"Liu Ji, I must say, after all these years apart, I see you haven't improved one bit. So the wounds from our battle back then never truly healed. Now your six avatars have all been eliminated by me, and your true body is trapped within the Profound Heaven Spirit Domain. Even if you possessed heaven-defying powers, there's no way you'll ever turn the tables again." Bao's voice drifted lazily from the area shrouded by the phantom petals.
But aside from the rumbling booms echoing through the white mist, there was no response from anyone else.
"You were willing to exhaust all six avatars and hold out here precisely because you were waiting for Nirvana and Yuan Yan, weren't you?" Bao said unconcernedly, a hint of mockery curling at the corner of her lips.
"So what if I was? After I seized the position of Patriarch from you all those years ago, both Nirvana and Yuan Yan personally swore they would do everything in their power to protect me. Don't forget — I am the rightful one among the three great Patriarchs. And I long knew you would seize this opportunity to settle old scores, so I already made arrangements with both of them." A shrill, angry woman's voice finally pierced through the mist.
"Yuan Yan and Nirvana did promise to come to your aid if you ever encountered me. But there's a prerequisite — they actually have to be able to break free and come here." Bao seemed to smile sweetly.
"What — you've found helpers too? No, that can't be — in the Holy World, who would be capable of tying down both Yuan Yan and Nirvana? Don't tell me you recruited those other-realm powerhouses! Why would they go against two Patriarch-level beings like Yuan Yan and Nirvana on behalf of a fallen Mahayana cultivator from another realm?" For the first time, genuine fear crept into Liu Ji's voice.
"You're not as foolish as you look. I did pay a considerable price to recruit two rare allies. One is roughly on par with the two of them, and the other — hehe — is probably even more powerful than either of them. So if you're counting on reinforcements, I'm afraid you're going to be very disappointed." Bao giggled softly.
"Hmph! No need to guess — one of them must be that Copper Crow Elder. But who's the other? Among those other-realm powerhouses, is there really someone who can surpass our Holy World Patriarchs? Bao, don't tell me you're just bluffing." Liu Ji's voice recovered its composure almost instantly, tinged with disbelief.
"Whether I'm bluffing or not, you'll find out soon enough. After all, Yuan Yan and Nirvana don't live all that far from here. If they truly had a way to come to your rescue, they should have arrived by now with all the time they've been given. But that's only if you have the ability to hold out until then." Bao replied flatly.
An enraged snort echoed from within the mist, followed once more by silence.
Liu Ji clearly understood that whether what the other party said was true or false, any further words on her part would only invite humiliation — so she fell silent, just as before.
But upon seeing this, a cold smile appeared at the corner of Bao's lips, and she spoke a sentence that sent a chill through Liu Ji's entire body:
"Liu Ji, don't you still think you have a trump card — that even if I were to destroy your body and soul right now, you'd still have a chance to rise again?"
"Bao, what exactly do you mean by that?!" Liu Ji could no longer maintain her composure, and a sharp shout escaped her lips.
"It's simple. Don't you still have a seventh avatar — one you've never shown to anyone? You've always kept it carefully hidden, never telling a soul. But don't forget — there are no walls that the wind can't pass through. This matter just happened to reach my ears." Bao said with a smile.
"I don't believe you actually know anything. You caught some vague rumor somewhere and are now using empty words to try to frighten me!" Liu Ji was, after all, Bao's formidable rival of old — even with her deepest secret laid bare, she quickly regained her composure.
"You must have been planning to use the seventh avatar as a fallback — a way to revive yourself in the event of your true body's destruction. Though it's merely a clone, with your abilities, recovering your original memories and powers shouldn't be too difficult. And if I'm not careful, who knows — decades from now, I might find myself ambushed by you once again. But judging by the timing, the place where you've hidden that seventh avatar should be about to fall." Bao chuckled softly, then muttered a few more words to herself.
"What — you've actually found where that avatar is hidden?! Impossible! Who did you send?!" Upon hearing this, Liu Ji was genuinely alarmed and furious.
"Did you not notice that Black Crocodile, that little fellow, hasn't been by my side?" Bao said unhurriedly.
"Black Crocodile? With that mere Integration-stage junior, he could break through the restrictions I personally set?!" Hearing this, Liu Ji felt somewhat relieved.
"Indeed, Black Crocodile alone would fall short of breaking through restrictions you personally established. But what if he happened to possess a Profound Heaven treasure that was specifically suited to countering your particular restrictions?" Bao said leisurely.
"A Profound Heaven treasure?! You dare lend such a supreme artifact to someone else — aren't you afraid he'll simply run off with it?!" Liu Ji's face turned ashen.
"I placed certain restrictions on that Profound Heaven treasure, so why wouldn't I dare lend it to Black Crocodile? Now then — I've indulged you with enough conversation. Letting you live this long has been more than generous of me. Next, I'll properly send you on your way." After these final words, Bao's voice suddenly turned impossibly dark and cold.
In that instant, the pink petals that had been slowly drifting through the white mist suddenly flashed with crystalline light, then began to dance wildly amidst peals of thunder and wind.
Each petal grew sharp and translucent as it flew, expanding to enormous size.
In an instant, countless pink blades churned frantically through the white mist at the center of the valley.
A thunderous explosion shook heaven and earth!
Every last petal and wisp of mist was obliterated in the span of a heartbeat, consumed within a colossal sphere of light several li in diameter.
An unknowable amount of time later, once all the light and fluctuations had fully subsided, only a faint silhouette remained hovering above the valley. After a soft sigh, the figure blurred and vanished into thin air.
...
On the summit of the great peak on the other side, Han Li and Yuan Yan were chatting back and forth as though they were the oldest of friends.