The earth shook as the demon beasts charged toward Xue Hui, entering the area beneath the inscription array.
The moment they stepped inside, a wave of extreme cold violently bombarded their bodies. Weaker demon beasts were frozen on the spot, transformed into lifeless ice sculptures. Those above Bronze rank found themselves rooted in place as their limbs were devoured by the frigid force, skin, flesh, and bone freezing solid where they stood.
WOOSH!
CRACK!
WOOSH!
CRACKLE!
WOOSH!
SNAP!
With ruthless precision, six fist-sized spheres shot across the ruined palace, targeting the trapped demon beasts.
Xue Hui directed the Liu-Jiaren at the frozen limbs of the immobilized demons, shattering them into countless fragments and rendering even the Silver- and Gold-rank demon beasts completely immobile.
Shocked by the loss of their limbs and the agony that followed, the Silver- and Gold-rank demon beasts—already battered by the combined assault of the Pure Water Domain and Xue Hui's Liu-Jiaren—were unable to defend themselves against the extreme cold creeping across their fallen bodies. The relentless frost swallowed them whole, claiming them with terrifying ease.
The demon beasts outside the Pure Water Domain let out furious roars as they watched the carnage unfold.
More charged toward Xue Hui, rushing straight into the domain. Just like the first wave, they were violently bombarded by the extreme frost the moment they stepped inside, their bodies freezing solid before being shattered into pieces beneath the relentless strikes of Xue Hui's Liu-Jiaren.
Ordinarily, with Xue Hui's current strength at three-star Bronze rank, he should not have been capable of accomplishing such a frightening feat against a group of such powerful demon beasts.
All of this was only possible thanks to the ten Whiskers Water-Attribute Needles hidden within each of the ruined palace columns.
The pure Water attribute contained within those needles stood at the pinnacle in terms of power of Law.
The Law of Water.
The Power of Law was a mysterious force far greater than ordinary spiritual energy. While spiritual energy strengthened the body and soul, the Power of Law was born from the comprehension of the fundamental principles that governed the world itself.
Thus, the frigid energy unleashed by the Pure Water Needles was not something ordinary demon beasts could defend against without understanding the Law behind it.
It was true that Bronze-rank demon beasts froze faster than their Silver- and Gold-rank counterparts. That difference, however, stemmed only from the stronger physiques and greater vitality possessed by higher-ranked beasts. Even so, no matter how robust their bodies were, they could not truly withstand the might of the Law of water.
When their frozen limbs were obliterated by Xue Hui's Liu-Jiaren, they immediately lost the instinctive ability to resist the invading frost. With their bodies broken and their defenses shattered, they fell completely under the dominion of the Pure Water Domain.
Of course, the Ten Whiskers Water-Attribute Needles alone could not unleash such overwhelming power by themselves.
The needles required a power source before they could release such destructive force.
That was the purpose of the columns.
During the era of Wu Zhen Yi, these columns were not built to conceal the existence of the Ten Whiskers Water-Attribute Needles. Instead, they were constructed to serve as the core of a powerful defensive array for the royal family.
Each column could absorb and store vast amounts of spiritual energy from the surrounding air over time. Once accumulated, that stored energy would serve as fuel for the Ten Whiskers Water-Attribute Needles, activating the Water Domain.
For a healer, the Ten Whiskers Water-Attribute Needles were invaluable tools capable of healing various ailments.
For a Demon Spiritualist, they were lethal weapons used to swiftly defeat opponents.
And for the royal family of Wu Zhen Yi, they were the very core that formed the Pure Water Domain.
Through the ages, this domain had continuously protected the royal bloodline. Even when the Age of Darkness descended and hundreds of millions of demon beasts trampled the kingdom, reducing it to ruins, the ten columns alone remained standing.
Though the era of Wu Zhen Yi had long since passed, the Pure Water Domain endured. It continued to absorb and store spiritual energy through the centuries—until this very day, when Xue Hui finally unleashed its full might once more.
Although the Pure Water Domain remained intact and could be used to massacre vast numbers of demon beasts, the immense spiritual energy stored within it also posed a problem for Xue Hui.
Unfortunately, the only way for his talisman to function and destroy the columns—so he could obtain the Ten Whiskers Water-Attribute Needles—was to first exhaust all the spiritual energy accumulated within them.
Fortunately, the entire territory of the Wu Zhen Yi ruins was encircled by Crimson-Soaked Lilies. This meant that aside from the demon beasts already residing within the ruins, he did not need to worry about others from beyond the surrounding hills joining the battle.
As time passed, nearly half of the demon beasts that had charged at Xue Hui were annihilated under the relentless combined assault of the Pure Water Domain and his precise control of the Liu-Jiaren.
The entire ruin echoed with the sounds of shattering ice and the anguished roars of demon beasts.
Even the Black Gold–rank demon beast attempted to step forward and enter the Pure Water Domain, only to retreat as the instant frost began creeping over their feet.
Seeing this, Xue Hui clicked his tongue. It seemed the Leather Arm Ape was far smarter than it appeared.
It would have been far better if the beast had fallen victim to the Pure Water Domain. Now, he needed to think of another way to kill it.
Meanwhile, Chen Zhenlong wrestled with his thoughts. He considered placing the Fuzhuang Box—with his daughter safely inside—into the tunnel before rushing out to assist Xue Hui, especially against the Leather Arm Ape.
But the idea of leaving his daughter unattended while demon beasts rampaged throughout the ruins did not sit well with him.
Bringing her into the heart of danger was even less acceptable. Although the Fuzhuang Box could withstand an attack from a Black Gold–rank beast, that did not mean it was truly safe amid such chaos.
In the worst-case scenario, his sudden appearance might disrupt the flow of battle and turn the tide against Xue Hui.
Despite being surrounded by a vast number of demon beasts, the young boy remained remarkably composed, steadily thinning their ranks with cold precision.
"Forget it. I'll step in only if the situation demands it," Chen Zhenlong thought to himself, deciding—for now—not to intervene.
While Chen Zhenlong was still hesitating, the little girl on his back had long fallen silent. She was utterly awestruck.
Her eyes shimmered as she watched her friend standing amidst beams of multicolored light. Blue frost fog revolved around him as if he were the eye of a storm, freezing every demon beast that dared step into his domain into lifeless statues. Around him, six radiant spheres danced gracefully, reducing the frozen beasts into shimmering white dust.
Despite the mortal danger surrounding them, she could not help but admire the unbelievable sight.
ROAR!
Seemingly fed up with the lack of progress and the mounting deaths on its side, the Leather Arm Ape glanced around before seizing a massive piece of rubble and lifting it high above its head.
With an earth-shaking roar, it hurled the enormous stone toward Xue Hui with tremendous force.
WOOSH!
CRACK! CREAK!
Seeing this, Xue Hui swiftly formed another series of hand seals. The cold fog around him condensed into a flowing stream of water, swirling violently before shaping itself into a long water whip. It lashed outward at incredible speed, intercepting the incoming rubble and smashing it into fragments.
Crk… crk…
Tchk… tch…
Raising both arms, multiple ice spears condensed from the surrounding frost. They resembled ordinary spears, with one notable alteration—a round hollow container embedded between the spearhead and the shaft.
Hovering before him, Xue Hui flicked his finger. Ten small bottles containing an unknown liquid dropped from his interspatial ring, each settling neatly into the hollow chambers of the spears.
"Since you want to throw things at me, don't mind me throwing a few of my own," he said coldly.
With another flick of his hands, the ice spears shot forward, flying beyond the boundaries of the Pure Water Domain. Each spear streaked toward the areas where demon beasts were most densely gathered.
BOOM!
ROAR!
BOOM!
ROAR!
BOOM!
ROAR!
ROAR!
BOOM!
ROAR!
BOOM!
ROAR!
BOOM!
ROAR!
"Kyaa!"
Covering her ears, Chen Linlin could not stop herself from screaming when the entire ruin was suddenly engulfed in a series of massive explosions.
Chen Zhenlong immediately recognized it—it was the Black Blood explosion.
Back in Glory City, Xue Hui and his wife, Chen Yinying, had often ventured into the forest near the city to hunt various demon beasts. From their spoils, the boy would collect numerous materials, among them demon blood.
Demon blood was one of Xue Hui's most frequently used resources. He always made sure to gather as much as possible and store it back at the mansion.
When asked what it was for, the boy had casually replied that it was mostly used for inscriptions. He even showed them some of his completed works—talismans, weapons, scrolls, and various other items marked with intricate inscription patterns.
One of them was the Black Blood explosion.
Out of curiosity, Chen Yinying had once picked up one of the small bottles and playfully turned it around in her hands, asking what it did. Fortunately, she had not dropped it, because it turned out to be a highly explosive concoction—powerful enough to reduce everything nearby to nothing.
The poor woman had nearly vomited from sheer fright when she realized how close she had come to accidentally ending the thousand-year lineage of the Divine Family.
After giving the boy a well-deserved smack on the head for failing to warn them about the bottle's true nature, Chen Zhenlong had quickly ordered Xue Hui to put it away before any real accident could occur.
Thank God he had done so. Based on the destruction he was witnessing right now, Chen Zhenlong was certain that even he would not survive a direct blast from those Black Blood explosion.
"So the boy truly came well prepared," Chen Zhenlong muttered as he watched the clouds of smoke and dust slowly disperse.
Inside the ice dome he had formed before the explosions, Xue Hui's gaze was fixed on the columns. Fine cracks had begun to surface along each of them—a clear sign that the stored spiritual energy was nearly depleted.
Once the spiritual energy within the columns was fully exhausted, the talisman he had placed earlier would activate, triggering its effect. It would destroy the Pure Water Domain's columns, allowing him to retrieve the Ten Whiskers Water-Attribute Needles hidden inside.
Now the question was—
What would he do after destroying the columns?
The moment they were reduced to rubble, the entire Pure Water Domain would collapse instantly.
That meant any demon beasts that survived the Demonic Blood Burst explosions would be free to attack him without restraint.
If that happened, escape would be his only option.
He could use the Liu-Jiaren to carry him away, but at its current speed, a Gold-rank demon beast could easily catch up to him—let alone a Black Gold–rank beast.
He could only hope that the Leather Arm Ape had been obliterated in the blast. The creature had caught one of the ice spears directly in its hand, and the Black Blood explosion had detonated point-blank against it.
CRACK—creak—KRAKCHING!
Cracks ran across the surface of the ice dome before it shattered and exploded into fine dust, revealing the devastation outside. Xue Hui finally got a clear look at the destruction he had unleashed.
Pieces of demon beasts were scattered everywhere. The once lush, green ruins had been transformed into a gruesome graveyard of blood and gore.
Those who had managed to survive were unable to stand, their bodies broken by missing limbs or fatal injuries. None of the remaining demon beasts could move—
Except for one.
The sole Black Gold–rank demon beast.
The Leather Arm Ape was in a miserable state. Its entire right arm was gone. The thick fur that once covered its body had been completely singed away, exposing charred flesh and fragments of bone across its upper torso. Blood poured from countless wounds, and a large portion of the right side of its face was missing. That it remained standing despite such horrific injuries was nothing short of a miracle.
Before Xue Hui could unleash another barrage of ordinary ice spears to end its suffering, he was jolted by a sudden explosion.
One of the columns had detonated.
Then another.
And another.
In rapid succession, all the remaining columns exploded the same way.
As the final column collapsed, ten slender needles shrouded in a radiant glow and swirling runes shot into Xue Hui's hands. He lowered his gaze, examining the intricate needles with troubled looks as the Pure Water Domain around him slowly faded out of existence.
Without hesitation, Xue Hui stored the Ten Whiskers Water-Attribute Needles into his interspatial ring and began walking away from the palace ruins, ignoring the piercing, murderous glare of the Leather Arm Ape behind him.
ROAR!
At the furious roar erupting from behind, Xue Hui instantly bolted away.
End of Chapter 19