Translator: AnubisTL
Black Sand River, within the underwater cave abode.
"Thank goodness the protective formation here is sturdy enough," Wu Chong gasped, his half-bloodstained Daoist robe and deathly pale face betraying the severity of his injuries. "Otherwise, we'd be in dire straits."
"Martial Uncle Wu, this is merely a second-tier high-grade Grand Formation," Cao Xiu replied, his voice strained as he poured every ounce of his strength into maintaining the formation. "It's only holding because the one who deployed it possessed extraordinary skill. But I doubt it can withstand much more."
Cao Xiu spoke as he desperately manipulated the Grand Formation, aided by Wu Chong and several other Law Enforcement Hall elders.
Beneath the Black Sand River, a formation shimmering with brilliant spiritual light shielded the cave abode. It had repelled the relentless attacks of the core formation realm cultivators outside, but now the formation teetered on the brink of collapse, threatening to shatter at any moment.
Once the formation fell, the core formation true lords—whose origins remained a mystery—would storm in, spelling utter annihilation for those within.
"Ah, let's hope the sect responds quickly," a Law Enforcement Hall disciple said, his face pale with fear. "When did the Azure Ridge Domain suddenly become swarming with core formation realm cultivators?"
They knew they had just brushed against the netherworld.
If not for the supreme elder's last-minute decision to accompany them on this mission, they would have faced several core formation realm cultivators head-on.
That would have been a certain death sentence!
Even with Wu Chong present, the situation remained dire. The core formation realm cultivators outside were intensifying their attacks, clearly aiming to crush them swiftly and avoid any complications.
Wu Chong focused on regulating his breathing, striving to stabilize his internal energy.
Thanks to the Gluttonous Divine Art's extraordinary abilities, he could rapidly absorb the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual energy, allowing him to endure this long.
But if the formation were to collapse, everything would be lost.
"Don't panic, I'm still fucking alive!" Wu Chong snarled inwardly, baring his teeth. "Even if the formation breaks, I'll do everything I can to protect you all."
"But I still want to know where these bastards came from. They don't look like they're from the Grasslands."
He channeled the Gluttonous Divine Art with reckless abandon, devouring the chaotic spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This put immense strain on his meridians, causing them to swell with excruciating pain.
At that moment, he couldn't help but think of his master, Ancestor Devourer of Heaven.
Am I destined to follow in my master's footsteps? To sacrifice my life to protect the sect's people?
He wasn't mentally prepared for such a heroic death.
Though he knew this was human nature, Wu Chong couldn't help but feel a pang of shame. His admiration for his master, Ancestor Devourer of Heaven, only deepened.
I can't disgrace the legacy of the gluttonous beast! If death is my fate today, so be it! Wu Chong vowed fiercely in his heart.
Cao Xiu gritted his teeth, desperately holding on.
He never imagined that successfully unlocking the hidden inheritance here would cause such a cataclysmic reaction. The entire Black Sand River had begun to flow backward.
But the chaos was one thing—what truly cursed his luck was being discovered by an unknown core formation realm cultivator.
If he hadn't immediately retreated into the protective array, he would have died on the spot!
However, days of maintaining the array had left Cao Xiu utterly drained. His true essence was nearly depleted, and even his spiritual sense was being squeezed dry.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Waves of violent spiritual energy surged toward them, threatening to shatter the Black Sand River Basin. The combined assault of several core formation realm cultivators was overwhelming.
No matter how ingeniously crafted this Second-Tier Grand Formation might be, exhausting all the good fortune of heaven and earth, it remained fundamentally a Second-Tier Grand Formation, its limitations firmly established.
Its inevitable breach was a foregone conclusion.
"Heh heh heh, it seems this formation won't hold much longer."
"For a second-tier high-grade Grand Formation to withstand our combined assault for so long is truly remarkable. Though we haven't yet unleashed our full power, its resilience is still astonishing."
"Senior Brother Chang Jue is right. Whatever lies hidden within this formation must indeed be extraordinary."
"This only piques my curiosity further. The formation carries an ancient aura, unlike anything from this era. It resembles some kind of ancient marvel. Could it truly contain an ancient inheritance?"
The group conversed casually, their expressions relaxed and confident, their voices dripping with assurance, as if victory were already in their grasp.
In truth, their confidence was well-founded. Four core formation true lords combined naturally possessed overwhelming power.
They had already conducted thorough investigations, secretly visiting numerous cultivation clans and even resorting to dream-probing techniques to extract information.
The information they finally obtained left them pleasantly surprised, even somewhat astonished.
They had assumed that the immortal dao faction governing this great domain would at least have a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator at its helm.
But they never imagined that the strongest figure in the Lingyun Sect, the renowned Ancestor Limitless, was merely a Core Formation Realm cultivator—and only at the mid Core Formation Realm!
Overwhelmed with elation, they immediately dispatched the rest of their forces to report this news to their ancestor.
Only four of them remained in the Azure Ridge Domain to continue reconnaissance.
Now that they knew the Lingyun Sect's strongest cultivator was only at the mid Core Formation Realm, their actions became far more brazen and unrestrained, with none of their previous caution.
"This domain possesses three high-grade spiritual veins, yet the Lingyun Sect only occupies one—what a waste of resources! If the Free and Unfettered Sect were here, we would seize them all, recruit cultivators from across the land as disciples, and rapidly expand our sect's power."
"At this rate, we might even be able to launch a southern campaign against the demonic sects of the Great Wilderness Domain within a few years."
The core formation true lord named Chang Jue spoke with murderous intent. Only when discussing the demonic path sects of the Great Wilderness Domain did they consider themselves righteous path cultivators.
At other times, they acted as they pleased.
Boom!
With a deafening roar, the entire Black Sand River Basin collapsed.
River water flooded the land, the ground sank, and the spiritual light of the array shattered, scattering across the sky.
The array protecting the area had finally crumbled completely.
"That's the boy! Keep him alive. The ancient inheritance belongs to the virtuous!" one of the Free and Unfettered Sect's supreme elders sneered.
"What a generous gift! This domain will be the sacred ground for our sect's rise to glory."
As the array shattered, Wu Chong slowly rose to his feet, single-handedly shielding Cao Xiu and the others behind him. He faced the four malevolent core formation realm true lords head-on.
"Do you dare act so brazenly, fearing no retaliation from the Lingyun Sect?" Wu Chong roared, still trying to invoke the sect's name to intimidate them.
But the supreme elders of the Free and Unfettered Sect remained unfazed.
True Lord Chang Jue casually remarked, "Retaliation from the Lingyun Sect? Hmph, we couldn't care less."
"How laughable! Your sect's strongest cultivator is merely at the mid Core Formation Realm, yet you dare call him 'Ancestor'?"
"Heh, once our Free and Unfettered Sect descends upon this domain, you'll learn what a true sect patriarch truly is."
The Free and Unfettered Sect... they really are cultivators from the outer domain.
Wu Chong's heart sank. He knew the Lingyun Sect's reputation wouldn't intimidate these outsiders.
From their words, it was clear that the Free and Unfettered Sect's patriarch was a cultivator at the nascent soul realm.
Realizing this, Wu Chong's expression darkened further. He understood that his chances of survival were slim. His only hope was that the Lingyun Sect could weather this calamity.
"But you won't live to see that day. Let your life serve as a celebration of our Free and Unfettered Sect's imminent rise to power in this domain."
True Lord Chang Jue raised his hand, wisps of pure qi swirling around his arm.
Just then, a silver streak of light shot across the horizon, as if spatial distance meant nothing to it.
"The Free and Unfettered Sect certainly makes a grand entrance, ganging up four against one. Do you think the Lingyun Sect has no one left to defend it?"
A cold, sharp voice rang out. The silver streak vanished, revealing a tall, imposing figure.
"Martial Uncle Limitless!"
"It's Ancestor Limitless! Thank heavens, Ancestor Limitless has arrived!"
"Li Qing, whew. If you'd been a moment later, I fear I would have followed in my master's footsteps."
Wu Chong and the other foundation establishment elders of Lingyun Sect all breathed sighs of relief, thinking they were finally saved.
The four core formation true lords from the Free and Unfettered Sect turned to look at Li Qing.
"Limitless True Lord? I remember now. I seem to recall hearing that daoist name back in the Great Wilderness Domain."
"I believe I've heard of him as well."
"I wonder if it's the same person. Still, there can't be too many core formation true lords in the world with identical daoist names."
As they spoke, they scrutinized Li Qing with brazen, dismissive gazes, clearly not taking him seriously.
Faced with their hostile stares, Li Qing suppressed the killing intent surging within him.
"The Free and Unfettered Sect, who fled in terror from the demonic path forces of the Great Wilderness Domain, now dares to flaunt their arrogance so openly?"
"I wonder if you'd still be so arrogant if I spread word of this to the Great Wilderness Domain."
Upon hearing Li Qing's words, the expressions of the four supreme elders of the Free and Unfettered Sect instantly darkened. His words had clearly struck a nerve.
"Very well, very well. It seems you truly are the same person."
"Let's see what gives a mere rogue cultivator like you the audacity to speak to us with such confidence now."
As the words faded, one of the cultivators—a stout, mid-Core Formation Realm cultivator with silver rings circling his head, radiating boundless waves of light—shot skyward, directly charging toward Li Qing.
"Remember this: True Lord Xi Feng is the one who will kill you!"
Facing the cultivator's lethal assault, Li Qing's expression remained unchanged. He slowly raised his hand.
Boom!
The aura of a peak Core Formation Realm cultivator erupted forth!
In the next instant, the temperature of heaven and earth soared, and the river water flooding the ground rapidly evaporated into mist.
"Not good! Junior Brother Xi Feng, be careful!" True Lord Chang Jue roared, finally realizing the danger.
But it was too late. A massive, pitch-black fiery palm print materialized in the sky!
At the center of the palm, a white fire seal clung tightly.
Everything happened too suddenly. The stout True Lord Xi Feng had no time to react, because Li Qing, drawing upon the Kunpeng Divine Power, had fused the heavenly spirit fire into the void itself.
The Crimson Blaze Heaven-Veiling Palm, forged from the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame, combined with the Shattered Origin Great Fire Seal, refined from the Netherworld Cold Fire, formed a lethal, consecutive strike.
Bang!
A massive black flame hand suddenly materialized, seizing the short, stout cultivator in its palm. Instantly, the shattered origin great fire seal erupted within the hand, delivering a point-blank explosion to True Lord Xi Feng.
Boom!
The black flame hand clenched tightly, white flames leaking from between its fingers.
A moment later, the hand slowly opened, revealing True Lord Xi Feng reduced to a pile of pitch-black, icy shards.
In the blink of an eye, a mid Core Formation Realm cultivator had met a gruesome end before everyone's eyes.
The entire area fell into complete silence. The supreme elders of the Free and Unfettered Sect stood frozen, their expressions utterly rigid.
Too fast! Everything happened too fast!
This Limitless True Lord was no mere mid Core Formation Realm cultivator; he was clearly only a step away from the nascent soul realm.
Then Li Qing's icy voice rang out:
"There's no need to tell me your names or daoist names. I have no interest in the titles of the dead."
"Now, prepare to die."
(End of the Chapter)
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