The silver chains gleamed with a crystalline luster, flickering in and out of visibility as though they were not truly solid.
The Insect Mother's body twisted violently, yet she found herself unable to break free no matter how many times she struggled.
"These are Chains of Divine Sense—impossible! You... you've actually cultivated the Spirit Refinement Technique! How could this secret art have ended up in the Lower Realm?" After the Insect Mother's gaze swept fiercely over the chains several times, an expression of utter disbelief appeared on her face for the first time, with even a faint trace of fear flickering through her eyes.
At that moment, the giant ape Han Li had transformed into remained expressionless and silent. All six of its arms formed different hand seals while a low, ancient chant issued from its mouth.
In an instant, the silver chains constricted sharply, binding the Insect Mother even more tightly than before.
"So what if you know the Spirit Refinement Technique? With such pitiful divine sense power, do you truly think you can bind my True Apex Body!" The Insect Mother was no ordinary being, and she recovered from her shock in a matter of moments. With a sharp cry, five-colored runes surged across her body's surface, and the two other heads that had been tightly shut suddenly opened their eerie eyes, casting cold, sinister glances.
In the blink of an eye, two entirely foreign auras emanated from the Insect Mother's body, and the magical power fluctuations that had vanished began to slowly revive once more.
Witnessing the Insect Mother's astonishing transformation, the giant ape that was Han Li showed a peculiar expression that flashed across its face, and it suddenly spoke a calm, cryptic remark that left the Insect Mother bewildered.
"I never expected this ability could actually turn the tide. But trapping you for a brief moment is more than enough."
"What do you mean by that?" The Insect Mother was taken aback. Her gaze darted swiftly around, but apart from Daoist Xie sitting motionless in the distance, there was no sign of a third person anywhere.
But the very instant those words left her mouth, a rumbling sound of muffled thunder rolled down from above the abyss.
A blinding burst of resplendent light flashed, and a pillar of five-colored lightning, woven from countless arcs of electricity, descended with terrifying force.
"No—it's the Thunder of Heavenly Punishment! Old ghost He Kang, you're still alive?!" The Insect Mother, who had been relatively composed until then, let out a blood-curdling scream the moment she saw the lightning pillar, her face full of disbelief.
All three of her heads shook violently as a layer of ink-black flame erupted from her body, and the pitch-black crystal core within her hummed with a deafening drone. In her desperation, the Insect Mother was preparing to self-detonate her crystal core without a moment's hesitation.
The silver chains that had tightly bound her began to show signs of melting under the sweep of those black flames. It seemed as though the Insect Mother was about to break free at any moment.
But just then, with a deafening boom from high above, the five-colored lightning pillar plummeted at an inconceivable speed, striking the Insect Mother's massive body with devastating force.
In an instant, countless arcs of electricity intertwined and swirled, enveloping the Insect Mother beneath the five-colored lightning.
A piercing shriek!
The Insect Mother's seemingly indestructible body shattered inch by inch under the five-colored lightning, turning to ash and dust in merely a few breaths.
After flickering wildly several times, the five-colored lightning pillar vanished abruptly—it had only lasted for an impossibly brief moment. And high above the water's surface, the massive five-colored cloud formation—resembling a giant eye that had just opened—quietly dissipated.
The entire sky returned to its murky gray, as though nothing had ever happened.
At the same time, in the underground palace's mysterious stone forest, on a stone platform, a muffled sound of pain emanated from a jet-black round bowl. Several chains connecting to an ancient lamp swayed violently. The sole still-glowing ancient lamp resting upon a bronze pillar flickered faintly, its light dimming further as though it might be extinguished at any moment.
"That was quite cutting it close! That single strike consumed ninety percent of what remained of my soul force. If this boy can't help me, I've taken a devastating loss this time. Still, being able to utterly annihilate that wretched woman counts as avenging the betrayal from all those years ago. That wretched woman probably never imagined I could still be alive until now. Ha ha! When you think about it, I owe this Lower Realm boy my thanks... Otherwise, who knows how long it would have been before I could settle this grudge." The man's voice let out a laugh bordering on madness. It was a laugh tinged with gnashing teeth, carrying within it a chilling note of pained regret.
At that moment, Han Li had no attention to spare for the fact that the Insect Mother had been killed so easily. His giant ape form was clutching its central head and rolling wildly on the ground, letting out howls of excruciating pain.