201: stalemate

It was good that their Palace Master had a trump card.

Just then, the boy on the carriage, Che Laoguai's Avatar, slowly spoke.

His voice was like the clashing of metal, cold and piercing.

"Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master, this Ancestor will give you one last chance."

"Hand over the Cold Marrow, and this Ancestor will immediately withdraw my troops. Otherwise, today will be the day Xiao Ji Palace is annihilated!"

However, to his surprise, although the Cultivators of Xiao Ji Palace showed fear, no one responded. Instead, they all looked towards their Palace Master.

The Palace Master's expression remained unchanged, as if she hadn't heard him.

"Good! Very good!"

Che Laoguai laughed in extreme anger.

"Since you refuse to drink a toast and insist on drinking a forfeit, then don't blame this Ancestor for being ruthless!"

"All Yao Beasts, heed my command! Break through this Formation and flatten Xiao Ji Palace!"

"Kill!"

"Roar—!"

Amidst earth-shattering battle cries, countless Yao Beasts, like a tide, frantically charged towards Xiao Ji Palace's 護宮大陣 (Palace Protecting Grand Formation).

"All Disciples and Elders, heed my command! Form a Formation! Guard your respective Formation eyes!"

The Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master shouted sternly. She herself remained motionless, her Divine Thought locked firmly on Che Laoguai's Avatar, to prevent him from launching a sneak attack on any part of the battlefield.

Boom!

Countless beams of Yao magic light fiercely struck the white Formation light barrier, stirring up circles of intense ripples.

Xiao Ji Palace's island-protecting Grand Formation truly lived up to its reputation as a legacy of ancient Cultivators. Although it swayed precariously, it remained steadfast.

Just then, a cold glint flashed in the eyes of Che Laoguai's Avatar, and his figure instantly vanished from the carriage.

The next moment, he appeared at a relatively weak node of the Formation and unleashed a punch!

"Not good!"

The Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master's face changed drastically. Without thinking, she flashed to that spot, gathering all her magical power, intending to forcibly block this attack.

Boom!

With a loud bang, she trembled all over, her face turning pale.

Although she managed to block the attack by the narrowest of margins, she had expended a considerable amount of Qi.

"Damn it!"

She was both shocked and enraged. She quickly said to a Disciple beside her, "Hurry and invite Grand Elder Han Li to come out of seclusion and assist in the battle!"

However, a moment later, that Disciple ran back, his face filled with panic.

"Reporting to Palace Master, Grand Elder's Immortal Cave… has activated its highest Restriction. This Disciple cannot enter, and there is no response!"

"What!"

The Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master trembled with rage.

"Good! What a Han Li! What a Leng Clan!"

This pair of master and Disciple, truly more trouble than they're worth!

Just as she was overwhelmed by anger, the Yao Beast army's second wave of attack, like a furious storm, struck again.

This time, the offensive was even more ferocious than before!

The Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master looked at the swaying Formation light barrier, a trace of resolve flashing in her eyes.

In her mind, that cold female voice rang out again.

"Hehehe… How about it? Can't hold on, can you? Let me out, and I'll help you kill them!"

The Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master replied coldly in her mind, "Yellow Springs Ghost Mother, I can let you out, but you must make a Heart Demon oath. In this battle, you must only obey my commands, not harm a single person from my Xiao Ji Palace, and immediately return to the Profound Ghost Token afterwards!"

"Agreed!"

Yellow Springs Ghost Mother agreed without hesitation.

The beautiful woman had some doubts about her in her heart, but in the end, she chose to compromise.

"For that void sky cauldron, this is the only way!"

The Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master gritted her teeth, no longer hesitating, and suddenly conjured a token as black as ink.

She cast a magic incantation at the token.

"Chì!"

A monstrous, eerie ghost Qi erupted from the token with a roar.

A phantom of a woman, dressed in a black palace gown with an enchantingly beautiful and exotic face, appeared in mid-air, letting out a shrill shriek that made one's Divine Soul tremble.

It was none other than Yellow Springs Ghost Mother!

"Kill!"

With a command from the Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master, she and Yellow Springs Ghost Mother, one on the left and one on the right, rushed out of the Grand Formation and plunged into the Yao Beast hordes.

For a time, ghost Qi permeated the air, and spiritual light exploded.

Yellow Springs Ghost Mother truly lived up to her name as an ancient ghost Cultivator. Her Divine Abilities were bizarre, and all magic was difficult to invade. Wherever she passed, Yao Beasts fell in droves.

The Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master also wielded unparalleled power, aided by the strength of the Grand Formation.

Their combined efforts actually managed to stem the tide of the Yao Beast army's offensive, and the situation seemed to be improving.

However, just then, two equally powerful auras surged into the sky from behind the Yao Beast army.

"Hmph! A mere ghost dares to be so arrogant!"

With a beastly roar, a colossal turtle, with a huge body and a green carapace on its back, stepped through the air, blocking the path of the Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master.

It was none other than the Vice Valley Master of Wan Yao Valley, the Level 10 Yao King, Azure-backed Wolf!

And Che Laoguai's Avatar let out a cold laugh, his figure flickering as he directly engaged Yellow Springs Ghost Mother.

The Yao Race already held an absolute numerical advantage, and now their top-tier combat power was also being tied down.

The situation on the battlefield instantly plunged back into a stalemate and a crisis.

Above the battlefield, the wails of ghosts tore through the sky.

Yellow Springs Ghost Mother's figure was elusive, like a black lightning bolt, darting through the Yao Beast hordes.

The dark light beams she flicked from her fingertips precisely pierced the heads of Level 6 and Level 7 Yao Beasts. Those massive Yao Beasts merely trembled slightly before falling straight down from the air, their Divine Souls completely annihilated.

Azure-backed Wolf, who was fighting her, roared repeatedly. The green giant claws formed by his Yao power tore through the air again and again, but he couldn't even touch a corner of Yellow Springs Ghost Mother's clothes.

"Damn ghost! If you have the guts, fight this King head-on!" Azure-backed Wolf was furious.

Yellow Springs Ghost Mother let out a series of seductive giggles, her voice enchanting to the bone, yet it caused a stinging pain in the Divine Souls of the Yao Beasts who heard it.

"Clash head-on with a brute like you? This Ghost Mother isn't that foolish."

Her figure flickered, once again dodging a Yao magic attack. With a backhand ghost claw, she directly penetrated Azure-backed Wolf's protective Yao light, leaving five deep, bone-visible claw marks on his thick turtle shell.

"Ow!"

Azure-backed Wolf let out a cry of pain, and a hint of fear finally appeared in his eyes as he looked at Yellow Springs Ghost Mother.

This ghost was too bizarre!

On the other side, the Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master's battle was completely the opposite, fraught with peril.

She wielded the power of the entire Xiao Ji Palace's Formation and Restriction, each strike summoning the might of heaven and earth. Ice spears and snow swords covered the sky and earth, their power terrifying.

But she was facing an Incarnation of a Soul Transformation old monster.

The childlike figure, sculpted in pink and jade, exuded a profound Dao-like simplicity in every movement, easily deflecting her overwhelming offensive.

"Boom!"

The child seemingly casually threw a punch, distorting space itself and shattering the sky full of ice swords.

The Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master was swept by the residual force of the punch, her delicate body shook violently, her throat tasted sweet, and a mouthful of fresh blood almost spurted out.

She forcibly suppressed the surging Qi and blood, her face turning even paler.

Just then, another shrill shriek came from Yellow Springs Ghost Mother's side. A concentrated black beam of light pierced through the air, striking the back of the child Incarnation's heart.

The child Incarnation grunted, his figure stumbled, and his momentum towards the Palace Master paused.

He turned to glare at Yellow Springs Ghost Mother, killing intent flashing in his eyes.

The Xiao Ji Palace Palace Master seized this opportunity and finally got a moment to catch her breath.

Her heart was bitter. If not for Yellow Springs Ghost Mother's occasional assistance, she would probably have already been defeated.

But even so, the clash between the four top-tier combatants of Xiao Ji Palace and the Yao Beasts had fallen into a strange stalemate.

Neither side could truly overcome the other.

...