Chapter 156: The Might of Prison Suppression

Above the dark firmament, a blue abyss of hundreds of miles resembled a dazzling sun, radiating brilliant light that illuminated millions upon millions of miles, possessing an incomprehensibly immense and wondrous might.

A gigantic hand, hundreds of miles wide, slowly reached down vertically from the abyss in the firmament, its three-to-four-thousand-foot forearm continuously extending and thickening.

Five thousand feet... Six thousand feet... Seven thousand feet...

"Is this the power of the Ice Mountain Underworld King? Can a mid-stage quasi-sage reach such a terrifying degree?" Gazing up at the firmament, one could see the Underworld King's five fingers resembling five towering peaks, and its arm like a pillar of heaven. Judging by this momentum, in mere moments, this arm of the Underworld King would connect the heavens and the earth.

"The Ice Mountain Underworld King bears the duty of suppressing the Ice Mountain Hell. Its true form cannot leave, otherwise the Ice Mountain Hell would instantly collapse, the crust would shatter into pieces, and heaven and earth would merge—the consequences would be unthinkable. This is merely an arm formed by the condensed Netherworld ice essence it projected across realms, and its power is only about one-tenth of its peak," Xuanming explained, a trace of dismay involuntarily surfacing on her face. With her strength, she was actually inferior to even one-tenth of the Ice Mountain Underworld King.

"One-tenth of a mid-stage quasi-sage? In that case, there might still be hope if we join forces!" Hearing Xuanming's account, Qingxu felt a surge of joy in his heart. In his view, the gap between one-tenth of a mid-stage quasi-sage and an early-stage quasi-sage was quite limited. With his wholehearted assistance, there was still a considerable chance of victory.

While Qingxu was optimistic, Xuanming held not an ounce of confidence, though she did not show it on her face so as not to dampen Qingxu's morale.

Rumble! Cruuuunch...

Five "mountain peaks" plunged straight down toward the crowd. The waists of the peaks curved as the five phantom peaks closed into a claw, descending slowly with a deafening roar and carrying a horrific momentum capable of altering heaven and earth. The chilling aura of the netherworld raged and roared, forming scattering hurricanes. In an instant, the ten-thousand-mile iron tree forest froze into ice crystals, and the ghost cultivators and nether spirits within were not spared either. Reduced to painted illusions, they met a tragic end, their bodies and souls utterly obliterated.

The distinction between the quasi-sage realm and below lies not only in the laws of nature, but also in divine power. The divine power of a quasi-sage contains the inner principles of yin and yang, standing outside the Three Realms and the Five Elements, possessing matchless might.

Though the essence controlled and condensed by the Ice Mountain Underworld King was Netherworld ice essence, belonging to the water element of cold, Qingxu could nevertheless sense within it a pure, vast, and scorching fiery force.

The coexistence of water and fire, the shared origin of yin and yang—this was precisely the limit energy of a quasi-sage, the power of Hunyuan creation, uniting the cycle of life and death into one.

Under the overwhelming might that enveloped heaven and earth, everyone in Qingxu's party except Xuanming was completely immobilized. After all, the disparity between them was simply too vast, like the difference between heaven and mud. A mid-stage quasi-sage was, after all, a Hunyuan scattered immortal, possessing boundless and limitless divine abilities.

There was a saying in the primordial world: beneath the saints, all are mere ants. But this phrase applied equally to quasi-sages.

Beneath the quasi-sages, all are ants!

At this very moment, Qingxu experienced firsthand the terror of a quasi-sage. His Xuanhuang avatarpossessed a divine physique at the peak of the Golden Immortal of Da Luo realm, with divine power as pure as could be, comparable to the peak of the early Golden Immortal of Da Luo. Yet, under the pressure emitted by the Ice Mountain Underworld King in its one-tenth peak state, he could barely twitch a single finger.

Puff!

Little Kunlun was the first to reach her limit. With a pale complexion, she spat out a mouthful of primordial vitality. Although she was the vessel spirit of the Innate Supreme Treasure Kunlun Mirror, her cultivation was only at the peak of the Earth Immortal realm. It was solely due to her identity and nature as the Kunlun Mirror's vessel spirit that she did not go mad or suffer a complete collapse of mind within the pressure of the mid-stage quasi-sage.

Qingxu, whose cultivation was comparable to Little Kunlun's, suffered no major harm thanks to the protection of his Yin-Yang Dao robe. As for the Black and White Impermanences, the Three-Headed Hellhound, and Ying Kuang, they were all Grand Yi True Immortals and could barely protect themselves, but as time dragged on, their situation would undoubtedly become precarious.

"Kunlun, escape into the parallel space to take temporary shelter, and look for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack later."

"Understood!" With a soft acknowledgment, Little Kunlun hurriedly plunged into the void.

The might of the Ice Mountain Underworld King was a seamless whole without a single flaw. Caught within it, there was no second method other than meeting it head-on with brute force.

Splat! Bang-rumble...

Not waiting for the Underworld King's ice arm to reach her, Xuanming chose to strike first to gain the initiative. Accumulating her momentum for a single blow to tear apart the oppressive might, she met the descending "giant claw" with a direct, unadorned punch. Comparing the two, it was like an ant facing Mount Tai—not in the same league at all. Yet, in terms of sheer momentum, she was hardly inferior. The Wu clan were naturally passionate about fighting and slaughter, and their murderous intent and fierce aura were exceptionally ferocious, even surpassing their actual cultivation strength.

"Attack!" With the oppressive momentum shattered by Xuanming, Qingxu and the others felt a sense of immense relief, the crushing pressure lifting. Without even a moment to catch their breath, Qingxu immediately roared. Diverting his mind to two tasks at once, he simultaneously controlled his Xuanhuang avatar to launch an all-out attack to help share the pressure with Xuanming, while also uniting the divine powers of the Black and White Impermanences, the Three-Headed Hellhound, and Ying Kuang to unleash a joint peak strike. The combined might of the four Grand Yi True Immortals surprisingly rivaled that of an early-stage peak Golden Immortal of Da Luo, which came as quite a surprise to Qingxu.

Whoosh! Rumble! Bang! Crack! Boom...

Xuanming at the early quasi-sage stage, the Da Luo Xuanhuang, and the joint forces of the four Grand Yi True Immortals—these three consecutive assaults slammed into the palm of the Underworld King, erupting in a heaven-shaking roar. Heaven and earth fell momentarily silent, and then the dark firmament tore apart and dissolved. On the ground below, one-tenth of the nether iron trees collapsed instantly, and countless ghost cultivators and nether spirits perished. Most terrifying of all was that the Iron Tree Hell-Suppressing Underworld King began to show signs of awakening.

Bang-crack!

Puff, puff, puff...

Within a radius of several miles in the palm of the Underworld King, a large patch of nether ice was reduced to dust under the combined assault of the three forces. Ice shards danced across the sky, forming a concave, jagged wound. Yet, by comparison, the injuries sustained by Xuanming and the others were far heavier. Leaving aside Xuanming, who bore the brunt of the attack, Qingxu, distracted by multiple tasks, suffered unprecedented devastation. Driven by the chaotic energy flows, the five viscera and six bowels within his chest were torn to pieces, his meridians and blood vessels snapped inch by inch, and his blood surged wildly, rushing up and down. His primordial spirit and divine power fell into extreme disarray, and the origins of the Yin-Yang Dragon Pearl and the Ice Ancestor began to stir restlessly.

The Black and White Impermanences and the Three-Headed Hellhound were reduced to ashes in the rebound force of the Hell-Suppressing Underworld King. Yet, true to their nature as nether deities under the Heavenly Dao, they were instantly resurrected under the operation of the great power of the Heavenly Dao—much like respawning in a video game without dropping any items and returning with full status, formidable to the absolute extreme.

Ying Kuang was equally unfortunate. His injuries were roughly on par with Qingxu's, and it was only thanks to his heritage as an ancient Shadow clansman that he managed to hold onto his thread of life.

"My five viscera and six bowels are completely shattered, my meridians and blood vessels snapped inch by inch, and my vital energy and spirit are in utter chaos. This time, I'm truly finished!" Feeling the injuries within his body, Qingxu smiled bitterly, his face a mask of ashen despair. Given his current injuries, even the miraculous Nine-Turn Golden Pill secretly crafted by the Supreme Saint could not save him.

His standing knees grew weak, and Qingxu involuntarily fell forward. At that exact moment, a wave of fragrance assaulted his senses, and his body grew taut. Xuanming's plump and tender physique caught him, her soft hands wrapping tightly around his back. What made the situation most critical was that Qingxu's posture upon falling was skewed, causing his face to be almost entirely buried deep within Xuanming's full, plump breasts. Furthermore, Xuanming's snow-white palace attire, while appearing to be embroidered cloth and cotton, was actually as thin as cicada wings. He could distinctly feel two protruding tips pressing against both sides of his cheeks.

His mind went blank with a thunderous roar.

By this time, Xuanming had also realized the ambiguous nature of their position. In particular, the hot breath of his rapid panting between her breasts caused her face to flush crimson. Amidst her shyness, her heart pounded like a startled deer, and an inexplicable sensation brewed deep within her heart.

Rumble!...

A heaven-shaking roar reverberated through the world. The injured arm of the Underworld King recovered completely, replenished by a portion of Netherworld ice essence transmitted by the Ice Mountain Hell-Suppressing Underworld King. It immediately resumed its downward grab and strike, its might three parts stronger than before.

"Don't worry about me, run away quickly!" Qingxu recovered his composure amidst the roaring thunder and shoved Xuanming away with a fierce push, shouting at the top of his lungs. He knew his own condition all too well; let alone recovery, even holding onto his life was an arduous task.

Bang!

Losing the support of Xuanming, Qingxu collapsed limply to the ground.

"No, Xuan'er won't leave! If we die, we die together!" Xuanming cried, tears streaming down her face as she shook her head.

Following one another in life and death, Qingxu felt at that moment that he no longer harbored any fear, and the destruction of body and soul no longer seemed quite so terrifying. But the next instant, listening to the heartfelt words spilling from Xuanming's lips, his scorching heart was doused as if by ice water, plunging into the abyss.

"Back then, when you rescued Xuan'er from the jaws of the giant beast, Xuan'er's heart held only you and my older brothers and sisters, leaving no room for anyone else ever since. When I heard the news of your demise, Xuan'er truly wished to follow you into death. But the grand cause of the Wu clan and your promise always sustained Xuan'er, because Xuan'er firmly believed that one day we would meet again. Although I had to wait far too long for this day, and the time spent with you is so brief, Xuan'er has no regrets."

A face wreathed in a blissful smile—yet alas, it was not blooming for him!

Death was stepping closer by the moment!

The terror of the Hell-Suppressing Underworld King far exceeded Qingxu's expectations. Although the Ice Mountain Underworld King in the eighth layer of the netherworld possessed only the strength of a mid-stage quasi-sage, aided by the momentum of hell suppression, it was in no way inferior to a normal late-stage quasi-sage. It was simply not something Qingxu and the others could match.

"With my primordial spirit in such disarray now, I can't even detonate the Yin-Yang Dragon Pearl and the Ice Ancestor's origin. Only the Taiqing Immortal Talisman remains usable. Though I know it cannot change the current situation, I must at least give it a try! At the very least, I can let my Senior Grandmaster know my situation and ask him to explain it to my Master, perhaps prompting Master to resurrect me through the River of Destiny!" Thinking of this, Qingxu hesitated no longer. Enduring the limit of his agony, he channeled a sliver of divine power to activate the power of the Taiqing Immortal Talisman, summoning the Three Qing avatars.

Brilliant multicolored auspicious clouds and myriad divine radiances billowed with glowing purple qi!

The immortal talisman materialized, and three statues of moral deities were summoned into existence, appearing before their eyes.

On the left was Taiqing, in the center was Yuqing, and on the right was Shangqing—each controlled by a sliver of divine consciousness from the Supreme Saint.

"Disciple Qingxu pays respects to Senior Grandmaster!" Struggling with a feeble and exhausted breath, he bowed to Supreme. The disciples of the Chan sect valued propriety, and Qingxu dared not neglect it.

"What is the meaning of this?" Upon seeing Qingxu's condition, Supreme was also startled. Goodness gracious, these injuries were thorough enough; he was only a hair's breadth away from the complete destruction of his body and soul.

"The Three Qing Daoists?" Seeing the Three Qing avatars, Xuanming initially mistook them for the arrival of the Three Qing themselves, a realization that left her greatly astonished and then overjoyed. She still remembered Qingxu saying he was a disciple of Primordial Heavenly Lord, so viewed in this light, his life could be saved after all!

"Ancestor Witch Xuanming? Ah? This is... the Ice Mountain Hell-Suppressing Underworld King!" Before he could fully comprehend the situation, the giant claw of the Underworld King slammed down, instantly blasting the Three Qing avatars into a wisp of smoke. This sight left Xuanming utterly dumbfounded.

"The dignified Three Qing, three Hunyuan saints, wiped out in a single stroke—just what on earth is going on here?!"

"Alas! My life is at its end!" Seeing his final hope dashed, Qingxu let out a sorrowful cry, preparing to close his eyes and await death.