine light around her surged ten thousand zhang, turning into an inverted, indestructible golden bell, shielding herself and Li Jiuyou behind her tightly—hard-resisting the terrifying aftermath attacking from all directions.

But those forces were truly too tyrannical; even with the Sacred Body's golden bell protecting her, her internal organs were still shaken until they churned, and a trace of eye-catching crimson had already spilled from the corner of her mouth.

After all, she was only at the Golden Core Late Stage of cultivation; even with the Heaven-Defying Sacred Body, it was hard to resist the joint covetousness and siege of Mahayana and Undergoing Tribulation powerhouses.

Under the continuous, violent impacts, the golden bell light barrier was already rippling with layers of waves, its light flickering—on the verge of shattering!

Li Jiuyou lay paralyzed on the ground, watching helplessly as Luo Xiaojiu carried the weight of ten thousand jun of attacks with her thin body.

This golden figure was teetering in the sky full of light, and his heart felt as if it were being scorched by raging fire, the pain unbearable.

He exhausted all his remaining strength to struggle and stand up, even if it meant only blocking one attack for her, even if it meant being smashed to pieces, he was willing—but he was firmly pressed back by Luo Xiaojiu's backhand.

"Don't move!" she whispered, her voice wrapped in pain that was hard to suppress, but those eyes, bright as cold stars, revealed unyielding determination, "With this young lady here—no one can hurt you in the slightest."

One sentence, understated yet as heavy as a thousand jun, smashed fiercely into Li Jiuyou's heart, making his eye sockets burn, his whole body's strength seemingly drained away—leaving only endless bitterness and bone-deep helplessness.

Just at this moment of extreme chaos, when Luo Xiaojiu's golden bell light barrier was about to shatter and several fatal attacks were on the verge of engulfing and capturing her—

"Hmph!"

An old, low, yet majestic cold snort suddenly exploded in the world!

This cold snort was not loud, but it seemed to explode directly in the depths of everyone's Divine Soul—like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens rolling over the lake of their hearts, carrying a monstrous pressure that looked down on all living beings!

Everyone who was attacking, competing, or brewing killing moves—whether it was the Xuantian Sect's Undergoing Tribulation Elder, or Void Refining powerhouses like the Zhenyue Mountain Revered Master and the Ice Soul Sword Sect Elder, or even the infamous Blood-Hand Slaughterer—

All their bodies shook violently, as if they had been fiercely smashed in the chest by an invisible heavy hammer!

The surging spiritual power in their bodies instantly became chaotic and reversed, their blood and Qi churned, and a fishy sweetness surged up their throats.

Everyone's faces turned as pale as paper, their movements frozen in mid-air, and they all looked in unison with extreme horror toward the depths of the Xuantian Sect—

That Forbidden Ground in the back mountain, which was shrouded in clouds and mist all year round and heavily restricted!

The next moment—

An indescribable, vast as an abyss, terrifying Aura that seemed to soar above all living beings in heaven and earth, like a primordial Vicious Beast that had been sleeping for ages suddenly waking up, slowly permeated from the Forbidden Ground of the Xuantian Sect's back mountain—

Instantly sweeping across the entire world!

The sky suddenly darkened, the sun and moon lost their light, and the wind and clouds in the sky were completely frozen by this Aura.

The gale stopped abruptly—even the rampaging energy turbulence in the air dared not surge wantonly anymore!