Even a warrior at Return Void Stage Three was no match for this Spirit of Heaven and Earth — how could a mere Saint King Stage Three giant serpent puppet stand a chance? Once shrouded in the white mist, the puppet immediately began to freeze. Lian Guang's face twisted in shock as he tried to recall the puppet, but he was a step too late.
In the blink of an eye, the serpent was frozen solid into an ice sculpture. Even Lian Guang's connection to it — the bond through which he controlled it — had vanished without a trace!
The great eagle seized the frozen serpent in its talons, soared into the sky, and hurled it downward.
With a thunderous crash, the serpent struck the ground and shattered into countless pieces!
Under normal circumstances, a puppet of this caliber could never be destroyed by a fall from such a height. It was built to rival a Saint King Stage Three warrior — incredibly sturdy and extraordinarily durable. Otherwise, how could Lian Guang have used it to fight? But the freezing white mist exhaled by the great eagle had effortlessly annihilated the puppet's structure, and when it hit the ground from that height, it naturally fell apart.
Lian Guang's face was so dark it could have scraped off a layer of frost! He himself was only at Saint King Stage Three. He had expended tremendous effort and painstaking care to forge this puppet that matched his own cultivation level, yet he never expected such a disastrous start — it was rendered completely useless before it could even serve any purpose.
The pain and resentment in Lian Guang's heart could well be imagined.
But against a Spirit of Heaven and Earth, he was utterly powerless. He stood in place, his expression grim. Even if he had more puppets, he could not bear to send them out — against a Spirit of Heaven and Earth, however many puppets he had, they would all be destroyed.
After the great eagle had crushed the serpent, its crimson eyes flashed with a hint of disdain and smugness. Then, flapping its wings, it lunged toward the group.
Fei Zhitu shouted in alarm, "Stop it!"
As his voice fell, the Blue Jade Bowl was already deployed. Ning Xiangchen and the others simultaneously unleashed their own Artifacts. In that instant, multicolored light bloomed across the sky as countless mysterious techniques and Artifact powers interwove in a dazzling display.
The eagle's cry resounded through heaven and earth, and another blanket of white mist descended. No matter the attack, no matter the Artifact — all were rendered powerless, blocked by the white mist and rapidly frozen. Even the blue light pouring from Fei Zhitu's Blue Jade Bowl showed faint signs of succumbing to the ice.
The great eagle pressed its advantage relentlessly, diving downward. Its talons, sharp as blades, struck directly against the protective barrier conjured by the Artifact Spirit fire bird.
With a sharp crack, the barrier formed by the Artifact Spirit split into countless fractures — as dense as a spider's web — spreading outward in all directions. Yang Kai's expression shifted. With a surge of will, countless scorching black flames erupted from his body. Under his control, they once again formed a circular barrier that enveloped the group.
At the same time, a piercing cry rang out. The Artifact Spirit fire bird reverted to its true form, transforming into a bizarre crimson bird over ten zhang long, and lunged furiously at the great eagle.
The Artifact Spirit seemed to have been holding in a great deal of frustration. After all, while it was not a true Spirit of Heaven and Earth, it could still be considered a marginal one. Earlier, having needed to protect Yang Kai and the others, it had been unable to reveal its true form. Being repeatedly provoked by the great eagle — a fellow spirit of its kind — it had naturally grown extremely irritated.
Now, having received Yang Kai's command, it immediately unleashed everything it had.
Yang Kai had no other choice. Having the fire bird Artifact Spirit continue maintaining the shield was clearly not a wise decision. The Artifact Spirit's power was already slightly inferior to that of the great eagle, and with the bitter cold forcing it onto the defensive, it was only a matter of time before it exhausted its energy.
If that was the case, it was better to gamble everything — let the Artifact Spirit go toe-to-toe with the great eagle, while he and the others seized the opportunity to quickly flee through the ice passage.
Fortunately, the Li Fire Dome proved immensely useful in this place, and supplemented by Yang Kai's scorching Demonic Flames, though everyone felt uncomfortable, there was no immediate threat to their lives.
In the sky, the great eagle and the strange bird transformed from the Artifact Spirit fought fiercely, causing the ambient spiritual energy within the ice passage to fall into disarray, while the cries of eagle and bird echoed without end.
Seeing this, Fei Zhitu's face lit up with joy. He beckoned and said, "Move!"
As he spoke, he immediately deployed his movement technique and took the lead. The others hastily activated their own defensive Artifacts, channeling their Saint Essence with all their might to ward off the chill that seeped through Yang Kai's Demonic Flames and the Li Fire Dome, and followed closely behind Fei Zhitu.
Unlike the others' anxiety and unease, Yang Kai's expression had become extremely peculiar.
Because the moment the cold energy seeped in, he had felt something inside his body stir restlessly — and that thing was ceaselessly absorbing the cold energy surging in from all around.
As the chill entered his body, Yang Kai did not feel much discomfort. Instead, that thing seemed to receive an enormous nourishment, growing even more excited.
A thought struck Yang Kai. As he pressed forward, he probed his own body.
After a moment, his expression grew even stranger.
"It's actually that!"
Yang Kai could never have guessed that the one to show signs of activity at a time like this would be the Ice Phoenix tattoo.
Strictly speaking, this was the Phoenix Empress's inheritance. The Yin Yang Union Art that he and Su Yan cultivated together possessed two inheritances in total, both obtained in the Dragon Phoenix Mansion of the Tongxuan Continent. Of these, the Dragon Emperor inheritance was obtained by Yang Kai himself, fusing with his body as one. The Phoenix Empress inheritance had previously been sealed within the Phoenix Nest, but before Yang Kai departed the Tongxuan Continent, he had visited the Phoenix Nest and claimed the Phoenix Empress inheritance as well.