Chapter 140: A Hair's Breadth Away, Continuous Battles

The dragon-like body expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye, developing formidable horns, sharp claws, and scales that gleamed like serried rows of blood-red jade.

At this critical juncture, Xiao Ling dropped down through the aperture, immediately followed by the Spider Spirit and the masked woman, among others. Their gazes swept across the hall, finally fixing upon Han Chong, who stood with only his head exposed within the Nether Spring.

"It's you again, you little wretch! After all our arduous battles, you have actually seized the advantage. Hand over your life!" Consumed by sudden fury, Xiao Ling transformed his right hand into a claw and lunged fiercely at Han Chong!

Panic surged within Han Chong. He had just touched the threshold of a breakthrough and was trapped in a crucial moment where movement was utterly impossible.

Faced with Xiao Ling's fatal strike, he had only two choices: leap out of the Nether Spring and abandon his breakthrough forever, or be struck down by his attacker. He was caught in an impossible dilemma!

The expressions of the onlookers varied as they watched the scene unfold. Zuo Lang and the young Daoist wore looks of gloating schadenfreude, the masked woman's eyes remained as calm as an ancient well, Ouyang Jingguan furrowed his brow in hesitation, and Mo Xiaoyao wore a look of astonished contemplation.

At this split second of imminent peril, only Xiao Hui stepped forward, transforming into a gigantic hound that lunged and sank its teeth into Xiao Ling's razor-sharp claws.

"Evil Spirit, what are you doing?" The latter cried out in pain and rage, kicking the hound flying with a single blow.

Xiao Hui let out a mournful whine and struggled to its feet with a bitter grievance. A branding mark had been planted within its Niwan palace by Han Chong; if Han Chong perished, it would not survive either. Driven by self-preservation, it had no choice but to put up a desperate defense.

"I'm not doing anything, but you cannot kill this person!" Xiao Hui roared fiercely.

"Based on what? You are obstructing the Lord's grand scheme, and it would be no crime for me to execute you right here! Spider Spirit, do it!"

Little did they know that Xiao Hui's action had accidentally reversed the situation. Since this canine demon had chosen to side with the human cultivators, excluding the masked woman, the strength of the two factions now stood at six against two.

Although the two demons possessed formidable strength, as long as the six humans joined forces, they would be fully capable of holding their ground!

The remaining cultivators also plunged into the fray, surrounding Xiao Ling and the Spider Spirit from all sides. This provoked a series of furious roars from the two demons, who remained utterly baffled as to why the Evil Spirit had suddenly betrayed them and was defending that detestable brat so fiercely.

While pondering the opportunity for a breakthrough, Han Chong observed the scene with cold detachment. When his gaze fell upon the eyes of the masked woman, a thought stirred within his heart: the woman was standing there in a trance, staring blankly at the murals depicting the various emperors of the Nether Moon Dynasty on the back wall of the hall!

Could it be that this woman shared a profound connection with the Nether Moon Dynasty?

A moment later, she finally let out a desolate sigh, her eyes narrowing slightly. A flash of silver light tore through the air, and before anyone could react, her sword had already pierced deep into the abdomen of the nearby young Daoist.

Fast! Too fast!

Let alone those who were currently engaged in combat, even Han Chong, who had been closely monitoring her, failed to capture the trajectory of her movement. Her strength was terrifying beyond belief—far surpassing even that of Xiao Ling!

The situation in the arena shifted once more. Every cultivator felt a chill run down their spine at the sight. Although the lethal sword strike had been a sneak attack, none of the formidable experts present had any confidence they could have evaded it. If she had targeted them instead, they would already be dead.

Was this woman in league with the two demons? This was the primary question lingering in everyone's minds. Even Xiao Ling, the Spider Spirit, and the canine demon Xiao Hui wore blank expressions of incomprehension, instinctively distancing themselves from her.

Yet, after slowly withdrawing her blade and wiping it clean against the young Daoist's corpse, she made no further move, as if quietly waiting for the two factions to resume their all-out battle.

Stunned by this single stroke of the sword, the cultivators were now like frightened birds at the sound of a bowstring, utterly devoid of any lingering desire to fight. The atmosphere instantly plunged into a deadlocked stalemate of chilling proportions.

"Who on earth are you, and what are you trying to accomplish?" Zuo Lang, unable to bear the suffocating tension any longer, shouted the question at the masked woman.

The latter swept an icy glare across him, as though looking at a corpse. Trembling with dread, Zuo Lang involuntarily took a step back.

"You have all desecrated the dragon veins of the Nether Moon Dynasty. Your crimes are unforgivable, and you shall all die." The woman declared in a freezing tone devoid of the slightest emotion.

"Such arrogant words! Do you truly believe that, single-handedly, you can slaughter all seven of us here?"

The experts silently cursed her as a lunatic. Could she possibly be a surviving descendant of the Silver Moon Dynasty?

"My friends, why don't we join forces to eliminate this woman first, and then settle our own scores afterward?" Zuo Lang suggested to Xiao Ling.

"Oh? That proposal is certainly worth considering." Both factions turned their gazes toward the woman in unison. However, the silver light flashed once more, and she launched her attack.

A flurry of sharp clashing sounds rang out as she targeted Ouyang Jingguan, who possessed the lowest cultivation among them. Fortunately, Ouyang Jingguan was currently clad in divine lightning armor and wielded a massive black iron umbrella that spun rapidly to form a defensive barrier.

Though the masked woman's footwork was blindingly fast and her swordsmanship sublime, she was met with a flawless defense by the iron umbrella, suffering a temporary setback!

Seizing the opportunity, the rest of the cultivators unleashed their attacks upon her. In an instant, webs of spider silk, sword qi, and ink-inscribed talisman characters rained down upon her location.

She flashed backward and retreated swiftly, causing all the attacks to miss. Then, another miserable shriek echoed through the air—Zuo Lang had intercepted her with his Silver Tiger Claws, seizing the masked woman's blade. With a violent tremor of the sword body, she broke free, slicing off his entire right arm in the process.

A dense cloud of spider silk descended from behind the woman. The Spider Spirit smiled triumphantly; she had anticipated that the woman would target another opponent, most likely Zuo Lang, and had therefore deployed her web in advance.

To everyone's astonishment, however, the woman suddenly spun around as a massive wave of silver radiance erupted. A crescent moon materialized and hovered above her crown, casting a blinding glare that momentarily robbed everyone of their sight, while the thick web was forcefully stretched apart and torn asunder.

Instantly, the woman closed in on the Spider Spirit, who stood directly before her, and thrust her sword straight forward.

Seized by terror, the Spider Spirit opened the countless ghostly eyes covering her body, unleashing a blinding barrage of needle-like spiritual light to envelop and pierce the masked woman.

Yet, the silver moon suspended above the woman's head instantly cascaded a waterfall of silvery brilliance, condensing into a resilient layer of translucent, glass-like light over her skin. Possessing extreme elasticity, the attack failed to inflict any substantial harm.

Screech! A teeth-grinding sound of tearing flesh rang out.

The onlookers watched in horror as the masked woman drove her sword straight into the maw of the giant spider. The creature could not even manage a final scream before the Spider Spirit—ranked sixth among the Nine Great Fiends—died a miserable death on the spot!

Filled with both rage and panic, Xiao Ling halted his forward charge. The higher one's cultivation realm, the greater the fear of death; thus, he turned tail and attempted to flee toward the exit, alongside Zuo Lang and Xiao Hui.

In the next fraction of a second, the masked woman intercepted Xiao Ling, blocking his path of escape. Within a breath, sword and claws clashed dozens of times, leaving Xiao Ling's arms covered in bloody gashes!

Gazing at the silver moon hovering above the masked woman's head, comprehension dawned on Xiao Ling. This woman was undoubtedly a remnant heir of the Silver Moon Dynasty, and one of considerable status. Only within these sacred dragon veins could her strength undergo such an explosive surge, making her incomparable to her previous state when battling the Locust Mother on the surface!

...

Roar! A deafening roar erupted from Han Chong's mouth in the rear, drawing the side-glances of all the present experts. A terrifying surge of majestic momentum surged into the heavens, and the spiritual milk within the Nether Spring visibly plummeted at a visible rate.

This was... the Heavenly Zenith Realm!

The experts were all struck with shock and dismay, and even the masked woman stared intently at Han Chong with an expression of sudden surprise.

A martial artist of the Heavenly Transformation Realm could traverse the skies, while one of the Heavenly Zenith Realm possessed boundless might, capable of soaring through the heavens and tunneling through the earth.

With a single punch or kick, they could shatter mountains and cleave rocks, boasting a physical vessel possessing unimaginable strength. In the cognition of the experts present, such individuals had already reached the ranks of the supreme pinnacle powerhouses within the Great Feng Dynasty!

"Damn it! I should have killed this brat much earlier!" Xiao Ling cursed furiously in his mind.

The rest of the cultivators wore complex expressions. On one hand, they felt a pang of heartache as the spiritual milk of the Nether Spring was largely consumed by Han Chong; on the other hand, they rejoiced at his breakthrough, knowing they would no longer need to fear the masked woman and their lives were secured.