The Dijiang Wind-Thunder Wings were one of the most powerful Dao seals on Jian Chou’s body. At this moment, activated in conjunction with the Wind-Riding Dao seal, their speed was so fast that her tracks were completely invisible. In the Precious Vase Dharma King’s eyes, there was only that golden streak falling like a meteor’s flame!

A tremendous crash!

The Precious Vase Dharma King, with no time to dodge, was struck head-on, as if he had been slapped down by a mountain!

“Crack!”

The ice surface by the lake immediately shattered like a spider web!

The Precious Vase Dharma King felt another surge of bloody qi in his throat, but at this moment he finally understood how heavy Jian Chou’s killing intent toward him was. If he didn’t resolve this female cultivator before him, he could forget about freeing his hands to deal with the Saint Son and Sacred Lake!

Although he was only at mid-stage Void Refining and had been stuck at this realm for a long time, powerhouses like him were already countable on one hand across Jiushijiu Zhou. No matter how formidable Jian Chou was, she had only broken through to this realm twenty years ago. In terms of cultivation, she might not be very weak, but when it came to various techniques, what did he have to fear!

The Precious Vase Dharma King hadn’t reached his current position for nothing.

He knew he had lost the initiative when Jian Chou’s sudden ambush caught him off guard, putting himself in an disadvantageous position. So at this moment, he didn’t clash head-on with Jian Chou but instead tried every means to tighten his defenses, recalling the Pure Heaven Precious Vase whose golden scripture seals had faded, engaging Jian Chou in magical combat.

One was a formerly high and mighty Dharma King of the Snowy Domain’s esoteric sect, the other was the renowned eldest senior sister of Central Domain’s Yashan. Between them lay irreconcilable old grudges between their sects, not to mention the confrontation between righteous and evil, right and wrong. When these two fought, neither held back in the slightest.

Jian Chou had not fought anyone for a long time, yet showed no rustiness when truly battling.

The dark golden Dao seal of the Dijiang Wind-Thunder Wings transformed into a unique spiritual power circulation pattern, flowing unobstructed through her body and finally converging entirely on the shoulder blade Dao seal. The golden wing phantom immediately expanded, with black wind, thunder, and lightning coiling around it, already transformed into a sharp weapon of attack!

The Heart Interrogation Dao Tribulation had passed, yet the Heavenly Void Body remained!

In the thousands upon thousands of years of history across Jiushijiu Zhou, no cultivator possessing the Heavenly Void Body had ever survived the Heart Interrogation Dao Tribulation and successfully entered Void Refining!

Therefore, no one knew just how terrifying Jian Chou was at this moment!

Cultivators with sufficiently powerful spiritual consciousness could multitask, doing two things simultaneously, and could indeed cast two Dao seals at once.

But more than that was basically impossible.

The Dao seal techniques under heaven relied on human limbs for casting and were limited by spiritual power flowing through meridians. However, cultivators possessing the Heavenly Void Body had no meridians within their bodies, naturally facing no such restrictions!

Jian Chou had originally cultivated the “Human Weapon” technique, whose core was to transform every part of the cultivator’s body into hard weapons. Now having passed the Heart Interrogation Dao Tribulation with the Heavenly Void Body intact, when displaying her abilities, she could be considered completely uninhibited, flowing like clouds and water!

The sword sang lightly—the red treasure-phase lotus patterns on the Randeng Sword lit up!

The wind turned swift—the golden phantom of the Dijiang Wind-Thunder Wings soared high!

Legs like lightning—the full-powered Heaven-Flipping Seal whistled as it swept toward the opponent!

The Precious Vase Dharma King’s hand seals moved rapidly, so fast only dazzling afterimages remained, and as his form retreated hastily, his dodging space was constantly compressed by Jian Chou.

He didn’t want to fight, yet had no choice but to fight!

The wounds on his body hadn’t healed, not to mention he now had only one functioning arm. The Precious Vase Dharma King gritted his teeth and hastily struck the bottom of the vase with his palm!

The jade-like Pure Heaven Precious Vase, when urged by his technique, could become as large as heaven itself. But now it shrank rapidly like a pure vase in a temple Buddha’s palm, becoming merely a foot tall, with a slightly bulging body and slender neck, appearing extremely beautiful.

However, when the Precious Vase Dharma King’s palm struck it, it sounded like a broken jade flute, emitting a sharp, piercing whistle!

It seemed to pierce straight into one’s soul!

Jian Chou’s brow immediately furrowed. The Heaven-Flipping Seal, carried by the dragon scale Dao seal, struck out with superior timing, attempting to interrupt the Precious Vase Dharma King’s spellcasting.

But it was still a moment too late.

The instant that sharp whistle emerged from the vase, heaven and earth suddenly filled with mournful wailing sounds, like women’s weeping, one after another, rapidly layering into a vast chorus!

The wind became desolate and cold.

The snow became sorrowful.

The crying continued endlessly, momentarily like infinite illusions, like infinite flowing water, enveloping the rapidly attacking Jian Chou, wrapping around her mind and spirit.

This should have been a sound that inevitably aroused pity, yet the moment it left the vase, it became tainted with thick venomous qi, carrying intense unwillingness and hatred!

Extremely cold and sinister.

Clearly one of Buddhism’s supreme treasures, the Pure Heaven Precious Vase now felt more eerie and evil than artifacts used by demonic cultivators!

Seeing the Precious Vase Dharma King’s practiced posture when attacking, one could tell this was a method he had long grown accustomed to using. The Pure Heaven Precious Vase felt coldly sinister, but his facial expression was even more evil than the feeling the vase gave!

Two clusters of dark red ghostly light ignited from deep within his pupils.

At this moment, he looked nothing like a Snowy Domain high monk, but clearly an evil ghost crawled out from hell!

“Go!!!”

When the finger seals rose, it was a hoarse, broken shout of desperate effort!

The Precious Vase Dharma King pointed toward the vase mouth, making this seemingly narrow opening suddenly turn toward Jian Chou’s approaching direction, while his blood-stained fingertip also pointed at Jian Chou!

In this instant, a wisp of dark gold mixed with bloody qi condensed at his fingertip, following his pointing gesture to draw out a winding thin line.

A swift wind blew, and the line scattered.

But as this line dispersed, the pleasant sound of flowing water actually emerged!

Three silver streams flew out from the precious vase! Like three silver chains! As they emerged, the wailing cries between heaven and earth vaguely became more frenzied, as if stimulated by something…

Jian Chou’s brow immediately furrowed.

Having been to the Extreme Domain over the years, she had developed some discernment and almost immediately saw through it—

These three streams flying from the vase were neither flowing water nor chains! They were clearly souls bound together!

Using some unknown vicious method, they had all been refined to about three inches in height.

They were connected one to another, as if strung together by some powerful force, forming these three streams that looked like silver flowing water.

A rough glance revealed no clues, but closer inspection showed each soul retained its appearance from life, without exception all beautiful young women!

Some had clear and elegant faces, others gentle and graceful, with delicate or full figures…

Even the expressions in their eyes remained so vivid that, were it not for the dark threads of venomous hatred destroying their original purity, they would be almost as moving as in life.

These were all the women from this snowy domain who had become Buddha mothers and bright consorts, innocent and unknowing, losing their lives due to their unquestioning devotion.

Jian Chou could never forget.

Could never forget that little girl called Sangyang she had first encountered when secretly entering the Snowy Domain, could never forget the pain when the girl she had saved wounded her shoulder with a deer-cutting knife, and could never forget the look in her eyes when she fell after Xie Buchen killed her with a single sword strike…

This was clearly the snowy Buddhist kingdom closest to heaven and deities, yet why was so much outrageous evil buried beneath this clean and clear ice plain?

What despicable and cruel methods!

Even the demonic cultivators Jian Chou had seen in the Mingri Star Sea couldn’t reach such depths!

The three silver streams, as if possessing their own consciousness and resentment, the moment they emerged from the vase, struck toward Jian Chou like venomous snakes from three different directions!

They were not restraints, so the Great Five Elements Prohibition-Breaking Technique could not break them.

Jian Chou spread her Wind-Thunder Wings, with thunderous power coursing through the void, preparing to sever these “chains” formed from condensed evil spirits.

But unexpectedly, when the magnificent phantom and the countless feathers on the Wind-Thunder Wings crashed thunderously before these chains, the countless souls actually scattered at the sound!

Originally unified, they now shattered like meteors!

Each gentle and beautiful face was instantly stained with endless gloomy ferocity, all growing against the wind and revealing sharp fangs like serpents, rushing toward Jian Chou en masse!

Endless!

Like a bursting dam!

Dense and numerous, at a glance they filled the entire sky before her eyes, completely obscuring even a trace of the Sacred Ritual formation!

Jian Chou was instantly caught in bitter battle.

No matter how capable she was, she couldn’t quickly escape from this “siege” predicament, not to mention the Precious Vase Dharma King was no easy opponent either. He continuously urged the precious vase to make more souls pour out from within, while simultaneously tapping the vase mouth with his fingertip, producing those sharp broken-flute-like whistles from before!

Each whistle made the wailing between heaven and earth grow heavier!

Such tremendous commotion from their battle naturally couldn’t escape the notice of other monks in the temple. But they simultaneously noticed the anomaly occurring over the Sacred Lake!

Sacred Lake Qielan!

Always renowned alongside this sacred mountain, being close to the firmament, it was regarded by all Snowy Domain faithful as the dwelling place of deities. The word “Qielan” meant monk’s quarters.

Legend said deities lived in the Sacred Lake, but no one had ever thought they would witness it personally, much less imagined…

The so-called “deity’s dwelling” might be a misunderstanding.

Because they actually watched with their own eyes as that wave-swept lake rose from the lake bottom, then transformed into deep blue long hair, deep blue silk, draped over the shoulders of that woman with world-shocking beauty!

Was she a lake demon or a deity?

Jiye existed in the void, his youthful face, which should have been inexperienced, carried a strange, lingering vicissitude.

He only softly murmured: “Qielan…”

One thought is gods and Buddhas, one thought is demons and devils.

He raised his eyes to meet her gaze.

At this moment, if Jian Chou hadn’t been wholly absorbed in combat with the Precious Vase Dharma King and could spare even a fraction of attention, she would have easily discovered that the legendary Saint Son and legendary deity possessed extremely similar faces. Only one was yin and one yang, one refined and handsome, one soft and beautiful, often easily overlooked.

But Qielan didn’t call his name. After gazing at him for a moment, she directed her eyes, vast and distant as the Sacred Lake itself, toward the seemingly within-reach firmament overhead!

Endless dark red threads, endless cascading golden light!

Unable to illuminate this ignorant human heart, it only illuminated the seemingly endless ruins spread beneath her feet…

The lake water had become her robes, and the original Sacred Lake’s position had become a huge deep pit. In the deep night shadows, it was too deep—normally nothing should be visible, but tonight there happened to be this formation overhead!

Thus everything buried deep beneath the lake water was revealed before human eyes.

Those were connected ruined monk quarters, those were collapsed halls standing side by side, and those were incomplete Buddha statues one after another…

The layout and form of these ruins were identical to the magnificent temple complex on the sacred mountain!

Only compared to the current temple, they were too old, too broken.

Among the broken walls and ruins lay countless white bones and skulls left from unknown years ago, the tattered cloth covering the skulls still vaguely showing the appearance of monk robes.

Qielan no longer remembered how she had grown from this evil soil, nor what connection she had with these endless dry bones.

How many years had passed?

Today’s slaughter and human nature remained no different from yesterday’s slaughter and human nature.

She could hear the wailing voices of countless female spirits, and could hear the chanting sounds echoing between heaven and earth…

But none of these were the sounds she wanted to hear.

She gazed longingly thus for a long time before lowering her eyes again, looking at Saint Son Jiye standing opposite her, asking softly: “Will it end?”

Jiye could not answer.

So Qielan laughed once, that laughter scattering into the wind as her entire translucent blue figure seemed to merge into the wind, becoming a blurred phantom.

At this moment, she only took one step toward him.

The distance between them had been extremely close, but when Qielan took this step, she didn’t collide with Jiye.

She simply crashed into his body.

The distance was infinitely shortened, making them appear like twin lotus stems sharing the same root!

Endless brilliant golden light, at this moment replacing the snow-blue blazing sun that Jiye had originally cradled in his hands, blazed forth intensely over these ruins as magnificent as the temple itself!

Heaven and earth suddenly became bright as day.

Whether the formation overhead that had turned blood-red, or the light pillars cascading down carrying tremendous power, all lost their original brilliance at this moment. Like fireflies unable to compete with the bright moon, they became completely inconspicuous in this Buddha-light-like golden radiance.

Most of the faithful devotees kneeling devoutly at the foot of the sacred mountain, within the mandala, were still connected to that Sacred Ritual formation, their consciousness blurred and unresponsive. But someone in that huge deep pit dug halfway up the mountain had already noticed.

The withered old man sitting at the pit’s bottom suddenly had tears streaming down his face.

Though clearly burned by that golden light, completely unable to see what scene was unfolding atop the sacred mountain, he still kept his eyes wide open, striving to see clearly, wanting to witness.

A hoarse voice emerged from his throat, the excitement of finally receiving salvation: “Sacred sign! This is a true sacred sign! The Saint Son has manifested, the Saint Son has finally manifested…”

On the sacred mountain’s temple, countless New Esoteric monks were also stunned.

No one understood what exactly was happening, no one could see clearly in this shocking, illuminating radiance the uninvited guests fiercely battling the Precious Vase Dharma King beside those ruins, and naturally could not notice the abnormal spatial fluctuations suddenly appearing at the foot of the sacred mountain.

It was a teleportation array.

Already while concealing her form in the wind and fighting the Precious Vase Dharma King, Jian Chou had sent word to Master Xuelang and Qu Zhengfeng, left as backup at the mountain’s base.

The two naturally immediately set about opening the teleportation array.

At this moment, a wave of golden-white gentle light accompanied by spatial fluctuations rippled outward, and hundreds of figures suddenly appeared in this shadow-covered withered forest!

Different robes represented their origins from different places; different expressions foreshadowed their different temperaments.

Scattered cultivators from the Star Sea!

Buddhist cultivators from Chanzong!

Sword cultivators from Yashan!

Figure upon figure, form upon form, each person’s aura was extraordinary, yet the same was the cold solemnity in their eyes, knowing a fierce battle was inevitable!

Master Xuelang was after all a compassionate monk. At this moment he pressed his palms together and sighed, softly saying: “Amitabha…”

Without thinking, one knew this was a sigh for the coming slaughter.

But Qu Zhengfeng showed no emotion whatsoever. He stood with his back to the crowd, facing the sacred mountain already shrouded in golden light, lightly turned his hand, and the entirely dark blue Sea Light Sword appeared in his palm. Only gazing distantly at a certain place on the mountain peak, he said indifferently: “The matters below will trouble Master, while Qu goes up to take a look first.”