Chapter 153 : The Cauldron and the Sword

Faced with such a formidable Fourth Rank Immortal Sword, Lyra Jiang remained utterly unperturbed. A slight tremor passed between her brows, and from within, she summoned forth an ancient and imposing cauldron.

"The Six Realms and Eight Desolations Cauldron?"

Eldrin Chen's pupils contracted slightly as he recognized the origin of that great cauldron. He had not imagined this artificer's cauldron was also one of Lyra Jiang's Lifebound Magical Treasures [enchanted artifacts bound to a cultivator's soul and life force].

Lyra Jiang had broken through to the Purple Mansion Realm [a major cultivation stage where one forms a spiritual palace within] at the age of twenty-eight. Afterwards, she spent nearly two centuries stalled at the peak of that realm, striving to complete her Spiritual Roots [the innate channels that determine one's affinity for absorbing spiritual energy from the world]. Yet, this period was far from idle.

Now possessing four Spiritual Roots, she had actually forged four Lifebound Magical Treasures. This Six Realms and Eight Desolations Cauldron represented the pinnacle of Lyra Jiang's artificing craft, and its power was truly extraordinary.

As the Six Realms and Eight Desolations Cauldron descended, it met the Ink Snow Immortal Sword head-on, not only blocking its assault but exerting a palpable pressure, as if intending to swallow the sword whole and refine it within its depths.

Seeing that even the Ink Snow Immortal Sword could not subdue its foe, a flicker of fury crossed the Celestial Python Demon King's eyes. It then spat forth a magnificent blade adorned with dragon patterns.

"The Dragon Transformation Blade!"

The onlookers' pupils constricted once more, astonished that the Celestial Python Demon King possessed such a treasure.

The Dragon Transformation Blade was a Fourth Rank Middle Grade treasure blade. Legend held it was forged from a Fourth Rank precious metal as its core, then tempered with the blood of a flood dragon, imbuing it from birth with a potent strand of draconic malignance. Continue reading this story at audio novel.com.

Legend holds that the Dragon Transformation Blade [a magical blade said to hold the secret of transformation] possesses the profound mystery of transforming into a flood dragon. If a serpent demon of exceptional bloodline were to obtain this blade, it could potentially metamorphose into the legendary flood dragon.

The Celestial Python Demon King [a powerful demonic serpent ruler] expended an immense and staggering price to acquire this treasure from the hands of the 'Green Flood Dragon Demon Emperor' [a mighty draconic demon sovereign] of Azure Wave Lake.

Now, as the Dragon Transformation Blade manifested, it displayed terrifyingly potent power. It actually managed to repel even the Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword [a formidable immortal-slaying sword], sending the divine weapon flying back with a single blow.

Watching the Dragon Transformation Blade cleave towards her, Lyra Jiang [a powerful female cultivator] furrowed her brow slightly. For the past century, she had been cultivating a single, immensely powerful Divine Ability [a supreme supernatural technique].

The cultivation conditions for that Divine Ability were exceedingly stringent. During this period, she could not activate it, or else all her progress would be utterly wasted.

Currently, that great Divine Ability was more than halfway complete. To rashly activate it now would mean a century of bitter cultivation gone to ruin—a loss far too grievous to bear.

"Even if I unleash the Divine Ability and exhaust every means at my disposal, slaying this demon is not guaranteed," she thought.

"So be it."

With this thought, Lyra Jiang suppressed the impulse to activate her ultimate technique. Instead, she deployed the defensive Yuan Gang [a protective aura of condensed true essence] of the Earth-Fortress Earth Origin Disk [a powerful defensive disk treasure]. Relying on her three Life-Bound Magical Treasure [magical treasures bound to one's life force and soul], she shifted to a strategy of agile evasion and protracted combat.

The Celestial Python Demon King, seeing that Lyra Jiang refused to engage it in a direct confrontation, could find no way to force her hand. Fuming with anger, it let out a cold, mocking laugh.

"You are merely a Purple Mansion Cultivator [a cultivator who has opened the third major energy center, the Purple Mansion], your mana reserves are far from sufficient."

"Even with a Third Rank Magical Treasure [a powerful enchanted artifact of the third rank], how long can you sustain its activation?"

Hearing this, Eldrin Chen below felt reassured. He understood clearly that Lyra Jiang currently possessed four Spiritual Root [innate affinities for absorbing and wielding specific types of spiritual energy]. For her Fire attribute, she had the Six Realms and Eight Desolations Cauldron; for Metal, the Heaven's Ruin Immortal-Slaying Sword; for Earth, the Earth-Fortress Earth Origin Disk.

It made no sense for her Wood Spiritual Root [innate affinity for wood-element spiritual energy] to lack a Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical treasure forged with one's essence and soul, growing in power with the cultivator]. That Flood Water Azure Lotus Platform was a supreme-grade Life-Bound Magical Treasure, capable of storing a cultivator's entire mana reserve once over. Not to mention, Lyra Jiang's Life-Bound Magical Treasure was of an even higher grade.

Suppressing his thoughts, Eldrin Chen focused his mind alongside the others, joining the concerted assault on the Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent.

"Hssss—"

Facing the combined onslaught of eight human combatants, each possessing Purple Mansion [the third major cultivation realm] level strength, even the Purple Palace, Peak Stage [the peak of the Purple Mansion realm] Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent began to falter.

With a furious hiss, it summoned a Third Rank High Grade [of the highest quality within the third rank] Defensive Magical Tool [a magical artifact specialized for protection]—a small bell—above its head. While activating its various treasures to counter the attackers, it maneuvered evasively, buying time.

The group, of course, would not allow it to succeed. Yang the Ancient Ancestor unleashed his Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword, its strikes relentless, compressing the Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent's space to maneuver.

The serpent, shielded by the violet radiance emanating from the 'Purple Blood Pagoda'—a Third Rank High Grade defensive treasure atop its head—simultaneously commanded several other Third Rank Magical Treasure and divine abilities, desperately parrying the encircling storm of attacks.

Yet the sword radiance of the Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword was swift as a swimming dragon. As Yang the Ancient Ancestor's Life-Bound Magical Treasure [a magical artifact bound to a cultivator's life force], when personally channeled by him, its power neared that of a Third Rank High Grade magical tool. It compressed the Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent [a powerful serpent demon with violet blood and heaven-devouring abilities], leaving it with scant room to evade.

"A fine opportunity!"

Finally, in a fleeting moment, Xavier Xu seized an opening. He summoned the Heavenly Gold Fire Dragon Shears [a pair of divine shears capable of slaying fire dragons], and with a metallic *clang*, they sheared down, striking the pagoda with a thunderous impact.

That Purple Blood Pagoda [a defensive pagoda treasure forged from demonic blood] had already weathered numerous assaults from divine abilities and magical treasures. Now, bearing the full-force strike of the Heavenly Gold Fire Dragon Shears, its protective radiance dimmed by over ninety percent, teetering on the brink of shattering.

"Cleave—!"

Seeing the Purple Blood Pagoda's defensive barrier reduced to a paper-thin layer, Yang the Ancient Ancestor's gaze sharpened. He drew his clan's guardian treasure, the Mountain-Cleaving Soul-Severing Axe [an axe capable of cleaving mountains and severing souls], and brought it down in a devastating arc. Official source: audio-novel . com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

In terms of raw destructive power, the Mountain-Cleaving Soul-Severing Axe was not inferior to the Heavenly Gold Fire Dragon Shears. Its sole drawback was its relatively slow speed among Third Rank Magical Treasure [powerful artifacts of the third rank].

By now, the Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent was so thoroughly suppressed by the combined onslaught it could barely draw breath. Facing the descending Mountain-Cleaving Soul-Severing Axe, it found itself with no room to dodge.

Yet it proved itself worthy of its status as a mighty Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation] ninth-layer Demonic Beast [a beast that has cultivated demonic power]. Even confronted by the Mountain-Cleaving Soul-Severing Axe, a Third Rank High Grade treasure, it showed no trace of fear.

Its serpentine pupils dilated abruptly. Throwing its head back, it unleashed a sky-rending roar and activated its Innate Divine Ability [a powerful natural technique], the 'Heaven-Devouring Serpent Art' [a supreme art of the heaven-devouring serpent lineage].

"Not good!"

The moment he saw the Heaven-Devouring Serpent Art, Yang the Ancient Ancestor's expression changed drastically. A sense of foreboding gripped him, and he hurriedly tried to maneuver his Mountain-Cleaving Soul-Severing Axe to evade.

However, the cultivation base of the Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent far surpassed his own. Once this Heaven-Devouring Serpent Art was unleashed, its power was terrifyingly immense.

Everyone felt the very heavens and earth sway, the void trembling violently as if the entire world was being swallowed into its maw.

Though the Mountain-Cleaving Soul-Severing Axe possessed the divine might to cleave mountains, it still could not withstand the divine ability of the Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent. To their horror, it was swallowed whole by the serpent in a single gulp.

"Ah, my magical treasure!"

Witnessing his clan's supreme treasure being devoured, Yang the Ancient Ancestor's eyes nearly burst from their sockets, his mind reeling. He frantically drove his Thunderbolt Blazing Fire Sword to attack the Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent with wild abandon.

"*Screech—*"

A clear sword cry rang out. Elara Lin maneuvered her Frost Soul Chilling Radiance Sword to parry one of the Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent's magical treasures, then unleashed a beam of pure white, frigid light.

That white treasure was named the 'Nine-Condensed Profound Ice Spike', a Third Rank High Grade ice-attribute magical treasure. It had been forged by Lyra Jiang in recent years from ten-thousand-year profound ice, specifically crafted as a treasure for Elara Lin.

The Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent's Heaven-Devouring Serpent Art was currently suppressing the Mountain-Cleaving Soul-Severing Axe, rendering it temporarily unusable. It could only brace its defensive magical treasure to block the incoming strike.

However, that defensive treasure had expended too much of its power and could no longer withstand a single blow from Elara Lin.

The Nine-Condensed Profound Ice Spike shattered its defensive treasure, then tore a grievous wound across its body. A bone-chilling cold of ten-thousand-year-old profound ice began relentlessly invading its flesh.

Serpentine Demonic Beast are cold-blooded creatures, most vulnerable to suppression by ice-attribute treasures and divine abilities. Now wounded by Elara Lin, a Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual mansion within the dantian] cultivator with an Ice Spiritual Root [an innate affinity for the element of ice], it finally revealed its intent to retreat, turning to flee deep into the void. Published by audio_novel.com. All rights reserved.