Chapter 424 ·Killing with a Single Finger
Chapter 424: Killing with a Single Finger
Zhu Jinglong and Xin Yu frowned slightly, keenly sensing that something was wrong.
Blood Marrow True Monarch Yun Xi had acted rampantly over the past few years, killing quite a few Mirror Moon Sect cultivators.
The reason the sect had used the Nascent Soul Nourishing Pill as bait was precisely because they knew there was a problem among the middle and upper ranks of Cloudridge Market.
To lure the snake out of its hole and draw out Blood Marrow True Monarch, the sect had not hesitated to take advantage of the situation and deliberately allow intelligence to spread through the traitor’s hands, inviting him into the trap.
Yet now, Yun Xi not only showed no fear whatsoever upon encountering the two of them, but instead became even more rampant, indicating that something had gone wrong with the sect’s plan this time.
Was there a traitor among the sect’s upper ranks who had leaked the information?
‘Not good.’
Xin Yu’s expression changed, and her Divine Sense probed toward the bottom of the Blood-Weeping River.
There lay the Fourth-Tier Mystical Formation 【Mirror-Reversing Moonfrost Demon-Subduing Grand Formation】 that she and Senior Brother Zhu had jointly arranged.
Yun Xi was a mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch. To safely suppress and kill such a Demonic Cultivator, three True Monarchs of the same realm would normally need to act together.
Unfortunately, the sect was desperately lacking True Monarch combat strength and could only dispatch her and Senior Brother Zhu. Therefore, they had needed to arrange a formation in advance to ensure that Yun Xi could be suppressed and killed with absolute certainty.
But the instant Xin Yu activated the formation, she discovered that the Mirror-Reversing Moonfrost Demon-Subduing Grand Formation did not respond in the slightest, and her expression could not help changing slightly.
One had to know that the Mirror-Reversing Moonfrost Demon-Subduing Grand Formation was a Fourth-Tier middle-grade Formation Disk bestowed by the sect specifically to suppress and kill Yun Xi. Its might was formidable, and only a Nascent Soul True Monarch could preside over it.
If she and Senior Brother Zhu jointly activated the Formation Disk’s power, even a mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch would be unable to shake the Mirror-Reversing Moonfrost Demon-Subduing Grand Formation and could only die unwillingly.
Yet now the grand formation showed no reaction whatsoever, which meant that the Formation Disk had already been broken.
To conceal it from the perception of both her and Senior Brother Zhu and silently dismantle the Mirror-Reversing Moonfrost Demon-Subduing Grand Formation within such a short period of time, the Demonic Cultivator who broke the formation had to be at least a late-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch, or a mid-stage Nascent Soul top-grade Mystical Formation Master.
Boom!
Suddenly, a thunderous sound rang out.
Zhu Jinglong’s gaze sharpened. Outside the Blood-Weeping River, nine extremely concealed illusory ripples suddenly appeared.
As the ripples surged, nine pitch-black banner flags that were neither metal nor wood silently rose. Their auras linked together as vengeful souls roared and ten thousand ghosts broke free from confinement, instantly forming a vast Netherworld Ghost Domain that enveloped a thousand li.
The instant the Ghost Domain formed, heaven and earth abruptly darkened, the temperature plummeted, and an icy chill capable of freezing Yang Spirits and corroding Nascent Souls spread throughout the entire Blood-Weeping River. Even Zhu Jinglong instinctively sensed a trace of danger.
“Dao Child, be careful. This is the Nine Nether Soul-Locking Qi-Binding Demonic Formation!” Zhu Jinglong warned through Divine Sense.
Although the Dao Child had successfully attained the Dao as a True Monarch, he was still only a newly advanced True Monarch and needed a hundred years of Fetal Breathing and Sitting in Oblivion before he could perfectly master the methods of a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
The Nine Nether Soul-Locking Qi-Binding Demonic Formation was a Secret Art of the Soul Refining Sect, and the formation had reached the Fourth-Tier top-grade.
Any cultivator below the Nascent Soul realm who encountered it would undoubtedly die, while even a mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch would have to be extremely wary of it.
If he did not warn him, the Dao Child might suddenly encounter this strange demonic formation without knowing the specific intelligence concerning it and very likely suffer severe injuries, or even perish here.
“Old Freak Zhu, you can barely protect yourself right now, yet you still have time to worry about the Mirror Moon Dao Child. You truly don’t take me, Yu Qianpo, seriously.”
Zhu Jinglong looked toward the One-Horned Ghost King that silently emerged before him, his expression turning solemn.
Yu Qianpo possessed mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation and was a Fourth-Tier top-grade Mystical Formation Master, a Grand Elder of the Soul Refining Sect, bearing the honorific Bitter Soul True Monarch.
This man possessed a special physique and had been born with a Demonic Body that allowed him to control and refine the Three Souls and Seven Spirits of cultivators. When he had first entered the Nascent Soul realm, he had arranged the 【Ten Thousand Ghosts Soul-Devouring King-Refining Grand Formation】 at Northern Plains Mountain in the Western Evolution Territory, forcibly refining two Fourth-Realm Beast Kings, extracting their souls and refining their spirits to create a Fourth-Tier Ghost King, thereby becoming renowned throughout the demonic path.
However, the reason Yu Qianpo became famous throughout the Earth Proliferation Territory and known by numerous Nascent Soul True Monarchs was because, in order to advance to the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm and refine a Ten Thousand Souls Banner, he had not hesitated to blood-sacrifice an enormous cultivation city in the Western Evolution Territory with a population of five hundred thousand, then refined its early-stage Nascent Soul City Lord, who excelled in Water Escape Mystical Arts, into a Ghost King.
It was no exaggeration to say that with two Fourth-Realm Ghost Kings assisting him, Yu Qianpo ranked among the strongest even among mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
At this thought, Zhu Jinglong’s heart sank.
In a one-on-one battle, he did not fear Yu Qianpo, but if he wanted to protect the Dao Child’s life as well, things would become somewhat difficult. He could only leave the Dao Child’s protection to Junior Sister Xin.
‘Interesting!’
Sensing the terrifying pressure emitted by the Ghost Kings within the formation, Chen Beiwu’s gaze remained calm.
No matter how powerful the Nine Nether Soul-Locking Qi-Binding Demonic Formation was, it could not conceal itself from the fate perception of the Nine-Breath Chaos Divine Ability.
Even though Bitter Soul True Monarch Yu Qianpo had completely restrained his aura, hidden among the numerous wandering and baleful souls, and disguised himself as a ferocious soul, he still could not escape Chen Beiwu’s eyes.
But Chen Beiwu did not expose him. He pretended not to notice and allowed Yu Qianpo to disguise himself among the resentful and baleful souls and approach, preparing to strike back ruthlessly.
“Yu Qianpo?”
Hearing this name, Wang Hao and Mo Li’s hearts jolted, horror appearing in their eyes.
Bitter Soul True Monarch had killed countless people and possessed a notorious reputation. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Earth Proliferation Territory had heard of him.
Without question, if the Dao Child/Immortal Master were not standing in front of them right now and resisting the True Monarch’s pressure, Bitter Soul True Monarch could probably suppress and kill them with a single glance without even needing to act.
Bai Zhi’s mind also trembled.
She had deliberately cried out earlier precisely to make the Dao Child attract Blood Marrow True Monarch’s attention, giving her an opportunity to escape.
Doing so had one advantage. Even if the Dao Child later discovered something was wrong, she could cover up such behavior by claiming that concern had thrown her into confusion, leaving no grounds for punishment under the sect’s rules.
But now things were different. The Dao Child had two Grand Elders protecting him. In the face of a life-and-death crisis, Foundation Establishment cultivators like them had an extremely high chance of becoming abandoned pieces, and their probability of escape was practically zero.
“Buzz.”
Xin Yu’s figure flashed and instantly appeared beside Chen Beiwu.
‘Dao Child, leave quickly.’ Xin Yu transmitted through thought.
The sect’s plan had now encountered an unexpected change.
Although she did not know why the Dao Child had suddenly become involved in this operation, compared to the Dao Child’s life and safety, the mission of suppressing and killing Yun Xi was utterly insignificant.
“Leave? Now that things have reached this point, do you think you can still leave?”
As a light laugh rang out, spatial ripples surged, and a slender female cultivator with cascading black hair and exquisite features suddenly appeared.
Her bearing was cold and aloof, and she wore a white gauze dress. Her slender, delicate feet were bare, her toes round like pearls and faintly glowing with a jade-like luster, untouched by even a speck of dust. She did not resemble a peerless Demonic Cultivator of the Mystic Feminine Sect at all, but rather an immortal maiden who had stepped out of an ancient scroll.
Wondrous Desire True Monarch Zhao Caixuan!
Recognizing the newcomer, Xin Yu frowned slightly, her gaze turning solemn.
Zhao Caixuan came from the Mystic Feminine Sect, one of the Three Great Demonic Sects. She walked a cultivation path using desire as a raft and Yin-Yang as truth. Her cultivation was unfathomable, and she was one of the few late-stage Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the Western Evolution Territory.
As far as Xin Yu knew, while still in the Golden Core realm, Zhao Caixuan had changed her name and identity and entered the Ancient Sage Sect, overlord of the Eastern Evolution Territory. Using the Seven Emotions and Six Desires, she had stirred the Dao Heart of Gu Santong, the number one prodigy of the Eastern Evolution Territory, turning a generation’s peerless prodigy into a man beneath her skirt and transforming all of his cultivation into resources for her own cultivation.
One had to know that Gu Santong had been a cultivation prodigy unseen in the Ancient Sage Sect for a thousand years, someone who forged a Supreme Golden Core and could be called the number one Golden Core of the Eastern Evolution Territory.
Yet even such a powerhouse could not pass the trial of beauty, falling beneath Zhao Caixuan’s skirt and using his entire supreme foundation to help her attain the Dao as a Nascent Soul True Monarch.
But compared to those achievements, what made Xin Yu even more wary was that when facing the Ancient Sage Sect’s pursuit, Wondrous Desire True Monarch Zhao Caixuan not only had not perished, but instead became stronger with every battle, suppressing and killing three Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Ancient Sage Sect before eventually reaching the late-stage Nascent Soul realm and becoming Sect Master of the Mystic Feminine Sect.
‘Damn it!’
Xin Yu’s expression became somewhat ugly.
There was an insurmountable gap between late-stage and mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarchs.
Even if she and Senior Brother Zhu joined forces, they still could not defeat Wondrous Desire True Monarch alone, and would even need to pay some price to retreat safely.
Moreover, apart from Wondrous Desire True Monarch, Bitter Soul True Monarch and Blood Marrow True Monarch were also watching from the side like tigers, ready to strike at any moment.
Forget protecting the Dao Child, whether she and Senior Brother Zhu themselves could survive was uncertain.
There was no other choice. Xin Yu could only hope that the Patriarch had acted cautiously and left some life-saving methods on the Dao Child.
Otherwise, the Dao Child would probably find it extremely difficult to escape alive this time.
‘Immortal Master, please escape quickly!’
Mo Li stepped forward and stood in front of Chen Beiwu：‘Being able to see Immortal Master once before dying, Ah Li is already completely satisfied.’
Her cultivation was weak, but she was not foolish. With so many Demonic Sect True Monarchs lying in ambush, the Immortal Master’s chance of escaping was infinitesimal.
But even if she had to die, she would die before the Immortal Master and reveal her feelings.
Looking at the slightly trembling petite figure before him, warmth rose in Chen Beiwu’s heart.
Mo Li dared stand before him and directly face three Demonic Sect True Monarchs. Such unwavering will could already compare with that of Golden Core True Persons!
“Don’t worry. They’re nothing but a flock of clay chickens and pottery dogs. It’ll be over soon.” Chen Beiwu said calmly.
“Clay chickens and pottery dogs? The Dao Child certainly is confident!” Zhao Caixuan lightly touched her red lips with a fingertip and laughed softly：“This confidence truly makes this concubine’s heart flutter. I hope you’ll still be this confident on the bed later.”
“Wait, you can have the essence of his physical body, but I want his Three Souls and Seven Spirits and his Nascent Soul.”
Yu Qianpo interjected：“With the Mirror Moon Dao Child’s aptitude, this old man might even be able to refine a Primordial Nether Ghost King.”
“Enough, less nonsense.” Yun Xi said succinctly：“The longer this drags on, the more likely unforeseen changes will occur. Better to capture the Mirror Moon Dao Child first, then divide the spoils afterward.”
The Demonic Sect’s targets had originally been Suspended Mirror True Monarch and Clarifying Abyss True Monarch, but since better prey had now appeared, they naturally intended to change targets.
At this thought, Yun Xi produced a seal to ensure everything went smoothly.
The seal was only palm-sized, yet as soon as it appeared, the sound of surging waves continuously rang out, emitting a heart-palpitating fluctuation of True Qi.
This treasure was precisely the Fourth-Tier top-grade Mystical Treasure upon which his fame rested, the Blood Sea Origin-Suppressing Seal.
“Draw Blood, Suppress Origin!”
As his thought fell, Yun Xi flipped his right hand and slammed the Blood Sea Origin-Suppressing Seal heavily against his own chest.
“Pfft!”
Under the heavy blow, Yun Xi spat out a mouthful of Natal Essence Blood onto the seal.
In an instant, the Blood Sea Origin-Suppressing Seal emitted a ring of demonic blood-red light, then suddenly teleported away and split into two phantom blood seals, appearing above Zhu Jinglong and Xin Yu rather than Chen Beiwu, whom he had claimed to be targeting.
At the same instant, taking advantage of the opportunity Yun Xi created, Zhao Caixuan and Yu Qianpo acted almost simultaneously, both coincidentally targeting Zhu Jinglong and Xin Yu.
In their eyes, Mirror Moon Dao Child Chen Ziang was merely a newly advanced True Monarch and not worth mentioning. It was better to first seal the two strongest True Monarchs and prevent them from interfering.
Then, if they dealt with Chen Ziang quickly enough, they might even have time to complete the Demonic Sect’s mission and deal with either Zhu Jinglong or Xin Yu.
‘Souls return, ten thousand ghosts lock the soul!’
Yu Qianpo raised the Ten Thousand Souls Banner. The Netherworld Ghost Domain enveloping the entire Blood-Weeping River suddenly descended, separating the space occupied by Zhu Jinglong and Xin Yu and transforming it into an independent Ghost King Absolute Domain.
The terrifying aspect of the Nine Nether Soul-Locking Qi-Binding Demonic Formation lay in trapping and killing.
With two Fourth-Tier Ghost Kings presiding over it, assisted by forty baleful souls and ten thousand wandering souls, even a mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch would find it difficult to break free within three double-hours.
Zhao Caixuan, stepping barefoot through the air, gently raised her fair hand. Her slender fingers bloomed like an orchid, and a piece of gauze suddenly appeared in her palm.
This gauze was as thin as a cicada’s wing and nearly transparent, with multicolored radiance flowing within it. It was precisely the Fourth-Tier top-grade Mystical Treasure 【Seven Emotions Heavenly Net Gauze】.
This treasure did not specialize in killing, nor was it skilled in defense, but it could generate countless threads of emotion, bewilder a True Monarch’s mind, stir Heart Demons, and cause cultivators to sink into illusions.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
Zhu Jinglong and Xin Yu’s expressions changed drastically. They instinctively activated their protective Mystical Treasures and manifested their Heavenly-Gang Dharma Aspects, resisting the sealing, trapping, killing, and soul attacks of the three great Demonic Cultivator True Monarchs, but they had no attention left to spare for the Dao Child.
At the same time, Zhao Caixuan, Yu Qianpo, and Yun Xi flashed into three different positions, surrounding Chen Beiwu in the center.
Directly ahead, Wondrous Desire True Monarch’s gaze was like water, while the white gauze dress on her body seemed transparent yet not transparent, revealing boundless allure.
At the left rear, Blood Marrow True Monarch’s expression was calm, his eyes fixed tightly on Chen Beiwu.
At the right rear, Bitter Soul True Monarch held the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, his eyes filled with greed.
“It’s over!”
Seeing this, despair appeared in Wang Hao’s eyes.
Three peerless Demonic Cultivators were besieging one person. Even though the Dao Child possessed peerless talent and had attained the Dao as a True Monarch, he would still find it difficult to escape death.
‘Immortal Master!’
Mo Li said nothing and stared blankly at Chen Beiwu.
She believed the Immortal Master’s words.
If it was the Immortal Master, perhaps he really could fight three alone and create a miracle!
‘Something’s wrong!’
Seeing Chen Beiwu’s expression, Zhao Caixuan and the other two, who had been about to act, suddenly sensed that something was amiss.
He was too calm!
From beginning to end, Chen Ziang had been far too composed.
Could the Mirror Moon Dao Child be carrying some life-saving object from the sect whose might was sufficient to suppress and kill even a late-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch?
At this thought, the three did not immediately attack.
Zhao Caixuan looked toward Yun Xi, signaling for him to probe first.
Yun Xi’s eyes flickered. His cultivation was the weakest among the three, so naturally he did not want to accidentally suffer a severe loss.
“Junior, the victor becomes king and the loser a bandit. Don’t blame us for bullying the few with the many.” Yun Xi said.
“Indeed, indeed. This is fate.” Yu Qianpo slightly nodded and cautiously probed：“Of course, if you are willing to surrender and take this old man as your master, this old man might spare your life.”
“Exactly, little brother. Think about it. Rather than entering this old ghost’s tutelage, why not become this concubine’s husband and enjoy ultimate bliss.” Zhao Caixuan smiled seductively：“You may choose freely from thirty thousand female cultivators of the Mystic Feminine Sect.”
“You’re right. In a life-and-death struggle, bullying the few with the many is unavoidable, but I’ll pass on joining a Demonic Sect.”
Chen Beiwu smiled and looked toward the three. Then the space behind him slowly split apart, gradually revealing the figures of a flood dragon, a hound, and a vine.
‘That’s it?’
Seeing this, Zhao Caixuan relaxed.
It seemed she had overthought things.
They were merely three newly advanced Beast Kings. She could kill them with a flick of her finger!
“You’ll all remain here today.”
Before his words had even finished, Chen Beiwu pointed out with one finger. It was precisely the Primordial Origin Immortal Art Mystical Ability, Grotto-Truth Heaven-Calamity Finger!
Before becoming a True Monarch, he had already been able to activate Myriad Spirit Calamity Transformation and defeat a Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Immortal Alliance.
And now, in Chen Beiwu’s eyes, mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarchs of the Southern Wastes were no different from ants. Only late-stage Nascent Soul True Monarchs were worthy of attention.
“Boom!”
As this finger descended, it returned to simplicity and truth, penetrating Grotto-Truth and Heaven-Calamity, far exceeding the perceptual range of a mid-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch’s Divine Sense. It also seemed to touch upon karma, ignoring all Mystical Treasures, Talismans, and Heavenly-Gang True Qi as it directly struck Yu Qianpo’s Muddy Palace.
“You… what… Mystical Ability is this?”
His Nascent Soul collapsed with a boom. The Ten Thousand Souls Banner he took such pride in gave no response whatsoever, and confusion and unwillingness appeared in Yu Qianpo’s eyes.
He died just like that?
How had the other party found his true body?
He clearly still had many methods he had yet to unleash. Even against a late-stage Nascent Soul True Monarch, it was not as though he could not briefly contend!