Everything was hidden beneath brilliant radiance, making it difficult to even judge what magical artifact this female cultivator was using.

But judging from the decisive swiftness of her attack and the momentum of this strike, she was definitely another expert of at least mid-Jade Nirvana level or higher!

Before entering the Eighteen Layers of Hell, Jian Chou had already silently arranged an array formation on herself, and Xing Fei had happened to strike right into it.

But the array’s power was domineering—it couldn’t be broken by Xing Fei’s single strike alone.

Therefore, as that attacking force surged toward her, a strange transparent ripple like undulating water waves frantically expanded in all directions with Jian Chou’s right hand as the center!

Like a long-hidden beast suddenly opening its bloody maw in an instant!

The opposing female cultivator’s attention was almost entirely focused on Zhong Lanling.

She hadn’t even spared a glance for Jian Chou—

Such a mere Soul Pearl realm small cultivator was like a tiny ant on her attack path. Even if accidentally injured, her attack wouldn’t be greatly depleted!

So when she sensed that suddenly spreading strange ripple, the female cultivator looked away in surprise, focusing her gaze on Jian Chou.

Thus, her pupils contracted!

“What?”

The attack speed was simply too fast, leaving no chance for recovery even with this unexpected development.

The female cultivator’s red dress billowed under the surging soul power, and the expression of imminent success on her face had changed to bewilderment.

Under the brilliant radiance, one needed only to look up slightly to feel as if the entire sky was collapsing.

What tremendous pressure was Jian Chou facing?

She clenched her teeth tightly, all her anger transforming into battle power at this moment!

Having overcome countless dangers, could she die in this accidental attack?

Her eyes held firm determination. As the brilliant radiance arrived, she suddenly leaned backward to increase the distance between herself and this attack.

Simultaneously, her empty right hand rose up and boldly pressed against the annihilating red light!

Starting from her palm, a barrier wall constructed of transparent ripples had firmly shielded her behind!

“Sizzle sizzle sizzle…”

There was no terrifying explosion as expected.

Only a series of strange sounds like branding iron falling on flesh.

The incoming red light didn’t dissipate but seemed like coagulated blood, colliding with the ripple barrier.

The trembling ripples spread outward more and more frequently!

“Bang bang bang!”

Jian Chou, who had leaned back halfway, was forced to retreat three steps by the impact force transmitted through her palm.

Each step crushed through the ice layer on the ground, leaving a deep white footprint full of ice fragments!

“Sizzle…”

Each ripple that spread seemed to cancel out a portion of the red light.

In just the brief moment this change occurred, the originally brilliant red light had already dimmed.

It actually wasn’t broken through!

How was this possible?

The enchanting female cultivator’s delicate eyebrows immediately furrowed!

Things were not good!

She had originally judged that she and Zhong Lanling were evenly matched. Coincidentally falling here together, she hadn’t originally wanted to test each other, but because Zhong Lanling had suddenly been distracted earlier, she had seized the opportunity to launch this sneak attack.

Yes, a sneak attack!

In any sneak attack, if the first strike failed, one should immediately retreat!

No matter how shocked she was by Jian Chou’s sudden move, she had no time to think about it now. Instinctively, she was about to quickly pull her hand back—

But at this very moment, a trembling light cry suddenly appeared on the peak!

“Twang!”

Swift, short, and extremely powerful!

It was actually a qin note!

As the sound arose, a jade-green blade light shot out from behind Jian Chou, slanting upward!

Halfway through its flight, this light suddenly exploded and expanded, and a blue bird took form from within the green light, its beak tip gleaming with pale gold, and three long dark green tail feathers on its head!

Its eyes were sharp, head held high as it charged forward. Its wings spread, soaring upward, swift as lightning as it pounced toward the sky-filling “red clouds”!

The female cultivator, who hadn’t had time to withdraw her attack, instantly changed expression.

Even Jian Chou, who was confronting the female cultivator, felt a sense of terror, yet the lingering notes of that qin sound still echoed in her ears with an endless quality.

Seeing the blue bird’s soaring posture again, she actually had the illusion of strolling through clouds and wandering in an immortal realm.

The moment this feeling arose, Jian Chou’s heart trembled.

Without thinking, she knew it must be Zhong Lanling behind her who had acted!

When immortals fight, mortals suffer.

She had fewer trump cards with each use, and the same went for array discs. Moreover, she only had three defensive array discs. Her earlier confrontation with the female cultivator had already consumed considerable power from the array disc.

Now seeing this blue bird, Jian Chou knew it was extraordinary.

When these two fought, even being affected by the aftermath would make her suffer.

So almost the instant she saw the blue bird, Jian Chou spread her tensed right fingers wide and suddenly clenched them inward.

The water waves centered on her palm immediately retracted like a great whale sucking water!

At this moment, the red-dressed female cultivator’s sky-filling red clouds remained in front, not yet withdrawn. The instant she retracted her palm array formation, they immediately pressed down like a collapsing mountain.

The blue bird released by Zhong Lanling’s qin notes from behind hadn’t yet arrived.

So Jian Chou, caught in between, still had a moment’s breathing space!

Her gaze flashed, and she exerted force with her feet, causing faint cracks to appear in the ice.

Leaning outward, she was about to escape at this critical moment!

But unexpectedly, at this moment, a hand reached out from behind and actually grasped her shoulder!

Jian Chou was immediately shocked!

She was about to throw out the talismans she had long prepared in her sleeve to deal with this “sneak attacker” from behind.

However…

In just the next instant, she discovered she had been grabbed and thrown toward the left side.

“Please wait a moment for Zhong!”

A very calm voice that seemed unhurried even in this critical situation.

Vaguely, it was like night rain over rivers, lakes, and seas, beating green plantains and ripening red cherries, with an inherent wild and unrestrained madness in its tone.

Jian Chou was stunned. When she came to her senses, she had already landed steadily at the edge of this narrow peak, beside the completely dumbfounded Xing An.

“Tweet!”

The blue bird stretched its neck and sang, finally crashing headlong into the fleeing red clouds!

In that instant, a thunderous roar drowned out the clear cry and completely shattered the lingering qin notes.

The blue and red lights immediately exploded into countless star streams, quite beautiful between this blue sky and white earth.

But ultimately, the power of the blue bird was superior, completely devouring the red light and finally regathering into a blue bird. However, it had restrained all its radiance, flapped its wings, turned around, and flew back toward its origin!

Zhong Lanling’s snow-white cloth robes were already lifted and constantly fluttering by the agitated soul power.

Even the deep purple silk ribbon binding his hair swayed gently.

The seven-string qin that had been carried on his back was now somehow taken down and held in one hand, like a wandering qin master.

His extremely defined features contained a hidden wildness, making his tall frame appear not crude but rather like a mad scholar.

One of his fingers was pressing exactly on one string of the seven-string qin.

The blue bird took form again and flew toward this string, like a tired bird returning to its nest. When still a zhang away from the string, its spread wings suddenly folded inward, and its entire body transformed back into a jade-green blade light, entering the qin string.

Soundless.

Breathless.

No longer that brilliant radiance.

Yet the shock it gave was even greater than before!

How could the opposing female cultivator not realize she had completely underestimated Zhong Lanling?

She instinctively wanted to flee, but her gaze focused as she noticed Zhong Lanling’s finger rising again!

Where was there time for further thought?

Almost instinctively, she swept out one straight jade leg boldly and directly!

Zhong Lanling didn’t even furrow his brow. The qin string moved again with another twang.

Another blade light flew out, this time actually fire-red!

A vermillion bird entirely engulfed in flames took blazing form!

The female cultivator’s jade-like long leg showed strange changes the instant it swept over.

Deep red runes spiraled up from her feet, condensing all her soul power to its purest state before striking out fiercely at the vermillion bird!

“Bang!”

Another burst of chaotic, trembling radiance!

Zhong Lanling and this mysterious female cultivator of unknown identity traded blows back and forth, already trapped in an extremely dangerous battle.

Jian Chou on the side just watched, even her left hand holding the sword still had her thumb pressed against the Tunfeng Sword’s scabbard, maintaining her earlier posture of readiness to strike at any moment.

“Wait a moment?”

She recalled what Zhong Lanling had said earlier, her eyes flickering as she watched these two combatants with fierce battle power…

Xing An standing beside her was now looking at her like she was a monster.

Previously trapping Xing Fei with her quick reaction could be called coincidence, but now she could also save her life in this chaotic battle, showing no signs of dying before Zhong Lanling acted—this was definitely not coincidence.

Too dangerous.

This place was really too dangerous!

Xing An’s fat face trembled. He felt safest beside his clansmen. Seeing those two in endless conflict, he didn’t hesitate, directly turned around, and jumped off the cliff!

Jian Chou immediately noticed.

But she had no grudge against Xing An and wouldn’t stop him. On the contrary, his behavior greatly reminded her.

What “wait a moment” or not—once in these Eighteen Layers of Hell participating in the Ding Zheng, there were no true friends.

If she didn’t plan to tell Zhang Tang her ultimate plan, after going down, this harsh official would definitely strike at her!

Where did she have the leisure to speculate whether Zhong Lanling harbored goodwill toward her?

Moreover, this person had just arrived at the Eighteen Layers of Hell and already had someone targeting him. He was undoubtedly a thorn in countless people’s sides. This place was not suitable for staying long!

The path back to the Nineteen Continents lay before her.

But this path was so perilous it didn’t allow her to make even the slightest error!

One wrong move would lose everything!

She wouldn’t give herself a chance to make mistakes!

The flames that had ignited in her eyes from the critical moment of action had instantly extinguished.

Jian Chou didn’t hesitate, clean and decisive, directly leaping downward!

Run!

Not running would be foolish!

While in mid-air, she directly slapped a “Thousand-Li Phantom” talisman on her leg, immediately becoming swift as wind and lightning!

Whoosh!

In just a blink, Jian Chou’s swaying form was already three hundred zhang away!

Xing An, who had just rolled up from under the isolated peak’s cliff, saw this and his hair practically stood on end!

“Damn, your grandmother!”

Are you at Jade Nirvana or am I at Jade Nirvana?!

Being this fast, is there any justice left?!

The grief and indignation in his heart couldn’t be concealed.

Thinking of his unlucky experience, Xing An almost burst into tears.

He forcibly suppressed that heart-trembling feeling, summoned a disc-shaped magical artifact, and fled riding it!

But he didn’t dare take the same path as Jian Chou—if he encountered her on the way back, who knew who would be unlucky. So he simply chose the opposite direction and was soon far away.

Jian Chou’s deep blue figure had long become a vague small dot in the vast icy world.

Only when she was far away did she have time to look back.

Between heaven and earth, a clear azure blue like a piece of glazed glass.

On the distant horizon, the isolated peak rose a thousand ren straight up, its top seemingly severed by force. Zhong Lanling and the red-dressed female cultivator were only vague light and shadow.

However, around that peak’s summit, crimson light entangled with seven-colored radiance like a sweeping storm.

Suddenly, a clear phoenix cry rushed to the ninth heaven!

The seven-colored radiance exploded, countless auspicious clouds rose, and myriad rays of light poured out, with birds of all forms taking shape.

For a moment, cranes cried and orioles sang with distant clear sounds!

How magnificent and spectacular in this overly simple and clean world?

What a pity…

Today’s crisis left Jian Chou no leisure to appreciate this wonder at will. She could only sigh softly, but her feet quickened, becoming a moving light blue radiance that disappeared into the distance.

Atop the peak, the fierce battle neared its end.

The red-dressed female cultivator grew more shocked as she fought, feeling her opponent’s soul power was profound. Every time he plucked the qin strings, amazing techniques emerged.

But such techniques—in her years in the Extreme Domain, she had never heard or seen their like!

How could this be like techniques used by one dwelling long in the dark underworld?

Instead, they were upright and proper, with ethereal immortal energy, exactly like heavenly immortals and famous orthodox sects!

Fighting this person, she felt every move and style countered hers!

Continuing would mean certain defeat!

These Eighteen Layers of Hell had probably only reached the first layer, Ice Prison. How could she continue entangling here?

When decisive action was needed, be decisive!

This female cultivator was no simple character either. Her cunning mind was formidable as she suddenly pushed out with one palm, its force vast as the sea!

Having fought nearly to the point of determining victory, Zhong Lanling hadn’t expected his opponent’s attack to suddenly intensify.

He turned in mid-air, flipping his seven-string qin horizontally to block!

The seemingly powerful soul force immediately struck the ancient qin, only stirring up scattered soul power fragments before crumbling like tofu hitting stone.

It was actually a feigned strong attack!

She was running!

Zhong Lanling immediately realized this. When he looked up, that female cultivator was already outside the peak.

Snow-white skin, flower-like beauty, enchanting smile.

But when she spoke, that delicate, dripping voice had actually become a low male voice: “The Ghost King Tribe actually created such a monster this year. Heh, I dare not keep you company…”

With these words, she suddenly plummeted downward!

Zhong Lanling frowned, flashing to the cliff edge in an instant, but looking down, where was that red-dressed “female cultivator’s” enchanting figure?

The person who had just fallen into the cliff had vanished without a trace!

Monster?

Zhong Lanling stood holding his qin, his bare feet still suspended in air. The black hair hanging by his cheeks was mixed with strands of frost-white, as if he had weathered many vicissitudes.

Atop the peak, above the heavens.

Countless colorful birds, having lost the qin’s support, scattered toward the boundless sky. Reaching mid-air, they folded their wings and gradually became nothingness.

Only vague echoing remnants spread in all directions…

His face showed no excessive emotion as he slowly withdrew his downward gaze and turned over the ancient qin in his arms.

The qin body was black and ancient, appearing extremely solid with traces carved by time.

But on the back were several cracks like ravines spanning the earth, adding some regrettable flaws to this perfection.

Dry fingers with calluses slowly touched over these cracks.

As if…

That resonance and longing that had appeared on the qin body earlier echoed again in his heart.

Zhong Lanling slightly turned his body, looking toward the direction where Jian Chou had disappeared: ice mountains of strange shapes blocked all traces of human passage, not a single shadow…

Standing silently for a long time, fleeting lights passed through his eyes.

He finally shouldered the ancient qin again, his form floating like an immortal crane. After a flash, he had already headed in the direction he had been watching.

High atop the peak, only that subtle and extremely strange light sigh remained, carrying just a bit of uncertainty, like barely perceptible sleep-talk, instantly mixing with the seven-string remnants, becoming unclear…

“Yashan…”