Chapter 156 Azure Profound Resonance, Mutual Appreciation of Sword Intent
The figures of the three from the Lei Family had just vanished into the entrance of the Hongmeng Space when Lin Yue, before he even had a chance to fully heal the wound on his shoulder, sensed an even more violent surge of lightning-attribute spiritual energy rushing in from the outside.
This spiritual energy was several times more powerful than the combined strength of the previous three. Carrying a world-destroying power, it caused the entire Hongmeng Space to tremble violently, and the cracks on the grey barriers expanded once again, as if they might collapse entirely at any moment.
"Not good! They didn't actually retreat; they're going to use a Spirit Treasure!" Ye Qingcheng's expression changed drastically as her Divine Sense locked onto the outside. "It's the nine heavens thunder marsh mirror! Lei Sha is going to activate the Lei Family's ancestral Spirit Treasure to channel the lightning power of heaven and earth into a killing formation!"
Before her voice had even faded, a blinding flash of purple lightning surged in from the entrance, instantly illuminating the entire Hongmeng Space. The figures of Lei Cang, Lei Mang, and Lei Sha reappeared. This time, they stood in mid-air outside the entrance, with Lei Sha holding a palm-sized ancient bronze mirror in his hand.
The mirror's surface was covered in complex lightning patterns, with a purple lightning crystal embedded in the center. As soon as it appeared, it triggered a celestial phenomenon: dark clouds gathered in the sky, thunder rolled faintly, and countless small bolts of heavenly lightning fell from the clouds, all being absorbed by the nine heavens thunder marsh mirror.
"Lin Yue, Ye Qingcheng, today you shall be buried within the Nine Heavens Lightning Formation!" Lei Sha's sinister laughter rang out. The light from the ancient bronze mirror in his hand exploded, and countless thick pillars of purple lightning shot out, weaving into a massive lightning net at the entrance of the Hongmeng Space. Atop the net, countless tiny lightning snakes slithered, forming a dense killing formation that descended toward the two of them.
This Nine Heavens Lightning Formation possessed immense power. The lightning pillars contained the lightning power of heaven and earth, capable of tearing through the Physical Body and eroding the Divine Soul. The lightning net was airtight, sealing off all escape routes. Enveloped by the formation, the air around Lin Yue and Ye Qingcheng was scorched and distorted by the lightning power, making the circulation of their spiritual energy sluggish.
"Retreat!" Lin Yue pulled Ye Qingcheng back quickly, simultaneously activating his Golden Core Dao Body. The red light of the zhensha divine staff flared up, condensing into a solid defensive barrier in front of them. The lightning pillars slammed into the barrier with a deafening roar, causing it to tremble violently and become covered in spiderweb-like cracks. Lin Yue's blood surged within him, and blood leaked from the corner of his mouth once more.
Ye Qingcheng controlled the Silver-Armored Puppet to stand before them. The mechanism patterns on the Puppet's chest operated at full capacity, its pale blue spiritual light clashing with the lightning pillars with a sizzling sound. However, the power of the lightning formation was simply too strong; the Silver-Armored Puppet's defense was instantly shattered. Its limbs were severed by the lightning pillars, and it crashed to the ground, completely losing its combat capability.
"This can't go on. The lightning formation will keep absorbing lightning power from heaven and earth, getting stronger and stronger!" Ye Qingcheng said anxiously, her eyes full of gravity. She specialized in Mechanism Arts, but against such a large-scale lightning-based killing formation, the advantages of her craft were difficult to utilize, leaving them only with passive defense.
Lin Yue gritted his teeth, his internal spiritual energy circulating frantically as he tried to use the zhensha divine staff to absorb the formation's power. However, the lightning was too violent, mixed with the power of the nine heavens thunder marsh mirror's Spirit Treasure; the speed of his absorption was far slower than the speed of the attacks. His Azure Profound Sword Intent unconsciously seeped out from his body, the pale green intent surrounding him as he tried to slice through the surrounding lightning restraints.
Just then, Ye Qingcheng's eyes suddenly lit up. She saw that as Lin Yue's Azure Profound Sword Intent flowed around him, the blue spiritual crystal at the core of the damaged Silver-Armored Puppet on the ground actually emitted a faint light of resonance. The spiritual crystal was the core of the Puppet, inscribed with mechanism runes; at this moment, it had developed a miraculous resonance with the Azure Profound Sword Intent, and the originally dim crystal began to glow with a faint green light.
"Lin Yue, your Sword Intent!" Ye Qingcheng shouted excitedly. "Your Azure Profound Sword Intent can resonate with my Puppet's core! We can try 'Sword Intent through the Puppet, Mechanisms bolstering the Sword Gang'!"
Lin Yue was startled. Following her gaze to the Puppet core on the ground, he indeed saw the blue spiritual crystal echoing his own Sword Intent. "How do we coordinate?"
"I'll take out the Puppet core, and you inject your Sword Intent into it. I'll control the mechanisms to turn the core into a carrier for the Sword Intent, using the power of the mechanisms to amplify your Sword Gang and pierce through the heart of the lightning formation!" Ye Qingcheng explained quickly as she leaned down, spiritual energy surging from her fingertips as she carefully extracted the blue spiritual crystal from the damaged Puppet. Once in her hand, the resonance between the crystal and Lin Yue's Azure Profound Sword Intent grew even stronger, green and blue light intertwining to emit a strange energy.
"Fine!" Lin Yue did not hesitate. His Azure Profound Sword Intent surged, the pale green intent rushing toward the blue spiritual crystal in Ye Qingcheng's hand like a tide. The moment the Sword Intent was injected, the crystal radiated brilliant light, and the previously dim mechanism runes all lit up. The intertwined blue and green light formed the fledgling shape of a sharp Sword Qi.
Ye Qingcheng's gaze was focused as her fingers rapidly formed hand seals, controlling the spiritual crystal to spin in the air. Her Mechanism Art was exquisite, allowing her to precisely control the flow of energy. Under her control, the spiritual crystal turned into a streak of blue-green light, with the phantom image of the Puppet faintly appearing behind it. Simultaneously, the space around the crystal rippled as the mechanism power continuously amplified Lin Yue's Sword Intent.
"Now! Aim for the nine heavens thunder marsh mirror at the center of the formation!" Ye Qingcheng cried out. She manipulated the Sword Gang formed by the spiritual crystal, which carried a world-tearing power as it lunged straight for the center of the lightning formation.
Lin Yue exerted his strength at the same time. The red light of the zhensha divine staff flared, forcibly carving a gap through the surrounding lightning to clear the way for the Sword Gang. His Azure Profound Sword Intent fused perfectly with the spiritual crystal, and the power of the Sword Gang was amplified several times by the mechanism power. The blue-green light tore through the lightning net and pierced through countless lightning pillars, shooting accurately toward the nine heavens thunder marsh mirror in Lei Sha's hand.
Lei Sha's face changed drastically. He hadn't expected the two of them to come up with such a tactic and hurriedly activated the nine heavens thunder marsh mirror to strengthen his defense. But the power of the Sword Gang far exceeded his imagination. The sharpness of the Azure Profound Sword Intent and the dominance of the mechanism power combined perfectly, instantly piercing the mirror's defense and slamming hard into the nine heavens thunder marsh mirror itself.
With a crisp "crack," a clear fracture appeared on the surface of the nine heavens thunder marsh mirror. The purple lightning crystal's light dimmed, and without the support of the Spirit Treasure, the lightning formation instantly became chaotic. Countless lightning pillars scattered in all directions, and the lightning net collapsed with a bang.
Lei Sha was knocked back repeatedly by the backlash, spitting out a large mouthful of blood. He could no longer hold onto the nine heavens thunder marsh mirror, and it flew out of his hand. Seeing this, Lei Cang and Lei Mang's faces turned ashen. They knew the day was lost; continuing the fight would only lead to more losses than gains.
"Lin Yue, Ye Qingcheng, we will remember this grudge!" Lei Cang roared. He took Lei Mang and the injured Lei Sha, turning back into three streaks of lightning as they fled miserably. This time, they did not look back.
The lightning formation dissipated, and peace returned to the Hongmeng Space, leaving only the lingering scent of lightning and the resonance of Sword Qi in the air. Lin Yue sat on the ground, his strength spent, his internal spiritual energy exhausted, and his Azure Profound Sword Intent dimmed. The light of the blue spiritual crystal in Ye Qingcheng's hand gradually faded. She looked at Lin Yue's exhausted yet still upright figure, and a strong sense of mutual appreciation surged in her heart.
Their coordination just now had been too perfect. Lin Yue's Sword Intent had been injected with precision, and her mechanisms had been controlled flawlessly. It was as if they had been comrades-in-arms for many years; a single look or movement was enough to understand the other's intent. This feeling of being in sync caused her impression of Lin Yue to change completely.
"Thank you." Ye Qingcheng walked to Lin Yue's side and handed him a healing Medicinal Pill. Her tone was much softer, no longer containing the previous coldness and resentment.
Lin Yue took the pill and swallowed it. Feeling the warm current surging through his body, he looked up at her and revealed a smile. "It was because we coordinated well. Your Mechanism Art is truly impressive."
Ye Qingcheng's cheeks flushed slightly as she avoided his gaze, and her favorability toward him rose by another 15 points. She knew that after these three battles of life and death together, the misunderstanding between her and Lin Yue had been completely resolved. A special bond was quietly forming between the two of them.