Chapter 890: Confronting a Hermit Immortal

A faint, elusive connection wrapped around both of them.

He Ping knew this was the effect of the Three-Seven Split talisman.

But the cultivator before him looked utterly bewildered.

He still had no idea what had happened!

"He Ping, what kind of talisman is this?" the Phoenix Clan's Ancestor asked with caution and wariness.

He Ping felt a surge of confidence: "Why should I tell you?"

At this moment, although He Ping knew the Three-Seven Split talisman had taken effect, he still did not know how the random three and seven had been distributed.

But no matter how it was divided, he now had confidence.

Isn't this three-seven split far better than the helplessness he faced before?

"Forget it!" the Phoenix Clan's cultivator shook his head. "I expected you wouldn't willingly let bygones be bygones with our Phoenix Clan!"

"Since you won't swear a Heavenly Oath, what if I sacrifice one hundred thousand years of my lifespan?"

"Die…"

The word "die" left his lips!

Within a ten-thousand-li realm, all things were sealed off.

Including space and time!

Even the Tianwei Empress could not move an inch.

Then, without warning, a white finger suddenly appeared in the void.

This finger was formed from the fusion of rule-force and immortal spiritual energy, stretching ten thousand zhang in length.

It surged forward with overwhelming force toward He Ping.

Merely seeing such an attack filled He Ping with terror.

Nearby, the Tianwei Empress let out a bitter laugh: "It's over!"

Though this finger targeted He Ping, the distance between her and him was less than ten zhang.

If He Ping died under this finger, she would not survive either.

Damn it!

I just came here to make a presence, why should I die?

"Open…!"

Yet, as the finger crashed down, He Ping somehow broke through the cultivator's pressure and spatial-temporal seal, roaring aloud as his body shot into the heavens with a thunderous boom.

Boom…

A thousand-zhang divine manifestation appeared, shielding the Tianwei Empress above.

Though his figure remained minuscule compared to the white finger, at least he had shattered the cage.

"Merge…!"

Boom…

He Ping thrust both hands wide open.

Left hand: Heavenly Thunder of Dao; right hand: Nine Heaven Mystic Fire.

With a snap, his hands clapped together.

A bolt of thunder-fire, like divine radiance, erupted from his palms and shot toward the colossal finger in the void.

In the next instant, the finger's power shattered piece by piece.

Both the Tianwei Empress and the cultivator were utterly stunned.

He Ping's heart rejoiced: Hahaha… Three-Seven Split, my power has been amplified.

But!

The next instant, the smile vanished from He Ping's face.

Because after his thunder-fire energy was exhausted, the colossal finger had only been shattered by half.

The remaining half still surged through the void and slammed into him with a thunderous crash.

He Ping's body was blasted away like a cannonball.

The phantom finger exploded, its immense energy mixed with Dao-force spreading outward as a golden ripple, like boundless ocean waves.

Within a few breaths, the ten-thousand-li realm constructed by the cultivator collapsed entirely.

Boom…

The Tianwei Empress's body was flung by the battle's residual force, crashing hard onto the distant earth.

Countless mountain ranges shattered!

Within a thousand li, everything lay in ruins.

At this moment, only the white-haired old man stood upon the void, arms folded behind his back, scanning the surroundings.

"This time… he should be dead, right?" the old man said with confidence.

Yet the next instant, an ant darted across the heavens.

A purple-red glow streaked from the far horizon.

The Phoenix Clan cultivator extended his spiritual sense and immediately recognized He Ping, dragging a purple-red great staff; his brow furrowed slightly, and in an instant, wind and thunder gathered.

The bright void darkened into night; the sun and moon vanished, stars dimmed, and layers of ink-black clouds piled like mountains, crushing down.

Crack!

Boom…

In an instant, lightning danced wildly; silver dragons writhed through the ink-black cloud-mountains.

Along He Ping's flight path, nine seas of thunder erupted violently.

The Phoenix Clan cultivator added: "Ant!"

Yet He Ping, wielding power that shook heaven and earth, instantly tore through the nine thunder-seas; his purple-red staff expanded to a thousand zhang and swung straight toward the Phoenix Clan cultivator.

This strike stirred winds and clouds, shook heaven and earth, and shattered the void.

Above, silver cracks split open across the black night sky, then vanished with a roar.

The void became the domain of sun and moon once more.

"Die!" The Phoenix Clan cultivator swept his sleeve; the robe surged and sent He Ping flying again into the heavens.

But he did not die.

He wasn't even injured.

"Unlucky!" He Ping stood trembling in the void, wiping blood from his lips: "I got the three?"

Correct—the Three-Seven Split talisman distributed its effect randomly.

He Ping received the three; his opponent received the seven.

Meaning, after binding this miraculous talisman, his opponent's combat power remained over twice his own.

But… it's fine!

So what if he has double the attack power?

I won't die!

"Ant!" the cultivator roared in fury: "Why aren't you dead?"

He Ping replied: "Why should I die?"

Across tens of thousands of zhang of void, He Ping took two deep breaths and asked: "Phoenix Clan elder immortal, your technique is too expensive—one use costs one hundred thousand years of lifespan. You've already used it three times, haven't you?"

"How many more times can you use it?"

The Phoenix Clan cultivator froze; his wrinkles deepened by a third.

Correct—he had used three techniques.

First: the finger!

Second: the lightning!

Third: the sleeve!

Thus, theoretically, three hundred thousand years of lifespan had been consumed.

He was merely a projection, incapable of breakthrough or ascension!

Now, he hadn't killed his target—and had lost three hundred thousand years of lifespan?

"Puh…" The Phoenix Clan cultivator spat a mouthful of blood into the void.

Not from injury—purely from rage.

"Hehehe… hehehe…"

The Phoenix Clan cultivator said: "I understand—it was that talisman playing tricks… but it doesn't matter!"

"All talismans have a duration!"

"I'll wait until its effect fades, then kill you—what's the harm?"

He Ping smiled, pulled out a drop of Seven-Colored Holy Lotus Tea, drank it, and said: "Fine, wait as long as you like!"

"I'm leaving now!"

Although the Three-Seven Split talisman rendered the Phoenix Clan cultivator unable to kill him, He Ping had no chance of killing the cultivator either.

No point fighting.

He smashed the surrounding spatial bonds with a punch, then teleported beside the Tianwei Empress, asking the nearly paralyzed empress: "Your Majesty, shall we return?"

"Otherwise, this old bastard might swing his palm again, ignoring his lifespan—you'll be dead!"