"It looks like Emperor Hai Xin is getting serious now, right?" Li Yi whispered. The Serpent Venerable chuckled, "At this moment, countless people are watching this fight. I guess he can't afford to lose face now, especially since he's been famous for many years, and she's just a one-crystal Emperor."
"So what do we do...?"
"Just watch. This scene might be the most spectacular yet..." In the void, Hai Xin's lucent fighting spirit wings suddenly expanded, growing larger with his movement. The lucent color on his wings intensified, eventually illuminating the void. The Yuanqi of the world seemed to be drawn towards him, crazily converging where he was. Gong Wushuang's face showed a slight change, sensing something. Her ice flame wings also spread out, the flames covering the void around her, like countless flames burning in the air.
"Ah... the girl is also going all out!" Noticing this, The Serpent Venerable's tone held a hint of surprise.
"Both of them fighting so hard means..." Li Yi didn't finish his sentence when he suddenly saw both fighters in mid-air contract their fighting spirit. Hai Xin flashed to Gong Wushuang's front, his hand signs changing rapidly, and then he made a slicing gesture...
"Sky-Rending Strike!" With Hai Xin's shout, a lucent fighting spirit slash descended, a few meters long, breaking through spatial constraints, crashing down with force enough to crack the void around it. The space-slicing strike was so powerful that even from afar, it sent shivers down one's spine.
Almost simultaneously, Gong Wushuang's gathered fighting spirit surged out, instantly forming a massive light sword in her hands.
"Sword Wind—Whirlwind!" As Gong Wushuang's shout fell, she turned her sword, creating dozens of meter-wide ice blades in the void, spiraling upwards in a bizarre formation, fiercely assaulting above!
"Boom—" Where the wind blade and ice sword collided, black cracks flickered in the void, accompanied by thunderous roars, deafening. But in a moment, the formidable wind blade broke through the first ice blade and continued downwards!
"Boom—Boom—Boom—" A series of explosive sounds resounded; in a blink, the dozens of ice swords in front of Gong Wushuang shattered. Before she could react, the massive wind blade struck her!
"Puff—" Gong Wushuang spat out blood, her figure retreating hundreds of meters in mid-air, her fighting spirit wings showing signs of fading. Hai Xin looked up, laughing, "It's over!"
His laughter still echoing, he flashed in front of Gong Wushuang, his hand forming wind blade-like projections, creating claw-like shapes, and swiped towards her chest! In that instant, Gong Wushuang's hand signs changed dramatically, and with a low shout, "Yin-Yang Transformation!"
"Boom—" Hai Xin's strike hit "Gong Wushuang," who turned into dust in a moment. Hai Xin slightly frowned, then smiled, "Interesting, she escaped..."
Gong Wushuang vanished into thin air, concluding the battle in the sky. However, Hai Xin, being an Emperor level practitioner, quickly locked onto her direction. As she reappeared, pale-faced in front of Li Yi, he was unsure how to feel. But without wasting a word, Gong Wushuang grabbed his shoulder and shouted, "Let's go!" Before the words fell, they both dashed into the sky, shooting towards a direction.
Watching this, Hai Xin made no extra moves, just frowning. The Moon Servants asked, "Elder, now..."
Hai Xin waved his hand, "Let them go. After taking my Sky-Rending Strike head-on, even an Emperor can't recover quickly. They won't stir any more trouble. If I continue to pursue, I might fall into someone else's trap..."
"The elder means..."
Hai Xin said, "Balrin has been watching for a long time. Believe it or not, if I showed the slightest weakness, he'd come out and try to kill me on the spot..."
......
Under Gong Wushuang's lead, Li Yi flew through the void. Even with her injuries, she was much stronger than Li Yi. After several direction changes and sensing potential opportunists, they finally circled back, shaking off a trailing King level practitioner before landing in a forest.
Landing, Gong Wushuang's ice flame wings slowly disappeared, but she coughed up blood again, her face paling further. Li Yi, startled, asked, "Are you okay?"
Gong Wushuang shook her head, "I won't die... Hai Xin, as one of the Seven Emperors of Tianfeng, lived up to his reputation. It's normal that I couldn't withstand his final move, being a new Emperor. But now, I've made an enemy of the Beidou Sect! Hmph!"
Li Yi smiled lightly, "Since it's like this, why not play along with them this time?" Gong Wushuang gave him a curious look, "Aren't you in a hurry?"
Li Yi frowned, "Do you think we can escape now that we're caught in this treasure hunt whirlwind? The depths of the Naga Mountains have become an abyss. In this abyss, big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimp... We might have been swept in unintentionally, but how can we leave if the whirlwind doesn't subside? Besides, we might not be the biggest fish, but we're certainly not the smallest, so we shouldn't be at a disadvantage."
Gong Wushuang shook her head, "Even a big fish can be eaten by a small fish when in trouble... Those Kings following us, weren't they trying to kill us and pick up an easy win? If I hadn't been injured, it would be fine, but now, I'm hurt. I might be reduced back to a King level in strength."
Li Yi asked in concern, "Is it that serious?"
Gong Wushuang replied, "Hai Xin's last strike was his trump card. The move itself wasn't strong, but it contained a chaotic force. If not expelled, it'll continuously torment one's meridians. Even an Emperor can't endure it... because of this, I have to use half my fighting spirit to expel it... So..."
"How long will it take to fully expel it?"
"At least seven days... and that's optimistic."
Li Yi nodded, pondering, then said, "Looks like we can't wait that long."
Gong Wushuang scoffed, "Hai Xin calculated that in seven days, I'd only have the strength of a King at most, that's why he let us go. Otherwise, do you think he'd give up so easily?"
"But this situation..." Li Yi thought for a moment, "Even if you're only at a King's strength, it doesn't matter. We're not that interested in the Emperor's tomb. Mainly, we just want to cause trouble for the Beidou Sect. If we can't confront them directly, we can still cause some problems from behind... After all, I'm not on good terms with the Beidou Sect, so doing this won't cause me any guilt."
Gong Wushuang said indifferently, "Since it's not easy for us to leave now, and who knows how many are eyeing this injured Emperor as prey... If that's your decision, let's do it. Shall we start moving now?"
Li Yi shook his head, "No rush... You should focus on recovering first. Let's find a place to hide for a while... Use these for now." Saying so, Li Yi tossed a few porcelain vials to her.
Gong Wushuang caught them and without a word, looked around, pointing west, "There's a small cave there, should be good enough to hide."
Li Yi didn't argue. They quickly reached the cave, checked it, and sat down to meditate. Gong Wushuang, clearly badly injured, soon immersed in her healing meditation. Li Yi, after a short practice, feeling a bit bored, ceased his meditation and went to the cave entrance, asking softly, "Old Coot, what's your take on the current situation?"
The Serpent Venerable laughed, "What else? You're the weakest here, but with that girl, even the weakest can become the strongest. If you play your cards right, maybe you'll even get the Emperor's tomb... But..."
"But what?"
"Just be careful, with your strength, one wrong step could be catastrophic. Focus on increasing your strength."
"How?"
"The Martial Deity's Fragmented Jade!"
Hearing this, Li Yi's expression shifted, then he chuckled, "So it's the Martial Deity's Fragmented Jade... I've had it for a while now; it's time to see what benefits it holds. But Old Coot, are you sure it's safe to do it here?"
The Serpent Venerable assured, "In the cave, I can guide your consciousness into the Fragmented Jade. If it's worthless, we'll throw it away, maybe even add to the chaos. Isn't stirring the pot your favorite?"
Li Yi nodded, not wasting words, quickly took out the Fragmented Jade from the Storage Ring. As soon as it appeared, a rich aura filled the cave, even Gong Wushuang, in her healing state, trembled slightly, glancing at the Fragmented Jade with a hint of unwillingness. However, she didn't make any other moves, just greedily absorbed the aura and focused more intently on her meditation.
"Smart choice," Li Yi muttered, then held the floating Fragmented Jade, examining it closely. This was his first detailed look at it. The palm-sized jade plaque was carved with strange runes, incomprehensible due to its fragmented state. The faint milky light emanating from it made it clear that it was no ordinary object.
Taking a deep breath, Li Yi sat cross-legged and asked, "Old Coot, what should we do next?"
"Close your eyes, breathe, relax your mind... Let me guide your consciousness into the Fragmented Jade. Remember, don't resist, or it could harm your soul. Remember this well!"