Chapter 154: The Tri-footed Divine Turtle

The golden light flashed with crystalline brilliance on the surface, and within moments, an ice block several feet high was formed. The trembling golden ring instantly came to a halt, and the white light flashing inside also froze for a moment! Seeing this, Ye Hua let out a soft cry, his figure darting swiftly forward until he reached right in front of that cluster of golden light!

Raising his hand, he scattered a slender streak of black light, which shot out as fast as lightning. The dark radiance flickered once and then plunged directly into the cluster of golden light! A soul-shaking, agonizing shriek burst from within the golden light, crying out fiercely: "Melancholy Silk Awl—!"

Immediately afterward, the silver radiance within the ice block and golden light erupted violently, flashing wildly with crackling sounds. Within just a few breaths, the crystal barrier of the golden ring burst apart with a deafening "boom," shattering into countless golden specks. Amidst the raging kinetic wind, a figure in blue emerged from where the ice block had been, a tiny black awl four to five inches long impaled in his chest, a trail of fresh blood already slowly flowing down to drip at his feet!

The blue-robed man seemed consumed by rage. Trembling all over, he reached out and grabbed the black radiance, pulling the awl out with a faint flash! Witnessing the blue-robed man injured, and seeing the bronze-masked blue-robed figure violently shatter the twin gold and silver rings, Ye Hua and the others felt a mixture of shock and elation!

Ye Hua's figure flickered as he dodged several feet away. Liu Ruoming and the others rushed over, holding their swords before their chests. Holding their breath and concentrating, the group waited quietly to see what the blue-robed man would do next!

Li Mubai, however, turned slightly pale, his body swaying. Regaining his composure after a brief moment, he rapidly formed hand seals. Golden light flashed as the twin gold and silver rings reappeared, though their spiritual radiance was now dim to the extreme! Evidently, having been forcefully shattered by the bronze-masked blue-robed man just moments ago, their spiritual essence had suffered severe damage!

The bronze-masked blue-robed man trembled for a long while before gradually calming down. By now, he was quietly circulating his internal yuan to suppress a wisp of bone-chilling, erratic aura rampaging within his body—the very aura emitted by the Melancholy Silk Awl from earlier!

After a long while, he slowly raised his hand, staring intently at the black radiance that kept darting and shifting in his palm, desperately trying to break free. A strange expression filled with astonishment and frenzied obsession appeared in his eyes! He let out a fierce, slow roar: "'Willow Brow Melancholy Silk!' 'Melancholy Silk Awl!' Whose item is this?!"

Li Mubai, Liu Ruoming, and the others were also filled with astonishment, wondering how the bronze-masked blue-robed man could still possess such a formidable momentum despite being injured, seemingly unaffected to any great degree! So that tiny black awl was indeed the Melancholy Silk Awl?!

Ye Hua let out a soft sigh and pointed with his hand. The black radiance in the bronze-masked blue-robed man's palm abruptly surged in brilliance, and with a slithering sound, it broke free and flew back to him! Ye Hua said to the bronze-masked blue-robed man: "What?! Do you recognize this 'Melancholy Silk Awl'?"

Hearing this, the bronze-masked blue-robed man turned his gaze toward Ye Hua. Before Ye Hua could finish speaking, he suddenly let out a shrill, piercing howl, his figure darting forward with explosive speed as he reached Ye Hua in an instant!

Startled, Liu Ruoming, Li Mubai, and the others shouted anxiously: "Watch out!" Their spiritual treasures lashed out toward the blue-robed man's back! Yet the blue-robed man seemed completely unaware, abruptly thrusting out his right hand, which morphed into the shape of a dragon claw as he lunged straight for Ye Hua's chest!

Ye Hua's heart skipped a beat as well. He knew that a Three-Realm cultivator possessed profound cultivation techniques that he could never hope to resist through brute force alone. That 'Melancholy Silk Awl' was something he had originally found in the Return-Forgotten Abyss, where it had been impaled in the chest of a dead, nameless cultivator. Could it be that the nameless cultivator had a deep connection to this blue-robed man?!

There was no time for careful thought. Seeing the dragon claw descending upon him, purple light suddenly flashed in his hand, and the surrounding air grew abruptly hot. A chain burning with wisps of purplish-red flames coiled swiftly around him, forming a red barrier of light to protect his chest—it was none other than the Purple Fire Heart-Locking Chain!

With a muffled "pop," the blue-robed man's fierce grab landed squarely on the red barrier of light! The red barrier merely rippled like sparkling water before entirely defusing the force of the opponent's grab!

The bronze-masked blue-robed man felt a slight sense of surprise and exclaimed in fierce shock: "You actually possess another True Profound Spiritual Treasure!"

At this moment, the magical treasures in the hands of Li Mubai, Liu Ruoming, and the others had already struck the blue-robed man's back. The bronze-masked blue-robed man let out a cold snort, and amidst a flash of azure light, a set of bronze scale-mail armor manifested over his entire body, engraved with the Eight Treasures patterns on its surface, and bearing a protruding, ferocious lion-head bronze sculpture carved upon the chest!

With a loud "clang," Li Mubai's twin rings and Liu Ruoming's long sword struck the armor simultaneously. The bronze scale-mail merely flashed with azure light, and the sword and twin rings bounced right back!

Liu Ruoming's expression turned one of sheer horror as she swept backward several feet. Li Mubai stood stunned for a moment, crying out in alarm: "The Eight-Treasures Lion-Fierce Bronze Chain Spiritual Armor!" A sinking feeling gripped his heart: "His cultivation techniques are already this terrifying, and to think he also has such a powerful spiritual armor for defense! This makes him even harder to defeat! Unless we pull out some trump-card thunderous methods, it will be utterly impossible to drive him back!"

The bronze-masked blue-robed man paid no heed to Li Mubai and Liu Ruoming. With a cold snort, he took a step toward Ye Hua, flicked his lightning whip, and lashed out fiercely. Hundreds of crackling thunderbolts roared as they assaulted Ye Hua's chest!

Ye Hua's figure fluttered and flickered, transforming into over a dozen phantom images as he swiftly dodged the clusters of lightning. Once his form solidified, he gently swung the Purple Fire Heart-Locking Chain in his hand, causing it to coil toward his opponent like a venomous snake with rapid speed!

The bronze-masked blue-robed man sneered: "Interesting. Let's see whether your lightning whip is stronger or your fire whip is stronger! But since you dared to injure me, today I will make your soul scatter into dust and force you to endure every torment before you die! Haha!"

Amidst his loud laughter, he thrust the lightning whip forward. As azure light flashed, it entangled with the opponent's long chain. Violently circulating his internal yuan, a vast torrent of primordial force traveled along his lightning whip and transferred onto the opponent's fire chain. He smiled grimly to himself, thinking that with this strike, even if he couldn't destroy the opponent's treasure, he would at least trap it and snatch it away!

To his utter astonishment, a vast surge of force suddenly erupted from the opponent's chain as well. Colliding with his own primordial force, it instantly burst forth with a blinding white light! A tremendous force rebounded instantly, causing the lightning whip in his hand to shudder violently—so much so that it almost slipped from his grip. A wave of shock gripped his heart:

"His fire-chain spiritual treasure is actually this powerful?! Could it be a Superior True Profound Spiritual Treasure? If that's truly the case, then I've struck gold today!" A surge of joy followed in his heart, and his left hand struck out abruptly, enveloping Ye Hua in a hazy azure glow!

Seeing the opponent's palm strike down with overwhelming might, Ye Hua felt his heart sink slightly. If he retreated, the Purple Cloud Heart-Locking Chain in his hand would likely be seized by the opponent! If he didn't retreat, he might not be able to take the opponent's palm strike head-on!

In the split second of a lightning flash, the opponent's palm shifted slightly and bore down right before his eyes. The fierce wind buffeting his face made it nearly impossible to breathe. Shocked, Ye Hua knew there was no room for hesitation. He hurriedly channeled his internal yuan to the utmost, thrusting both palms outward as a brilliant cluster of golden light suddenly spewed forth!

The bronze-masked blue-robed man laughed heartily, thinking to himself: "You are merely a Seven-Treasures realm disciple. No matter how formidable your cultivation is, how could you possibly contend with a Three-Realm cultivator?! You're simply courting death!" The internal yuan in his left hand surged violently, increasing his force by several notches!

Before the words could even echo, the hazy azure radiance and the golden light collided with a thunderous roar! Ye Hua turned pale, his body flying backward from the impact as he slammed into the wall. With several more deafening crashes, the wall turned into a cloud of fine dust that dispersed into a billowing haze of smoke!

The bronze-masked blue-robed man also flushed red in the face. The wound on his chest, previously inflicted by the Melancholy Silk Awl, had already stopped bleeding. Now, agitated by this explosive aura, the wound ripped open once more, and fresh blood gushed out in streams!

The wisp of grey-cold aura emitted by the "Melancholy Silk Awl" that had been suppressed within his body began to stir aggressively once again. Overcome by sudden rage and fury, he thought: "How does this little thief possess such a profound internal yuan force?! It's practically comparable to some early Three-Realm cultivators! How is this even possible?! But no matter what, he won't escape with his life today!"

As vicious killing intent welled up within his chest, a sinister look crossed his eyes. He lunged forward, flipping his palms to unleash an even more ferocious force interspersed with two imperceptible, fine silver needles, intending to kill his opponent with a single palm strike!

Ye Hua, having been violently repelled dozens of feet away, felt his internal blood roil and churn, suffering immense discomfort. Just as he caught his breath, he saw the bronze-masked blue-robed man strike toward him with another palm. Unable to muster any defense at the moment, he was just about to dodge aside!

Unexpectedly, ripples of light emerged right before him, revealing a three-legged divine turtle. The turtle suddenly opened its mouth and spat out several ritual instruments—a bell, a chime, a drum, cymbals, and a hand-gong—which chimed together in unison! A visible sonic wave rapidly expanded outward!

The palm strike unleashed by the bronze-masked blue-robed man was mysteriously dissipated by the sonic wave! Following immediately with two crisp "clings," the two tiny silver needles were deflected and sent flying away!

The bronze-masked blue-robed man's expression shifted slightly as he cried out: "The Three-Legged Divine Turtle! You are a disciple of the Twelve Interlocking Docks on Red-Tail Isle in the East Sea!" Realizing the bizarre and terrifying rumors associated with the Three-Legged Divine Turtle, he dared not be careless and abruptly retreated. However, the bells, chimes, drums, cymbals, and gongs floating in mid-air drifted forward as if possessing a shadow, clinging closely behind him!

The bronze-masked blue-robed man's eyes narrowed slightly as he roared fiercely: "Do you really think I'm afraid of this beast?!" The Eight-Treasures Lion-Fierce Chain Armor on his body suddenly flashed with wild spiritual light, unleashing the phantom of an azure lion that roared toward the heavens several times before pouncing straight toward the Three-Legged Divine Turtle!

The Three-Legged Divine Turtle was none other than Li Mubai's spirit beast. The "Twelve Interlocking Docks on Red-Tail Isle in the East Sea" possessed a guardian island spirit beast famous throughout the Divine Land—a Three-Legged Divine Turtle that had lived for unknown tens of thousands of years. Though it had bred quite a few offspring, their numbers were extremely scarce and precious indeed!

They were kept only by those of high status and great power within the "Twelve Interlocking Docks on Red-Tail Isle in the East Sea"! Although the bronze-masked blue-robed man had heard tales of the Three-Legged Divine Turtle, he had never seen one in person. Seeing it now, a wave of shock rippled through his heart!

With a solemn expression, Li Mubai pointed with his hand, causing the Three-Legged Divine Turtle to transform into a behemoth several feet wide! Li Mubai leaped lightly, landing atop the turtle's shell. Seeing the azure lion phantom pounce forward, he let out a low, soft cry. The Three-Legged Divine Turtle beneath his feet raised its head and spat out a beam of glowing white light. Seemingly slow yet actually swift, it struck squarely in the center of the azure lion's chest. With a single beastly roar, the azure lion dissolved into nothingness like a bubble!

Nodding, the bronze-masked blue-robed man laughed heartily and said: "Indeed, it has some tricks. I was merely probing your depths. Hearing tales is nothing compared to seeing it for myself—formidable though it may be, it is nothing more than this!"

Li Mubai replied coldly: "Is that so?! Even though this Three-Legged Divine Turtle is still young, it is more than enough to deal with you!" Taking a deep breath, he rapidly formed bizarre hand seals with both hands and flicked his ten fingers forward. Ten streaks of red light immediately poured into the bells, chimes, drums, cymbals, and gongs suspended in mid-air, while the Three-Legged Divine Turtle beneath his feet simultaneously spat out five pillars of light!

Witnessing this bizarre anomaly, a slight palpitation gripped the bronze-masked blue-robed man's heart, and he thought to himself: "Not good!" He abruptly retreated, attempting to dodge away. Yet, unexpectedly, the space directly behind him congealed, and a golden giant palm as large as a coverlet emerged, striking straight toward his back! Cursing inwardly, he thought: "The Lesser Sumeru Divine Palm!" He spun around in a flurry and struck out with a palm, shattering it apart!

Yet, in that very delay—that briefest moment of hesitation—the five bells, chimes, drums, cymbals, and gongs had already closed in around him swiftly. Crimson radiance flashed wildly, causing the bronze-masked blue-robed man to cry out inwardly: "Oh no!" Before he could finish speaking, the five magical treasures burst apart silently! Every single artifact emitted an eerie, dazzling crimson glow that caused Liu Ruoming and the others in the distance to feel dizzy and lightheaded at a mere glance!

At this moment, the bronze-masked blue-robed man felt only sheer horror and panic. A sense of unprecedented crisis welled up in his heart, and he could not help roaring fiercely: "Dragon Thunder Bead!"