xuán bīng lǎo zǔ de yǎn zhōng mǎn shì bēi fèn zhī sè ， nà láng háo shēng zì rán shì qī lì wú bǐ 。
玄冰老祖的眼中满是悲愤之色，那狼嚎声自然是凄厉无比。
Old Patriarch Xuan Bing's eyes were filled with sorrow and resentment. The howling sound was indeed extremely mournful.
tóng shí ， yóu tā de zuǐ bā lǐ ， pēn tǔ chū yī gǔ hán qì 。
同时，由他的嘴巴里，喷吐出一股寒气。
At the same time, a burst of cold air came out from his mouth.
zhōu wéi de wēn dù zhòu rán jiàng dī ， nà hán qì nóng liè yǐ jí ， fāng yuán qiān zhàng yǐ nèi ， fǎng fú lián kōng jiān dōu bèi dòng jié ， qiáng dà rú chūn háng ， dòng zuò dùn shí yě huǎn màn le xǔ duō 。
周围的温度骤然降低，那寒气浓烈以极，方圆千丈以内，仿佛连空间都被冻结，强大如椿杭，动作顿时也缓慢了许多。
The surrounding temperature suddenly dropped significantly. The coldness was so intense that it seemed to freeze even space within a thousand feet around him. Even Zhuang Hang, who was powerful like a pillar of the earth, found his movements slowed down considerably.
“ hēng ， bīng fēng qiān lǐ ， wēi lì què shí bù cuò ， nán dé nǐ néng jiāng tā shùn fā ér chū ， cǐ shén tōng chuán shuō liàn dào jí shēn zhī chù ， néng gòu wú wù bù dòng ， bù guò yòu yǒu shén me yòng ， nǐ yǐ wéi píng qū qū tiān fù de wǔ xíng fǎ shù ， jiù néng gòu dòng jié diào běn zūn me ？”
“哼，冰封千里，威力确实不错，难得你能将它瞬发而出，此神通传说炼到极深之处，能够无物不冻，不过又有什么用，你以为凭区区天赋的五行法术，就能够冻结掉本尊么？”
"Hmph, freezing everything for a thousand miles; indeed impressive power. It's rare that you can instantly release such an ability. This divine technique is said to be able to freeze anything when fully mastered, but what good does it do? Do you really think your meager innate five-element spells can freeze this true form of mine?"
chūn háng jī xiào de shēng yīn chuán rù ěr duǒ ， lǐ miàn mǎn shì xiōng hěn zhī sè ， suí hòu tóng yàng zhāng kāi xuè pén dà kǒu ， xióng xióng de mó yán yóu lǐ miàn pēn tǔ 。
椿杭讥笑的声音传入耳朵，里面满是凶狠之色，随后同样张开血盆大口，熊熊的魔炎由里面喷吐。
Zhuang Hang's mocking voice entered Lin Xuan's ears, filled with viciousness. Following that, he opened his blood-red maw and belched out a raging demonic flame.
shuǐ néng kè huǒ ， tóng yàng de ， jí hán de wēn dù yě shì kě yòng huǒ yàn lái kè zhì de 。
水能克火，同样的，极寒的温度也是可用火焰来克制的。
Water could counteract fire, and similarly, extreme cold could be countered by flames.
nà hán qì yī zhì ， guǒ rán xī bó le xǔ duō ， chūn jī pēn chū lái de ， zì rán yě bú shì pǔ tōng de mó huǒ 。
那寒气一滞，果然稀bó了许多，椿机喷出来的，自然也不是普通的魔火。
The coldness paused for a moment, indeed becoming much weaker. The flame Zhuang Hang expelled was not ordinary demonic fire.
rán ér bīng láng yǎn zhōng què bìng wú huāng zhāng zhī sè ， fǎng fú zhè yí mù ， tā yī zǎo jiù yǐ jīng yù liào dào le ， tā gāo gāo de yáng qǐ tóu lú ， liǎn shàng mǎn shì ào rán zhī sè 。
然而冰狼眼中却并无慌张之色，仿佛这一幕，它一早就已经预料到了，它高高的扬起头颅，脸上满是傲然之色。
However, the ice wolf showed no signs of panic; it seemed to have anticipated this scene from the start. It raised its head high, exuding an air of arrogance.
jiē xià lái fā shēng de yí mù ， què ràng lín xuān dèng dà le yǎn zhū ， jī hū yǐ wéi zì jǐ kàn cuò 。
接下来发生的一幕，却让林轩瞪大了眼珠，几乎以为自己看错。
What followed next left Lin Xuan wide-eyed in shock, almost thinking he had seen a mistake.
zhǐ jiàn cóng bīng láng shēn shàng de shāng kǒu zhōng ， jū rán zhǎng chū liǎo wú shù de chù shǒu ， rú tóng yī tiáo tiáo de mó shé ， xiàng zhe táo wù chán rào ér qù le 。
只见从冰狼身上的伤口中，居然长出了无数的触手，如同一条条的魔蛇，向着梼杌缠绕而去了。
From the wounds on the ice wolf's body, countless tentacles grew out, resembling snakes and wrapping around Jiewu.
lín xuān xiān shì yī dāi ， suí hòu yòu lù chū jǐ fēn huǎng rán dà wù bān de liǎo rán ， tā yī kāi shǐ jiù yǒu xiē qí guài ， jiù suàn xuán bīng lǎo zǔ yǐ shì qiáng nǔ zhī mò ， jiù suàn tā méi yǒu bù miè zhī tǐ zhè yàng chuán shuō zhōng de tǐ pò ， rán ér bié wàng le ， tā shì huó le bù zhī dào duō shǎo wàn nián de dà néng yāo zú 。
林轩先是一呆，随后又露出几分恍然大悟般的了然，他一开始就有些奇怪，就算玄冰老祖已是强弩之末，就算他没有不灭之体这样传说中的体魄，然而别忘了，他是活了不知道多少万年的大能妖族。
Lin Xuan was initially stunned before understanding dawned. He had always been curious; even though Old Patriarch Xuan Bing was at his last breath, even without an immortal body as a legend said, he had lived for countless eons as a powerful demon race.
ér yāo zú xiū xiān ， yǔ rén lèi xiū shì bù tóng ， suī rán huà xíng yǐ hòu ， yě néng qū shǐ bǎo wù ， dàn yīn wèi tiān fù ， wú bù yǐ xiū liàn yāo tǐ wéi zhǔ 。
而妖族修仙，与人类修士不同，虽然化形以后，也能驱使宝物，但因为天赋，无不以修炼妖体为主。
Demon races cultivated differently from humans. Even after transforming into human form, they primarily focused on refining their demonic bodies due to their innate abilities.
xuán bīng lǎo zǔ néng gòu jìn jiē dào dù jié qī ， zhè shēn tǐ de qiáng hàn nà shì kě xiǎng ér zhī dì 。
玄冰老祖能够进阶到渡劫期，这身体的强悍那是可想而知地。
Old Patriarch Xuan Bing's ability to advance to the Transcendence stage demonstrated his body's incredible strength. Even if it wasn't an immortal body, logically, he should have some self-healing capability.
jiù suàn bú shì bù miè zhī tǐ ， àn lǐ ， shòu le shāng ， yě shì yǒu yí dìng de zì yù néng lì 。
就算不是不灭之体，按理，受了伤，也是有一定的自愈能力。
But after so much fighting, countless wounds were left on Jiewu, yet Lin Xuan did not see any of them healing. Initially, he thought Zhuang Hang's teeth and claws had venom that prevented the wounds from healing; now it seemed his guess was wrong. Keeping the wounds was clearly intentional by Old Patriarch Xuan Bing.
kě dòu le zhè me jiǔ ， chūn jī zài tā shēn shàng liú xià shāng hén wú shù ， lín xuān què bú jiàn yǒu yī tiáo shāng hén huī fù 。
可斗了这么久，椿机在它身上留下伤痕无数，林轩却不见有一条伤痕恢复。
Could this secret technique only be used when injured?
qǐ chū ， lín xuān hái yǐ wéi shì chūn háng de yá chǐ zhuǎ zi yǒu dú ， néng gòu ràng duì shǒu de shāng shì nán yǐ huī fù ， rú jīn kàn lái ， xiǎn rán shì zì jǐ cāi cuò ， bǎo liú shāng hén ， jū rán shì xuán bīng lǎo zǔ gù yì de 。
起初，林轩还以为是椿杭的牙齿爪子有毒，能够让对手的伤势难以恢复，如今看来，显然是自己猜错，保留伤痕，居然是玄冰老祖故意的。
Lin Xuan pondered privately but had no time to think much further. Taking advantage of Jiewu being tightly bound, Lin Xuan transformed into a streak of lightning and shot off towards the distance.
nán dào cǐ kè tā shī zhǎn de zhè zhǒng mì shù ， shì yào zài zì jǐ shòu shāng de qíng kuàng xià cái néng shǐ yòng me ？
难道此刻他施展的这种秘术，是要在自己受伤的情况下才能使用么？
However, with his previous experiences in mind, he did not dare use Illusory Escape or Nine Heavens Microstep. Facing such an opponent who could easily tear through space, using these divine techniques was too dangerous.
lín xuān àn zì chuǎi mó ， rán ér cǐ kè yǐ méi yǒu shí jiān ràng tā xiǎng tài duō ， chèn zhe chūn jī bèi jǐn jǐn chán zhù ， lín xuān huà wèi yī dào jīng hóng ， xiàng yuǎn chù fēi shè ér qù le 。
林轩暗自揣摩，然而此刻已没有时间让他想太多，趁着椿机被紧紧缠住，林轩化为一道惊虹，像远处飞射而去了。
This time, Jiewu did not stop; being tightly bound by those strange tentacles, even its massive size left it struggling to cope.
bù guò yǒu qián chē zhī jiàn zài nà lǐ bǎi zhe ， tā bìng bù gǎn shǐ yòng huàn yǐng dùn ， huò shì jiǔ tiān wēi bù ， miàn duì zhè zhǒng kě yǐ qīng yì pò suì xū kōng de duì shǒu ， yòng zhè liǎng zhǒng shén tōng wěi shí tài guò wēi xiǎn le 。
不过有前车之鉴在那里摆着，他并不敢使用幻影遁，或是九天微步，面对这种可以轻易破碎虚空的对手，用这两种神通委实太过危险了。
Lin Xuan's random teleportation talisman had been destroyed, so where could that little guy run?
zhè yī cì ， chūn jī bìng méi yǒu zǔ zhǐ ， bèi nà xiē guǐ yì de chù shǒu jǐn jǐn chán zhù ， jìng dà rú tā ， yě yǒu xiē zì gù bù xiá 。
这一次，椿机并没有阻止，被那些诡异的触手紧紧缠住，径大如他，也有些自顾不暇。
Jiewu's situation was somewhat unfavorable, but he showed no signs of panic. Ultimately, the opponent was just making a last-ditch effort; it couldn't change the outcome. His downfall was already sealed.
lín xiǎo zi de suí jī chuán sòng fú yǐ bèi tā huǐ qù ， pǎo ， nà xiǎo jiā huo yòu néng pǎo qù nǎ lǐ 。
林小子的随机传送符已被他毁去，跑，那小家伙又能跑去哪里。
However, this time, he underestimated his enemy.
chūn jī chǔ jìng suī rán yǒu xiē bù lì ， dàn liǎn shàng què méi yǒu fēn háo huāng zhāng zhī yì ， guī gēn jié dǐ ， duì fāng bù guò shì chuí sǐ zhēng zhá ér yǐ ， gǎi biàn bù liǎo dà jú ， tā de yǔn luò yǐ shì zhù dìng le dì 。
椿机处境虽然有些不利，但脸上却没有分毫慌张之意，归根结底，对方不过是垂死挣扎而已，改变不了大局，他的陨落已是注定了地。
Old Patriarch Xuan Bing had finally seized an opportunity; how could it be just a brief revival? This demon harbored a resolve to die.
rán ér zhè yī cì ， shì tā qīng dí 。
然而这一次，是他轻敌。
His death mattered little; at least he wouldn't let that guy have an easy time. If not for Jiewu showing up at the critical moment, he might have advanced to the middle stage of Transcendence.
xuán bīng lǎo zǔ hǎo bù róng yì zhuā zhù le shí jī ， qǐ huì shì jiǎn jiǎn dān dān de huí guāng fǎn zhào ér yǐ ， cǐ yāo yǐ xīn cún jué sǐ zhī yì 。
玄冰老祖好不容易抓住了时机，岂会是简简单单的回光返照而已，此妖已心存决死之意。
If not for his advancement being forcibly broken, leaving him severely injured, this monster before him would merely be a manifestation of Jiewu; how could he end up in such a miserable state?
zì jǐ yǔn luò yòu rú hé ， zhì shǎo yě bù néng ràng zhè jiā huo hǎo guò ， ruò bú shì chūn jī zài guān jiàn shí kè zhǎo shàng mén lái ， zì jǐ shuō bù dìng yǐ jìn jiē dào dù jié zhōng qī le 。
自己陨落又如何，至少也不能让这家伙好过，若不是椿机在关键时刻找上门来，自己说不定已进阶到渡劫中期了。
As thoughts raced through his mind, Old Patriarch Xuan Bing's sorrow and resentment deepened.
ruò fēi jìn jí bèi qiáng xíng dǎ pò ， ràng zì jǐ yuán qì dà shāng ， yǎn qián zhè guài wù ， bù guò shì chūn jī de yī jù fēn shēn ér yǐ ， zì jǐ yòu qǐ huì luò dào rú cǐ láng bèi de jìng dì ？
若非晋级被强行打破，让自己元气大伤，眼前这怪物，不过是椿机的一具分身而已，自己又岂会落到如此狼狈的境地？
Feeling the master's anger, the tentacles tightened even more. No matter how much Zhuang Hang struggled, the ice wolf ignored him, reciting ancient and obscure incantations from his mouth.
nǎo hǎi zhōng niàn tou zhuǎn guò ， xuán bīng lǎo zǔ yuè fā de bēi fèn le 。
脑海中念头转过，玄冰老祖越发的悲愤了。
The incantation was filled with a primal atmosphere; each syllable was incredibly profound, seemingly蕴含着天地法则的力量。
fǎng fú gǎn jué dào zhǔ rén de nù yì ， nà chù shǒu chán dé yuè fā de jǐn le ， rèn píng qiáo jī rú hé zhēng zhá ， bīng láng bù guǎn bù gù ， huì sè gǔ piáo de zhòu yǔ cóng tā zuǐ sì lǐ chuán chū 。
仿佛感觉到主人的怒意，那触手缠得越发的紧了，任凭桥机如何挣扎，冰狼不管不顾，晦涩古朴的咒语从他嘴巳里传出。
His surrounding demonic energy became wildly violent.
nà zhòu yǔ chōng mǎn le mán huāng de qì xī ， měi yí gè yīn jié ， dōu xuán miào wú bǐ ， fǎng fú yùn hán dé yǒu zhè tiān dì jiān de fǎ zé zhī lì 。
那咒语充满了蛮荒的气息，每一个音节，都玄妙无比，仿佛蕴含得有这天地间的法则之力。
Moreover, Old Patriarch Xuan Bing seemed to have transformed into a vortex. Within thousands... no, ten thousand miles around him, the primordial essence of heaven and earth rushed towards him at an astonishing speed.
ér tā shēn tǐ zhōu wéi de yāo qì ， zé biàn dé kuáng bào wú bǐ 。
而他身体周围的妖气，则变得狂暴无比。
Then he opened his mouth wide like a whale sucking in water, swallowing everything without leaving a drop inside.
bù jǐn rú cǐ ， xuán bīng lǎo zǔ fǎng fú biàn chéng le yí gè xuán wō ， fāng yuán shù qiān …… bù ， shì fāng yuán wàn lǐ de tiān dì yuán qì ， quán dōu yǐ lìng rén chēng mù jié shé de sù dù ， fēng yōng xiàng le zhè lǐ 。
不仅如此，玄冰老祖仿佛变成了一个漩涡，方圆数千……不，是方圆万里的天地元气，全都以令人瞠目结舌的速度，蜂拥像了这里。
Zhuang Hang's arrogant expression vanished; he finally appeared somewhat panicked.
rán hòu bèi tā dà kǒu yī zhāng ， rú zhǎng jīng xī shuǐ yì bān ， yī dī bù shèng de tūn rù le dǔ zi lǐ miàn 。
然后被他大口一张，如长鲸吸水一般，一滴不剩的吞入了肚子里面。
"This secret technique… are you insane? Do you really want to be completely annihilated?"
chūn jī bù kě yī shì biǎo qíng xiāo shī bú jiàn ， zhōng yú xiǎn de yǒu xiē huāng zhāng le qǐ lái 。
椿机不可一世表情消失不见，终于显得有些慌张了起来。
"Annihilating myself and you together is enough. What does it matter?"
“ zhè mì shù …… nǐ fēng le ， nán dào xiǎng yào shén xíng jù miè bù chéng me ？”
“这秘术……你疯了，难道想要神形俱灭不成么？”
Old Patriarch Xuan Bing's voice was filled with venom. At his level, ordinary mortals were even more afraid of death; after all, the Transcendence stage had an inconceivably long lifespan.
“ shén xíng jù miè yòu rú hé ， zhǐ yào néng tuō zhe nǐ péi wǒ yì qǐ xià yīn cáo dì fǔ 。”
“神形俱灭又如何，只要能拖着你陪我一起下阴曹地府。”
However, in this moment, his situation was slightly different.
xuán bīng lǎo zǔ de shēng yīn chōng mǎn le yuàn dú ， àn lǐ shuō ， shí lì dào le tā zhè ge děng jí ， nà shì bǐ pǔ tōng de fán rén gèng pà sǐ ， bì jìng dù jié qī ， shòu yuán yǐ zhǎng dé bù kě sī yì 。
玄冰老祖的声音充满了怨毒，按理说，实力到了他这个等级，那是比普通的凡人更怕死，毕竟渡劫期，寿元已长得不可思议。
This powerful demon race had been stuck at the early-stage bottleneck for a long time. After thousands of years of seclusion and cultivation, he finally broke through to the peak of the early-stage Transcendence, coincidentally obtaining a treasure and an ancient technique left by a cultivator.
rán ér cǐ shí cǐ kè ， tā de qíng xíng què shì lüè yǒu bù tóng 。
然而此时此刻，他的情形却是略有不同。
The secret technique was called Soul Burning, which involved expending over 90% of one's lifespan to break through the bottleneck. Using one's lifespan as a catalyst, it could unleash all potential, giving him a chance to transcend into the next realm.
zhè wèi yāo zú dà néng kǎ zài dù jié chū qī de píng jǐng yǐ jīng hǎo jiǔ ， jīng guò shù wàn nián bù wèn shì shì de kǔ xiū ， xiū wèi zhōng yú yǒu suǒ zēng zhǎng ， dá dào le dù jié chū qī de dǐng fēng ， ér zhè shí hòu ， jī yuán qiǎo hé ， tā yòu dé dào le yī jiàn bǎo wù yǔ yī gǔ xiū shì suǒ liú xià lái de mì shù 。
这位妖族大能卡在渡劫初期的瓶颈已经好久，经过数万年不问世事的苦修，修为终于有所增长，达到了渡劫初期的顶峰，而这时候，机缘巧合，他又得到了一件宝物与一古修士所留下来的秘术。
The benefits were obvious, but failure meant a tragic end.
cǐ mì shù míng wèi rán hún **， nǎi shì yǐ xiāo hào jiǔ chéng yǐ shàng de shòu yuán wèi dài jià ， chōng jī píng jǐng de yī zhǒng fāng fǎ 。
此秘术名为燃魂**，乃是以消耗九成以上的寿元为代价，冲击瓶颈的一种方法。
Because Soul Burning would consume more than 90% of his remaining lifespan.
yǐ shòu yuán zuò yǐn ， jī fā quán bù de qián lì ， zhè yàng yǒu jī huì jiāng píng jǐng chōng pò ， chéng wéi xià yí gè jìng jiè de xiū xiān zhě 。
以寿元做引，激发全部的潜力，这样有机会将瓶颈冲破，成为下一个境界的修仙者。
In the Spirit Realm, such powerful cultivators faced an Essence Transformation Tribulation when their lifespans ran out. If they could safely pass it, their lifespan would be significantly increased.
hǎo chù bú yòng shuō ， rán ér yí dàn shī bài ， xià chǎng yě shì fēi cháng bēi cǎn 。
好处不用说，然而一旦失败，下场也是非常悲惨。
The difficulty lay in the fact that Soul Burning required expending so much lifespan; generally, one had to use it soon after passing the Essence Transformation Tribulation because only then would there be sufficient remaining lifespan to drive this technique.
yīn wèi cǐ mì shù yī xià zi jiù huì xiāo hào shǐ yòng zhě jiǔ chéng yǐ shàng de shòu yuán 。
因为此秘术一下子就会消耗使用者九成以上的寿元。
If not enough lifespan was left, one couldn't activate Soul Burning.
ér zài líng jiè ， xiàng tā zhè yàng de dà néng xiū xiān zhě ， yí dàn shòu yuán hào jìn ， jiāng yíng lái yuán qì zhī jié ， rú guǒ néng gòu píng ān dù guò ， shòu yuán jiāng bèi zēng xǔ duō 。
而在灵界，像他这样的大能修仙者，一旦寿元耗尽，将迎来元气之劫，如果能够平安度过，寿元将倍增许多。
If so, the cultivator faced significant risks. Success was fine since his enhanced strength could naturally help him pass the next Essence Transformation Tribulation safely, making the hazards of Soul Burning vanish entirely.
ér nán diǎn yě jiù zài zhè lǐ le 。
而难点也就在这里了。
However, failure meant certain death because tribulations became increasingly severe with each passing stage. Having just passed one, facing another immediately afterward made it highly unlikely to survive.
yīn wèi rán hún ** xū yào xiāo hào de shòu yuán tài duō ， yì bān lái shuō ， dé zài dù guò yuán qì zhī jié hòu bù jiǔ ， jiù lì kè shǐ yòng ， yīn wèi zhǐ yǒu zhè yàng ， cái huì yǒu chōng zú de shòu yuán jiāng cǐ mì shù qū dòng 。
因为燃魂**需要消耗的寿元太多，一般来说，得在度过元气之劫后不久，就立刻使用，因为只有这样，才会有充足的寿元将此秘术驱动。
But that didn't matter; in the world of cultivation, danger and opportunity coexisted. Wanting only benefits without taking any risks was impossible.
rú guǒ shòu yuán bù duō ， shì bù néng cuī shǐ rán hún ** de 。
如果寿元不多，是不能催使燃魂**的。
Fate did not offer freebies; good fortune and misfortune were inherently intertwined. As a Transcendence-stage demon race, Old Patriarch Xuan Bing understood this simple truth clearly.
Old Patriarch Xuan Bing's eyes were filled with sorrow and resentment. The howling sound was indeed extremely mournful.
At the same time, a burst of cold air came out from his mouth.
The surrounding temperature suddenly dropped significantly. The coldness was so intense that it seemed to freeze even space within a thousand feet around him. Even Zhuang Hang, who was powerful like a pillar of the earth, found his movements slowed down considerably.
"Hmph, freezing everything for a thousand miles; indeed impressive power. It's rare that you can instantly release such an ability. This divine technique is said to be able to freeze anything when fully mastered, but what good does it do? Do you really think your meager innate five-element spells can freeze this true form of mine?"
Zhuang Hang's mocking voice entered Lin Xuan's ears, filled with viciousness. Following that, he opened his blood-red maw and belched out a raging demonic flame.
Water could counteract fire, and similarly, extreme cold could be countered by flames.
The coldness paused for a moment, indeed becoming much weaker. The flame Zhuang Hang expelled was not ordinary demonic fire.
However, the ice wolf showed no signs of panic; it seemed to have anticipated this scene from the start. It raised its head high, exuding an air of arrogance.
What followed next left Lin Xuan wide-eyed in shock, almost thinking he had seen a mistake.
From the wounds on the ice wolf's body, countless tentacles grew out, resembling snakes and wrapping around Jiewu.
"This..."
Lin Xuan was initially stunned before understanding dawned. He had always been curious; even though Old Patriarch Xuan Bing was at his last breath, even without an immortal body as a legend said, he had lived for countless eons as a powerful demon race.
Demon races cultivated differently from humans. Even after transforming into human form, they primarily focused on refining their demonic bodies due to their innate abilities.
Old Patriarch Xuan Bing's ability to advance to the Transcendence stage demonstrated his body's incredible strength. Even if it wasn't an immortal body, logically, he should have some self-healing capability.
But after so much fighting, countless wounds were left on Jiewu, yet Lin Xuan did not see any of them healing. Initially, he thought Zhuang Hang's teeth and claws had venom that prevented the wounds from healing; now it seemed his guess was wrong. Keeping the wounds was clearly intentional by Old Patriarch Xuan Bing.
Could this secret technique only be used when injured?
Lin Xuan pondered privately but had no time to think much further. Taking advantage of Jiewu being tightly bound, Lin Xuan transformed into a streak of lightning and shot off towards the distance.
However, with his previous experiences in mind, he did not dare use Illusory Escape or Nine Heavens Microstep. Facing such an opponent who could easily tear through space, using these divine techniques was too dangerous.
This time, Jiewu did not stop; being tightly bound by those strange tentacles, even its massive size left it struggling to cope.
Lin Xuan's random teleportation talisman had been destroyed, so where could that little guy run?
Jiewu's situation was somewhat unfavorable, but he showed no signs of panic. Ultimately, the opponent was just making a last-ditch effort; it couldn't change the outcome. His downfall was already sealed.
However, this time, he underestimated his enemy.
Old Patriarch Xuan Bing had finally seized an opportunity; how could it be just a brief revival? This demon harbored a resolve to die.
His death mattered little; at least he wouldn't let that guy have an easy time. If not for Jiewu showing up at the critical moment, he might have advanced to the middle stage of Transcendence.
If not for his advancement being forcibly broken, leaving him severely injured, this monster before him would merely be a manifestation of Jiewu; how could he end up in such a miserable state?
As thoughts raced through his mind, Old Patriarch Xuan Bing's sorrow and resentment deepened.
Feeling the master's anger, the tentacles tightened even more. No matter how much Zhuang Hang struggled, the ice wolf ignored him, reciting ancient and obscure incantations from his mouth.
The incantation was filled with a primal atmosphere; each syllable was incredibly profound, seemingly蕴含着天地法则的力量。
His surrounding demonic energy became wildly violent.
Moreover, Old Patriarch Xuan Bing seemed to have transformed into a vortex. Within thousands... no, ten thousand miles around him, the primordial essence of heaven and earth rushed towards him at an astonishing speed.
Then he opened his mouth wide like a whale sucking in water, swallowing everything without leaving a drop inside.
Zhuang Hang's arrogant expression vanished; he finally appeared somewhat panicked.
"This secret technique… are you insane? Do you really want to be completely annihilated?"
"Annihilating myself and you together is enough. What does it matter?"
Old Patriarch Xuan Bing's voice was filled with venom. At his level, ordinary mortals were even more afraid of death; after all, the Transcendence stage had an inconceivably long lifespan.
However, in this moment, his situation was slightly different.
This powerful demon race had been stuck at the early-stage bottleneck for a long time. After thousands of years of seclusion and cultivation, he finally broke through to the peak of the early-stage Transcendence, coincidentally obtaining a treasure and an ancient technique left by a cultivator.
The secret technique was called Soul Burning, which involved expending over 90% of one's lifespan to break through the bottleneck. Using one's lifespan as a catalyst, it could unleash all potential, giving him a chance to transcend into the next realm.
The benefits were obvious, but failure meant a tragic end.
Because Soul Burning would consume more than 90% of his remaining lifespan.
In the Spirit Realm, such powerful cultivators faced an Essence Transformation Tribulation when their lifespans ran out. If they could safely pass it, their lifespan would be significantly increased.
The difficulty lay in the fact that Soul Burning required expending so much lifespan; generally, one had to use it soon after passing the Essence Transformation Tribulation because only then would there be sufficient remaining lifespan to drive this technique.
If not enough lifespan was left, one couldn't activate Soul Burning.
If so, the cultivator faced significant risks. Success was fine since his enhanced strength could naturally help him pass the next Essence Transformation Tribulation safely, making the hazards of Soul Burning vanish entirely.
However, failure meant certain death because tribulations became increasingly severe with each passing stage. Having just passed one, facing another immediately afterward made it highly unlikely to survive.
But that didn't matter; in the world of cultivation, danger and opportunity coexisted. Wanting only benefits without taking any risks was impossible.
Fate did not offer freebies; good fortune and misfortune were inherently intertwined. As a Transcendence-stage demon race, Old Patriarch Xuan Bing understood this simple truth clearly.