Chapter 9

Floating in mid-air, the monk Wendo subconsciously gripped the Zen staff in his hand, a thin bead of worry sliding down his forehead.

Breathing heavily, the previous exchange had used up four or five-tenths of his strength, yet it was all deflected by the woman before him with her bare hands!

A flash of silver, and the white-clad woman appeared silently three zhang away from Wendo. Seeing the surprised look on his face, she clenched her jade hand, and a clear and crisp sword cry echoed as a green energy extended from her palm, forming a green and white intersecting sword in her hand.

"Even if we clash again, you will still not be my match. Do you believe it?" the white-clad woman said coldly, her eyes filled with unyielding pride and confidence.

In response to the white-clad woman's taunt, Wendo's face twitched, and he gritted his teeth, lunging forward with even more ferocious attacks. The bones in his body began to slowly wriggle, as if a dormant consciousness was gradually awakening from the darkness.

With a snort, Wendo said coldly, "Although my cultivation realm is inferior to yours, this time you won't get any advantage from me. Heavenly Crane Descends to Subdue Demons!"

His figure sprang forward, Wendo's fighting spirit soared, and his entire body surged upward. The golden staff in his hand, enveloped in dazzling golden light, swung in the air, emitting ten thousand rays of Buddha light. The Buddha light coalesced into a spinning top, and in the next moment, a pale yellow image of a crane, with several colorful tails, emerged from the light vortex, radiating a vast and imposing pressure.

Golden light burst forth, the golden crane became increasingly clear, raising its head and letting out a long cry, its fierce fighting spirit rising to the sky. Its imposing head dipped down, as if a mountain of gold was firmly locking onto the white-clad woman's body. In the next instant, the crane transformed into a golden shadow, carrying the power to destroy heaven and earth, and plunged down in the most direct manner.

Without time to think, the white-clad woman's full strength erupted, and a powerful aura was unleashed under the full force of a celestial secret technique.

"One sword pierces the sky, throwing jade to startle dreams!"

She shouted, and a magnificent red cloud immediately appeared above her head. The radiant cloud layer illuminated half the sky in a fiery red. As soon as it formed, it met the diving crane, slightly hindering its momentum.

The red cloud billowed, and the white-clad woman's right palm turned, her full strength erupting. Under the impetus of the celestial secret technique, her power was perfectly displayed. She raised her jade hand, and the three-foot-long green sword in her hand glowed intensely, a sharp blue-green sword energy shooting skyward, extending to a hundred zhang in the blink of an eye. A wild aura, accompanied by piercing sword cries, like thunder and lightning, echoed across the entire sky.

"Go!" The white-clad woman's right arm thrust into the air, the sharp blue-green sword energy drawing a blue-green line. The sword energy stirred, and the Buddha light in the air dissolved upon contact. The red cloud that had collided with the crane was also cut in half, then fiercely collided with the golden crane!

The two energies collided, powerful and distinct, neither yielding to the other. There was no deafening explosion, but the sharp blue-green sword light, like a world-destroying rainbow, extended to the top of the golden mixed yuan bowl, forcefully stopping the golden crane's downward charge.

Half of the sword pillar pierced the golden crane's head, and the crane raised its head and let out a piercing cry. The monk Wendo, who was riding on the crane, also felt a great backlash, his body trembling violently, his face taut, and he struggled to suppress the crane's descent.

A storm raged in the air, and the white-clad woman and Wendo each exerted their strength. When they first made contact, the golden crane's golden light dimmed, almost unable to hold. Wendo struggled to steady his trembling hands, the air currents around him rolling, stabilizing the flickering protective light shield, preventing the crane from immediately surrendering.

Crack!

In the stalemate, the golden crane, which could be replenished within the golden bowl, gradually gained the upper hand. The white-clad woman, gritting her teeth, heard a series of cracking sounds. Her beautiful eyes suddenly tightened, and the jade lotus platform under her bare feet instantly shattered into powder.

The lotus platform shattered, and the white-clad woman's body plummeted. Wendo, pressing down on the crane, transformed his palms into fists, and a new force immediately surged into his arms, pressing down fiercely.

Boom!

Her body fell rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, she was a dozen zhang away. Her feet stomped the ground with enough force to withstand a strike from a celestial realm expert, and the gilded ground was shattered by her foot, a cloud of golden powder rising to cover half the sky. A powerful shock wave swept out, like a storm in the heavens and earth, scraping the ground and enveloping the entire space in a golden storm.

As the golden powder slightly dissipated, a deep pit over forty zhang in diameter appeared on the ground, and the white-clad woman, standing in the center, had a deathly pale face. Her body trembled, and she almost fell to the ground. She gritted her teeth, stabilizing her trembling body.

"Got you!"

On the back of the golden crane, Wendo growled, his brows furrowed. His body flashed with golden light, and in the next moment, he had leaped a hundred zhang away. He glanced at the white-clad woman, his eyes hardening. Without hesitation, he swept his arms through the air, and the golden robe billowed, fifty golden rays shooting out like lightning, targeting the white-clad woman's vital points.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

A series of piercing explosions came, and the golden crane, though losing its power, remained stubborn, preventing the white-clad woman from escaping. Seeing Wendo's attack, the white-clad woman would not submit. Her graceful body rapidly turned, skillfully weaving through the gaps in the golden Buddha rays.

Golden light whistled, and the golden Buddha rays narrowly missed the white-clad woman's body. Realizing these moves were merely delaying tactics, Wendo did not want to waste too much time. He closed his eyes, his aged face showing intense determination. His palms rose from his abdomen, and golden light converged in them, forming a golden sun that rose, emitting a scorching heat and destructive power.

"Purple Flame, Heaven Burns!"

A distant Buddhist chant pierced the void, and Wendo's eyes opened. Two purple rays shot toward the golden sun in the air, and in the next moment, it violently boiled, transforming into a purple-golden flame. This flame burned silently, though its range was small, it was filled with the most condensed and fierce fire energy, several times stronger than his previous move, even burning the surrounding air into a void.

Sizzle!

Pushing his palms forward, the purple-golden flame pierced through the space, reappearing just a few zhang in front of the white-clad woman.

Her body swayed left and right, and her arms pressed down forcefully, dispersing the golden crane. As she dodged the golden rays, her eyes suddenly tightened, and her beautiful face showed a deep concern.

Heavenly Fire of the Buddhist Sect, the supreme fire technique, capable of burning everything in the world. When did Wendo learn such a secret technique?!

The sword energy quickly retracted, and the white-clad woman's body tilted. She swung her green sword with great force, the sword pillar piercing through the purple-golden flame without affecting it. Seeing this, her face tightened, and she sensed a faint taste of death.

The speed of the purple-golden flame was incredibly fast. It flew past and struck the spot where the white-clad woman had just stood, the scattered purple-golden flames instantly vaporizing the gilded ground beneath, even burning the surrounding air into a black void, with golden Buddha light whistling into it.

Without time to think, the white-clad woman gritted her teeth, and a silver light flashed around her body, making her disappear on the spot. In the next moment, she reappeared a hundred zhang away in the sky.

"Phew..."

Her chest heaved violently, and her face was deathly pale, clearly suffering a severe injury. Her right arm pointed downward, and her left arm was severed at the shoulder, a trail of dark red blood flowing down the green sword.

"It was just a touch on the sleeve..." Thinking of the previous scene, the white-clad woman's heart still raced. If not for her exceptional mastery of wind techniques, she would have been reduced to ashes.

"Wind Dance, Close to the Horizon?"

Wendo's eyes were calm, but his heart was not. He could clearly see the technique the white-clad woman used to dodge his attack. His previous move, the Purple Flame Heaven Burns, was known to destroy everything, costing him eight or nine-tenths of his strength. He thought it would kill the white-clad woman, but unexpectedly, she used a wind technique almost as fast as spatial teleportation, costing her only an arm.

"Hmph!"

Losing an arm, the white-clad woman was clearly very angry. However, as she coldly snorted, her body had already vanished. In the blink of an eye, a strange figure appeared before Wendo, and a deafening sword cry rang out. An extremely concentrated sword energy, filled with a killing aura, swept toward Wendo's body in a fiercely ruthless manner.