Chapter 223 - 129: Panlong Great Halberd Reveals Its Ferocious Might; All Schemes Fall 1 Move Short

Chapter 223: Chapter 129: Panlong Great Halberd Reveals Its Ferocious Might; All Schemes Fall 1 Move Short

In a lightning-fast exchange, Yang Bijie clashed with Chu River and seemed to have his momentum halted by Chu River’s Yellow Smoke Rope.

However, no joy appeared on Chu River’s face. The Yellow Smoke Rope didn’t press its advantage to bind and strangle him. Instead, it gently released him. Sure enough, Yang Bijie’s body fell limply through the air, transforming into an exquisitely cut paper doll, complete with limbs, before being swept away by the wind and smoke.

Chu River’s eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly. He Haojun had told him about this paper doll Substitution Skill. Each doll required a Nascent Soul Cultivator to spend a hundred years of cultivation to refine. This was a technique built upon real cultivation progress and lifespan. He had no idea how many Yang Bijie had on him to use one so easily.

To protect his position in the great Dragon Image Sect, Yang Bijie was even willing to sacrifice the sect’s elders, so he definitely wouldn’t be stingy with his resources. With a Protective Treasure as well, he truly had a chance of defeating him. Chu River raised his guard and thought, ’I need to figure out all his tricks. I can’t be reckless.’

His thoughts raced in an instant. The moment after the paper doll fell, Yang Bijie leaped out from an unknown location. He plucked a handful of strands from the Duster in his hand and flung them toward Chu River. As the strands fell, they swayed in mid-air, suddenly growing to ten zhang long. They transformed into over a dozen slender spirit beasts, resembling both Spiritual Flood Dragons and Spiritual Qius, and lunged at Chu River, baring their fangs and claws.

Chu River’s expression remained unchanged. With a flick of his wide sleeve, yellow smoke billowed out, forming into numerous smaller ropes that resembled Spiritual Snakes. They bound and crushed the small Spiritual Flood Dragons and Spiritual Qius, which then fell as strands of white duster silk. He had effortlessly broken Yang Bijie’s technique.

Yang Bijie frowned. Although he had cast this technique casually as a probe, and it wasn’t unexpected that Chu River could handle it easily, the way he did so put Yang Bijie on high alert.

The use of Daoist arts isn’t confined to their original forms; they can be changed at will, which is a symbol of one’s mastery. While Chu River’s Yellow Smoke God-Binding Rope might not have reached the Ninth Realm, his proficiency was certainly profound.

Moreover, this technique wasn’t even ranked among the top three signature Divine Techniques of the Divine Flow Sect. Chu River might not have mastered all of them, but this was enough to prove he was far more difficult to deal with than Yang Bijie had anticipated.

As Yang Bijie reached this conclusion, Chu River’s Yellow Smoke God-Binding Rope had already annihilated all the Spiritual Flood Dragons and Spiritual Qius. Without hesitation, Yang Bijie threw his entire Duster, formed a hand seal, and the Duster instantly exploded, transforming into thousands of flood dragons and qius that charged at Chu River once more.

Though he had cast the spell, Yang Bijie knew it could only entangle Chu River’s technique for a few moments. Before he could even catch his breath, he had to cast another. However, Chu River would not let him mount an offense so easily. He reached into his sleeve with one hand, and a handful of crushed stone appeared in his palm. With a throw, it howled toward Yang Bijie like a sandstorm.

Yang Bijie’s gaze narrowed. He recognized this as the Gang Stone Annihilation Divine Wind, a technique as famous as the Golden Blade Annihilation Gang Wind. The two techniques could be said to share the same origin, one drawing on metal-attribute energy and the other on earth-attribute energy. Their killing power was also clearly distinct—one sharp, the other blunt.

When this technique appeared, a trace of regret rose in Yang Bijie’s heart. The Dragon Image Sect had long been prepared for a confrontation with the Divine Flow Sect, and he had even refined a set of Iron Muddy Fog. Unfortunately, while the Iron Muddy Fog could defile and neutralize the Golden Blade technique, it was useless against the annihilating Gang Stones. It was of no use now.

But what was done was done, and Yang Bijie didn’t dwell on it. Seeing the Gang Stone Divine Wind about to strike, he had no choice but to form a hand seal. The Dragon Head Golden Crown on his head shone with a divine radiance that surged forward. The Divine Wind, carrying a sky full of Gang Stones, crashed against it but failed to create even a ripple on the divine light.

This Dragon Head Golden Crown was the symbol of the Dragon Image Sect’s successive Sect Leaders and also a Protective Treasure. Blocking a single Divine Wind was, naturally, a simple matter.

However, though the Gang Stone Annihilation Divine Wind had failed to achieve a decisive blow, it did not retreat. Instead, like waves crashing against a dam, its crushing force continued relentlessly, one wave after another, each stronger than the last. Although the Dragon Head Golden Crown could withstand it, it consumed ten percent of Yang Bijie’s Magical Power in just a few breaths.

A glint flashed in Yang Bijie’s eyes as he thought, ’Impressive. Chu River’s techniques are far more powerful than I expected. Against such an opponent, I can’t afford to hold back. I need to use some of my stronger moves to test him.’

Within a few breaths, Yang Bijie had decided on a plan. He took out a talisman, pinched it between his fingers, and chanted an incantation for a breath before suddenly throwing it out. As the talisman flew through the air, a blade of light, clear as autumn water, slashed out from the talisman paper. The talisman paper was blown out by the Divine Wind, but the blade of light flashed through the air, pierced the heavy curtain of the Gang Stone storm, and slashed toward Chu River.

The blade of light appeared so suddenly that it was completely unimpeded by the Gang Stones, arriving before him in an instant. Fortunately, Chu River was already prepared. With a slight movement of his powerful frame, yellow smoke billowed from the crown of his head, and a Gangyun rose from his celestial gate.

It all happened in a flash. The cloud parted, and a bronze shield flew out. It grew as it met the wind, positioning itself in front of the blade of light.

Chu River had calmly deployed his protective Magical Artifact. In the next moment, however, his expression changed slightly. The blade of light shockingly passed right through the bronze shield and struck his head. There was no splash of blood, but Chu River’s body stiffened, and a bit of the spirit seemed to vanish from his eyes.

It turned out the blade of light from the talisman wasn’t an ordinary attack at all, but a technique called the Soul-Loss Demon-Cutting Saber that attacked the soul itself. Naturally, it could not be blocked by Gang Stones or a shield.

However, a Nascent Soul Third Level Cultivator had cultivated their spirit and energy to their peak. Even if hit by the Soul-Loss Demon-Cutting Saber, he likely wouldn’t be severely injured. Therefore, as soon as the talisman was released, Yang Bijie didn’t dare to wait and see if the attack would succeed. He formed another hand seal, and with a flicker of his body, he withdrew the divine radiance of his Dragon Head Golden Crown as his figure vanished. All that remained was another paper doll, which drifted down and was pulverized in the Gang Stone Divine Wind.