Mei Lan sat cross-legged atop a jagged peak in the desolate Void Peaks-the silent burial ground of ancient spiritual energy. She was refining the vast, chaotic energy harvested in Chapter 22, but her Purity Core demanded a specific, high-tier resource to stabilize her Innate Sword Soul for the next stage of her breakthrough.
She activated her spiritual senses, ignoring the low-tier spiritual noise of the continent. Her focus was drawn to a distant, humming resonance-a unique spiritual sound signature emanating from the far northern reaches of the Immortal Cloud Continent.
[Observer's Eye Activated. Target: Grand Elemental Vein. Status: Wind Elemental Purity: 95%]
Mei Lan rose. She knew this resource, the concentrated Wind Elemental Essence, belonged to the most inaccessible and rigid faction in the Cloud Heavens: the Sky Wind Temple. The Temple was not interested in political warfare or resource disputes, focusing solely on isolation and aerial supremacy. Their mastery of the Wind Dao made them virtually untouchable.
If the Master is conquering the Earth and Fire, I will secure the Air, Mei Lan mused. Her ambition was clear: she would not fall behind. She would maintain her peer status through superior martial acquisition.
She flew toward the horizon, a streak of pure, unadulterated intent, relying on her Purity Core to analyze the weaknesses of the air currents around the Temple itself.
The Sky Wind Temple was an architectural marvel, a structure of crystalline white stone that seemed to float entirely on immense vortices of pure Wind Immortal Qi. It was guarded by an immense array-the Nine Heavens Wind Shield-a seamless defense that repelled all conventional attacks by utilizing the unpredictable flow of the Wind Dao.
Mei Lan arrived and immediately activated her Observer's Eye.
[Target: Nine Heavens Wind Shield. Flaw: Over-Purity in Logic. Vulnerability: Counter-Purity Disruption.]
The Temple's defense was too perfect. Its rigidity made it blind to the idea that an incoming force could be purer than its own. They had designed the Shield to resist contamination and brute force, but not to recognize a superior version of their own element.
She landed directly on the Shield, her feet finding purchase on the invisible wind barrier. Instantly, an alarm blared across the Temple, and two Heavenly Immortal Stage 7 protectors materialized.
"Halt! How dare you trespass upon the Temple!" one protector bellowed, channeling his Wind Qi into a razor-sharp vortex designed to strip the invader to the bone.
Mei Lan met the attack with her empty hand. She channeled a thread of her Divine Core Qi, but she filtered it through the Sword Intent to mimic the precise frequency of the Sky Wind Temple's own defense. She then introduced a single, terrifyingly pure concept: Perfect Stillness.
The protector's Wind Vortex, encountering a power that was not only purer but also asserted absolute authority over its movement, instantly collapsed into a state of zero motion. The protector staggered, paralyzed by the flaw exposed in his own power.
The second protector, recognizing the profound danger, initiated the Temple's ultimate defensive counter-attack: a synchronized burst of Wind Dao power aimed at pinning the intruder to the shield.
Mei Lan smiled faintly. More energy for the Core.
She channelled her Blade of Purity not to cut, but to replicate. She mirrored the synchronization of the two protectors' attack, but added her Divine Purity signature. The resulting energy signature she unleashed was identical to theirs, but fundamentally flawless.
The two competing energies met. The Temple's flawed synchronization instantly shattered under the pressure of the superior Purity. The protectors screamed as their internal Qi systems were annihilated by the spiritual reflection. They were left wounded, broken, and uselessly floating outside their shattered defense.
Mei Lan walked across the still, silent air where the protectors had just been. Her target was the Wind Elemental Nexus at the heart of the Temple.
She reached the massive, crystalline chamber where the Wind Elemental Essence was stored. The air here was so pure it felt like liquid silk. As she prepared to acquire the core essence, a third, far more powerful figure appeared.
Sovereign Yue, the Temple Master, emerged, his power radiating the full, devastating force of Grand Unity Immortal Stage 5-a level far beyond Lin Tian's current puppets.
"The Blade of Purity," Yue said, his voice laced with absolute command. "You are the anomaly that shattered the Azure Sea's stability. Your arrogance ends here. You will surrender your Divine Core to the Temple, or I will dismantle your soul piece by piece."
Yue did not attack with lightning or fire; he attacked with pressure. He focused the entirety of the Nine Heavens Wind Shield-even though it was partially damaged-to collapse the air around Mei Lan, intending to crush her physical form.
Mei Lan, however, knew she couldn't match this level of raw power. She had secured the Wind Elemental Essence already, using a quick extraction technique while Yue was speaking. Her mission was complete.
[Resource Acquisition: Wind Elemental Essence (Core) secured. Immediate Retreat Mandatory.]
Mei Lan didn't fight back. She executed the highest efficiency action: evasion. She channeled all her remaining energy into a specialized Sword Intent technique that warped the light and spiritual field around her, masking her spiritual signature entirely.
Yue's massive pressure struck the spot where Mei Lan had been standing, but she was already gone-a flash of pure, light-warping energy that vanished into the unpredictable currents of the Cloud Heavens.
Yue roared in frustration as the resources of his Temple were stolen. He had fought a phantom.
Mei Lan, miles away, felt the satisfaction of the challenge. She had secured the Wind, maintained her lead over Lin Tian, and forced a powerful Grand Unity Immortal to pursue her. Her Purity Core hummed with satisfaction, ready for the next breakthrough.