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Chapter 17: The Spirit-Catching Gloves
As Ji Zichen stared at the glimmering point on the mountain peak, confirming it was the Arbitrator, a rift suddenly opened beside her. Canglin emerged from the crack, startling Zhang Wenle, who nearly fell off his horse.
"Are you human or ghost?" Zhang Wenle asked, trembling.
Canglin ignored him and said to Ji Zichen, "Come in, follow me to the summit."
At the peak, facing the Arbitrator, the Great Palace King stood before him. "What are you doing? After all these years, you still haven't repented?"
The Arbitrator looked at the Great Palace King with a strange expression. "Repent? Who are you?"
The Great Palace King spoke sternly, "I gave you a chance to plead for forgiveness for your sins, and you dare not answer me?"
To the Arbitrator, the Great Palace King seemed like a madman. The Arbitrator did not recognize him, yet here was the Great Palace King accusing him unjustly. Just as he was about to speak, his right eye turned black. The Gravel Demon used the Arbitrator's mouth to respond, scoffing at the accusation. "The mistakes I've made are nothing compared to what the Great Palace Kingdom has done."
The Great Palace King seemed at a loss for words in response to the Gravel Demon’s taunts. After a moment of hesitation, he softened his tone. "Gravel Demon, this is not just about you. Although we have never met, I have read accounts of you. You once fought for peace in this world."
Suddenly, pain flashed across the Arbitrator's face as the Gravel Demon revealed his inner turmoil through that expression. "I did fight for peace, but what was the outcome? Peace is far more complicated than I initially thought. Now I understand that once everyone obeys my commands and submits to me, there will be no more chaos or war!"
The Great Palace King replied sorrowfully, "Look at the battlefield; how many have died for your so-called 'peace'? What price in lives does your 'peace' demand?"
The Arbitrator's expression suddenly turned lifeless. The Gravel Demon retorted, "If you're here to lecture me on morals, you can leave. I'm sparing you because of your connection to the Great Palace Kingdom."
The Great Palace King shook his head. He thought he could help the Gravel Demon see reason, but it seemed impossible now. "You are the third Great Palace King of my kingdom. I do not wish to fight you. Back then, when the Second Palace King saw you straying from your path, he sealed you away. Please stop now while there is still a chance to turn things around."
Gravel Demon let out a sinister laugh, his eyes beginning to gleam with a cold light. "I spare your life only because you are from the Great Palace! You cannot stop me, nor can anyone else. Go back now; this is my final warning."
The Great Palace King seemed unwilling to give up. "If you do not change your mind, I will not return. I have brought the Crimson Twilight Ninefold Formation Eye."
A flicker of shock crossed Gravel Demon's face. "Impossible! The Crimson Twilight Ninefold Formation Eye was already...!"
The Great Palace King spoke slowly, "The Crimson Twilight Ninefold Formation Eye has not been completely destroyed. After years of absorbing essence, it has fully recovered."
Gravel Demon appeared momentarily frozen, clearly intimidated by the mention of the Crimson Twilight Ninefold Formation Eye. However, after a brief pause, he let out a fierce laugh. "So what! You are not the Second Palace King! You cannot wield the full power of the Crimson Twilight Ninefold Formation Eye!"
The Great Palace King continued to persuade him, but his words carried an underlying warning. "Even if I cannot use the full power of the Crimson Twilight Ninefold Formation Eye, I can still seal you again."
Gravel Demon did not doubt the Great Palace King's words, but he was confident that his own choice was the right one. With a bold laugh, he declared, "I have made my decision! Since you want to come and provoke me, I can only be rude in return!"
The Arbitrator's hand glimmered with blue light, resembling a transparent water sphere. Suddenly, it shot toward the Great Palace King. Just as the blue water sphere was about to collide violently with him, the Great Palace King remained unmoved and slowly extended his right palm. A similar water sphere appeared above his palm, and when the two spheres collided, they canceled each other out.
After the collision, the dissipating energy caused their clothes to flutter.
Seeing this, Gravel Demon chuckled lightly. "You still have some skill; no wonder you dared to come find me."
Meanwhile, Ji Zichen and Canglin had already arrived at the mountain peak but remained hidden in the trees, observing the standoff between the Great Palace King and the Arbitrator. The Great Palace King's words had reached Ji Zichen's ears, and he whispered, "The Great Palace King cannot subdue Gravel Demon."
Canglin, not deaf by any means, had also heard this and replied in a low voice, "What a pity. If they start fighting, this Mountain Valley will likely be leveled."
Ji Zichen was taken aback. What terrifying power was this? "Flatten it to the ground! Are you sure?"
Canglin frowned and replied, "The Crimson Twilight Ninefold Formation Eye possesses immense power. I have seen it once before."
Ji Zichen looked towards the battlefield. If the entire Mountain Valley were to be flattened, everyone on that battlefield would surely suffer. Ji Zichen's expression changed dramatically as he asked, "What can we do?"
Canglin said, "Before we arrived, the Great Palace King spoke with me. If possible, he does not wish to use the Crimson Twilight Ninefold Formation Eye. The Gravel Demon is not invincible; unlike the Evil God, the Gravel Demon does not have an immortal body. It has weaknesses."
Hearing this from Canglin, a glimmer of hope arose in Ji Zichen's heart. "What is the Gravel Demon's weakness? If we can exploit it to defeat it, all those soldiers below can be saved."
Canglin nodded. "I cannot foresee the outcome of this matter; we can only do our best. I will go out to distract the Gravel Demon. You quietly approach and attack the Arbitrator's right shoulder; the Gravel Demon's spirit is attached to the Arbitrator's right shoulder."
Canglin took out a golden glove and handed it to Ji Zichen. "This is a glove for capturing the Gravel Demon's spirit."
Ji Zichen took the glove and put it on. "The right shoulder? But there’s nothing on the Arbitrator's right shoulder. I can't just go up and grab at random; that won't work."
Canglin asked, "Do you still have the ring?"
Ji Zichen nodded. "I’m wearing it."
Canglin continued, "Use the ring to sense the spirit; you will see its shape."
Ji Zichen expressed concern, "If I use the ring to sense it, will I end up attached to the Arbitrator?"
For some reason, Canglin smiled and said, "I thought you feared nothing. Don't worry; the ring has no effect on people."
Ji Zichen nodded with some relief; there was no turning back now. "Let's get started," she said.
The Guzhao Clan certainly did not arrive at the battlefield without reason. This was a result of Yang Guizhi's meeting with Prince Huixin. The Gu Diao were sent by the Saint King through a rift opened in Gu Diao Mountain Valley, which is why the Saint King did not come in person. Yang Guizhi's consciousness was aligned with Kai Zhou Shen's thoughts. After Yang Guizhi connected with Kai Zhou Shen, it was then that Kai Zhou Shen met with the Saint King.
When Xia Lian heard that Ji Zichen was heading to the battlefield, she felt an overwhelming sense of urgency. She secretly rode her horse toward Evil Spirit Hall Mountain Valley. The horse galloped furiously, but Xia Lian couldn't care less about anything else; finding Ji Zichen was her top priority.
Fearing that Ji Zichen might encounter unforeseen dangers, Xia Lian thought the horse was still too slow despite its frantic pace. She regretted not agreeing to let Flying Wolf summon some Birds to speed things up.
Though Xia Lian was still on her way, she conjured three Vengeful Spirits to reach the battlefield first and confirm Ji Zichen's safety. At the same time, she could also establish a connection with Ji Zichen. The hooves of her horse did not stop as Xia Lian took a deep breath. The Vengeful Spirits moved quickly and arrived at the battlefield ahead of her. Through a mental link with them, Xia Lian sensed Ji Zichen's presence, but the chaos of the battlefield made it difficult to pinpoint his exact location.
Xia Lian wondered, "His aura is definitely on the battlefield, but it also feels like it's coming from a high place? What is he doing?"
At the same time, Xia Lian sensed that Ji Zichen's aura was very close to that of the Arbitrator. She was taken aback; how could he be so near the Arbitrator? Additionally, she could feel the presence of the Gravel Demon, which made her extremely anxious. "Could it be that he has clashed with the Arbitrator?"
However, Xia Lian quickly dismissed this thought. "No, he wouldn't approach the Arbitrator without a clear plan to deal with him."
Yet this aura couldn't be deceived. Biting her lip, Xia Lian pondered, "Could it be that he encountered an unavoidable situation?"
Once again, Xia Lian extended her spiritual awareness beyond her body to search for Ji Zichen's direction. The Vengeful Spirits roamed around, but all Xia Lian could sense was Ji Zichen's lingering aura on the battlefield. "He isn't here," she thought anxiously.
"Hey! Xin!" Suddenly, Xia Lian heard someone shouting at her! She immediately withdrew her spiritual awareness and saw her horse charging toward an injured soldier lying on the ground. If she delayed even a moment longer, the horse's hooves would trample on the soldier's abdomen. The soldier was already gravely wounded; if the hooves struck him, it would surely be fatal.
Fortunately, Xia Lian managed to pull back just in time, stopping her horse half a yard away and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Before Xia Lian could speak, Qin Xiaolan glared at her fiercely and scolded, "What are you doing? Do you want to kill someone?"
Xia Lian knew it was her fault; she shouldn't have let her consciousness drift while galloping on horseback. With a guilty expression, she dismounted and said, "I'm sorry, it was my mistake. I must have scared you."
Seeing Xia Lian take the initiative to apologize, Qin Xiaolan decided not to dwell on it. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?" she asked.
Noticing that Qin Xiaolan's hands were covered in blood and that the soldier had a knife wound in his chest, with bandages that were not yet properly wrapped, Xia Lian realized she had interrupted something important. She looked at Qin Xiaolan in surprise and asked, "Are you a Female Medic?"
Qin Xiaolan was used to such looks by now. "Yes, but you still haven't told me who you are and why you're here," she replied.
In the midst of a battle, no one would come here without a good reason. Xia Lian said, "Oh right, do you know where Ji Zichen is?"
" Ji Zichen?" Qin Xiaolan stared at Xia Lian. "Why is it Ji Zichen again?"
Seeing Qin Xiaolan's reaction, which suggested she recognized Ji Zichen, Xia Lian's face lit up as she pressed on, "Do you know where he is?"
Qin Xiaolan shook her head. "I don't know him, but I would like to meet him now. A Gu Diao just asked about him too."
"Gu Diao?" Xia Lian paused for a moment but then thought, "This Gu Diao might be Zang Da. Besides Zang Da, which Gu Diao from the Guzhao Clan would be asking about him?"
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