Chapter 257: Chapter 246: [Human Emperor Banner 4.0]
A giant palm formed of Profound Ice slowly descended.
Its movements seemed sluggish, yet they sealed off all of Xuan Ping Master’s space to evade.
Where the edge of the palm passed, clear, winding frost-cracks were left in the void.
Faced with the power of this Talisman Skill—far beyond his expectations, akin to a natural disaster—a flicker of terror crossed Xuan Ping Master’s eyes.
However, his centuries of cultivation and experience in life-and-death battles allowed him to instantly suppress his panic.
How could a Foundation Establishment Master, with a will of iron, be thrown into disarray by a mere surprise?
"Hmph!"
"A heretic from an unorthodox path, how dare you simulate the true form of a Divine King!"
"Watch me shatter your illusion!"
He shouted sharply. His voice sounded somewhat stiff in the Cold Domain, but it still carried an ironclad resolve.
The Righteous Dao Master bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of essence blood mixed with immense Magical Power, instantly outlining three illusory talismans that were even more complex and radiant than before.
They were none other than the three Divine King Talismans: Three Rivers Bitter Cold, Five Mountains Suppression, and Nine Nether Bewitching Heart!
This time, however, a bloody light faintly flowed within the talismans’ patterns. It was clear they were activated with his life-bound essence blood, their power far surpassing the previous ones!
"Three Talismans Revolve, Evolving a Cave Heaven! Suppress!"
Xuan Ping Master’s hand seals shifted like a blooming lotus. The three Essence Blood Divine Talismans swirled in a trinary formation, their energies linking as their patterns began to merge and generate anew.
The three talismans merged into one, forcefully propping open a relatively stable "Talisman Cave Heaven" about a hundred yards in diameter!
Inside the cave heaven, the chill lessened and the pressure eased. Xuan Ping Master stood atop the Sumeru Mountain Shadow, his Magical Power merging with the cave heaven as his aura climbed once more.
He reached out and made a grasping motion. The endless cold qi within the Ice Crystal Jade Pot was roused, condensing into billions of translucent, cicada-wing-thin Profound Ice Demon-Slaying Swords. The ringing of the swords echoed throughout the cave heaven. With a point of his finger, they surged upward like a glacier in reverse, brazenly meeting the descending palm of the True King Dharma Aspect!
At the same time, countless invisible bewitching threads extended from the Chaos Mist, silently winding toward the Dharma Aspect itself in an attempt to corrupt its Dao Rhyme foundation.
BOOM—!
The giant ice palm and the river of Profound Ice swords collided violently!
There was no deafening bang, only the continuous, grating sound of ice crystals shattering and being annihilated by extreme cold.
The broken ice swords turned into an even more biting cold mist.
Meanwhile, the Profound Ice on the giant palm constantly flaked off and regenerated.
The two forces were locked in a stalemate mid-air. The resulting tide of cold covered everything within a hundred-mile radius—be it rock or ruin—in a thick layer of dark blue, solid ice.
At this point in the Magical Combat, they were evenly matched!
Relying on the Three Talisman Cave Heaven powered by his essence blood, Xuan Ping Master had withstood the might of the True King Dharma Aspect, which was formed from four thousand Cold Talismans.
Standing within his own cave heaven, his eyes grew calm and sharp again, a glint of calculation in them as he plotted to turn the tables and counterattack.
The strength of this Righteous Dao Master from the south was indeed nothing to scoff at.
"Your Talisman Skill is not bad, and your cave heaven technique has its merits."
Qi Yun’s voice drifted through the biting Cold Domain, still calm and unreadable.
"Unfortunately, this is as far as it goes."
The moment his words fell, Qi Yun’s left hand, which had been behind his back, slowly rose. With his five fingers slightly spread, he aimed at Xuan Ping Master and his painstakingly maintained "Three Talisman Cave Heaven" and gently clenched his fist.
There was no grand display, no brilliant light.
There was only a profound and indescribable concept—transcendent, detached, as if it superseded all rules of Daoist Skills—that spread from Qi Yun’s body.
Mastering All Skills!
The instant the Divine Technique activated, Xuan Ping Master’s brow furrowed sharply.
He suddenly discovered that his connection to the three Essence Blood Divine Talismans was being forcibly severed by an incomparably tyrannical power!
The Three Talisman Cave Heaven he struggled to maintain began to shake violently.
Cracks appeared on the Ice Crystal Jade Pot, the Sumeru Mountain Shadow wavered unsteadily, and the Chaos Mist faded rapidly!
For the first time, the Magical Power surging within him showed signs of disobedience, its circulation becoming sluggish and obscure.
His Purple Mansion Divine Soul even felt a terrifying sensation, as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand!
"This is... what Divine Technique is this?!" Xuan Ping Master’s face finally changed. His composure shattered, and for the first time, his eyes revealed an incredulous horror.
"It’s over."
Qi Yun’s voice was like a final verdict.
The giant palm of the Three Rivers Cold True King Dharma Aspect descended completely!
Xuan Ping Master’s Three Talisman Cave Heaven shattered with a crash, like colored glass struck by a heavy hammer!
The Essence Blood Divine Talismans dimmed and dissipated with a mournful cry.
The glow from his activated Protective Magical Treasure lasted but a moment before being crushed.
The giant palm closed, sealing Xuan Ping Master—along with his final horror and indignation—within a ten-thousand-foot block of Profound Ice, so clear it seemed to have frozen time and space itself!
At the core of the ice, Xuan Ping Master was frozen in his final posture, his life force and Divine Soul fluctuations completely sealed.
Qi Yun waved his hand, and the ten-thousand-foot block of Profound Ice rapidly shrank, drawn into his sleeve.
The True King Dharma Aspect in the sky slowly faded, and the bitter cold between Heaven and Earth quickly receded.
"Hah..."
Exhaling a long breath, Qi Yun stood alone in the mountain breeze as the temperature gradually returned to normal, his deep blue Daoist robe unstained by even a speck of dust.
His indifferent gaze swept over the Qi Refining Disciples from Nine Kings Mountain below, who were so scared they had lost their wits and collapsed to the ground.
’It’s all over...’
The remaining disciples from Nine Kings Mountain watched helplessly as their own Elder, a Foundation Establishment Master, was sealed in crystalline Profound Ice, his fate unknown.
Then, he disappeared, ice and all, into the Demon’s sleeve.
At that moment, everyone’s psychological defenses completely crumbled.
A Foundation Establishment Master—in their eyes, a towering figure, an unreachable existence—hadn’t even lasted a few rounds against this Demon before being captured alive.
’Just how terrifying is this Demon’s power?’
Despair washed over them like ice water, extinguishing their last shred of hope.
Resistance? That was a joke.
Even if they were a thousand or ten thousand times stronger, they would likely be nothing more than dust, turned to ash with a flick of his finger.
THUD!
The middle-aged cultivator who had just been bluffing and arguing about "justice and morality" was now ashen-faced. He was the first to drop heavily to his knees, slamming his head on the ground, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"S-Senior! Senior’s Daoist Skills are heaven-reaching, your divine might is infinite! I-It was we who were blind and offended Your Excellency!
"I beg Senior to show great Compassion and spare... spare us ants our lives!
"We are willing to be your slaves, your servants, to do your bidding!
"We only beg for a path to survival!"
Seeing this, the other disciples also burst into tears and snot, falling to their knees in a heap. They kowtowed repeatedly, their heads banging against the ground like pestles, the sound of their mournful pleas unending.
Looking at this group of cultivators who had instantly transformed from "Righteous Vanguards" into groveling worms, their attitudes flipping a full 180 degrees...
A playful smirk touched Qi Yun’s lips. He said to the leading middle-aged cultivator:
"I have to say, I preferred your defiant look from earlier."
"Ah?" The middle-aged cultivator looked up in confusion, tear tracks still wet on his face, his eyes filled with bewilderment.
WHOOSH—!
The jet-black Human Emperor Banner unfurled on its own, its surface gently curling.
The dozens of kneeling Qi Refining Disciples from Nine Kings Mountain all shuddered at once.
Then, like sand sculptures weathered by the wind, they instantly disintegrated into the finest dust without even managing to scream.
One by one, dazed, terrified, transparent soul apparitions were forcibly ripped from their bodies. They let out silent wails, struggling as they were sucked into the abyss-like surface of the banner.
They became new additions to the sea of souls within the banner.
The mountain wind swept past, carrying away the last traces of dust and blood.
Upon the ruins of the Thousand Bone Sect, besides the lingering traces of Magical Combat and a biting chill, there was no sign of any cultivator from Nine Kings Mountain.
Qi Yun’s expression was impassive, utterly unconcerned with the fate of these ants. With a shift of his body, he transformed into an inconspicuous Vermilion Rainbow and crossed mountains and rivers in an instant.
He returned to the tranquil Palace deep within Ten Thousand Caves Mountain.
Waving away his attendants, he walked straight into the core meditation chamber in the deepest part of the palace.
With several flicks of his sleeve, layers of glowing Restrictions for concealment, defense, and isolation lit up one after another, enveloping the chamber completely.
Several small Arrays were also activated, scrambling the heavenly secrets to prevent any form of scrying.
Only after all this was done did Qi Yun flip his hand to retrieve the deep, jet-black Human Emperor Banner. He planted it in the center of the chamber, its surface hanging down naturally and emitting a serene Spiritual Light.
Immediately after, he turned his palm over again. The ten-thousand-foot block of Profound Ice sealing Xuan Ping Master appeared in the air, releasing a wave of cold that caused the room’s temperature to plummet and frost to form on the walls and floor.
The Profound Ice was crystal clear, allowing for a perfect view of Xuan Ping Master’s frozen form and expression within.
His life force and Divine Soul fluctuations had been completely suppressed and sealed by the Three Rivers Cold True King Appearance.
Resting his chin on his hand, Qi Yun gazed at the silent Righteous Dao Master before him. His eyes flickered as a line of text appeared on his Magic Technique Panel.
[Human Emperor Banner 4.0: New Main Soul mechanic. Can perform Refinement on a living being whose strength does not exceed the banner’s owner to make them a Main Soul. The Main Soul will reside in the banner’s core and can wield the Human Emperor Banner on the owner’s behalf.]
"’Main Soul...’" Tapping his cheek lightly, a sharp glint flashed in Qi Yun’s eyes.
"’This little venture turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I’ve found a rather good specimen for my precious banner’s Main Soul.’" A slight smile played on Qi Yun’s lips, his gaze falling upon Xuan Ping Master’s "body" inside the Profound Ice, growing deep and focused.
Refining the Divine Soul of a Foundation Establishment Master to serve as a Main Soul was no easy task; there would surely be backlash and danger.
But the rewards were equally immense.
Without further hesitation, Qi Yun sat cross-legged before the banner. His hands began to form a series of complex and ancient Dharma Seals as he chanted an obscure and difficult-to-understand Spell.
The Spiritual Mechanism within the meditation chamber began to slowly circulate with his movements, gradually converging on the Human Emperor Banner and the block of Profound Ice.
He was going to perform Refinement on this Foundation Establishment Master from the Righteous Dao’s Nine Kings Mountain, right here in this chamber, and seal him within the Human Emperor Banner.
To become the Main Soul of the Human Emperor Banner!
...
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