Chapter 897: Chapter 147: Plausible but Fallacious
Jiang Wang was not skilled in illusions, but with the help of the Illusion King Pearl and the Red Mirror, he almost took the art of illusion to the extreme.
The illusion created by the Illusion King Pearl was one layer, and the phantom body formed by the Red Mirror was another. His assertive swordplay, coupled with the commanding summoning of the Body-Binding Chains, was itself another kind of illusion. It was a real action, designed to deceive Granny Bizhu, thus creating an opportunity for a sneak attack by the Jiao Dragon Rope.
The Jiao Dragon Rope, which was supposed to cast the shadow of a dragon whenever it appeared, was subdued by Jiang Wang to be silent and without light.
Tap!
The sound of a water droplet shattering.
This sound should have been minute, but at this moment, it was incredibly clear.
The illusion of the old crone holding the dragon-headed staff suddenly collapsed, breaking into many water droplets. Those droplets converged to form a water rope that collided fiercely with the Jiao Dragon Rope.
The Jiao Dragon Rope was an exceptional treasure, provided it could make contact with the opponent.
And it evidently failed to deceive Granny Bizhu’s eyes.
The water rope entangled with the Jiao Dragon Rope. While the former was no match for the latter, it also lost its concealment.
"You were actually able to see through my illusion; the younger generation is indeed to be feared," she said.
As that droplet shattered, the true form of Granny Bizhu was revealed.
While her mouth spoke of the awe of the younger generation, from the glaze water jar she was holding in her left hand, two little blue fish sprang forth. The blue fish grew as they encountered the wind, each biting onto a Body-Binding Chain, and crashed into the distance. The Body-Binding Chains in turn tightly bound them, but they had already been separated from Granny Bizhu herself.
The old crone’s right hand flipped, and her dragon-headed staff tapped lightly, skillfully landing on the tip of the sword.
In that moment when the end of the staff and the sword tip were in stalemate, four blue talismans ignited beneath her feet.
On that boulder, Jiang Wang had also laid out water-repelling talismans.
There were five water-repelling talismans in total in the squirrel box gifted by Yan Fu, and Jiang Wang had now used them all.
His sole purpose was to prohibit the Water Element to the greatest extent and weaken Granny Bizhu as much as possible.
Granny Bizhu responded with decisive action, flipping her hand to overturn the entire glaze water jar!
A sudden surge of waves arose!
Within a hundred miles, an abrupt ocean emerged.
That boulder seemed to become a reef, with flowing water beneath it. To some extent, the rules of the Lost World within this area had been temporarily altered.
The water inside the jar had been collected and refined by her personally over nearly a hundred years, and now it was all being poured out in one go.
Under the interference of the rules of the Lost World, it would disperse quickly. But at least for the moment, the terrain was on her side.
At this moment, stars fell from the sky, bestowing their light onto the old woman’s form, while turbulent water churned at her feet, deep and solemn. It almost echoed the saying, "The sky a nocturnal vault, the sea devoid of light, the northwest unseen, the east and south undistinguished."
The four water-repelling talismans were almost ineffective against such a massive flow of water.
Jiang Wang remained calm with a resolute gaze. Three thousand Soul Stealth Snakes burst from his Inner Mansion, attacking Granny Bizhu’s Tongtian Palace all at once!
This was the first time he had deployed all of his Divine Soul Strength in the form of the Soul Stealth Snakes to attack an opponent’s Tongtian Palace since the Asking Heart Disaster had strengthened him.
Because the Tongtian Palace’s protection of its host would make a Divine Soul Battle not so easy for an invader. Even someone as overwhelmingly powerful as Zhuang Chenggan would be somewhat suppressed within his own Tongtian Palace.
While Jiang Wang’s current Divine Soul Strength was indeed stronger than most Outer Tower Cultivators, a direct collision of Spirit and Soul Power might offer a chance; however, invading the Tongtian Palace might not be successful.
But he poured all his Divine Soul Strength into it, vying only for an opportunity, not placing hope on determining the victor in one stroke.
Inside Granny Bizhu’s Tongtian Palace, the first thing Jiang Wang sensed was an antiquated scent, much like an old house long neglected, with drafts and leaks everywhere.
However, her Divine Soul Strength was not weak, built over many long years.
The Soul Stealth Snake had barely appeared when waves started surging throughout the interior of the Tongtian Palace. The tumultuous water engulfed the dense groups of Hidden Snakes.
Jiang Wang’s spirit leaped forth, holding the Lovesickness Sword Spirit in his grasp, and with one stroke, he cleaved through the waves.
Granny Bizhu’s Dao Veins True Spirit was a green python, entwining the waves from afar, watching the scene unfold but not approaching immediately.
Meanwhile, outside, the dragon-head cane that was pressing against the tip of the Lovesickness Sword suddenly let out a whistling cry. The dragon-head cane instantly came to life, transforming into a Jiao Dragon without horns but with claws, biting the sword and flying outward with it.
This force was so sudden that if Jiang Wang didn’t let go, he would be pulled directly into vulnerability, exposing his flaws.
How could a swordsman let go of his sword? And moreover, while Jiang Wang’s spirit was engaged in battle with the Sword Spirit inside the Tongtian Palace, he couldn’t possibly let go no matter what.
After realizing the astonishing strength of Jiang Wang’s spirit, Granny Bizhu didn’t choose to confront him head-on but temporarily set aside the conflict over such a critical place as the Tongtian Palace and decided to take action in the outside world to break the situation. With one strike, she put Jiang Wang in a difficult position, showing her cunning and experience.
In such a supposedly vexing moment, Jiang Wang spread his five fingers and decisively let go of the Lovesickness, allowing the independently living Sword Spirit of the Lovesickness to tangle with the dragon-head staff.
He didn’t see it as a difficult choice! He lost the Lovesickness, and that old woman also lost her dragon-head staff!
His spirit returned to his body, with a thousand Hidden Snakes still causing trouble within the opponent’s Tongtian Palace.
As soon as the sword left his hand, his five fingers closed again, forming a fist, and he threw it directly at Granny Bizhu!
This punch was aimed straight at the heart of the matter.
A forceful and peerless attack, fit for an imperial army.
Jiang Wang’s fist, of course, was nowhere near as powerful as that of Wang Yiwu’s. However, wrapped in the mighty power of Path Origin, it still possessed not to be underestimated strength.
In this moment, Granny Bizhu had many choices.
But with starlight from the heavens protecting her body, why should she fear the punch of a mere Inner Mansion Realm cultivator?
Divine Skills of the God’s Inner Mansion are strong in Divine Skills but do not necessarily imply a formidable flesh body. The Samadhi True Fire is not known for its ability to temper the body.
Moreover, back in the prison of the sea, she had already witnessed Jiang Wang’s physical strength. Even if he had concealed some of his power back then, his true strength couldn’t have been much greater.
So, in the blink of an eye, she chose to counter with her palm.
This was a capturing technique, savage in its follow-up, aimed at using his momentum to dislocate Jiang Wang’s arm.
She thought it was a wise choice after deliberation, yet unknown to her, she also had been influenced by the Astray Path Technique.
On Jiang Wang’s right thumb, he wore a jade thumb ring called Ice Sinking, which was named after the principle that "when water freezes, it becomes heavier." Its effect was to amplify the wearer’s physical strength tenfold. The limit was unknown, but with Jiang Wang’s current physical strength, he was still nowhere near reaching that limit.
Those who use bow and arrows need more strength; Li Fengyao used the Ice Sinking jade thumb ring to assist in drawing the bow and nocking the arrows, making his arrows shoot like falling stars.
And then a flash of green light.
Jiang Wang’s punch, increased tenfold in strength, directly struck Granny Bizhu’s palm.
She was ready to lift and defuse the motion, but she couldn’t even manage to lift her palm and was directly blasted open at the Empty Gate!
Granny Bizhu never expected that Jiang Wang, known for his Samadhi True Fire and his formidable swordsmanship, would stake the outcome on his fist.
Her forcing Jiang Wang to drop the sword was a brilliant move, but it inadvertently worked against her.
Jiang Wang’s punch blew open the Empty Gate without the slightest hesitation. Immediately activating Secret Wind Chasing, his attack speed increased by another tenth.
Secret fire of the stars was ignited!
Totem Power was channeled!
Star Power was channeled!
With his five fingers wide open, reaching for Granny Bizhu’s face, the Samadhi True Fire erupted vehemently!
