Chapter 32: Chapter 32: If this child is not removed, he will surely become a great problem!
Editor: Henyee Translations
As piles of spider corpses accumulated like mountains on both sides, the remaining corpse spiders, realizing they were no match, began to retreat woefully one after another.
The Kunlun disciples finally let out a breath of relief. Some were drenched in sweat, some had disheveled clothes, and even those too mentally drained simply sat down on the ground, staring blankly at the spider corpses.
After all, this was the first battle for most of the Kunlun disciples present.
The dark corridor and the endless tide of spiders had left a deep shadow in the hearts of these newcomers to the Cultivation Realm.
The formidable strength of Senior Brother Qiu and Sister Xu also left a deep impression on everyone, which went without saying from then on.
After resting for a moment, they continued on their way.
Now that Qiu Changtian was leading the way, he had almost become the spiritual pillar for all the Kunlun disciples, who were all secretly relieved to have invited this senior brother along, lest they all perish in this pitch-black underground.
[Invincible Character Setting, Synchronization Value +1.]
Xu Yinglian walked silently by the side, feeling that something was amiss.
In the recent slaughter of the corpse spiders, she and her senior brother were clearly on par, neither superior nor inferior.
Why did it seem like the senior brother had garnered most of the prestige now?
After walking several hundred meters down the corridor, everyone entered a spacious area that resembled a palace.
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This palace was octagonal, with eight entrances on the walls, and the group had just come in through one of them.
In the center, there was a large irregular pit covering nearly a hundred square meters, surrounded by scattered stone coffins and various skeletal remains, with flickering phosphorescence and a ghastly aura all around.
All the Kunlun disciples turned pale at this sight, which was clearly the relic of an ancient evil sect.
No matter how powerful this evil sect’s treasure was, as disciples of the Orthodox Sect, we couldn’t use it. We also had to be wary of the sinister attacks from restrictions; indeed, it was a terrible bargain.
Only the previous corpse spider bodies had some value for the cultivation of certain evil-subduing and demon-destroying Daoist magic and could be taken to the sect in exchange for spirit stones.
Thinking this, the disciples unanimously began to persuade Senior Brother Qiu that it was too dangerous to venture further into such an eerie place and suggested retreating to collect the corpse spiders to earn whatever they could.
Qiu Changtian saw what was happening and clearly understood everyone’s thoughts, so he pretended to ponder for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Seeing that the senior brother had agreed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to turn back.
“What kind of demon dares to lurk in the shadows?” Qiu Changtian suddenly shouted, raising his Jade Smoke Sword slightly and aiming at a certain cave ahead.
The Kunlun disciples were startled and quickly turned around to be on guard.
They saw a group of cultivators slowly emerging from the darkness within that cave.
Each one was dressed in dark robes trimmed with silver, with ancient hairpins in their hair and bone toggles on their shoulders—clearly dressed in the same manner as the Demon Path Cultivators of the Nether Ghost Path they had encountered before.
The leader was a beautiful woman in heavy makeup and luxurious attire.
She leaned lazily to one side, slowly parting her vermilion lips, but what came out was a deep male voice:
“Who trespasses on the Nether Ghost Path’s old ground?”
Qiu Changtian watched him warily and said,
“We are disciples of Kunlun, simply seeking to explore the Earth Vein, having met you by chance with no other intentions.”
“Merely a chance encounter?” The androgynous individual sneered slightly, “Gathering more than a dozen people, you enter my underground palace and claim to have no ulterior motive?”
“Had we not arrived in time, wouldn’t these fine ancient cadaveric shades in the pit have been desecrated by you Orthodox Sect disciples?”
Qiu Changtian replied coldly,
“These ancient cadaveric shades do not belong to your Nether Ghost Path; they are relics from Ancient Times. We got here first and have our own methods for handling them, what concern is it of yours?”
“A joke! This place is not without master; it is the old ground of our Ancient Nether Ghost Path. How could you Kunlun people recklessly trespass here!”
The person narrowed their eyes into slits and suddenly thrust their fingers forward, chanting an incantation loudly:
“Evil spirits, Resentful Curse Binding Kill!”
“Rain falls from brocaded clouds, and a jade rainbow gives rise to smoke!” Qiu Changtian shouted, activating the Sword Dao Techniques from his Jade Smoke Sword, shooting out countless sword lights that formed a massive web-like Light Rope in the air.
From the opponent’s sleeves, suddenly poured countless grey ghosts that violently collided with the light net.
The fragmented light flickered out, and the aggrieved souls wailed. Qiu Changtian’s expression changed, realizing the other was a Marrow Cleansing Rank Demon Cultivator, and quickly warned:
“Retreat!”
Even if he used his trump card to exterminate these Nether Ghost Path disciples, who knew if it would attract even stronger enemies? Besides…
His lovely junior brothers and sisters behind him were the ones he had painstakingly brought out on missions recently, adeptly helping him to brush up his Invincible Character Setting Synchronization Value.
If one died here, he would grieve for a long time!
No sooner had he spoken than the Nether Ghost Path disciples on the other side also raised their arms in unison and thrust forward from a distance, chanting together:
“Evil spirits, Resentful Curse Binding Kill!”
This so-called “evil spirits” technique was evidently very powerful, a single release capable of shattering Qiu Changtian’s sword Dao techniques.
At that moment, several disciples launched their spells simultaneously, how could Qiu Changtian have enough magic to fend them all off, so he quickly stepped back and pointed upwards towards the ceiling, exclaiming:
“Thunder Light Fire Pattern, Jade Pivot Divine Thunder, break!”
This technique was the result of Qiu Changtian’s cultivation of the “Shenxiao Jade Pivot Five Thunders Great Law.” The Jade Pivot Thunder he had mastered was now at his disposal.
The light was green with a core of red. A palm-sized ball of thunder light burst forth, striking the tunnel’s ceiling.
The disciples of the Nether Ghost Path only felt the ground beneath them shake violently, making it nearly impossible to maintain their balance.
Looking ahead, bricks and stones were flung wildly, and the air was filled with dust, causing the countless grey-white ghostly figures to miss their mark.
Once the dust had settled, they discovered that the passage had been completely collapsed, thoroughly obstructed and sealed.
“Senior Brother Wen, what should we do!” the disciples of the Nether Ghost Path asked in unison.
That person of indeterminate gender furrowed their brows and, after a long while, harshly spat out a word:
“Pursue!”
Meanwhile, the Kunlun disciples were frantically racing back the way they had come. Those who had just seen the person dueling with their eldest senior brother, as well as the disciples of the Nether Ghost Sect who had later joined the attack, were all of Marrow Cleansing Rank in strength.
With their own large group of Qi Refining Rank, there was no chance of victory, so they had to run as fast as they could, even forsaking their eldest senior brother who had lagged behind.
Qiu Changtian positioned himself at the rear of the team to cover their escape, with Xu Yinglian at his side lending support. She whispered to him,
“Do you have any strength left?”
“Mm.”
“Senior brother’s Thunder Method has impressive power,” Xu Yinglian remarked.
A collapse over ten meters long would not have been so easily achieved even with her Feather Jia Sword and its Daoist sword techniques.
Qiu Changtian gave no reply, but once his True Qi had fully recovered, he once again pointed towards the sky, releasing another Jade Pivot Thunder, collapsing the tunnel behind them again.
On the other side, the Nether Ghost Sect disciples unleashed all their magic, finally managing to clear the obstructing debris only to find another collapse ahead, which completely despaired them, cursing “Those lowlifes from Kunlun” internally as they had to clear the passage once more.
The Kunlun group reached the location where they had previously encountered the battle spiders. Qiu Changtian waved his sleeve, summoning the Jade Smoke and entangling several of the spiders, drawing them back into his sleeve.
Taking advantage of the obstructions he created, he could delay his pursuers and take the opportunity to gather more spider corpses to compensate for their efforts.
Seeing their eldest senior brother do this, other Kunlun disciples also released their Flying Swords.
In an instant, the sword lights swept through, and a pile of spiders vanished into thin air.
After the retrieval, Qiu Changtian once again formed an incantation with his fingers to unleash another round of thunder, collapsing the passage behind them.
By running and blasting their way through, the group finally managed to exit the cave along the path they had come.
They then each mounted their swords and flew off in the direction of the Kunlun.
Only after an unknowable duration did the disciples of the Nether Ghost Path finish clearing the collapsed debris and emerge to see daylight again.
By the time they reached the outside, the Kunlun disciples had long since disappeared.
“Senior Brother Wen,” someone said with a worried expression, “should we report this matter to the Sect… ”
“Of course!” Senior Brother Wen squinted his eyes and said malevolently, “The final technique released by the person in charge was clearly Thunder Method!”
“Thunder Method?” The disciples of the Nether Ghost Path looked at each other, and then their expressions drastically changed.
Thunder Method, also known as the Five Thunder True Law, had become rare in the world today because of the high risks associated with its cultivation.
According to the ancient records in the Sect, thunder carries a destructive energy naturally restraining the evil and demonic magic, so Thunder Cultivators, those who practiced Thunder Method, had always been natural enemies to the Nether Ghost Path Cultivators.
If instead of the tunnel walls, that person’s Thunder Method had struck the Nether Ghost Path Cultivators, it was estimated they would have been instantly killed, turned upside down and trampled.
In retrospect, they realized just how narrowly they had escaped death, and a strong sense of relief washed over them.
However, on Senior Brother Wen’s effeminate face, there was not a trace of relief.
He knew that in both quality and quantity, the disciples of the Nether Ghost Path were far superior to those of the Kunlun Sect.
Therefore, had the Qi Refining Rank Thunder Cultivator decided to stay and fight to the end, it was highly likely the battle would have resulted in mutual destruction.
Even if his own side would have suffered heavy casualties, that Thunder Cultivator would surely have been targeted first, dying on the spot.
Nevertheless, the Thunder Cultivator had not taken the risk despite having the advantage against the ghosts, choosing instead to retreat promptly, which was completely unexpected.
According to the ancient texts in the Sect, the greatest weakness of a Thunder Cultivator was the “evil energy overwhelming the spirit,” as novices tend to become irritable and aggressive due to cultivating the Thunder Method, being sensitive and combative.
In other words, this was a Thunder Cultivator with intellect!
If not dealt with early, they feared he would become a major threat to the Sect in the future!