Everyone shivered, a bone-chilling cold gripping them, even Su Luo felt a prickle of frost.
What a formidable Ice Qilin!
Not only did it possess superb ice-elemental abilities, but it also had incredible defensive power. Even among the descendants of many divine beasts, its strength could be considered top-tier. Yet, among the nine statues in this grand hall, it was the weakest.
Through the Divine Eye mirror's prompts, Su Luo understood the meaning of the Nine Tribulations Returning to Truth. Only by defeating these nine powerful exotic beasts would the door to the next stage open; otherwise, they would be stopped here.
This ancient ruin, opened by the Great Emperor Hong Huang, was truly difficult to conquer. Every stage was this challenging!
Su Luo sent a telepathic message to Chu Tianshu and the other three, urging them to stay far away from the statues and observe first. The remaining demonic cultivators quickly regrouped and launched an attack on the revived Ice Qilin.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Instantly, the hall was filled with spiritual light as fireballs, wind blades, and electric sparks continuously struck the Ice Qilin.
As expected of a divine beast descendant with superior defense, all attacks seemed to inflict no damage. It roared, unleashing a chilling aura that froze everyone nearby. Even those further away could not withstand the frigid air.
The mist in the hall froze into ice crystals, clearing the vision but making it exceptionally cold.
It was like an ice cellar!
Everyone attacked while trying to dodge. Their hair and eyebrows were frosted over, and they could only desperately circulate their spiritual energy to ward off the cold. Those with fire-elemental abilities could manage, but the others were miserable. Their movements became slower and slower. A slight slip on the ground meant they would be stuck there for a long time.
A wave of ghostly blue cold swept over, and some people stood like ice sculptures, their very blood frozen.
Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch and Netherworld Demonic Beast watched with grim expressions. This creature had already frozen more than twenty of their subordinates to death in mere moments, and they didn't even know its name. How could they possibly defeat the other eight?
Seeing the beast rampage, chasing and slaughtering everyone in the hall, Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch confirmed that the other eight would not revive anytime soon. His expression darkened as he commanded, "Golden Toad, take your men and kill it!"
Tongtian Golden Toad, Fan Wu,'s heart skipped a beat, and he stepped forward with trepidation.
He dared not approach. He signaled two subordinates with fire-elemental abilities, and from a distance, they attacked the Ice Qilin. With booming impacts, fireballs struck the Ice Qilin, causing it to roar in pain and finally showing some effect.
"Attack with all you've got!" Fan Wu shouted.
The two subordinates circulated their spiritual energy, increasing the power of the fireballs into fire pillars that spewed from their palms. Blazing flames melted the ice crystals in the hall, only for them to be refrozen by the Ice Qilin's chilling breath, rendering them almost useless.
Fan Wu was stunned. He had already used ninety percent of his cultivation, almost giving his all, and it had no effect!
If the creature hadn't been wary of the flames, it would have likely swallowed him whole.
Suddenly, a killing intent struck.
The Ice Qilin leaped into the air, knocking over a group of people beside it, killing seven or eight more in an instant. It then turned and bared its fangs at Fan Wu. A powerful suction force hit him, and he lost control of his body, being drawn into the Ice Qilin's maw and bitten in half.
Blood sprayed, and a half-corpse fell to the ground, instantly frozen into ice.
"Damn it, this beast is too powerful!"
Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch's expression was grim. A third of his subordinates were already dead, and they were only on the second stage. If they wanted to explore this ancient ruin thoroughly, would everyone have to die?
He could no longer hold back and decided to act himself.
His imposing aura surged. Under the combined pressure of Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch and the Ice Qilin, everyone struggled to breathe. He flipped his palm, revealing five strange, single-pupiled eyes.
On his other palm, five more single-pupiled eyes appeared. Unlike normal eyes, they had more white than iris, and their pupils contracted and expanded as if breathing. They were surrounded by bloodshot veins, looking like demonic eyes that sent shivers down one's spine.
This was the origin of his title, Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch!
Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch struck with his palm, and the ten single eyes emitted ten beams of white light, piercing the Ice Qilin's body with a swoosh.
"Roar—" The Ice Qilin cried out in pain. Its formidable defense finally yielded to this terrifying attack, and red blood flowed from the wound. Instead of fleeing, it turned and lunged at Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch dodged while striking with his palms, the white light like sharp swords piercing the Ice Qilin's body. Blood flowed, staining its blue fur a deep crimson. But the Ice Qilin leaped high into the air, its speed undiminished. Though heavily wounded, it still bit down on Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch's shoulder.
"Ah—" he screamed, hearing the sound of his shoulder bone shattering.
The nearby Netherworld Demonic Envoy did not immediately come to his aid. Instead, she stood to the side with a deep gaze, a sneer gracing her lips.
Although they cooperated in exploring the ruins, she and Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch had been double-crossing and competing with each other for years. They would be delighted if the other were to fall, so why would she offer assistance when he was in trouble?
Enduring the excruciating pain, Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch roared at her, "Old Ghost You Meng, are you just going to watch and not help? What good will it do you if I die!"
Netherworld Demonic Envoy chuckled sinisterly, "Such a minor injury shouldn't trouble you, Hundred-Eyed! I have faith in you!"
"You..." Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch was enraged.
With a roar, he exerted all his strength and struck the Ice Qilin's forehead with his backhand. Enduring the shattering pain of his shoulder and the profuse bleeding, he finally knocked it away.
His entire shoulder bone was missing, bitten off by the Ice Qilin. Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch was so pained he almost fainted. He had no time to settle scores with Netherworld Demonic Envoy and quickly took out a healing pill, then sealed several pressure points on his shoulder.
Though wounded, the Ice Qilin's ferocity did not diminish. It landed, rolled a few times, knocked over more than ten people, and scrambled back to its feet.
Its body swayed, and its once blue eyes turned blood-red.
"Roar—"
With a fierce roar, the hall was engulfed in rolling cold. The over a hundred surviving demonic disciples felt as if they were about to freeze and desperately rushed towards the hall's exit. But they became more crowded, some even trampled, and were completely frozen to the ground.
Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch roared in fury, "Advance! Whoever dares to flee will be executed!"
Suddenly, a figure charged towards the Ice Qilin.
Slender and graceful, yet as fast as lightning.
Hundred-Eyed Heavenly Monarch's eyes lit up. That's right, how could he have forgotten her!
Although this woman had become a puppet, she had just broken through, clearly possessing good talent. She had also just passed the Divine Bridge of the Other Shore, proving she had great luck. She should have been made to deal with this exotic beast long ago.
Su Luo leaped high, and with a flick of her wrist, arrows shot out with a whizzing sound.
Each small arrow accurately hit the Ice Qilin, exploding with a bang and splattering blood.
Though she appeared 'vacant-eyed,' her movements were merciless. The Ice Qilin's actions became eerily jerky and slow. Its huge mouth opened inch by inch, revealing its teeth little by little, and the chilling aura it spewed came in bursts... The onlookers stared, wide-eyed. Why was this happening?
Boom! Boom! Boom!
More than ten small arrows shot into the Ice Qilin's most vulnerable mouth and exploded directly.
Su Luo landed gracefully, her skirt fluttering, completely unharmed. The Ice Qilin was already covered in wounds, and now even its head exploded. Shattered skull fragments and brain matter splattered on the ground, and it finally slowly collapsed.
At the same time, an invisible and vast power flowed into Su Luo's body. To her surprise, she found that this mysterious power was once again accelerating the spiritual energy within her, causing her cultivation to soar.
If this continued, she would break through again after killing another exotic beast.
Su Luo understood. It turned out that in each stage, the first person to succeed received a reward!