Under the pressure of the opponent’s Ice Element Force, the internal power circulation within Serene and the other three became sluggish.
Elder Blake knew that Serene was the strongest among them, so his primary target was Serene.
In a flash, a withered, slender hand, seemingly made of ice crystals, reached for Serene’s neck.
“Don’t push me too far; I’m not afraid of you,” Serene shouted angrily, feeling the immense power carried by Elder Blake. He mobilized his Force and struck out with a seal.
A massive lightning palm print shot out from Serene’s right hand. The palm was enveloped in lightning, carrying an unparalleled thunderous might, and aimed at Elder Blake.
Elder Blake’s eyes flashed coldly. His right hand changed from a grasp to a slap, meeting Serene’s lightning palm head-on.
The two palms collided, producing a dull sound and momentarily stalemating.
“Hmph, you can withstand two or three-tenths of my strength,” Elder Blake sneered, his palm bursting with icy power. “Shatter!”
Cracks appeared on the lightning palm, which then shattered. However, the residual power of the shattered palm still surged towards Elder Blake.
Elder Blake’s Ice Element Force surged around him, dispersing the remaining lightning power.
Though surprised, Serene was not afraid. He flipped his right hand, revealing two Jade Talismans. These were crafted by Leo using spirit stones after setting up an array at the Seven Stars Sword Sect Martial Arts Square and given to Serene.
The Jade Talismans were similar to regular Talismans in function. One of the Jade Talismans in Serene’s hand was emerald green with a lifelike vine pattern. The other was azure, depicting a crescent-shaped wind blade.
Without hesitation, Serene crushed the green Jade Talisman. A green spiritual light shot out from it, transforming into a thick emerald vine in mid-air and attacking Elder Blake.
In an instant, the emerald vine wrapped around Elder Blake, who hadn’t moved. As soon as Elder Blake was entangled, Serene crushed the azure Jade Talisman. A large crescent-shaped azure wind blade cut through the air, slashing towards Elder Blake.
Elder Blake remained unafraid. Ice Element Force spread out, quickly forming a layer of ice on the emerald vine. With a shake of his body, the vine shattered.
At the same time, the crescent-shaped azure wind blade was already close to Elder Blake. His eyes turned cold as he swiftly caught the wind blade with his slender hand. However, he underestimated its power; the blade’s energy left a bloody line on his hand.
“Shatter!” Elder Blake exerted force with his fingers, breaking the crescent-shaped wind blade.
“This ends now,” Elder Blake said coldly, disappearing into mid-air. Serene’s face changed as he quickly retreated.
As Serene retreated, a figure followed closely and appeared in front of him. A withered, slender hand filled with Ice Element Force struck towards Serene’s chest.
Serene’s face turned pale with horror. He could feel the power of this strike; if it hit, he would be severely injured if not dead.
Without hesitation, Serene crushed the Defensive Jade Talisman in his hand. A dark blue light shield appeared in front of him, blocking Elder Blake’s slender hand.
“Hmph, it’s useless,” Elder Blake sneered as Ice Element Force erupted from his right palm, shattering the light shield instantly and striking Serene’s chest.
Serene was hit hard, flying backward like a cannonball and crashing heavily onto the grass below. The impact created a human-shaped crater in the grass.
Serene spat out a mouthful of blood, his breath weakening rapidly.
“Elder Serene!” Ocean Source, Cold River, and Skyfire exclaimed in shock.
“You three will die too,” Elder Blake said coldly, his eyes sweeping over Ocean Source and the others. He brought his index and middle fingers together and shot out three sharp ice fingers.
The ice fingers cut through the air, freezing everything in their path.
“Thunder Cover.”
“Ice Dragon Goes to Sea.”
“Blazing Fire Bell!”
Ocean Source and the others sensed their surroundings being locked down and couldn’t dodge. They had to confront it head-on with their strongest techniques.
A lightning shield appeared around Ocean Source, with brilliant lightning arcs dancing on its surface. Cold River formed an ice dragon with his internal power to counter the ice finger. Skyfire was surrounded by a blazing fire bell that protected him.
“Futile,” Elder Blake sneered at their defenses. The ice fingers pierced through Thunder Cover, the ice dragon, and Blazing Fire Bell, creating bloody holes in their bodies.
Blood sprayed out as Ocean Source and the others fell to the ground, their faces pale and breaths weak.
Serene and Ocean Source quickly used their internal power to protect their hearts and took out red-brown Spirit Medicine pills from their bodies to consume.
As they ingested the Spirit Medicine, their weakened breaths began to recover rapidly. Even the bleeding wounds on Ocean Source and the others stopped bleeding.
Within a minute or two, all four stood up again. This scene made Elder Blake and Elder Redmond’s pupils contract simultaneously. Even the black-robed old woman’s eyes flickered.
“I didn’t expect you to have Spirit Medicine on you. But do you think Spirit Medicine can save you?” Elder Blake’s surprise turned into renewed killing intent. “Next time, I’ll kill you instantly so you won’t have time to take Spirit Medicine.”
Just as Elder Blake was about to act, a chilling voice rang out: “Elder Blake, don’t kill them. Cripple their cultivation; I want their Jade Talismans and Spirit Medicine.”
The speaker was the black-robed old woman who had remained silent until now.
“Yes, Elder Helena,” Elder Blake nodded respectfully after a brief pause.
Elder Blake then turned his gaze back to Serene and the others and shot towards Serene like an eagle diving from the sky.
Seeing Elder Blake swooping down, Serene flipped his right hand and produced a transparent Jade Talisman named Divine Movement Symbol that greatly enhanced mobility.
Ocean Source, Cold River, and Skyfire also took out their own Divine Movement Jade Talismans and crushed them.
Just as Elder Blake was about to catch Serene, Serene’s body suddenly retreated more than ten meters in an instant.
As a result, Elder Blake missed his target. However, Serene knew that relying solely on the Divine Movement Jade Talisman wouldn’t last long due to the vast difference in strength.