Chapter 23: The Art of Soaring to Gaze at the Moon

"Hmph, no matter what, this brat cannot leave this place alive. As for you, beast, you shall return to the Moon Gazing Sect with me to guard the gates!"

"Haa!!" Elder Bi shook the spirit artifact in her hand, sending a massive, raging wave of sonic energy surging toward Su Yang and the Purple Lightning Lion simultaneously.

Seeing this, Su Yang leapt up onto the back of the Purple Lightning Lion and commanded, "Little brother, finish off this so-called elder of the Moon Gazing Sect!"

"You got it! Since this old hag is courting death, we shall grant her wish." The Purple Lightning Lion let out a roar, bolts of lightning erupting from its body.

The flickering power of the lightning surged toward Elder Bi like long serpents. At the same time, the Purple Lightning Lion vanished, its figure disappearing into the void at an incredible speed.

Elder Bi’s pupils constricted, yet she remained unfazed. Her divine might erupted, and the energy of the Three Mysteries surged forth. Her aura climbed steadily. Watching the man and beast vanish into the void, Elder Bi stomped her right foot, unleashing a shocking amount of spiritual energy that rippled outward in all directions.

"You are fast, but do you really think you can harm me with such petty tricks? Die!!" Elder Bi reached out her withered hand toward a spot in the void and snatched at it violently.

A purple-lightning figure was instantly revealed.

"Die, old hag!" The Purple Lightning Lion also lunged at Elder Bi, its powerful force howling as if tearing through the void.

Meanwhile, Su Yang flashed with golden light, vanishing from the beast's back like an afterimage. Seeing this, Elder Bi pulled out her bell again, shaking it incessantly. She struck out with a single palm, and a giant hand, resembling a mountain, instantly disintegrated the Purple Lightning Lion’s attack.

Just then, the vanished Su Yang appeared above Elder Bi’s head. His long staff, imbued with the force of ten thousand catties, smashed down without reservation.

Feeling the destructive power looming over her, Elder Bi’s expression changed. She tossed the bell above her, and it instantly grew in size, enveloping her entire body.

*Clang!*

A deafening ring echoed through the night. The resulting surge of spiritual energy leveled the houses within a ten-mile radius, turning them into ruins.

The rogue cultivators and sect disciples hiding nearby, whose cultivation levels were too low and who had stood too close, were struck by the powerful spiritual energy emitted by the bell, causing many to explode and die on the spot. Even Li Beiye had to exert all his strength just to avoid being caught in the wake of this immense energy.

"This kid! How can he still possess such power? That is an elder of the Moon Gazing Sect, a formidable expert at the peak of the Divine Martial Realm!" Words of astonishment seemed insufficient to express Li Beiye's inner turmoil. He only hoped that Su Yang would have a chance to survive, so that no matter what, he could use the Supreme Blood within him to save his daughter's life!

Even the incredibly powerful Purple Lightning Lion, being right behind Su Yang, was blasted back a hundred meters by the force of that staff strike combined with the bell’s powerful sonic waves. Its facial features were twisted in agony; if it hadn't spent the last few days cultivating physical techniques in the Stone World, the surge of spiritual energy alone would have left it severely wounded.

"Damn! The boss still has this much strength? Such a terrifying technique is comparable to a Heaven-tier martial art," the Purple Lightning Lion remarked, shocked, after forcibly stabilizing itself.

The most shocked, however, was Elder Bi, protected within the bell. As a peak Divine Martial expert, she knew the terrifying nature of her bell—not only could it kill invisibly, but it also possessed formidable defensive capabilities. It was a rare spirit artifact that balanced offense and defense, a mid-level Spirit Treasure personally bestowed upon her by the Sect Master of the Moon Gazing Sect!

Yet, Su Yang’s strike had finally made Elder Bi feel the weight of true, terrifying power and battle intent. Bleeding from her seven orifices, she stared at Su Yang atop the bell, utterly incensed. Though the bell had blocked the physical blow, it could not block the fierce battle intent of the Battle Saint Method. The intent had seeped into the bell, causing Elder Bi to suffer a heavy blow despite her defenses. How could she not be furious, having not been injured in years?

"You little mongrel, I will destroy you!!!" the crazed Elder Bi roared. The bell emitted a terrifying aura as a massive burst of spiritual energy exploded outward, blasting Su Yang away.

Protected by the bell, Elder Bi felt no fear. She transformed into a blur, pursuing him with supreme killing intent. Su Yang’s previous strike had exhausted him, and having been hit by the bell’s backlash, even with his Supreme Bloodline, he was severely wounded. His internal organs were nearly displaced, and his meridians were all but shattered... Fortunately, the Supreme Blood in his body was constantly repairing his injuries; anyone else would have long since perished.

"This old hag is truly terrifying. No wonder the Great Sage warned me to be careful."

"I don't know how much longer I can hold on. The defense of that bell is truly horrific; I was too careless!" Su Yang winced, feeling the pain coursing through his entire body.

Just then, he collided with a furry object—it was the Purple Lightning Lion.

"Boss, are you okay?" The Purple Lightning Lion let Su Yang lie on its back, its lightning wings beginning to flutter as it soared through the sky.

"It... it hurts like hell," Su Yang said, collapsing on the beast's back with a bitter smile.

"Damn! That old hag hits so hard? Boss, rest for a moment; I’ll go play with her! I refuse to believe that broken bell is truly indestructible!" Sensing Su Yang's weakened state, the Purple Lightning Lion’s expression turned grave. It radiated a powerful aura, its eyes locked on the pursuing Elder Bi.

"You... be careful! If it gets too bad, just head back to the Beast Mountain Range..." Su Yang didn't want to, but he couldn't let the Purple Lightning Lion be implicated because of him.

"Leave it to me," the Purple Lightning Lion snorted. It suddenly halted its forward flight and turned around. Every strand of its purple fur stood up like sharp needles as endless lightning energy rapidly coalesced.

"Where do you think you're running? You must all die!!!" Seeing Su Yang being rescued by the beast, Elder Bi assumed they were trying to flee and pursued them relentlessly. When she saw the Purple Lightning Lion stop and turn to glare at her, she assumed they had given up on escaping and intended to fight to the death. She sneered, "What? Realizing you can't escape my grasp, you’ve decided to come and die obediently?"

As she spoke, she felt the terrifying lightning energy emanating from the beast's body. Her expression turned solemn, and her eyes glinted with malice. "Still trying to resist? You're courting death!"

"Let me show you a high-level technique of the Moon Gazing Sect."

"Art of the Flying Moon!"

"Haa!!!"

Suddenly, the previously dim moonlight became blindingly brilliant!