Zhuo Gongqing swallowed the small ball transformed from the eight-legged spider. Strange and demonic patterns quickly appeared on his arms and neck, and the aura around his body surged dramatically.
Yet, unlike Tu Mian back then, who only showed a glow on the outside of his body, it was as if all the spiritual vitality was hidden within his body; one could feel the Qi and Blood continuously churning inside. Du Fanzhi, who was facing him directly, could feel it most clearly.
If one were to say Zhuo Gongqing only had the strength of the Late Foundation Establishment Stage a moment ago, after swallowing the Life Gu, his strength was definitely comparable to a half-step Core Formation. And this was the boost he displayed even after his Life Gu had been severely injured by Du Fanzhi himself!
But Zhuo Gongqing knew that he had to win this match. The Yang Water Sect's Internal Growth Technique was extremely taxing on both the Life Gu and the cultivator. After using it once, it required a very long time to recuperate.
Relying only on the Lotus Seat to recover his strength would not be enough for him to fight another match. Even if he defeated Du Fanzhi, this would be his limit.
“This concerns the struggle between our two sects… I really… cannot let you go!”
The Treasure Mirror in Du Fanzhi's hand rose into the air. Profound Arcane Script shone down from it, forming layers of circles that enveloped him. Zhuo Gongqing only felt that the person before him suddenly gave off an illusory and ethereal feeling.
His own senses were also diminished by half!
“What is that thing!?”
“The Mystic Radiance Mirror of Law…” an elder of the Yang Water Sect murmured from his seat, then shook his head.
“Impossible! This item was smashed to pieces by our patriarch during the attack back then… Is it a replica?”
From the True Spirit Sect's seats, Qiu Jianying looked thoughtful, then lowered her eyes and said, “To think Elder Wu actually found a way.”
“He has specialized in this path for a long time; it's natural he would have some reward for his efforts.”
Li Su stroked his beard and smiled, while the other disciples were still lost in a fog of confusion. This was an old story unknown to the younger generation. Back when the twelve Profound Division cultivators of the True Spirit Sect went to the upper realm, each left behind a treasure.
Some were Spirit Gathering Formations, some were Skyfaring Boats, and some even transformed into a Blessed Land to benefit the sect. Among them, however, three left behind three Mystic Grade Artifacts, and the Mystic Radiance Mirror of Law was one of them.
The Mirror of Law contained tens of thousands of formation patterns within it and was a supreme defensive treasure. But during the battle between the two sects a thousand years ago, it was smashed by the Sect Master of the Yang Water Sect.
The Sect Master himself had also paid the price of his Life Gu shattering and his body perishing, his Dao dissipating. The fragments of the Mirror of Law, however, were collected by an elder at that time and stored in the sect's Treasure Vault.
It was not until they fell into Wu Yunzhang's hands that a new Mirror of Law was reforged from the fragments. However, Mystic Grade Artifacts were made by Mystic Grade Artificers. Wu Yunzhang was only Yellow Grade; how could he refine the materials within?
He could only search everywhere for similar materials to use as substitutes. Even so, the grade of the new Mirror of Law still dropped to High-Tier Yellow Grade.
“Although it no longer has the legendary might to envelop the four wildernesses and cover the heavens with its formations, it should be more than enough to deal with a Late Foundation Establishment Stage lackey…”
Li Su gazed at the arena and spoke in a low voice. After this mirror was repaired, it was bestowed upon him by the Sect Master. Now, it had been bestowed by him upon Du Fanzhi.
And the opponent he faced was still the Yang Water Sect, who had launched the surprise attack all those years ago. Zhuo Gongqing did not know what that mirror was; he only thought of breaking all techniques with pure force. The Qi and Blood in his entire body surged, and even the bizarre patterns on his skin began to move.
A great burst of eerie blue light erupted from his hands. Upon closer inspection, it was actually composed of rice-grain-sized glowing venomous spiders! Following his great shout, tens of thousands of venomous spiders surged forward, almost completely enveloping Du Fanzhi.
In such a dangerous situation, Du Fanzhi did not move a single step, standing proudly in the arena. The venomous spiders, which attacked him like an eerie blue mist, were actually turned into pus by the golden patterns and dripped to the ground.
Zhuo Gongqing had never seen such a situation before and roared angrily, “What kind of trick is this!” But the venomous spiders from his hands did not stop for a moment, continuously condensing and emerging.
“Naturally… it's the means to defeat you!”
Du Fanzhi knew that the Internal Growth Technique was extremely taxing for a Yang Water cultivator. Every breath consumed the Qi and Blood in the Life Gu to feed back to the main body. Once the Qi and Blood were depleted to ten percent, Zhuo Gongqing would have to exit the Internal Growth Technique state.
At that time, he would be like a fish on a chopping block, left to be slaughtered. However, it was also questionable whether he himself could last until then. This Mirror of Law was High-Tier Yellow Grade.
The higher the grade of a magical artifact, the higher the demands it placed on the cultivator. The magical artifacts used by Foundation Establishment and Core Formation cultivators were all Yellow Grade. However, the former mostly used low-grade and mid-grade, while the latter mostly used high-grade and top-grade.
This seemingly small difference in tiers was actually enormous. If Du Fanzhi infused the Mirror of Law with all his True Qi and used it for nothing else, he would be drained in two quarters of an hour! If he also needed to divide his attention to attack, the time would be even shorter.
Since that was the case, he absolutely could not afford to drag things out with Zhuo Gongqing! Relying on the Mirror of Law for protection, Du Fanzhi formed hand seals and condensed three golden arrows in front of him, which shot straight towards Zhuo Gongqing's vital point! Zhuo Gongqing's own senses were already half-masked by the Mirror of Law.
He only vaguely sensed that his opponent was making a move. However, by the time the long arrows were close, he was startled into dodging. Amidst a cry of pain, one of the long arrows pierced through his left shoulder bone.
Du Fanzhi pressed his advantage, his hands continuously forming seals, while the True Qi in his body also began to announce it was on the verge of being depleted. Among the Five Elements, Metal-Attribute True Qi was the sharpest.
When it entered Zhuo Gongqing's body, it was as if millions of sharp blades were slicing his internal organs, causing him unbearable pain! The Life Gu in his Dantian, due to its host's injuries, shrieked as it mobilized Qi and Blood to heal the wound. This instantly caused his already insufficient Qi and Blood to plummet to rock bottom!
This was also one of the drawbacks of the Internal Growth Technique. The Life Gu was a living creature with its own thoughts and ideas. When the host body was severely injured and the cultivator could no longer suppress the Life Gu's consciousness, it would find the optimal solution on its own.
Zhuo Gongqing wanted to win this match, but the Life Gu prioritized survival, mobilizing Qi and Blood to heal the host body first. As a result, there was nothing left for battle. The patterns on Zhuo Gongqing's skin gradually faded.
His entire body looked as if its essence had been drained, his cheeks sunken and his face as pale as paper, as he collapsed dejectedly onto the stage. Seeing this, Du Fanzhi also retrieved the Mirror of Law. He only had enough True Qi left in his body for one more attack.
This battle was won with extreme difficulty.
“True Spirit Sect's Du Fanzhi, wins!”
The adjudicating disciple waved his hand and announced the result. Immediately, a large hand brought Zhuo Gongqing back to the Lotus Seat. However, he lay on the seat with his eyes closed, unable to even sit cross-legged and regulate his breath.
Onlookers knew that he no longer had the strength to fight again. Because one could still challenge upwards within the group of ten, his rank fell to sixtieth. It had the air of a loss that outweighed the gains.
Du Fanzhi returned to his Lotus Seat. In the battle just now, the combat power displayed by both of them was extraordinary, not to mention that poison-immune Mirror of Law, whose effect was astonishing. Therefore, the subsequent disciples looked at him with considerable apprehension.
Seeing that although he was ranked forty-eighth, they would rather challenge those of a higher rank. ~~~ I wrote this in a daze. The Sect War comes after the Fate Seizing Battle. I've already made corrections in the previous chapters. ~~ (End of this chapter)