Chapter 361

Chapter 361: Dark Coldness, the Crescent Moon Like a Hook

No!

It couldn’t be the moon-returning dragon. He would never do this. But if it wasn’t him, then who could it be?

He was filled with doubt.

After all, it was the moon-returning dragon who had informed him.

Could it be Zhan Fei Yu?

That Fish-Dragon Lord of the Cold Moon Dynasty, who had later revealed his true form when crossing the Abyss of the Buried Immortals, turned out to be a spy from the Creation Pavilion of the Taixu Dynasty, strategically planted in the Cold Moon Dynasty to rise as a martial arts lord.

Zhan Fei Yu certainly had the potential.

But Zhang Yang quickly dismissed the thought. If it had been him, then the Saint of the Taixu Dynasty would likely be lying in wait here, ready to eliminate Zhang Yang the moment he arrived, without going to such lengths.

Thus, Zhan Fei Yu was ruled out.

If even someone like Zhan Fei Yu, undiscovered and fallen into the Abyss, hadn’t known, then it was unlikely the moon-returning dragon had told anyone else.

As he turned the matter over and over in his mind, the moon-returning dragon began to seem the most suspicious after all.

“We are in danger.”

Bing Yuyan’s cold voice cut through Zhang Yang’s thoughts.

“This Holy Power’s Forbidden Law is too complete, it has severed all possibility of contacting the outside world.

We can only rely on ourselves now.”

“But look!”

Her Ice Spirit Holy Sword was already drawn, pointing toward the depths of the mine.

From within, a dark and hazy aura emerged, like a night sky cloaked in shadows.

Thin threads of light intertwined, forming a curve that radiated a cold and mysterious moonlight.

This was unmistakably the Forbidden Law of Cold Moon Holy Power!

Zhang Yang furrowed his brows tightly.

For the first time, he felt genuine doubt.

Could he have misjudged the moon-returning dragon? Was he truly trying to harm him?

“Actually, the moon-returning dragon has reasons to harm you,” Bing Yuyan said.

Zhang Yang spoke solemnly, “What reasons?”

Bing Yuyan sighed. “The Cold Moon Dynasty is in dire straits. Even though the Taixu Dynasty has suffered severe losses, which on the surface seems to help the Cold Moon Dynasty recover from its crisis, the reality is that everyone in the Western Desert knows how weak the Cold Moon has become. Do you think the other holy dynasties don’t have plans of their own?”

“The only way to truly escape their predicament is to rise again, but that takes time, especially time to cultivate more Saints, and that can’t happen overnight.”

“When the Taixu Dynasty retreats into isolation and is seen by all as incapable of returning to its former glory, ask yourself—will others choose peace, or will they seize the opportunity to expand? And if it’s the latter, then what?”

Her eyes swept across the Holy Power’s Forbidden Law as she searched for a weakness. She answered her own question.

“That would push the Cold Moon Dynasty into an even more dangerous position. It would no longer be just the lone tiger of the Taixu Dynasty to contend with, but a whole pack of wolves.”

“To change the situation, what’s the best move?” she asked, her tone sharp. “To kill you, bringing the power of the Vast Forest into the Western Desert, disrupting the balance. Since the moon-returning dragon shares a deep bond with you, he might even ally with them. That would be the best strategic choice for the Cold Moon Dynasty.”

Zhang Yang frowned.

Her theory was dark. Too dark.

If it were true, then the betrayal ran deep, especially when the moon-returning dragon always carried an air of elegance and refinement.

He couldn’t bring himself to believe it—not entirely.

He had always felt that the moon-returning dragon wouldn’t go this far.

And yet… Why had this place turned into a trap meant for his execution?

A dark coldness settled in.

Deep, like the starless night sky.

The crescent moon above resembled a sharpened hook.

Its hazy glow brought an eerie unease, and from the depths of the mine, a blurred figure slowly emerged.

A holy shadow.

It was the manifestation of a saint’s power, fused with special mysteries. Though not a complete saint, it still carried a portion of saintly strength.

But even a portion of a saint’s power was no small thing.

The first saint Zhang Yang had ever hunted, Liu Yinhua of the Liu Family had been the weakest of saints, completely lacking the laws of a true Saint, and yet his strength still surpassed the Great Boundless Rank. He had proven the ancient saying true: “Beneath a real Saint, all are ants.”

Now, the holy shadow they faced was similar to the Liu Yinhua of old.

But this time, there was no Lie Qingshan. No Saint’s Paper.

What he had now was the Great Boundless Perfect Stage Bing Yuyan at his side.

“They’ve come to kill,” she said, “yet their face is concealed and their body remains incredibly solid. That alone speaks of saintly power. They’re deliberately hiding their identity.”

“Do you still believe it’s not the moon-returning dragon?”

Zhang Yang did not answer.

Bing Yuyan had already launched her attack.

She understood well the might of a saint.

Having stepped deeper into the Great Boundless Perfect Stage, her comprehension had deepened, her foundation solidified. With greater power came a clearer understanding of how terrifying saints truly were.

So when she struck, she held nothing back.

A sword soared to the heavens!

Different from slaughtering in the Great Boundless stage, this strike condensed all of Bing Yuyan’s power into a single blow, without the slightest leak of energy. Even Zhang Yang could see it: the power within this sword hinted at a breakthrough, as though it had reached a critical tipping point.

Zhang Yang couldn’t help but marvel.

Was this Bing Yuyan’s peak power?

It could very well be the pinnacle of Great Boundless power that he had ever witnessed. He hadn’t seen anything beyond this, not even from Qiu Yinong before. But that was largely because Qiu Yinong hadn’t yet reached this level back then. As for now, it remained unknown.

Swish!

Light exploded from the sword.

Even the illumination within the mine was drawn in, and the forbidden law patterns trembled violently under the pressure. This made Zhang Yang realize that Bing Yuyan was inadvertently disrupting the holy power’s forbidden laws.

Yet she did not succeed in destroying them.

The laws remained intact.

The Ice Spirit Holy Sword surged with unmatched sharpness and struck the Holy Shadow with devastating force.

The Holy Shadow retaliated instantly, unleashing a brutal punch.

A violent shockwave burst forth from their clash.

Zhang Yang initially believed even the aftershock could prove fatal to him. But he soon discovered that the forbidden law patterns embedded in the mine flickered with light and absorbed the residual power.

Bing Yuyan flipped backward, and upon landing, drove the Ice Spirit Holy Sword into the ground. The blade shattered a portion of the forbidden patterns, allowing her to steady herself.

Her stunning face turned pale, evoking both pity and concern.

Crimson blood trickled from the corner of her lips.

She was injured.

At that moment, an uncontrollable killing intent surged in Zhang Yang’s heart. He glared at the Holy Shadow, a fierce urge to rush forward and destroy it surging within him.

But a fair hand, white as jade pressed against him.

It was Bing Yuyan.

Despite her pallor, her beauty remained breathtaking. She offered him a faint smile, soothing the raging fire in his heart.

Sensing the change in him, she spoke softly,

“This Holy Shadow is different. It’s not like ordinary ones, merely power projections. From that strike, I can tell: it’s persistent. Now I’m sure, part of the Spirit Saint Stone vein has been taken by the saint who laid this trap, but some of it was used to construct this forbidden law.”

“In other words, the holy power’s forbidden law can sustain the will of the Holy Shadow, allowing it to keep fighting.”

“This is clearly meant to kill you.”

“And clearly, within the Falling Star Mountain Range, only Lie Qingshan is a saint, and he cannot leave easily. He can only enter with the Great Boundless stage. Even for me, breaking through would be extremely difficult.”

“Our only chance is to strike down the Holy Shadow, force the forbidden law to activate once more, and use that brief moment to escape.”

Zhang Yang had no time to dwell on whether the moon-returning dragon truly harbored treachery, because the Holy Shadow attacked again.

He reached out and grasped Bing Yuyan’s hand.

“Maybe no one knows what kind of power we can unleash together.”

Bing Yuyan looked down and saw a Slaughter Sacred Thunder traveling through their joined hands and entering her body, powerfully activating her own Realm of Thunder. Guided by Zhang Yang, the two types of thunder harmonized. As she willingly opened her heart, she fused her Great Boundless Perfect Stage power with Zhang Yang’s Slaughter Sacred Thunder.

The result was extraordinary, a sword strike empowered by the fusion of realms, reaching into the domain of Great Perfection.

This surge elevated her potential. With the Ice Spirit Holy Sword in hand, she unleashed a strike more powerful than anything she had imagined in her life.

A sword that brought enlightenment.

In that instant, she realized, her sword, her Realm of Thunder, her entire path would transcend because of this moment.

Swish!

The sword pierced the Holy Shadow.

The overwhelming sword energy shattered the holy power’s forbidden law patterns with a thunderous explosion. The mine trembled. The Holy Shadow was denied any chance to reconstitute its power. The seal over the mine was completely broken.

Their best chance of escape had appeared.

Just as Bing Yuyan grabbed Zhang Yang’s hand and prepared to rush out, the forbidden law patterns beneath them, fractured by the sword energy, flickered violently, and formed a sudden pulling force.

“This place is triggering an ancient teleportation array!”

“We may be sent somewhere even more dangerous!”

It was Bing Yuyan’s voice.

The moment had passed.

They had already been teleported.

And as the scene dissolved around them, Zhang Yang’s final words echoed faintly in the void:

“Does this count as a combined… technique?”