When Golden Finger Meets Salted Fish

The Ice Flame ignited the demonic energy as if it had found fuel, erupting in a blaze that engulfed both the demonic energy and the person within it.

The Crimson Blood Sect Leader quickly retreated several steps, watching her opponent being consumed by flames. She then glanced down at her sleeve and discovered that during that brief contact, her sleeve had been coated with a layer of frost. Apparently, though this Ice Flame appeared to be fire, it was actually extreme cold—even the Grand Achievement cultivator's robe couldn't avoid being affected by the chilling energy.

Of course, this meant nothing to Yun Qingyue at the center of the flames, as she was the Ice Flame's master, and it wouldn't harm her.

The other person in the flames wasn't so fortunate. Even as a Grand Achievement cultivator, first being ambushed by the Square Seal and then being burned by this strange Ice Flame left him in a miserable state.

Yun Qingyue clearly felt the hand restraining her loosen slightly, and she struggled to escape with the momentum.

The Ice Flame's power was not to be underestimated. The person within the demonic energy had clearly been severely burned, and Yun Qingyue's struggle actually succeeded in freeing her. However, before she could rejoice and escape, she felt an immense force coming toward her.

In that instant, Yun Qingyue sensed overwhelming danger approaching. Her thoughts raced as she attempted to dodge, but the difference in strength was simply too great. She couldn't evade in time and could only watch helplessly as a wave of demonic energy carrying tremendous power came straight at her.

Just as Yun Qingyue was about to be struck, at the critical moment, a hand suddenly extended from the side.

The hand was slender and white yet powerful, grabbing her arm and pulling her entire body backward. Then a figure passed in front of her, raising another hand to strike, meeting the incoming attack head-on.

With a boom, something seemed to explode, yet strangely, everything around was utterly silent.

Sheltered behind the Crimson Blood Sect Leader, Yun Qingyue could still feel a massive force coming toward her, causing all her hair to fly backward. She instinctively narrowed her eyes, swallowing the sweet iron taste rising in her mouth again. When she opened her eyes, she discovered that the demonic energy before her had been completely consumed by the Ice Flame, revealing the true appearance of the person within.

He was a middle-aged man wearing a black and gold robe, with a golden crown on his head, and a handsome, imposing face. If not for his current grim expression, judging by his attire and bearing, he would have looked like nobility from some royal family.

Yun Qingyue didn't recognize this person, but she could guess his identity, and the Crimson Blood Sect Leader clearly knew him—the Nine Abyss Sect Leader. Unlike the rest of Nine Abyss Sect with their blue-faced, skull-like appearances, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader, though practicing the same techniques, obviously cared more about his image and thus expended more spiritual energy to maintain his appearance. Even so, his strength was still considered among the upper ranks of the four demonic sect leaders.

However, the Nine Abyss Sect Leader now looked somewhat disheveled. Whether Yun Qingyue's Ice Flame had injured him or not was unclear, but it had visibly left obvious marks on his black and gold robe. Where the Ice Flame had touched, frost spread inch by inch, not only breaking the defensive formations on the robe but also damaging the fabric, which crumbled to dust at the slightest movement.

When the Nine Abyss Sect Leader revealed his true face, he instinctively waved his sleeve, only for the entire sleeve to crumble, exposing half his arm.

This was probably the first time in thousands of years that the Nine Abyss Sect Leader had been so disheveled. He had originally been born into a royal family of a mortal dynasty, a noble from birth. Later, by coincidence, he caught the eye of a cultivator who brought him into the cultivation world. Initially, he joined a small sect, but being naturally arrogant, how could he be content to fall behind others? Upon learning that the demonic path allowed for rapid cultivation, he decisively betrayed his sect and joined the demonic sects, eventually becoming a sect leader.

From beginning to end, he had never forgotten his royal origins and dignified appearance, until this moment...

The scene became somewhat awkward, and the Nine Abyss Sect Leader's face darkened further. But the Crimson Blood Sect Leader clearly had no concern for his feelings and stepped forward to fight with him again, mockingly saying: "No past grievances, no recent enmity?"

The Nine Abyss Sect Leader didn't respond. Having exposed his identity, he no longer had many concerns, so his attacks became increasingly fierce.

Neither of these demonic sect leaders were easy to deal with, and their battle shook heaven and earth. Fortunately, the Crimson Blood Sect Leader had already used a secret technique to move the three of them away from Mingzong Mountain. Now in a different location, they didn't need to worry about the commotion attracting righteous path cultivators. So when one palm strike flattened a mountaintop, and another attack caused the ground to sink several yards, they continued without restraint.

Yun Qingyue, being only at the Nascent Soul realm, naturally couldn't involve herself in such powerful combat. She was self-aware enough to retreat to a safer place. However, with two Grand Achievement cultivators fighting without restraint, it was hard to say where was truly safe.

Finally, Yun Qingyue was too slow to dodge and was struck by a burst of energy, sending her flying backward.

The attacks of Grand Achievement cultivators were extraordinarily powerful. Even being grazed by their energy would result in broken tendons and fractured bones for most people. Yun Qingyue's situation was slightly better—she had originally suppressed her cultivation to remain at the Peak Nascent Soul realm, and her body had been tempered during the refinement of the Strange Fire, making her physical strength considerably greater than cultivators of the same level.

Even so, Yun Qingyue felt excruciating pain throughout her body, as if all her bones were being crushed. The mouthful of blood she had been holding back for so long could no longer be contained and spurted out with a "poof."

Then she crashed heavily to the ground, closed her eyes, and passed out.

༻༺❀༻✧⋆｡°✩☽༓☾✩°｡⋆✧༺❀༻༺

When Yun Qingyue regained consciousness, the battle between the Crimson Blood Sect Leader and the Nine Abyss Sect Leader was still ongoing. She was surprised that she hadn't died.

She struggled to support her body, looking around, and quickly discovered that she was inside a formation barrier—clearly, this barrier had to be the Crimson Blood Sect Leader's work. Though appearing cold, she had shown protective intent toward Yun Qingyue. Upon discovering she had been inadvertently injured, she had immediately set up a barrier to protect her. Otherwise, given their fighting style, Yun Qingyue would likely have lost not just her life but even her corpse would have been difficult to find.

Confirming her temporary safety, Yun Qingyue let out a slight sigh of relief, but immediately realized her situation might be somewhat precarious. The damage from being caught in the crossfire was minor, but what mattered was that after today's impact, the realm she had been suppressing seemed harder to contain.

So as the Crimson Blood Sect Leader and Nine Abyss Sect Leader continued fighting, they suddenly discovered that a lightning tribulation had arrived.

Both were startled, since at the Grand Achievement realm, the lightning tribulation was no joke. Even with careful preparation, one might not withstand several dozen bolts of tribulation lightning, let alone now with no preparation at all.

The two exchanged a glance, tacitly ceasing their attacks and retreating. Only after withdrawing over a thousand yards did they look up. Black clouds rolled overhead with impressive momentum, yet compared to the lightning tribulation that Grand Achievement cultivators would face, this spectacle was minor—clearly, this tribulation wasn't aimed at them. They both turned to look at the third person present, indeed seeing Yun Qingyue struggling to suppress her realm advancement.

The Nine Abyss Sect Leader's robe was in tatters, but he no longer cared. He finally laughed with satisfaction: "Zhu Baiyi, you caused my son's death, and now your bloodline will pay. This is retribution, how delightful!"

Both were well aware of Yun Qingyue's injuries, and this lightning tribulation had come so suddenly that she was clearly unprepared and would face it while wounded. Lightning tribulation was originally a test for cultivators, fraught with danger. For Yun Qingyue now, it could truly be described as nine deaths and one life—monstrous beasts didn't receive the favor of heaven and earth like divine beasts; their tribulations were invariably more severe than those of ordinary cultivators.

Though cultivators struggled to produce offspring, monstrous beasts faced even greater difficulties. How could the Nine Abyss Sect Leader not be delighted?

The Crimson Blood Sect Leader's expression became very grim. She looked up at the forming tribulation and didn't dare step into its range. Though the current Nascent Soul tribulation wasn't much to her, if she dared enter, the tribulation would instantly upgrade to Grand Achievement level.

Not just the Crimson Blood Sect Leader, but even the Nine Abyss Sect Leader, who desperately wanted Yun Qingyue to die in the tribulation, didn't dare act rashly. He retreated another thousand yards, floating with his hands behind his back, appearing composed as he neither left nor approached, just waiting to see Yun Qingyue die under the tribulation and the Crimson Blood Sect Leader's anguish.

Yun Qingyue's situation was indeed not good. She had originally suppressed her realm advancement to allow time for consolidation, especially since her cultivation had risen so rapidly. But now, not only was she facing sudden advancement and the tribulation, but she was also injured.

In an instant, Yun Qingyue's heart sank. She wasn't even sure if she could survive this tribulation.

The barrier that had been protecting Yun Qingyue was silently removed—the Crimson Blood Sect Leader feared her aura would attract a more powerful tribulation. Then she waved her hand, sending a spiritual light flying toward Yun Qingyue, who raised her hand to catch it. Opening her palm, she found a bottle of medicinal pills and a set of formation flags—the former for healing, the latter for defense.

Items produced by a Grand Achievement cultivator were naturally all exceptional. Yun Qingyue took the medicinal pills without hesitation. As soon as the pills entered her stomach, she felt gentle spiritual energy spreading, quickly soothing her pain. Her injuries were instantly healed by seventy to eighty percent.

Yun Qingyue's heart steadied slightly. She summoned the Fuxue Sword and looked up at the sky with blazing eyes.

Soon, the first bolt of tribulation lightning descended. Unlike her previous advancement from Golden Core to Nascent Soul, this time the tribulation came faster and more fiercely. The first bolt was still as thick as a bowl, but instead of the blue-purple color from before, it was purple with hints of white. The first glance at it made her heart jump, generating an immense sense of crisis.

Yun Qingyue's heart sank further. Advancing to Void Crossing required enduring eighteen bolts of tribulation lightning. If the first bolt had such power, she dared not imagine the intensity of the final bolts. But now was not the time to dwell on this. She immediately focused her mind and concentrated on dealing with the challenge.

The first bolt of tribulation lightning fell, and Yun Qingyue handled it with relative composure.

The second bolt fell, and Yun Qingyue suffered minor damage, her expression becoming increasingly solemn.

The third bolt fell, and she took advantage of the brief interval to take more healing pills.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth bolts fell in succession, all handled with the support of the formation flags given by the Crimson Blood Sect Leader.

By the seventh bolt, Yun Qingyue began using the Ice Flame, maximizing its extreme cold, even partially freezing the tribulation lightning.

The eighth bolt was similarly passed, though with much more danger. The tribulation in the sky seemed angered by her actions. After a period of formation, the ninth bolt of lightning shattered the Ice Flame and crashed down upon Yun Qingyue with overwhelming force.

Yun Qingyue barely withstood this bolt, then began to utilize the Ice Soul Condensation Pearl. This mysterious treasure showed extraordinary power, helping her withstand three more bolts of tribulation until small cracks appeared on the transparent pearl, clearly unable to withstand more attacks. Only then did she withdraw it into her body... At this point, except for the Square Seal which remained unused, she had nearly exhausted all her resources.

The Nine Abyss Sect Leader, watching from a distance, raised his eyebrows slightly—he had to admit, this young girl had good fortune, acquiring so many treasures at such a young age. But today was her destined tribulation, and she ultimately couldn't escape it.

The Nine Abyss Sect Leader smiled contemptuously, when suddenly he noticed a gaze falling upon him.

It wasn't the Crimson Blood Sect Leader looking at him, but the girl at the center of the tribulation who had exhausted her options—she was staring at him.

The Nine Abyss Sect Leader inexplicably felt a sense of danger. Naturally, he wasn't afraid of a mere Nascent Soul junior, but this junior was undergoing tribulation, which was different... Just as this thought flashed through his mind, he saw the person at the center of the tribulation suddenly fly into the air, speeding toward him, with the tribulation cloud above her following in the same direction.

Terrible—this junior clearly saw she couldn't survive and was trying to drag him down with her!