Translator: AnubisTL
The Grand Formation guarding the mountain gate had been completely breached!
Another core formation realm cultivator had arrived as reinforcement for the Lingyun Sect, instantly tipping the scales that had previously favored the Shangqing Sect.
Excluding the temporarily incapacitated Ancestor Ziqing, the core formation realm cultivators now stood five against five.
No one had anticipated that this Core Formation Ceremony would devolve into such a chaotic battle!
Without the protection of the formation, the Shangqing Sect's home-field advantage had vanished entirely.
The Shangqing Sect might suffer a severe blow today!
This thought suddenly struck many observers. The immortal dao overlord of the Azure Ridge Domain now faced an unprecedented challenge.
"Excellent! I underestimated you remnants of the Lingyun Sect. Your preparations were far more thorough than I imagined!"
Wen Xing's wrinkled face twisted into a grimace. The sudden reversal of fortune weighed heavily on her heart.
"Ling Long, we're counting on you now!"
Their remaining trump card was Exquisite True Lord Ling Long.
Not only did she possess the Exquisite Treasure Physique, but she was also the only late-stage core formation realm cultivator present. Her combat prowess undoubtedly surpassed all others.
If Exquisite True Lord Ling Long could quickly break the deadlock with her overwhelming strength, the others would only need to stall their opponents.
The gluttonous beast in the sky roared ferociously and plunged downward the moment the Grand Formation shattered.
"Old Hag Wen Xing, I've come to claim your dog's life!" Wu Chong's heart burned with boundless fury as he channeled his true essence into the gluttonous beast, unleashing its overwhelming power against Wen Xing. He seemed determined to kill her at any cost.
Wen Xing, still nursing serious injuries, paled again and raised her bow to shoot.
But Ling Ying reacted first, stepping forward to intercept the attack on her behalf.
However, Liu Hanyue, who had arrived on the scene, had already locked her gaze on the former Flying Eagle Bandit.
"Ling Ying, I have a blood debt to settle with you too! If not for you, how could the Liu Clan have been destroyed back then?" Liu Hanyue raised her hand, blocking Ling Ying's path.
It was the series of events triggered by the Flying Eagle Bandits that had ultimately led to the Liu Clan's complete annihilation under the Shangqing Sect's demonic grasp.
This was a blood debt that could never be washed away.
The others tried to join the fray, but the Lingyun Sect's forces were no pushovers.
Shen Ningbing once again confronted Yan Xi, her ice crystal sword radiating a chilling aura of formidable power.
Yang Tian froze momentarily, then realized several talismans were descending upon him from all directions.
"Spirit Talisman Suppresses Heaven and Earth!"
True Lord Fu Xuan was surrounded by layers of talisman papers, each inscribed with intricate and profound patterns—all third-tier talismans.
His mastery of Spirit Empowerment had reached the pinnacle of perfection.
Finally, only Exquisite True Lord and Li Qing remained locked in a tense standoff.
"Heh, Exquisite True Lord, I've long admired your reputation."
Li Qing had first heard of the Exquisite True Lord's legendary name even before achieving foundation establishment. Back then, he could never have imagined facing her in battle one day.
Exquisite True Lord glanced at Li Qing dismissively, barely acknowledging his presence.
The techniques Li Qing had demonstrated earlier were, in her eyes, nothing special—merely fast.
"Very well, I'll kill you first," she said, glancing at the other battlefields before turning her full attention to Li Qing.
As her words fell, a dazzling crimson silk ribbon detached from her waist, transforming into a scarlet serpent that lunged at Li Qing.
Li Qing dared not underestimate this attack. He immediately activated the West Mausoleum Tower, intending to suppress the ribbon-shaped magical artifact.
The West Mausoleum Tower spun rapidly in the air, stirring up boundless winds and clouds with its majestic aura.
Yet the crimson ribbon, as if possessing its own consciousness, deftly evaded the tower's trajectory. It executed a wide, agile arc before swiftly coiling toward Li Qing once more.
"So perceptive?" Li Qing's eyes narrowed slightly, his wariness toward his opponent's magical artifact deepening.
Boom!
In the next instant, Li Qing's entire body erupted in eerie black flames!
Spirit Devouring Demon Flame!
These dark flames surged forth like living entities, transforming into countless black spirit cranes that soared into the sky.
The crimson ribbon whipped through the air, piercing through the black spirit cranes formed by the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame and shattering them completely.
But as heavenly spirit fire, how could it be so easily extinguished?
Instantly, clusters of black flames clung to the crimson ribbon, slowly burning away its essence.
"Hmm? This flame?" Exquisite True Lord immediately sensed something amiss with the flames Li Qing had unleashed. She had initially assumed it was some peculiar form of pill fire.
She never imagined that these eerie black flames were slowly devouring the spirituality of her magical artifact.
"Kill!"
Exquisite True Lord spat out the single word, "Kill!"
Her voice was melodious and pleasing to the ear, but Li Qing had no time to appreciate it. The mere utterance of that one word seemed to contain a terrifying power, sending a wave of intense dread through him.
Exquisite Treasure Physique!
This physique was renowned as one of the most formidable Dao Physiques in the cultivation world, and its reputation was no mere boast.
Exquisite True Lord immediately activated her Exquisite Immortal Sound, a demonic melody capable of directly damaging a cultivator's divine soul.
In the next instant, a searing pain erupted in Li Qing's mind, nearly shattering his divine soul!
"Hiss! What a terrifying sonic divine ability! This must be the Exquisite Treasure Physique's Immortal Sound—truly terrifying!"
"If I hadn't mastered the soul core method, I might have suffered a severe blow today."
Li Qing's expression instantly turned grave. After just a brief exchange, he had already grasped how formidable and troublesome the renowned Exquisite True Lord truly was.
There's no smoke without fire. The saying proved true once again!
If he didn't give his all from this moment forward, his life might truly be in danger.
Facing the most formidable opponent he had ever encountered in his cultivation journey, Li Qing's mind instantly sharpened.
His gaze locked onto Exquisite True Lord's position as he channeled the last remnants of his Kunpeng Divine Power.
Buzz!
In the next instant, his form dissolved into the void once more, ignoring the vast spatial distance as he hurtled toward Exquisite True Lord.
"That bizarre speed again?"
Having witnessed Kunpeng Extreme Speed several times just now, Exquisite True Lord showed little panic. Instead, she moved fluidly through the air.
Above her, the void rippled suddenly.
Her reaction was lightning-fast. Her eyes turned icy, and killing intent surged.
Thousand-Thread Needles!
From her crimson robes, countless slender silver needles erupted, each trailing a crimson thread. They pierced directly into the rippling void.
Shwshshsh!
Li Qing, who had been preparing to materialize and engage Exquisite True Lord in close combat, felt a sudden surge of danger.
The silver needles radiated an overwhelming sense of peril, making every pore on his body tremble.
Danger!
Li Qing made a split-second decision, abandoning his plan to reveal himself.
He immediately changed direction while activating the Golden Jade Garment he wore.
Millions of slender silver needles surged toward the empty space where he had been moments before. Despite Li Qing's swift reaction, several needles still pierced his body.
These needles were like a natural counter to the Golden Jade Garment, rendering its defenses largely ineffective.
A searing pain erupted from his fleshly body—the needles had struck home!
This was terrifying!
Li Qing had once withstood a heavenly tribulation with his bare flesh. Yet even his incomparably powerful physique had its defenses breached by these silver needles in an instant.
"Not done yet!" A smile bloomed on Exquisite True Lord's peerlessly beautiful face.
The smile was dazzling, but it radiated extreme danger.
With a graceful wave of her hand, she grasped the silken threads attached to the needles embedded in Li Qing's body.
In an instant, the red threads glowed with a faint spiritual light that rapidly spread along the needles.
"Not good!"
Li Qing's heart jolted with alarm, his sense of impending doom intensifying.
He couldn't let these silver needles remain embedded in his body any longer; the consequences would be unimaginable!
Li Qing immediately grabbed the needles and tried to pull them out.
But the needles were as firmly rooted in his flesh as if they had grown there, unyielding to even his immense strength. No matter how hard he tugged, he couldn't budge them.
Panic rising, Li Qing rapidly increased the distance between himself and his attacker, even resorting to using Kunpeng Divine Power to unleash Kunpeng Extreme Speed.
Yet the crimson threads stretched endlessly after him, as if they had no limit.
"What a bizarre artifact! Once it pierces the flesh, it can't be removed?"
Even as an artifact refiner, he had never encountered such a peculiar weapon.
"Do I have to tear off my flesh along with them?" A flicker of hesitation crossed Li Qing's brow.
But this situation allowed no time for hesitation.
Just as he was about to forcibly rip the needles out, tearing his flesh in the process, several little golden silkworms suddenly crawled out from the Golden Jade Garment in his arms.
"Hmm?" Li Qing started, but quickly realizing what to do, he placed the silkworms beside the needles embedded in his flesh.
Having gone without food for so long, the little golden silkworms were ravenously hungry.
They immediately latched onto the silver needles and, in moments, had gnawed them clean through!
Clang!
A series of crisp, resonant sounds echoed through the air, like the strings of a zither snapping.
The Golden Silk Silkworm had performed a great service. The Thousand-Thread Needles, which Li Qing had struggled to overcome just moments ago, were now effortlessly devoured.
"Heh, truly, there's a counter for everything."
"These silver needles must be made of extraordinary materials, likely refined from some rare spirit gold. Just a taste has sent these little golden silkworms into a deep slumber."
Li Qing, who had been traversing the void, abruptly halted. He glanced at the utterly astonished Exquisite True Lord, then clenched his fists.
Boom!
Two massive Fire Seals materialized in his palms, one black as night, the other white as snow—a bizarre and unsettling sight.
Myriad Lives Demonic Art! Transformation Chapter!
As Li Qing activated this demonic art, the seven-colored life essence within his body surged forth, imperceptibly merging into the two Fire Seals.
Amplified by the seven-colored life essence, the power of the Shattered Origin Great Fire Seals steadily intensified.
To ensure the Fire Seals struck their target, Li Qing didn't hesitate to unleash the last of his Kunpeng Divine Power.
His figure once again blurred through the void, the distance between them vanishing in an instant.
The next moment, Li Qing materialized as if from thin air, simultaneously hurling the two Fire Seals forward.
These shattered origin great fire seals had been refined from the two heavenly spirit fires within his body. Amplified by his seven-colored life essence, their power had reached an utterly terrifying level.
Exquisite True Lord was still reeling from the shattering of her Thousand-Thread Needles, leaving her no time to evade.
The black and white shattered origin great fire seals detonated in an instant!
Boom!
Black and white flames intertwined in the void, as if obliterating space itself.
The fabric of reality trembled faintly as the raging flames bloomed like a colossal flower, its petals swirling in a chaotic dance of black and white.
Then, a terrifying shockwave of energy erupted outward, distorting the very fabric of space.
This was the most powerful shattered origin great fire seal Li Qing had ever unleashed. The aftershocks of the explosion shook the entire Shangqing Sect's mountain gate!
Everyone involuntarily turned their gaze toward the battle between Li Qing and Exquisite True Lord, which had become the focal point of attention.
"Terrifying! Even from this distance, I can sense that world-destroying aura."
"Hiss... Could Exquisite True Lord have fallen?"
"The clouds on the horizon have been completely annihilated! What kind of technique is this? It's comparable to a nascent soul realm cultivator!"
"The Shangqing Sect is in grave danger!"
The cultivators from all directions gasped in awe as they rapidly retreated. This was no place to linger.
Ten core formation realm cultivators engaged in a great war—an unprecedented event in the Azure Ridge Domain for nearly ten thousand years.
If the intensity of the battle escalated further, they would inevitably be caught in the crossfire.
Lin Ya wore an expression of disbelief. Exquisite True Lord, whom she had always revered as a deity, now faced the risk of death. Her entire worldview was crumbling.
Meanwhile, Wen Xing's face was deathly pale as Wu Chong relentlessly drove her back, leaving her unable to resist. Her cultivation had regressed so severely that even the nine lives bow she wielded could no longer pose a significant threat to Wu Chong.
Wu Chong devoured every arrow she fired, as if the Ancestor Devourer of Heaven had been resurrected.
"Summon the Sacred Beast!" Old Crone Wen Xing shrieked, her voice carrying across the Boundless Sea beyond the mountain gate.
Gurgle, gurgle!
Waves began to churn on the sea surface, and soon a colossal Profound Turtle emerged from the depths.
The Shangqing Sect's Sect-Protecting Demonic Beast—the Mountain-Bearing Turtle!
This was a genuine late-stage third-tier demonic beast, its power immeasurable.
The sight of the turtle sent shivers down the spines of countless onlookers, who suddenly remembered the Shangqing Sect's ancestral-level sect-protecting sacred beast!
No, this turtle's seniority far surpassed that of many ancestors.
Its lifespan was immeasurably long, spanning countless ages, and its cultivation had reached terrifying heights.
This was undoubtedly a demonic beast capable of tipping the scales of battle!
Yet Li Qing remained unfazed. "Heh," he sneered, "do you think you're the only ones with demonic beasts to aid you?"
With that, Li Qing lightly tapped his spirit beast pouch.
Swish, swish!
Two dark figures materialized in rapid succession!
A massive black Demon Tiger strode through the void, its aura radiating extreme ferocity as it advanced toward the Mountain-Bearing Turtle.
On the ground, a bizarre, tentacled worm slithered upward from the earth.
It was Ninth Insect and Fan Tong!
Now was their moment to shine. Li Qing didn't need them to defeat the Mountain-Bearing Turtle; he only needed them to stall it.
Moreover, Shen Ningbing seized a brief lull in the fierce battle to release her Frost Jade Ice Butterfly.
The ice butterfly fluttered its wings, swirling with icy mist as it soared toward the Mountain-Bearing Turtle.
Three early third-tier Demon beasts should pose no major challenge to a late third-tier Mountain-Bearing Turtle.
Renowned for its impenetrable defenses, the Mountain-Bearing Turtle would prove a formidable obstacle for Fan Tong and the others to delay.
"Aow!" Fan Tong roared skyward, announcing its entry into the fray.
The battlefield's dynamics shifted in an instant. Wen Xing, who had just moments ago believed she could secure an advantage with the Mountain-Bearing Turtle, now paled once more.
Five core formation realm cultivators, plus three third-tier Demon beasts!
The Lingyun Sect's preparations were more thorough than anyone could have imagined. Even at its peak, the Lingyun Sect couldn't have mustered such overwhelming combat power!
"Damn it! Is Heaven determined to destroy my Shangqing Sect?" Wen Xing cried out in despair.
As if in response to her anguished cry, a gentle melody suddenly arose from the epicenter of the shattered origin great fire seal's explosion.
The terrifying flames gradually dissipated, revealing a figure in crimson robes seated cross-legged in mid-air.
Her robes were now tattered, exposing Exquisite True Lord's jade-like, delicate physique. A streak of crimson blood stained the corner of her lips, a clear sign that Li Qing's earlier strike had inflicted significant injuries.
Yet now, she seemed to have recovered her composure.
Before her, strands of scarlet Thousand-Thread Needles had formed a zither. The gentle melody that had just sounded was produced by her plucking the crimson strings.
Seeing this, True Lord Yang Tian of the Shangqing Sect's face paled. He roared, "Ling Long, no!"
But Exquisite True Lord paid him no heed. Her slender fingers continued to pluck the crimson strings, unleashing the Exquisite Immortal Sound from within her Dao Body!
(End of the Chapter)
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