Su Miaoqing stood to the side, her gaze fixed anxiously on Xiao Yifeng. She hadn't expected him to be so recklessly audacious—forcing the formation of his Golden Core only to shatter it moments later! Knowing this was no time for distractions, she swallowed her worry and bit her red lip, her fists tightly clenched.
Xiao Yifeng, however, looked entirely unbothered. He threw his head back and laughed. "You miserable wraith! You dared to harm my Senior Sister, so I'll scatter your soul to the winds! Strike!"
Without a second's delay, the three cultivators unleashed their Dharma Treasures in unison, swarming forward to flank the eccentric.
Xiao Yifeng moved like lightning. The Ink Snow Sword in his hand cleaved toward his foe. Just as the eccentric attempted to use Teleportation to escape, Xiao Yifeng roared, "Teleportation is forbidden here!"
Caught halfway through the void, the eccentric jerked to a sudden, jarring halt. The Ink Snow Sword slammed into his body, sending him tumbling backward. As a divine weapon, the blade easily carved a gruesome, bone-deep gash across his chest.
The eccentric clawed his way up from the rubble, his eyes wide with horror and disbelief. "You can manipulate the laws of this space? Have you already claimed mastery over this immortal abode?"
His gaze then fell upon the Ink Snow Sword. A feverish, greedy light sparked in his manic eyes. "What kind of weapon is that?"
The others shot Xiao Yifeng looks of shock and suspicion. Xiao Yifeng merely flashed a cocky grin. "Take a guess."
He plunged his sword heavily into the stone floor. "Extreme Deep Freeze!"
Instantly, the grand hall was transformed into a frozen wasteland. Thick frost aggressively crept across the walls, and the eccentric felt his limbs stiffen as a biting cold sapped his speed. This was one of the Ink Snow Sword's innate abilities—it mutated the water-attribute spells born from Xiao Yifeng's spiritual root into devastating ice-attribute magic.
Mo Shuiyao and Lin Xiao didn't waste the opening. The Moon Blades orbiting Mo Shuiyao shattered into a flurry of deadly crescent arcs, raining down upon the eccentric.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao hovered in mid-air. With a sharp flick of his folding fan, a spectral mountain materialized and plummeted toward their enemy, swiftly followed by a torrential river that surged from the fan's painted landscape.
"You useless bitch, what are you staring at?!" the eccentric snarled at Luo Yun, his voice dripping with desperate venom. "Hurry up and help this seat!"
Stripped of his Teleportation and missing an arm, the once-overwhelming Nascent Soul cultivator found himself thoroughly suppressed by the trio's relentless assault.
Luo Yun hesitated for a fraction of a second before darting forward to obey. However, a fiery figure intercepted her path. It was Su Miaoqing.
Thanks to the Undead Bird Source Blood, Su Miaoqing's injuries had fully healed. She glared daggers at Luo Yun, her heart burning with disgust for the seemingly gentle, "white lotus" woman who had ruthlessly murdered the fiercely devoted Liu Yue.
Without a word of warning, Su Miaoqing unleashed her killing move: Vermilion Bird Burning the Heavens. A massive, blazing Vermilion Bird shrieked as it dove toward Luo Yun.
Forced to defend herself, Luo Yun was locked into a fierce, fiery duel. They appeared evenly matched, though it was impossible to tell if the treacherous Luo Yun was intentionally holding back her true strength.
Meanwhile, the battle against the eccentric raged with earth-shattering intensity. Xiao Yifeng, Lin Xiao, and Mo Shuiyao were top-tier prodigies, and their arsenals seemed endless. The combat prowess each displayed easily rivaled an ordinary cultivator at the Golden Core Grand Perfection stage, while Xiao Yifeng's destructive output skirted the terrifying edges of the early Nascent Soul stage.
All three were brilliant tacticians. A single exchange of glances was enough to communicate their strategies. Their coordination was flawless, weaving a seamless net of offense and defense.
Xiao Yifeng spearheaded the assault. Cloaked in a storm of sword ki, he rapidly cycled through Five Elements spells, bombarding the eccentric with the Nine Melodies Wind Ballad and the Nine Li Fire Dragon.
Beside him, Mo Shuiyao danced through the chaos. Her Moon Blades orbited her like loyal phantoms, smoothly intercepting and deflecting every desperate counterattack the eccentric threw at Xiao Yifeng.
From above, Lin Xiao masterfully controlled the battlefield. With rhythmic snaps of his fan, he summoned phantom mountains, rivers, binding vines, and localized infernos, restricting the eccentric's movements and trapping him in a deadly kill-zone. Furthermore, Lin Xiao's illusory constructs were laced with a potent, invisible toxin. With every ragged breath, the eccentric inhaled the poison, causing his reflexes to grow duller by the second.
Covered in grotesque wounds and utterly disheveled, the eccentric was entirely suppressed. His defeat was only a matter of time.
The three prodigies exchanged a look, a shared thrill of exhilaration sparking between them. When fighting alongside geniuses of this caliber, what did it matter how strong the enemy was?
"This is the first time in my life I've fought alongside allies with such seamless synergy!" Lin Xiao laughed heartily, the thrill of battle in his voice. "Truly exhilarating!"
"Brother Lin, save the flattery," Xiao Yifeng smirked, deflecting a blow with ease. "Let's slaughter this old dog first, and then we can share a jar of wine."
"Don't forget about me," Mo Shuiyao chimed in, her tone a dangerous purr. "I'll gladly pour the wine for you two—provided you help me vent my frustrations. This filthy ghoul actually thought he could take me as his cultivation cauldron!"
"Haha! Then we shall personally carve out his heart for you, Fairy Mo," Lin Xiao declared. He snapped his folding fan shut and whipped it forward. The fan's ribs detached, transforming into a volley of massive, glowing broadswords that tore through the air.
The giant swords ruthlessly impaled the exhausted eccentric, leaving him drenched in blood and howling in agony. Xiao Yifeng didn't bat an eye at the display of power. After all, Lin Xiao was a renowned master whose reputation rivaled his own and Mo Shuiyao's. It was only natural he had a few lethal trump cards hidden in his sleeves.
Under their relentless siege, the eccentric's screams echoed through the hall. His prior arrogance was entirely broken, and he teetered on the brink of death.
Just then, the Book of Destiny finally finished condensing. It plummeted from the air, suddenly folding inward and condensing into a single, radiant pearl encased in a golden barrier.
The eccentric's twisted face lit up with manic joy. Roaring, he burned his life essence to unleash a secret technique, creating a violent shockwave that forcibly repelled the three prodigies. Turning into a streak of light, he lunged for the Book of Destiny.
Xiao Yifeng and the others immediately gave chase.
"Haha! The Book of Destiny belongs to this seat!" The eccentric reached out to snatch the glowing pearl. However, the moment his fingers brushed the barrier, an explosive arc of golden lightning violently blasted him away.
"Why?! Why on earth?!" he shrieked, his voice cracking with madness.
It dawned on him that without the Reincarnation Jade Pendant, the treasury deemed him unworthy. Trembling with sheer, unadulterated rage, a sudden realization struck him. He spun toward Luo Yun.
"You! Get over here and retrieve this Heavenly Book for me!"
Luo Yun, who had been lingering near the edge of her skirmish, instantly broke away from Su Miaoqing and soared toward the pedestal.
There was no way the others would let her succeed. They unleashed a barrage of attacks aimed squarely at her back. Yet, to their surprise, the eccentric threw his battered body into the line of fire, soaking up the devastating blows to shield her.
Crashing heavily in front of her, the eccentric spat a mouthful of blood and roared, "Go get the book!"
Luo Yun offered a soft, deceptively gentle nod to his back. "Understood, Senior."
Her slender fingers hovered over her zither, and with a sudden, vicious pluck, she snapped every single string. The broken strings instantly transformed into razor-sharp phantom blades. They shot outward, viciously piercing through the eccentric's back, erupting from his chest, and securely nailing him to the ground.
The sheer suddenness of the betrayal left the others momentarily stunned.
But Xiao Yifeng's eyes were sharp. He didn't hesitate for a microsecond. Stomping heavily onto the floor, a complex magic array bloomed beneath his feet. Concentric rings of brilliant light flared around his body, and the Ink Snow Sword erupted with a blinding, frigid radiance.
The onlookers only saw a single, breathtaking flash of silver light—a streak so fast it defied the eye, accompanied by a terrifying aura that flashed and vanished just as quickly.
By the time their minds processed the strike, the eccentric had already been cleanly bifurcated at the waist, his upper torso sliding sickeningly off his lower half and crashing to the cold stone floor.