Chapter 157: The Cauldron Vessel Will Belong to One of Them

Xi Yu revealed herself, and without a single wasted word, she made her move!

She raised her right hand.

It looked delicate and powerless.

But when she spread her fingers and pushed lightly toward Chen Lingxi, a bizarre power erupted from her body, transforming into a massive talisman in the void!

As soon as the talisman appeared, the ambient spiritual energy, vapor, mist, and even the faint qi emanating from the plants and mountains were seized by her palm, falling into Xi Yu's hand!

A deafening rumble echoed!

Xi Yu thrust her palm forward!

Connected to that terrifying spiritual energy, the talisman crashed down toward Chen Lingxi.

This talisman radiated an unimaginably terrifying aura, powerful to the extreme.

Chen Lingxi had fought many opponents, but he had never seen such a lethal technique.

Before the talisman even landed, its surging pressure was already causing the void to detonate! Yet Chen Lingxi remained seated on his Longevity Bridge, his aura perfectly tranquil.

The spiritual qi around his body roared into motion, and an equally dense torrent of spiritual qi surged from within him.

In the next instant, Chen Lingxi extended a hand of his own.

He reached out with his right hand and snatched at the void!

The Heaven-Seizing Seal was already roaring to life within his qi sea.

He did not plunder the spiritual energy; instead, the worldly spiritual essence within a hundred zhang was naturally drawn in by his grasp.

Heaven-Seizing Seal!

In the blink of an eye, an equally massive hand seal of spiritual qi condensed in the void!

That great hand seal was entwined with the golden light of Profound Qi, the silvery-white of Sword Edge Qi, and the brilliant gold of thunder precious qi!

The three colors of radiance intertwined, and at the center of the palm, a vortex of spiritual energy, condensed to its absolute limit, spun madly.

"A Subtle divine power!"

A sharp glint flashed through the eyes of Shi Hong on the Zhuzhao Riverbank. To cultivate a divine power to the Subtle Realm within this Qi-Depleted Grotto-Heaven was truly difficult.

"Of these two, one is Xi Yu of the Que Star Xi Family. I have long heard of her tyrannical strength."

"But who is the other one?"

As Shi Hong's thoughts churned...

Xi Yu's talisman and Chen Lingxi's great hand seal collided in the void.

In an instant, terrifying shockwaves detonated at the point of impact. The fearsome air currents and spiritual light transformed into visible ripples, madly sweeping out in all directions.

They swept away everything in their path with overwhelming, effortless destructive force.

The clouds in the sky scattered.

Down in the mountain forest, countless trees were uprooted by the blast!

Following this palm exchange, Chen Lingxi furrowed his brow slightly.

'This Xi Yu really is extraordinary. Her cultivation is boundlessly deep. The subtlety and purity of the spiritual qi contained within that talisman divine power are actually a notch above my own.'

Ever since stepping onto the Qi Circulation 9th Floor, Chen Lingxi had consumed two streams of Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi and acquired the aptitude of a spiritual aperture. He knew full well that ordinary Ninth Floor figures were utterly incapable of contesting with him. But this Xi Yu was completely different.

'So this is a so-called genius of a great sect.'

Chen Lingxi's heart turned stern. His thoughts flashed, but his movements did not pause for a single moment.

The streak of Profound Qi within his qi sea lit up. He activated the Heaven-Seizing Seal divine power once more, forming an even heavier golden hand seal that he viciously slammed toward Xi Yu.

Xi Yu's eyes flickered slightly. The willow leaf beneath her feet circulated with spiritual light, carrying her figure straight into the clouds in the blink of an eye.

Like a fierce gale sweeping across the sky, she narrowly dodged Chen Lingxi's terrifying palm.

At the same time, Xi Yu formed hand seals with both palms and pointed at Chen Lingxi across the void.

Immediately, astonishing spiritual qi erupted from her fingers, transforming into silhouettes that rushed madly toward Chen Lingxi like clones.

Chen Lingxi drew the Thunder Radiance Treasure Sword from his waist.

The instant the longsword left its sheath, heaven and earth abruptly lit up.

The lightning patterns on the blade flashed continuously as countless arcs of thunderous radiance leapt from the sword, shrouding the surrounding ten zhang.

When those spiritual qi clones collided with this thunderous radiance, they suddenly detonated. The terrifying spiritual qi power contained within them transformed into streaks of piercing energy that stabbed toward Chen Lingxi. Chen Lingxi remained perfectly still.

He allowed these piercing energies to crash against his body.

And at this moment...

The Thunder-Concealing Sword Scripture's Thunder Garment Technique had already blanketed his physique. The piercing energies collided with him and dissipated into nothingness in an instant.

'Her methods are certainly bizarre.'

Chen Lingxi's expression did not change. The thunder precious qi roared through his qi sea, surging along his meridians and into the blade. At this moment, the lightning on the sword swelled to its absolute limit, forming a golden sword aura a full zhang long!

Thunder-Wielding Heavenly King Sword!

It was as if a true bolt of lightning had been plucked from the highest heavens and grasped in Chen Lingxi's hand.

Kill!

The Heavenly King sword light descended like a Heavenly King hurling a thunder spear, slashing straight at Xi Yu!

Wherever the sword light passed, the void turned blindingly white with flashing lightning. Its might was horrifying!

"Someone from the Thunder Pool..." Many people recognized this sword divine power. "This person's attainments in sword divine powers are profoundly deep. He cannot be fought head-on!"

Yet Xi Yu neither dodged nor evaded.

Standing atop that willow leaf, her cold, aloof face was completely devoid of expression.

She merely raised her right hand, her fingers flicking lightly in the void as if drawing a talisman.

Glowing text lit up in the air, and a blurry phantom appeared behind Xi Yu.

The phantom, clad in Daoist robes, extended both hands and viciously clapped them against that terrifying thunder sword light.

This clap appeared casual, yet it was filled with astonishing power. An unimaginable aura erupted from within.

Chen Lingxi's Thunder-Wielding Heavenly King Sword actually shattered in an instant beneath the Daoist phantom's clap! Sword light churned and lightning scattered in all directions, illuminating the dead of night as bright as day.

Chen Lingxi marveled inwardly, but the circulation of his spiritual qi didn't pause for a second.

The Longevity Bridge beneath his feet violently slammed outward. This divine power, its bridge body engraved with countless ancient runes and pulsing with heavy spiritual light, roared like a giant dragon as it crashed toward Xi Yu.

Xi Yu flicked her finger.

A terrifying power shot out from a ring on her finger. The power was formless yet incomparably heavy, descending from the sky like a mighty mountain to smash against the Longevity Bridge.

No one knew what kind of wondrous treasure this ring was, but its mighty power was awe-inspiring.

When that power landed on the Longevity Bridge, its seemingly indestructible structure actually began to fracture inch by inch, the runes along its body dimming into obscurity.

In a flash, the Longevity Bridge violently crumbled apart!

"Using my Xi Family's Longevity Bridge to block me... you people of the Thunder Pool are far too arrogant."

Xi Yu finally spoke. As her divine sense circulated, her voice was transmitted directly into Chen Lingxi's ears.

Chen Lingxi looked toward Xi Yu.

Xi Yu was still standing atop that willow leaf, her green robes fluttering sharply in the wind, her face still utterly expressionless.

'We are both on the Ninth Floor, yet her spiritual qi is actually this deep...' Chen Lingxi was secretly alarmed, but the two clusters of pale golden lightning in his eyes only grew brighter.

'A figure like this is certainly worth me using the Twelve Chimes of the Heavenly Drum to counter.'

Chen Lingxi wasn't afraid; instead, he felt extremely excited.

Even Xi Yu, who was looking at him right now, felt somewhat surprised to see the hidden battle intent in Chen Lingxi's eyes. Just as the two of them were about to continue their fight...

Right at this moment...

The figure of a woman appeared atop a mountain several miles away.

She looked to be about thirty years old and wore a mask.

The mask covered the majority of her face, exposing only her eyes and a bit of her jawline.

Those eyes were exceptionally sharp. Her pupils were pale gold, like two golden orbs embedded in their sockets, and as she glanced about, an extremely faint, subtle golden halo seemed to circulate within them.

She wore a dark red martial outfit, tailored perfectly to highlight every curve of her well-proportioned figure.

Just standing there, she felt like a divine bow, causing the surrounding aura to draw completely taut.

And upon her back, she was indeed carrying a massive bow.

The bow was enormous, almost as tall as she was, and its body was entirely pitch-black.

If Chen Lingxi had sensed the Cauldron Vessel's spiritual light at this moment, he would have realized that the light marked this person with three characters.

[Earl Digong]! Whether this was her noble title, or if she was actually named Earl Digong, no one knew!

But then, this Earl Digong drew her bow!

The blood energy around her body explosively erupted like an ignited volcano, dark golden blood energy spewing from every pore of her body!

This was pure blood energy.

This person was actually not a cultivator!

The Profound Pupil circulated in Earl Digong's eyes, her aura already firmly locking onto Chen Lingxi and Xi Yu!

In the next instant, she released the bowstring!

Upon the great bow that originally held no arrows, two terrifying arrows condensed entirely from blood energy suddenly formed.

Pulsing with extreme blood light, they tore through the heavy canopy of the sky, shooting respectively toward Chen Lingxi and Xi Yu!

Whatever terrifying level of cultivation this woman possessed, by drawing her bow and firing a single shot, she actually intended to kill both Chen Lingxi and Xi Yu at the same time.

The arrows pierced the air with a terrifying imposing presence.

Chen Lingxi and Xi Yu were simultaneously alarmed! Both of them violently retreated!

Chen Lingxi coldly snorted. In an instant, a streak of thunderous sword light slashed horizontally like a cascading waterfall, violently colliding with the blood energy arrow aimed at him.

Shockwaves swept out once more as lightning detonated.

That blood energy arrow was slashed into fragmented pieces, while the Thunder Radiance Treasure Sword in Chen Lingxi's hand trembled slightly.

'This person is extremely strong.'

Chen Lingxi's eyes flickered. 'She is even stronger than Zhang Mozhu!'

In the distance, however, Xi Yu didn't take the blood energy arrow head-on. Instead, she rode the willow leaf beneath her feet, flying straight up and reaching the clouds in an instant.

Unexpectedly, the blood energy arrow refused to give up, actually turning a corner in the void to chase after Xi Yu.

Xi Yu furrowed her brow slightly. With a flick of her finger, another willow leaf flew out, expanding in the wind to form a green barrier.

The barrier looked like the surface of water, unbearably fragile.

But when the blood energy arrow struck the barrier, the blood energy within it vanished completely without a trace, like a clay ox plunging into the sea.

To think Xi Yu had so many spiritual treasures on her person. Now that the arrow was blocked, Chen Lingxi was just about to fall back.

Right at that moment, a hearty, boisterous laugh suddenly rang out from afar.

"Hahaha..."

The laughter contained a deep, heavy power of blood energy, as if someone were beating thousands of giant drums deep underground, shaking the water mist over the river until it churned endlessly.

Before the laughter even faded, a deep, thunderous voice exploded across the heavens and earth: "Why don't we join forces and kill this Earl Digong first?"

"Que Star's Xi Yu... and that Daoist friend from the Thunder Pool, what do you two think?"

Chen Lingxi looked toward the source of the voice.

He saw that the brawny man on the Zhuzhao Riverbank looked even more towering now.

His muscles bulged and knotted like countless horned dragons coiling around his body, every single one sharp and defined, brimming with explosive power.

Without a doubt, this person was Great Zhou's King Fuguang, Shi Hong.

At this moment, Shi Hong was holding a severed head in his hand.

The blood on the head hadn't yet dried, and the facial features were still clearly recognizable. It was the head of a young man, a look of pre-death terror and unwillingness still lingering on his face.

The streak of dark gold radiance above his head had yet to fully dissipate, clearly indicating he had also been a Cauldron Vessel contender who had just died at Shi Hong's hands.

Shi Hong casually tossed the head aside.

"This broad doesn't cultivate spiritual qi, only blood energy. She's obviously not a Truth-Seeking cultivator..."

"A local ant dares to covet a Cauldron Vessel?" Shi Hong laughed uproariously. His killing intent-filled eyes landed on Earl Digong, a savage smirk surfacing at the corners of his mouth.

"Little do they know, this Killing Power Cauldron Vessel Fragment will ultimately fall into my, Shi Hong's, hands!" As he spoke, spiritual qi surged around his body, and a scorching pressure crushed outward in all directions like a massive canopy.

Earl Digong stood on a distant cliff, perfectly silent.

She took a single step backward, and three Heavenly Boats immediately materialized in the clouds not far away.

Three women at the Qi Circulation 8th Floor, who had used a unique formation to elevate their spiritual qi to the level of the Qi Circulation 9th Floor, revealed their traces.

The three of them stood behind Earl Digong, clearly declaring their stance.

Just as Chen Lingxi was quietly backing away, a voice suddenly drifted over from nearby...

"Daoist Friend Chen, where are you going?" That voice was as warm and smooth as jade, sounding just like a refined, well-read scholar. Its tone was unhurried and entirely at ease.

As the voice faded, the distant sea of clouds suddenly began to churn.

From within the churning mist, a figure slowly stepped out.

The figure had a tall, slender build and wore a long blue-grey robe. His long hair cascaded loosely down his back, and a ferocious, terrifying faceplate covered his face.

The faceplate was completely at odds with his warm voice, yet this was none other than the Human Immortal, Wu Mohe.

Wu Mohe arrived, treading on the clouds.

Standing atop the churning sea of clouds, he looked down from on high at Chen Lingxi and Xi Yu on the riverbank.

Within those deep eyes behind the faceplate, no emotion could be discerned, only a bottomless calm.

Yet, from the faint fluctuations of spiritual qi circulating around his body, Chen Lingxi could sense that this person's cultivation depth likely wasn't inferior to Xi Yu's.

"I paid a massive price to ask the Credit Peddler to divine the fate of this Killing Power Cauldron Vessel!"

"The divination determined that the Cauldron Vessel will ultimately belong either to Xi Yu of the Que Star Xi Family, or... it will fall upon Chen Lingxi!"

Driven by his circulating spiritual qi, Wu Mohe's voice echoed throughout the void. In an instant, everyone present turned to look at Chen Lingxi and Xi Yu.

The space around them suddenly fell terrifyingly silent.

Shi Hong, Earl Digong, and the countless other gazes in the surroundings all landed on Chen Lingxi and Xi Yu.

"Daoist Friend Mohe has Tenth Floor cultivation. Surely he wouldn't stoop to plotting against two Ninth Floor figures..."

Shi Hong suddenly spoke, his eyes thoroughly exposing his killing intent.

Earl Digong stood on the high ground, once again nocking an arrow and drawing her bow, aiming it at Xi Yu.

All at once, the situation here underwent a drastic shift. Originally, Shi Hong had proposed killing Earl Digong, who only cultivated blood energy, first!

Yet now, countless blazing killing intents descended upon Chen Lingxi and Xi Yu instead.

Chen Lingxi furrowed his brow slightly, sensing all this killing intent.

'What kind of crazy fit is this Wu Mohe having?'