Bab 77: Bao vs Wen: Desperation
Within the halls of Wondrous Inspiration Pagoda, a foreboding silence hung in the air, as if even the spirits dared not disturb the imminent unfolding of destiny. Old Refinement stood guard, with wariness and anticipation written on his face.
The heavy ornate door creaked open, revealing the figure of Shou Xin. A forgotten will from the past, risen once more, her presence radiated an aura that caused the very stones beneath her to shiver in acknowledgment.
As Shou Xin stepped forth, a palpable tension gripped the assembly of immortals gathered there. Whispers of anticipation brushed through the air like the rustling of leaves in a long-forgotten forest.
With a single graceful motion, Shou Xin raised her arms, a symphony of dao marks and essence coalescing around her.
Inky characters, dark as the abyss and fluid as quicksilver, erupted from her being. They swirled and spiraled, taking on the forms of serpents that writhed and twisted in chaotic harmony.
Among the assembly, the Bao clan gu immortals and the Wen clan gu immortals alike stood transfixed. Eyes widened in awe, expressions shifting from surprise to confusion.
But amidst this sea of reactions, two figures stood apart. Wen Jie and Wen Bo, faces serene and composed, their gazes fixed upon the unfolding events with a clarity born of anticipation.
"Serpent's Dissolution!" - Shou Xin's voice resonated like an incantation.
The inky serpentine characters shot forth in every direction, a tempestuous storm of aura and suppressed might unleashed.
It was the swift and instinctual Bao Chi Ping, the third supreme elder of the Bao clan, who first shattered the trance that held the assembly captive.
His voice, weathered by time yet resolute, pierced through the tumultuous atmosphere.
"Danger! Beware!"
With a surge of purpose, Bao Chi Ping activated his own killer move, his body undergoing a transformation, all under a breath of time.
Desolate Black Dahlia Transformation!
His form elongated and twisted, petals of the deepest black unfurling in a grotesque dance. In moments, he had become a colossal black dahlia desolate plant, a living shield against the impending onslaught.
Across the divide, Wen Jie stepped forward, her presence a beacon of unwavering poise.
With a mere thought, she activated her own killer move.
Clear Mind Unity!
A wave of serenity cascaded over the Wen clan gu immortals, their chaotic thoughts and racing hearts brought under control. The ethereal tendrils of her power wove through the collective consciousness, knitting it together like a fabric of unity.
And so, as the storm of inky serpents descended upon them, the Wen clan gu immortals stood as one, embracing the force.
The abyss-deep, inky characters landed upon their bodies, their forms engulfed by the black. The inky black soon seeped into their bodies and disappeared like if the scenes from moments ago had been mere illusions.
A transformation unfolded before the eyes of the onlookers, as the Wen immortals' skin started to molt away, revealing skin that sloughed off like the husk of a serpent. The fallen skins, dotted with patches of green, crumbled to pieces as they fell on the ground.
In the midst of this extraordinary display, the Bao clan gu immortals wore expressions ranging from awe to disbelief.
Wen Jie's voice cut through the tension like a blade, her ultimatum echoing.
"Bao clan!" - Her words hung in the air, laden with authority and foreboding.
"This is your last chance. Submit to us, or bear the consequences."
In response, a figure emerged from the ranks of the Bao clan, his presence commanding, his voice a counterpoint to Wen Jie's demand.
"What is the meaning of this?" - Bao Lang Chao, supreme elder of the Bao clan, retorted, his voice a resolute challenge.
"Until the resource allocation is settled, you have no grounds to speak on."
In the heat of the exchange, Wen Jie's response was a flutter of her fan, an enigmatic smile hidden behind its silken veil.
The pieces were falling into place, her scheme unfolding just as she had orchestrated.
With a sudden motion, without further ceremony, Wen Jie's hand was set in motion, a fluid dance that weaved the heart itself. Her emotion path killer move struck Bao Lang Chao unprepared.
A shiver passed through the scene as the mighty supreme elder's countenance contorted, an agony born from the depths of his being paralyzed him.
In the face of his incredulity, Wen Jie's laughter chimed like bells in the wind.
"Do you still not understand?"
Her words, like riddles whispered by ancient sages, carried a weight that resonated beyond the moment.
It was then that the veil of secrecy was finally torn asunder.
Wen Jie's voice, steady and unwavering, carried across the winds of change, revealing a truth that would forever alter the course of their history – a revelation of a meticulously plotted plan to overthrow the equilibrium, to annex the very foundation of the Bao clan's dominion.
"The Immortal oath has been lifted. Now, my Wen clan is free to handle you, Bao clan, however we like."
Within the ranks of the Bao clan, a cacophony erupted.
"How is this possible?"
"Over my dead body!"
"Lady Jie is surely joking. How could the oath be broken?"
Voices ranging from disbelief to outrage painted the scene as Bao Lang Chao's contorted form stood as testament to the authenticity of Wen Jie's claims.
Yet, beyond the veil of uncertainty, Wen Jie's gaze held the knowledge of her triumph. The Immortal oath's chains, once an unbreakable shackle, had been sundered for her clan alone.
The killer move Serpent's Dissolution was a web of ink, woven to capture the immortal oath's binding dao marks within the body.
A layered craft, the ink demanded the initial acquisition of Bao clan's wood path dao marks. From Bao Xu Lian's being, the ink gathered its sample, a fragment of the intricate design. The ink once touched by the corresponding target, it seeped into the body, infiltrating with one purpose. Once nestled within, the ink wove its sinuous threads around the wood path dao marks, grasping them within the skin.
Like a serpent, the dao marks were shed, slipping away as if discarded skin, as the harmful taint of the immortal oath was cast asunder, the shackles of pledges broken and banished into oblivion.
It was a truth inscribed not in words, but in the very scene of reality. And as Bao Lang Chao's struggle played out before them, his descent to his knees a poignant revelation, the truth became undeniable.
Bao Lang Chao, a name synonymous with strength, a pillar of the Bao clan's might, now knelt in unwilling surrender. His thoughts, a tempest of chaos, mirrored the turmoil that gripped the hearts of all present.
"Lord supreme elder!"
"Grotto lord!"
A gasp rippled through the onlookers, a testament to the gravity of his capitulation, for even in his vulnerability, Bao Lang Chao was a force not to be underestimated.
In an attempt of defiance, Bao Lang Chao activated his rank seven gu, a display of might that cast a shadow over the scene.
Yet before the power could fully materialize, the immortal oath reasserted its presence, a powerful backlash that swept through Bao Lang Chao's body like a storm injured him gravely.
Wen Jie stood like an orchestrator of fate, her finger outstretched, pointing at the Bao clan immortals. Her voice, laced with both triumph and derision, cut through the tumultuous air.
"You are all meat on the chopping block!"- Her words hung heavy, a verdict delivered with the weight of truth.
In this moment of crisis, the second supreme elder of the Bao clan, Bao Yijun, issued her command resolutely.
"Retreat! Follow behind me!"
Amidst the sprawling expanse of the Treasure Blue Beaver Blessed Land, a chase unfurled, a dance of pursuit and evasion.
The Wen clan, emboldened by their newfound freedom from the Immortal oath, surged forward with a determination that bordered on frenzy. They flew, swift and purposeful, stirred the fallen leaves, creating a symphony of rustling whispers.
Wen Jie, her regal bearing untouched by the passage of time, led the charge.
Her eyes blazed with an intensity that matched the fire of her spirit.
Behind her, Wen Bo, a bastion of unwavering resolve, matched her pace, his gaze locked on the path of the escaping immortals ahead.
The Bao clan, their retreat turned into a desperate flight, moved with a speed born of fear and the unyielding instinct for survival.
Bao Yijun led the retreat. Her voice, though strained, carried a note of command that resonated through the ranks of the fleeing Bao clan immortals.
"Keep moving! We must reach the Ancestral Grotto before they close in!"
Amidst the tumultuous skies, a trail of turmoil marked Bao Lang Chao's desperate escape. His breath came in ragged gasps, each a torturous reminder of the severity of his injuries. He glanced over his shoulder, his heart pounding in rhythm with the thunderous chase that pursued him.
Bao Yijun's eyes blazed with fierce purpose as she guided her kin. Not far behind her, Bao Chi Ping, a of the clan in his own right, held the rear, his massive form a bastion against the encroaching tide of attacks.
The air was alive with the crackling energy of attacks, a symphony of power that rent the skies. The forces of the Wen clan, relentless in their pursuit, unleashed a storm of assaults that rained down upon the fleeing Bao clan.
Luminous arcs of ice and fire streaked through the air, each bolt a manifestation of the unyielding determination that fueled the Wen clan's pursuit. Light blue stars, glowing with a spectral light, traced intricate patterns as they homed in on their quarry. And through it all, the Bao clan pressed onward, their spirits unbroken even in the face of overwhelming odds.
Bao Chi Ping's voice echoed urgently in Bao Yijun's mind, a plea for swiftness in the face of impending peril. A desperate gambit that held the key to their escape.
"I'll try to hold them." - He transmitted, his voice a beacon of resolve.
"Quickly open the passage!"
With a surge of determination, Bao Chi Ping's form underwent his transformation once again. The Desolate Black Dahlia Transformation, a manifestation of his formidable power, enveloped him in a shroud of darkness. His size grew exponentially, his silhouette a stark contrast against the backdrop of chaos.
In an instant, the attacks of the Wen clan converged upon Bao Chi Ping, drawn to him like iron to a lodestone. Bolts of energy, like celestial arrows, found their mark, each impact a testament to his resilience.
The assaults intensified, a storm of power that sought to break his resolve. Yet, like an ancient tree weathering a tempest, he stood firm.
Bao Chi Ping's rank seven prowess held at bay the onslaught of attacks, his determination unyielding.
Meanwhile, Bao Yijun's eyes blazed with intensity as she channeled her essence, her thoughts a focused mantra that wove the threads of the killer move to open the passage.
The gateway to the Ancestral Grotto trembled as the immortals of the Bao clan gathered, a concerted effort to bridge the gap between the small worlds. But Lady Yijun's effert got disrupted again, the emerging passage dissipated in the air as she had to dodge.
Time hung in delicate balance, each passing moment a heartbeat of anticipation.
Within the temporal crucible, the sands of existence seemed to shift, and the heartbeat of eternity quickened. Time, once a placid river, now surged with urgency, every fragment of a moment holding the weight of destiny.
"Hurry!" - Bao Chi Ping urged again.
The of fate the Bao clan hung in precarious balance, teetering on the precipice where mere breaths could span chasms between life and death.
For the beleaguered Bao clan, each heartbeat was a prayer offered up in fleeting seconds that stretched into epochs.
And then, at the final moments, the passage, a threshold to sanctuary, began to unfurl, its luminous portal growing wider and more defined.
The ring of light connected to the Ancestral Grotto.
* * * * *
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone