Yin Yanan pondered in silence for a long time before saying, “But he’s from the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace.”
“So?” Xing Beichen asked.
“If he dies and the truth is somehow brought to light, the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace won’t let us off,” Yin Yanan said. “Even the Trisword Sect won’t be able to protect you from them.”
Xing Beichen gave a cold laugh and said, “You said it yourself. The Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace will only find fault with us if the truth is brought to light. But as long as both he and Qiao Yunxi die here and the two of us don’t tell anyone, who will know? Not to mention that who can guarantee that every member of the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace will stay safe while traveling this starry river?
“I don’t believe that the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace will send an army into the Domain of Heaven’s Boundaries for the uncanny death of one person.”
“It’s still too big a risk,” Yin Yanan said with a bitter expression. “Even without the puppet, that air-transportation spiritual tool of his is still going to be very difficult to deal with. I don’t think I’ll do it.”
Xing Beichen slowly narrowed his eyes. The warm smile that he wore all the time gradually faded away.
When he was not smiling, his face became very angular and ice-cold. The feeling he gave people completely changed.
He let out a weak sigh. “If that’s the case, I’m sorry.”
“What do you mean?” Yin Yanan had a bad feeling.
BOOM!!
A fierce sword intent that filled heaven and earth suddenly burst forth from within Xing Beichen. As he spread his arms, the sword intent split in two and slammed hard towards Yin Yanan and Qiao Yunxi, who were standing nearby.
His hands became translucent and sparkling like jade. Even his bones and meridians could be seen through his skin with great clarity.
Wisps of glittering spiritual power madly flowed through his meridians as his hands seemed to fill Yin Yanan and Qiao Yunxi’s sight, giving them a strong sense of crisis.
A cluster of fierce flames shot out of Qiao Yunxi’s chest as she cast a profound fire incantation.
Yin Yanan also let out an explosive roar, and countless wisps of flesh power and spiritual power shot out of her, forming the vague shapes of spirit beasts from the Desolate Antiquity Era.
BOOM! BOOM!
Xing Beichen’s hands slammed vigorously into the cluster of flames and the vague shapes of spirit beasts. Then, the girls’ shapely bodies were knocked flying backward before landing on the ground with loud crashes.
After landing, Yin Yanan’s inner aura stirred uncontrollably, and her face reddened as she thundered, “Are you out of your mind!?”
Blood spilled from the corner of Qiao Yunxi’s mouth. Her eyes grew dim as she panted heavily and couldn’t even speak.
Everything happened in the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. Nie Tian didn’t have a chance to react, and Xing Beichen was already finished with his strike.
Nie Tian let out a cold harrumph. “You must have a death wish!”
With these words, he planned to summon the Flame Dragon Armor and the Bone Blood Demon from within his ring of holding.
However, in the next moment, he experienced a splitting pain in his mind.
That was when he discovered that he somehow couldn’t send his soul awareness out of his sea of awareness.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple lights shot out of seven holes in their surroundings. Dragging glorious tails, they flew up into the air and floated above the area where Qiao Yunxi, Yin Yanan, and Nie Tian were.
With a closer look at them, Nie Tian discovered that there was a spiritual sword that was as thin as a cicada’s wings within each streak of light.
The spiritual swords emanated dazzling light that wove into a net of light that blocked the sky from sight.
Meanwhile, each and every spiritual sword was branded with Xing Beichen’s will. In Nie Tian’s senses, there seemed to be seven Xing Beichens.
Even though the spiritual swords hung high in the air, Nie Tian had a feeling that the light they were emanating was piercing into his mind and restraining his sea of awareness, causing a splitting headache every time he wielded his soul awareness.
Since he couldn’t send his soul awareness into his ring of holding, he couldn’t summon the Flame Dragon Armor or the Bone Blood Demon.
Qiao Yunxi’s face turned pale with fright as she exclaimed, “Seven Ultimate Soul-splitting Sword Formation!”
She also failed to summon her long whip from within her ring of holding, along with other battle items.
The shining spiritual swords formed a formation in the void that restrained their seas of awareness. Any of them who dared to summon soul awareness would suffer a sword intent strike.
WHOOSH!
Nie Tian, who had been at the bottom of the hole, summoned spiritual power and flesh power and shot to the surface.
As soon as he did, he saw Yin Yanan jumping away in an attempt to head back to the meteor where her Frost Blood Python was.
Like a ghost, Xing Beichen suddenly appeared in front of Yin Yanan. With an icy tone, he said, “You can’t get away, Junior Martial Sister Yin.
“As long as you’re under my Seven Ultimate Soul-splitting Sword Formation, you won’t be able to send your soul awareness out of your sea of awareness.
“Your Frost Blood Python is currently focused on refining that Frost Python corpse. It won’t be able to sense the danger you’re in by itself.
“Don’t you imagine that your Frost Blood Python will come to your aid.”
While he spoke at a slow pace, it started to rain seven-colored light in this area.
The raindrops were bits of light that fell from the spiritual swords of seven colors.
They vanished as soon as they fell on the top of Nie Tian’s head, but in the next moment, they reappeared in Nie Tian’s sea of awareness.
As soon as the rain of multicolored light infiltrated his sea of awareness, the nine star souls that hung over his sea of awareness sensed the danger, and unleashed countless dazzlingly bright spots that instantly clashed with the multicolored light.
The clash created glorious sparks and caused a wrenching pain in Nie Tian’s mind, making him let out low howls.
Miserable screams also escaped Qiao Yunxi and Yin Yanan’s mouths. Yin Yanan, who was eager to fly out of the Seven Ultimate Soul-splitting Sword Formation, suddenly came to a stop in midair, as if she were struck by a bolt of lightning.
At the same time, Qiao Yunxi fell to the ground in a place a few dozen meters away from her berthed Flame Bird on her way dashing to it.
The light in her eyes flickered, and her eyelids twitched unceasingly, as if her soul had suffered a heavy blow.
“Xing Beichen! I’ve reconsidered your offer!” Yin Yanan called out at the top of her lungs. “I’ll help you kill Nie Tian. You can take the majority of his valuables. I’ll just take a few soul crystals!”
She had apparently stopped hesitating after seeing the unfavorable situation they were in.
Xing Beichen shook his head as a heavy, black spiritual sword appeared in front of his chest. “It’s too late.”
He grabbed it with a vigorous motion, and it was like he had grabbed the entirety of heaven and earth. With a casual swing, rays of refined spiritual power shot forth in all directions.
Roaring furiously, Yin Yanan formed hand seals to channel her spiritual power and flesh power, forming a protective ward around her.
PUFF! PUFF! PUFF!
Thousands of rays of spiritual power slammed her protective ward like a rainstorm.
Yin Yanan let out a muffled groan as she trudged backwards. With every step she took, the rocks under her feet shattered.
“Nie Tian! We need to work together to kill him!” Qiao Yunxi shouted wildly.
Upon hearing this, Nie Tian exploded towards Xing Beichen.
The rain of seven-colored light was still plaguing his sea of awareness, giving him splitting headaches. However, thanks to his nine star souls, he could hang on.
SHEW!
Star power, flame power, wood power, and spiritual power poured into the Flame Star in Nie Tian’s hand as a blade light that was more than ten meters long split the void and slashed towards Xing Beichen.
Xing Beichen’s face was filled with disdain as he said, “You’re from the Ancient Fragmentary Star Palace, so what? You’re nothing but an ordinary Worldly realm Qi warrior without your puppet and air-transportation spiritual tool. How can you possibly fight me?”
As he turned his wrist, the countless fine rays of spiritual power that shot out of the black spiritual sword suddenly came together and became one thick beam.
BOOM!!
The two beams of power clashed violently, giving rise to a deafening sound.
The beam of refined spiritual power that was mixed with fierce sword intent crushed Nie Tian’s attack with the Flame Star, extinguishing the various types of spiritual power he had infused into it.
Rays of spiritual power shot out of the black spiritual sword. Like strings made from the finest steel, they pierced into Nie Tian’s saber-bearing arm.
PUFF! PUFF! PUFF!
In a flash, numerous gashes split open in Nie Tian’s right arm, blood spilling from them.
Even so, all of his bones and meridians remained intact, as if they were made from some divine metal. Not a single fracture or tear appeared on them.
Taken aback, Xing Beichen exclaimed softly, “It seems that you do have some special means.”