Guo Xingyue stood in mid-air, summoning her golden sword and channeling her spiral true essence into it, transforming it into a long sword that she grasped firmly in her hand, vigilantly watching Lie Kong. Seeing that Guo Xingyue was prepared, Lie Kong did not speak; instead, he raised his massive hand and struck toward her, unleashing a tremendous force.
In the demon realm, demons are classified by ranks: Xuanyao, Mingyao, Yaojiang, Yaokun, Yaowang, Yaodi, and Tianyao. As a Yaokun, Lie Kong's strength was equivalent to that of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, making him a formidable figure even within the demon realm. The three parts of his demonic power were formidable; even Bai Fan would struggle against such a force. Guo Xingyue, however, was only at the early stage of Spirit Division, and if she were to take the hit directly, it could spell disaster for her.
Guo Xingyue couldn't evade; there was nowhere to hide, and fleeing would only provoke an even stronger attack from Lie Kong. Thus, she let out a loud shout and executed the technique of merging heaven and man, drawing the surrounding elemental energy into her body. Her spiral true essence surged rapidly, and she slowly swung her golden long sword, attempting to deflect the force of Lie Kong's palm strike with the technique known as "Discharge." Unfortunately, the disparity in strength was simply too great. Although Guo Xingyue managed to dissipate seventy percent of the palm's power, the remaining thirty percent was still beyond her capacity to withstand.
When the residual power struck her sword, an immense pressure forced her backward, causing her to be knocked away, her mouth spewing blood like a fountain. Yet Lie Kong's palm force relentlessly pursued her. Just as Guo Xingyue seemed destined for doom, the four loose immortals could no longer contain themselves and were ready to intervene.
At that critical moment, something extraordinary happened. Although Guo Xingyue was gravely injured, her golden sword had been knocked away, and her true essence was nearly depleted, her treasure robe suddenly emitted a burst of white light, dissipating some of the palm's force. At the same time, a peculiar lightning orb appeared around Guo Xingyue, swiftly forming a protective barrier that enveloped her. When Lie Kong's palm struck the barrier, it caused ripples but was instantly diffused into nothingness. The lightning then quickly retreated back into Guo Xingyue's dantian, swirling around and entering her Nascent Soul, revitalizing it from its previously weakened state.
Guo Xingyue flew back several dozen zhang before barely regaining her balance. She waved her hand to summon her golden sword back into her grasp and quickly took a Returning Essence Pill from her storage ring, swallowing it to replenish her depleted true essence. Warily, she observed Lie Kong from a distance. The Demon Lord was equally astonished to find that his thirty percent of demonic power had failed to kill Guo Xingyue. The sudden appearance of the lightning orb left him puzzled, but he did not press the attack further. With a cold snort, he said, "Kid, consider yourself fortunate." With a flicker of movement, his enormous form vanished without a trace.
As soon as Lie Kong left, the four loose immortals flew to Guo Xingyue's side. The anxious Chi Yan exclaimed loudly, "Little brother, where have you been for the past hundred years? How did you manage to attract such a great disaster?" Although Guo Xingyue had taken the Returning Essence Pill, she was still gravely injured, her true essence not restored significantly. After Lie Kong's departure, she felt a wave of relief, almost stumbling as she teetered in the air. Bai Fan noticed this and waved his large sleeve, enveloping Guo Xingyue in celestial essence before instantly transporting her back to the pavilion she had visited previously.
"Focus on healing first. We can talk later," Bai Fan instructed. Guo Xingyue nodded in silence and promptly settled down on the ground to meditate and recover. Delving her spiritual sense into her Nascent Soul, she marveled at the lightning orb swirling in her dantian. With a thought, she began to circulate the orb's energy alongside her true essence. Though they hadn't fully merged yet, signs of integration were becoming apparent as they began to operate in tandem.
Though heavily injured, Guo Xingyue recovered remarkably quickly thanks to the Returning Essence Pill and the replenishing energy of the lightning orb. Within a few days, she had fully healed. Although her cultivation still remained at the early stage of Spirit Division, her true essence had increased significantly, stabilizing her level. While Guo Xingyue remained unsure about the origin of the lightning within her body, she felt no desire to investigate further. She knew the lightning orb was beneficial and harmless; she trusted that she would eventually discover the reason for its manifestation.
As soon as Guo Xingyue opened her eyes, she found the four loose immortals sitting opposite her, gazing intently. She quickly rose and bowed, saying, "Thank you all for your assistance." Chi Yan, the most impatient of the group, blurted, "Little brother, your disappearance over the past century has been quite the torment for us four old bones! Please, tell us where you've been."
Guo Xingyue recounted her experiences in the underwater chamber. The loose immortals were shocked to learn about the maze formation she encountered; they had entered the depths of the ocean multiple times without ever discovering such a mysterious formation. Guo Xingyue then produced the celestial artifact she had obtained from the storage room for the four loose immortals to examine.
After passing the mirror around and inspecting it, the four loose immortals were baffled; they couldn't identify its type or function, only recognizing it as a top-grade celestial artifact. Finally, Bai Fan attempted to channel his celestial essence into the mirror to activate it. However, his essence was immediately drawn into the mirror, causing rapid depletion of his energy. The other three loose immortals, seeing this was not going well, quickly extended their hands to support Bai Fan, channeling their celestial essence into the mirror as well.
As the mirror began to glow brighter, a massive beam of white light shot forth from it, crashing into the pavilion's roof and shattering it into countless pieces, which floated down like snow. The four loose immortals were left exhausted, having depleted their celestial essence, unable to dispel the falling dust, and they emerged covered in white powder. Guo Xingyue managed to circulate her true essence and clear the debris around her.
The four loose immortals each took out recovery pills, sitting on the dusty ground and meditating for a long while to regain their strength. Bai Fan waved his hand, sweeping the dust into a nearby lake, and remarked, "What a powerful celestial artifact! Without the strength of a Great Luo Golden Immortal or above, it's impossible to use it. Little brother, you should keep it safe." Guo Xingyue shook her head, saying, "Bai Laoge, I lack celestial essence and cannot utilize the celestial artifact. It's better for you four to keep it and see if there's anything you can glean from it."
Bai Fan chuckled heartily, "Little brother, you are unfazed by treasure; your open-mindedness speaks volumes about your character. Your future achievements will be limitless. This celestial artifact is your fortune, and we four cannot utilize it. You should keep it!"
After some conversation, Guo Xingyue learned that after she recklessly ventured into the underwater domain of the demonic beasts, Liu Yi and the others, realizing the danger, hastily summoned their disciples to return to shore and report to the Yangming Sect. The sect leader promptly contacted the four loose immortals, but they were all in seclusion and unreachable. Although the disciples of Yangming Sect were aware of Guo Xingyue's close relationship with the loose immortals, they lacked the strength to venture into the depths of the sea to search for him. Unable to find Guo Xingyue, the demonic beasts began venting their frustrations on other practitioners of the sea, leading to numerous casualties among those who had come to Lan Shui Xing on a whim.
Thirty years ago, when the four loose immortals emerged from their seclusion and heard that Guo Xingyue had gone missing in the depths, they immediately descended to search for him but found nothing. Now, with Guo Xingyue having slain numerous demonic beasts and attracting the attention of the Demon Lord, the four loose immortals sensed the powerful demonic aura and arrived just in time. Lie Kong, pressured by their presence, did not unleash his full strength, which allowed Guo Xingyue to narrowly escape calamity.