Chapter 1746: The Contaminated Withering-Flourishing Visage

The moment the "Withering-Flourishing Visage" landed in Li Li Lingjing's hand, not only Li Luo and Li Taixuan's expressions changed abruptly, but even the joy on the faces of the many powerful experts of the alliance who had been ecstatic over the reversal of the situation instantly froze.

Like a basin of cold water, dousing everyone's joy.

They had clearly all seen Li Luo reach out and seize the "Withering-Flourishing Visage," yet no one had expected that the Withering-Flourishing Visage would actually emit power, destroy Li Luo's capture, and then actively fly toward Li Li Lingjing.

Judging from the effortless manner of Li Li Lingjing's move, it was as if the "Withering-Flourishing Visage" was being controlled by her!

"How could this be?! Why would the Withering-Flourishing Visage actively fly toward her?!"

Qi Huang, the Radiance King, whose countenance had always been composed and steady, also became extremely unsightly. In this decisive battle, the ten Outer Shenzhou had played all their trump cards and paid such a tragic price before finally reversing the situation, and just as victory seemed within their grasp, they hadn't expected the final fruits of war to be suddenly snatched away by Li Li Lingjing with ease.

Boom!

While everyone was in shock, Li Taixuan acted decisively. He was seen clenching his five fingers into a fist and throwing a punch.

The vast, overwhelming power of the Heavenly Dragon Sovereignty roared forth, transforming into a Heavenly Dragon Quan Yin that blasted toward Li Li Lingjing.

At the same time, behind Li Li Lingjing, Li Luo's figure flashed into appearance. In the void behind him, the Myriad Aspects Dragon Fang Sword Formation took shape once more, transforming into surging black thunder sword light that assaulted Li Li Lingjing.

And facing the joint suppression of Li Luo and Li Taixuan, Li Li Lingjing's pale, indifferent cheeks still showed no ripple whatsoever. This time she did not even dodge, but slowly raised the "Withering-Flourishing Visage" in her hand, which resembled a divine, wondrous fruit.

In the next instant, surging waves of Sovereignty power were seen sweeping forth.

The Sovereignty power surging toward Li Taixuan was filled with an aura of decay. Wherever it passed, even the void seemed to show signs of withering, as if it had reached the end of life.

And the Sovereignty power surging toward Li Luo displayed an aura of flourishing, as if it had given rise to vibrant mountains and rivers, with countless towering ancient trees growing out of thin air, forming an indestructible barrier of vitality.

Thus, at the moment of contact, the Sovereignty Quan Yin that Li Taixuan had channeled rapidly withered away, while the black thunder sword light channeled by Li Luo destroyed countless layers of the vitality barrier, but ultimately still dissipated into nothingness due to exhaustion of power.

This scene caused an uproar among the Outer Shenzhou allied army.

Li Luo and Li Taixuan, these two unparalleled Ninth Grade experts, had attacked together to suppress her, yet both were actually neutralized by Li Li Lingjing?!

"She can actually channel that divine fruit, the 'Withering-Flourishing Visage'?"

And Qi Huang, Zhen Linshuang, Wang Xuanjin, and other top experts wore expressions of disbelief, because Li Li Lingjing's previous strike had clearly activated the power of the "Withering-Flourishing Visage."

Yet she had not refined this divine fruit Visage, so why could she channel it?

Li Luo and Li Taixuan also found this incomprehensible. After all, a divine fruit Visage was the supreme divine object in the world; this was not something that anyone who got their hands on it could claim as their own and channel at will.

And while everyone was puzzling over this, the "Withering-Flourishing Visage" in Li Li Lingjing's hand also underwent a change. The divine fruit, which had originally displayed a greenish-yellow hue, suddenly revealed faint, eerie black patterns.

The black patterns seemed to spread out from the deepest part of the divine fruit.

With the appearance of these black patterns, this divine fruit Visage immediately began to emit an ominous, terrifying, ghastly aura.

Like a rotting fruit.

The moment this ominous, extremely evil aura appeared, the countless aberrations of the Dark World that had been retreating in the tide suddenly halted their steps. Countless crimson gazes, brimming with madness, turned toward the "Withering-Flourishing Visage."

In the next instant, a scene that shocked the allied army appeared. These Dark World aberrations no longer retreated, but madly charged toward the Heavenly Star Great Plain once more.

No, they should be charging toward the "Withering-Flourishing Visage"!

Even though the allied army took advantage of this to continuously launch attacks, they still paid no heed, like pilgrims on a pilgrimage.

Li Luo and Li Taixuan's expressions also changed drastically at this moment. Their gazes were fixed intently on the "Withering-Flourishing Visage." That ominous, extremely evil aura that drove the aberrations mad and even made them themselves feel dread...

That was the aura of the most terrifying thing in the world, the source of all calamities—the "Source of All Evil"!

"How could the aura of the 'Source of All Evil' be hidden within the Withering-Flourishing Visage?!" Li Luo cried out in disbelief.

Li Taixuan's Mian Se Chen Zhong, he said slowly: "There is only one possibility. In that ancient era, the Visage that was contaminated by the Source of All Evil for that legendary Sect Master was not only his own Oblivion Visage. This Withering-Flourishing Visage... has actually already been contaminated as well."

The secrets regarding that legendary Sect Master, after the Pill Saint later informed Li Li Tianwang, had by now spread among the various Heavenly Kings of the present Outer Shenzhou, and Li Taixuan naturally also knew of them.

Li Luo's heart shook violently, and his pupils couldn't help but dilate a full circle.

The Visage that had been contaminated and eroded by the "Source of All Evil" for that legendary Sect Master back then was actually not only the Oblivion Visage?!

He couldn't help but draw in a breath of cold air, and suddenly felt a sense of dread. If this contaminated "Withering-Flourishing Visage" had simply fallen into his hands and ultimately been absorbed by him, wouldn't he too have fallen into the desperate situation of being contaminated?

Facing the most terrifying thing in the world, Li Luo truly had no confidence at all that he could withstand its contamination and erosion. After all, this was something even that legendary Sect Master who had dominated an entire era back then had been unable to accomplish.

"How could this be..."

Li Luo's expression was unsightly. After all this fuss, the "Withering-Flourishing Visage" that the ten Outer Shenzhou had poured everything into fighting over was actually a contaminated divine fruit Visage?!

Li Taixuan sighed and said: "Looking at it now, this Spiritual Visage Cave Heaven was probably not meant to hide the 'Withering-Flourishing Visage,' but to suppress it. No wonder the setup was so secretive and so grand."

Li Luo now also understood why, even though he had clearly reached out and captured the "Withering-Flourishing Visage" earlier, it had resisted and struck at him, while also actively flying toward Li Li Lingjing.

Because Li Li Lingjing was currently the vessel of the Oblivion Visage's power, and in a certain sense, both the Oblivion Visage and the Withering-Flourishing Visage had been contaminated by the "Source of All Evil," so they naturally shared a special connection.

No wonder Li Li Lingjing was able to directly channel the Sovereignty power of the Withering-Flourishing Visage.

But with things as they were, the Withering-Flourishing Visage had fallen into the hands of the Return-to-One Hall. In this decisive battle on the Heavenly Star Great Plain, they had instead become the biggest victors.

Although the Dark World's offensive had been repelled, the Return-to-One Hall was equally extremely dangerous. Their relationship with the Dark World had always been quite close.

Moreover, the Oblivion Visage had been contaminated by the Source of All Evil. Once it completely broke free from the Spirit Coffin, for the ten Outer Shenzhou, it would still be a terrifying catastrophe.

"Even if it's a contaminated Withering-Flourishing Visage, it still cannot fall into the hands of the Return-to-One Hall!" Li Luo said in a deep voice.

Li Taixuan looked ahead, but shook his head helplessly and said: "Now the problem probably isn't whether we can snatch the Withering-Flourishing Visage back... I'm afraid you and I, father and son, are going to be in trouble."

Li Luo's heart gave a jolt. He raised his head and looked into the distance ahead. At this moment, Li Li Lingjing, with eyes like dark black whirlpools, gazed at them indifferently. As she held the "Withering-Flourishing Visage," the Sovereignty power emanating from her body had already grown to an extremely terrifying level.

Even above her head, enormous ancient Edicts had begun to appear—the rules established by Li Li Tianwang through the Ancient Covenant.

Clearly, Li Li Lingjing, having borrowed the power of the Withering-Flourishing Visage, had likewise reached the level that Li Taixuan had previously attained.

No... not just that!

Because the ancient Edicts floating above Li Li Lingjing's head were no longer suspended in place, merely serving as a deterrent. They had now even begun to tremble violently, as if they would fall at any moment, delivering the suppression of power that transcended the rules.

This scene also caused the expressions of Qi Huang, Zhen Linshuang, Wang Xuanjin, and many other powerful experts to change drastically.

They understood that the situation they had thought was already firmly in their grasp had once again undergone a change at this moment.

Borrowing the power of the "Withering-Flourishing Visage," Li Li Lingjing was clearly about to make a move against Li Luo and Li Taixuan.