“Rumble…” With a deafening crash, Fang Jiuyou’s power far surpassed that of Gongsun Lu. The immense force shattered her arm instantly, followed by her entire upper torso being blown apart, revealing stark, white bone beneath. Her body was hurled backward a full thousand meters before finally slamming into the ground, where she writhed in continuous spasms. Streaks of cyan light flowed across her form, seemingly trying to repair her flesh, yet the power Fang Jiuyou had embedded within her was relentlessly tearing it down. For a moment, the two opposing forces reached a tense equilibrium…
At that critical juncture, one more strike from Fang Jiuyou would have been enough to utterly destroy her. But as soon as he moved his body, he felt a strange power surge into his own system, forcing his flesh to grow uncontrollably…
It was the power of life…
The moment he sensed this power, Fang Jiuyou’s expression drastically shifted. He knew if he allowed this vitality to continue expanding, he would inevitably be ripped apart from the inside.
Daring not to linger for an instant, he swept his hand, and another ancient golden bell materialized above his head, enveloping him. He then sat cross-legged in the void, diligently channeling his internal strength to force the ceaseless surge of life energy out of his body…
By now, both Huangfu Buyue and Gongsun Lu were severely wounded. Seeing Fang Jiuyou shrouded within the golden bell, they paid no mind to their injuries and charged at him once more. However, against the defense of the golden bell, no matter how they attacked, they only managed to stir faint ripples…
“Hmph, you two can’t break that thing; it’s a High-Grade Spirit Artifact! Get over here and help me break these chains first!” Seeing their futile efforts, Liang Xiaoke roared out loud. His body was tightly bound by iron chains, his scales already shredded, with many links burrowed deep into his flesh. Yet, he completely ignored his wounds, his eyes fixed instead on Ye Jingyu, who was encased by the Seven Fiends Pagoda, filled with unmistakable concern…
Inside the Seven Fiends Pagoda at that moment, wisps of black flame ignited—the Netherworld Fire capable of scorching even the human soul. Normally, even a single spark grazing someone would reduce them to ash. Yet, Ye Jingyu sat calmly at the pagoda’s center, appearing almost to relish the heat…
The Netherworld Acupoint on his left palm spun furiously, generating a powerful suction that began directly drawing in the Netherworld Fire. If Fang Jiuyou knew that his most potent treasure, the Seven Fiends Pagoda, was merely serving to enhance Ye Jingyu’s strength, one could only imagine his reaction?
And at this very moment, the cyan ancient bell residing within Ye Jingyu’s Sea of Consciousness also began to slowly rotate, seemingly absorbing a trace of the marvelous energy emanating from within the Seven Fiends Pagoda… spiritual power…
Second by second ticked by. With the assistance of Huangfu Buyue and Gongsun Lu, Liang Xiaoke finally managed to break free from the shackles of the Heaven Water Divine Chains. By that time, Fang Jiuyou had successfully expelled all the life energy Gongsun Lu had forced into him, and his own injuries were completely healed.
Blue light continuously pulsed from his skin. He sneered, and his body lunged once more toward Liang Xiaoke and the others…
The strongest among his opponents was already suppressed by his Seven Fiends Pagoda. These remaining few were no match for him; it was best to finish them off quickly…
His hands instantly blazed with blue light as he unleashed a barrage of palm strikes. Everyone witnessed phantom palm shadows flying wildly through the void, as if countless hands were striking them simultaneously. Whether it was Liang Xiaoke, Huangfu Buyue, or Gongsun Lu, none could withstand such a dense flurry of blows. Almost immediately, one person and two corpses were sent flying, their bones undoubtedly broken in countless places.
Liang Xiaoke and Gongsun Lu fared slightly better; being zombies, they could quickly mend fractured bones. But Huangfu Buyue was not so lucky: his shoulder blade, ribs, and shin bones were all snapped. The indescribable agony nearly rendered him unconscious…
Seeing the one person and two zombies he had repelled, Fang Jiuyou knew it was time to end things.
Holding nothing back, the blue light within him intensified, all his power converging onto his right fist. He even drew the energy sustaining the golden bell hovering above his head into his palm. He intended to obliterate these fools who dared to offend him in a single, decisive blow…
“Heavenly Cloud Transformation…” he roared, preparing to strike Gongsun Lu and the others with a massive palm. However, the Seven Fiends Pagoda suppressing Ye Jingyu suddenly exploded. A figure shot out from the ruins of the pagoda and lunged directly at Fang Jiuyou…
Fang Jiuyou’s spirit recoiled violently. The Seven Fiends Pagoda was intrinsically tied to his life essence; its violent destruction could not leave him unscathed. The palm wind he had already unleashed shattered instantly, and a mouthful of blood erupted from his lips…
Seeing Ye Jingyu hurtling toward him, he cast aside everything else and urged the golden bell above his head to its maximum potential. But just as the golden bell began to emit its protective rays, Ye Jingyu’s silhouette materialized right before him…
“Heaven Shattering Fist!” Ye Jingyu bellowed, clenching his right fist and slamming it fiercely into the golden bell. Golden light flickered at his knuckles. The instant he struck, the surrounding void cracked inch by inch, as if it might utterly collapse at any second…
With a resounding “Weng…” Ye Jingyu’s punch slammed into the golden bell with tremendous force, the resulting shockwave making Fang Jiuyou spit up blood repeatedly…
Disbelief flooded his eyes. How was this fellow not incinerated by the Nine Nethers Fire inside the Seven Fiends Pagoda? Why was he still alive? And why was his strength still so immense?
Panicked, Fang Jiuyou momentarily froze, unsure what to do other than instinctively channeling his internal power to maintain control of the golden bell…
Ye Jingyu was genuinely astonished by the defensive strength of the golden bell. His single punch should have been enough to demolish a great mountain, yet the golden bell merely rang with a hum, showing not even the slightest hint of fracture. How was this possible?