But at that moment, the silver arc on the giant turtle's surface suddenly surged, and its upper and lower claws pressed firmly together, forcibly tearing the flaming rope apart amidst the roar. With a sudden motion, the blade of lightning surged downward. Wan Hua's heart stirred with alarm. With a swift hand gesture, she opened her celestial crown at the top of her head, and a green wooden shield shot forth. At the same time, the black giant lion behind her roared upward, spewing out a beam of black light. A tremendous crash echoed as the turtle's blade struck the shield—first rebounding, then pierced through by the black beam, and finally dissipating into scattered fragments. Yet Wan Hua showed no sign of joy; instead, her expression grew even more serious. She shook her sleeves, and a sharp rushing sound filled the air, launching a dense stream of black flying needles that swiftly spread out, forming a swirling black energy array throughout the surrounding space. Just as the golden giant crab delivered a single blow of such formidable power, how could she fail to regard it as a formidable opponent, letting go of the ice essence maiden in the meantime? Clearing Peace Monks, witnessing all this, was naturally both astonished and indignant—never having expected that a matter he had deemed certain to succeed would suddenly be interrupted by someone else. However, having just witnessed the terrifying force of the golden crab’s attack, he knew at once that the assistance of Lady Wanhua would be impossible in the short term. With a determined resolve, he shook his fan once more, sending out a denser stream of silvery threads than before, each one hissing with a sharp "shhh" as it surged toward the opponent. At the same time, he raised his hand, and a mirror of a pale green hue took off from his grasp, transforming into a sphere of bright green light. The mirror swayed slightly, and then a pattern of black and white ba-gua symbols emerged within it. After a brief flicker, it suddenly appeared, hovering directly above the ice essence maiden. A thunderous roar erupted, and suddenly, slender wooden spears several inches long shot forth from the black-and-white bagua pattern. As the wind blew, they swelled and transformed into towering wooden pales several zhang long, their bodies shimmering with green script, rushing downward and crashing into the icy dome with great force. Clearly, the Taoist had noticed that the Ice Spirit Princess had only recently attained the stage of great attainment; even with his single strength, he believed he had a strong chance of capturing her. Thus, he launched his attack with such overwhelming power. Under the combined impact of the flowing silk strands and the massive wooden pales, the previously unyielding ice dome soon began to falter. It flashed erratically amid the thunderous crashes, and finally, after several sharp cracks, a series of delicate white fissures appeared on its surface. Seeing this, the Ice Spirit within the luminous dome did not show much alarm. Instead, she took a deep breath, settled into a meditative posture, pressed her palms together in a series of gestures, and a shimmering crystal light suddenly emerged from her forehead. It spun and condensed, then transformed into a magnificent, snow-white giant turtle phantom, measuring one zhang in height. This turtle bears countless shimmering ice spines upon its back, exuding an extraordinary cold aura. As soon as it appears, it opens its mouth and spews out thick, misty waves of cold breath, which vanish silently into the ice dome. The originally dim ice dome instantly brightens with a surge of cold light, and the fresh cracks that had just appeared on its surface swiftly close and heal. Under the assault, the entire dome regains its original strength and stability. Upon clearly observing the ice turtle, Qingping Daoist's face instantly falls, and he gasps in astonishment. Yet after a brief thought, he swiftly begins to chant incantations with both hands, and upon uttering the word "Ji" from his mouth, a surge of霞 light rolls behind him—there, a towering, ethereal image of a Daoist materializes in mid-air. This ethereal figure wears a robe adorned with black-and-white Taiji patterns, which become clearly visible as soon as he appears. Innumerable specks of starlight surged from all directions, converging wildly and pouring into the ethereal figure, causing its body to swell instantly by more than ten times, expanding to a height of over a hundred zhang. Qingping Daoist, his face growing serious, murmured a low command, and with a sudden surge of his hand seals, the towering figure behind him instantly cupped his hands and then swept them outward. Dense streams of white lightning instantly emerged, trembling and then roaring forward, pressing relentlessly against the opposing figure. The Ice Spirit within the ice dome reacted, his expression shifting to concern, and with a sudden draw of inner qi, the volume of his tortoise-shaped head expanded several times over, and the streams of cold vapor it emitted grew significantly thicker. Amid the combined pressure of the ice, the silk strands, the wooden stakes, and the blazing lightning, the ice dome managed to hold on, albeit barely. Qingping Daoist watched this, silently cursing beneath his breath. He only then realized that though his opponent's cultivation level was not profound, his mastery of the ice-based techniques was indeed remarkable. Under the defensive-only situation, it would likely be difficult for him to secure a quick victory. With no choice, he resolved to intensify his attacks, rapidly channeling three of his techniques and relentlessly pressing against the ice shield, hoping to deplete his opponent's spiritual energy as quickly as possible before launching a decisive counteroffensive. As for the golden giant crab and the Lady of a Hundred Flowers nearby—one encircled by shimmering silver arcs, the other enveloped in surging black mist—they were clearly engaged in a fierce struggle, neither likely to reach a decisive outcome within the near term. As for Han Li, after a series of initial exchanges, both parties finally began to deploy their true power—truly putting their might into play. Upon seeing that mere punches from Xiao Ming, now manifesting as the nine-eyed blood toad, could not make an impact, the giant ape's eyes flashed with cold light. Then, a flash of golden light erupted from its back, revealing a three-headed, six-armed form. As the entire body stabilized with a surge of spiritual radiance, it transformed into a golden, sacred form of the Buddha with six closed eyes—three faces, identical to Han Li’s, each bearing a distinct expression. With a long roar, the giant ape raised one hand and struck its head. As the cranial dome opened, a surge of black energy shot forth and, upon unfurling, vanished into the golden form. At that moment, the golden Buddha form shivered, and as all six eyes opened simultaneously, the body trembled and then dissolved completely, leaving no trace. At that very moment, a ripple of energy surged above the Nine-Eye Blood Toad, and suddenly, a Buddha-form of golden radiance, towering over ten zhang, materialized in an eerie fashion. With a mere gesture of its six hands, each palm instantly manifested a massive golden blade, three or four zhang long. After a swift motion, countless blades erupted with a surge of cold, brilliant light. Then, with a rapid swirl, the blades coalesced into a vast, golden gale that surged straight downward. The blood-toad seized the opportunity, swelling its abdomen and opening its mouth wide, launching a luminous, jade-green orb—diameter of a thousand paces, threaded with countless blood veins—directly at the hurricane that followed. A thunderous roar erupted. As the blood veins interwove with golden light, the golden hurricane shattered, revealing the inner form of the Buddha Saint. Upon closer inspection, the Buddha Saint’s golden body now held half of its golden blades shattered, and a colossal wound had formed on its chest—yet no blood or flesh was visible. Instead, golden light gathered in clusters, rapidly healing the wound, while the vanished blades flickered and reformed instantly. Just as the Buddha Saint regained its original form, its six eyes flashed with cold brilliance, and it swiftly plunged six golden blades downward in a renewed assault. Unwilling to continue the direct confrontation, the nine-eyed blood-toad suddenly shrunk to just a fraction of its original size, simultaneously expelling dense plumes of blood mist from its back, which swirled into a misty sea, fully concealing its form. The Buddha-Saint Golden Form, seeing this, showed no intention of retreating. With a thunderous roar, it surged forward, transforming into a gust of wind and plunging deep into the blood-hued mist. A short while later, the interior erupted in loud, resonant explosions, as if the two had engaged in an exceptionally fierce struggle. The giant ape formed by Han Li, observing this, flashed a cold smile in its eyes. With a simple arm motion, it extended a large, furry hand, ready to reach out toward the blood mist. Yet, at the very next instant, the ape's expression suddenly changed without any prior sign—its head twisted abruptly by a full 180 degrees in a most strange manner. After extending the hand, it clenched its five fingers into a fist and suddenly slammed it forcefully into the void behind. At the same moment, a ripple of movement surged from the ape's back, revealing a faint gray silhouette. A large, hand-shaped, iron-hook-like hand shot forth from the gray form and grasped the ape's back. A series of "shhh" sounds emerged as the tips of the green hand emitted a distinct, pungent, savory odor. However, this The large azure hand, struck directly, instantly radiated a wave of golden energy that spread out in a ripple. The faint gray figure, unprepared, was thrown off balance by the shock, yet without knowing what secret technique had been activated, twisted mid-air and surged forward again at an angle that seemed utterly impossible. The giant ape roared, fully turning its body, and as its two arms moved, unleashed a cascade of golden fist-images that transformed the surrounding void into a whirlwind of golden gusts. Yet the gray figure remained light as a feather, as if weightless throughout, repeatedly being knocked back by the fist-images without sustaining a single injury. Instead, it danced fluidly in the vicinity of the giant ape, ever-present and persistent, like a shadow that would not leave. After delivering hundreds of powerful blows without being able to make an impact on the gray figure, the giant ape snarled and burst out laughing: "Your technique is indeed intriguing—it manages to deflect ten out of every ten attacks. But I wonder whether you'll still be able to remain so composed after taking a single slash from me." As soon as he finished speaking, he retracted his fist and with a single finger, drew a clear, misty blade of light through the air, slicing straight across the drifting gray figure. The giant ape's pupils slightly contracted as he swiftly glanced over the battlefield near the Huaxi immortals' maiden. This time, he observed clearly: besides the young woman still driving her circular barrier to withstand the immense pressure of the mountain, within the fiery sea being pressed down by another mountain, the golden fire-being remained in place, continuously launching countless golden fire balls from both hands, targeting the second peak above his head.