Chapter 22: Divine Thunder of Metal
A wave of bone-chilling cold filled every inch of space within a ten-mile radius!
Qu Ziyang swept his hand, unleashing nine ghostly blue ice dragons that charged straight at Pang Yue.
Each dragon measured over thirty feet long, lifelike and agile, exuding a cold that seemed capable of annihilating everything. They bared their fangs and claws, spewing icy blue breath, as if determined to freeze Pang Yue to death.
In his fury, Qu Ziyang unleashed, from the very start, the Ice Demon Hall’s supreme divine art—Nine Dragons Slaughtering God Technique.
Pang Yue felt his mystical power congeal, layer upon layer of cold enveloping him from outside in, like countless icy thunders exploding, intent on destroying everything.
His own Flame Demon power activated on its own, resisting the extreme chill.
Before the nine ice dragons reached him, they appeared to be sliced by invisible blades into dozens of fragments, shattering into ice crystals that scattered in the air.
“Sword intent manifested?”
In the sky, Lu Ji’s expression shifted, surprise flashing across his face.
Manifestation of sword intent was a defensive technique of expert sword cultivators—their sword intent condensed into tangible blades, guarding their bodies.
Sword cultivators were rare in the Demon Sigil Sect, and those who had achieved such a manifestation were rarer still. He hadn’t expected that Daoist Xu possessed such skill.
Qu Ziyang, seeing the nine ice dragons fail, showed no discouragement. Forming a new seal with his hands, he changed his technique, and instantly, snow began to fall across Bloodrock Isle, killing intent hidden within the countless snowflakes.
Ice Demon Hall Divine Art—Snow Blankets the World!
Pang Yue smiled faintly and flicked his finger. A dazzling sword light, fiery bright, shot forth, instantly transforming into three sword blades and vanishing like lightning.
Within the heavy snow, the scarlet-gold sword light twisted and darted like swimming fish, weaving among the flakes, and slashed straight toward Qu Ziyang.
Qu Ziyang’s figure flickered and dissolved into a single snowflake.
The scarlet-gold sword light missed, folded in midair, and returned to Pang Yue’s side.
Meanwhile, the swirling snowflakes formed a great array, enshrouding Pang Yue.
A formless cold current descended from above, instantly solidifying into a massive block of hard ice, freezing Pang Yue in place.
But that was not all!
A snowflake, no larger than a fingernail, suddenly spun wildly, appearing with lightning speed at Pang Yue’s brow, poised to pierce straight through his skull!
In that split second—
Golden light exploded from Pang Yue’s body as thirty-three seals of the Dragon-Elephant True Canon appeared in sequence!
With a sudden surge, the massive ice shattered apart.
His afterimage flickered, and he fell half a step back—then hurled a punch straight at the tiny spinning snowflake!
Boom!
A thunderous roar rang out as ghostly blue-white light intertwined with golden fist radiance, flickering and pulsing.
Pang Yue stood motionless; on his right arm, ice crystals spread, hard as divine iron, radiating a sense of weight and extreme cold.
A hundred yards away, Qu Ziyang reappeared in disarray, his feathered cloak swirling, his handsome face now showing shock as his killing intent grew ever more intense.
“If this is the extent of your skills, Brother Qu, then you’d best make your peace!”
Pang Yue said this evenly.
He pointed a finger, and the Flame Sigil Sword blazed with piercing brilliance, slashing straight at Qu Ziyang.
Qu Ziyang spread his fingers wide and pushed forward. An octagonal silver mirror appeared out of thin air, blocking before him.
Suddenly, his heart pounded violently; a sense of doom crashed over him!
The Flame Sigil Sword’s light struck the octagonal silver mirror, bursting into countless tiny sword rays.
Among them, a single streak of red-white sword light bent silently, slipping unseen toward Qu Ziyang’s neck.
A flash of blue appeared at Qu Ziyang’s brow, and a crystalline, three-foot-long ice talisman manifested.
The talisman automatically protected its master, gleaming with shifting lights. It spun gently, colliding with the red-white sword ray.
Chilled mist billowed forth. Even the Flame Demon Immortal-Slaying Sword, a peerless artifact, was eroded by the cold, its speed dropping a thousandfold and the void itself freezing around it.
Within the ghostly blue mist, a “transparent” sword light flashed—ignoring the freezing effects, intangible and formless, it pierced the void and struck for Qu Ziyang.
Qu Ziyang had exhausted all his defenses; if not for the shrouding mist, he might not have sensed the formless sword at all!
He flashed backward at full speed.
The formless sword suddenly accelerated, ten times faster in an instant, and swept past Qu Ziyang’s body.
Qu Ziyang’s skills were formidable. In a heartbeat, he conjured a spell, causing crystalline ice scales to form over his body, making the sword light slip aside, if only slightly!
Slash!
Qu Ziyang grunted. His left arm and much of his side were sliced cleanly away.
He tried to recall his octagonal mirror and ice talisman, but both were entangled by sword light, rendering them useless.
In the distance, Pang Yue stood hands clasped behind his back atop a blood-red boulder, gazing at him expressionlessly.
“His swordsmanship is this fierce?”
“How has he cultivated—why have I never heard of him before?”
A hint of panic flickered through Qu Ziyang’s mind. Sensing mortal danger, he tried to dodge, but was still too slow, losing half his body to the formless sword.
The sword light came and went without a trace. If not for his protective spells and the warning in his heart, he would already have perished.
No time to think further, Qu Ziyang flipped his right hand, producing a golden thunder orb!
“Then let us die together!”
With that, he unleashed the Geng Metal Divine Thunder that Zhuang Buxiu had given him.
A flash of gold.
The next moment—
Blinding golden light flooded his vision, blotting out all else.
Boom!
A deafening roar reverberated through the heavens.
Above Bloodrock Isle, the sky itself was shrouded as golden light exploded, world-destroying power surging to the heavens, yet contained within a small area by the great formation.
Within the golden brilliance, all was annihilated.
A twisted grin appeared on Qu Ziyang’s face as he watched the octagonal mirror, red-white sword light, ice talisman, and his own body turn to ash.
Beyond his sight, a bronze square vessel appeared, calmly suppressing the golden light.
“Geng Metal Divine Thunder!”
Under this heavenly might, Lu Ji could not help but retreat ten miles, exclaiming in shock.
Beside him, Qin Shuyi’s face paled. Hearing those four words, her mind felt as if doused in freezing water.
She had grown up among the sect’s true disciples and was well aware of the significance of the Geng Metal Divine Thunder.
The power of a Golden Core!
Such force… surely meant mutual destruction…
At the thought, a strange sense of relief welled up in Qin Shuyi’s heart.
A figure in splendid robes appeared nearby, his voice grave. “Indeed, it is the Geng Metal Divine Thunder.”
Lu Ji turned, frowning. “Zhuang Buxiu, did you give this thunder to Qu Ziyang?”
Zhuang Buxiu, adorned in luxurious wide sleeves and a ceremonial crown, gazed down at Bloodrock Isle and sighed. “It was merely a loan, to aid Brother Qu in facing the worst. I never thought he would use it so hastily… Alas!”
Lu Ji fixed him with a deep look but said nothing more.
On Bloodrock Isle, the golden light persisted for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, then slowly faded.
At the island’s center, a figure in gray robes stood alone.
Unscathed!
“This is impossible!”
Zhuang Buxiu’s pupils contracted, disbelief written on his face.
Lu Ji’s gaze flickered, as if sensing something.
Within the great formation, aside from Pang Yue, there was no sign of Qu Ziyang…
Lu Ji opened the formation. Pang Yue transformed into a streak of fire and flew out, giving Zhuang Buxiu a meaningful glance.
“Congratulations, Brother Xu!”
Zhuang Buxiu, his mind in turmoil, hastily cupped his hands in salute, then turned and fled without another word.
Lu Ji produced the Demon-Eater Hall’s command sigil and handed it to Pang Yue, sighing with emotion. “I never expected Brother Xu to possess such a treasure—no wonder you dared contest Qu Ziyang so boldly.”
“Brother Lu, your eyes are sharp,”
Pang Yue replied. He had just used the Mountain-River Vessel to protect himself, convinced none could detect it—yet Lu Ji had seen through the ruse.