Slender willows sway in the breeze

Chapter 201 The Mirror of Emptiness Absorbs Spiritual Power

Liu Sijun and Li Qing retreated rapidly, only to see Elder Cai arrive in mid-air, stepping on a blood lotus, with a half-bronze altar phantom appearing behind him.

Liu Sijun angrily said, "Elder Cai, how dare you collude with the Blood Spirit Sect!"

"Collusion?" Elder Cai laughed wildly. "I am originally a protector of the Blood Spirit Sect. After so many years of lurking in the Nether Valley Palace, I almost forgot my identity."

He gathered a bead of blood between his fingers and continued, "As for your precious cousin, he's a gift from me to you!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a muffled thunderous tremor resounded from the nearby Red Ridge Peak.

Liu Sijun's pupils contracted sharply as he saw Chu Yanjing standing atop the mountain, a white bone hairpin gleaming in his hair.

His left eye was normal, but his right eye was covered with red scales, and a red python totem, the same as that of a Gu worm, appeared on his palm.

"Cousin Jing!"

Liu Sijun exclaimed in surprise.

Chu Yanjing suddenly opened his arms, and the altar on the mountaintop exploded in response.

Amidst a rain of blood, a massive bronze cauldron slowly rose, and within the churning black blood inside, the face of the Chu family was clearly reflected—it was none other than Liu Sijun's mother.

“This is the Blood Spirit Cult’s Heart-Devouring Cauldron,” Gu Changzhou said in a deep voice. “It can be used to refine medicine with the souls of one’s closest relatives, allowing the user to temporarily gain the cultivation level of the Mahayana stage.”

Liu Sijun felt a chill run through her body, finally understanding why Chu Yanjing's personality had changed so drastically.

She gripped the Taixu Mirror tightly, and the star map in the mirror suddenly resonated with the inscription on the cauldron. A dazzling starlight pierced through the blood clouds, shattering Elder Cai's blood lotus.

"Let's go!" Gu Changzhou put his arm around her waist. "Let's go to Chiling Peak and stop him!"

The three broke through the layers of Gu worms surrounding them, only to see that Chu Yanjing had already stepped into the Heart-Devouring Cauldron.

The black blood in the cauldron instantly boiled, and Chu Yanjing's body began to twist, with countless crimson pythons crawling out from his body.

"Jun'er, run!" Blood and tears welled up in Chu Yanjing's last remaining normal eye. "I can't control myself anymore."

The explosion at Red Ridge Peak shattered the tranquility of the Valley Palace.

Palace Master Wan arrived in an instant, holding a whisk, followed by five elders including Gao Yongxiu and Song Hongyuan.

Upon seeing the giant bronze cauldron at the summit and Elder Cai's blood spirit avatar, everyone's expression changed drastically.

"Cai Yanpei, how dare you!"

Fifth Elder Yunhe was the first to attack, his jade flute at his waist unleashing a chilling gust of wind. "You've actually moved the Blood Spirit Sect's altar into my forbidden area!"

Elder Cai licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, his python tail sweeping away the incoming ice shards: "Yunhe, you're still as noisy as ever."

The Fifth Elder Yunhe's cold aura was shattered by the python's tail, and his jade flute emitted a shrill cry of resentment.

Song Hongyuan crushed the folding fan, his eyes bloodshot: "Elder Cai, how dare you touch the souls of innocent people!"

He lunged at the Heart-Devouring Cauldron, but was repelled by Elder Cai's Blood Lotus Barrier.

"Third Elder!" Palace Master Wan threw out the Immortal Binding Rope to entangle Song Hongyuan. "Calm down!" He swept his whisk across the sky, and twelve starlight rays descended from the sky, trapping Elder Cai in the formation.

Elder Cai was fearless, his python tail slamming into the ground: "Wan Chong Shan, do you think you can suppress me at the peak of the Mahayana stage?"

His fingertip drop of blood merged into the altar, and the entire Crimson Ridge Peak suddenly sank a hundred feet, revealing the bronze array patterns beneath the ground.

"Not good!" Gao Yongxiu unleashed the Heaven-Turning Seal. "This is the Blood Spirit Sect's 'Yellow Spring Guide'!"

Black mist surged from the crack in the ground, from which countless vengeful spirits crawled out.

Liu Sijun's Taixu Mirror trembled violently, and suddenly his mother's phantom appeared in the mirror: "Jun'er, use the Starfall Spell."

She frowned slightly.

How could a mother who cannot cultivate know about the Starfall Curse?

However, time was of the essence, and she didn't have time to think it through. She immediately flipped her hand and made a hand seal, but her master, Song Hongyuan, pressed down on her wrist: "There are still many innocent souls in that cauldron."

"Time is running out!"

There are not only the souls of other innocent people there, but also the souls of her relatives.

However, if it is not stopped in time, the consequences will be unimaginable. He is not even afraid of the Palace Master.

Liu Sijun bit her fingertip, and her blood stained the Taixu Mirror. The star map in the mirror spun and devoured the entire starry sky, transforming into a giant sword a hundred meters long.

The Taixu Mirror reflected Liu Sijun's pale face, her fingertips darting rapidly across the star map.

The unique five-colored aura of the Five Elemental Roots spread from her feet, simultaneously drawing upon the five elemental energies of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Upon seeing this, Elder Cai's pupils constricted sharply, and the python's tail instinctively tightened.

"Jun'er, no!" Song Hongyuan's voice trembled with tears. "Your mother's soul is in the cauldron!"

“I know.” Liu Sijun bit her lower lip, letting blood drip down her jaw. “That’s why I’m going to use the Five Elements Demon-Sealing Array.”

She formed complex hand seals, and the Taixu Mirror suddenly split into five smaller mirrors, which floated in the five directions of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

"This is... a lost, ancient forbidden technique!"

The Palace Master exclaimed in surprise.

Amidst the churning blood clouds, five small mirrors simultaneously emitted beams of light, forming a five-element cage around the Heart-Devouring Cauldron.

Chu Yanjing's python-like body was pierced by the beam of light, emitting a heart-wrenching howl.

The black blood in the cauldron suddenly congealed, and Chu's phantom rose from it, nodding tearfully to her daughter.

"Cousin Jing, close your eyes!"

Liu Sijun shouted sternly.

Chu Yanjing's remaining lucidity made him close his eyes.

Liu Sijun bit the tip of his tongue and spat his heart's blood onto the Taixu Mirror.

The five pillars of light suddenly contracted, transforming into a giant sword interwoven with five kinds of spiritual flames, which slashed at the cauldron with overwhelming force.

"boom!"

The moment the bronze cauldron shattered, Liu Sijun saw his mother's soul transform into a shooting star and fall into the Taixu Mirror.

Chu Yanjing's body was thrown away by the shockwave, and the same bronze patterns as the cauldron appeared on his back.

Gu Changzhou swiftly swung his longsword, pinning him to the rock face and preventing him from falling into the abyss.

"Jun'er, be careful!"

Gu Changzhou suddenly pounced.

Elder Cai's python tail emerged from the blood mist, sweeping towards Liu Sijun's back with a putrid stench.

Gu Changzhou's longsword barely blocked the python's tail, but the force of the impact caused blood to spill from his tiger's mouth.

Elder Cai's python head emerged from the blood mist, venom dripping from its fangs and corroding into blue smoke: "Lord Molin, do you think the Great Ascension stage is made of paper?"

Li Qing suddenly lunged forward, her longsword ablaze with crimson flames: "Let go of my sister!"

Although the fire phoenix he unleashed with his sword was scattered by the python's tail, it triggered a violent explosion upon contact.

Elder Cai's scales were scorched, and he let out an angry roar.

"Qing'er, step back!" Liu Sijun forcefully gathered his spiritual power, and the remaining frame of the Taixu Mirror suddenly burst forth with multicolored light, absorbing all of Elder Cai's attack.

She staggered and threw the mirror frame at Chu Yanjing. The fragments in the mirror automatically repaired themselves into chains, firmly fixing him to the rock wall.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Palace Master Wan unleashed the Immortal Binding Rope, twelve starlight beams transforming into a cage that trapped Elder Cai: "Junior Brother Gao, activate the Mountain-Protecting Array!"

Gao Yongxiu's Heaven-Turning Seal crashed down like a small mountain, but was swept away by Elder Cai's python tail.

Yunhe played twelve ice dragons on his jade flute, but they were melted by the blood mist when they touched Elder Cai.

The "Five Elements Demon-Trapping Array" jointly set up by the five elders was teetering on the brink of collapse under the pressure of the mid-stage Mahayana realm.

"Jun'er, use the Tai Xu Mirror to absorb my spiritual power!"

Gu Changzhou suddenly injected lightning-attribute spiritual power into Liu Sijun's body.

His wind and thunder wings spread out, and he teleported with Liu Sijun to the top of Elder Cai's head, his longsword slashing down with lightning.

(End of this chapter)