Immortality Cultivation

His gaze was locked onto the red light Restriction, which was rapidly dimming and fluctuating violently under the pincer attack from both inside and out, appearing as if it would shatter at any moment. He also watched Elder Mo, whose face was pale and whose aura was slightly disordered from forcibly activating the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner.

"Old Jin, get ready to move!" Fang Hao transmitted via Divine Thought, his tone carrying a hint of excitement. The red light in the eyes of the metal spider on his shoulder instantly brightened, and its eight metal legs tensed slightly as it entered combat mode.

"Target: Black Fiend Sect Nascent Soul Cultivator surnamed Mo. Priority: High. Combat Mode: All-out kill. Command confirmed," Old Jin’s mechanical voice rang out in Fang Hao’s mind.

"No, don’t kill him for now." A sharp light flashed in Fang Hao’s eyes as he changed the command. "Prioritize pinning him down and wearing him out. Let him continue fighting those guys outside; it’s best if they both suffer. The moment the Restriction shatters, rush in immediately, take control of the cave entrance, and if there are treasures, grab them first! I’ll be responsible for backup and clearing out the small fry."

"Command updated: Pin down target, wait for opportunity to seize core resources. Command confirmed," Old Jin responded emotionlessly.

Just as Fang Hao gave the command—

"Crack!"

A crisp sound, like the shattering of glass, rang out exceptionally clearly amidst the deafening roar of Spells.

The resilient red light Restriction at the Red Maple Cliff cave entrance finally reached its limit after enduring the full-force biting of the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner’s ghost head and the combined onslaught of dozens of Cultivators outside. A tiny crack first appeared where the ghost head was biting, and then it rapidly spread like a spiderweb!

"It’s broken! The Restriction is broken!" someone shouted in wild joy.

Everyone’s eyes turned bloodshot, and their attacks poured onto the crack-riddled Restriction even more frantically.

A look of wild ecstasy appeared on Elder Mo’s face as he shouted harshly, "Open for me!"

The ghost head formed by the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner let out one final screech and snapped its jaws shut!

"Boom—!!!"

The red light Restriction finally collapsed completely, turning into a sky full of light specks that dissipated into the air. A dark cave entrance emanating an ancient aura was exposed before everyone without any cover! A dense and pure Spiritual Qi, mixed with a faint medicinal fragrance and a certain stale scent, surged out from within the cave!

"Charge! The Secret Hoard is mine!"

"Get lost! Black Fiend Sect business, bystanders back off!"

"Bullshit! Treasures belong to the virtuous!"

The moment the red light Restriction shattered, a brief silence was followed by even more frantic clamor and contention! People from the Black Fiend Sect, the Flowing Cloud Sect, the Qingyang Sect, the Wang Family, Loose Cultivators... everyone was like a bloodshot gambler, scrambling to rush toward that cave entrance! Formations and alliances all crumbled at this moment; everyone only had eyes for the cave entrance right before them and the treasures that might exist inside!

Elder Li took the lead, his black skull turning into a streak of dark light to protect him as he prepared to be the first to rush into the cave. Old Ghost Zhao and the others were not to be outdone, each using their own methods to desperately charge forward.

Meanwhile, Elder Mo, who had just exhausted himself to break the Restriction, felt a wave of weak dizziness before the joy on his face could even fade. But he was a Nascent Soul Cultivator after all; he forced a breath, his figure flickering as he tried to step into the cave first. With the Secret Hoard right before his eyes, how could he let others lay a finger on it?

However, at this most chaotic moment, when everyone’s attention was focused on the cave entrance, their spiritual power was heavily depleted, and their spirits were at their most relaxed—

A sudden change occurred!

A bolt of silver lightning shot out without warning from the dense forest on the eastern side of Red Maple Cliff! Its speed was extreme, even dragging a faint silver afterimage across the night sky! Its target was aimed directly at the back of Elder Mo’s heart just as he was about to step into the cave!

It was precisely the long-lurking golden puppet—Old Jin!

It had not returned to its human form but remained in its metal spider state, though its speed was even more terrifying than when it was humanoid! Its eight metal legs cut through the air, leaving afterimages, and its body tensed into a silver line. With a whistle that tore through the air, it crossed a distance of a hundred zhang in an instant and arrived behind Elder Mo! During its flight, a layer of hazy, light-distorting force field appeared on its body, making its figure almost impossible to capture with the naked eye during its high-speed movement!

"What is that?!" Elder Mo was a Nascent Soul Cultivator after all, and his spiritual senses were sharp. The moment the silver lightning attacked, alarm bells rang wildly in his heart! He couldn’t care about entering the cave or even turning around; the spiritual power in his body surged madly, his protective light instantly brightening to its limit. At the same time, the Ten Thousand Ghost Banner that had been hovering above his head swept backward, its surface unfurling to form a thick barrier of ghost Qi behind him!

His reaction could not be called slow. If it were a sneak attack from an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator, or even a charged strike from an Early Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, this hasty defense would have been enough to block it.

But he was facing Old Jin! It was one of the strongest trump cards in Fang Hao’s hands, a combat Puppet with Late Nascent Soul combat power that had been meticulously refined by Mo Yunhe using the Tiangong Sect’s secret methods!

"Ssh!"

A soft sound rang out, like a hot knife cutting into solidified lard.

That silver beam of light, condensed to the extreme, shot out once again from the tip of Old Jin’s forelimb, piercing through that seemingly thick ghost Qi barrier without any resistance! Then, with unerring precision, it struck the protective light Elder Mo had hastily raised!

The protective light flickered violently and lasted for less than a tenth of a breath before it shattered with a bang!

The silver beam’s momentum did not decrease, and it looked as if it would pierce through the back of Elder Mo’s heart!

In a moment of life and death, Elder Mo let out a beast-like roar, and a Black Inner Armor he wore beneath his clothes suddenly erupted with dark light in an attempt to make a final stand. Simultaneously, he forcibly twisted his body, trying to avoid his vital organs.

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered!

Although the silver beam was delayed for a split second by the Black Inner Armor and its power was somewhat weakened, it remained incredibly sharp. It ruthlessly pierced through Elder Mo’s right shoulder blade and emerged from the front, bringing with it a spray of blood and some bone fragments!

"Ah—!" Elder Mo let out a shrill scream. He was sent flying forward by the massive force of the impact, crashing heavily into the cliff wall beside the cave entrance before bouncing back and rolling onto the ground. A blood hole that went straight through his right shoulder was gushing blood, instantly staining a large area of the ground red. The Ten Thousand Ghost Banner in his hand also dimmed, letting out a mournful cry as it shrank and fell beside him.

All of this happened too fast. From the appearance of the silver beam to Elder Mo being heavily injured and falling to the ground, it was only a flash of lightning! It was so fast that the Cultivators outside, who were frantically rushing toward the cave and had even started attacking each other to get ahead, hadn’t fully reacted!

It wasn’t until Elder Mo’s scream rang out that everyone stopped in horror, looking toward the cave entrance with uncertainty and suspicion.

They saw a palm-sized spider, entirely silver-white and emanating a cold metallic luster, quietly hovering in front of the cave entrance. The spider’s compound eyes flickered with a cold red light, and its eight slender metal legs swayed slightly, locking onto the heavily injured Elder Mo on the ground, as well as... everyone attempting to approach the cave.

Behind the silver spider, in the shadows of the dense forest, a young Cultivator dressed in a green robe with an ordinary face and an aura as deep as the sea slowly stepped out with his hands behind his back. He had a faint, almost theatrical smile on his face. His gaze swept over the suspicious crowd before finally landing on the heavily injured Elder Mo, who was coughing up blood. He shook his head gently and sighed:

"Sigh, why all the fighting? All this killing really ruins the harmony."

"This Secret Hoard, I, Ning, will gladly accept it."

Fang Hao’s casual words were like a bucket of ice water in the dead of winter, instantly extinguishing all the clamor and greed in front of the cave. Everyone stared blankly at this suddenly appeared green-robed youth with a "peace brings wealth" expression, as well as the silver-white metal spider hovering before the cave, emanating a heart-palpitating aura.

The heavily injured Elder Mo struggled to lift his head. The blood hole in his right shoulder was still gushing blood, his face was as pale as paper, and his eyes were filled with horror, malice, and disbelief. He glared at Fang Hao and rasped, "You... who are you?! How dare you sneak attack me! Do you know the might of my Black Fiend Sect?"

"Black Fiend Sect?" Fang Hao picked at his ear as if he had heard something trivial. Then his gaze casually swept over Elder Li, Old Ghost Zhao, and the others, his tone remaining flat. "Wasn’t it quite lively just now? Continue, don’t stop. I like watching a good show the most."

Elder Li’s face was terrifyingly grim. He looked at the heavily injured Elder Mo on the ground, then at the strange silver-white spider, and finally his gaze landed on Fang Hao, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. He couldn’t see through this green-robed youth’s cultivation, but anyone who possessed a terrifying Puppet capable of heavily injuring the Early Nascent Soul Stage Elder Mo in one strike must have unfathomable strength! He was at least a Middle Nascent Soul Stage or perhaps even a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator! Otherwise, how could he dare to be so arrogant?

"Senior..." Elder Li took a deep breath, forcing down the fear and anger in his heart as he cupped his hands. "Junior Predecessor Li Feng of the Black Fiend Sect greets Senior. This is a private grudge between my Black Fiend Sect and Red Leaf Valley, and this Secret Hoard was also breached at a great cost to my Black Fiend Sect. For Senior to intervene like this, it might be beneath your status, don’t you think? My Black Fiend Sect’s Sect Master is also a Middle Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, and perhaps with Senior..."

"Noisy." Fang Hao waved his hand impatiently, interrupting him. "You were all snatching quite happily just now, and now you want to reason with me? I dislike listening to nonsense the most."

He turned his gaze toward Old Ghost Zhao and the others from the Flowing Cloud Sect, a playful smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "And you all, didn’t you also want a piece of the pie? Now the opportunity has come. The cave entrance is right here; why aren’t you going in?"

Old Ghost Zhao and the others’ faces turned various shades of blue and white. They weren’t fools; this green-robed youth was clearly the oriole behind the mantis stalking the cicada! That silver-white spider could heavily injure Elder Mo in one strike; killing Golden Core practitioners like them would be child’s play. Who would dare to move now? Didn’t they see that even the Black Fiend Sect’s Nascent Soul Elder was lying on the ground?