Translator: CinderTL
Zhu Tianlei said, "Zhu Yi, your concerns are not without merit. But if the three of us can't break this formation, how can we even think about killing him?"
A surge of intense resentment welled up in Zhu Yi's heart.
It was Zhu Tianlei who had ignored his warnings and insisted on killing for treasure. And now, when things turned against them, it was Zhu Tianlei who first thought of fleeing.
Zhu Tianlei acted solely out of self-interest, completely disregarding the Zhu Clan's interests.
While the three of them could escape, the Zhu Clan's low-tier cultivators and non-cultivating mortals had nowhere to run. The entire Zhu Clan would be annihilated as a result.
Forcing down his anger, Zhu Yi calmly said, "Ancestor, perhaps we could try breaking this formation with another formation."
Zhu Tianlei's eyes lit up. "Zhu Yi, do you have a suitable formation?"
Zhu Yi nodded, flipping his hand to reveal eighteen formation flags and an array disk.
"This formation is called the 'Limitless Spirit-Breaking Formation,' which I acquired by chance. If used correctly, it can break most fifth-rank formations."
A look of satisfaction immediately spread across Zhu Tianlei's face.
"This formation seems promising! There's no time to waste. Set it up immediately!"
Zhu Yi said, "Ancestor, you may not be aware, but setting up this formation is quite complex. We'll need your and Zhi Zhen's assistance."
Zhu Tianlei readily agreed.
Under Zhu Yi's guidance, the trio began arranging the formation.
Meanwhile, deep within the cultivation cave in the canyon, Song Wen let out a soft sigh of relief.
Although he had used the Cosmic Transformation Incarnation to control the Nine Heavens Return to Origin Formation and block their attacks, this had diverted part of his divine sense, preventing him from fully concentrating on his breakthrough. As a result, his rate of refining external Spiritual Qi had noticeably slowed, and the growth of his internal spiritual power had correspondingly diminished.
Moreover, controlling the Cosmic Transformation Incarnation had consumed a significant amount of his spiritual power.
Consequently, his internal spiritual power hadn't increased as rapidly as he had hoped.
Seizing the opportunity while Zhu Tianlei and the others were setting up the formation, Song Wen began absorbing Spiritual Qi with all his might.
Each breath he took was like a whale drawing in water. Multicolored Spiritual Qi surged from all directions, pouring into his nostrils and mouth.
By this point, the amount of spiritual power within his body had already multiplied several times over its original level. However, unless he could break through the bottleneck, this excess spiritual power would not be absorbed by his nascent soul and would gradually dissipate back into heaven and earth spiritual qi.
Under the surging impact of spiritual power, the bottleneck began to loosen further.
Meanwhile, above the canyon, Zhu Tianlei and his companions had successfully deployed the so-called Limitless Spirit-Breaking Formation.
Zhu Yi stood high in the air, surrounded by eighteen formation flags floating within a one-mile radius.
The flags emitted strands of silver light that coalesced without dissipating, weaving through the air like luminous serpents. These serpentine trails traced intricate formation patterns, forming a vast, glowing array.
Zhu Yi executed a magic seal, channeling it into the array disk before him.
The disk blazed with silver light, which then cascaded onto the formation pattern beneath his feet.
The formation pattern instantly activated, condensing countless silver light motes that rained down like falling stars upon the canyon's defensive barrier.
The silver motes struck the barrier without a thunderous roar or violent energy surge, their impact eerily silent.
Yet, the barrier's dense, ink-like corpse qi, upon contact with the silver light, began to dissolve like frost meeting a fiery rain.
The nine corpse qi chains, bearing the brunt of the assault, rapidly became riddled with holes before collapsing entirely.
The corpse qi barrier thinned steadily, teetering on the brink of disintegration.
"Zhu Yi, well done! Keep pushing and break through this turtle shell in one go!" Zhu Tianlei's hearty voice boomed, his joy barely concealed.
With that, he turned to Zhu Zhizhen.
"Zhi Zhen, join me in channeling our flying swords to attack the formation barrier. We need to breach it as quickly as possible."
"Yes!" Zhu Zhizhen replied.
In an instant, their flying swords soared into the air, their blades gleaming like rainbows.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
The formation barrier below suddenly shattered, transforming into a swirling cloud of corpse qi that billowed upward.
The three cultivators froze momentarily, then erupted in wild elation.
"Hahaha... It seems that person couldn't maintain their focus on two tasks at once and finally collapsed!" Zhu Tianlei roared with laughter. "Zhu Yi, Zhi Zhen, follow me into the valley!"
Zhu Yi and Zhu Zhizhen's faces lit up with obvious joy.
Zhu Yi, in particular, had been worried about failing to kill the person undergoing a breakthrough, which could bring disaster upon their clan.
As the trio plunged through the dense corpse qi and entered the valley, their expressions of joy abruptly froze.
A figure materialized in the air several miles below, blocking their path.
"A peak Divine Transformation stage cultivator!"
A look of disbelief flashed across their eyes.
The surrounding heaven and earth spiritual qi continued to converge toward the depths of the canyon, indicating that the person's breakthrough had not been interrupted.
The figure before them was clearly guarding the one undergoing the breakthrough.
Their earlier concerns had not been unfounded.
"You possess remarkable courage, daring to disturb my dao companion's breakthrough," the figure below spoke, his voice icy and brimming with murderous intent.
As he spoke, a spear over three meters long materialized before him.
The spear radiated a chilling, metallic light, its tip trembling slightly, emitting a terrifyingly sharp aura.
Even from several kilometers away, the trio could clearly sense the spear's piercing intent, as if countless tiny blades were slicing through their bodies, every inch of their skin prickling with sharp pain.
"A Spirit Treasure!" Zhu Tianlei's voice trembled slightly.
He immediately turned and fled into the sky.
Though the spear was merely a low-grade spirit treasure, in this spiritually barren land, it was an exceedingly rare and precious artifact.
Moreover, their opponent was a peak Divine Transformation stage cultivator who had entrenched himself in Corpse Soul Ravine for decades, undoubtedly having laid countless formations.
If they didn't flee now, when would they?
Seeing Zhu Tianlei flee without a fight, Zhu Yi's eyes flashed with resentment.
But the next moment, he too turned and fled, following closely behind.
This was because Zhu Zhizhen had already fled upward.
Alone, he stood no chance against a peak Divine Transformation stage cultivator.
The few miles to the canyon entrance now seemed as distant as heaven and earth.
Zhu Tianlei suddenly sensed that sharp, piercing aura rapidly closing in.
The enemy clearly intended to eliminate the highest-level cultivator first.
A ruthless glint flashed in Zhu Tianlei's eyes. A surge of potent spiritual power erupted from his body, surging backward.
But this power wasn't directed at the incoming spear. Instead, it swirled toward Zhu Zhizhen, who was fleeing to his right rear.
(End of the Chapter)
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🔓 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦 — 13 Series (7 Ongoing) | 14+ New Chapters Daily | 7,200+ FREE