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Chapter 178: Underworld Passage - Desolation
Ji Zichen shook his head, cursing his bad luck. He had nearly exhausted the elements of his Five Elements Pearl, yet the Arbitrator before him remained unscathed. He had suffered too much in this confrontation.
The Arbitrator sneered, " Ji Zichen, your elemental display is quite a spectacle."
Ji Zichen snorted coldly. Throughout his battle with the Arbitrator, the elemental manifestations he unleashed had indeed seemed like mere performances to the Arbitrator. His face turned pale, and he struggled to hold onto the Demon-Slaying Sword. "It would be easy for you to kill me, but why…"
The Arbitrator replied with a smile, "It's not that I won't kill you, but your friends have arrived. Out of compassion, I thought it would be nice to let you all go together."
A wave of unease washed over Ji Zichen as he anxiously asked, "Friends? Is it Great Palace King and Canglin?" Earlier, he had hoped they would arrive quickly, but now he wished they wouldn't show up at all.
A shadow flickered across Ji Zichen's face. In a sudden move, he lunged forward and thrust the Demon-Slaying Sword at the Arbitrator. Normally, no one could evade Ji Zichen's strike, but this time the Arbitrator conjured a spinning wheel that effortlessly deflected Ji Zichen's sword back at him. Ji Zichen stumbled back several steps before regaining his balance. He scrutinized the Arbitrator's wheel from head to toe; although he had seen it before, disbelief crossed his face—it was a formidable opponent.
The wheel hovered protectively in front of the Arbitrator. Ji Zichen thought to himself, "Let's try attacking from behind."
As Ji Zichen's Fire Pearl dimmed, he refrained from conjuring a fire dragon this time. Suddenly, the sand beneath the Arbitrator began to rise into the air, each grain exploding like firecrackers. The shattered sand released fiery sparks that surged like scalding steam. Fortunately, the Arbitrator sensed something amiss and retreated swiftly; after the sand exploded, several holes were burned into his clothing.
Seeing the Arbitrator retreat in disarray for the first time made Ji Zichen smile slightly. "So you're not completely fearless after all."
The Arbitrator's expression shifted as he remarked, "You are somewhat clever." At that moment, dark energy coiled around his right palm like a swirling miasma. He thrust his hand toward Ji Zichen; the miasma surged forward with rapid momentum, carrying an ominous aura. Ji Zichen raised the Demon-Slaying Sword to block it; although he managed to fend off the miasma, it splattered chaotically within a ten-foot radius around him. While the splattered miasma couldn't inflict direct harm, it caused the air nearby to chill suddenly, leaving Ji Zichen feeling cold all over.
The Arbitrator was quick to act. Although Ji Zichen had prepared himself earlier, he still reacted a moment too late and inhaled half a breath of the chilling air. A wave of icy energy surged from his nose down to his chest and abdomen, reminiscent of taking a deep breath on a snowy winter night.
Feeling an intense chill within him, Ji Zichen realized that in those fleeting moments, it was difficult to launch an attack or defend himself. Seizing this opportunity, the Arbitrator gathered more miasma in his palm and aimed it directly at Ji Zichen's face. At that moment, Ji Zichen found himself unable to evade; just as he thought he was about to meet his end, he felt someone grab his shoulder and pull him back forcefully. The Arbitrator's strike missed its target entirely.
Ji Zichen glanced back and realized that Canglin had saved him at the critical moment. Upon seeing the Great Palace King and Canglin appear, the Arbitrator smiled slightly and said, "Everyone is here."
After striking the air, the Arbitrator noticed he was quite close to the three of them. He attempted to withdraw, but the Great Palace King would not give him a chance to retreat calmly. The Great Palace King stepped forward, executing the Azure Garment Finger, sending a powerful force toward the Arbitrator's chest. A wheel-like illusion appeared in front of the Arbitrator, and the Azure Garment Finger struck it with a resounding impact. Although the Arbitrator was not hit directly, he was involuntarily pushed back two yards by the force of the attack.
At that moment, the Arbitrator exclaimed in shock, "His finger strength has increased!"
The Great Palace King seemed to sense the Arbitrator's astonishment and remarked, "This is the benefit of healing in the Spirit Immortal Realm."
Canglin seized the opportunity to strike as well.
Just as Canglin finished speaking, a chill blew from the Purple Jade Vase toward the Arbitrator. The cold air poured out from the vase's mouth, forming a square ice block over three yards high—taller than the Arbitrator himself. With a creaking sound, the ice block instantly encased the Arbitrator within it. As it began to solidify, the Arbitrator did not dare to be careless; he saw black mist rapidly spreading inside the transparent ice block. The ice shook violently before suddenly cracking apart as the Arbitrator shattered it and retreated quickly.
Canglin observed intently and couldn't help but exclaim, "That doesn't seem to work on him either."
Ice shards scattered everywhere as they melted into water on the ground. At this moment, the Arbitrator finally took a serious look at both the Great Palace King and Canglin. He said, "You two have improved quite a bit since last time."
The Great Palace King replied solemnly, "There is still room for redemption in this matter; this is your last chance."
The Arbitrator laughed wildly, "Less talk! Sometimes having more people doesn’t guarantee victory."
Ji Zichen's figure flickered as he leaped into the air. The Demon-Slaying Sword emitted a sound like thunder, creating an overwhelming pressure that surged outward. Seeing Ji Zichen leap toward him, the Arbitrator smiled slightly and said, "You're seeking death." The miasma from him surged toward Ji Zichen, but Ji Zichen fell swiftly, causing the miasma to strike only his afterimage.
Ji Zichen was luring his opponent; he waited for the Arbitrator to unleash his miasma attack. Fortunately for Ji Zichen, since the Arbitrator had already attacked, he descended quickly. Before the miasma could retract, Ji Zichen thrust his sword toward the Arbitrator's wrist. The Arbitrator was immediately alarmed and thought, "Not good!"
Ji Zichen shouted sternly, "I'll sever your hand! Let's see what else you can do!"
The Great Palace King and Azure Garment Finger struck at that moment, with Azure Garment Finger resembling a bolt of lightning in the rain-soaked night, aimed directly at the Arbitrator's head. Both of them launched their attacks simultaneously, a sight that could indeed instill fear.
As the miasma surged, Ji Zichen and the Great Palace King held their breath, breaking through to within half a foot of the Arbitrator. The Arbitrator's voice boomed, "Hell's Abyss!"
Behind the Great Palace King and Ji Zichen, two black swords formed from the miasma appeared. Both were startled; the Arbitrator was forcing Ji Zichen and the Great Palace King to withdraw their attacks. If they insisted on continuing, they would suffer mutual destruction. When their strikes hit the Arbitrator, the miasma behind them would surely pierce them to death.
Ji Zichen and the Great Palace King exchanged glances. The Great Palace King thought bitterly, "Withdraw!" They both retracted their attacks just in time as the miasma swords lunged toward them. Ji Zichen and the Great Palace King swiftly turned, narrowly avoiding the blades as they whizzed past their ears.
In truth, the Great Palace King did not want to withdraw his attack, but with Ji Zichen present, he could take risks himself but would never allow Ji Zichen to join him in danger. Thus, he had no choice but to hold back for now. Seeing that they were willing to withdraw, Canglin breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that the Great Palace King was not as stubborn as before. Canglin moved forward and grabbed Ji Zichen and the Great Palace King's shoulders.
Canglin threw them behind him, allowing them to escape the battle circle. After distancing Ji Zichen and the Great Palace King from danger, Canglin charged toward the Arbitrator. At that moment, the Arbitrator sneered, "I didn't expect you three to be so troublesome; this is truly a miscalculation."
The Arbitrator declared, "Underworld Passage: Annihilation!"
With a sound like a puff, a Boundary Wall surged upward. Canglin and the Arbitrator were immediately surrounded by a massive black wall over seven feet high. Canglin found himself trapped at its center while Ji Zichen and the Great Palace King faced a similar fate. Another Boundary Wall rose up; seeing that two walls had formed to separate them, the Arbitrator said, "It seems we must resolve this separately."
Ji Zichen and the Great Palace King found themselves enclosed by one Boundary Wall. Ji Zichen planned to charge out but felt a sudden heaviness in his chest as he approached its edge. "Ugh... what an icy aura..."
The Great Palace King reached out and pulled Ji Zichen back from the edge of the Boundary Wall. As Ji Zichen returned to near its center, he felt the chill lessen significantly. Confused, he remarked, "This cold aura feels just like that of the previous miasma."
The Great Palace King felt it was quite troublesome and gritted his teeth in frustration. "This is bad; we've fallen into the Arbitrator's trap."
Just as he finished speaking, they saw the Arbitrator appear among them. The Arbitrator chuckled mockingly, "You two are quite impressive. Although I don't know what that Spirit Immortal Realm is like, it has certainly allowed you to grow stronger in such a short time. I wouldn't mind visiting that place myself. Let me tell you—stay away from the edges of my Boundary Wall; it's filled with dark energy. If you don't want to die from it invading your hearts, stay as close to the center of the Boundary Wall as possible; that way I can enjoy playing with you slowly."
The Great Palace King was taken aback. "He can move freely between these two Boundary Walls?"
Ji Zichen furrowed his brow and said, "No! This person is Gravel Demon! Not Arbitrator!"
The Great Palace King was taken aback. "He is Gravel Demon!"
Ji Zichen replied, "That's right. I can't see Gravel Demon's spirit on his shoulder! I recognize Gravel Demon's spirit; he is indeed Gravel Demon!"
Canglin, unable to see the situation inside the Boundary Wall because it was black, could still hear the voices. Upon hearing Ji Zichen's words, Canglin said, "That's right! They have already separated!"
The Great Palace King looked at Ji Zichen and asked, "How do you know he is Gravel Demon? Or Arbitrator?"
Ji Zichen explained, "The ring. Kai Zhou Shen gave me a ring that allows me to see Gravel Demon's spirit."
Trapped in the Boundary Wall, the Great Palace King began to grit his teeth. He was someone who rarely showed emotional fluctuations. Gravel Demon looked at Ji Zichen and couldn't help but laugh heartily. "I didn't expect you to figure out my identity. Since you know who I am, you should abandon any thoughts of escaping. Arbitrator truly understands my intentions. Great Palace King, your relentless pursuit is really getting on my nerves; it's time to resolve this trouble."
The Great Palace King's expression changed as he said, "Arbitrator really dares to go all out, willing to separate from you."
Gravel Demon chuckled, "This is also forced by you."
The Great Palace King spoke in a deep voice, "Since you've chosen to stand with Arbitrator, then we are enemies. You are undoubtedly now an enemy of the entire Great Palace Kingdom. Given this situation, I can only eradicate you and take this opportunity to destroy you."
Gravel Demon laughed uncontrollably. "You really overestimate yourself. Let's see who can laugh last."
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