Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Determination (Extra update in the evening)
Dingling.
The chilling sound of a copper bell rang out, and the people from Mount Shu and inquiry Immortal Pavilion tensed up, with grave expressions on their faces.
Dozens of dark shadows emerged from underground; the pursuit troops from the Joyous Union Sect and Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons had arrived.
Liu Yun’er held a burning Earth Escape talisman in her hand, which flared up and turned to ashes.
“I didn’t expect you all to have a seventh-grade ‘Wooden Barrier Talisman,’ causing me to waste a lot of time and even use an Earth Escape talisman to chase after you. But even if you escape to the ends of the earth, you won t get out of the palm of my hand. Lu Changsheng, come out obediently and cultivate with me. Before you die, you can still enjoy the bliss of the human world, and you won’t be at a loss. Odd, where has he gone?”
Liu Yun’er scanned over the fully alert Mount Shu and Inquiry Immortal
Pavilion people but didn’t find any trace of Lu Changsheng.
Suddenly, Liu Yun’er looked up to the sky above the valley, only to see purple aura coming from the east, stretching for a hundred miles in vast swathes, slowly swirling like a vortex, “A celestial phenomenon?”
The Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons elder spoke softly, “This is the heavenly phenomenon caused by someone who has cultivated the Taiqing Wuji Technique when they make a breakthrough. The more solid the person’s foundation, the more exaggerated the heavenly phenomenon they trigger. He has not yet attracted the Heavenly Tribulation, indicating he is not about to break through to the Void Refinement Realm. If my guess is correct, he is about to enter the ninth level of the Dao Palace realm.
“So that’s it, he’s hiding and making a breakthrough. To think that after cultivating for more than two hundred years, one’s cultivation could reach the ninth level of the Dao Palace realm. I’m getting more and more interested in him. If I could absorb his cultivation, I could easily reach the Void Refinement Realm. Don’t interrupt his breakthrough- the higher his cultivation, the more advanced my Dao of Joyous Union will be.”
Liu Yun’er’s beautiful eyes shimmered with a trace of greed.
The Dao of Joyous Union required the partner to be handsome and have high cultivation to greatly enhance one’s cultivation.
Liu Yun’er, delighted by the prospect, wanted to turn Lu Changsheng into her cauldron for cultivation.
“I understand. But just in case, let’s deal with these people outside first.”
The Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons elder thought that even if Lu Changsheng reached the Dao Palace realm, he would be no match for the Calamity Serpent he controlled, so it was nothing to worry about. Therefore, he decided to do Liu Yun’er a favor and eliminate Murong Shi, Xiao Meng’er, and Xia Ningxue, the talents from Mount Shu and the Inquiry Immortal Pavilion, first. Otherwise, once they grew stronger, they would be a significant threat to the four great Demon Sects.
“Witch, if you want a fight, then bring it on. I, Zhao Wuyan, am not afraid of you!”
Zhao Wuyan invoked his Chasing Wind Sword, and a burst of azure Sword Qi shot up into the sky, stirring up fierce winds and clouds.
He, Zhao Wuyan, after all, was a practitioner at the sixth level of the Dao Palace realm and posed a threat to many Demon Sect elders.
“My only target is Lu Changsheng.”
Liu Yun’ er gave a look to one of the Joyous Union Sect elders, who then summoned the Heart Corrosion Ring, with an overwhelming Demonic Qi surging up to meet the Chasing Wind Sword.
This Joyous Union Sect elder was also a standout among his peers, with his cultivation on the same sixth level of the Dao Palace realm!
Zhao Wuyan had only recently entered the sixth level of the Dao Palace realm, while this Joyous Union Sect elder had been at this level for a considerable time. His powers were more profound than Zhao Wuyan’s, and the Demonic Qi from the Heart Corrosion Ring overwhelmed the Sword Qi from the Chasing Wind Sword.
“Attack!”
The Demon Sect elders from the Joyous Union Sect and Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons made their move together, their magical weapons soaring into the sky, the terrifying pressure and energy destroying the nearby trees, sending dust flying, and causing the ground to crack open.
“Hiss…”
The Calamity Serpent pounced with a foul wind, its swift speed incongruous with its massive body.
“Beast!”
Xiao Meng’er let out a delicate shout as she operated the sixth level of the Supreme Forgetting Emotion Art, summoning her Flying Sword and slashing at the Calamity Serpent.
The fierce wind was like the blade, and when the Flying Sword struck the serpent’s head, it sparked a noise like a clash of metal, scraping only a shallow blood mark upon its scales as black snake blood seeped out.
Suddenly, the Calamity Serpent opened its massive maw wide, revealing its sharp fangs and sprayed a jet of black venom at the people from Mount Shu and the Inquiry Immortal Pavilion.
“Dodge it!”
The group hastily scrambled to avoid it.
“Aaahhh!!!”
An Inquiry Immortal Pavilion elder was unable to evade in time and was struck by the venom, their body instantly corroded as they screamed in agony.
Where the crowd had originally stood, the huge rocks were dissolved by the black poisonous liquid, forming a large pit tens of feet wide and more than ten feet deep.
“An elder of the second layer of Dao Palace was directly wiped out…”
The people of Inquiry Immortal Pavilion were all terrified.
The Calamity Serpent was equivalent to a cultivator of the Void Refinement Realm, and with the robust body and severe poison of a demonic creature, it was even more troublesome than an ordinary cultivator of the Void Refinement Realm.
“The battle has begun.”
Lu Changsheng, feeling the disturbance outside, was still accelerating the refining of the Flood Dragon’s Golden Core, doing his utmost to step into the ninth layer of Dao Palace as quickly as possible.
“It’s still not fast enough.”
Lu Changsheng was burning with anxiety. If the battle continued, and everyone outside was wiped out, he might not be able to refine the Flood Dragon’s Golden Core in time.
Without the help of Murong Shi, Xiao Meng’er, and Xia Ningxue, even if Lu Changsheng activated the Immortal Artifact and did his utmost to suppress the Calamity Serpent, the remaining True Qi wouldn’t be enough to deal with the other Demon Sect elders.
Therefore, Lu Changsheng had to break through as soon as possible.
Suddenly, the inferior Immortal Artifact, Yin Yang Dragons Cauldron within the Dao Palace gently shook, and actually drew the Flood Dragon’s Golden Core inside the cauldron.
The patterns on the Flood Dragon’s Golden Core quickly dissolved, and the demonic power turned into rich Spiritual Energy.
“Could it be that the Yin Yang Dragons Cauldron can speed up the refining of demonic Golden Cores?”
Lu Changsheng discovered that this inferior Immortal Artifact was truly versatile.
Although the Yin Yang Dragons Cauldron was not a treasure focused on offense, its value was no less than that of other inferior Immortal Artifacts.
With the Yin Yang Dragons Cauldron accelerating the refining of the demonic power in the Flood Dragon’s Golden Core, Lu Changsheng’s breakthrough speed suddenly increased.
“Lu Changsheng, you must be hiding in that cave, right? What on earth are you doing?”
The voice of Liu Yun’er rang out, and Lu Changsheng’s expression changed slightly.
If Liu Yun’er suddenly interrupted his breakthrough, it would surely end in failure.
Liu Yun’ er was a Holy Maiden of the Joyous Union Sect at the ninth layer of Dao Palace. If she entered the cave and sensed the presence of an Immortal Artifact, she would certainly not let Lu Changsheng break through easily.
The aura of Liu Yun’er was getting closer, suddenly, her aura stopped at the entrance of the cave.
“Someone has stopped her.”
Lu Changsheng continued to focus on his breakthrough, with the Innate Taoist Body frantically absorbing the demonic power refined with the help of the Yin Yang Dragons Cauldron.
Outside the cave, elders from Mount Shu, Inquiry Immortal Pavilion, Joyous Union Sect, and Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons from the four sects clashed fiercely.
The immense head of the Calamity Serpent smashed into a mountain peak, its frightful force like a landslide, causing the mountain to crumble, with huge rocks scattering in all directions.
A Mount Shu elder was rammed to death by the Calamity Serpent, and then his body was buried by the collapsing rocks.
Clang.
Murong Shi used the Taiyin Sword Art, and her Ink Plum Sword hit the Calamity Serpent, barely managing to break through its scales, unable to injure it fundamentally.
Murong Shi spread the fingers of her left hand, and a talisman appeared in her palm.
At this juncture, only by using the eighth-grade “Divine Thunder Exorcism Charm” from Lu could they severely injure the Calamity Serpent.
Zeng Yeqiu, Xiao Meng’er, and other masters from Inquiry Immortal Pavilion summoned their Flying Swords, dealing with the Demon Sect elders from Joyous Union Sect and Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons, with various magical treasures clashing in the sky.
The power of Joyous Union Sect and Valley of Ten Thousand Poisons was no less than that of Inquiry Immortal Pavilion.
“You shall not advance another step,” declared Xia Ningxue, wielding the Severing Affection Sword, blocking Liu Yun’er, “He once saved my life, and now it is my turn to repay the debt.”