Chapter 529: Immortal and Demonic, Chaotic Battle
Roaring—
The sky was obscured by roaring and flames.
Although the Tianyun Peak disciples on the Immortal Ship were in a panic at first, they immediately came to their senses after Liang Zhu’s voice echoed, releasing their Qi Cultivation and forming a spirit-isolating formation with Xiao Yunluo as the core.
Thus, the residual killing aura that shook the Immortal Ship was completely isolated.
Xiao Yunluo hovered above the seven Immortal Ships, her light purple eyes gazing solemnly at the continuous flames around them. As a Xuan Dragon, her spiritual energy was nearly inexhaustible.
Although these killing spirit arts raged fiercely, most of them were unleashed by Core Formation Stage demonic cultivators.
Even though she had panicked at first, the spirit taming formation was now complete, and these minor spells were no longer a problem. Even if she were alone, she was confident she could block the demonic cultivators’ spells for several days with her own spiritual energy.
Xiao Yunluo pursed her lips, feeling a little smug.
She had worked hard to cultivate spirit taming techniques and had indeed become stronger over the years.
“Hmph, hmph… Lian Xue, once the demonic cultivators’ spells are finished, you will lead the Tianyun Peak disciples…”
Xiao Yunluo took the opportunity to arrange things for Pei Lianxue, but before she could finish, she heard Pei Lianxue, who had just landed on the deck, shout:
“Yunluo!! Be careful!!”
“Huh?”
Boom—
The earth-shattering roar was deafening. Xiao Yunluo felt her spiritual shield as if it had collided with a falling star, staggering. She turned to look.
She saw the countless layers of spiritual shields, formed by her Xuan Dragon spiritual energy and the disciples of Tianyun Peak below, tainted with a spot of blood-red light.
In the blink of an eye, an arrow imbued with immense blood energy pierced through dozens of spiritual shields, heading straight for Xiao Yunluo’s face.
Xiao Yunluo’s eyes widened in fright. She then realized that this arrow was indistinguishable from the North Nether Sect Master Chen Mingfeng’s natal spirit treasure, only it was covered in a dense killing aura.
The arrow’s speed gave her no time to react at all.
So much so that before Xiao Yunluo could even open her mouth to utter a sound, the arrowhead was already ten inches from her forehead.
The protective spell Si Xuanji had set for her also erupted with golden light from her chest.
However, in the next moment, a slender white hand directly grabbed the black arrow that was shooting towards her forehead.
Pei Lianxue grasped the arrow shaft, her teeth clattering, and then yanked it with all her might in the opposite direction:
“Hyaaaah—!”
The arrow instantly turned into a streak of light due to her full-force throw and flew in the opposite direction, smashing into the woods below the Immortal Ship, causing a powerful black firelight that blasted a huge pit nearly a hundred feet in radius in the dense dark forest.
Boom—
Xiao Yunluo was dumbfounded. Lian Xue had caught an arrow shot by a Deity Transformation Stage cultivator’s spirit treasure with her bare hands and even threw it back…
Although this caused Pei Lianxue’s sleeve on her right arm to be shredded, and her slender white arm also sustained some minor scratches, and she looked a little breathless…
But…
“Lian Xue… you…”
Pei Lianxue turned her head with angry eyes and asked with concern:
“Yunluo, are you alright?!”
“I… I’m fine…”
Xiao Yunluo was startled by her gaze. She could see that Lian Xue was very angry now. She quickly recovered and prepared to continue directing the Tianyun Peak disciples to defend themselves.
However, almost simultaneously, shouts came from below:
“The demonic cultivators are charging!”
“Don’t panic…” Liang Zhu on the deck let out a sigh of relief. After glancing at the densely packed demonic cultivators charging with blood-red light from the distant mountain peaks, he immediately amplified his voice with spiritual energy, “All disciples, listen to my orders! Exit from the port and starboard sides, form a single line, and when they charge, encircle them.”
“Yes!”
…
——-
Thousands of feet away, at the front of the Tian Mo Sect’s leading flying ship, He Qingjiao, holding a long bow, slowly lowered the bowstring in her left hand, a hint of pleasant surprise in her eyes.
The long bow in her hand was a spirit treasure obtained from the Xuan Ming Sect Master, named “Xuanyuan.”
After taking some time to refine it with killing aura, it was now hers to use.
Although not as powerful as it was in the hands of the Xuan Ming Sect Master, the spirit feather arrows it shot were by no means something a Nascent Soul cultivator could easily block.
Before, He Qingjiao had not paid much attention when He Buqun spoke of Young Master Xiao of the Xuan Xing Sect and “Brother Liang Xiao Xue,” thinking of using them as targets to test her newly acquired spirit bow.
The first arrow was a probe; she only drew half the bow.
The second arrow, however, was drawn to its full extent, yet it was caught by “Brother Liang Xiao Xue” with her bare hands and thrown away.
“…It seems the reputation isn’t undeserved, huh.”
He Qingjiao looked at the spirit bow in her hand. It seemed that due to incomplete refinement, cracks had already appeared on the bow arm after these two shots. If she were to draw the bow again, it would shatter…
Yue Wuming, accompanying her behind, could not hide his astonishment, not only because of He Qingjiao’s two arrows but also because of Pei Lianxue’s bare-handed catch and Xiao Yunluo’s Xuan Dragon spiritual energy.
He was merely an outer sect elder of the Tian Mo Sect; he had never witnessed such a scene…
“Young Master He… May I ask…”
“Full assault.”
Might as well be cannon fodder…
Yue Wuming felt ashamed, but he feared that if he didn’t comply, He Qingjiao might just split him with a sword. Helplessly, he nodded to the few confidantes behind him.
“Full assault.”
“…Yes.”
Immediately, drums sounded, and all the Tian Mo Sect disciples on the ten flying ships transformed into a swarm of black insects, rising from the deck with their flying swords and flying rapidly towards the distant Immortal Ships of the Xuan Xing Sect.
At the same time, the Xuan Xing Sect disciples also emerged from both sides of the Immortal Ships, forming a single line. Countless spirit arts materialized above their heads, retaliating against the enemy’s killing arts.
Between immortals and demons, the dark clouds above were stirred by spiritual energy and killing aura, creating a massive vortex of blizzard.
On one side, the sky was corroded by blood; on the other, spiritual light obscured the heavens.
The two sides collided in the center of the vortex, causing the ground to crack.
Roaring—
Golden lightning, icy rain, fierce winds, and wild snow intertwined.
The sound of clashing swords, roars, and the sonic booms of spiritual and killing energy exploding filled the sky and echoed across the wilderness.
Pei Lianxue, following Liang Zhu’s earlier instructions, did not charge too far ahead alone but deliberately slowed down to allow the Xuan Xing Sect disciples behind her to keep up.
Every sword strike from her Xuan Ice Spirit Sword swept across the necks of several Tian Mo Sect disciples.
Xiao Yunluo, guarding the rear, spared no effort in casting lightning techniques to assist the Tianyun Peak disciples who accidentally found themselves outnumbered.
Liang Zhu remained on the Immortal Ship, his eyes coldly surveying the overall battle, calmly directing the Tianyun Peak disciples to construct a encirclement.
In his eyes, these demonic cultivators were simply a disorganized mob.
They did not understand formations or combat tactics, acting as if they had no commander, fighting individually as if they were enemies. They were practically asking to be slaughtered.
Although the battle cries were deafening, the situation was one-sided.
Less than a quarter of an hour into the battle, around fifty to sixty Xuan Xing Sect disciples were injured and retreated, while more than half of the charging demonic cultivators had already fallen.
“Were they treated as expendable pawns?”
Liang Zhu mused, contemplating the opposing demonic cultivators’ strategy.
At that moment, a dense beam of blood-red light streaked through the wind and snow.
Swish—
Seven or eight Xuan Xing Sect disciples, as the blood-red light passed by them, disintegrated into chunks of meat in mid-air, without even a scream.
Seeing the blood-red light heading straight for Pei Lianxue, Liang Zhu immediately shouted:
“Girl Pei!! Watch out behind you!!”
“Huh?”
Pei Lianxue was facing in another direction, having just dealt with some minor demonic cultivators. Hearing Brother Liang’s voice, her eyes narrowed, and she turned, placing the Snow Jade Myriad Spirit Sword horizontally in front of her chest.
Clang—
Ding—
A blood-red light burst out from the shrill sword cry.
The airwaves generated by the clashing swords alone blew away the few Xuan Xing Sect disciples who were following Pei Lianxue.
In an instant, a sword domain that only two people could enter was formed on the battlefield of chaotic fighting between demons and immortals.
“Brother Liang Xiao Xue?”
“…”
Pei Lianxue looked at the unfamiliar face and immediately pushed away her spirit sword, then shifted her sword’s momentum, unleashing over a dozen streaks of spiritual light, causing He Qingjiao’s eyes to dart up, down, left, and right within a second. She then raised her own sword and cut off Pei Lianxue’s sword strikes one by one.
“A rare immortal cultivator with such astute sword techniques…”
“Hmph!”
Pei Lianxue pursed her lips slightly, realizing it would take some effort to defeat this person. She recalled the individuals her senior brother had told her about, but still couldn’t identify the person before her…
Her senior brother had prepared sachets for all the powerful demonic cultivators she and Xiao Yunluo might encounter. However, not knowing who this person was, she couldn’t adapt her strategy to exploit their weaknesses.
But even without knowing their weaknesses, it was fine!
Based on the strength displayed so far, she didn’t believe she would lose!
At this moment, neither of them saw anyone else. They clashed in mid-air, their duel entirely based on the sword techniques they had cultivated.
Several Xuan Xing Sect disciples who saw this and prepared to help were sternly warned off by Pei Lianxue when they approached within a hundred feet of them:
Clang clang clang—
“None of you come near!!”
However, only Xuan Xing Sect disciples were warned. Several Core Formation Stage disciples from the Tian Mo Sect approached to help, but the moment they got within a hundred feet of them, they were reduced to dust by an invisible sword force.
Yue Wuming, who had followed He Qingjiao, seized the opportunity to slip into Pei Lianxue’s blind spot. He clasped his hands together in front of him, forming a killing art, preparing for a sneak attack.
But Xiao Yunluo above saw this and immediately shouted a warning with her lightning technique:
“You wish!”
“Tsk…”
Swoosh swoosh—
Icy blue sword qi and blood energy clashed countless times in the air.
However, neither of the two within the battle sustained any injuries. Pei Lianxue’s expression was calm as water, and so was He Qingjiao’s.
There were no verbal provocations, but the two used their spirit swords as their mouths and their sword techniques as their language, engaging in a debate in this chaotic battle, with the outcome being the death of one of them.
“So strong!”
This was the heartfelt evaluation each gave the other.
At least among the people He Qingjiao had encountered in her hundreds of years of life, this was the first time she had met a cultivator whose sword techniques were on par with hers. Even Agou couldn’t do it.
She had always been waiting, waiting for Agou to reach her realm before challenging her to a sword fight, believing only a grown Agou could satisfy her.
But now…
Ding ding—
“Brother Liang Xiao Xue!!!”
“Stop calling out! Hmph!”
Ding ding ding—
As sword lights flowed, Pei Lianxue noticed her fellow disciples fighting demonic cultivators around her. She felt this person was like a mad dog, completely disregarding the lives of her own comrades.
She could fight all out, but that would inevitably injure the surrounding Tianyun Peak disciples.
However, seeing Pei Lianxue’s restraint, Liang Zhu, who was commanding from the rear, immediately shouted:
“Everyone near Girl Pei, retreat!!!”
Boom—!!
As soon as he finished speaking, a blood-lightning spell crashed down from above his head, temporarily deafening him. He crouched down and looked, only to see Yue Wuming seemingly realizing he was giving orders and preparing to kill him first.
Xiao Yunluo also found Yue Wuming annoying, like a fly.
The battle between law cultivators was a contest of the size of their sea of qi; whoever ran out of spiritual energy first would lose. She naturally wouldn’t lose to Yue Wuming, but it was almost impossible to instantly deplete Yue Wuming’s spiritual sea. After all, he was a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Xiao Yunluo directly took a spirit sword from her storage bag, abandoned her spells, and charged down from above towards Yue Wuming.
“Die!!!”
“What?! Hiss—!!”
Swish—
Caught off guard by Xiao Yunluo’s sudden sword attack, Yue Wuming had his right arm severed by the sword. However, a Nascent Soul cultivator would not surrender just because of an arm. He quickly dodged backward, using his killing spirit arts to kite Xiao Yunluo.
What was originally a one-sided situation gradually turned into a stalemate with the entry of He Qingjiao and Yue Wuming, along with several Nascent Soul cultivators.
Liang Zhu in the rear also frowned slightly, feeling that this situation was not sustainable but unable to come up with a move that could instantly break the deadlock. Although he had ordered the disciples around Pei Lianxue to retreat, those Tianyun Peak disciples were being counter-attacked by demonic cultivators and had no chance to escape…
However, what was most unsettling was that he never expected the Tian Mo Sect to have produced a Nascent Soul cultivator who was on par with his sixth brother’s junior sister…
But at this very moment…
Boom boom—
The sound of the earth shaking drowned out the sounds of clashing swords and exploding spiritual and killing energy from all over the sky.
To the southeast, a high mountain miles away from the battlefield crumbled and exploded into flying rocks without any warning.
Accompanying the earth-shattering tremors was an extremely dense aura of blood and killing intent.
Liang Zhu instinctively thought a Deity Transformation Stage demonic cultivator had arrived, his eyes widening. But in the next moment, the commotion around Pei Lianxue abruptly stopped.
He Qingjiao forced Pei Lianxue back with her sword and stared intently at the direction of the collapsing mountain:
“Agou?”
She sensed the familiar aura of blood and killing intent. In this world, only her Gu master sister possessed such a dense aura of blood and killing intent…
Almost instantly, He Qingjiao no longer paid attention to Pei Lianxue and transformed into a blood-red light, flying towards the direction of the collapsing mountain. Seeing her about to leave, Pei Lianxue immediately prepared to pursue her with her sword:
“Trying to escape?!”
But in the next moment, she was stopped by Liang Zhu behind her:
“Girl Pei! Don’t chase yet! Her leaving is a good thing. You finish dealing with the demonic cultivators here first…”
“…”
Pei Lianxue took a deep breath, looked at her fellow disciples fighting the Tian Mo Sect disciples around her, and quickly suppressed her anger. She turned and headed towards Yue Wuming, who was fighting Xiao Yunluo.
Yue Wuming was stunned when He Qingjiao turned and fled.
“Young Master He?!”
“He Qingjiao left?!”
“She just left?!”
“Why?!”
“Weren’t things going well?”
“Leaving him, a mid-stage Nascent Soul elder, alone to deal with a Xuan Dragon and that ghost-like sword-wielding girl?!”
“Young Master He!!! You!!! Where are you going?!! Wait for this old man…”
Yue Wuming immediately tried to chase after her, but Xiao Yunluo and Pei Lianxue would not allow it. The moment he lost focus and showed an opening, the Snow Jade Myriad Spirit Sword and a green spiritual sword in Xiao Yunluo’s hand, one after the other, sliced through him, turning his Nascent Soul and inner core into meat chunks scattered within seconds.
Pei Lianxue relaxed slightly, looked at the other Tian Mo Sect disciples behind them, and shouted:
“Yunluo! I’ll deal with those trying to escape, the rest are yours!”
“I know!”
The two nodded to each other. One returned to the sky, clasped her hands together, and summoned heavenly lightning. The other gripped her spirit sword, transforming into an icy blue streak of light, and, along with the Xuan Xing Sect disciples whom Liang Zhu was directing in a counter-charge, rushed towards the remaining Tian Mo Sect demonic cultivators…
… …
——-
Boom—!
Dozens of heavenly lightning bolts rumbled down, accompanied by an icy blue figure and hundreds of Xuan Xing Sect disciples, transforming into a giant tiger with icy blue eyes and infused with golden lightning, swallowing all the Tian Mo Sect disciples in front of them.
A thousand feet away, a youth wearing a bamboo hat had already set up a banquet table beneath the collapsing mountain.
On the simple wooden table, there was a pot of wine and two jade cups.
Ye Anping stood alone on one side of the table, looking at the scene in the distance, somewhat awestruck.
He seemed to have unintentionally turned his junior sister into a monster…
“Sigh—”
With a sigh, Ye Anping raised his hand to adjust his bamboo hat.
He planned to cause trouble at the Tian Mo Sect next. The more helpers, the better. Therefore, he had an idea: to see if he could recruit He Qingjiao.
So, he had recently instructed Xue E to summon Ah Mang and have him crash into the mountain next to them, creating a big commotion to attract He Qingjiao over to have a chat with him.
After all, the person He Qingjiao cared about most was Agou…
Boom—!!
Blood-red light descended from the sky, stirring up a large cloud of dust.
He Qingjiao, holding her spirit sword, took two steps towards him. She then looked around and saw a person wearing a bamboo hat waiting at a table set with wine, seemingly for a long time. She frowned slightly, a hint of vigilance appearing in her eyes.
Ye Anping smiled, lifted his bamboo hat, and said with a smile:
“Miss He, nice to meet you for the first time…”
“Girl…”
A trace of coldness appeared in Ye Anping’s eyes, but his smile remained. He raised his head and continued:
“I won’t beat around the bush. To put it simply, if you are willing to pledge your allegiance to me, I will temporarily spare you the agony of a thousand cuts for harming my junior sister. What do you say, Miss He?”
… …
