C232 Profound Whirlpool!
The three Mei Qiurongs were dressed identically, yet their demeanors and gestures were distinctly unique.
One Mei Qiurong brandished a sword, which shimmered like a pristine spring, casting a radiant green sheen with each fluid motion.
Another Mei Qiurong, with her sash billowing, deftly formed a spiritual spell with her hands and softly exclaimed, "Phoenix cry!" A resplendent golden phoenix, wings unfurled, materialized in response to her spell, conjured from her life force and soul essence, so vivid and aglow with golden brilliance that its nearly ten-meter-wide wings sparkled with a fierce golden light.
The third Mei Qiurong, her expression icy, remained motionless, her gaze fixed as she uttered, "Soul Guise!"
Yu Yuan, perched on the edge of the cave, legs swinging, sported an eerie grin as he muttered, "Profound Sky Sect, huh!"
A peculiar noise emanated from the surrounding caves, which were belching colorful, toxic smoke like a swarm of hornets' nests. In a flash, the luminous yellow shield of the Ghosts Poisoning Array seemed to be drawn forth.
Flames sprang into existence within the shield, drifting towards him. Among them, a cluster of green flames crackled fiercely, transforming midway into a ghastly, burning specter that lunged at the sword-wielding Mei Qiurong.
She made a sizzling sound as both she and her sword were instantly set ablaze. In mere moments, that Mei Qiurong was consumed by fire.
The second Mei Qiurong, transformed into a golden phoenix by a Spiritual Spell, soared upwards, only to collide with an unseen barrier, letting out a cry of frustration.
Yu Yuan chuckled at the sight.
The invisible barrier suddenly blazed with light, and a multitude of intersecting lines emerged, like ropes swiftly entangling the golden phoenix. Trapped as if caught in a net, the once graceful phoenix struggled in vain, unable to advance even a step further.
Before long, the golden phoenix burst apart, dissolving into a shower of golden light that filled the sky.
Meanwhile, the third Mei Qiurong, oblivious to the fate of her counterparts, continued to stare intently at Yu Yuan.
A powerful suction force materialized abruptly, hovering three inches above Yu Yuan's head.
Yu Yuan's complexion subtly shifted as he recognized the phenomenon: "Profound Whirlpool!"
Three barely visible, thumb-sized dark spots hovered above Yu Yuan, arranged in a triangular pattern, spinning rapidly and generating a formidable suction.
This force targeted Yu Yuan's consciousness, his connection to the world, and his three souls.
The barrier that could repel the golden phoenix and thwart Mei Qiurong's advance proved ineffective against the Profound Whirlpool unleashed by the third Mei Qiurong.
Renowned for its potency, the Profound Whirlpool was a signature Soul Art of the Profound Sky Sect. When Mei Qiurong executed it, the results were instantaneous.
Yu Yuan ceased the movement of his legs, his face quivering, his dark hair crackling as if charged with electric fire.
A dull ache throbbed in his head, and he sensed an invisible hand reaching down from above, intent on seizing his three souls and yanking them upwards.
He feared that if his three souls were extracted and cast into the "Profound Whirlpool," they would be obliterated in the blink of an eye.
In his past life, Yu Yuan had learned of the Profound Sky Sect's dreaded Soul Art. Even practitioners from the Devil Palace and Demon Palace held a deep-seated fear of the "Profound Whirlpool."
Legend had it that the "Profound Whirlpool" originated not from the Profound Sky Sect but from another sect entirely. After being adopted and refined through the painstaking efforts of successive Profound Sky Sect experts, it evolved into a formidable Soul Art—a fearsome weapon to deter their foes.
To invoke the "Profound Whirlpool," one must at least possess the Yin God. Once activated, it could extract an adversary's three souls.
The first in the Profound Sky Sect to master this technique had used the "Profound Whirlpool" to strip the souls from the Demon Palace's formidable demons, extinguishing them in mere moments.
Rumor had it that at its peak, a practitioner of the "Profound Whirlpool" who reached the Unrestrained Stage could even wrench out and annihilate an opponent's Yin God and Yang God.
Only when the main soul evolves into the Primordial Spirit can it utterly disregard the pull of the "Profound Whirlpool."
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
Yu Yuan gasped for air, his gaze fierce and crazed as he locked eyes with the third Mei Qiurong.
"Pop! Pop!"
In Chilly Wind Valley, Mei Qiurongs were pursued by the released smoky haze, one after another, disintegrating into ash.
With each Mei Qiurong that vanished, the remaining ones grew stronger in aura.
This indicated that the power dissipated by the ashes of Mei Qiurong was being reconsolidated, focusing into other illusions.
"You..."
The third Mei Qiurong's expression shifted subtly as she wielded the Profound Whirlpool.
At that moment, Loong Tianxiao arrived swiftly from another direction.
Without any hesitation, he unleashed a dragon's roar at Mei Qiurong.
A dragon emerged with the roar!
Another Mei Qiurong, with a cold gaze, declared, "Seeking your own demise!"
"Boom!"
A palace nearly a hundred meters tall, shrouded in a rainbow of precious light, inexplicably soared from Mei Qiurong's sleeve.
It plummeted with the force of a mountain, crushing the dragon Loong Tianxiao had summoned, which shattered into myriad blood threads and vanished swiftly.
The palace ascended once more, its radiant light extending a thousand feet, resembling the abode of deities, and it hurled toward Loong Tianxiao again.
Bathed in the palace's brilliance, Loong Tianxiao's hybrid form of human head and dragon body began to dissolve as if it were ice and snow under intense sunlight.
Loong Tianxiao screamed in agony, no longer concerned with Yu Yuan, and fled without a backward glance.
The floating palace shone with blinding brilliance.
Mei Qiurong reached out, and the palace fell into her hand, transforming into a seal.
"Heaven Palace Seal!"
Kuan Xianyun of the Ghoul Glyph Sect wore a grave look. The idea he had just conceived was abruptly quashed.
"There are nine Heaven Palace Seals in total, corresponding to the Profound Sky Sect's several palaces suspended in the sky," Jin Fann inhaled sharply, his face turning pale, "Who exactly is Mei Qiurong? I've never heard of such a person in the Profound Sky Sect before!"
Holding a piece of the Heaven Palace Seal is a sure sign of an extraordinary origin," Kuan Xianyun remarked, gazing skyward. "No wonder she's so bold, striding fearlessly through Chilly Wind Valley. She wields a piece of the Heaven Palace Seal."
"The Heaven Palace Seal!"
"Could she really possess one of the fabled nine Heaven Palace Seals of the Profound Sky Sect?"
"Could there be any doubt?"
The practitioners from the Thunder Temple, along with those who had earlier pledged their loyalty to her, were visibly invigorated as they beheld the seal in her grasp.
In that moment, Chilly Wind Valley was home to two Mei Qiurongs.
One Mei Qiurong persisted in using the Profound Whirlpool against Yu Yuan, intent on extracting his three souls to finish him off.
The other Mei Qiurong, clutching the seal, stood back-to-back with the one targeting Yu Yuan.
The one with the seal surveyed the valley's inhabitants and the miasma cloud overhead, yet displayed little fear.
With the Heaven Palace Seal in hand, her confidence was palpable.
Yu Yuan, at the cave's entrance, felt a chill run down his spine as he finally made sense of the two Mei Qiurongs.
The one casting the Profound Whirlpool was Mei Qiurong's Yin God, a pure soul entity; the Qi and blood it had previously shown were merely a facade.
The one with the Heaven Palace Seal was backed by her main soul and Heavenly Soul, commanding the seal to drive Loong Tianxiao away, wounded.
Unfused with the seal, she brandished the Heaven Palace Seal, effortlessly scattering the approaching miasma cloud.
The deadly vapors couldn't come near her—a testament to her self-assurance.
"The Heaven Palace Seal!"
As Yu Yuan grappled with a debilitating headache and struggled to contain his three souls, he too internally echoed the cry for the Heaven Palace Seal.
