Chapter 42- Splitting the Sky

Juanxiu quickly took out a talisman from his pocket and activated it with a swift flick of his wrist. The room was bathed in a bright light and a deafening roar as the talisman released its power, freezing everything in its path.

The insects that were closing in on them were frozen in mid-air, their movement halted by the sudden drop in temperature. Guo Yingjie and Liao Zhengshong were taken aback as they watched in shock as the chemical reaction that was releasing toxic fumes from the crushed gems was also halted by the freezing effect of the talisman.

Alchemist Lai Xiaoli quickly acted, infusing his Qi into a small seed that he had been holding. He punched the tiles of the grand ballroom with a powerful fist, revealing the soil beneath. He quickly buried the seed and with a blink of an eye, giant roots sprouted from the ground, aggressively attacking the people wearing dark robes. The battle had begun.

With a fierce determination, Alchemist Li unsheathed a small bell from his robes. It glimmered in the light, a symbol of the powerful Qi coursing through it. Du Hong and Li Jing stood by his side, ready to support him in their battle against the powerful Mineral Alchemist, Liao Zhengshong.

Liao Zhengshong sneered, a bottle of gourd in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, the bottle opened and an onslaught of minerals flooded out, creating a massive wave that threatened to sweep them all away.

But Alchemist Li was not one to be underestimated. He infused his Qi into the bell, causing it to grow to an enormous size. With a fierce cry, he brought the bell crashing down, trapping the wave and halting its advance.

The fight was intense, with both sides using every ounce of their strength and skill. The battle was a dance of Qi and elements, with each side trying to gain the upper hand. The tension was palpable, and the onlookers held their breath as they watched the powerful alchemists clash in an epic showdown.

On the otherside, Guo Yingjie made a strange noise that Tian Bingwen immediately recognized as a call for reinforcement from certain types of insects. With this realization, Mao Wenlin and the rest knew they were in for a tough battle. They quickly sprang into action, using their own unique skills and artifacts to combat the incoming horde of insects.

Mao Wenlin and Alchemist Zhou exchanged a glance, nodding in unison as they prepared to face off against Alchemist Guo Yingjie.

"You won't get away with this, Guo Yingjie," shouted Mao Wenlin as he brandished his fan, the intricate engravings on its surface glowing with a fierce energy.

"Don't be so sure, Mao Wenlin," sneered Guo Yingjie, his body contorting and writhing as thousands of insects crawled out from his flesh. "I have the power of the insects on my side, and I will not be defeated so easily."

With a fierce battle cry, Mao Wenlin lunged forward, his fan slicing through the air as he shredded the insects that swarmed towards him. Alchemist Zhou, meanwhile, summoned his flute artifact, the mystical instrument emitting a powerful, discordant note that aimed to subdue the strange noise emanating from Guo Yingjie.

But Guo Yingjie was not so easily defeated. He let out a spiteful laugh as he unleashed a wave of insects that flew towards them, the insects relentlessly attacking them, biting and scratching.

Alchemist Tian Bingwen, who had been waiting for the right moment to strike, stepped forward, a transparent sphere clutched in his hand. "This is the end for you, Guo Yingjie," he shouted, infusing his Qi into the circle. Dark clouds began to gather overhead, and soon a torrential downpour began to pour down upon them.

The sound of the rain was like music to the ears of Alchemist Zhou, who skillfully played his flute, the melody matching the tempo of the pattering rain. Mao Wenlin, too, joined in, using the sound of the wind produced by his fan to add to the cacophony of musical instruments.

Together, their sounds drowned out everything in the area, the vibrations from the sound assaulting Guo Yingjie with all their might. This is a combined technique knowns as the Rhapsody of the Grim Reaper.

Alchemist Zhou let out a chuckle as he played his flute, the notes perfectly synced with the sound of the rain. "Ah, do you remember the days when we first developed this technique? The Rhapsody of the Grim Reaper." He said, looking at Mao Wenlin and Tian Bingwen.

Mao Wenlin grinned, the wind from his fan blowing away the insects that were still crawling towards them. "Of course I do, it was a time when we were all still brash and reckless."

Tian Bingwen nodded, his transparent circle now filled with dark clouds. "But it was also a time when we were at our most powerful. The Rhapsody of the Grim Reaper was our greatest accomplishment."

As they spoke, Guo Yingjie let out a screech, the sound grating on their ears. But the three of them were unfazed, their own sound technique overwhelming his.

"I never thought we would have to use it again in battle," Alchemist Zhou said, his fingers moving skillfully on the flute.

"But it's good to know that it still works," Mao Wenlin added, his fan slicing through the air and shredding the insects.

The three of them laughed together, the Rhapsody of the Grim Reaper filling the grand ballroom and drowning out the screeches of Guo Yingjie. The battle may have been fierce, but it was also a moment of nostalgia and camaraderie for the three old friends.

The battle was intensifying as Guo Yingjie revealed his true power. Despite the Rhapsody of the Grim Reaper's initial success in weakening his insects, thousands more crawled out from the ground, undeterred by the heavy rain.

Lai Xiaoli's roots, once a formidable weapon, were now being devoured by the relentless insects. The members were struggling to keep up with Guo Yingjie's never-ending swarm of bugs.

The grand ballroom was filled with the sounds of the insects' relentless chittering, mixed with the cries of panic and fear from the attendees. It was clear that Guo Yingjie was not going to go down easily, and the battle was far from over.

Meanwhile, as the battle between Mao Wenlin, Alchemist Zhou, and Alchemist Tian Bingwen against Alchemist Guo Yingjie raged on, another fierce battle was taking place between Grandmaster Zhang, Grandmaster Ding Gen, and Madam Zhang Ai against Master Feng. Master Feng had taken out an umbrella, emanating a dark aura that seemed to glare at the three people before him.

Three alchemists of the Poison faction lunged toward Alchemist Feng. Grandmaster Zhang tried to stop them but it was too late. Needles came out from the umbrella that pierced through these three people and they immediately turned into a withered corpse.

Grandmaster Zhang let out a roar of anger, "How could you do this, Feng? They were your own comrades! You monster!"

Master Feng raised his umbrella and rotated it. Thousands of needles, some almost invisible to the naked eye, has assaulted everyone. Upon contact they will immediately turned into a withered corpse. Juanxiu has almost became a victim, thanks to One-Eyed Lily, the needle that was about to hit him was deflected.

"You think you can defeat me? You old fools," Master Feng sneered.

While they may be old, Grandmaster Zhang, Grandmaster Ding Gen, and Madam Zhang Ai nimbly evaded all the needles. They knew that they will be finished once this pierces them. The three of them exchanged glances and nodded. They knew what they had to do.

"You may have taken out some of our comrades, Feng. But you will not defeat us," Grandmaster Zhang said, determination in his eyes.

As Madam Zhang Ai reached for her hairpin, the small, delicate looking object began to transform before their eyes. The sleek silver metal twisted and contorted, growing larger and larger until it had transformed into a grandiose fiery bow. With a fierce determination in her eyes, Madam Zhang Ai infused her fiery aura into the bow, and an arrow of pure flames materialized on the string. With a swift pull, she released the arrow towards Master Feng.

The arrow flew through the air with incredible speed, leaving behind a trail of fiery sparks. But just as it was about to strike Master Feng, his umbrella suddenly expanded and expanded, its dark aura emanating a powerful energy that nullified the attack. The arrow disintegrated upon contact with the umbrella, the needles it had melted falling harmlessly to the ground.

Master Feng sneered as he looked at Madam Zhang Ai, "Your little tricks are not enough to defeat me." He twirled his umbrella, sending a new wave of needles towards them. Madam Zhang Ai, Grandmaster Zhang and Grandmaster Ding Gen quickly dodged, their movements becoming more frantic as they tried to find a way to defeat Master Feng and his deadly umbrella.

As Grandmaster Zhang reaches for the inconspicuous box, his movements are fluid and precise. He gracefully takes hold of the small box with a calm and steady hand. Master Feng watches in awe as the box begins to grow, expanding rapidly in size until it becomes large enough to swallow all of the needles. The needles disappear into the box, and it quickly shrinks back to its original small size.

Master Feng realizes that this is the Box of Metamorphosis, a powerful weapon that can swallow anything in its path and transform it into a weapon for its wielder.

Grandmaster Zhang wields it with deadly precision, returning the needles to Master Feng with a force that pierces through his umbrella, rendering it useless.

But Master Feng is not one to be easily defeated. He activates a powerful formation that he has placed in advance, trapping everyone inside. This is a sky-grade rune formation known as the Rune of Malice. Inside the area affected by the rune, Master Feng is like a god, his powers amplified to an extraordinary degree.

Master Feng launches a relentless attack on the three, his movements swift and deadly as he unleashes a barrage of strikes. His opponents struggle to keep up with his speed and aggression, their defenses faltering under the relentless onslaught.

Suddenly, Master Feng reaches for an ominous-looking jar with a face etched on it. He smashes the jar open, releasing a potent smoke that assaults the three. The smoke is thick and choking, making it hard for them to see or breathe.

But Grandmaster Ding Gen is not one to be easily defeated. He reminds Master Feng that he taught him everything and is aware of his move. He reveals his artifact, a mask that takes control of space. The mask glows with a brilliant light, and the space around them begins to warp and bend, sucking the smoke inside.

Ding Gen who was just regaining his strength couldn't wield the full potential of the mask. He vomited blood upon sucking all the toxic fumes.

Master Feng smiled ominously as he took out another jar, this time with a more ominous face etched into it. The mouth of the jar let out a hair-raising scream, bleeding the ears of those who heard it. Ding Gen, who could no longer withstand the scream, fell to the ground.

Madam Zhang, seeing her comrade fall, quickly took out her Guzheng and tried to overpower the sound created by the jar. The two sounds, one poisonous and ominous, the other with grace and tranquility, clashed in a battle of decibels. Unfortunately, Madam Zhang failed. A trail of blood trickled from her lips.

Unknown to everyone, Juanxiu was also trapped inside the rune. As the battle between Madam Zhang and Master Feng raged on, he began to remember the song of the Guzheng he played when entering the door of the Tower of the Primordial Era. The melody was still fresh in his mind, and he knew it was his only chance to help his comrades.

He quickly made his way to Madam Zhang's side and took control of the Guzheng. With a steady hand, he began to play the song once again. The soothing melody of the Guzheng gradually overpowered the scream of the jar, neutralizing its toxic effects. Master Feng, who had been caught off guard, was shocked to see Juanxiu inside the formation.

As Juanxiu began to play, the music that he produced was ethereal, like something that couldn't be produced in the mortal realm. The melody was so powerful that it created an image of a light descending from the heavens, splitting the sky in two.

The light was so intense that it destroyed the formation and left everyone in awe.

Master Feng's expression turned to one of fury as he realized that Juanxiu had once again foiled his plans.

He couldn't believe that this little kid was always stopping him. He had become a thorn in his side and a constant obstacle to his schemes.

However, before Juanxiu could complete his song, the Guzheng broke into pieces, unable to withstand the power of the music it was producing. Juanxiu was left holding the broken pieces of the instrument, but the damage had already been done. The formation was destroyed significantly reducing the fire power of Master Feng.