Faced with the formidable fourth-tier immortal sword, Jiang Linglong remained unfazed. Her brow furrowed slightly, and an ancient cauldron descended from her forehead.
"The Six-Directions Eight-Desolations Cauldron?"
Elian's pupils contracted slightly as he recognized the cauldron. He hadn't expected this refining cauldron to also be one of Jiang Linglong's life-bound treasures.
At the age of twenty-eight, Jiang Linglong had already broken through to the Purple Mansion stage. However, she had spent nearly two hundred years at the peak of this stage, stuck due to her incomplete spirit root. During this time, she had not been idle.
Now, with four spirit roots, she had forged four life-bound treasures. This Six-Directions Eight-Desolations Cauldron represented her culmination in the art of refining, with extraordinary power.
The cauldron descended, immediately suppressing the Ink Snow Immortal Sword, even threatening to swallow and refine it within.
Seeing that even the Ink Snow Immortal Sword couldn't prevail, the Sky Python Demon King's expression turned grim. It spat out a treasured blade engraved with dragon patterns.
"The Dragon Transformation Blade!"
The crowd's pupils contracted slightly at the sight of the weapon.
The Dragon Transformation Blade was a mid-fourth-tier treasure forged from precious fourth-tier metals and tempered with flood dragon blood, inherently imbued with potent dragon fiendish energy.
It was said that this blade held the secret to transforming into a flood dragon. For a python demon with extraordinary bloodline potential, wielding this blade could catalyze its evolution into a legendary flood dragon.
The Sky Python Demon King had paid an exorbitant price to acquire the blade from the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor of Ripple Lake.
As the Dragon Transformation Blade appeared, its immense power was evident. Even the Tianxu Immortal-Slaying Sword was knocked away with a single blow.
As the blade slashed toward her, Jiang Linglong frowned. For a century, she had been cultivating a tremendously powerful divine ability. However, the conditions for using this ability were extremely demanding. Activating it prematurely could ruin all her years of effort.
"Even if I activate the divine ability and exhaust all my means, I may not kill this demon," she thought.
"Forget it."
Resolving not to use her divine ability, she expanded the protective barrier of her Ji Earth Primordial Disk and relied on her three life-bound treasures to fight a defensive battle.
Seeing Jiang Linglong avoiding a direct confrontation, the Sky Python Demon King sneered.
"You're merely a Purple Mansion cultivator. Your magic power is far inferior. Even with fourth-tier treasures, how long can you sustain them?"
Hearing this, Elian felt reassured. He knew Jiang Linglong had already equipped her fire, metal, and earth spirit roots with life-bound treasures—the Six-Directions Eight-Desolations Cauldron, the Tianxu Immortal-Slaying Sword, and the Ji Earth Primordial Disk.
It stood to reason her wood spirit root would also have a treasure, most likely the Water Green Lotus Platform, an exceptional life-bound artifact capable of doubling a cultivator's spiritual power. Given Jiang Linglong's mastery, this treasure was likely even higher-tiered.
Suppressing his thoughts, Elian joined the group in attacking the Purple-Blood Python.
"Hiss—"
Even as a peak Purple Mansion beast, the Purple-Blood Python struggled against the combined might of eight cultivators. It hissed furiously, using a high-tier defensive artifact, a small bell, to shield itself while deploying various treasures to fend off the group.
The cultivators pressed their attack. Elder Yang used his Thunderfire Sword to relentlessly close in on the python, shrinking its maneuvering space.
The Purple-Blood Python's defensive artifact, the Violet-Blood Tower, projected a protective purple light. However, it was hard-pressed to withstand the combined assault of so many fourth-tier treasures and abilities.
Seizing an opportunity, Xu Qianyang unleashed the Flaming Goldfire Dragon Shears, landing a powerful strike on the tower. The Violet-Blood Tower, already weakened from prior attacks, dimmed to almost nothing, leaving only a faint barrier.
"Strike!" Elder Yang shouted, his eyes narrowing as he brought out the clan's treasured weapon, the Mountain-Splitting Soul-Cleaving Axe, and delivered a powerful blow.
In terms of raw attack power, the Mountain-Splitting Soul-Cleaving Axe was on par with the Flaming Goldfire Dragon Shears, though slower. With the Purple-Blood Python already suppressed, it struggled to avoid the strike.
Despite this, the python's strength as a peak Purple Mansion beast was undeniable. Its eyes gleamed coldly as it roared and activated its innate ability, the Sky Python Devours Heaven technique.
"Not good!" Elder Yang's face fell as he attempted to retract the Mountain-Splitting Soul-Cleaving Axe. However, the python's cultivation far exceeded his, and its ability was overwhelming.
The air trembled as the technique distorted the heavens and earth, seemingly swallowing everything into its maw. Even the Mountain-Splitting Soul-Cleaving Axe, with its mountain-cleaving power, was consumed by the python.
"My treasure!" Elder Yang roared, his eyes bloodshot as he frantically attacked the python with the Thunderfire Sword.
A sharp hum echoed as Lin Qianshu intervened, using her Ice Soul Frostlight Sword to knock away one of the python's treasures before striking it with a pure white light.
The attack came from the Nine-Layered Profound Ice Spike, a high-tier ice-element artifact crafted by Jiang Linglong in recent years using ten-thousand-year ice. It was specially made for Lin Qianshu.
The python, now suppressing the Mountain-Splitting Soul-Cleaving Axe, could no longer use its innate ability and was forced to rely on its weakened defenses.
The Nine-Layered Profound Ice Spike pierced its barrier, leaving a deep wound. The cold energy of the ten-thousand-year ice seeped into its body.
As a cold-blooded creature, the python was especially vulnerable to ice-element attacks. Wounded by Lin Qianshu's technique, it finally showed signs of retreat, turning to flee into the depths of the void.
...
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