"Samadhi True Fire!" Qiongqi's eyes turned crimson as it revealed its true form, roaring and spewing out Samadhi True Fire.
The purest holy fire transformed into a long dragon, colliding with the hundred-zhang ghost hand. Although a tier lower in cultivation, the Samadhi True Fire perfectly countered the Yin energy on the ghost hand, instantly burning it to ashes.
The Ghost Elder felt a sense of danger from the approaching holy fire and quickly unleashed a more powerful ability to disperse it, causing it to fall to the ground.
Yet, it did not extinguish upon hitting the ground, fiercely scorching the domain that enveloped the area.
"The level of this fire… you are the legendary divine beast Qiongqi!" the Ghost Elder stared at Qiongqi, his pupils constricting.
With wings on its back, breathing true fire, and a White Tiger true form, what else could it be but the legendary divine beast Qiongqi?
"Is that… Samadhi True Fire?" Jialan Lou asked from behind the Ghost Elder, a hint of fear in his voice.
Their Jialan clan controlled the Ghost Domain, and their cultivation techniques focused on abilities related to ghosts and Yin energy. They were most afraid of fire or lightning attribute abilities. Furthermore, this was the legendary Samadhi True Fire, a natural nemesis to them!
"Yes, but fortunately it is only a Lord-level. If it were a Domain Lord, we would have turned and fled," the Ghost Elder exclaimed with a touch of relief. He then said to Qiongqi, "You are from the divine beast lineage, and our Jialan clan wishes to avoid conflict."
"If you promise not to reveal what happened today and swear a Heavenly Oath to abandon this brat and leave him here, I can let you go."
Flames flowed in Qiongqi's eyes as it roared, "That is impossible!"
"Samadhi True Fire!"
It roared again, spewing true fire, not to attack the Ghost Elder, but to scorch the space itself, attempting to break the blockade.
The Ghost Elder's expression darkened. He immediately unleashed a palm strike with the overwhelming might of a Domain Lord, condensing countless vengeful spirits within it, incredibly terrifying.
At the same time, Xu Mu drew the bowstring of the Demon Bow to its fullest, his Dao source surging outwards, attaching itself to an arrow of the Great Dao, and shot it out with a roar.
Rumbling!
The arrow tore through the sky, carrying countless intents of the Great Dao, even ripping off some of the forbidden Dao emanations from the artifact sealing the space, integrating them.
Crack!
The Ghost Elder's strike collided with the arrow of the Great Dao, and a tremendously powerful explosion ensued. After a one-second pause, the terrifying palm shattered all the Great Dao, continuing its descent.
Xu Mu's face was pale. His cultivation was still too low. Even with his full effort, he could only stall the Domain Lord for a second.
Seeing this, Qiongqi could only temporarily abandon breaking through the space and used Samadhi True Fire to resist the Ghost Elder's palm strike.
Bang!
Xu Mu shot another arrow. Combined with Qiongqi's Samadhi True Fire, the power was formidable. It collided with the sky-obscuring palm, immediately erupting into an incredibly intense roar that shook the entire space.
They themselves were swept back thousands of meters by the ensuing tidal wave, crashing against the barrier of the domain.
"Die!"
Just as Xu Mu and Qiongqi were about to rise, the Ghost Elder's attack arrived. A hundred-zhang dark Yin soul pillar filled the alley, charging directly towards them, its contained energy making one's heart pound.
"Damn it!"
Qiongqi also unfurled its domain, encompassing Xu Mu within it, and simultaneously unleashed all its power to spew Samadhi True Fire, clashing with the Yin soul energy pillar.
The true fire was crimson, the Yin souls persistent. After a brief stalemate, with the Ghost Elder's menacing laughter and exertion of force, Qiongqi's true fire was gradually pushed back.
Xu Mu also used the Eight Trigrams technique to alter their positions, forcibly enhancing Qiongqi's firepower, but they still could not reverse the situation, the gap in their cultivation being too vast.
Crack!
The abilities exploded. Xu Mu and Qiongqi could not withstand the Ghost Elder's attack, being completely submerged by the Yin soul energy, their bodies being buffeted back and forth amidst endless screams, their lives uncertain.
After a long while, the Ghost Elder slowly retracted his hand.
"Serving you right for opposing me!" Jialan Lou hid behind, looking at the ruins before him with a triumphant expression. Xu Mu dared to swindle him, and now he had finally faced retribution.
"Why bother to provoke me," the Ghost Elder said, indifferently waving his hand to disperse the dark clouds in the air.
Amidst the ruins, Xu Mu and Qiongqi lay on the ground in a sorry state. They were not dead, but both were severely injured and lacked any ability to fight.
"They're still alive?" a trace of surprise flashed in the Ghost Elder's eyes. He had not held back earlier. Even if the ancient divine beast Qiongqi could survive, how could this brat still be alive?
"The Dragon Scale… is shattered." Xu Mu looked at the dragon scale in his palm, which had crumbled into powder, feeling a pang of heartache.
This item was given to him by the golden dragon in the Primordial Battlefield. Today, it had blocked a blow to his chest, saving his life.
But the Dragon Scale was now broken.
He had no more means of defense.
Xu Mu looked at Qiongqi, who was shakily standing up beside him, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. If he hadn't insisted on coming to the bet, and had stayed honestly at the inn awaiting the Ten Thousand Races Assembly, this situation would not have arisen.
Now, he only had two trump cards left. One was the Demon God's Horn, which was even harder than the Dragon Scale. But mere hardness was useless; he would still be injured and eventually die.
Therefore, the only way to survive was one.
The Gray-White Eyes.
Before he went into seclusion, he was already at the Lord realm and could withstand a claw strike from Qiongqi's mother head-on, nearly killing the northwestern commander of the Gold and Silver Merchant House.
Now, after such a long period of seclusion, his strength must have improved. He dared not say he could kill the Ghost Elder, but at least escaping with them should not be a problem.
"Do you have any last words?" the Ghost Elder looked at Xu Mu, a cruel smile on his face, and began to gather his abilities again.
To him, no matter how talented a genius or how noble the bloodline of a divine beast, they were merely ants. Their lives were in his hands.
And he did not need to know who Xu Mu was, because no one would know he had done it. Even if the person behind Xu Mu knew he had done it, there would be no proof.
Could Xu Mu's backer directly overthrow their Jialan clan?
"Brother, it seems we are going to die," Qiongqi said weakly. It had no more trump cards, no other options.
"We won't," Xu Mu shook his head. "We won't die."
"But if I let him out, I might die," Xu Mu sighed inwardly. If the Gray-White Eyes were to possess his body again, he didn't know if he would ever see daylight again.
However, these were not things he should consider now, because if he didn't summon him, he would die right now.
Just as Xu Mu was about to close his eyes and knock on the door of that palace in the Heavenly Palace with his consciousness, Qiongqi placed a claw on his arm.
"Brother, we truly don't have to die."
Xu Mu opened his eyes in confusion. In front of him, a person had appeared at some unknown time.
This person appeared to be an elder, with white hair but a very upright posture, a peach wood sword hanging from his waist, and a large wine gourd.
With a wave of his hand, a sea of wine surged forth, shattering the approaching Yin soul and also breaking the spatial restrictions.
His Adam's apple bobbed. Xu Mu's eyes turned red.
The Wine Immortal Daoist turned around, met Xu Mu's gaze, and then scolded with a laugh:
"Worthless."
Xu Mu stood up, embraced the elder before him firmly, and said with a choked laugh:
"Senior, I want to drink."