Chapter 285

Chapter 285: Nine Void Refinement

Li Shuang’s Sword Domain now carried frost; the air itself seemed to drop in temperature when it spread.

You Lan cast her Wind Domain in sync.

She gave a soft “huh.”

Maybe it was because her sea of consciousness was fully open to Li. Maybe it was something else.

In that moment, their domains overlapped.

The frost-laced Sword Domain suddenly howled with cutting cold wind.

A woven Frostwind Domain took shape. Snow in the Sword Domain was swept up by You Lan’s gale and turned into countless ice blades that screamed down from the air.

Before the Devil Seed could react, his red skin split open and black blood spattered.

Both women had rich battle experience. Shock lasted only a blink before they pressed the attack.

The Revolving Wheel spun fast in You Lan’s hand.

She called out: “Secret Art: Wind Erosion Dance.”

The Revolving Wheel drew up a towering whirlwind and hurled it at the Devil Seed.

She was not done.

As the gale rushed out, You Lan stabbed a finger into her own heart. A drop of heart-blood hit the ground.

All through the Gale Gorge, countless Wraiths howled.

Thousands of Phantom Stage shades swarmed the Devil Seed.

Li Shuang did not hesitate. She and Li Li used the Soul Fusion Method, human and spirit merging into one.

As her Soul Realm surged, her sword grew even sharper.

Killing sword light hid within You Lan’s gale and struck together.

The Soul Lotus hovered behind her; with the Azure Lotus’ boost, Li Shuang cast a Soul Chain once more, its power a world apart from what it had been three years ago.

Working as one, their attacks poured in.

The Devil Seed was bound by the gale and then pierced in the chest by the sword. He roared and flung them back for a breath.

But the Soul Chain landed; his mind blurred for an instant, and the swarming Ghosts piled on.

Catching every opening, You Lan’s Revolving Wheel flashed green and sliced into his right knee; Li Shuang’s sword light shattered his left.

Both legs ruined, the Devil Seed dropped to one knee.

They didn’t stop.

Light glimmered on Li Shuang’s sword tip as the Power of the Azure Lotus raced along his meridians toward his sea of consciousness.

At the same time, You Lan’s Revolving Wheel swelled and drove at the other vital point: the heart.

Devil Seeds were built differently from a normal Cultivator.

Smashing the dantian wasn’t fatal to them.

Their two fatal points were the heart and the sea of consciousness.

One housed the soul; the other, the demon core.

Lose either, and death was certain.

The Devil Seed bit hard on his rage.

Damn it. He was a Void Refinement Realm expert, while these two were at most Integration Stage, yet he was the one being crushed.

He shot a hateful look at You Lan. If not for this meddler, one Li would have been easy.

Only the Lord behind them could carry things on now.

He took a long breath; blood red light filled his eyes. His hands tore free of his body and turned into pure strikes that shot at Li Shuang and You Lan.

After that final move, his aura vanished, and a demon core hit the ground with a clear clink.

He was dead.

Li Shuang and You Lan felt no joy.

That last strike was vicious. Even throwing everything at it, they only barely blocked. Blood traced both of their lips. They were hurt.

With the first wave down, Li Shuang cast a quick look at the Heaven and Earth Furnace.

Just analyzing a single Barrier Formation had cost her twenty thousand Value Points.

Now the results finally came out.

This Barrier Formation was called the Devilblood Heaven Severing Array.

It required the lives of a hundred Devil Seeds to condense a single Barrier Pearl. Offer that pearl as a sacrifice to set the Formation.

Since the Devil Seeds could not carry anything beyond their life bound treasures when they came, one of them must have contracted that Barrier Pearl as a life bound treasure, just to set this array here.

The Barrier Formation absolutely binds any being that is not a Devil Seed, but it is permeable to Devil Seeds. They can pass through it freely.

The Heaven and Earth Furnace also gave a method to leave: because Devil Seeds can come and go, escape is tied to their bloodline. If they strip a Devil Seed bloodline and coat their bodies in Devil Seed blood, they can leave the Barrier Formation. The bloodline must be rich enough to fool the Formation.

If it is a Tribulation Crossing Stage Devil Seed, killing one should provide enough blood to cover one person.

But if it is a Void Refinement Realm Devil Seed, one might not be enough.

Even after leaving, danger will still be everywhere.

At least there would be a sliver of hope.

Li Shuang spent another ten thousand Value Points to get the method for stripping Devil Seed bloodlines.

The method itself wasn’t hard.

The hard part was killing the Void Refinement Realm Devil Seeds that were coming.

She asked frankly: “Next will be Void Refinement Realm, likely more than one. With our current strength, even one forced breakthrough is already brutal. What’s coming can’t be beaten by just fighting hard. Do you have any last trump cards that can affect the Void Refinement Realm?”

She laid out her own cards: “I have a needle shaped treasure that can unleash one Tribulation Crossing Stage strike. It should kill one Void Refinement Realm opponent.”

“I have a pill that can force a jump of one Major Tier. My Soul Realm is stronger than a normal Integration Stage. If I take it, my Soul Realm should step into Void Refinement Realm for a short time, but I’ll be weak for three months after.”

“I have a Luminous Amber that forms a defensive crystal. It should block a few Void Refinement Realm attacks, but I can’t move while it’s active.”

“These were everything my Sword Sect scraped together for me before I entered the Soul Prison,” she added. “If I can avoid it, I don’t want to use them.”

“Last, the City Lord gave me lightning marrow so I can ask her for help,” Li Shuang said. “But with the Heaven Severing Lands making such a big move, she must be pinned down. If I call her recklessly, I might split her focus and hurt her side of the fight.”

She spoke plainly. While the next Void Refinement foes had not arrived, it was best to set their plans now.

You Lan gave Li Shuang a curious look.

Li Shuang frowned: “What is that look supposed to mean?”

You Lan lifted a brow and said, “The pill that leaves you weak, is it a Demonblood Pill? Rare, but the side effects are huge. It’s already outdated. People use the Demonspirit Pill now. It boosts strength the same, but the weakness lasts only three days. And a defensive treasure that won’t let you move? That makes you a sitting target. Only the needle shaped treasure sounds decent.”

Li Shuang glanced at her sidewise. What was that supposed to mean, looking down on the Sword Sect’s treasures? Well, fair enough. As the Devil Heaven Sect’s First Disciple, You Lan should have better life saving items.

That would improve their odds.

But under Li Shuang’s expectant gaze, You Lan looked a bit embarrassed and said, “Carrying too many life saving items is bad for training. I only kept three Eighth Grade Thunder Beads. Each, when triggered, hits as hard as a full strike from a Void Refinement Realm expert. I also have one Ninth Grade Thunder Bead. When triggered, it equals a full strike from a Tribulation Crossing Stage expert. That’s all.”

Only kept…

Li Shuang fell silent for a moment. The Devil Heaven Sect’s “little” kit was something the Sword Sect might not gather even after emptying all their stores. A wry ache touched her heart.

[If I live through this, my Sword Sect will not fall behind anyone,] she vowed.

“It seems these are all our trump cards,” Li Shuang said. Racing the clock, she and You Lan worked out ways to combine their skills.

Not long after, a huge hole tore open in the sky beyond the Barrier Formation.

A new batch of Devil Seeds dropped through.

Peak of Void Refinement.

Peak of Void Refinement.

Every single one was at the Peak of Void Refinement.

Li Shuang’s pupils tightened.

Nine Devil Seeds at the Peak of Void Refinement arrived at the same time.