Chapter 542: Aurora Starfall Talisman

The eighth color flared, instantly merging with and devouring the preceding seven, before transforming into a dark, deep grayish-green hue that spread out towards the sky and in all directions.

To the astonishment of Chen Mobai and the others, the treasure tree impaled in Huakaiyuanzhu's chest suddenly seemed to age thousands of years, abruptly growing into a massive tree with withered branches but bursting with vibrant, multi-colored flowers.

As the treasure tree expanded, its roots, like tentacles, individually wrapped and enveloped Huakaiyuanzhu's body, which had its eyes closed and hands in a seal, covering and protecting her layer by layer. Subsequently, a blue-green flower fell from the treasure tree, accompanied by a sky full of spiritual light, and transformed into a blue-skinned Huakaiyuanzhu clone, appearing before Chen Mobai and the two others.

But this was not the end. At the same time, three more flowers of different colors fell.

Subsequently, four Huakaiyuanzhu clones, identical in appearance and build but with different skin colors, stood in the four cardinal directions around the treasure tree.

"To be able to make me unleash this technique to grant you death, you can consider yourselves fortunate indeed."

The four Huakaiyuanzhu clones spoke simultaneously. Then, except for the initial blue-skinned one, the other three—yellow, orange, and blue-skinned—each shimmered with an eerie spiritual light and charged towards Chen Mobai and his companions.

Amidst the clash of metal, Gongsun Jielü was the first to meet them, her Sword Qi now fully unleashed.

Black sword marks coiled and revived from her right hand, transforming into a dark, evil dragon. As it charged, its maw opened, suddenly extending 180 degrees, and directly bit off the head of the yellow-skinned Huakaiyuanzhu clone blocking her path.

Candlelight flickered in Gongsun Jielü's eyes; she had activated her spiritual eye technique, catching a glimpse of Huakaiyuanzhu's true body, tightly enveloped and protected deep within the treasure tree's roots. Her right hand’s fingers joined into a sword, her Sword Qi fully revived, making it seem as if half her body had transformed into a dark, evil dragon. After bypassing the bewildered blue-skinned Huakaiyuanzhu clone, she charged directly towards the treasure tree.

With a whooshing sound, withered yellow vines appeared out of thin air, forming a net-like barrier in mid-air, ensnaring the dark, evil dragon that Gongsun Jielü had become.

"Mere obstacles..." Gongsun Jielü sharply swung her hand, and the dark sword light, like a dragon, resembling a dark crescent moon, sliced the myriad vines in two.

After parting the vines, the sword light continued to hurtle towards the treasure tree. But at that moment, Gongsun Jielü suddenly felt a numbness in her right hand. Frowning, she disregarded it and, maintaining her dragon form, rushed towards the treasure tree.

Immediately after, a dull yellow, withered light appeared on one side of Gongsun Jielü's body. A tender shoot emerged from her shoulder and, in the blink of an eye, blossomed into a small yellow flower. Gongsun Jielü's pupils suddenly widened. She raised her left hand and, without hesitation, severed the small yellow flower that had grown on her right shoulder, along with the surrounding flesh.

Amidst the splashing blood, that small yellow flower suddenly transformed into the head of the yellow-skinned Huakaiyuanzhu clone she had previously devoured with her Sword Qi. With a sinister grin, the yellow-skinned Huakaiyuanzhu clone opened its mouth and spat out a flying petal at Gongsun Jielü. Not far away, the blue-skinned Huakaiyuanzhu clone, previously bypassed by the Sword Qi, also flew over. Its hands and arms suddenly turned into vines, like four long whips, covered in sharp barbs and glinting coldly, striking towards Gongsun Jielü's back.

Amidst the clang of impact! From Gongsun Jielü's back, sword-like streaks of dark light abruptly shot forth, instantaneously forming a wing-like sword shield that blocked the vine whips. However, the immense impact propelled her closer to the flying head and petal in front of her. But this was also her intention. Riding on this momentum, Gongsun Jielü spread the five fingers of her right hand. A chilling sword tip, woven from six different shades of black and gray, suddenly pierced through the flesh of her palm and shot out. As it shattered the flying petal, it also pierced the forehead of the newly regenerated head.

With a *bang*! The Huakaiyuanzhu clone, just about to regenerate, found a terrifyingly potent sword intent surging into the spiritual sea of its floral clone, subsequently shattering into scattered petals that filled the sky. After obliterating the head, the Six Imperial Sword Qi in Gongsun Jielü's palm suddenly retracted and vanished, extending along the meridians of her arm to the black sword wings on her back. Then, with a gentle sweep of her sword wings, she crushed the blue-skinned floral clone behind her, which had been attempting to escape, into a shower of fragments.

"She's using these clone techniques to stall us so her true body can connect with the Jasper Phoenix Tree in Danxia City! We can't give her time!" Having decided on a swift resolution, Gongsun Jielü, after dealing with her floral clones, didn't spare a glance for Chen Mobai or Lan Haitian. She immediately transformed into a dragon again and roared, sweeping towards Huakaiyuanzhu's true body at the base of the treasure tree.

In that instant, Gongsun Jielü had already evolved her Six Imperial Sword Qi into its most powerful sword array. Six evil dragons, each of a different shade of black, emerged from her entire body. They simultaneously opened their mouths and roared in mid-air. Six incredibly pure beams of sword light surged forth from the dragons' mouths. Centering on Gongsun Jielü's right palm, they converged into a profound, night-like sword intent that seemed capable of engulfing all light.

Amidst a thunderous roar! Gongsun Jielü's Six Imperial Sword Qi Array slammed into the treasure tree. Its withered branches began to vibrate violently, and a deep fissure cracked open. Vaguely, Huakaiyuanzhu's true body could be seen deep within the crack, and even faint trickles of blood emerged along the fissure.

Evidently, Huakaiyuanzhu's true body, protected at its core, had been wounded! Seeing this, Gongsun Jielü felt greatly invigorated and was about to unleash her sword array again when a sensation of complete bodily paralysis suddenly surged through her. She widened her eyes and looked down in disbelief. Unbeknownst to her, tender shoots had sprouted all over her body, and then small yellow flowers blossomed. Each small yellow flower transformed into Huakaiyuanzhu's face, bearing a cold expression, and in an instant, fully bloomed, starting from the back of her right hand and engulfing Gongsun Jielü's entire body. Subsequently, a yellow flower cocoon appeared in mid-air.

A withered branch extended from the treasure tree, piercing into the flower cocoon like a blood-draining tube, drawing strands of vibrant red from within the cocoon and injecting them into Huakaiyuanzhu's body, deep within the treasure tree.

"Oh no, this fellow was ambushed." Upon seeing Gongsun Jielü sealed and transformed into a flower cocoon, Chen Mobai couldn't help but frown slightly. Their mission was merely to stall Huakaiyuanzhu.

Therefore, facing the floral clone charging at him, he simply activated the Six-Yang Divine Fire Mirror's defensive capabilities to their fullest. Golden Xuan-Yang divine light, guided by his divine sense, blocked the various water-based techniques—water swords, water blades, water crossbows—that shot from all directions. The floral clones dispatched by Huakaiyuanzhu had evidently been carefully considered. The blue-skinned floral clone assigned to Chen Mobai could control water-attributed spiritual energy. Had the vast oceanic environment of the Northern Dark Realm not still been under the control of Immortal Shui Xian, preventing Huakaiyuanzhu from drawing even a sliver of water essence, Chen Mobai might not have been able to handle it so easily with the Six-Yang Divine Fire Mirror.

In contrast, Lan Haitian's approach lay between Chen Mobai's and Gongsun Jielü's: advancing step by step towards the treasure tree while maintaining a steady defense. Loud *bang* *bang* *bang* explosions echoed nearby. The orange floral clone seemed to control both earth and fire-attributed essence. Each petal it launched was a divine thunder bomb, which, after being repelled by a magnetic field, struck the ocean surface, raising colossal tidal shockwaves. Lan Haitian, controlling his Star Gathering Stone, had already activated the Yin-Yang Primordial Magnetic Force of the Six Imperial Scripture. Strands of starlight transformed into a magnetic field, merging with his domain to form an unbreakable barrier, fending off the orange-skinned Huakaiyuanzhu's attacks as he slowly but steadily advanced towards the treasure tree.

"This guy, how can he transform his domain into a true field at this level? Is it a characteristic of the Six Imperial Scripture, or because he unlocked his domain during the Foundation Establishment stage?" Chen Mobai wondered, observing Lan Haitian's method of fighting the orange-skinned Huakaiyuanzhu.

"Brother Chen, Deputy Head Gongsun is in danger now. I will activate a Tier 4 Starfall Aurora Talisman. This talisman will target Huakaiyuanzhu's true body within the treasure tree. When the time comes, please help rescue Deputy Head Gongsun." Lan Haitian's telepathic message suddenly sounded in Chen Mobai's ear. Both of them had witnessed Gongsun Jielü's predicament, and as members of the Immortal Sect, they naturally would help if they could.

"Leave it to me!" Chen Mobai, still an upright disciple of the Immortal Sect at heart, did not hesitate after hearing this. He reached out and clenched his hand in the void, and a long-handled sword imbued with radiant purple light materialized, descending from thin air. Accompanied by a sizzling sound, an Overlord Sword Intent erupted violently, centering on him!

"This is... Human-Sword Unity, Sword Heart Enlightenment!" Lan Haitian's eyes widened at the sight. "The Tier 4 top-grade Purple Lightning Sword completely subservient to Chen Mobai, who had just formed his Golden Core? This person's talent in the way of the sword is truly rare in the world. Among those at the same cultivation level, only Old Ancestor Baiguang could compare to him. Truly worthy of someone destined for Soul Transformation!" Lan Haitian, who had been quite worried, felt his confidence surge after witnessing the power emanating from Chen Mobai and the Purple Lightning Sword.

He no longer hesitated and took out the Starfall Aurora Talisman, which he had specifically applied for this mission! Every Tier 4 talisman, both its creation and usage, must be registered with the Immortal Sect. However, due to the special nature of their missions, the Heaven-Mending Group's Tier 4 talismans are specifically designed for combat and killing enemies. The power of this Starfall Aurora Talisman was immense, capable of turning half of Danxia City into ruins. From his domain, Lan Haitian withdrew a talisman with a black paper base, silver thread patterns, about an forearm's length and five fingers wide.

The moment spiritual energy was injected, three lines of password locks suddenly flashed on the talisman paper. "Spiritual energy verification passed! Divine sense verification passed! Please enter the activation password!" A light gleamed in Lan Haitian's right eye, and as he entered the password, blocks were unlocked one by one! After all three activation passwords for the talisman were verified, this Tier 4 talisman immediately transformed into a pale silver-blue curtain of light, stretching across the sky and ocean of the Northern Dark Realm. In an instant, the light curtain condensed into a brilliant streak of starlight, like a piece of the starry sky falling, heavily descending upon the treasure tree.

Seemingly sensing danger, dozens of flowers on the treasure tree's withered branches all blossomed at that moment, forming a sea of flowers, attempting to prop up the descending Starfall Aurora! The two Tier 4 forces clashed, and the sea of flowers violently exploded. The Starfall Aurora crashed onto the treasure tree! Amidst a *crack*! The treasure tree's withered branches snapped one by one, then broke off from the middle, revealing Huakaiyuanzhu's true body at its deepest core. At this critical juncture of life and death, she could only open her eyes. Amidst the extremely cold glint, the void in her palm suddenly opened, and vaguely, the scene of the Danxia Mountain Range outside the realm could be seen. After the Jasper Phoenix Tree received her summons, an arm-thick branch suddenly extended through this void fissure, reaching in and colliding with the descending Starfall Aurora.

Meanwhile, Chen Mobai had already, before this, swung his sword and severed the branch connecting the flower cocoon to the treasure tree. He wanted to break the seal, but recalling the sight of Gongsun Jielü covered in yellow flowers, he refrained from touching the yellow flowers himself, lest he suffer the same fate.

Boom! Just then, the earth-shattering collision of the two forces fully erupted. Chen Mobai immediately activated the Six-Yang Divine Fire Mirror, transforming it into a hemispherical light shield, shielding himself and the flower cocoon. A familiar figure flew backward. It was Lan Haitian. He seemed to have severely depleted his primordial energy in order to activate the Tier 4 talisman; his face was as pale as gold leaf, and he was extremely weak. Chen Mobai immediately reached out and pulled him inside the Six-Yang Divine Fire Mirror's protection.

"Hold on for another half a minute, Pavilion Master Shen Yu has only one breath left!" Immortal Shui Xian's voice suddenly rang in their ears. At that moment, Huakaiyuanzhu also stood up from the crack at the base of the treasure tree, covered in blood. She had briefly activated some of her past life's power, believing that taking down three mere Golden Core cultivators would be effortless. However, she hadn't anticipated that her defenses would be successively breached by Gongsun Jielü's Sword Qi and Lan Haitian's Tier 4 talisman. Had she not communicated with the Jasper Phoenix Tree at the critical moment, she would have been severely wounded, if not killed, by the Starfall Aurora. But ultimately, she had endured!

Huakaiyuanzhu felt the void fissure beside her widening and her connection with the Jasper Phoenix Tree in the Danxia Mountain Range growing stronger, a look of pleasant surprise appearing at the corner of her mouth. "I hope Pavilion Master Shen Yu can use that avatar to buy me another half a minute!" After connecting with the Jasper Phoenix Tree, Huakaiyuanzhu intended to first detonate Danxia Mountain's fire veins, which would allow her to completely break through the Northern Dark Realm. Once Danxia Mountain's fire veins were detonated, the spiritual energy supplied to this blessed land city would gradually weaken. Besides the spiritual veins dropping in grade, it could even trigger crustal shifts, causing a major earthquake! Even the Jasper Phoenix Tree might fall in grade over long periods due to insufficient spiritual energy. However, this was no longer important to Huakaiyuanzhu. Because once she got out, she would immediately perform a forbidden technique, using the immense spiritual energy that would burst forth from the detonated spiritual veins to forcibly catalyze the Jasper Phoenix Tree's advancement. Subsequently, the entire spiritual veins of Danxia City and this Tier 4 top-grade spiritual plant would transform into a Tier 5 Nine-Colored Immortal Flower, ready for her to pluck!