The stone courtyard before the nine-story pagoda had transformed into a genuine battlefield. The two guardian puppets, the Yin-Yang Stone Statues, having awakened from their millennial slumber, erupted with terrifying power, completely overwhelming the two intruders.
"CLANG! BOOM!"
Old Kinh, facing the axe-wielding Yang Statue, found himself in exceedingly dire straits. He was akin to a tiny skiff confronting a tsunami. Every chop of the Yang Statue's axe carried a domineering, mountain-crushing gale, containing not only pure physical strength but also an infusion of "Yang-Firmness Qi," causing the surrounding air to turn searingly hot.
Old Kinh dared not meet the attacks head-on. Drawing upon a lifetime of maritime experience, his footwork was as nimble and elusive as a killer whale, narrowly evading the destructive blows. His steel harpoon struck out intermittently, targeting the joints of the puppet's white jade body, producing ear-piercing metallic clangs and showering sparks. But it was futile. The Yang Statue's body, forged from Yang-Firmness Jade, was so unyielding that even magical artifacts struggled to inflict harm.
On the other side, Tran Kien's predicament was even more perilous.
He was facing the Yin Statue, the brush-wielding civil official puppet. Its attacks were far more insidious and unpredictable. The energy cage formed by the pitch-black character "Imprison" (囚) contracted incessantly, turning the space within viscous. A chilling "Yin-Malice Qi" continuously eroded his protective Primordial Chaos Qi. He felt as though he were sinking into a quagmire; the more he struggled, the deeper he was sucked in.
I cannot let this continue! Tran Kien gritted his teeth. Their bodies, crafted from Yin-Yang Jade, were immune to the vast majority of physical attacks and conventional spiritual energy. To break them, one could only employ a power of absolute, countering attributes!
He abruptly recalled the sensation of being struck by heavenly lightning—its domineering destruction, yet luminous righteousness. He also remembered the "Guardian" aura of the Solar Essence Guardian, the power of the grand sun.
Yin and Yang. Lightning and Fire.
A maddened, yet incredibly logical thought flashed through his mind!
"Elder! Buy me three breaths of time!" Tran Kien roared.
Old Kinh, despite his dire straits, trusted the youth absolutely. He let out a bellow, abandoning all evasion. Mustering every ounce of his life's strength, he charged straight toward the Yang Statue, using his own body to forge an opening for Tran Kien.
Tran Kien wasted not a single second. He ceased all defense. He stood still within the contracting energy cage, closed his eyes, and channeled the entirety of the Primordial Chaos Qi within his body.
He did not draw his saber. He raised both hands.
In his left palm, a sliver of silver lightning—the very heavenly lightning he had painstakingly refined—began to dance, emitting terrifying "zzt... zzt..." sounds. Its pure Yang, destructive power forced the surrounding Yin-Malice Qi to recede.
In his right palm, a golden flame flared to life—not searing, but warm and luminous. It was the solar flame he had condensed from the aura of the Solar Essence Guardian.
Lightning and Fire. Two of the most pure Yang, domineering energies in existence, manifesting simultaneously in the hands of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The Yang Statue seemingly sensed a fatal threat. It ceased its attack on Old Kinh, turning around and hefting its white jade battle-axe, intending to join forces with the Yin Statue to eliminate this greatest menace first.
But it was too late.
Tran Kien snapped his eyes open. Within his eyes, silver lightning roiled on one side, while golden flames blazed on the other.
"SHATTER!!!"
He executed no complex forms. He merely performed the simplest of actions.
He clapped his hands together!
In that instant, an energy sphere materialized—a core of blazing golden solar fire enveloped by madly dancing silver lightning.
"Lightning-Fire Primordial Obliteration!"
A technique found in no secret manual, epiphanized by himself amidst a life-and-death struggle!
The Lightning-Fire sphere did not attack outward. It detonated right inside the pitch-black energy cage!
"BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!!!"
An explosion far more horrifying than the roar of heavenly lightning. The energy cage formed of Yin-Malice Qi, faced with the eruption of two opposing, pure Yang energies, popped like a bubble tossed into a furnace, shattering into countless pitch-black fragments.
The shockwave, carrying lightning and fire, swept out in all eight directions.
The Yin Statue, the civil official puppet, was the first to bear the brunt. Its body of Yin-Malice Jade, struck by this pure Yang energy, had met its absolute nemesis.
"CRACK! CRACK!"
Crisp sounds of shattering echoed. Countless spiderweb-like fissures appeared across its black jade body. The gloomy green flames in its eyes flickered violently before extinguishing with a "pfft." Its entire body pulverized, turning into a heap of black rubble that crumbled to the ground.
But this was not the end!
The Yang Statue, the martial official puppet, was also struck by the shockwave as it charged. Its body of Yang-Firmness Jade, though resistant to fire, could not withstand the domineering, destructive power of the heavenly lightning. It was blasted backward, smashing heavily against the stone pagoda, a few cracks appearing upon its white jade armor. It temporarily fell into a paralyzed state.
Old Kinh, who had rolled away to evade, widened his single eye at the sight. He did not let this golden opportunity slip away.
"DIE!!!"
He roared, mustering his final dregs of strength, lunging forward like a fierce tiger. The harpoon in his hand did not stab at the body, but plunged directly into a fissure on the Yang Statue's shoulder, where a small array eye flickered with light.
It was its energy core!
"THWACK!"
The harpoon sank deep inside.
The Yang Statue let out one final, inhuman roar. The green flames in its eyes flared before dying out completely. Its colossal form froze, then similarly shattered into a pile of white rubble.
The battle had concluded.
Tran Kien staggered, dropping to one knee, panting heavily. The technique he had just unleashed had drained his Primordial Chaos Qi completely. Old Kinh lay flat on the ground, covered in wounds, but his single eye overflowed with joy and the relief of surviving a calamity.
They had done it. They had defeated two guardian puppets equivalent to peak Foundation Establishment experts.
The doors leading into the nine-story pagoda, where the final secrets of the Lac Viet prince were kept, lay wide open before them.