Such a powerful divine sense made “Lin Ruo”s face turn ashen. This was at least the work of an eighth-rank grand cultivator. If he had been at his peak, facing an eighth-rank cultivator would have been nothing to fear. But now, he was merely clinging to life.
Chu Feng quickly seized the opportunity to take a qi-restoring pill. As his true qi recovered, the cold energy within his body was once again wrapped up by the five-colored light barrier.
Hearing a familiar voice, he let out a breath of relief. It seemed the Holy Master had intervened.
To face a Lin Ruo possessed by the old grandpa on his own…honestly, he couldn’t win. When big brother picked up his pack, his power really was terrifying. But the cost… was the sacrifice of one’s parents.
How convenient. If Chu Feng remembered correctly, Lin Ruo’s parents had disappeared long ago; the Lin family had merely adopted him.
Buzz—!
The space rippled, and a red-haired young man stepped out. Sensing this terrifying divine sense….it was the Holy Master of Yaochi Holy Land, who had been in seclusion for a hundred years!
“What’s going on?!”
Mad Sword demanded, his eyes locking onto “Lin Ruo”. This brat was radiating a wave of true qi that actually made even him feel a chill in his heart!
“Xuanjian Pavilion. So it seems you intend to make an enemy of our Yaochi Holy Land.”
The ethereal voice carried a heavy pressure.
Hearing that voice instantly made Mad Sword break out in a cold sweat. How could they have provoked the Holy Master of Yaochi Holy Land!? This was an eighth-rank cultivator!
“Holy Master Zi, this…this is all because of him! We of Xuanjian Pavilion were also deceived by him!”
Mad Sword immediately sold out his teammate. At this point, the only option was to dump all the blame onto Lin Ruo. Wasn’t Zi Xin’er supposed to be in secluded cultivation, uninvolved in worldly affairs? Why did she suddenly make a move!?
Thankfully, she hadn’t descended in person. Otherwise, they’d be dead for sure.
“A grand sect like Xuanjian Pavilion, manipulated by a mere second-rank cultivator? In the end, it’s because your hearts were filled with greed.”
In the next moment, the divine sense condensed into a massive illusory hand that reached toward both Mad Sword and “Lin Ruo”.
Seeing that escape was impossible, Mad Sword’s entire body turned crimson as his aura surged.
“Zi Xin’er! You think your divine sense alone is enough to stop me? Ridiculous!”
Mad Sword began burning his own blood essence. Originally a seventh-rank cultivator, his power now surged close to eighth-rank after igniting his essence.
Boom!
At that moment, the situation took a sudden turn.
What the hell!?
Chu Feng, who had been quietly watching the show from the sidelines, hadn’t expected this at all. He couldn’t intervene in a clash between such powerhouses.
But what shocked him most was that “Lin Ruo”… had just thrust his hand straight through the red-haired young man’s chest.
“Gah… You… who are you really?”
Mad Sword coughed up a mouthful of blood. He could feel it…”Lin Ruo” was absorbing his blood essence from within his body.
“Lin Ruo” let out a cold, hoarse laugh and said,
“Since you chose to betray this old man… then I choose to offer you to the heavens.”
With a clench of his hand, the heart exploded. Mad Sword’s entire blood essence was now in his grasp.
“Blood Devours the Heavens!”
To forcibly detonate the blood essence of a seventh-rank cultivator, Ghost Nether Venerable had to pay a steep price. Not only would he fall into a period of slumber, but even his fragmented soul would be damaged.
Boom!
A huge crimson mushroom cloud erupted into the sky. Even the spirit boat couldn’t withstand the overwhelming force and began to crack apart…
Even the soul barrier that Zi Xin’er had deployed was torn open by force.
Mad Sword’s body exploded, and Chu Feng caught the thick scent of blood in the air. As the blood-colored mist surged toward him, he felt the terrifying power contained within it.
Not good! I have to get out of here…fast!
But the blood mist was too fast. There was no time.
Just as Chu Feng was about to activate the defensive treasure that his master and the Empress had given him before coming—
A flash of white light lit up beside him.
No one knew how much time passed, but eventually, the blood-colored mist finally dissipated. The spirit boat was now in complete ruin.
On the floor before Chu Feng, chunks of exploded flesh were still scattered, but Lin Ruo’s figure had vanished.
“He escaped…?”
Looking at the devastation before him, Chu Feng couldn’t help but think, “What a perfect chance, and still they hadn’t managed to kill Lin Ruo.”
What kind of absurdly tough life does this guy have?
Even in such a sure-death situation, he managed to get away!?
Even the twin-tailed tough guy would be ashamed in comparison.
***
After this incident, the Yaochi Holy Land officially announced its break with the Xuanjian Pavilion. From that moment on, the two factions stood in opposition.
This undoubtedly caused a stir in the cultivation world. Both forces were among the top powers in the realm: Yaochi Holy Land had an ancient legacy, while Xuanjian Pavilion, although it had a weaker foundation, had produced many powerful cultivators in recent centuries and had only just managed to rise into the ranks of the major powers.
This left many factions puzzled, but both sides remained tight-lipped about the cause. Instead, they each issued a wanted notice for the same person: a Second Rank cultivator named Lin Ruo.
Because of all the unanswered questions, countless rumors began to spread.
***
Holy Land of Yaochi, core region, midway up a mountain peak.
Three women and one man were walking along the stone steps. Leading the group was a young girl in red. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, swaying with each step she took, radiating youthful energy.
Following behind her was Liu Shijing, dressed in a flowing blue gown.
At the rear were Liu Xueyao and Chu Feng.
At the moment, Liu Xueyao held a handkerchief in her hand, occasionally using it to wipe the sweat from Chu Feng’s forehead.
Chu Feng, on the other hand, was panting slightly.
“Sister Saintess, wh-what mountain is this? Why does it feel like… the higher we go, the heavier it gets? Like I’m carrying a mountain on my back…”
That day, when Mad Sword shattered into pieces, the formation on the spirit boat naturally collapsed as well, allowing Liu Shijing and the others who had been trapped to break through and escape.
This morning, Chu Feng received word that the Holy Master wanted to summon him.
The message had been delivered personally by Zi Yuejun.
Early in the morning, Zi Yuejun arrived only to witness yet another shocking scene.
Sister Yao was actually feeding Chu Feng by hand!
However, Zi Yuejun didn’t feel the slightest bit envious.
Just looking at that pitch-black medicinal soup and smelling the bitterness from afar was enough to make her cringe.
After finishing the medicine, Chu Feng as usual spent a few minutes questioning his life choices. Then, following Zi Yuejun, he arrived at the foot of this mountain.
No flying allowed! Walking only!
The farther they climbed, the heavier his body felt. There was definitely something strange about this mountain!
“Husband, hang in there. We’re almost there.”
Though Liu Xueyao felt sorry for him, there was nothing she could do. This mountain was actually a treasure crafted by the Holy Master herself. While it made the body feel unbearably heavy, it helped to condense and stabilize the scattered true qi within, reinforcing one’s foundation.
Hang in there…
“Sister Saintess, was this mountain made to torture me? I’m dying here…”
Chu Feng slapped his trembling thigh and looked ahead at Zi Yuejun, who appeared completely at ease.
It was one thing for Liu Xueyao and Liu Shijing to look relaxed. After all, their cultivation levels were much higher. But Zi Yuejun was only one rank above him. How was she looking so unbothered?
Could it be… because she was the Holy Master’s adopted daughter?
“You brat, others would give anything for the chance to climb this mountain, and here you are complaining,”
Liu Shijing, up ahead, shot back with irritation after hearing Chu Feng’s comment. Many genius disciples of the Yaochi Holy Land had to make outstanding contributions just to earn the right to climb this treasure mountain of the Holy Master.
What? This torturous suffering… is considered a blessing?!
Hearing that, Chu Feng began to wonder…was everyone in the Yaochi Holy Land a masochist?
Suddenly, he saw the steps ahead finally disappear!
Tears welled up in Chu Feng’s eyes. He could finally rest.
Not far away was a lotus pond, and in its center stood a pavilion. Inside sat a mature beauty in white palace robes, her eyes filled with a gentle smile as she gazed at him.
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