To be honest, although Liao Kong didn’t feel that this Senior Sister Jian Chou was fundamentally an arrogant person, the expression on her face when she spoke those words just now clearly showed that she didn’t regard the Treasure Bottle Dharma King as worthy of her attention. Or rather, she possessed the most powerful confidence!
She would not be defeated, she would not lose!
Even if she had been at a disadvantage in the previous struggle, even if in everyone’s view her cultivation realm was originally inferior to the Treasure Bottle Dharma King!
But so what?
In the past eighty years, she had accomplished a series of things that everyone thought were almost impossible to achieve, and had done so very successfully. So much so that the two words “Jian Chou” had become a legend looked up to by all throughout the Nineteen Continents!
What’s more, before her name, there were also the two words “Yashan”!
This had never been a sect that could be measured by common sense, and most of the disciples under Yashan had never been cultivators who could be measured by common sense!
Where the heart goes, where the will leads!
Even facing the Treasure Bottle Dharma King before her, she showed not the slightest trace of fear. On the contrary, an unprecedented sense of strength, accompanied by the solidification of the Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragon Dharma Body diagram, poured into her upright body, like a compassionate bodhisattva from the Pure Land, yet also like a divine Buddha whose every gesture could destroy heaven and earth!
In all directions, within the entire visible range of heaven and earth, everything was now shrouded by the Pure Heaven Treasure Bottle commanded by the Treasure Bottle Dharma King.
The jade-like bottle body was like walls cast from ice and snow.
When Jian Chou summoned the Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragon Dharma Body and responded to the Treasure Bottle Dharma King with such a plain sentence, the entire Pure Heaven Treasure Bottle was still pressing inward at an alarming speed!
As if everything shrouded within the bottle would become its prisoner, all would find it hard to escape disaster!
The appearance of the Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragon Dharma Body clearly exceeded the Treasure Bottle Dharma King’s expectations, causing a sudden surge of urgent crisis to well up in his heart.
Simply because at this moment, that vast and mighty aura filling heaven and earth!
It was clearly from a disciple of Yashan, and still the most typical kind of Yashan disciple, with the most unique temperament of Yashan condensed upon her. Yet when she unleashed this Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragon Dharma Body, this female cultivator underwent a strange transformation that even he, a orthodox Buddhist cultivator who had practiced Buddhist dharma for hundreds and thousands of years, couldn’t help but be startled by the imposing presence that suddenly appeared on her!
Under the illumination of the Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragon Dharma Body that displayed transparent glazed colors in the sky, all the filth between heaven and earth seemed to have nowhere to hide, as if Jian Chou was the enlightened Buddha Lord of this world, while he was merely an evil demon from dark corners that needed to be swept away!
What an intense feeling of restraint!
The Treasure Bottle Dharma King’s remaining palm began to tremble uncontrollably, and along with it his heart also began to tremble. Even though his heart was still stubbornly resisting, his body’s instinct had already clearly informed him of the disadvantage he currently faced and the sudden retreat that had arisen!
But how dare he retreat!
And how could he retreat!
As early as eleven cycles ago when he decided to betray the entire Nineteen Continents alliance and break with Chanzong, the Snow Region New Esoteric had already thrown everything into this gamble, with no choice to turn back.
Either eternal life and immortality, or complete annihilation!
Between heaven and earth, there had never been vague and neutral choices.
Even if there were, those places hidden in darkness and eternity would not mercifully grant them!
“Ahhhhhhhh——”
Countless thoughts flashed chaotically through his mind, as if his entire life of cultivation had condensed into this moment! The Treasure Bottle Dharma King suddenly threw back his head and let out a long howl, his hoarse and frenzied voice carrying through the fierce wind that suddenly struck, spreading from this holy mountain peak throughout the snow region that had long lost its former peaceful appearance…
His dark red monk’s robe was like blood-stained fabric.
The moment the howling sound rang out, from the empty wilderness in all directions, there actually seemed to come endless echoing sounds, as if heaven and earth were giving him a response, giving him an answer.
At such a moment, almost everyone’s minds were seized!
On the mountain peak’s sacred hall, Liao Kong and Yang Jin cast complicated glances; in the long corridor of the Sacred Hall hung with prayer wheels, Qu Zhengfeng looked toward the interior of the Sacred Hall through the wall, quietly frowning; at the foot of the sacred mountain, Zen Master Xuelang and countless other attacking cultivators from the Nineteen Continents like him stopped their advancing figures, letting the fierce wind billow their snow-white monk robes as they looked up…
The howling sound surged back and forth like giant waves, like the furious intent of heaven and earth erupting. Even those outside could feel a tremor emanating from their very souls. However, Jian Chou, who was at the very center of its impact, remained as calm as ever.
Because she could see too clearly.
Heaven and earth are vast, heaven and earth are heartless—how could they bring down infinite fury because of one man’s rage in this world? This current howling was merely the sound of the Treasure Bottle Dharma King’s desperate struggle being reflected back by the bottom of the Pure Heaven Treasure Bottle that was constantly closing in from all sides, continuously impacting people’s minds.
Her figure, within this vast shrouding treasure bottle, was like a firefly compared to the sun and moon, like a speck of dust compared to the vast sea, like a drifting small boat that would shatter thunderously when the waves came.
Yet she stood firm and unmoved.
Like a mountain of magnificent spirit—even if heaven and earth changed color, I would remain unchanged!
“Rumble…”
In the Treasure Bottle Dharma King’s sudden long howl, the speed at which the Pure Heaven Treasure Bottle pressed toward Jian Chou suddenly surged!
The peak of the sacred mountain immediately resounded with earth-shaking muffled sounds.
Changing lights and shadows, carrying the power to split mountains and crack earth!
On the inner wall of the bottle body, countless dark golden Sanskrit characters suddenly appeared, then quickly withdrew outward, like drawing silk from a cocoon, extracting thread after thread of fine golden lines.
Only different from before, these threads were actually black.
The moment they appeared, they carried a power to bind heaven and earth, cutting through all the space they touched, like ghostly spirits swiftly attacking Jian Chou!
As if they would cut through space itself, cutting through her!
Endless brilliant golden light and pure deep black condensed into a deep and gorgeous reflection in her pupils…
Her eyeballs didn’t move, her gaze flickered only because the lights and shadows before her eyes were flickering!
At this moment, the most dazzling thing between heaven and earth was not the Pure Heaven Treasure Bottle—
The most dazzling thing between heaven and earth was the magnificent Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragon phantom behind her!
In the vastness, there seemed to be an ancient and long sigh echoing through everything. The phantoms of the other seven divisions—dragon multitudes, Garuda, Gandharva, and others—quietly dimmed in people’s sight.
Or perhaps it wasn’t that they dimmed, but rather that the phantom at the highest position was too bright.
The Four-Faced Buddha Great Brahma had the most solemn countenance, the most grave gaze, like a Buddha statue that had received hundreds and thousands of years of incense worship in Buddhist temples, condensing countless fathoms of Buddha light!
The moment Jian Chou’s thoughts moved, He compassionately closed the four pairs of eyes facing all directions, actually separating from the overall circular totem of the Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragon Dharma Body and flying out. The instant the light and shadow disappeared, He had already merged into Jian Chou’s moon-white figure.
In her eyes filled with killing intent, a trace of compassion suddenly appeared…
At this moment, her deep pupils appeared extraordinarily strange—cold because of the several traces of indelible killing intent, yet warm because of the several traces of compassion, impossible to tell whether she was demon or god!
Twenty years ago, when she faced this strike from the Treasure Bottle Dharma King, she still had no power to fight back; twenty years later, facing this same strike, she was already fearless!
That was confidence and strength of absolute certainty!
That was the firm dao heart condensed from four hundred years of lonely bitter cultivation in the Sumeru mustard seed that would never scatter!
In her calm eyes, there wasn’t even half a trace of anxiety or worry. In the instant when the Pure Heaven Treasure Bottle had transformed into a cage imprisoning her, she simply pushed out with one ordinary palm!
Between heaven and earth, silence like newborn.
When this palm first emerged, the void didn’t even splash half a ripple, didn’t even disturb the trajectory of the gentle breeze passing by…
In the dense forest, on withered branches, a dried leaf was swept up and quietly fell to the ground…
Thin dust splashed up.
Just at this instant, a vast and magnificent sound suddenly rang out from all directions in this snow region—it was actually countless temples throughout the snow region plateau, both inhabited and uninhabited, simultaneously stirring up golden bell chimes like precious metal and jade!
The first golden palm shadow, growing from small to large, arriving first despite departing later, followed the trajectory of Jian Chou’s palm thrust and thunderously moved forward!
“Boom!”
A violent sound as it struck the Pure Heaven Treasure Bottle’s body!
The bottle that had been about to press right up to Jian Chou’s front, its previously unstoppable momentum suddenly paused, the bottle body trembling!
“Boom!”
The second palm shadow!
Larger and more massive than the previous one, with more profound power contained within, it heavily struck the same spot where the first palm shadow had hit like striking a bell.
A clear, gigantic Buddha palm print was thus indented into the bottle body.
The following third palm shadow struck so that this Pure Heaven Treasure Bottle could no longer maintain its offensive of surrounding Jian Chou, causing it to expand back toward all directions!
It appeared to be retreating!
But attacking was easy—retreating, how could it be that simple?
The Great Brahma among the Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragon was in the form of a Four-Faced Buddha with four heads and eight arms. Jian Chou had long practiced this method in the Sumeru mustard seed and had already cultivated this dharma body realm to a high level. Not only could she borrow the power of Great Brahma like the little girl Gu Ling from the Extreme Region Bird-Beak Tribe had once borrowed the power of the Three-Legged Golden Crow, but she could also make each of her attacks transform into four overlapping strikes!
One palm became four palms!
And the power of each palm was one degree higher than the previous palm!
This meant that the power accumulated in Jian Chou’s fourth palm would exceed the first palm by a full sixty percent!
The Treasure Bottle Dharma King had already been struck by her initial surprise attack, expending great power and falling into disadvantage. When he had just used various means to make things difficult for her, he had also consumed considerable mental energy. Relying on the power of the Pure Heaven Treasure Bottle, he had barely managed to block Jian Chou’s first palm through tremendous effort. Facing this fourth palm with power fully sixty percent higher, how could he possibly block it!
Even fleeing would be difficult!
Before he could withdraw the treasure bottle that had become a spent force in his rage, the final palm struck like swift lightning on the depression left by the previous three palms!
The red-gold palm shadow had become extremely large at this point, large enough to cover ten zhang!
As the bottle retreated, it grew larger, but the palm shadow did not shrink.
In just an instant, it fitted perfectly and struck down. Even though this Pure Heaven Treasure Bottle was the supreme treasure of the Snow Region esoteric sect, after consecutively receiving four palms of increasing power, it could not withstand this terrifying force!
At this moment, heaven and earth seemed to emit a wailing cry, mixed within the vast temple bell sounds throughout the snow region, yet extremely clear…
“Crack.”
That was the crisp and pleasant sound of glazed glass shattering.
When the palm shadow penetrated through the bottle’s phantom and dissipated into the distant night sky, a thin crack appeared on the treasure bottle, then like swift lightning traveling across the sky, it rapidly wandered and expanded. In just moments, it formed spider web-like cracks across every surface of this bottle that enveloped heaven and earth!
“Crack crack crack…”
Jian Chou’s slender and beautiful eyebrows, in the vast golden light, had a kind of silent cold beauty, and her eyes were completely calm, as if she felt no surprise at all about this nearly crushing result that was occurring.
She simply raised her hand and lightly waved it.
Her wide sleeves embroidered with cloud patterns, like the purest running clouds in the snow region night sky, left pale remnants at the horizon, carrying out a strand of gentle breeze that blew away.
When the wind arrived, the treasure bottle shattered.
Countless cracks expanded, tearing apart this cage that shrouded heaven and earth, shrouded the entire sacred mountain and sacred hall, transforming it into countless crystalline snow-white jade-like fragments that scattered to every corner of this plateau that should have been clear…
Like a vast falling star shower!
The Pure Heaven Treasure Bottle was the Treasure Bottle Dharma King’s life vessel, connected to his divine soul and heart meridian. As early as when Jian Chou’s palms struck one after another, he had already coughed up fresh blood, his spiritual platform filled with dim shock, as if his divine soul would be torn apart!
When the bottle shattered, his face became ashen as death.
On his withered body covered by the deep red monk’s robe like blood-stained fabric, countless cracks suddenly crawled up, causing what little fresh blood remained in his body along with the pure spiritual power accumulated over many years to spray and flow out together…
Only now did he realize what kind of terrifying opponent he had encountered.
His withered gaze lifted to meet Jian Chou’s eyes looking down from above. Only then did he hazily understand that from the very beginning, the one being tested and constrained was not Jian Chou—
But rather himself, who harbored thoughts of testing and constraining.
In a place like the Nineteen Continents, how could there be unworthy people beneath great reputations!
This female cultivator before him was the most renowned prodigy of Yashan in the Central Region in nearly a century, once listed on the Nine Heavens Tablet, and had broken through to Void Refining in just over eighty years!
How could her mind and will be judged by ordinary standards?
The weaknesses and shortcomings he could think of that would inevitably appear due to her short cultivation time—how could Jian Chou herself, as a Void Refining great power, not have anticipated them!
She had merely used this opportunity to test his capabilities while gradually relaxing his guard as a stronger opponent who had cultivated longer and possessed more methods. When he was most proud and confident of victory, that was when she would strike back!
She didn’t need many killing moves—one was enough!
Enough to strike him down when it mattered most, to leave him utterly defeated with all hopes destroyed and soul scattered!
With the treasure bottle broken, the coming battle would be undoubtedly one-sided slaughter!
The Eight Divisions Heavenly Dragon Dharma Body represented the eight divisions that heard Buddha’s teachings in Buddhist legend. Great Brahma was merely one of them, which meant Jian Chou had many more methods to come.
She had her own measure of good and evil in her heart, and her strikes did not show mercy due to the treasure bottle’s weakness!
As fierce as before, so fierce still now!
Swift and powerful attacks mercilessly fell from above, leaving shocking wounds and traces in the ruins of the sacred lake, on this vast ice plain by the lakeside.
The Treasure Bottle Dharma King’s physical body had already been shattered, forcing his Nascent Soul to emerge and flee.
The three-inch infant body was already incredibly weak, but he still didn’t want to die at all. Relying solely on the survival instinct that refused to give up no matter what in his divine soul, he fled desperately toward the Sacred Hall!
The power of the Sacred Ritual Array overhead had already diminished greatly. The golden-red power in the sky still poured down like waterfall lava into the Sacred Hall directly below.
Vaguely, a terrifying aura was awakening!
The Treasure Bottle Dharma King knew that at this critical moment, he should delay time for the Treasure Seal Dharma King by any means necessary to allow his final casting. But at the moment of life and death, who could be willing!
After painstakingly cultivating for over a thousand years, no one cultivated just to die!
Even if the snow region had reincarnation, once the divine soul was completely annihilated, it would be permanently erased without trace, and even with reincarnation, it would be eternally obliterated in this noisy yet silent universe.
At this time, he could no longer care about anything else!
The Burning Lamp Sword in Jian Chou’s hand bloomed one brilliant Buddha lotus after another behind him. Though the pure and vast power had not yet arrived, that overwhelming terrifying aura had already caused his entire Nascent Soul to tremble.
Racing forward at high speed, only toward the Sacred Hall direction, desperately screaming!
“Save me——”
How weak could the voice be that a nearly exhausted three-inch Nascent Soul could produce? In this noisy snow region where sword sounds and Buddhist chants rang out together, it couldn’t even create the slightest ripple.
Yet strangely…
The instant this voice was transmitted, the entire Sacred Hall actually trembled slightly, as if something vicious and evil in the depths beneath what it suppressed had suddenly awakened!
Between heaven and earth, the atmosphere suddenly stagnated!
A harsh, dominating pressure that stood above all surrounding existence suddenly poured down, covering everyone’s hearts at this time and place with a thick shadow.
Making people fearful, making people retreat!
But this did not include Jian Chou!
Her sword pressed forward relentlessly!
Her heart pressed forward relentlessly!
That enormous and mighty pressure could not make her fear in the slightest, much less make her retreat! It only made her advance against the wind, made the Burning Lamp Sword in her hand transform into a speeding stream of light, directly targeting the treasure bottle!
Born with the intent to kill!
Harboring the heart to kill!
Never mind the Treasure Seal Dharma King trying to obstruct—even if that legendary deity Shaoji appeared! This person—if she wanted him to die at the third watch, he shouldn’t live to the fifth!
In a brief instant, a golden light wrapped in thick black qi had already leaped up from the Sacred Hall. Liao Kong’s hoarse cry of “Be careful!” pierced through the noisy void, yet could not stop Jian Chou’s figure!
This both sacred and evil attack smashed down toward her head!
Yet Jian Chou acted as if she felt nothing at all, not even glancing at it once!
She simply thrust her sword forward!
“Puchi!” A light sound!
Sharp and keen sword light burst forth from the precious lotus pattern on the Burning Lamp Sword’s tip, as if puncturing a bubble, easily penetrating the Treasure Bottle Dharma King’s fragile Nascent Soul.
In an instant, it dispersed like smoke and clouds!
He couldn’t even let out the weakest scream!
Void Refining middle stage great power, Snow Region New Esoteric Treasure Bottle Dharma King—
Fallen!
The killer: Yashan’s Jian Chou!
At the same time, that fierce attack from the Sacred Hall had also reached her head. However, the moment it fell, the sound of countless ocean tides suddenly swept across the entire world!
Pure and deep blue sword light!
The dark blue sword body condensed the profundity of the vast sea, hiding the ebb and flow of tides through the years. Cold yet revealing some warmth, within the warmth faintly hiding some scholarly elegance—it was the sword, and also the sword’s master!
That was a sword like ocean waves!
That was a sword with momentum even fiercer than that golden-black mixed attack!
It swept away all incoming danger, swept away all overturning malevolent qi, and even with ten times, a hundred times the power, carrying sword intent that could move mountains and fill seas, it split open this boiling void and slashed toward the Sacred Hall shrouded in golden light beneath the Sacred Ritual Array!
“Boom!” A thunderous sound, no less powerful than when Jian Chou had once unleashed that earth-shaking Heaven-Flipping Seal, pressed down on the Sacred Hall at the peak of this sacred mountain!
The entire great hall instantly became ruins!
The array within the hall that flowed with golden-red radiance, along with the Treasure Seal Dharma King who sat within it with an extra eye and was wrapped in endless black qi, finally had nowhere to hide, appearing between heaven and earth like demons!
Everything happened in the flash of lightning and spark of flint!
Jian Chou stood quietly in the void, her gaze always fixed ahead, never once looking at the figure that had landed behind her, back to back with her, as if she had long known he would act and knew he had sufficient power to block this strike.
The fierce wind swept up their robes, rustling and interweaving together…
These were the deepest and palest colors between heaven and earth, these were also the most extraordinary and refined figures between heaven and earth. The Sea Light Sword and Burning Lamp Sword each pointed in different directions, yet their sword edges faced the same enemy!
Golden moon, azure night!
At this moment, how many disciples under Yashan shed tears, carving this scene into the most glorious eternity in their memories amidst endless silence…