Jiang Ke’er observed closely for several minutes and discovered that the relationship between the Snake-headed Golem and that Sword was incredibly complex.
The Sword was constantly tormenting the Golem, making it clear that it didn’t belong to the Golem.
However, the Golem made use of the seductive fluctuations emanating from the blade, taking the opportunity to lure in nearby living beings and devour their Life Force.
As it consumed more and more Life Force, a layer of skin, and even scales, began to grow on the surface of the Snake-headed Golem.
No one knew which great master had created such a peculiar golem, one that could transform from a mere puppet into a living being.
And no one knew which brave soul had thrust the sword into its mouth.
That person was probably doomed.
From Shuang Ying, there came a wave of joyful reunion.
This was a Sword with spirit, and Jiang Ke’er could sense its longing for the other sword.
Jiang Ke’er decided to fulfill its wish.
Shuang Ying was already a Dharma artifact above seventh grade, and the sword opposite it could only be of similar rank.
Since such a treasure was right before her eyes, there was no reason to let it go.
Jiang Ke’er dared not rush into the Golem’s mouth to pull out the sword—that was far too dangerous.
She tried throwing vines at the sword, attempting to wrap around it, but before the vines even entered the Golem’s mouth, they withered rapidly and became brittle.
No good, she’d have to reach in with her own hand.
The sword was wedged in tightly—even if the vines hadn’t withered, they probably couldn’t withstand the force needed to pull it out. She had to grasp the hilt herself.
Jiang Ke’er tried inching closer to the Golem, moving slowly, step by step, testing the limits of its absorption ability.
When she got within a hundred meters, the Frostshadow Barrier began to tremble.
It seemed the Frostshadow Barrier could resist the Golem’s absorption to some extent.
As Jiang Ke’er continued forward, the trembling of the Frostshadow Barrier grew even more intense.
Unlike the solitary sword in the Golem’s mouth, because the Frostshadow Barrier was protecting Jiang Ke’er, there was a precarious sense of danger, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Moreover, Jiang Ke’er’s approach drew the Golem’s attention.
The Golem’s two massive, golden, vertical pupils in its eye sockets suddenly fixed on Jiang Ke’er, and its huge hand slammed down toward her!
The screech of metal scraping against metal rang in her ears, sending chills down Jiang Ke’er’s spine.
With such a massive hand, dodging would be extremely difficult.
Fortunately, the Golem’s arm had not yet grown skin, and the gaps between the metal bones were large, allowing Jiang Ke’er in her Fox Form to slip through and escape.
After slipping out, Jiang Ke’er swiftly dashed along the Golem’s arm.
The Frostshadow Barrier shook violently, but she paid it no heed… She was all in!
The Golem’s other hand struck down hard at her, but Jiang Ke’er slipped through the cracks again.
The Golem’s arm quivered wildly from the impact, the bones slightly denting, almost bouncing Jiang Ke’er away.
Thankfully, she steadied herself midair, drawing upon the agility and focus she used when facing the System Dummy, and tapped lightly with her toes on the corpse of a flying bird, shooting her body straight toward the Golem’s mouth!
“Ka—”
The Frostshadow Barrier had already begun to crack, but Jiang Ke’er didn’t care at all.
Her toes tapped through the air, her body darting between the corpses of the flying birds swooping at her, moving swiftly through the gaps of the Golem’s giant hands!
With a bang, the Frostshadow Barrier shattered.
However, Jiang Ke’er was still some distance from the sword in the Golem’s mouth.
At this moment, she found herself directly in the center of its suction force, caught in an awkward position where she could neither advance nor retreat!
At the critical moment, the Nebula Dharma Aspect behind her suddenly blazed with light.
The speckled stars arranged themselves in formation, and a misty, dark-purple nebula energy enveloped Jiang Ke’er completely!
It was a power that was intoxicating. Jiang Ke’er felt as if her body was connected to an endless store of energy—a reservoir spanning all the worlds, limitless and inexhaustible.
Along with this mighty force came countless voices of will, their chants drawing closer and closer, filled with a prideful contempt for all things, as if, from the moment of their creation, they stood at the pinnacle of all living beings, overlooking everything that occurred in the void.
There was nothing they could not solve. If one could be fortunate enough to join their ranks, there would be no more suffering in this world to worry about.
Energy exploded from the nebula, and the Golem’s massive hand, instead of breaking through the thin layer of nebula surrounding Jiang Ke’er, disintegrated inch by inch, turning to ash the instant it touched her.
Shuang Ying let out a mournful cry, yet was blocked by this overwhelming power.
Jiang Ke’er stepped onto the Golem’s forked snake tongue, walking step by step toward the sword glowing with a pale pink radiance.
With each step, another section of the tongue snapped off.
The Golem emitted a series of mournful cries from its throat, channeling the Life Force it had just absorbed into a torrent, trying to blast Jiang Ke’er away.
But the nebula mist easily shielded her, and Jiang Ke’er stood firm.
Yet as she neared the sword, the nebula mist twined around Jiang Ke’er’s hand, stopping her from touching it any further.
You mustn’t touch.
Absolutely mustn’t touch.
Those ancient, powerful voices seemed to roar by her ear, anxiously stopping her from making contact with the sword.
A sudden, inexplicable sense of loathing and fear for the sword welled up in Jiang Ke’er’s heart.
“Shut up!”
Jiang Ke’er grabbed the sword’s hilt in one swift motion.
What she wanted to do, no one could stop her.
Even if it was a mistake, she would charge ahead to the end!
Besides, she particularly disliked having her thoughts manipulated by outside forces—not by Qiao Xiaoxian, not by anyone!
The sword and Shuang Ying’s barrier overlapped, and a strange transformation began to take place.
Runes began to appear one after another on the barrier, and two completely opposite forces—one cold and one hot—poured in from the hilt into Jiang Ke’er’s body, finally merging into a stream of warmth that flowed through her.
Jiang Ke’er felt that she had established a link with these two swords in an instant, and she could control them as easily as moving her own arm.
The nebula mist slowly withdrew, returning to the Nebula Dharma Aspect behind her.
The nearly depleted Nine-tailed Dharma Aspect was finally able to catch its breath, its brightness restored slightly, though it was still far weaker than the Nebula Dharma Aspect.
Jiang Ke’er had no idea what had just happened.
She gave a gentle tug, and the sword finally broke free from the snake tongue, letting out a joyful hum.
At the same time, the Golem began to sink feebly back into the swamp.
Jiang Ke’er quickly jumped out of the Golem’s mouth and returned to the forest.
It looked like this crisis was over.
The Golem gurgled and retreated into the depths of the swamp. Just then, Emperor Taizong of Tang and the others, who had been unconscious, were about to wake up.
Jiang Ke’er hung both swords at her waist and turned back toward the Nest.
The dangers of the Trial were probably over now… hopefully.
But as for herself, the situation was still just as dire.
With the constant empowerment of the Gluttony Dagger, Qian Yue’s strength had become truly terrifying, her spiritual power nearly restored to full.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ke’er herself was growing weaker by the day.
If Qian Yue were to lose control…
No, that was only a matter of time.
“I’m back~”
Jiang Ke’er tried her best to seem lively.
After waking Qian Yue, Jiang Ke’er wanted to tell her about what had just happened… only to notice that Qian Yue seemed a little off.
She gazed at Jiang Ke’er with obsessive eyes.
Just like those creatures lured into the swamp.