Having overcome numerous challenges and trials, John Brown has successfully reached the Immortal Realm. However, his journey takes an unexpected turn as he finds himself in the Spirit Domain Realm instead, devoid of his powers, treasures, and memories from the past three centuries. Cut off from his allies and resources, John Brown must unravel the events of the last 300 years in order to find a way back to the Immortal Realm. Will he be able to overcome the odds stacked against him, or will he be condemned to remain in this lower realm forever? With the deck seemingly stacked against him, John Brown 's fate hangs in the balance in A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Immortal Realm, a popular novel by Wang Yu that delves into themes of action, adventure, fantasy, harem, martial arts, and immortal heroes.
The Mortal's Path to Immortality: Immortal Realm
- Thread starter Gily
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Chapter 14: Attack
"Don't worry, Master Stone is on our side now. He wouldn't dare to do anything to you in the future," John said with a smile as he rose to his feet, taking a subtle glance at Master Stone as he did so.
The elderly monk shuddered upon hearing this, and he hurriedly nodded insistently to pledge his loyalty, while his back was already drenched in cold sweat.
Megan's expression eased slightly upon seeing this.
"Let's get out of here."
John latched onto Megan's hand and made his way over to the stone door of the secret chamber before pressing his palm against it. Right as he was about to push the door open, he suddenly stopped what he was doing, and his brows furrowed slightly. She could sense the slight change in John's demeanor, and she raised her head to look up at him with an inquisitive expression.
"What a coincidence!" John chuckled before pushing the stone door open and making his way outside.
The sky outside was quite dark, indicating that it was already nighttime, but from the island, one could see that the entirety of the Anderson Manor was as bright as day, having been illuminated by flames.
Sounds of battle could be heard ringing out from the front yard, interspersed with booming explosions.
Dense smoke was rising up from all over the Anderson Manor like a series of black demonic dragons ascending into the night sky.
Even though John's trio was situated on the island far away from where everyone else in the Anderson Manor was, there was still a remarkably strong scent of bloodshed in the air.
"What's going on?" Megan asked as she swept her gaze around the Anderson Manor with an incredulous expression.
"Do you know what's happening?" John asked as he turned to Master Stone.
"I'm afraid, Sir. Perhaps the Anderson Family is being attacked by its enemies," Master Stone replied in a hesitant voice, then fell silent with a respectful expression, awaiting further instructions.
John took a glance at Megan to find that she was also looking up at him, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "I suppose I owe the Anderson a favor for waking me up from my prior state, so I can't just leave without doing anything. Let's go and take a look."
With that, the three of them emerged from the temple, then traveled toward the front yard of the Anderson Manor.
The closer they drew to the front yard, the clearer the sounds of battle became. By the time the three of them arrived at that circular archway, they were greeted by the sight of a hellish scene.
The small courtyard beyond the archway was laden with piles upon piles of mangled bodies, most of which were wearing the armor assigned to the guards of the prime minister's manor, while only a very small proportion of them were wearing black assassin garments.
The courtyard was illuminated by fire, and there was a white light barrier in the corner of the courtyard that was closest to the front yard, which was keeping around a dozen black-suited figures at bay.
Right at this moment, a spiral-shaped cone of fire shot up from the group of black-suited figures, and upon reaching an altitude of several dozen feet above the light barrier, it suddenly descended from above, swooping down like a rapidly revolving fiery dragon.
A resounding boom rang out as the cone of fire struck the light barrier, and having already been struggling to hold itself together, the light barrier instantly shattered upon impact.
Immediately thereafter, a deep voice rang out. "Kill them!"
The dozen or so black-suited figures immediately charged toward the corner with their weapons raised.
"Stop them" John ordered in an indifferent voice.
Master Stone immediately stepped into the courtyard before opening his mouth to release a burst of black light.
The ball of black light contained the same serpentine flying sword from before, and it arrived above the black-suited figures in the blink of an eye.
A sharp screeching sound rang out as the flying sword shuddered, releasing several dozen bursts of black sword qi that shot down rapidly from above.
The sound of flesh and bones being punctured rang out incessantly within the courtyard, accompanied by agonized howls.
All of the black-suited figures were instantly killed on the spot, with the exception of one with a short beard who managed to react quite quickly and rolled several dozen feet away.
"Who's there?" the black-suited man asked in an aggressive voice.
Master Stone offered no response as he swept a hand through the air, and the flying sword that was hovering in mid-air instantly came swooping down, hurtling directly toward the man's chest.
The black-suited man's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he hurriedly swept a sleeve through the air to release a small blue shield, which quickly expanded to form a giant shield that positioned itself in front of him.
At the same time, he raised his other hand, and the flames of the cone of fire reared up as it sped rapidly toward the black flying sword.
A resounding boom rang out, and flames scattered in all directions as the cone of fire exploded, falling down from above as balls of fire.
As for the black flying sword, it pierced directly into the black-suited man's chest. The giant blue shield had also been punctured as if it were nothing more than a papier mache structure, posing no resistance to the flying sword at all.
"You're... a Core Formation cultivator..." the black-suited man gurgled as blood poured out of his mouth and nostrils.
Master Stone drew his flying sword back to himself with a wave of his hand, then scoffed in a disdainful voice, "To think that a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to oppose someone as mighty as myself..."
Before he finished his sentence, he abruptly shut his mouth, then stole a fearful glance at John.
John didn't react to his arrogant proclamation at all. All he did was make his way over to a corner of the courtyard, where two people were huddled together.
One of them was a young man in a bloodstained azure robe with a head of disheveled hair. He was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but his aura was quite feeble, and it was clear that he was close to being a spent force.
Behind him was a young woman in servant's clothing, curled up into a ball. Her entire body was stained with blood, and she was trembling with fear, not daring to raise her head.
Megan faltered slightly upon identifying the young woman, then called out, "Sister Marilyn?"
The young woman's body stiffened upon hearing this, and she slowly poked her head out from behind the young man. In the instant that she caught sight of Megan, she immediately burst into tears.
Megan hurriedly rushed forward to help her to her feet.
The young man hesitated momentarily, then also struggled to his feet before imploring, " Master Stone, please save the young mistress... Hurry!"
Master Stone faltered slightly upon hearing this, and he offered no response. Instead, he took a glance at John.
"Where is the young mistress?" John asked.
The young man clearly didn't recognize John, so he was rather taken aback by this question, but he still replied, "When Marilyn and I were sent to request reinforcements from the island, the young mistress was being protected by the other elders at the main estate, but given how fearsome the enemies are, I don't think they'll be able to last much longer."
"Stay here and treat your own wounds. Marilyn, you're most familiar with the layout of the Anderson Manor, lead the way to the main estate," John instructed in an indifferent manner.
At this point, Marilyn had stopped crying under Megan's consolation, and she turned to John with a perplexed expression, wondering why the man who had been mentally handicapped just a few hours ago had suddenly started issuing orders to everyone.
The young man was also rather bewildered.
It was clear to him that John was the leader of the group. Master Stone was one of the most respected figures in the Anderson Manor, yet he seemed to also be content to follow John's lead.
"Alright, come with me."
Marilyn took a moment to collect herself, then rushed toward the front yard, followed closely by John's trio.
Some time had already passed since the Anderson Manor was first attacked, and the entire front yard of the manor was laden with bodies, some of which were guards, while others were servants. It seemed that the black-suited figures were intent on slaughtering everyone in the Anderson Manor.
Megan was horrified by the sights that she beheld along the way. Even though she was already aware of the cruel and bloodthirsty nature of humans, the scenes presented to her still made her develop a completely new understanding of the human race.
Aside from the piles of bodies everywhere, they also encountered several groups of black-suited figures, but almost all of them were killed by Master Stone in mere moments.
Occasionally, they would encounter some Foundation Establishment cultivators, but they were no match for Master Stone, either.
Thus, the four of them passed through a corridor and continued to rush toward the main estate.
"Don't worry, Master Stone is on our side now. He wouldn't dare to do anything to you in the future," John said with a smile as he rose to his feet, taking a subtle glance at Master Stone as he did so.
The elderly monk shuddered upon hearing this, and he hurriedly nodded insistently to pledge his loyalty, while his back was already drenched in cold sweat.
Megan's expression eased slightly upon seeing this.
"Let's get out of here."
John latched onto Megan's hand and made his way over to the stone door of the secret chamber before pressing his palm against it. Right as he was about to push the door open, he suddenly stopped what he was doing, and his brows furrowed slightly. She could sense the slight change in John's demeanor, and she raised her head to look up at him with an inquisitive expression.
"What a coincidence!" John chuckled before pushing the stone door open and making his way outside.
The sky outside was quite dark, indicating that it was already nighttime, but from the island, one could see that the entirety of the Anderson Manor was as bright as day, having been illuminated by flames.
Sounds of battle could be heard ringing out from the front yard, interspersed with booming explosions.
Dense smoke was rising up from all over the Anderson Manor like a series of black demonic dragons ascending into the night sky.
Even though John's trio was situated on the island far away from where everyone else in the Anderson Manor was, there was still a remarkably strong scent of bloodshed in the air.
"What's going on?" Megan asked as she swept her gaze around the Anderson Manor with an incredulous expression.
"Do you know what's happening?" John asked as he turned to Master Stone.
"I'm afraid, Sir. Perhaps the Anderson Family is being attacked by its enemies," Master Stone replied in a hesitant voice, then fell silent with a respectful expression, awaiting further instructions.
John took a glance at Megan to find that she was also looking up at him, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "I suppose I owe the Anderson a favor for waking me up from my prior state, so I can't just leave without doing anything. Let's go and take a look."
With that, the three of them emerged from the temple, then traveled toward the front yard of the Anderson Manor.
The closer they drew to the front yard, the clearer the sounds of battle became. By the time the three of them arrived at that circular archway, they were greeted by the sight of a hellish scene.
The small courtyard beyond the archway was laden with piles upon piles of mangled bodies, most of which were wearing the armor assigned to the guards of the prime minister's manor, while only a very small proportion of them were wearing black assassin garments.
The courtyard was illuminated by fire, and there was a white light barrier in the corner of the courtyard that was closest to the front yard, which was keeping around a dozen black-suited figures at bay.
Right at this moment, a spiral-shaped cone of fire shot up from the group of black-suited figures, and upon reaching an altitude of several dozen feet above the light barrier, it suddenly descended from above, swooping down like a rapidly revolving fiery dragon.
A resounding boom rang out as the cone of fire struck the light barrier, and having already been struggling to hold itself together, the light barrier instantly shattered upon impact.
Immediately thereafter, a deep voice rang out. "Kill them!"
The dozen or so black-suited figures immediately charged toward the corner with their weapons raised.
"Stop them" John ordered in an indifferent voice.
Master Stone immediately stepped into the courtyard before opening his mouth to release a burst of black light.
The ball of black light contained the same serpentine flying sword from before, and it arrived above the black-suited figures in the blink of an eye.
A sharp screeching sound rang out as the flying sword shuddered, releasing several dozen bursts of black sword qi that shot down rapidly from above.
The sound of flesh and bones being punctured rang out incessantly within the courtyard, accompanied by agonized howls.
All of the black-suited figures were instantly killed on the spot, with the exception of one with a short beard who managed to react quite quickly and rolled several dozen feet away.
"Who's there?" the black-suited man asked in an aggressive voice.
Master Stone offered no response as he swept a hand through the air, and the flying sword that was hovering in mid-air instantly came swooping down, hurtling directly toward the man's chest.
The black-suited man's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he hurriedly swept a sleeve through the air to release a small blue shield, which quickly expanded to form a giant shield that positioned itself in front of him.
At the same time, he raised his other hand, and the flames of the cone of fire reared up as it sped rapidly toward the black flying sword.
A resounding boom rang out, and flames scattered in all directions as the cone of fire exploded, falling down from above as balls of fire.
As for the black flying sword, it pierced directly into the black-suited man's chest. The giant blue shield had also been punctured as if it were nothing more than a papier mache structure, posing no resistance to the flying sword at all.
"You're... a Core Formation cultivator..." the black-suited man gurgled as blood poured out of his mouth and nostrils.
Master Stone drew his flying sword back to himself with a wave of his hand, then scoffed in a disdainful voice, "To think that a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to oppose someone as mighty as myself..."
Before he finished his sentence, he abruptly shut his mouth, then stole a fearful glance at John.
John didn't react to his arrogant proclamation at all. All he did was make his way over to a corner of the courtyard, where two people were huddled together.
One of them was a young man in a bloodstained azure robe with a head of disheveled hair. He was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but his aura was quite feeble, and it was clear that he was close to being a spent force.
Behind him was a young woman in servant's clothing, curled up into a ball. Her entire body was stained with blood, and she was trembling with fear, not daring to raise her head.
Megan faltered slightly upon identifying the young woman, then called out, "Sister Marilyn?"
The young woman's body stiffened upon hearing this, and she slowly poked her head out from behind the young man. In the instant that she caught sight of Megan, she immediately burst into tears.
Megan hurriedly rushed forward to help her to her feet.
The young man hesitated momentarily, then also struggled to his feet before imploring, " Master Stone, please save the young mistress... Hurry!"
Master Stone faltered slightly upon hearing this, and he offered no response. Instead, he took a glance at John.
"Where is the young mistress?" John asked.
The young man clearly didn't recognize John, so he was rather taken aback by this question, but he still replied, "When Marilyn and I were sent to request reinforcements from the island, the young mistress was being protected by the other elders at the main estate, but given how fearsome the enemies are, I don't think they'll be able to last much longer."
"Stay here and treat your own wounds. Marilyn, you're most familiar with the layout of the Anderson Manor, lead the way to the main estate," John instructed in an indifferent manner.
At this point, Marilyn had stopped crying under Megan's consolation, and she turned to John with a perplexed expression, wondering why the man who had been mentally handicapped just a few hours ago had suddenly started issuing orders to everyone.
The young man was also rather bewildered.
It was clear to him that John was the leader of the group. Master Stone was one of the most respected figures in the Anderson Manor, yet he seemed to also be content to follow John's lead.
"Alright, come with me."
Marilyn took a moment to collect herself, then rushed toward the front yard, followed closely by John's trio.
Some time had already passed since the Anderson Manor was first attacked, and the entire front yard of the manor was laden with bodies, some of which were guards, while others were servants. It seemed that the black-suited figures were intent on slaughtering everyone in the Anderson Manor.
Megan was horrified by the sights that she beheld along the way. Even though she was already aware of the cruel and bloodthirsty nature of humans, the scenes presented to her still made her develop a completely new understanding of the human race.
Aside from the piles of bodies everywhere, they also encountered several groups of black-suited figures, but almost all of them were killed by Master Stone in mere moments.
Occasionally, they would encounter some Foundation Establishment cultivators, but they were no match for Master Stone, either.
Thus, the four of them passed through a corridor and continued to rush toward the main estate.
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2023
- Messages
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- Reaction score
- 23,716
- Points
- 113
Chapter 15: Badge
At the main estate of the Anderson Manor, the previously lavish and immaculately maintained courtyard had been reduced to a set of ruins. There were corpses and flowing blood everywhere, and the stench of blood in the air was so strong that it was downright nauseating.
All of the survivors of the Anderson Family were gathered here, and there were only about two dozen of them left. Some were young and some were old, and Drew Anderson and the second young master of the family were both among them.
All of them wore horrified expressions, and there were a few women among them who were trembling uncontrollably. Only Drew and a few others were able to maintain some modicum of composure.
There was a particularly large number of black-suited figures here, close to thirty at a rough glance, and they had trapped the surviving members of the Anderson Family in the courtyard from three sides. They were split up into small groups of around three to five people, and all of them were cultivators with most of them wielding divine weapons.
Thankfully, the other elders of the Anderson Family finally arrived to protect the surviving members of the Anderson Family.
The Anderson Family was the family of the Prosperous Nation's prime minister, so the cultivator elders assigned to the family were all quite powerful. In particular, there was a middle-aged red-robed cultivator standing in front of the surviving members of the Anderson Family.
He had pockmarks all over his face and a short figure that was completely unremarkable, but red light was surging around his entire body, and he was giving off the enormous spiritual pressure of a Core Formation cultivator.
There was a crimson fire bead treasure that was hovering above his head, and several crimson balls of fire were revolving around it.
The other three elders of the Anderson Family consisted of two men and a woman, and their cultivation base was inferior to that of the red-robed man, but they were also quite formidable in their own right. One of them was a black-robed young woman with a set of elegant features, but they were marred by a scar on her face. She was standing on one side of the red-robed cultivator, while another thin middle-aged man with a pair of deep-set eyes stood on his other side.
The final cultivator was a thin elderly man with dark skin, resembling an old farmer, and he was standing slightly back from the trio.
Even though there was a Core Formation cultivator among them, they were still only a group of four, and they had to prioritize the safety of the Anderson Family's survivors, so they found themselves locked in an impasse against the black-suited cultivators around them.
"We can't keep going like this. Protect the young mistress and everyone else, and prepare to rush out as soon as the opportunity arises!" the red-robed cultivator instructed, then made a hand seal before opening his mouth to release a burst of red light, which vanished into the fire bead above his head.
The fire bead instantly began to rotate at a far greater speed, to the point that it had become a crimson blur.
Around a dozen giant fireballs flew out of the bead before quickly fusing together to form a thick fiery dragon that was over hundred feet in length.
The fiery dragon was covered in a layer of clear-cut red scales, and it let loose a furious roar as it swooped down into the crowd of black-suited figures up ahead.
The first group of black-suited figures were caught off guard and sent flying by the fiery dragon, with two of them being reduced to ashes on the spot.
Immediately thereafter, the fiery dragon swept its tail violently through the air to release a wave of fire, forcing all of the black-suited figures in the general vicinity to rush back in retreat.
After a brief moment of chaos, all of the black-suited cultivators steadied themselves before bombarding the fiery dragon with a barrage of attacks.
The fiery dragon's giant body swayed from side to side from the impact of the attacks, and the flames on its body were churning incessantly, but none of the attacks were sufficient to deal a fatal blow. The dragon continued to wreak havoc to its heart's content, and after just a few seconds, close to half of all of the black-suited figures were either dead or injured.
"Go!" the red-robed cultivator yelled at his three companions.
However, right at this moment, a burst of blurry black light shot forth at an incredible speed, striking the lower abdomen of the fiery dragon directly like a bolt of black lightning.
The burst of black light pierced deep into the fiery dragon's body, revealing itself to be a black arrow that was riddled with black runes.
The runes on the arrow's shaft abruptly released an enormous burst of black light before exploding violently with an almighty boom, sending a giant dark red mushroom cloud rising up into the air, causing violent tremors to run through the nearby ground.
A huge hole was instantly blown into the fiery dragon's lower abdomen, and the flames around it flashed erratically.
The red-robed cultivator and the other three elders were all stunned to see this.
Another black-suited figure had appeared at the entrance of the courtyard, and he was wielding a large black bow with black light surging around his body. The aura that he was giving off indicated that he was a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Immediately thereafter, four more black-suited figures emerged from the darkness behind him. They were all also at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage, wielding the same black bows that they drew and fired in unison.
Four black runed arrows shot forth, racing rapidly through the night sky like a cluster of black shooting stars.
The red-robed cultivator hurriedly made a series of hand seals to control the fiery dragon to evade the arrows, but it was far too big a target, and the archers were exceptionally skilled. In the end, it was only able to dodge one of the arrows, while the other three all struck their target.
The three runed arrows exploded in unison, and three more massive holes were blown into the fiery dragon's body.
As a result, it was unable to maintain its form any longer, and it exploded into a flurry of crimson flames that quickly fizzled out into nothingness.
The red-robed cultivator gave a muffled groan as his body swayed slightly.
Right at this moment, a ghastly screech rang out, and a streak of white light shot out of the darkness. It was several times faster than even the runed arrows from before, and it reached the red-robed cultivator in the blink of an eye.
The red-robed cultivator was greatly alarmed by this, and the crimson fire bead above his head immediately flew forward to meet the streak of white light at his behest. At the same time, he flew back while raising his hands to release two streaks of light, one blue and one red, containing a small blue sword and a crimson flying trident, respectively, both of which also flew toward the streak of white light.
The white light flashed, revealing itself to be a blade of bone that was around three feet in length with gusts of negative energy wind swirling around it.
Large swathes of black threads abruptly appeared on the surface of the blade amid a faint buzzing sound, and the threads wrapped themselves around the fire bead, the blue sword, and the crimson flying trident.
The spiritual light radiating from the three treasures instantly dimmed, and they slowed down significantly, looking as if they could fall out of the air at any moment.
Meanwhile, the bone blade passed right through the three sluggish treasures in a flash, then suddenly appeared near the red-robed cultivator's head before flashing through the air like lightning.
The red-robed cultivator let loose a bloodcurdling cry that was abruptly cut short as his head slid off his neck, having been decapitated.
Blood spurted several feet up into the air like a gory geyser, and his headless body swayed momentarily before toppling to the ground.
" Master in Red Robe!" the survivors of the Anderson Family exclaimed in unison.
The other three elders were also horrified to see this, and they all backtracked a few steps, unsure of how to proceed.
Immediately thereafter, a young man with a set of sinister features slowly emerged from the crowd. He was none other than the man who had been spying on Drew in secret back in Farbright City, but he wasn't accompanied by the gray-robed man here.
All of the surrounding black-suited figures immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully toward the young man.
With a wave of his hand, the white bone blade shot back to the young man, carrying Master Red Robe's three treasures along with it.
He took a glance at the three treasures, and a disdainful look appeared on his face, but he still stowed them away before turning to the survivors of the Anderson Family with a cold expression. "Kill them all! Don't let a single one of them live!"
"Yes!" the black-suited figures hurriedly replied in unison before stepping forward to carry out his orders.
The three elders of the Anderson Family looked on with grim expressions, but none of them stepped in to intervene.
Some of the women and children among the Anderson Family's survivors were sobbing in despair, while others had already collapsed to the ground, and there were even a few who had soiled themselves.
"Hold on!"
A pleasant voice rang out, and Drew stepped forward to confront the black-suited figures.
She had put on her male attire once again, but there was no disguising the hint of seduction in her features.
The young man's eyes immediately lit up at the sight of her, and his lecherous gaze roamed greedily over her body.
Drew's face was quite pale, but she was still just barely able to maintain her composure. She fought back the urge to gouge out the deplorable young man's eyes as she pulled out a purple and golden badge before displaying it to the group.
There was an extremely vivid and detailed purple and golden flame design emblazoned upon the badge.
"How dare you slaughter the members of our Anderson Family? Do you have no regard for the Cold Flame Sect?"
At the main estate of the Anderson Manor, the previously lavish and immaculately maintained courtyard had been reduced to a set of ruins. There were corpses and flowing blood everywhere, and the stench of blood in the air was so strong that it was downright nauseating.
All of the survivors of the Anderson Family were gathered here, and there were only about two dozen of them left. Some were young and some were old, and Drew Anderson and the second young master of the family were both among them.
All of them wore horrified expressions, and there were a few women among them who were trembling uncontrollably. Only Drew and a few others were able to maintain some modicum of composure.
There was a particularly large number of black-suited figures here, close to thirty at a rough glance, and they had trapped the surviving members of the Anderson Family in the courtyard from three sides. They were split up into small groups of around three to five people, and all of them were cultivators with most of them wielding divine weapons.
Thankfully, the other elders of the Anderson Family finally arrived to protect the surviving members of the Anderson Family.
The Anderson Family was the family of the Prosperous Nation's prime minister, so the cultivator elders assigned to the family were all quite powerful. In particular, there was a middle-aged red-robed cultivator standing in front of the surviving members of the Anderson Family.
He had pockmarks all over his face and a short figure that was completely unremarkable, but red light was surging around his entire body, and he was giving off the enormous spiritual pressure of a Core Formation cultivator.
There was a crimson fire bead treasure that was hovering above his head, and several crimson balls of fire were revolving around it.
The other three elders of the Anderson Family consisted of two men and a woman, and their cultivation base was inferior to that of the red-robed man, but they were also quite formidable in their own right. One of them was a black-robed young woman with a set of elegant features, but they were marred by a scar on her face. She was standing on one side of the red-robed cultivator, while another thin middle-aged man with a pair of deep-set eyes stood on his other side.
The final cultivator was a thin elderly man with dark skin, resembling an old farmer, and he was standing slightly back from the trio.
Even though there was a Core Formation cultivator among them, they were still only a group of four, and they had to prioritize the safety of the Anderson Family's survivors, so they found themselves locked in an impasse against the black-suited cultivators around them.
"We can't keep going like this. Protect the young mistress and everyone else, and prepare to rush out as soon as the opportunity arises!" the red-robed cultivator instructed, then made a hand seal before opening his mouth to release a burst of red light, which vanished into the fire bead above his head.
The fire bead instantly began to rotate at a far greater speed, to the point that it had become a crimson blur.
Around a dozen giant fireballs flew out of the bead before quickly fusing together to form a thick fiery dragon that was over hundred feet in length.
The fiery dragon was covered in a layer of clear-cut red scales, and it let loose a furious roar as it swooped down into the crowd of black-suited figures up ahead.
The first group of black-suited figures were caught off guard and sent flying by the fiery dragon, with two of them being reduced to ashes on the spot.
Immediately thereafter, the fiery dragon swept its tail violently through the air to release a wave of fire, forcing all of the black-suited figures in the general vicinity to rush back in retreat.
After a brief moment of chaos, all of the black-suited cultivators steadied themselves before bombarding the fiery dragon with a barrage of attacks.
The fiery dragon's giant body swayed from side to side from the impact of the attacks, and the flames on its body were churning incessantly, but none of the attacks were sufficient to deal a fatal blow. The dragon continued to wreak havoc to its heart's content, and after just a few seconds, close to half of all of the black-suited figures were either dead or injured.
"Go!" the red-robed cultivator yelled at his three companions.
However, right at this moment, a burst of blurry black light shot forth at an incredible speed, striking the lower abdomen of the fiery dragon directly like a bolt of black lightning.
The burst of black light pierced deep into the fiery dragon's body, revealing itself to be a black arrow that was riddled with black runes.
The runes on the arrow's shaft abruptly released an enormous burst of black light before exploding violently with an almighty boom, sending a giant dark red mushroom cloud rising up into the air, causing violent tremors to run through the nearby ground.
A huge hole was instantly blown into the fiery dragon's lower abdomen, and the flames around it flashed erratically.
The red-robed cultivator and the other three elders were all stunned to see this.
Another black-suited figure had appeared at the entrance of the courtyard, and he was wielding a large black bow with black light surging around his body. The aura that he was giving off indicated that he was a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Immediately thereafter, four more black-suited figures emerged from the darkness behind him. They were all also at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage, wielding the same black bows that they drew and fired in unison.
Four black runed arrows shot forth, racing rapidly through the night sky like a cluster of black shooting stars.
The red-robed cultivator hurriedly made a series of hand seals to control the fiery dragon to evade the arrows, but it was far too big a target, and the archers were exceptionally skilled. In the end, it was only able to dodge one of the arrows, while the other three all struck their target.
The three runed arrows exploded in unison, and three more massive holes were blown into the fiery dragon's body.
As a result, it was unable to maintain its form any longer, and it exploded into a flurry of crimson flames that quickly fizzled out into nothingness.
The red-robed cultivator gave a muffled groan as his body swayed slightly.
Right at this moment, a ghastly screech rang out, and a streak of white light shot out of the darkness. It was several times faster than even the runed arrows from before, and it reached the red-robed cultivator in the blink of an eye.
The red-robed cultivator was greatly alarmed by this, and the crimson fire bead above his head immediately flew forward to meet the streak of white light at his behest. At the same time, he flew back while raising his hands to release two streaks of light, one blue and one red, containing a small blue sword and a crimson flying trident, respectively, both of which also flew toward the streak of white light.
The white light flashed, revealing itself to be a blade of bone that was around three feet in length with gusts of negative energy wind swirling around it.
Large swathes of black threads abruptly appeared on the surface of the blade amid a faint buzzing sound, and the threads wrapped themselves around the fire bead, the blue sword, and the crimson flying trident.
The spiritual light radiating from the three treasures instantly dimmed, and they slowed down significantly, looking as if they could fall out of the air at any moment.
Meanwhile, the bone blade passed right through the three sluggish treasures in a flash, then suddenly appeared near the red-robed cultivator's head before flashing through the air like lightning.
The red-robed cultivator let loose a bloodcurdling cry that was abruptly cut short as his head slid off his neck, having been decapitated.
Blood spurted several feet up into the air like a gory geyser, and his headless body swayed momentarily before toppling to the ground.
" Master in Red Robe!" the survivors of the Anderson Family exclaimed in unison.
The other three elders were also horrified to see this, and they all backtracked a few steps, unsure of how to proceed.
Immediately thereafter, a young man with a set of sinister features slowly emerged from the crowd. He was none other than the man who had been spying on Drew in secret back in Farbright City, but he wasn't accompanied by the gray-robed man here.
All of the surrounding black-suited figures immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed respectfully toward the young man.
With a wave of his hand, the white bone blade shot back to the young man, carrying Master Red Robe's three treasures along with it.
He took a glance at the three treasures, and a disdainful look appeared on his face, but he still stowed them away before turning to the survivors of the Anderson Family with a cold expression. "Kill them all! Don't let a single one of them live!"
"Yes!" the black-suited figures hurriedly replied in unison before stepping forward to carry out his orders.
The three elders of the Anderson Family looked on with grim expressions, but none of them stepped in to intervene.
Some of the women and children among the Anderson Family's survivors were sobbing in despair, while others had already collapsed to the ground, and there were even a few who had soiled themselves.
"Hold on!"
A pleasant voice rang out, and Drew stepped forward to confront the black-suited figures.
She had put on her male attire once again, but there was no disguising the hint of seduction in her features.
The young man's eyes immediately lit up at the sight of her, and his lecherous gaze roamed greedily over her body.
Drew's face was quite pale, but she was still just barely able to maintain her composure. She fought back the urge to gouge out the deplorable young man's eyes as she pulled out a purple and golden badge before displaying it to the group.
There was an extremely vivid and detailed purple and golden flame design emblazoned upon the badge.
"How dare you slaughter the members of our Anderson Family? Do you have no regard for the Cold Flame Sect?"
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Chapter 16: Despair
The young man took a glance at the purple and golden badge, then turned his gaze back to Drew with a faint smile. "Ah, I see you have an acceptance badge from the Cold Flame Sect. I've long heard that you are the number one beauty of Farbright City, and I can see that those rumors certainly aren't unfounded."
Drew was instilled with some confidence by the fact that the young man recognized the badge in her hand, and she declared, "I don't care who you are, leave the Anderson Manor right this instant. Otherwise, you'll be making an enemy out of the Cold Flame Sect!"
The three elders of the Anderson Family were originally planning to take no further part in this confrontation, but they were all very much encouraged by this turn of events.
A hint of hope was also ignited in the hearts of the Anderson Family's survivors.
The young man suddenly burst into laughter upon seeing this. "Am I supposed to be afraid of the Cold Flame Sect?"
"How dare you look down on the Cold Flame Sect?" Drew accused with a furious expression.
"All you have is an acceptance badge, so you're not even an official disciple of the Cold Flame Sect. Even if you were an official disciple, did you think that would be enough to faze me?" A cold smile appeared on the young man's face as he flipped a hand over to produce a black badge that was around the same size as the badge in DREW's hand, and there was a silver skull design emblazoned onto its surface.
A stunned look appeared on Drew's face upon seeing this. "That's a Heavenly Ghost Sect inner court disciple badge! You're from the Heavenly Ghost Sect!"
The Heavenly Ghost Sect ranks alongside the Cold Flame Sect!
The three elders of the Anderson Family drew a collective sharp breath, and they exchanged a glance with one another before falling silent.
A thought seemed to have occurred to Drew, and a hint of color returned to her face as she declared, "Even if you're a disciple of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, don't forget that the Cold Flame Sect belongs to the Prosperous Nation. Are you trying to instigate a war between the two sects with your actions?"
"Under normal circumstances, I would say that you're correct, but I'm afraid that you're sorely mistaken here," the young man countered with a disdainful sneer.
Drew faltered slightly upon hearing this.
"Let me fill you in. The Cold Flame Sect has already been defeated in the contest against our sect, and they've handed over the jurisdiction rights over the Prosperous Nation, so now, the entire nation belongs to our Heavenly Ghost Sect," the young man revealed with a cruel smile.
Drew was completely rooted to the spot upon hearing this as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning.
The three elders of the Anderson Family were also stunned by this revelation, and they reflexively backed away to open up some distance between themselves and the surviving members of the family.
Everyone from the Anderson Family was even more disheartened by this, and their hearts had completely sunk.
They didn't know much about the world of cultivators, but they could tell from this exchange that this was not good news for them.
"By the way, there's something else I forgot to mention that I'm sure you'll be very interested to hear," the young man continued as his sinister smile widened.
Drew's heart jolted upon hearing this, and she knew that there could only be more bad news to come, but she still couldn't yell, "Stop spouting lies?"
"Some of the officials in the imperial court of the Prosperous Nation dared to oppose the orders of our Heavenly Ghost Sect, and they've been charged with treason. Yesterday, all of them were beheaded in public in the capital city, and I recall that Prime Minister Anderson seemed to have been among them, alongside his two sons who were also serving under him," the young man said as he looked directly into Drew's eyes.
Drew's vision darkened momentarily upon hearing this, and she collapsed to the ground, while the badge in her hand also slipped out of her grasp.
Everyone else from the Anderson Family was also plunged even further into the depths of despair upon hearing this, and several women were unable to contain themselves any longer as they burst into tears.
Just a moment ago, they had been the esteemed members of Prime Minister Anderson 's family, revered by the common folk from their lofty perches at the upper echelons of society, but all of a sudden, they were told that their nation had been conquered, the prime minister had been beheaded, and they were about to follow him soon.
The despair on Drew's face brought a look of sadistic pleasure to the young man's face, and his cheeks became flushed with excitement as he cackled like a madman.
He loved nothing more than to drive others into the abyss of despair before taking in their expressions at the height of their helplessness.
Once his cackling subsided, the flush in his cheeks gradually faded, and he ordered in a cold voice, "Kill everyone, but leave the young mistress alive for me."
The black-suited figures immediately gave affirmative responses before closing in on the surviving members of the Anderson Family with cruel grins.
At this point, the three elders had already backed away to the side with their heads lowered, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to escape. The young man was quite pleased to see this, and he made no effort to stop them.
One of the black-suited figures approached the young man as he said with a fawning expression, "You have an exceptional eye, Young Master! This woman possesses no cultivation base, but she's already received an acceptance badge from the Cold Flame Sect, which means that she must possess decent cultivation aptitude. She would be a perfect dual cultivation partner for you,"
The young man burst into laughter once again upon hearing this.
Drew shuddered as a hint of clarity returned to her eyes, and a look of finality appeared on her face. With one swift motion, she drew a dagger from her waist before plunging it viciously toward her own heart.
The young man's smile stiffened upon seeing this, clearly not expecting her to be so fiery and unyielding, and it was already too late to stop her.
All of a sudden, a sharp gust of wind whistled through the air before striking the dagger in Drew's hand, instantly sending it flying away before clattering onto the ground.
Several more sharp gusts of wind shot through the air, hurtling toward the black-suited figures who were about to slaughter the survivors of the Anderson Family.
A string of agonized howls rang out, and the sharp gusts of wind were so strong that the black-suited figures who were struck were instantly sent flying with blood gushing out of their mouths.
All of their companions immediately stopped in their tracks with alarmed expressions.
"Who's there?" the young man asked as he turned toward an opening not far away.
Everyone else also turned toward the same direction, and the sound of footsteps rang out as several figures slowly emerged, revealing themselves to be none other than JB, John Brown and his group.
The young man cast his gaze toward the group through narrowed eyes, but his gaze only lingered on John for a brief moment before he quickly directed his attention toward Master Stone.
"Daoist Master White Stone!"
"Master Stone, save us!"
The survivors of the Anderson Family were already awaiting death in a state of complete despair, but the arrival of Master Stone instilled them with a renewed sense of hope, and they desperately implored for him to step in.
"Young Mistress!"
Marilyn paid no heed to the nearby black-suited figures as she rushed over to Drewi before helping her to her feet.
" Marilyn."
Drewcast a complex gaze toward Master Stone.
Master Stone was a Core Formation cultivator, but the same had also applied to Master Red Robe, and he had been slain by the young man with ease, so Master Stone was most likely no match for him, either.
All of a sudden, her gaze fell upon JB.
His physical appearance hadn't changed at all, but his eyes were no longer vacant, and he was giving off a sense of remarkable calmness given the situation that he was in.
"So you're Master Stone? I'd advise you not to stick your nose into other people's business if you value your life!" the young man said as he turned to Master Stone, and black light radiated from his body as he released a burst of enormous pressure.
Those sharp gusts of wind just now had been incredibly powerful, but they possessed no form, and it was as if they had arisen out of thin air.
The young man had no clue how those sharp gusts of wind had been generated, so he was rather wary of Master Stone and was releasing his spiritual pressure for intimidation.
Master Stone shuddered, and a hint of fear flashed through his eyes.
The spiritual pressure being released by the young man was already at the mid-Core Formation Stage, while he was only an early-Core Formation cultivator, so he was no match for the young man. With that in mind, he couldn't help but turn his gaze toward JB.
He had witnessed exactly what had happened earlier, so he knew that those sharp gusts of wind had been produced by nothing more than a few casual flicks of JB's finger.
A hint of a smile appeared on John's face, and he didn't say anything.
Master Stone's heart sank slightly upon seeing this, and he immediately made his decision, stepping forward in a righteous manner as he yelled, "I am an elder of the Anderson Manor, how could I possibly just stand by and watch while you do as you please? You brazen bastards must be punished for the heinous acts you've committed here!"
A violent look appeared on the young man's face upon hearing this. "Fine. If you have a death wish, then I'll kill you along with everyone else!"
As soon as his voice trailed off, he raised a hand, and his white bone blade shot forth directly toward Master Stone.
At the same time, he made a series of hand seals, and a vast expanse of white light erupted from the bone blade. A series of white skull projections emerged within the white radiance, and a chorus of ghostly howls began to ring out incessantly.
The young man took a glance at the purple and golden badge, then turned his gaze back to Drew with a faint smile. "Ah, I see you have an acceptance badge from the Cold Flame Sect. I've long heard that you are the number one beauty of Farbright City, and I can see that those rumors certainly aren't unfounded."
Drew was instilled with some confidence by the fact that the young man recognized the badge in her hand, and she declared, "I don't care who you are, leave the Anderson Manor right this instant. Otherwise, you'll be making an enemy out of the Cold Flame Sect!"
The three elders of the Anderson Family were originally planning to take no further part in this confrontation, but they were all very much encouraged by this turn of events.
A hint of hope was also ignited in the hearts of the Anderson Family's survivors.
The young man suddenly burst into laughter upon seeing this. "Am I supposed to be afraid of the Cold Flame Sect?"
"How dare you look down on the Cold Flame Sect?" Drew accused with a furious expression.
"All you have is an acceptance badge, so you're not even an official disciple of the Cold Flame Sect. Even if you were an official disciple, did you think that would be enough to faze me?" A cold smile appeared on the young man's face as he flipped a hand over to produce a black badge that was around the same size as the badge in DREW's hand, and there was a silver skull design emblazoned onto its surface.
A stunned look appeared on Drew's face upon seeing this. "That's a Heavenly Ghost Sect inner court disciple badge! You're from the Heavenly Ghost Sect!"
The Heavenly Ghost Sect ranks alongside the Cold Flame Sect!
The three elders of the Anderson Family drew a collective sharp breath, and they exchanged a glance with one another before falling silent.
A thought seemed to have occurred to Drew, and a hint of color returned to her face as she declared, "Even if you're a disciple of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, don't forget that the Cold Flame Sect belongs to the Prosperous Nation. Are you trying to instigate a war between the two sects with your actions?"
"Under normal circumstances, I would say that you're correct, but I'm afraid that you're sorely mistaken here," the young man countered with a disdainful sneer.
Drew faltered slightly upon hearing this.
"Let me fill you in. The Cold Flame Sect has already been defeated in the contest against our sect, and they've handed over the jurisdiction rights over the Prosperous Nation, so now, the entire nation belongs to our Heavenly Ghost Sect," the young man revealed with a cruel smile.
Drew was completely rooted to the spot upon hearing this as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning.
The three elders of the Anderson Family were also stunned by this revelation, and they reflexively backed away to open up some distance between themselves and the surviving members of the family.
Everyone from the Anderson Family was even more disheartened by this, and their hearts had completely sunk.
They didn't know much about the world of cultivators, but they could tell from this exchange that this was not good news for them.
"By the way, there's something else I forgot to mention that I'm sure you'll be very interested to hear," the young man continued as his sinister smile widened.
Drew's heart jolted upon hearing this, and she knew that there could only be more bad news to come, but she still couldn't yell, "Stop spouting lies?"
"Some of the officials in the imperial court of the Prosperous Nation dared to oppose the orders of our Heavenly Ghost Sect, and they've been charged with treason. Yesterday, all of them were beheaded in public in the capital city, and I recall that Prime Minister Anderson seemed to have been among them, alongside his two sons who were also serving under him," the young man said as he looked directly into Drew's eyes.
Drew's vision darkened momentarily upon hearing this, and she collapsed to the ground, while the badge in her hand also slipped out of her grasp.
Everyone else from the Anderson Family was also plunged even further into the depths of despair upon hearing this, and several women were unable to contain themselves any longer as they burst into tears.
Just a moment ago, they had been the esteemed members of Prime Minister Anderson 's family, revered by the common folk from their lofty perches at the upper echelons of society, but all of a sudden, they were told that their nation had been conquered, the prime minister had been beheaded, and they were about to follow him soon.
The despair on Drew's face brought a look of sadistic pleasure to the young man's face, and his cheeks became flushed with excitement as he cackled like a madman.
He loved nothing more than to drive others into the abyss of despair before taking in their expressions at the height of their helplessness.
Once his cackling subsided, the flush in his cheeks gradually faded, and he ordered in a cold voice, "Kill everyone, but leave the young mistress alive for me."
The black-suited figures immediately gave affirmative responses before closing in on the surviving members of the Anderson Family with cruel grins.
At this point, the three elders had already backed away to the side with their heads lowered, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to escape. The young man was quite pleased to see this, and he made no effort to stop them.
One of the black-suited figures approached the young man as he said with a fawning expression, "You have an exceptional eye, Young Master! This woman possesses no cultivation base, but she's already received an acceptance badge from the Cold Flame Sect, which means that she must possess decent cultivation aptitude. She would be a perfect dual cultivation partner for you,"
The young man burst into laughter once again upon hearing this.
Drew shuddered as a hint of clarity returned to her eyes, and a look of finality appeared on her face. With one swift motion, she drew a dagger from her waist before plunging it viciously toward her own heart.
The young man's smile stiffened upon seeing this, clearly not expecting her to be so fiery and unyielding, and it was already too late to stop her.
All of a sudden, a sharp gust of wind whistled through the air before striking the dagger in Drew's hand, instantly sending it flying away before clattering onto the ground.
Several more sharp gusts of wind shot through the air, hurtling toward the black-suited figures who were about to slaughter the survivors of the Anderson Family.
A string of agonized howls rang out, and the sharp gusts of wind were so strong that the black-suited figures who were struck were instantly sent flying with blood gushing out of their mouths.
All of their companions immediately stopped in their tracks with alarmed expressions.
"Who's there?" the young man asked as he turned toward an opening not far away.
Everyone else also turned toward the same direction, and the sound of footsteps rang out as several figures slowly emerged, revealing themselves to be none other than JB, John Brown and his group.
The young man cast his gaze toward the group through narrowed eyes, but his gaze only lingered on John for a brief moment before he quickly directed his attention toward Master Stone.
"Daoist Master White Stone!"
"Master Stone, save us!"
The survivors of the Anderson Family were already awaiting death in a state of complete despair, but the arrival of Master Stone instilled them with a renewed sense of hope, and they desperately implored for him to step in.
"Young Mistress!"
Marilyn paid no heed to the nearby black-suited figures as she rushed over to Drewi before helping her to her feet.
" Marilyn."
Drewcast a complex gaze toward Master Stone.
Master Stone was a Core Formation cultivator, but the same had also applied to Master Red Robe, and he had been slain by the young man with ease, so Master Stone was most likely no match for him, either.
All of a sudden, her gaze fell upon JB.
His physical appearance hadn't changed at all, but his eyes were no longer vacant, and he was giving off a sense of remarkable calmness given the situation that he was in.
"So you're Master Stone? I'd advise you not to stick your nose into other people's business if you value your life!" the young man said as he turned to Master Stone, and black light radiated from his body as he released a burst of enormous pressure.
Those sharp gusts of wind just now had been incredibly powerful, but they possessed no form, and it was as if they had arisen out of thin air.
The young man had no clue how those sharp gusts of wind had been generated, so he was rather wary of Master Stone and was releasing his spiritual pressure for intimidation.
Master Stone shuddered, and a hint of fear flashed through his eyes.
The spiritual pressure being released by the young man was already at the mid-Core Formation Stage, while he was only an early-Core Formation cultivator, so he was no match for the young man. With that in mind, he couldn't help but turn his gaze toward JB.
He had witnessed exactly what had happened earlier, so he knew that those sharp gusts of wind had been produced by nothing more than a few casual flicks of JB's finger.
A hint of a smile appeared on John's face, and he didn't say anything.
Master Stone's heart sank slightly upon seeing this, and he immediately made his decision, stepping forward in a righteous manner as he yelled, "I am an elder of the Anderson Manor, how could I possibly just stand by and watch while you do as you please? You brazen bastards must be punished for the heinous acts you've committed here!"
A violent look appeared on the young man's face upon hearing this. "Fine. If you have a death wish, then I'll kill you along with everyone else!"
As soon as his voice trailed off, he raised a hand, and his white bone blade shot forth directly toward Master Stone.
At the same time, he made a series of hand seals, and a vast expanse of white light erupted from the bone blade. A series of white skull projections emerged within the white radiance, and a chorus of ghostly howls began to ring out incessantly.
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Chapter 17: Slaying the Two Cultivators
"Look out, Master Stone! Master Red Robe perished to this very same weapon!" Drew cautioned in a loud voice.
Master Stone was already greatly alarmed by the power imbued within the bone blade, and his expression changed drastically upon hearing this. His first instinct was to flee the scene, but with JB present, he had no choice but to grit his teeth before opening his mouth to release his serpentine flying sword.
He then quickly made a hand seal, and the sword began to glow with black light, wrapping around the bone blade like a black python.
A cold smile appeared on the young man's face as he made a sequence of hand seals before pointing a finger forward, and the light radiating from the bone blade became even brighter as it tore viciously through the air.
A dull thump rang out from the serpentine flying sword, and it was snapped into several pieces that fell out of the air.
Master Stone hurriedly raised his hand to release a round azure shield to take the flying sword's place.
The light radiating from the bone blade had dimmed slightly, but its power wasn't diminished at all as it struck the azure shield with tremendous force.
This time, the azure shield was able to pose some resistance, but it was still snapped in half in the end. The bone blade was stopped in its tracks for a brief moment before glowing brightly once again as it continued to hurtle toward Master Stone.
Master Stone was greatly alarmed to see this, and he ducked behind John during the split second that the bone blade was kept at bay by the azure shield.
In the past, even if he were no match for the young man, he would've still been able to put up a good fight. However, all of his most powerful treasures had been destroyed during his clash with John earlier, so he was completely powerless to stop the bone blade.
In the blink of an eye, the bone blade appeared in front of John before continuing onward at an incredible speed, aiming to slice through both him and Master Stone's bodies at the waist.
"Sir John!" Master Stone exclaimed in a panicked voice.
John remained as calm as ever as he raised a hand, and golden light flashed from his palm as he reached out like lightning while a series of golden scales surfaced over his skin.
A loud clang rang out, and the light glowing from the bone blade completely faded, as did the ghostly howls that were ringing out incessantly. As for the bone blade itself, it had been caught in John's grasp, and it was squirming and struggling incessantly like a small fish, but it was unable to break free.
"Impossible!"
The young man's eyes widened with incredulity, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The bone blade appeared to be quite ordinary, but it was a replica of the Heavenly Ghost Blade, the most powerful treasure of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, and it had been crafted for him using a vast array of precious materials by the seniors of his family. It was such a formidable artifact that even late-Core Formation cultivators would struggle to withstand its power, yet JB had caught it with his bare hand.
Everyone else at the scene was also looking on with astonished expressions.
Drew was just as shocked as everyone around her, and she was staring at John with bewilderment and a hint of admiration in her eyes.
Master Stone was also staring at John with a slack-jawed expression. He knew that there was a good chance that JB would be capable of stopping the bone blade, but he didn't think that He would be able to grab it out of thin air with such ridiculous ease!
With that in mind, he couldn't help but wonder just how powerful John was.
At the same time, he was also counting himself to be quite fortunate.
It was clear to him that if John hadn't held back during their clash, then he would've already been dead by now.
In contrast with everyone else, Megan's eyes were filled with excitement, and she wasn't surprised in the slightest. In her eyes, her Brother Rock was the epitome of invincibility, so this display of power was only to be expected for her.
"It's been a very long time since I've dealt with such a low-grade treasure," John said as he took an indifferent glance at the bone blade in his hand, then abruptly closed his fingers around it.
The bone blade was instantly crushed in his grasp with a dull thump, scattering onto the ground as specks of gray light.
"No!"
The young man's face instantly paled, and he threw up a mouthful of blood.
That blade was his bonded treasure, and for him, its destruction was akin to having an arm chopped.
"I'm going to make you pay with your life for destroying my treasure!"
A look of vicious resentment appeared in the young man's eyes as he made a hand seal and let loose a thunderous roar. Bursts of black qi rose up all around him, forming an inky-black cloud in the blink of an eye, within which were countless indistinct ghostly shadows.
Immediately thereafter, he slammed his palm into his own chest thrice in rapid succession, releasing three mouthfuls of blood essence. With each mouthful of blood essence that was released, his face would pale slightly further, and by the time all three mouthfuls of blood essence had been expelled, he was already looking as pale as a sheet.
The blood essence that was released instantly swelled to form a vast expanse of dense blood mist that fused into the black cloud.
The black cloud instantly turned as red as blood, and it churned violently as it expanded by several fold. The indistinct ghostly shadows within it also became several times more substantial as they let loose chilling howls.
The young man then stepped forward and vanished into the blood cloud without a trace.
All of this had taken place in the blink of an eye, and in the instant that the blood cloud appeared, the temperature in the entire courtyard plummeted drastically as if the entire area had been plunged into a glacial pit.
Even a cultivator of Master Stone's caliber couldn't help but shiver from the cold, and he hurriedly summoned a jade pendant treasure that released a white light barrier to encompass both himself and Megan, then retreated into the distance.
The black-suited figures in the courtyard and the three elders and surviving members of the Anderson Family were all shivering uncontrollably from the freezing cold.
Megan only felt the biting chill for an instant before the freezing sensation was immediately alleviated by a white light barrier.
She turned to discover that Master Stone had arrived by her side, and that the white light barrier had been conjured up by a jade pendant that he had summoned.
At the sight of Megan's surprised gaze, Master Stone immediately flashed her a fawning smile, then retreated to over ten feet away with her in tow.
A peculiar look appeared on John's face as he cast his gaze toward the blood cloud in the sky, and he suddenly threw a punch in a certain direction.
A faint ghostly shadow was sent flying out of thin air, and it let loose an anguished wail before exploding into a cloud of gray mist.
However, right at this moment, several black chains shot out from beneath John like a nest of vicious spitting vipers, instantly binding his entire body tightly.
Immediately thereafter, a gray-robed man emerged silently nearby with his hands locked in a hand seal. It was none other than the very same gray-robed man who had accompanied the young man back in Farbright City.
The aura that he was giving off was even superior to that of the young man's, and his entire body was encompassed within the black ghostly shadow. It seemed as if the two had fused as one, and his body had also taken on a semi-transparent state, looking as if it could vanish into thin air at any moment.
"You came just in time, Senior Martial Brother Fan! Let's kill this man together!" The young man's chortling voice rang out from within the blood cloud, followed by a burst of chanting.
Gusts of fierce wind were instantly swept up, and the blood cloud surged toward John like a giant wave.
John remained completely expressionless as he stood still on the spot, allowing the blood cloud to devour him in an instant.
The ghostly shadows within the blood cloud all had bloodthirsty looks in their eyes, and they were howling incessantly with their menacing fangs bared, looking as if they wanted to tear John into pieces.
The young man was ecstatic to see this.
These blood souls were all refined using a special secret technique, making them extremely difficult to kill. Anyone who was caught among them would be powerless to escape and worn down until they died.
The gray-robed man was quite surprised that the concealed ghostly entity that he was controlling had been detected by John, but a cruel smile then quickly appeared on his face as he said, "No matter who you are, you're going to pay with your life for opposing our Heavenly Ghost Sect!"
Immediately thereafter, he appeared directly above John in a flash, then thrust his palms downward. Two giant black ghostly claws appeared out of thin air with green light revolving around the tips of the claws, and they were giving off a foul stench, indicating that they were carrying lethal poison.
The two massive claws came swooping down viciously, and Megan immediately rushed toward John without any regard for her own safety.
Master Stone hurriedly pulled her back with an alarmed expression. "Stop! With Senior JB's unfathomable powers, I'm sure he'll have a way to break free!"
Despite what he was saying, he was also feeling rather uneasy. Another powerful enemy had arrived on the scene, this one seemingly even more formidable than the first one, and he didn't know if John would actually be able to hold his own against them.
In the distance, the three elders and surviving members of the Anderson Family were all looking on with bated breath, hoping against hope that their unlikely savior would be able to rise to the occasion.
John remained completely unfazed by the situation that he was in, and a string of dull cracks suddenly rang out from within his body. At the same time, he suddenly swelled drastically in size while a layer of golden scales surfaced over his skin.
With a casual shrug of his shoulders, the black chains around him instantly snapped into pieces. He then lashed out with his fists, unleashing a dense wall of golden fist projections that erupted in all directions like a ferocious storm.
As soon as the black ghostly claws came into contact with the golden fist projections, they instantly shattered and disintegrated into nothingness. The gray-robed man was also struck by countless fist projections amid an alarmed cry that was quickly cut short.
The black ghostly shadow around him was immediately destroyed, and he was sent flying like a ragdoll before slamming heavily down onto the ground. By the time he came to a rest, his entire body was nothing more than a gruesome mass of mangled flesh and blood. His body and soul had been instantly destroyed, and he was well and truly dead.
At the same time, the entire blood cloud and all of the ghostly shadows within it were also completely erased by the golden fist projections, forcibly revealing the young man.
At this moment, he was completely rooted to the spot, but in the instant that he met John 's icy cold gaze, he immediately shuddered before making a hand seal, upon which a vast black cloud surged out of his body, and he sped away into the distance as quickly as he could.
John 's eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing this, and he took a deep breath before exhaling sharply.
A burst of white light shot out of his mouth, piercing into the black cloud in a flash.
A blood-curdling cry rang out, and the black cloud abruptly disintegrated, following which the young man fell out of the sky, having had a hole punched through his head.
Complete silence descended upon the entire courtyard.
"He's a sword cultivator!" someone exclaimed in a feeble voice.
"Look out, Master Stone! Master Red Robe perished to this very same weapon!" Drew cautioned in a loud voice.
Master Stone was already greatly alarmed by the power imbued within the bone blade, and his expression changed drastically upon hearing this. His first instinct was to flee the scene, but with JB present, he had no choice but to grit his teeth before opening his mouth to release his serpentine flying sword.
He then quickly made a hand seal, and the sword began to glow with black light, wrapping around the bone blade like a black python.
A cold smile appeared on the young man's face as he made a sequence of hand seals before pointing a finger forward, and the light radiating from the bone blade became even brighter as it tore viciously through the air.
A dull thump rang out from the serpentine flying sword, and it was snapped into several pieces that fell out of the air.
Master Stone hurriedly raised his hand to release a round azure shield to take the flying sword's place.
The light radiating from the bone blade had dimmed slightly, but its power wasn't diminished at all as it struck the azure shield with tremendous force.
This time, the azure shield was able to pose some resistance, but it was still snapped in half in the end. The bone blade was stopped in its tracks for a brief moment before glowing brightly once again as it continued to hurtle toward Master Stone.
Master Stone was greatly alarmed to see this, and he ducked behind John during the split second that the bone blade was kept at bay by the azure shield.
In the past, even if he were no match for the young man, he would've still been able to put up a good fight. However, all of his most powerful treasures had been destroyed during his clash with John earlier, so he was completely powerless to stop the bone blade.
In the blink of an eye, the bone blade appeared in front of John before continuing onward at an incredible speed, aiming to slice through both him and Master Stone's bodies at the waist.
"Sir John!" Master Stone exclaimed in a panicked voice.
John remained as calm as ever as he raised a hand, and golden light flashed from his palm as he reached out like lightning while a series of golden scales surfaced over his skin.
A loud clang rang out, and the light glowing from the bone blade completely faded, as did the ghostly howls that were ringing out incessantly. As for the bone blade itself, it had been caught in John's grasp, and it was squirming and struggling incessantly like a small fish, but it was unable to break free.
"Impossible!"
The young man's eyes widened with incredulity, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The bone blade appeared to be quite ordinary, but it was a replica of the Heavenly Ghost Blade, the most powerful treasure of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, and it had been crafted for him using a vast array of precious materials by the seniors of his family. It was such a formidable artifact that even late-Core Formation cultivators would struggle to withstand its power, yet JB had caught it with his bare hand.
Everyone else at the scene was also looking on with astonished expressions.
Drew was just as shocked as everyone around her, and she was staring at John with bewilderment and a hint of admiration in her eyes.
Master Stone was also staring at John with a slack-jawed expression. He knew that there was a good chance that JB would be capable of stopping the bone blade, but he didn't think that He would be able to grab it out of thin air with such ridiculous ease!
With that in mind, he couldn't help but wonder just how powerful John was.
At the same time, he was also counting himself to be quite fortunate.
It was clear to him that if John hadn't held back during their clash, then he would've already been dead by now.
In contrast with everyone else, Megan's eyes were filled with excitement, and she wasn't surprised in the slightest. In her eyes, her Brother Rock was the epitome of invincibility, so this display of power was only to be expected for her.
"It's been a very long time since I've dealt with such a low-grade treasure," John said as he took an indifferent glance at the bone blade in his hand, then abruptly closed his fingers around it.
The bone blade was instantly crushed in his grasp with a dull thump, scattering onto the ground as specks of gray light.
"No!"
The young man's face instantly paled, and he threw up a mouthful of blood.
That blade was his bonded treasure, and for him, its destruction was akin to having an arm chopped.
"I'm going to make you pay with your life for destroying my treasure!"
A look of vicious resentment appeared in the young man's eyes as he made a hand seal and let loose a thunderous roar. Bursts of black qi rose up all around him, forming an inky-black cloud in the blink of an eye, within which were countless indistinct ghostly shadows.
Immediately thereafter, he slammed his palm into his own chest thrice in rapid succession, releasing three mouthfuls of blood essence. With each mouthful of blood essence that was released, his face would pale slightly further, and by the time all three mouthfuls of blood essence had been expelled, he was already looking as pale as a sheet.
The blood essence that was released instantly swelled to form a vast expanse of dense blood mist that fused into the black cloud.
The black cloud instantly turned as red as blood, and it churned violently as it expanded by several fold. The indistinct ghostly shadows within it also became several times more substantial as they let loose chilling howls.
The young man then stepped forward and vanished into the blood cloud without a trace.
All of this had taken place in the blink of an eye, and in the instant that the blood cloud appeared, the temperature in the entire courtyard plummeted drastically as if the entire area had been plunged into a glacial pit.
Even a cultivator of Master Stone's caliber couldn't help but shiver from the cold, and he hurriedly summoned a jade pendant treasure that released a white light barrier to encompass both himself and Megan, then retreated into the distance.
The black-suited figures in the courtyard and the three elders and surviving members of the Anderson Family were all shivering uncontrollably from the freezing cold.
Megan only felt the biting chill for an instant before the freezing sensation was immediately alleviated by a white light barrier.
She turned to discover that Master Stone had arrived by her side, and that the white light barrier had been conjured up by a jade pendant that he had summoned.
At the sight of Megan's surprised gaze, Master Stone immediately flashed her a fawning smile, then retreated to over ten feet away with her in tow.
A peculiar look appeared on John's face as he cast his gaze toward the blood cloud in the sky, and he suddenly threw a punch in a certain direction.
A faint ghostly shadow was sent flying out of thin air, and it let loose an anguished wail before exploding into a cloud of gray mist.
However, right at this moment, several black chains shot out from beneath John like a nest of vicious spitting vipers, instantly binding his entire body tightly.
Immediately thereafter, a gray-robed man emerged silently nearby with his hands locked in a hand seal. It was none other than the very same gray-robed man who had accompanied the young man back in Farbright City.
The aura that he was giving off was even superior to that of the young man's, and his entire body was encompassed within the black ghostly shadow. It seemed as if the two had fused as one, and his body had also taken on a semi-transparent state, looking as if it could vanish into thin air at any moment.
"You came just in time, Senior Martial Brother Fan! Let's kill this man together!" The young man's chortling voice rang out from within the blood cloud, followed by a burst of chanting.
Gusts of fierce wind were instantly swept up, and the blood cloud surged toward John like a giant wave.
John remained completely expressionless as he stood still on the spot, allowing the blood cloud to devour him in an instant.
The ghostly shadows within the blood cloud all had bloodthirsty looks in their eyes, and they were howling incessantly with their menacing fangs bared, looking as if they wanted to tear John into pieces.
The young man was ecstatic to see this.
These blood souls were all refined using a special secret technique, making them extremely difficult to kill. Anyone who was caught among them would be powerless to escape and worn down until they died.
The gray-robed man was quite surprised that the concealed ghostly entity that he was controlling had been detected by John, but a cruel smile then quickly appeared on his face as he said, "No matter who you are, you're going to pay with your life for opposing our Heavenly Ghost Sect!"
Immediately thereafter, he appeared directly above John in a flash, then thrust his palms downward. Two giant black ghostly claws appeared out of thin air with green light revolving around the tips of the claws, and they were giving off a foul stench, indicating that they were carrying lethal poison.
The two massive claws came swooping down viciously, and Megan immediately rushed toward John without any regard for her own safety.
Master Stone hurriedly pulled her back with an alarmed expression. "Stop! With Senior JB's unfathomable powers, I'm sure he'll have a way to break free!"
Despite what he was saying, he was also feeling rather uneasy. Another powerful enemy had arrived on the scene, this one seemingly even more formidable than the first one, and he didn't know if John would actually be able to hold his own against them.
In the distance, the three elders and surviving members of the Anderson Family were all looking on with bated breath, hoping against hope that their unlikely savior would be able to rise to the occasion.
John remained completely unfazed by the situation that he was in, and a string of dull cracks suddenly rang out from within his body. At the same time, he suddenly swelled drastically in size while a layer of golden scales surfaced over his skin.
With a casual shrug of his shoulders, the black chains around him instantly snapped into pieces. He then lashed out with his fists, unleashing a dense wall of golden fist projections that erupted in all directions like a ferocious storm.
As soon as the black ghostly claws came into contact with the golden fist projections, they instantly shattered and disintegrated into nothingness. The gray-robed man was also struck by countless fist projections amid an alarmed cry that was quickly cut short.
The black ghostly shadow around him was immediately destroyed, and he was sent flying like a ragdoll before slamming heavily down onto the ground. By the time he came to a rest, his entire body was nothing more than a gruesome mass of mangled flesh and blood. His body and soul had been instantly destroyed, and he was well and truly dead.
At the same time, the entire blood cloud and all of the ghostly shadows within it were also completely erased by the golden fist projections, forcibly revealing the young man.
At this moment, he was completely rooted to the spot, but in the instant that he met John 's icy cold gaze, he immediately shuddered before making a hand seal, upon which a vast black cloud surged out of his body, and he sped away into the distance as quickly as he could.
John 's eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing this, and he took a deep breath before exhaling sharply.
A burst of white light shot out of his mouth, piercing into the black cloud in a flash.
A blood-curdling cry rang out, and the black cloud abruptly disintegrated, following which the young man fell out of the sky, having had a hole punched through his head.
Complete silence descended upon the entire courtyard.
"He's a sword cultivator!" someone exclaimed in a feeble voice.
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Chapter 18: Request
No more than three seconds had passed from the moment that the gray-robed man appeared to the instant that John slew both of his assailants.
Two seemingly invincible Core Formation cultivators had fallen in what seemed like the blink of an eye, and everyone in the courtyard, including the black-suited figures and everyone from the Anderson Family, was completely flabbergasted.
What was particularly astonishing to them was the burst of white light that John had blasted out of his mouth. It was far too fast to be traced with the naked eye, and it had slain the young man in an instant, even though he had already fled far from the scene.
In addition to that, the assertion that John was a "sword cultivator" had all of the black-suited figures completely petrified, and they didn't dare to stay any longer as they summoned their devine weapons and frantically attempted to flee the scene.
In the Spirit Domain Realm, sword cultivators were able to easily crush other cultivators of the same caliber. In addition to that, flying swords were extremely fast and could kill in an instant, so if they didn't get away now, it would be too late.
Spiritual light of all different colors appeared in the courtyard in rapid succession as around a dozen flying treasures rose up into the air at once before fleeing in different directions.
John didn't even bother to take a glance at those people. Instead, he cast his gaze toward the young man's body, and he raised an eyebrow as a contemplative look appeared on his face.
All of the surviving members of the Anderson Family exchanged a series of bewildered glances, and no one dared to say anything. As for the three elders, they didn't even dare to breathe too loudly for fear of attracting John's attention.
Meanwhile, Master Stone stole a glance at John, and after a brief hesitation, he suddenly swept his right hand toward one of the fleeing black-suited cultivators.
His sleeve bulged slightly, following which a long golden rope shot out like a viper springing out of its cave, then ensnared something in mid-air before rapidly flying back.
A thin black-suited cultivator was dragged back out of mid-air by the golden rope, and he was completely bound as he slammed onto the ground
The black-suited cultivator paid no heed to the pain from falling from such a height as he immediately implored, "S... Spare me..."
John ignored the black-suited cultivator before him as he turned to Master Stone before asking, "Do you know of this Heavenly Ghost Sect?"
Master Stone answered, "The Heavenly Ghost Sect and the Cold Flame Sect are both considered to be among the most powerful sects in the Spirit Domain Realm."
John nodded in response, then turned to the black-suited man. "How many people did the Heavenly Ghost Sect send to Farbright City?"
The black-suited cultivator struggled into a sitting position as he hurriedly replied, "According to my knowledge, it's only the people that were sent to the Anderson Manor today."
As soon as his voice trailed off, he felt a bone-chilling sensation run through his entire body, as if he had been plunged into a glacial pit.
The tall and imposing young man before him was suddenly looking at him with an incredibly cold gaze. His inky-black pupils seemed to have suddenly become infinitely massive, transforming into a pair of bottomless black vortexes, and if he dared to even consider the idea of telling a lie, he would immediately be sucked in.
This feeling only lasted for an instant before fading, but it still made the fine hairs all over his entire body stand up on end, and his back was completely drenched in cold sweat.
The black-suited cultivator wanted to kneel down and kowtow to John, but he was unable to do so as he was bound by the golden rope, so he could only lower his head as a gesture of submission. "You have to believe me, Sir! I'm telling the truth!
“We are only outer court disciples of the sect who were ordered to come on this mission to the prime minister's manor. As for whether there are other disciples of our sect in the city, that is something I truly do not know!"
"Whose orders are you following? His orders?" John asked as he pointed at the body of the young man not far away.
"Yes. His name was Mr. Gerald Butler, and he was an inner court disciple of our sect. He possessed exceptional cultivation aptitude, so he was held in very high regard in our sect. On top of that, one of his granduncles is an elder of our sect, and that further strengthened his standings, so we didn't dare to refuse his orders.
“If we had known that the Anderson Manor was under your protection, we would've never dared to set foot here!" the black-suited cultivator said in a pitiable voice.
At this point, Drew had already made her way over to the black-suited figure, and there were tears swimming in her eyes as she asked, "Was Gerald Butler telling the truth? Are my father and brothers..."
"Outer court disciples like myself had no right to participate in what happened in the capital city, but according to what I've heard, the situation is much the same as what Mr. Gerald described," the black-suited cultivator replied in a fearful manner.
Drew closed her eyes upon hearing this, and tears quickly flowed down her cheeks.
Another burst of sobbing rang out from the women and children among the Anderson Family's survivors.
A moment later, Drew reopened her eyes before asking with a pained expression, "If your Heavenly Ghost Sect has already taken over the Prosperous Nation, then just seize control over the existing imperial family. Why do you insist on wiping out our Anderson Family?"
"This is an established practice in our sect. In order to gain complete control over the Prosperous Nation, the imperial family tied to the Cold Flame Sect and all of the families of the officials that served the past imperial family are to be killed, and the Anderson Family falls under this category."
All of a sudden, a thought seemed to have occurred to the black-suited cultivator, and his voice began to tremble with fear as he continued, "Please forgive me for going off on a tangent, but Elder Butler of our sect is renowned for being protective of his juniors, so he's definitely going to come after all those involved in the death of his grandnephew. Even the outer court disciples like myself who accompanied him on this mission are sure to be killed."
All of the survivors of the Anderson Family were horrified to hear this, and the expressions of the three elders also became extremely grim.
At this point, the graceful and regal facade of the Anderson Family's second young master had been completely torn away, and his face was smeared with tears, dirt, and blood as he implored in a sobbing voice, "We can't afford to waste any more time here, Sister. We have to leave this place right away! You have a master at the Cold Flame Sect, don't you? Let's go to her, I'm sure she'll take us in."
Drew paid no heed to him as she raised a hand before wiping her tears dry with her sleeve. She then made her way over to JB, Megan, and Master Stone before extending a respectful bow. "Thank you for saving our lives."
John offered no response and accepted her gesture of gratitude.
Master Stone also remained silent, merely nodding in response.
"Sister Drew..." Megan's family had also perished under terrible circumstances, so she could empathize with Drew. She wanted to say something to console her, but she didn't know what to say, so her voice trailed off into silence.
Drew gave her a slight nod and forced a faint smile onto her own face.
After that, the grief and dejection in her eyes gradually faded, and a resilient and unyielding look appeared on her face. Even though she was still in her female attire, it was as if she had turned from the young mistress of the Anderson Family to the young master that she occasionally posed as.
She picked up the dagger that had been knocked out of her hand earlier by John, then plunged it viciously toward the black-suited cultivator's chest in a flash.
"No! Spare me..."
A blood-curdling howl rang out as the dagger was buried all the way up to its hilt.
The black-suited cultivator collapsed into a puddle of his own blood and spasmed a few times before falling still.
The survivors of the Anderson Family couldn't help but exchange a few uneasy glances upon seeing this.
At this point, only around a dozen members of the Anderson Family still remained, and Drew turned to them with a determined expression as she declared, "The Anderson Manor has fallen. Even with the Cold Flame Sect as our backer, we won't be able to recover from this anytime soon. All members of our Anderson Family are to come with me to the Cold Flame Sect. As for everyone else, if you no longer wish to follow me, you can take some money from the storeroom and leave."
The surviving members of the Anderson Family were horrified and at a complete loss for what to do, but with Drew taking control of the situation, they gradually calmed down, and the sobbing coming from the women and children slowly subsided.
John was quite impressed by this, and he turned to Drew with a hint of approval in his eyes.
Drew then cast her gaze toward the three elders and continued, "Elders, you have risked your lives to protect us, and words cannot express my gratitude. If you wish to leave, you can each choose a few of the treasures in our manor to take with you. However, if you're willing to continue protecting us on our journey to the Cold Flame Sect, then I'll be sure to offer your further compensation in the future."
The three elders exchanged a few hesitant glances upon hearing this, and all of them seemed to be waiting for John and Master Stone to make their decisions first.
Drew took a glance at John, and she immediately understood what the three elders were thinking. With that in mind, she immediately strode over to John before extending a curtsey.
"Brother JB, I know next to nothing about you, but it's clear to me that your powers are beyond what I can fathom. Normal treasures will most likely completely fail to appeal to you, so the only thing that I can offer you is a Wyrm Essence Bead that has been passed down in our family for generations.
“I'm willing to offer the treasure to you as compensation if you accompany us to the Cold Flame Sect," Drew said as she looked straight into John's eyes with an earnest expression.
A hint of greed appeared in Master Stone's eyes upon hearing mention of a Wyrm Essence Bead, but he then took a glance at John out of the corners of his eyes, and any sneaky thoughts in his mind immediately disappeared.
"Have you gone insane, Sister? How could you offer him our Wyrm Essence Bead?" the second young master of the Anderson Family exclaimed in an alarmed voice.
Drew didn't even bother to take a glance at her brother as she continued to look directly at John. "The Anderson Manor is already gone, what is a mere Wyrm Essence bead in comparison? If you're willing to accept my offer, I can bring you the treasure from our secret vault right away. What do you say, Brother JB?"
No more than three seconds had passed from the moment that the gray-robed man appeared to the instant that John slew both of his assailants.
Two seemingly invincible Core Formation cultivators had fallen in what seemed like the blink of an eye, and everyone in the courtyard, including the black-suited figures and everyone from the Anderson Family, was completely flabbergasted.
What was particularly astonishing to them was the burst of white light that John had blasted out of his mouth. It was far too fast to be traced with the naked eye, and it had slain the young man in an instant, even though he had already fled far from the scene.
In addition to that, the assertion that John was a "sword cultivator" had all of the black-suited figures completely petrified, and they didn't dare to stay any longer as they summoned their devine weapons and frantically attempted to flee the scene.
In the Spirit Domain Realm, sword cultivators were able to easily crush other cultivators of the same caliber. In addition to that, flying swords were extremely fast and could kill in an instant, so if they didn't get away now, it would be too late.
Spiritual light of all different colors appeared in the courtyard in rapid succession as around a dozen flying treasures rose up into the air at once before fleeing in different directions.
John didn't even bother to take a glance at those people. Instead, he cast his gaze toward the young man's body, and he raised an eyebrow as a contemplative look appeared on his face.
All of the surviving members of the Anderson Family exchanged a series of bewildered glances, and no one dared to say anything. As for the three elders, they didn't even dare to breathe too loudly for fear of attracting John's attention.
Meanwhile, Master Stone stole a glance at John, and after a brief hesitation, he suddenly swept his right hand toward one of the fleeing black-suited cultivators.
His sleeve bulged slightly, following which a long golden rope shot out like a viper springing out of its cave, then ensnared something in mid-air before rapidly flying back.
A thin black-suited cultivator was dragged back out of mid-air by the golden rope, and he was completely bound as he slammed onto the ground
The black-suited cultivator paid no heed to the pain from falling from such a height as he immediately implored, "S... Spare me..."
John ignored the black-suited cultivator before him as he turned to Master Stone before asking, "Do you know of this Heavenly Ghost Sect?"
Master Stone answered, "The Heavenly Ghost Sect and the Cold Flame Sect are both considered to be among the most powerful sects in the Spirit Domain Realm."
John nodded in response, then turned to the black-suited man. "How many people did the Heavenly Ghost Sect send to Farbright City?"
The black-suited cultivator struggled into a sitting position as he hurriedly replied, "According to my knowledge, it's only the people that were sent to the Anderson Manor today."
As soon as his voice trailed off, he felt a bone-chilling sensation run through his entire body, as if he had been plunged into a glacial pit.
The tall and imposing young man before him was suddenly looking at him with an incredibly cold gaze. His inky-black pupils seemed to have suddenly become infinitely massive, transforming into a pair of bottomless black vortexes, and if he dared to even consider the idea of telling a lie, he would immediately be sucked in.
This feeling only lasted for an instant before fading, but it still made the fine hairs all over his entire body stand up on end, and his back was completely drenched in cold sweat.
The black-suited cultivator wanted to kneel down and kowtow to John, but he was unable to do so as he was bound by the golden rope, so he could only lower his head as a gesture of submission. "You have to believe me, Sir! I'm telling the truth!
“We are only outer court disciples of the sect who were ordered to come on this mission to the prime minister's manor. As for whether there are other disciples of our sect in the city, that is something I truly do not know!"
"Whose orders are you following? His orders?" John asked as he pointed at the body of the young man not far away.
"Yes. His name was Mr. Gerald Butler, and he was an inner court disciple of our sect. He possessed exceptional cultivation aptitude, so he was held in very high regard in our sect. On top of that, one of his granduncles is an elder of our sect, and that further strengthened his standings, so we didn't dare to refuse his orders.
“If we had known that the Anderson Manor was under your protection, we would've never dared to set foot here!" the black-suited cultivator said in a pitiable voice.
At this point, Drew had already made her way over to the black-suited figure, and there were tears swimming in her eyes as she asked, "Was Gerald Butler telling the truth? Are my father and brothers..."
"Outer court disciples like myself had no right to participate in what happened in the capital city, but according to what I've heard, the situation is much the same as what Mr. Gerald described," the black-suited cultivator replied in a fearful manner.
Drew closed her eyes upon hearing this, and tears quickly flowed down her cheeks.
Another burst of sobbing rang out from the women and children among the Anderson Family's survivors.
A moment later, Drew reopened her eyes before asking with a pained expression, "If your Heavenly Ghost Sect has already taken over the Prosperous Nation, then just seize control over the existing imperial family. Why do you insist on wiping out our Anderson Family?"
"This is an established practice in our sect. In order to gain complete control over the Prosperous Nation, the imperial family tied to the Cold Flame Sect and all of the families of the officials that served the past imperial family are to be killed, and the Anderson Family falls under this category."
All of a sudden, a thought seemed to have occurred to the black-suited cultivator, and his voice began to tremble with fear as he continued, "Please forgive me for going off on a tangent, but Elder Butler of our sect is renowned for being protective of his juniors, so he's definitely going to come after all those involved in the death of his grandnephew. Even the outer court disciples like myself who accompanied him on this mission are sure to be killed."
All of the survivors of the Anderson Family were horrified to hear this, and the expressions of the three elders also became extremely grim.
At this point, the graceful and regal facade of the Anderson Family's second young master had been completely torn away, and his face was smeared with tears, dirt, and blood as he implored in a sobbing voice, "We can't afford to waste any more time here, Sister. We have to leave this place right away! You have a master at the Cold Flame Sect, don't you? Let's go to her, I'm sure she'll take us in."
Drew paid no heed to him as she raised a hand before wiping her tears dry with her sleeve. She then made her way over to JB, Megan, and Master Stone before extending a respectful bow. "Thank you for saving our lives."
John offered no response and accepted her gesture of gratitude.
Master Stone also remained silent, merely nodding in response.
"Sister Drew..." Megan's family had also perished under terrible circumstances, so she could empathize with Drew. She wanted to say something to console her, but she didn't know what to say, so her voice trailed off into silence.
Drew gave her a slight nod and forced a faint smile onto her own face.
After that, the grief and dejection in her eyes gradually faded, and a resilient and unyielding look appeared on her face. Even though she was still in her female attire, it was as if she had turned from the young mistress of the Anderson Family to the young master that she occasionally posed as.
She picked up the dagger that had been knocked out of her hand earlier by John, then plunged it viciously toward the black-suited cultivator's chest in a flash.
"No! Spare me..."
A blood-curdling howl rang out as the dagger was buried all the way up to its hilt.
The black-suited cultivator collapsed into a puddle of his own blood and spasmed a few times before falling still.
The survivors of the Anderson Family couldn't help but exchange a few uneasy glances upon seeing this.
At this point, only around a dozen members of the Anderson Family still remained, and Drew turned to them with a determined expression as she declared, "The Anderson Manor has fallen. Even with the Cold Flame Sect as our backer, we won't be able to recover from this anytime soon. All members of our Anderson Family are to come with me to the Cold Flame Sect. As for everyone else, if you no longer wish to follow me, you can take some money from the storeroom and leave."
The surviving members of the Anderson Family were horrified and at a complete loss for what to do, but with Drew taking control of the situation, they gradually calmed down, and the sobbing coming from the women and children slowly subsided.
John was quite impressed by this, and he turned to Drew with a hint of approval in his eyes.
Drew then cast her gaze toward the three elders and continued, "Elders, you have risked your lives to protect us, and words cannot express my gratitude. If you wish to leave, you can each choose a few of the treasures in our manor to take with you. However, if you're willing to continue protecting us on our journey to the Cold Flame Sect, then I'll be sure to offer your further compensation in the future."
The three elders exchanged a few hesitant glances upon hearing this, and all of them seemed to be waiting for John and Master Stone to make their decisions first.
Drew took a glance at John, and she immediately understood what the three elders were thinking. With that in mind, she immediately strode over to John before extending a curtsey.
"Brother JB, I know next to nothing about you, but it's clear to me that your powers are beyond what I can fathom. Normal treasures will most likely completely fail to appeal to you, so the only thing that I can offer you is a Wyrm Essence Bead that has been passed down in our family for generations.
“I'm willing to offer the treasure to you as compensation if you accompany us to the Cold Flame Sect," Drew said as she looked straight into John's eyes with an earnest expression.
A hint of greed appeared in Master Stone's eyes upon hearing mention of a Wyrm Essence Bead, but he then took a glance at John out of the corners of his eyes, and any sneaky thoughts in his mind immediately disappeared.
"Have you gone insane, Sister? How could you offer him our Wyrm Essence Bead?" the second young master of the Anderson Family exclaimed in an alarmed voice.
Drew didn't even bother to take a glance at her brother as she continued to look directly at John. "The Anderson Manor is already gone, what is a mere Wyrm Essence bead in comparison? If you're willing to accept my offer, I can bring you the treasure from our secret vault right away. What do you say, Brother JB?"
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2023
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- Points
- 113
Immortal, who has lost his memories. He shall live up to JB name...
OpeOla
Top Level Martial Arts Grandmaster
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- Sep 19, 2023
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might serve a good purpose to his friend that resides in his shadow
M. W. Durrani
First Level Body Fusion Realm
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- Dec 20, 2023
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- 462
- Points
- 63
Time to leave Anderson manor
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2023
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Chapter 19: Grandnephew of A Deity Transformation Cultivator
"Wyrm Essence Beads are capable of helping Core Formation cultivators break through cultivation bottlenecks, so this is indeed quite a remarkable treasure, but I have no need for such a thing, so I'm afraid I must refuse," John replied with a shake of his head.
Drew's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but she still wasn't willing to give up. "If you have any other demands, feel free to state them. As long as it's not something completely out of my reach, I'll do everything in my power to fulfill your request."
"I do owe you a favor for helping me awaken from my prior state, but I just prevented your suicide and killed those two Core Formation cultivators of the Heavenly Ghost Sect for you, so surely I've already done enough to return the favor.
“Under normal circumstances, perhaps I would be willing to accompany you, but I've only just awakened and have my own problems to take care of, so I'm afraid I won't have the time to spare to accompany you on a journey to the Cold Flame Sect," John replied.
Drew was distraught to hear this, but she was still holding onto one final shred of hope as she turned to Megan with an imploring gaze.
Megan couldn't bear to see her look so dejected, and she tugged on John's sleeve with a hesitant expression.
John was naturally aware of what she was thinking, and he gently patted her head, then cast his gaze toward a certain direction outside the courtyard as he said in a calm voice, "Rest assured, even if you don't have me in accompaniment, there will be others to protect you on your journey to the Cold Flame Sect."
Drew faltered slightly upon hearing this, clearly failing to understand what John was alluding to.
Right at this moment, several figures appeared in the distance.
Drew and the other survivors of the Anderson Family were all quite alarmed by this, and they immediately turned toward that direction. Master Stone and the three elders had also summoned their divine weapons again.
Shortly thereafter, several objects flew through the air, having been tossed into the courtyard from outside before landing on the ground. The objects rolled around briefly before coming to a rest, revealing themselves to be a cluster of human heads.
The heads belonged to the black-suited figures who had fled the scene earlier, and their faces were all twisted with shock and horror.
Everyone was given quite a fright by this, and Megan reflexively tightened her grip on Han Li's sleeve.
However, JB's expression remained as calm as ever as he cast his gaze toward a certain direction.
There, a white figure abruptly emerged amid a flash of white light, then drifted down into the courtyard with her clothes flapping around her.
It was a tall woman dressed in white who appeared to be in her thirties, and it was clear to see that she would've been a stunning beauty a decade ago. She was holding a black longsword, and was giving off a sharp and dangerous aura that was rarely seen in women.
"Master!" Drew called out in an elated voice before rushing over to the woman.
"I'm so glad that you're safe, Drew." The woman latched onto Drew's hand as she gently stroked her hair, and her expression eased slightly as a doting look appeared in her eyes.
Anderson's reaction to the woman's arrival made it clear that she was not an enemy, and all of the surviving members of the Anderson Family heaved a collective sigh of relief.
At the same time, Master Stone and the three elders spotted a small flame pattern embroidered onto the woman's sleeves, a pattern that was identical to the one emblazoned on the badge that Drew had brought out earlier, and respectful looks immediately appeared on their faces.
Megan seemed to be rather fearful of the woman, and she ducked behind John as she clutched tightly onto his sleeve.
John knew what she was concerned about, and he consoled in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, I'm here."
Megan was very much reassured by this, and she nodded in response.
"Why are you here, Master?" Drew asked as she fought back the tears in her eyes.
"I received news that the Heavenly Ghost Sect was going to attack the Anderson Manor, so I immediately traveled here from the sect, but I was intercepted by the Heavenly Ghost Sect on the way, so I was delayed. Thank heavens I'm not too late," the woman said in a doting manner.
Drew led her master over to John and the others before introducing everyone, putting special emphasis on her introduction of JB. "It's all thanks to our elders and Brother Fox here that we were able to survive. Everyone, this is my master. Master, these four are the elders of our Anderson Manor, and this is Jaime Fox. He took down two of the Heavenly Ghost Sect's Core Formation cultivators and played a pivotal role in saving us all."
Master Stone and the elders hurriedly extended respectful salutes toward the woman.
John didn't bother with such formalities, and he smiled as he turned to Drew. "I haven't had a chance to tell you this yet, but my name is actually John Brown. Jaime Fox is just a name that I adopted."
Drew faltered slightly upon hearing this, then replied with a smile, "I see."
"I am Angeline Jolie of the Cold Flame Sect. Thank you for saving my disciple's life, Mr. John. May I ask which sect you belong to?" the woman asked with an indifferent expression as she directed a sharp gaze toward John and the others.
In the face of her probing gaze, Master Stone and the others felt as if their skin were being pricked by sharp needles, and that only heightened the awe and veneration they felt toward the woman.
Angeline's gaze only roamed over the likes of Master Stone and Megan for a brief moment before settling on John, and the indifferent look on her face was instantly replaced with a hint of wariness.
John's aura was extremely indistinct, and she was unable to see through him even with her spiritual sense, something that she found to be rather concerning.
"I don't belong to any sect, I'm just a vagrant cultivator. I only stepped in because I was indebted to Young Mistress Anderson, and I was only repaying my debt," John replied with a calm expression.
With his powerful spiritual sense, he was naturally able to see through the woman in an instant, and he discovered that she was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.
"I see..." Angeline was rather surprised to hear this.
The fact that he was able to kill two Core Formation cultivators clearly indicated that he was quite a powerful cultivator himself, but there were very few cultivators at or above the Nascent Soul Stage among vagrant cultivators.
Angeline could see that John was unwilling to divulge any further information, so she gave him a nod, then turned back to Drew. "The Prosperous Nation belongs to the Heavenly Ghost Sect now, so we can't linger here. We have to leave right away."
The survivors of the Anderson Family were eager to get away from here, and they were all ecstatic to hear this.
"Hold on a moment, Master, I have something to show you," Drew suddenly said, then led Angeline over to the body of Gerald.
"That's Gerald Butler! Why is he here?" Angeline asked with a surprised expression.
Drew's heart jolted slightly at the sight of Angelines reaction, and she asked, "So you recognize him as well, Master. Is his granduncle really an elder of the Heavenly Ghost Sect?"
"That's right. His granduncle, Greg Butler, is an elder of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, and he's already at the Deity Transformation Stage. On top of that, he's extremely protective of his juniors, and if he finds out that his grandnephew has been killed, he definitely won't let things slide," Angeline said.
Drew's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and Master Stone and the others were also horrified.
Deity Transformation cultivators transcended above even Nascent Soul cultivators, and a cultivator of that caliber could easily erase them out of existence without even raising a finger.
"Who killed Gerald?" Angeline asked, and her gaze was already wandering toward John.
Meanwhile, John casually made his way over to the body of the gray-robed man before picking up a storage bag and examining its contents as if he didn't have a care in the world.
"It was indeed Brother John who killed this man," Drew confirmed.
A grim look appeared on Angeline's face upon hearing this.
"Master, will Greg Butler try to personally avenge his grandnephew?" Drew asked in an uneasy manner.
Angeline considered the question momentarily, then shook her head in response. "Greg Butler holds a very lofty position in the Heavenly Ghost Sect, and he has many descendants, so he most likely won't leave the sect just over the death of a grandnephew. At the very most, he'll only send some disciples of the Heavenly Ghost Sect to investigate this matter."
Drew's expression eased slightly upon hearing this.
"Even so, we can't afford to get complacent. Drew, you and I need to set off right away and ensure that we return to the Cold Flame Sect before the people sent by old Master Butler arrive," Angeline continued in a grim voice.
Drew's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. Judging from what Angeline had just said, it sounded like she was only planning to take Yu Drew with her and no one else.
"Master, can my family also come to the Cold Flame Sect with me?"
All of the survivors of the Anderson Family turned to Angeline upon hearing this, and Master Stone and the other elders also turned to her with hopeful expressions.
If they could take advantage of this opportunity to join the Cold Flame Sect, even if they could only be outer court disciples, it would still be far better than being vagrant cultivators, particularly given that they had already made an enemy out of the Heavenly Ghost Sect.
"Wyrm Essence Beads are capable of helping Core Formation cultivators break through cultivation bottlenecks, so this is indeed quite a remarkable treasure, but I have no need for such a thing, so I'm afraid I must refuse," John replied with a shake of his head.
Drew's expression changed slightly upon hearing this, but she still wasn't willing to give up. "If you have any other demands, feel free to state them. As long as it's not something completely out of my reach, I'll do everything in my power to fulfill your request."
"I do owe you a favor for helping me awaken from my prior state, but I just prevented your suicide and killed those two Core Formation cultivators of the Heavenly Ghost Sect for you, so surely I've already done enough to return the favor.
“Under normal circumstances, perhaps I would be willing to accompany you, but I've only just awakened and have my own problems to take care of, so I'm afraid I won't have the time to spare to accompany you on a journey to the Cold Flame Sect," John replied.
Drew was distraught to hear this, but she was still holding onto one final shred of hope as she turned to Megan with an imploring gaze.
Megan couldn't bear to see her look so dejected, and she tugged on John's sleeve with a hesitant expression.
John was naturally aware of what she was thinking, and he gently patted her head, then cast his gaze toward a certain direction outside the courtyard as he said in a calm voice, "Rest assured, even if you don't have me in accompaniment, there will be others to protect you on your journey to the Cold Flame Sect."
Drew faltered slightly upon hearing this, clearly failing to understand what John was alluding to.
Right at this moment, several figures appeared in the distance.
Drew and the other survivors of the Anderson Family were all quite alarmed by this, and they immediately turned toward that direction. Master Stone and the three elders had also summoned their divine weapons again.
Shortly thereafter, several objects flew through the air, having been tossed into the courtyard from outside before landing on the ground. The objects rolled around briefly before coming to a rest, revealing themselves to be a cluster of human heads.
The heads belonged to the black-suited figures who had fled the scene earlier, and their faces were all twisted with shock and horror.
Everyone was given quite a fright by this, and Megan reflexively tightened her grip on Han Li's sleeve.
However, JB's expression remained as calm as ever as he cast his gaze toward a certain direction.
There, a white figure abruptly emerged amid a flash of white light, then drifted down into the courtyard with her clothes flapping around her.
It was a tall woman dressed in white who appeared to be in her thirties, and it was clear to see that she would've been a stunning beauty a decade ago. She was holding a black longsword, and was giving off a sharp and dangerous aura that was rarely seen in women.
"Master!" Drew called out in an elated voice before rushing over to the woman.
"I'm so glad that you're safe, Drew." The woman latched onto Drew's hand as she gently stroked her hair, and her expression eased slightly as a doting look appeared in her eyes.
Anderson's reaction to the woman's arrival made it clear that she was not an enemy, and all of the surviving members of the Anderson Family heaved a collective sigh of relief.
At the same time, Master Stone and the three elders spotted a small flame pattern embroidered onto the woman's sleeves, a pattern that was identical to the one emblazoned on the badge that Drew had brought out earlier, and respectful looks immediately appeared on their faces.
Megan seemed to be rather fearful of the woman, and she ducked behind John as she clutched tightly onto his sleeve.
John knew what she was concerned about, and he consoled in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, I'm here."
Megan was very much reassured by this, and she nodded in response.
"Why are you here, Master?" Drew asked as she fought back the tears in her eyes.
"I received news that the Heavenly Ghost Sect was going to attack the Anderson Manor, so I immediately traveled here from the sect, but I was intercepted by the Heavenly Ghost Sect on the way, so I was delayed. Thank heavens I'm not too late," the woman said in a doting manner.
Drew led her master over to John and the others before introducing everyone, putting special emphasis on her introduction of JB. "It's all thanks to our elders and Brother Fox here that we were able to survive. Everyone, this is my master. Master, these four are the elders of our Anderson Manor, and this is Jaime Fox. He took down two of the Heavenly Ghost Sect's Core Formation cultivators and played a pivotal role in saving us all."
Master Stone and the elders hurriedly extended respectful salutes toward the woman.
John didn't bother with such formalities, and he smiled as he turned to Drew. "I haven't had a chance to tell you this yet, but my name is actually John Brown. Jaime Fox is just a name that I adopted."
Drew faltered slightly upon hearing this, then replied with a smile, "I see."
"I am Angeline Jolie of the Cold Flame Sect. Thank you for saving my disciple's life, Mr. John. May I ask which sect you belong to?" the woman asked with an indifferent expression as she directed a sharp gaze toward John and the others.
In the face of her probing gaze, Master Stone and the others felt as if their skin were being pricked by sharp needles, and that only heightened the awe and veneration they felt toward the woman.
Angeline's gaze only roamed over the likes of Master Stone and Megan for a brief moment before settling on John, and the indifferent look on her face was instantly replaced with a hint of wariness.
John's aura was extremely indistinct, and she was unable to see through him even with her spiritual sense, something that she found to be rather concerning.
"I don't belong to any sect, I'm just a vagrant cultivator. I only stepped in because I was indebted to Young Mistress Anderson, and I was only repaying my debt," John replied with a calm expression.
With his powerful spiritual sense, he was naturally able to see through the woman in an instant, and he discovered that she was a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.
"I see..." Angeline was rather surprised to hear this.
The fact that he was able to kill two Core Formation cultivators clearly indicated that he was quite a powerful cultivator himself, but there were very few cultivators at or above the Nascent Soul Stage among vagrant cultivators.
Angeline could see that John was unwilling to divulge any further information, so she gave him a nod, then turned back to Drew. "The Prosperous Nation belongs to the Heavenly Ghost Sect now, so we can't linger here. We have to leave right away."
The survivors of the Anderson Family were eager to get away from here, and they were all ecstatic to hear this.
"Hold on a moment, Master, I have something to show you," Drew suddenly said, then led Angeline over to the body of Gerald.
"That's Gerald Butler! Why is he here?" Angeline asked with a surprised expression.
Drew's heart jolted slightly at the sight of Angelines reaction, and she asked, "So you recognize him as well, Master. Is his granduncle really an elder of the Heavenly Ghost Sect?"
"That's right. His granduncle, Greg Butler, is an elder of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, and he's already at the Deity Transformation Stage. On top of that, he's extremely protective of his juniors, and if he finds out that his grandnephew has been killed, he definitely won't let things slide," Angeline said.
Drew's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and Master Stone and the others were also horrified.
Deity Transformation cultivators transcended above even Nascent Soul cultivators, and a cultivator of that caliber could easily erase them out of existence without even raising a finger.
"Who killed Gerald?" Angeline asked, and her gaze was already wandering toward John.
Meanwhile, John casually made his way over to the body of the gray-robed man before picking up a storage bag and examining its contents as if he didn't have a care in the world.
"It was indeed Brother John who killed this man," Drew confirmed.
A grim look appeared on Angeline's face upon hearing this.
"Master, will Greg Butler try to personally avenge his grandnephew?" Drew asked in an uneasy manner.
Angeline considered the question momentarily, then shook her head in response. "Greg Butler holds a very lofty position in the Heavenly Ghost Sect, and he has many descendants, so he most likely won't leave the sect just over the death of a grandnephew. At the very most, he'll only send some disciples of the Heavenly Ghost Sect to investigate this matter."
Drew's expression eased slightly upon hearing this.
"Even so, we can't afford to get complacent. Drew, you and I need to set off right away and ensure that we return to the Cold Flame Sect before the people sent by old Master Butler arrive," Angeline continued in a grim voice.
Drew's expression changed slightly upon hearing this. Judging from what Angeline had just said, it sounded like she was only planning to take Yu Drew with her and no one else.
"Master, can my family also come to the Cold Flame Sect with me?"
All of the survivors of the Anderson Family turned to Angeline upon hearing this, and Master Stone and the other elders also turned to her with hopeful expressions.
If they could take advantage of this opportunity to join the Cold Flame Sect, even if they could only be outer court disciples, it would still be far better than being vagrant cultivators, particularly given that they had already made an enemy out of the Heavenly Ghost Sect.
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Chapter 20: Invitation
"No. Our Cold Flame Sect can't just take in a bunch of mortals. Your family can escape to the Creek Nation under the protection of the elders for refuge for now," Angeline said with a shake of her head.
The Creek Nation was situated to the northeast of the Prosperous Nation, and at the moment, it still belonged to the Cold Flame Sect.
The elders of the Anderson Manor were quite disappointed to hear this, but they didn't dare to contest Master Jolie's decision.
The survivors of the Anderson Family were very much alarmed by this turn of events, and they all turned to Drew with imploring looks in their eyes.
"We'll all be screwed if the Heavenly Ghost Sect hunts us down! You can't just abandon us now that you've managed to join an immortal sect..." the second young master of the Anderson Family yelled in a panicked voice.
"Shut up!" Drew scolded with a stern expression.
The second young master shuddered, and he didn't dare to say anything further.
Even though Drew was putting on a stern display, she was also quite concerned about the safety of her family, and she turned to Angeline before asking, "Master Jolie, will it really be alright to send them to the Creek Nation? Surely it won't be very difficult for the Heavenly Ghost Sect to track them down."
"Rest assured, Drew. According to the rules of the Spirit Domain Realm, as long as you can officially become an inner court disciple of the Cold Flame Sect, the Heavenly Ghost Sect will be prohibited from attacking your family. Otherwise, they'll be committing what's considered to be a cardinal sin in this realm.”
“If they dare to hunt down your family, then once you become an established cultivator, you'll also have an excuse to attack the families of the Heavenly Ghost Sect's disciples. They attacked the Anderson Manor because they didn't know that you had an acceptance badge from our sect.”
“Now that I've made an official appearance, things are completely different. The most important thing now is to get you to the Cold Flame Sect safe and sound," Angeline said with a serious expression.
Drew was quite relieved to hear this, and everyone else from the Anderson Family was also put at ease.
"Elders, I'll be counting on you to look after my family. Once I become an established cultivator in the future, I'll be sure to reward you handsomely," Drew said as she extended a curtsey toward Master Stone and the other three elders.
"You're far too kind, Young Mistress. As elders of the Anderson Manor, we've always been treated very well by Prime Minister Anderson and yourself. Now that Anderson Manor has gone through such a tragic catastrophe, it is our duty to protect your family," the elders hurriedly replied, vowing to protect the survivors of the Anderson Family.
Even though they couldn't join the Cold Flame Sect, it would benefit them immensely to establish close ties with Anderson Drew, who was on track to become an inner court disciple of the Cold Flame Sect.
However, a reluctant look appeared on Master Stone's face, and he stole a glance at John.
John was in the process of examining the storage bag in his hands, and he turned to Master Stone with a hint of a smile on his face as he said, " Mr. Stone, given how long you've been serving the Anderson Manor, it should only be right that you accompany them on this trip as well."
Only then did Master Stone force a smile onto his face and accept this arrangement.
Drew pretended not to have seen this exchange, and she extended another curtsey toward the elders. "You have my utmost gratitude."
Thus, with everything decided, the survivors of the Anderson Family immediately began to prepare for the upcoming journey, gathering all of the treasures and valuable items in the manor.
Meanwhile, John casually pocketed the storage bag in his hands, then made his way over to Gerald's body before taking his storage bag as well.
As for the belongings of the black-suited cultivators, he couldn't even be bothered to pick them up.
Master Stone and the others were ecstatic to see this, and they hurriedly gathered the scattered belongings of the black-suited cultivators.
"What are your plans for the future, Mr. John?" Angeline asked as she approached him.
"It's a complete accident that I even came to Farbright City in the first place. Now that I've made an enemy out of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, I'll naturally have to get far away from here," John replied in an indifferent voice.
"Not only have you gotten yourself involved in all of this, you've slain Gerald Butler as well, so I'm afraid it may not be a simple matter for you to get away. Given the power and reach of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, I'm sure they'll find out about you very soon," Angeline said.
John's expression remained unchanged as he asked, "What are you trying to say, Celestial Maiden Jolie?"
"If you're not opposed to the idea, how about you join our Cold Flame Sect? Our sect has always welcomed powerful vagrant cultivators. Given how you were able to slay those Core Formation cultivators so easily, you must possess Nascent Soul Stage power yourself, so it's not out of the question for you to become a guest elder of our sect. I would be honored to refer you to our sect's leaders," Angeline said.
Drew's eyes lit up at the proposal, and she chimed in, "Master's right. If you can join our Cold Flame Sect, I'm sure Sister Fox will also benefit immensely."
John turned to Megan, and a contemplative look appeared on his face.
Megan looked back at him with a pair of wide and innocent eyes, seemingly unsure of exactly what was happening.
"If I'm not mistaken, your aura seems to be rather unstable, which indicates that you're carrying some sort of injury, Mr John. I just so happen to have a Sharp Watch Pill with me, a vastly renowned healing medicine in the Spirit Domain Realm," Angeline continued in a meaningful voice.
Given that two of the Heavenly Ghost Sect's Core Formation cultivators had been slain here, one of which was the descendant of a Deity Transformation cultivator, there was a very good chance that they would be intercepted by powerful foes from the Heavenly Ghost Sect on the way back to the Cold Flame Sect.
John was a complete mystery to her, but she was certain that he would be a strong ally if he were willing to accompany them.
John stroked his chin in contemplation for a moment, then suddenly turned to Megan. "What do you say, Megan? Are you willing to come to the Cold Flame Sect with me?"
Given Angeline's cultivation base, Megan's identity as a demonic fox was naturally no secret to her.
However, by searching Master Stone's soul earlier, John had learned that even though there was some severe segregation that existed between humans and demons in the Spirit Domain Realm, it was quite common to see some powerful cultivators in large sects with demons by their side, so there shouldn't be any issues taking John to the Cold Flame Sect.
Megan took a glance at Angeline, then looked at Drew before replying in a timid voice, "I'll do whatever you say."
"Don't worry, no one will dare to pick on you as long as I'm around," John reassured with a smile as he gently patted her head.
"I know you'll protect me," Megan replied as a wide smile appeared on her face.
"Then I'll have to trouble you to refer me to your sect, Celestial Maiden Jolie. Would you be able to give me the Sharp Watch Pill now?" John asked as he turned to Angeline.
"Of course!" Angeline was elated, and she flipped a hand over to produce a white jade vial without any hesitation before handing it over to John.
John accepted the jade vial, then removed the lid before taking a slight whiff and giving a nod.
A faint smile appeared on Angeline's face upon seeing this.
At this point, the survivors of the Anderson Family were already done packing, and aside from all of the manor's valuable items, they had also brought out several horse-drawn carriages.
Master Stone and the others also made their way over to John.
"Sir JB, I..." Daoist Master White Stone seemed to want to say something, but was rather hesitant about how to proceed.
"Just focus on protecting the Anderson Family, and don't worry about anything else. Also, I have something that I need you to do for me..." John's voice trailed off here, but his lips were still moving, and he communicated something to Master Stone through voice transmission.
Master Stone faltered slightly upon hearing what John had to say, then nodded in response.
Meanwhile, Drew made her way over to Angeline, then said, "Master, the city gates have all been locked, so I'll have to trouble you to take them out of the city."
Angeline nodded in response, then swept a sleeve through the air to conjure up a large cloud of white mist that carried everyone into the sky.
The survivors of the Anderson Family had never experienced something so ethereal, and they hurriedly grabbed onto the carriages beside them, while some of them cried out in surprise and alarm.
The white cloud flew out of the city in the blink of an eye, then landed gently on the official road outside the city.
"Mother, Auntie..." Even though Drew was already prepared for this separation, she was still overcome by emotions and embraced her family tightly.
Her mother and her other close relatives also had tears in their eyes as they told Drew to look after herself.
Only after a long while did they reluctantly part with one another.
Under the protection of the four elders, the survivors of the Anderson Family headed east, and they quickly disappeared into the night.
Drew looked on with a blank expression as her family faded into the distance, and only after a long while did she withdraw her gaze.
After giving Drew a moment to collect herself, Angeline swept a hand through the air to summon a white spirit ark. "We need to set off as well."
The spirit ark had a rather interesting design, with a body that resembled a crescent moon. Its surface was riddled with azure spirit patterns that were giving off faint spiritual power fluctuations, and it was clearly no ordinary ark.
John held onto Megan's hand as he stepped onto the spirit ark, and Drew took a deep breath before also following suit.
Angeline released an incantation seal onto the spirit ark, and it immediately began to glow with white spiritual light before rising up into the air and flying away into the distance as a streak of white light.
"No. Our Cold Flame Sect can't just take in a bunch of mortals. Your family can escape to the Creek Nation under the protection of the elders for refuge for now," Angeline said with a shake of her head.
The Creek Nation was situated to the northeast of the Prosperous Nation, and at the moment, it still belonged to the Cold Flame Sect.
The elders of the Anderson Manor were quite disappointed to hear this, but they didn't dare to contest Master Jolie's decision.
The survivors of the Anderson Family were very much alarmed by this turn of events, and they all turned to Drew with imploring looks in their eyes.
"We'll all be screwed if the Heavenly Ghost Sect hunts us down! You can't just abandon us now that you've managed to join an immortal sect..." the second young master of the Anderson Family yelled in a panicked voice.
"Shut up!" Drew scolded with a stern expression.
The second young master shuddered, and he didn't dare to say anything further.
Even though Drew was putting on a stern display, she was also quite concerned about the safety of her family, and she turned to Angeline before asking, "Master Jolie, will it really be alright to send them to the Creek Nation? Surely it won't be very difficult for the Heavenly Ghost Sect to track them down."
"Rest assured, Drew. According to the rules of the Spirit Domain Realm, as long as you can officially become an inner court disciple of the Cold Flame Sect, the Heavenly Ghost Sect will be prohibited from attacking your family. Otherwise, they'll be committing what's considered to be a cardinal sin in this realm.”
“If they dare to hunt down your family, then once you become an established cultivator, you'll also have an excuse to attack the families of the Heavenly Ghost Sect's disciples. They attacked the Anderson Manor because they didn't know that you had an acceptance badge from our sect.”
“Now that I've made an official appearance, things are completely different. The most important thing now is to get you to the Cold Flame Sect safe and sound," Angeline said with a serious expression.
Drew was quite relieved to hear this, and everyone else from the Anderson Family was also put at ease.
"Elders, I'll be counting on you to look after my family. Once I become an established cultivator in the future, I'll be sure to reward you handsomely," Drew said as she extended a curtsey toward Master Stone and the other three elders.
"You're far too kind, Young Mistress. As elders of the Anderson Manor, we've always been treated very well by Prime Minister Anderson and yourself. Now that Anderson Manor has gone through such a tragic catastrophe, it is our duty to protect your family," the elders hurriedly replied, vowing to protect the survivors of the Anderson Family.
Even though they couldn't join the Cold Flame Sect, it would benefit them immensely to establish close ties with Anderson Drew, who was on track to become an inner court disciple of the Cold Flame Sect.
However, a reluctant look appeared on Master Stone's face, and he stole a glance at John.
John was in the process of examining the storage bag in his hands, and he turned to Master Stone with a hint of a smile on his face as he said, " Mr. Stone, given how long you've been serving the Anderson Manor, it should only be right that you accompany them on this trip as well."
Only then did Master Stone force a smile onto his face and accept this arrangement.
Drew pretended not to have seen this exchange, and she extended another curtsey toward the elders. "You have my utmost gratitude."
Thus, with everything decided, the survivors of the Anderson Family immediately began to prepare for the upcoming journey, gathering all of the treasures and valuable items in the manor.
Meanwhile, John casually pocketed the storage bag in his hands, then made his way over to Gerald's body before taking his storage bag as well.
As for the belongings of the black-suited cultivators, he couldn't even be bothered to pick them up.
Master Stone and the others were ecstatic to see this, and they hurriedly gathered the scattered belongings of the black-suited cultivators.
"What are your plans for the future, Mr. John?" Angeline asked as she approached him.
"It's a complete accident that I even came to Farbright City in the first place. Now that I've made an enemy out of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, I'll naturally have to get far away from here," John replied in an indifferent voice.
"Not only have you gotten yourself involved in all of this, you've slain Gerald Butler as well, so I'm afraid it may not be a simple matter for you to get away. Given the power and reach of the Heavenly Ghost Sect, I'm sure they'll find out about you very soon," Angeline said.
John's expression remained unchanged as he asked, "What are you trying to say, Celestial Maiden Jolie?"
"If you're not opposed to the idea, how about you join our Cold Flame Sect? Our sect has always welcomed powerful vagrant cultivators. Given how you were able to slay those Core Formation cultivators so easily, you must possess Nascent Soul Stage power yourself, so it's not out of the question for you to become a guest elder of our sect. I would be honored to refer you to our sect's leaders," Angeline said.
Drew's eyes lit up at the proposal, and she chimed in, "Master's right. If you can join our Cold Flame Sect, I'm sure Sister Fox will also benefit immensely."
John turned to Megan, and a contemplative look appeared on his face.
Megan looked back at him with a pair of wide and innocent eyes, seemingly unsure of exactly what was happening.
"If I'm not mistaken, your aura seems to be rather unstable, which indicates that you're carrying some sort of injury, Mr John. I just so happen to have a Sharp Watch Pill with me, a vastly renowned healing medicine in the Spirit Domain Realm," Angeline continued in a meaningful voice.
Given that two of the Heavenly Ghost Sect's Core Formation cultivators had been slain here, one of which was the descendant of a Deity Transformation cultivator, there was a very good chance that they would be intercepted by powerful foes from the Heavenly Ghost Sect on the way back to the Cold Flame Sect.
John was a complete mystery to her, but she was certain that he would be a strong ally if he were willing to accompany them.
John stroked his chin in contemplation for a moment, then suddenly turned to Megan. "What do you say, Megan? Are you willing to come to the Cold Flame Sect with me?"
Given Angeline's cultivation base, Megan's identity as a demonic fox was naturally no secret to her.
However, by searching Master Stone's soul earlier, John had learned that even though there was some severe segregation that existed between humans and demons in the Spirit Domain Realm, it was quite common to see some powerful cultivators in large sects with demons by their side, so there shouldn't be any issues taking John to the Cold Flame Sect.
Megan took a glance at Angeline, then looked at Drew before replying in a timid voice, "I'll do whatever you say."
"Don't worry, no one will dare to pick on you as long as I'm around," John reassured with a smile as he gently patted her head.
"I know you'll protect me," Megan replied as a wide smile appeared on her face.
"Then I'll have to trouble you to refer me to your sect, Celestial Maiden Jolie. Would you be able to give me the Sharp Watch Pill now?" John asked as he turned to Angeline.
"Of course!" Angeline was elated, and she flipped a hand over to produce a white jade vial without any hesitation before handing it over to John.
John accepted the jade vial, then removed the lid before taking a slight whiff and giving a nod.
A faint smile appeared on Angeline's face upon seeing this.
At this point, the survivors of the Anderson Family were already done packing, and aside from all of the manor's valuable items, they had also brought out several horse-drawn carriages.
Master Stone and the others also made their way over to John.
"Sir JB, I..." Daoist Master White Stone seemed to want to say something, but was rather hesitant about how to proceed.
"Just focus on protecting the Anderson Family, and don't worry about anything else. Also, I have something that I need you to do for me..." John's voice trailed off here, but his lips were still moving, and he communicated something to Master Stone through voice transmission.
Master Stone faltered slightly upon hearing what John had to say, then nodded in response.
Meanwhile, Drew made her way over to Angeline, then said, "Master, the city gates have all been locked, so I'll have to trouble you to take them out of the city."
Angeline nodded in response, then swept a sleeve through the air to conjure up a large cloud of white mist that carried everyone into the sky.
The survivors of the Anderson Family had never experienced something so ethereal, and they hurriedly grabbed onto the carriages beside them, while some of them cried out in surprise and alarm.
The white cloud flew out of the city in the blink of an eye, then landed gently on the official road outside the city.
"Mother, Auntie..." Even though Drew was already prepared for this separation, she was still overcome by emotions and embraced her family tightly.
Her mother and her other close relatives also had tears in their eyes as they told Drew to look after herself.
Only after a long while did they reluctantly part with one another.
Under the protection of the four elders, the survivors of the Anderson Family headed east, and they quickly disappeared into the night.
Drew looked on with a blank expression as her family faded into the distance, and only after a long while did she withdraw her gaze.
After giving Drew a moment to collect herself, Angeline swept a hand through the air to summon a white spirit ark. "We need to set off as well."
The spirit ark had a rather interesting design, with a body that resembled a crescent moon. Its surface was riddled with azure spirit patterns that were giving off faint spiritual power fluctuations, and it was clearly no ordinary ark.
John held onto Megan's hand as he stepped onto the spirit ark, and Drew took a deep breath before also following suit.
Angeline released an incantation seal onto the spirit ark, and it immediately began to glow with white spiritual light before rising up into the air and flying away into the distance as a streak of white light.
M. W. Durrani
First Level Body Fusion Realm
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2023
- Messages
- 178
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- 462
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- 63
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2023
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- 7,200
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- 23,716
- Points
- 113
Chapter 21: Nascent Soul Transformation
Inside the spirit ark, John was seated with his legs crossed and his eyes closed with his back leaning against a wall, while Megan was seated obediently beside him, inspecting her surroundings with an intrigued expression while also occasionally taking glances at the rapidly receding scenery outside.
Angeline was standing outside, controlling the spirit ark while also speaking with Drew in a low voice.
After an indeterminate period of time, Han gently exhaled as he slowly opened his eyes, and his expression was rather grim.
Following his awakening, he discovered that he was no longer able to absorb the world's origin energy into his body, so it was impossible for him to recover his spiritual power through cultivation. He had only recently awakened, and he was stunned by the revelation of his memory loss, so he didn't get a chance to examine this matter.
He had just attempted to absorb the world's origin energy, and he discovered that it was still to no avail.
After a moment of contemplation, John flipped a hand over to produce a white jade vial, and as soon as it was opened, he was immediately greeted by an extremely rich medicinal scent that struck him with a sense of reinvigoration.
He tipped out an azure pill from the vial, holding it up to his eye between two of his fingers for closer examination.
"So this is a Sharp Watch Pill. I hope it'll actually do something," John murmured to himself, then swallowed the pill before closing his eyes to meditate.
Megan knew that John wasn't to be interrupted during this process. She could see that Drew had already finished her conversation with Angeline and was making her way toward her, so she stood up and made her way over to another corner of the ark before taking a seat to speak with Drew.
Moments later, the pill gradually began to take effect, and John's eyebrows suddenly twitched slightly as a gentle surge of warmth slowly emerged from his elixir field, then made its way throughout his body along his meridians.
After circulating the energy throughout his body once, he immediately felt far more comfortable, and the sense of emptiness in his body was also beginning to fade. At the same time, a slight hint of spiritual power was generated in his elixir field, and even though it was only a tiny amount, it was still a very encouraging turn of events.
John slowly opened his eyes as he examined what was taking place inside his body, then flipped a hand over to produce around a dozen more pills.
Aside from the ones that he had taken from Master Stone, there were also some pills that had been left behind by Gerald Butler and the gray-robed man. Almost all of them had the effect of treating injuries and recovering spiritual power, but there was a great variance in the quality of the pills, most of them were far inferior to that Sharp Watch Pill.
John picked up one of the pills before swallowing it, then slowly closed his eyes again.
However, moments later, his eyes suddenly sprang open, and a perplexed look appeared on his face. He then picked up another pill before swallowing it as well.
Once again, he reopened his eyes only a brief moment later with a rather uncertain gaze.
The two pills that he had just taken had failed to produce any effect. He was unable to sense any changes taking place in his body, nor was he able to generate any more spiritual power.
A grim look appeared on his face as he swallowed the pills in his hand one after another.
Soon, all that was left was a thumb-sized pill of a dark golden color.
This was a pill of quite a high caliber, comparable to the Sharp Watch Pill, and it was presumably the pill that Gerald Butler had been reserving for life-threatening situations.
John took an expressionless glance at the pill, then tossed it into his own mouth.
This time, he wasn't disappointed. The golden pill quickly took effect after being devoured, transforming into a wisp of spiritual energy that flowed into his elixir field, increasing his spiritual energy slightly once again.
Only then did John's expression ease slightly.
As long as his body was still receptive to pills, it wouldn't be a difficult task for him to recover his spiritual energy. As for why the other pills hadn't yielded any effect, that was most likely because they were of too low a caliber to make any difference in his body.
Right at this moment, a voice suddenly rang out in his head.
"Congratulations, John. It looks like there's hope yet for you to recover your spiritual energy."
"It hardly matters if I can't produce any spiritual energy of my own," John replied with his spiritual sense.
"It's still better than nothing. With each shred of spiritual energy that you recover, you and I will be closer to returning to the Immortal Realm," Bruce Wills said.
"That's true, but I'm afraid it's most likely not going to be so easy," John replied.
"If pills work, then what about spirit stones?" Bruce Wills asked.
"I was just about to try that," John replied with a smile.
He flipped a hand over to produce several azure spirit stones of different sizes, and as he closed his hands around them, they immediately began to give off azure light.
Megan and Drew couldn't help but have their attention drawn to the azure light that had suddenly appeared in John's direction, while Angeline displayed no reaction as she stood at the front of the ark.
Azure spiritual energy began to slowly flow from the spirit stones, but after circling over John's palms for some time, the spiritual energy suddenly became murky and indistinct.
Moments later, the azure light gradually dissipated, vanishing into thin air.
John released the spirit stones, which had become completely dull and devoid of luster, and he fell into deep thought with a perplexed look on his face.
"What's going on? It appears you're unable to absorb spiritual energy from spirit stones, either." Bruce Wills voice rang out in his mind again.
John was silent for a moment before replying, "Perhaps just like those pills, these spirit stones are of too low a quality and don't contain sufficiently pure spiritual power to be converted into spiritual energyin my body."
Bruce Wills was silent for a moment, then said, "In that case, you should be able to return to your former peak as long as you have sufficient high-grade pills and top-grade spirit stones."
John heaved a long sigh, then replied in a rather frustrated manner, "It's not that simple. It's still yet to be seen whether top-grade spirit stones will even be effective for me. Thankfully, my body and spiritual sense foundation are decently stable, so even if I'm unable to absorb the world's origin energy, I'll still be able to recover slowly on my own."
"You're far too modest, JB. If the foundation of your body and spiritual sense can only be considered to be decently stable, then no one would be able to claim to have a strong foundation. Seeing as we've already identified a way forward, I can only wish you luck in your recovery," Bruce Wills said before falling silent.
John heaved another faint sigh. None of the storage bags that he had picked up contained any top-grade spirit stones. Otherwise, he would've tested them out right away.
He carefully examined the spiritual energy in his body to find that it was only equivalent to what would be found in a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. If he wanted to continue to make improvements in this area, he would either need to regain the ability to absorb the world's origin energy or take high-grade pills for power recovery.
With that in mind, Johns brows furrowed slightly, and he directed his spiritual sense deep into his own elixir field to examine his internal condition.
His entire elixir field seemed to be enshrouded within a boundless cloud of mist, and there was a layer of faint golden light at the heart of the mist, resembling a yellow lantern in the night.
John projected his spiritual sense into the mist, upon which he saw a miniature golden figure that was glowing brightly. The figure was seated in the mist, and it was completely identical to John in appearance. It was none other than his nascent soul.
The nascent soul wore a calm expression, and its eyes closed while its arms were hanging by its sides, seemingly in a state of slumber.
His inability to absorb the world's origin energy had to have something to do with the state of his nascent soul. Back when he first awakened, he had used his spiritual sense to examine his nascent soul, only to find that his spiritual sense was unable to enter his nascent soul, nor was he able to rouse it from its slumber.
If it weren't for the fact that there was still a faint spiritual connection between himself and the nascent soul, he would almost be led to believe that it didn't even belong to him.
A catalog of secret techniques flashed through John's mind, and in the end, he made a hand seal, upon which the energy that had just been generated in his elixir field converged before forming a faint silver rune, which slowly drifted toward the nascent soul's body.
A string of dull thumps rang out, and as soon as the silver rune made contact with the nascent soul's skin, it immediately disintegrated into bursts of silver light.
John's expression darkened slightly upon seeing this, but he wasn't too surprised. He immediately switched to a different secret technique, summoning a series of white threads of light that slowly converged toward the nascent soul from all directions.
Several hours later, John's eyes sprang wide open, and he had to take a sharp breath to swallow back the blood that was threatening to gush out of his throat.
Just now, he had used his Spirit Refinement Technique to try and forcibly inject his spiritual sense into his nascent soul, but a burst of terrifying energy had suddenly emerged from the nascent soul, repelling his spiritual sense and energy, thereby resulting in secret technique backlash.
Thankfully, his physical body and spiritual sense were sufficiently powerful for him to survive the ordeal. If an ordinary cultivator had been in his place, there was a very good chance that they would've been reduced to a true imbecile by the spiritual sense backlash.
After that series of experimentation, John had used up some of the energy that he had regained, almost dropping back down to the early-Nascent Soul Stage, and that was rather disheartening for him
Inside the spirit ark, John was seated with his legs crossed and his eyes closed with his back leaning against a wall, while Megan was seated obediently beside him, inspecting her surroundings with an intrigued expression while also occasionally taking glances at the rapidly receding scenery outside.
Angeline was standing outside, controlling the spirit ark while also speaking with Drew in a low voice.
After an indeterminate period of time, Han gently exhaled as he slowly opened his eyes, and his expression was rather grim.
Following his awakening, he discovered that he was no longer able to absorb the world's origin energy into his body, so it was impossible for him to recover his spiritual power through cultivation. He had only recently awakened, and he was stunned by the revelation of his memory loss, so he didn't get a chance to examine this matter.
He had just attempted to absorb the world's origin energy, and he discovered that it was still to no avail.
After a moment of contemplation, John flipped a hand over to produce a white jade vial, and as soon as it was opened, he was immediately greeted by an extremely rich medicinal scent that struck him with a sense of reinvigoration.
He tipped out an azure pill from the vial, holding it up to his eye between two of his fingers for closer examination.
"So this is a Sharp Watch Pill. I hope it'll actually do something," John murmured to himself, then swallowed the pill before closing his eyes to meditate.
Megan knew that John wasn't to be interrupted during this process. She could see that Drew had already finished her conversation with Angeline and was making her way toward her, so she stood up and made her way over to another corner of the ark before taking a seat to speak with Drew.
Moments later, the pill gradually began to take effect, and John's eyebrows suddenly twitched slightly as a gentle surge of warmth slowly emerged from his elixir field, then made its way throughout his body along his meridians.
After circulating the energy throughout his body once, he immediately felt far more comfortable, and the sense of emptiness in his body was also beginning to fade. At the same time, a slight hint of spiritual power was generated in his elixir field, and even though it was only a tiny amount, it was still a very encouraging turn of events.
John slowly opened his eyes as he examined what was taking place inside his body, then flipped a hand over to produce around a dozen more pills.
Aside from the ones that he had taken from Master Stone, there were also some pills that had been left behind by Gerald Butler and the gray-robed man. Almost all of them had the effect of treating injuries and recovering spiritual power, but there was a great variance in the quality of the pills, most of them were far inferior to that Sharp Watch Pill.
John picked up one of the pills before swallowing it, then slowly closed his eyes again.
However, moments later, his eyes suddenly sprang open, and a perplexed look appeared on his face. He then picked up another pill before swallowing it as well.
Once again, he reopened his eyes only a brief moment later with a rather uncertain gaze.
The two pills that he had just taken had failed to produce any effect. He was unable to sense any changes taking place in his body, nor was he able to generate any more spiritual power.
A grim look appeared on his face as he swallowed the pills in his hand one after another.
Soon, all that was left was a thumb-sized pill of a dark golden color.
This was a pill of quite a high caliber, comparable to the Sharp Watch Pill, and it was presumably the pill that Gerald Butler had been reserving for life-threatening situations.
John took an expressionless glance at the pill, then tossed it into his own mouth.
This time, he wasn't disappointed. The golden pill quickly took effect after being devoured, transforming into a wisp of spiritual energy that flowed into his elixir field, increasing his spiritual energy slightly once again.
Only then did John's expression ease slightly.
As long as his body was still receptive to pills, it wouldn't be a difficult task for him to recover his spiritual energy. As for why the other pills hadn't yielded any effect, that was most likely because they were of too low a caliber to make any difference in his body.
Right at this moment, a voice suddenly rang out in his head.
"Congratulations, John. It looks like there's hope yet for you to recover your spiritual energy."
"It hardly matters if I can't produce any spiritual energy of my own," John replied with his spiritual sense.
"It's still better than nothing. With each shred of spiritual energy that you recover, you and I will be closer to returning to the Immortal Realm," Bruce Wills said.
"That's true, but I'm afraid it's most likely not going to be so easy," John replied.
"If pills work, then what about spirit stones?" Bruce Wills asked.
"I was just about to try that," John replied with a smile.
He flipped a hand over to produce several azure spirit stones of different sizes, and as he closed his hands around them, they immediately began to give off azure light.
Megan and Drew couldn't help but have their attention drawn to the azure light that had suddenly appeared in John's direction, while Angeline displayed no reaction as she stood at the front of the ark.
Azure spiritual energy began to slowly flow from the spirit stones, but after circling over John's palms for some time, the spiritual energy suddenly became murky and indistinct.
Moments later, the azure light gradually dissipated, vanishing into thin air.
John released the spirit stones, which had become completely dull and devoid of luster, and he fell into deep thought with a perplexed look on his face.
"What's going on? It appears you're unable to absorb spiritual energy from spirit stones, either." Bruce Wills voice rang out in his mind again.
John was silent for a moment before replying, "Perhaps just like those pills, these spirit stones are of too low a quality and don't contain sufficiently pure spiritual power to be converted into spiritual energyin my body."
Bruce Wills was silent for a moment, then said, "In that case, you should be able to return to your former peak as long as you have sufficient high-grade pills and top-grade spirit stones."
John heaved a long sigh, then replied in a rather frustrated manner, "It's not that simple. It's still yet to be seen whether top-grade spirit stones will even be effective for me. Thankfully, my body and spiritual sense foundation are decently stable, so even if I'm unable to absorb the world's origin energy, I'll still be able to recover slowly on my own."
"You're far too modest, JB. If the foundation of your body and spiritual sense can only be considered to be decently stable, then no one would be able to claim to have a strong foundation. Seeing as we've already identified a way forward, I can only wish you luck in your recovery," Bruce Wills said before falling silent.
John heaved another faint sigh. None of the storage bags that he had picked up contained any top-grade spirit stones. Otherwise, he would've tested them out right away.
He carefully examined the spiritual energy in his body to find that it was only equivalent to what would be found in a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. If he wanted to continue to make improvements in this area, he would either need to regain the ability to absorb the world's origin energy or take high-grade pills for power recovery.
With that in mind, Johns brows furrowed slightly, and he directed his spiritual sense deep into his own elixir field to examine his internal condition.
His entire elixir field seemed to be enshrouded within a boundless cloud of mist, and there was a layer of faint golden light at the heart of the mist, resembling a yellow lantern in the night.
John projected his spiritual sense into the mist, upon which he saw a miniature golden figure that was glowing brightly. The figure was seated in the mist, and it was completely identical to John in appearance. It was none other than his nascent soul.
The nascent soul wore a calm expression, and its eyes closed while its arms were hanging by its sides, seemingly in a state of slumber.
His inability to absorb the world's origin energy had to have something to do with the state of his nascent soul. Back when he first awakened, he had used his spiritual sense to examine his nascent soul, only to find that his spiritual sense was unable to enter his nascent soul, nor was he able to rouse it from its slumber.
If it weren't for the fact that there was still a faint spiritual connection between himself and the nascent soul, he would almost be led to believe that it didn't even belong to him.
A catalog of secret techniques flashed through John's mind, and in the end, he made a hand seal, upon which the energy that had just been generated in his elixir field converged before forming a faint silver rune, which slowly drifted toward the nascent soul's body.
A string of dull thumps rang out, and as soon as the silver rune made contact with the nascent soul's skin, it immediately disintegrated into bursts of silver light.
John's expression darkened slightly upon seeing this, but he wasn't too surprised. He immediately switched to a different secret technique, summoning a series of white threads of light that slowly converged toward the nascent soul from all directions.
Several hours later, John's eyes sprang wide open, and he had to take a sharp breath to swallow back the blood that was threatening to gush out of his throat.
Just now, he had used his Spirit Refinement Technique to try and forcibly inject his spiritual sense into his nascent soul, but a burst of terrifying energy had suddenly emerged from the nascent soul, repelling his spiritual sense and energy, thereby resulting in secret technique backlash.
Thankfully, his physical body and spiritual sense were sufficiently powerful for him to survive the ordeal. If an ordinary cultivator had been in his place, there was a very good chance that they would've been reduced to a true imbecile by the spiritual sense backlash.
After that series of experimentation, John had used up some of the energy that he had regained, almost dropping back down to the early-Nascent Soul Stage, and that was rather disheartening for him
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2023
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- 7,200
- Reaction score
- 23,716
- Points
- 113
Chapter 22: Windcloud Duo
While John was pondering possible solutions to his problems, Angeline was able to sense John's magic power fluctuations, which he was unable to conceal due to the secret technique backlash that he had suffered earlier, and her heart jolted slightly at the discovery.
"So he's at the mid-Nascent Soul Stage!" she murmured to herself, and after a brief hesitation, she turned and approached John.
John temporarily set aside his train of thought upon seeing this and rose to his feet.
"It seems like the Sharp Watch Pill was effective for you. With that, I presume you've at least mostly recovered from your injuries," Angeline said with a warm expression.
"Indeed. You have my gratitude," Han Li replied.
"You're more than welcome, Mr. John. Once you join our sect, you'll receive additional spirit pills as well," Angeline said.
She seemed to be quite eager to win over John, as evidenced by the fact that she was initiating a constant stream of conversation in an attempt to get on friendlier terms with him.
Through their conversation, Jihn was able to learn quite a bit about the Spirit Domain Realm.
His understanding of this realm was still only limited to the knowledge of Master Stone, who was only a Core Formation cultivator, so he was naturally receiving different information and insights from a Nascent Soul cultivator like Angeline.
All of the questions that Angeline raised about John's past were met with rather ambiguous responses, and Angeline quickly refrained from asking such questions as it was clear to her that he didn't wish to share too much about himself.
"By the way, would you be willing to tell me about the Cold Flame Sect, Miss Jolie? My current knowledge of the sect is only limited to some rumors that I've heard," John suddenly said.
Angeline was rather taken aback by this question, but she immediately replied, "Even if you hadn't asked me, I would've gotten to this topic sooner or later. Our Cold Flame Sect is a renowned sect of the Spirit Domain Realm. Up to this point, its history has spanned in excess of million years, and there are hundreds of thousands of disciples in our sect.
“Setting aside all of the Core Formation and Nascent Soul Stage disciples, we have dozens of Deity Transformation and Spatial Tempering Stage elders, three Body Integration Stage powerful beings, and a Grand Ascension Stage patriarch."
A proud look appeared on Angeline's face as she spoke about her sect, and Han Li's heart stirred slightly after hearing her description.
The Cold Flame Sect was indeed a very powerful sect. With a Grand Ascension Stage patriarch, the sect was comparable in power to a major race in the Spirit Realm.
"Furthermore, the founder of our sect, Patriarch Cold Flame, ascended to the Immortal Realm over million years ago, and even to this day, our sect is still able to communicate with our immortal founder through special means.
“He would occasionally bestow upon us some spirit pills and cultivation arts from the Immortal Realm, thereby giving us an even greater advantage over other sects. You're definitely making a wise decision by joining our sect, Mr. John," Angeline said with a smile.
John's expression finally changed slightly upon hearing this.
It came as quite a surprise to him that the Cold Flame Sect had a backer in the Immortal Realm, and that the sect's founder was still able to communicate with them even after his ascension.
He had never heard of anything like this back in the Spirit Realm, so it appeared that things in the Spirit Domain Realm were truly vastly different from the circumstances in the Spirit Realm.
A pleased look appeared on Angeline's face at the sight of John's reaction, and she fell silent with a faint smile.
"I didn't think that the Cold Flame Sect would be this powerful. No wonder it's such a dominant force in the Spirit Domain Realm. May I ask what the Heavenly Ghost Sect is like?" John asked.
Angeline's smile faded, and a serious look appeared on her face as she replied, "The Heavenly Ghost Sect is roughly comparable with our Cold Flame Sect, and they also have a founder who has ascended to the Immortal Realm. Aside from our two sects, there's another sect by the name of the Origin Realm Temple, which also has a backer in the Immortal Realm, and those three sects rank alongside one another, standing at the pinnacle of the Spirit Domain Realm."
John stroked his chin in a contemplative silence for a while, then asked, "Theoretically, the sects are ranked alongside one another, but practically speaking, I'm sure there must be a power hierarchy. How do the three sects compare with one another?"
"The three sects are roughly evenly matched in power, but the Heavenly Ghost Sect has a far longer history than our Cold Flame Sect and the Origin Realm Temple. Throughout its history, there have been three cultivators who have ascended to the Immortal Realm from the Heavenly Ghost Sect, so it's slightly superior in terms of overall power. As for our Cold Flame Sect and the Origin Realm Temple, there's not much that separates us," Angeline replied.
It seemed that in reality, the Heavenly Ghost Sect was far more powerful than the Cold Flame Sect, but she was unwilling to admit it.
John 's eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation, and he became rather interested in the Cold Flame Sect.
Seeing as the Cold Flame Sect was able to communicate with an immortal, it had to possess a great deal of exceptional resources. Perhaps he would be able to find a way to awaken his nascent soul there.
He enquired about some more matters regarding the Cold Flame Sect before ending the conversation and sitting back down to meditate again.
A short while later, traces of azure light gradually surfaced over his body, but his aura was then quickly subdued before vanishing entirely, making it impossible to detect any magic power fluctuations from him.
Angeline had returned to the front of the ark, but she couldn't help but be amazed once again after noticing the changes in John's magic power fluctuations.
The sky gradually brightened, and as the spirit ark pierced through the cloud and mist, a majestic mountain range appeared up ahead.
The mountains were extremely steep and dark red in color, making the mountain range resemble an enormous red forest when viewed from a high altitude.
Angeline was quite relieved to see the red mountain range up ahead.
This mountain range was known as the Red Coral Mountain Range, and it sat on the border of the Prosperous Nation.
On the way here, she had intentionally taken a winding route to avoid the areas where Heavenly Ghost Sect scouts were prevalent, and now that they had made it to this point, they were surely in a far safer situation.
However, as a safety precaution, Angeline still elevated the spirit ark slightly so that it was able to conceal itself within the clouds up above.
It wasn't a particularly cloudy day, so the clouds in the sky were rather sparse, but traversing through them still provided more cover than nothing.
Drew and Megan gradually grew accustomed to traveling on the ark, and they were no longer so afraid. They stood up to look at the beautiful scenery around them, pointing out things that they found interesting to one another, and occasionally giggling when they caught sight of something that caught their fancy.
The mountain range down below quickly receded into the distance, and shortly thereafter, a plain appeared in the distance up ahead, instilling Angeline with a further sense of reassurance.
"Look out!"
John had been meditating with his eyes closed this entire time, but all of a sudden, his eyes abruptly sprang open.
Both Megan and Drew faltered slightly upon hearing this urgent warning.
Angeline's expression also changed drastically as she immediately made a hand seal, blasting a thick beam of white light out of each of her palms that vanished into the spirit ark.
The spirit ark instantly began to glow brightly as it drew to an abrupt halt, then shot back at an incredible speed.
Right at this moment, one of the white clouds up ahead suddenly turned as black as ink, then transformed into a gargantuan, ghostly face. The sinister ghostly face opened its mouth before chomping down viciously, but it was unable to strike its target as the spirit ark had already retreated to a safe distance away.
A faint cry of surprise rang out from within the ghostly face, following which it collapsed into a black cloud, atop which stood a pair of men.
On the left was a hunch-backed elderly man with a heavily-wrinkled face. He had several strands of sparse yellow hair on his head, and he appeared to already have one foot in the grave.
On the right was a hideous young man with a long face and a large mouth, as well as a pair of squinty little eyes that were giving off a vicious gleam.
Both of them were wearing black robes with a sinister ghostly head design embroidered upon them, and the spiritual pressure that they were exuding indicated that they were both at the Nascent Soul Stage.
Just like Angeline, the long-faced young man was also at the mid-Nascent Soul Stage, while the hunch-backed elderly man was already at the late-Nascent Soul Stage.
"You're the Windcloud Duo!" Angeline exclaimed as a grim look appeared on her face.
While John was pondering possible solutions to his problems, Angeline was able to sense John's magic power fluctuations, which he was unable to conceal due to the secret technique backlash that he had suffered earlier, and her heart jolted slightly at the discovery.
"So he's at the mid-Nascent Soul Stage!" she murmured to herself, and after a brief hesitation, she turned and approached John.
John temporarily set aside his train of thought upon seeing this and rose to his feet.
"It seems like the Sharp Watch Pill was effective for you. With that, I presume you've at least mostly recovered from your injuries," Angeline said with a warm expression.
"Indeed. You have my gratitude," Han Li replied.
"You're more than welcome, Mr. John. Once you join our sect, you'll receive additional spirit pills as well," Angeline said.
She seemed to be quite eager to win over John, as evidenced by the fact that she was initiating a constant stream of conversation in an attempt to get on friendlier terms with him.
Through their conversation, Jihn was able to learn quite a bit about the Spirit Domain Realm.
His understanding of this realm was still only limited to the knowledge of Master Stone, who was only a Core Formation cultivator, so he was naturally receiving different information and insights from a Nascent Soul cultivator like Angeline.
All of the questions that Angeline raised about John's past were met with rather ambiguous responses, and Angeline quickly refrained from asking such questions as it was clear to her that he didn't wish to share too much about himself.
"By the way, would you be willing to tell me about the Cold Flame Sect, Miss Jolie? My current knowledge of the sect is only limited to some rumors that I've heard," John suddenly said.
Angeline was rather taken aback by this question, but she immediately replied, "Even if you hadn't asked me, I would've gotten to this topic sooner or later. Our Cold Flame Sect is a renowned sect of the Spirit Domain Realm. Up to this point, its history has spanned in excess of million years, and there are hundreds of thousands of disciples in our sect.
“Setting aside all of the Core Formation and Nascent Soul Stage disciples, we have dozens of Deity Transformation and Spatial Tempering Stage elders, three Body Integration Stage powerful beings, and a Grand Ascension Stage patriarch."
A proud look appeared on Angeline's face as she spoke about her sect, and Han Li's heart stirred slightly after hearing her description.
The Cold Flame Sect was indeed a very powerful sect. With a Grand Ascension Stage patriarch, the sect was comparable in power to a major race in the Spirit Realm.
"Furthermore, the founder of our sect, Patriarch Cold Flame, ascended to the Immortal Realm over million years ago, and even to this day, our sect is still able to communicate with our immortal founder through special means.
“He would occasionally bestow upon us some spirit pills and cultivation arts from the Immortal Realm, thereby giving us an even greater advantage over other sects. You're definitely making a wise decision by joining our sect, Mr. John," Angeline said with a smile.
John's expression finally changed slightly upon hearing this.
It came as quite a surprise to him that the Cold Flame Sect had a backer in the Immortal Realm, and that the sect's founder was still able to communicate with them even after his ascension.
He had never heard of anything like this back in the Spirit Realm, so it appeared that things in the Spirit Domain Realm were truly vastly different from the circumstances in the Spirit Realm.
A pleased look appeared on Angeline's face at the sight of John's reaction, and she fell silent with a faint smile.
"I didn't think that the Cold Flame Sect would be this powerful. No wonder it's such a dominant force in the Spirit Domain Realm. May I ask what the Heavenly Ghost Sect is like?" John asked.
Angeline's smile faded, and a serious look appeared on her face as she replied, "The Heavenly Ghost Sect is roughly comparable with our Cold Flame Sect, and they also have a founder who has ascended to the Immortal Realm. Aside from our two sects, there's another sect by the name of the Origin Realm Temple, which also has a backer in the Immortal Realm, and those three sects rank alongside one another, standing at the pinnacle of the Spirit Domain Realm."
John stroked his chin in a contemplative silence for a while, then asked, "Theoretically, the sects are ranked alongside one another, but practically speaking, I'm sure there must be a power hierarchy. How do the three sects compare with one another?"
"The three sects are roughly evenly matched in power, but the Heavenly Ghost Sect has a far longer history than our Cold Flame Sect and the Origin Realm Temple. Throughout its history, there have been three cultivators who have ascended to the Immortal Realm from the Heavenly Ghost Sect, so it's slightly superior in terms of overall power. As for our Cold Flame Sect and the Origin Realm Temple, there's not much that separates us," Angeline replied.
It seemed that in reality, the Heavenly Ghost Sect was far more powerful than the Cold Flame Sect, but she was unwilling to admit it.
John 's eyes narrowed slightly in contemplation, and he became rather interested in the Cold Flame Sect.
Seeing as the Cold Flame Sect was able to communicate with an immortal, it had to possess a great deal of exceptional resources. Perhaps he would be able to find a way to awaken his nascent soul there.
He enquired about some more matters regarding the Cold Flame Sect before ending the conversation and sitting back down to meditate again.
A short while later, traces of azure light gradually surfaced over his body, but his aura was then quickly subdued before vanishing entirely, making it impossible to detect any magic power fluctuations from him.
Angeline had returned to the front of the ark, but she couldn't help but be amazed once again after noticing the changes in John's magic power fluctuations.
The sky gradually brightened, and as the spirit ark pierced through the cloud and mist, a majestic mountain range appeared up ahead.
The mountains were extremely steep and dark red in color, making the mountain range resemble an enormous red forest when viewed from a high altitude.
Angeline was quite relieved to see the red mountain range up ahead.
This mountain range was known as the Red Coral Mountain Range, and it sat on the border of the Prosperous Nation.
On the way here, she had intentionally taken a winding route to avoid the areas where Heavenly Ghost Sect scouts were prevalent, and now that they had made it to this point, they were surely in a far safer situation.
However, as a safety precaution, Angeline still elevated the spirit ark slightly so that it was able to conceal itself within the clouds up above.
It wasn't a particularly cloudy day, so the clouds in the sky were rather sparse, but traversing through them still provided more cover than nothing.
Drew and Megan gradually grew accustomed to traveling on the ark, and they were no longer so afraid. They stood up to look at the beautiful scenery around them, pointing out things that they found interesting to one another, and occasionally giggling when they caught sight of something that caught their fancy.
The mountain range down below quickly receded into the distance, and shortly thereafter, a plain appeared in the distance up ahead, instilling Angeline with a further sense of reassurance.
"Look out!"
John had been meditating with his eyes closed this entire time, but all of a sudden, his eyes abruptly sprang open.
Both Megan and Drew faltered slightly upon hearing this urgent warning.
Angeline's expression also changed drastically as she immediately made a hand seal, blasting a thick beam of white light out of each of her palms that vanished into the spirit ark.
The spirit ark instantly began to glow brightly as it drew to an abrupt halt, then shot back at an incredible speed.
Right at this moment, one of the white clouds up ahead suddenly turned as black as ink, then transformed into a gargantuan, ghostly face. The sinister ghostly face opened its mouth before chomping down viciously, but it was unable to strike its target as the spirit ark had already retreated to a safe distance away.
A faint cry of surprise rang out from within the ghostly face, following which it collapsed into a black cloud, atop which stood a pair of men.
On the left was a hunch-backed elderly man with a heavily-wrinkled face. He had several strands of sparse yellow hair on his head, and he appeared to already have one foot in the grave.
On the right was a hideous young man with a long face and a large mouth, as well as a pair of squinty little eyes that were giving off a vicious gleam.
Both of them were wearing black robes with a sinister ghostly head design embroidered upon them, and the spiritual pressure that they were exuding indicated that they were both at the Nascent Soul Stage.
Just like Angeline, the long-faced young man was also at the mid-Nascent Soul Stage, while the hunch-backed elderly man was already at the late-Nascent Soul Stage.
"You're the Windcloud Duo!" Angeline exclaimed as a grim look appeared on her face.
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Chapter 23: Battle
"I didn't think that you would know of us, Miss Angeline. This is truly an honor." The hunch-backed elderly man's voice was extremely unpleasant, like pieces of rusty metal scraping against one another, striking the listener with a sense of discomfort.
The long-faced young man remained silent as his gaze slowly roamed over John and the others, and, as he caught sight of Drew and Megan, his eyes lit up slightly as he extended his tongue out of his mouth to lick his thick upper lip.
Megan hurriedly ducked behind John upon seeing this, and Drew was also quite disturbed to see this.
As for Angeline, she was feeling a little flustered. She had guessed that the Heavenly Ghost Sect wouldn't be willing to let things slide, but she didn't think that their pursuers would reach them so quickly, nor did she expect to be hunted by such a notorious pair.
However, as a cultivator with plenty of battle experience under her belt, she quickly regained her composure as she said in a cold voice, "Why are you attacking me on the border of the Prosperous Nation? Are you trying to instigate a war between our two sects?"
"Why ask a question that you already know the answer to? I'm sure you're already well aware of why we're here. We've received orders from Elder Butler to capture the perpetrator who killed his grandnephew, and that girl with the Anderson surname," the hunch-backed elderly man cackled as his gaze crept over to John and Drew.
John was completely unfazed to hear this, but Drew's complexion immediately paled.
Angeline gave a cold harrumph and offered no response, but she was scrambling to think of a way out of this situation.
"There's no bad blood between us, Miss Jolie. As long as you're willing to hand over those two, we can let you go. What do you say?" the hunch-backed elderly man asked.
Angeline was someone of quite a lofty status in the Cold Flame Sect, so if possible, they wanted to avoid a conflict with her.
A cold look appeared on Angeline's face as she replied, "John is a guest elder of our sect, while Drew is an inner court disciple. If I were to hand them over, our Cold Flame Sect would be regarded as the butt of all jokes in the cultivation world!"
"Alright, we gave you a chance! If you have a death wish, then we're more than happy to send you on your way!" the hunch-backed elderly man said in a cold voice.
The long-faced young man had already grown tired of waiting, and as soon as it became clear that a peaceful outcome was out of reach, he immediately sprang into action, sweeping a sleeve through the air to release a vast expanse of gray flames.
The gray flames instantly converged to one spot at his behest, forming a fiery gray vortex.
A fiery ghostly claw the size of a house reached out of the vortex, grabbing at Angeline and the others.
Angeline was already prepared for this, and she stomped a foot down onto the spirit ark, upon which it began to glow brightly once again as it shot back in a flash.
At the same time, she raised a hand to release a black longsword, which flew through the air as it transformed into a streak of black light that was Fifty feet in length. The sword struck the palm of the fiery ghostly claw, only for a metallic clang to ring out.
Angeline was rather taken aback by this, and she immediately made a hand seal, upon which the streak of black light shrank to less than half its original size, but it had become far brighter and more piercing.
The black sword pierced through the fiery ghostly claw before emerging from the other side.
The ghostly claw instantly exploded into countless balls of fire, and the flaming vortex in the sky also dissipated.
An unnatural flush appeared on the long-faced young man's cheeks, and he threw up a mouthful of blood.
He let loose a furious roar as his eyes turned bright red, and he flipped a hand over to produce a black scroll.
A vast expanse of murky gray light then erupted out of his body, forming a smokescreen that made it impossible for anyone on the outside to see what he was doing.
At the same time, the hunch-backed elderly man also stomped a foot onto the ground, and a burst of inky-black light erupted out of his body as he released his enormous late-Nascent Soul Stage spiritual pressure.
Angeline's expression changed slightly as she withdrew her black longsword, and it circled around above her head as she intensely scrutinized her two assailants with her spiritual sense.
At this point, the spirit ark had already retreated to over hundred feet away, and only then did it come to a rest.
"Mr. John, these two are extremely powerful and established cultivators of the Heavenly Ghost Sect. If the situation goes sour, take Drew and Megan and escape. I'll hold them off to the best of my abilities," Angeline hurriedly said to John through voice transmission.
Even though she had caught the long-faced young man off guard and emerged as the superior party in that exchange, she knew that she was no match for the hunch-backed elderly man. As for John, she didn't know the extent of his powers, so even if they were to join forces, there was no guarantee that they would be able to hold off their two opponents. Hence, her immediate thought was to flee.
Johnoffered no response as he stood on the spot, looking as if he hadn't even heard her.
Right at this moment, a sinister voice rang out beside Angeline. "Did you think you can get away?"
Angeline's heart jolted upon hearing this, and all of a sudden, the black light around the hunch-backed elderly man suddenly exploded, while his body transformed into a gray skeleton.
Angeline faltered slightly upon seeing this, and a hint of surprise also flashed through jOHN's eyes.
Immediately thereafter, violent spatial fluctuations erupted in the air above the spirit ark, following which a beam of inky-black light shot out without any warning, and the hunch-backed elderly man was standing right within the black light.
He raised his hands, and a giant golden pagoda that was over hundred feet tall appeared in front of him out of thin air amid a flash of golden light, then came crashing down viciously toward the spirit ark.
A burst of terrifying pressure descended from above, and the spiritual light on the surface of the spirit ark rippled in an unstable manner, looking as if it were on the verge of collapse.
Angeline gave a muffled groan as she made a rapid series of hand seals, casting a string of incantation seals into the black longsword above her head.
The black longsword trembled violently, releasing countless sword projections that swept toward the golden pagoda.
A string of violent explosions rang out as the countless sword projections struck the giant pagoda in rapid succession, only to be shattered upon impact without leaving so much as a single mark on the pagoda itself.
However, the speed of the pagoda's descent was slowed down.
Angeline took advantage of this opportunity to release a burst of silver light out of her hand. It was a silver handkerchief that rapidly expanded while radiating dazzling silver light.
A projection of mountains and rivers appeared on the surface of the handkerchief, and it was giving off astounding spiritual qi as it positioned itself beneath the giant pagoda, further slowing its descent.
Angeline's expression eased slightly upon seeing this, and a cold look appeared in her eyes as she switched to a different hand seal.
The black longsword immediately began to glow with dazzling black radiance while swelling drastically in size, transforming into a giant black sword that was fifty feet in the blink of an eye before hurtling toward the hunch-backed elderly man at an incredible speed.
A cold smile appeared on the elderly man's face as he released an incantation seal, and the base of the golden pagoda opened up with a resounding boom, revealing a black hole.
Blinding golden light erupted out of the hole to form a giant golden halo, which released a burst of terrifying suction force that sucked in everything within a radius of several hundred feet.
The giant black sword immediately stopped cold in its tracks, then flew toward the hole at the base of the golden pagoda, unable to resist the suction force.
Angeline was struggling desperately to stabilize the giant sword, but to no avail, and after just two or three seconds, the giant sword was completely sucked into the golden pagoda.
Angeline's heart sank as her spiritual connection with the black longsword was completely severed.
The golden light radiating from the giant pagoda became even brighter, and it continued to descend amid a burst of loud rumbling.
The surface of the silver handkerchief began to collapse downward, and under the enormous suction force released by the giant golden pagoda, the mountain and river projections on its surface began to warp, looking as if it were about to be sucked into the pagoda as well.
Angeline hurriedly made a hand seal, then thrust both hands toward the handkerchief and rapidly injected her magic power into it.
Bright silver light radiated from the mountain and river projections on the surface of the handkerchief, and it was finally stabilized again.
Booom
Right as the hunch-backed elderly man raised his hand to continue his attack, a loud boom suddenly rang out in the distance as the gray light around the long-faced young man exploded.
A black scroll was hovering before him, and it was none other than the one that he had summoned earlier, except at this moment, it was already unfurled. There were countless ghostly entities drawn on the scroll's surface, and it was radiating piercing black light.
"Stand down, Brother! I'm going to punish this bitch for hurting me and make her wish she was dead!" the long-faced young man roared as he glowered at Angeline with a resentful expression.
"I didn't think that you would know of us, Miss Angeline. This is truly an honor." The hunch-backed elderly man's voice was extremely unpleasant, like pieces of rusty metal scraping against one another, striking the listener with a sense of discomfort.
The long-faced young man remained silent as his gaze slowly roamed over John and the others, and, as he caught sight of Drew and Megan, his eyes lit up slightly as he extended his tongue out of his mouth to lick his thick upper lip.
Megan hurriedly ducked behind John upon seeing this, and Drew was also quite disturbed to see this.
As for Angeline, she was feeling a little flustered. She had guessed that the Heavenly Ghost Sect wouldn't be willing to let things slide, but she didn't think that their pursuers would reach them so quickly, nor did she expect to be hunted by such a notorious pair.
However, as a cultivator with plenty of battle experience under her belt, she quickly regained her composure as she said in a cold voice, "Why are you attacking me on the border of the Prosperous Nation? Are you trying to instigate a war between our two sects?"
"Why ask a question that you already know the answer to? I'm sure you're already well aware of why we're here. We've received orders from Elder Butler to capture the perpetrator who killed his grandnephew, and that girl with the Anderson surname," the hunch-backed elderly man cackled as his gaze crept over to John and Drew.
John was completely unfazed to hear this, but Drew's complexion immediately paled.
Angeline gave a cold harrumph and offered no response, but she was scrambling to think of a way out of this situation.
"There's no bad blood between us, Miss Jolie. As long as you're willing to hand over those two, we can let you go. What do you say?" the hunch-backed elderly man asked.
Angeline was someone of quite a lofty status in the Cold Flame Sect, so if possible, they wanted to avoid a conflict with her.
A cold look appeared on Angeline's face as she replied, "John is a guest elder of our sect, while Drew is an inner court disciple. If I were to hand them over, our Cold Flame Sect would be regarded as the butt of all jokes in the cultivation world!"
"Alright, we gave you a chance! If you have a death wish, then we're more than happy to send you on your way!" the hunch-backed elderly man said in a cold voice.
The long-faced young man had already grown tired of waiting, and as soon as it became clear that a peaceful outcome was out of reach, he immediately sprang into action, sweeping a sleeve through the air to release a vast expanse of gray flames.
The gray flames instantly converged to one spot at his behest, forming a fiery gray vortex.
A fiery ghostly claw the size of a house reached out of the vortex, grabbing at Angeline and the others.
Angeline was already prepared for this, and she stomped a foot down onto the spirit ark, upon which it began to glow brightly once again as it shot back in a flash.
At the same time, she raised a hand to release a black longsword, which flew through the air as it transformed into a streak of black light that was Fifty feet in length. The sword struck the palm of the fiery ghostly claw, only for a metallic clang to ring out.
Angeline was rather taken aback by this, and she immediately made a hand seal, upon which the streak of black light shrank to less than half its original size, but it had become far brighter and more piercing.
The black sword pierced through the fiery ghostly claw before emerging from the other side.
The ghostly claw instantly exploded into countless balls of fire, and the flaming vortex in the sky also dissipated.
An unnatural flush appeared on the long-faced young man's cheeks, and he threw up a mouthful of blood.
He let loose a furious roar as his eyes turned bright red, and he flipped a hand over to produce a black scroll.
A vast expanse of murky gray light then erupted out of his body, forming a smokescreen that made it impossible for anyone on the outside to see what he was doing.
At the same time, the hunch-backed elderly man also stomped a foot onto the ground, and a burst of inky-black light erupted out of his body as he released his enormous late-Nascent Soul Stage spiritual pressure.
Angeline's expression changed slightly as she withdrew her black longsword, and it circled around above her head as she intensely scrutinized her two assailants with her spiritual sense.
At this point, the spirit ark had already retreated to over hundred feet away, and only then did it come to a rest.
"Mr. John, these two are extremely powerful and established cultivators of the Heavenly Ghost Sect. If the situation goes sour, take Drew and Megan and escape. I'll hold them off to the best of my abilities," Angeline hurriedly said to John through voice transmission.
Even though she had caught the long-faced young man off guard and emerged as the superior party in that exchange, she knew that she was no match for the hunch-backed elderly man. As for John, she didn't know the extent of his powers, so even if they were to join forces, there was no guarantee that they would be able to hold off their two opponents. Hence, her immediate thought was to flee.
Johnoffered no response as he stood on the spot, looking as if he hadn't even heard her.
Right at this moment, a sinister voice rang out beside Angeline. "Did you think you can get away?"
Angeline's heart jolted upon hearing this, and all of a sudden, the black light around the hunch-backed elderly man suddenly exploded, while his body transformed into a gray skeleton.
Angeline faltered slightly upon seeing this, and a hint of surprise also flashed through jOHN's eyes.
Immediately thereafter, violent spatial fluctuations erupted in the air above the spirit ark, following which a beam of inky-black light shot out without any warning, and the hunch-backed elderly man was standing right within the black light.
He raised his hands, and a giant golden pagoda that was over hundred feet tall appeared in front of him out of thin air amid a flash of golden light, then came crashing down viciously toward the spirit ark.
A burst of terrifying pressure descended from above, and the spiritual light on the surface of the spirit ark rippled in an unstable manner, looking as if it were on the verge of collapse.
Angeline gave a muffled groan as she made a rapid series of hand seals, casting a string of incantation seals into the black longsword above her head.
The black longsword trembled violently, releasing countless sword projections that swept toward the golden pagoda.
A string of violent explosions rang out as the countless sword projections struck the giant pagoda in rapid succession, only to be shattered upon impact without leaving so much as a single mark on the pagoda itself.
However, the speed of the pagoda's descent was slowed down.
Angeline took advantage of this opportunity to release a burst of silver light out of her hand. It was a silver handkerchief that rapidly expanded while radiating dazzling silver light.
A projection of mountains and rivers appeared on the surface of the handkerchief, and it was giving off astounding spiritual qi as it positioned itself beneath the giant pagoda, further slowing its descent.
Angeline's expression eased slightly upon seeing this, and a cold look appeared in her eyes as she switched to a different hand seal.
The black longsword immediately began to glow with dazzling black radiance while swelling drastically in size, transforming into a giant black sword that was fifty feet in the blink of an eye before hurtling toward the hunch-backed elderly man at an incredible speed.
A cold smile appeared on the elderly man's face as he released an incantation seal, and the base of the golden pagoda opened up with a resounding boom, revealing a black hole.
Blinding golden light erupted out of the hole to form a giant golden halo, which released a burst of terrifying suction force that sucked in everything within a radius of several hundred feet.
The giant black sword immediately stopped cold in its tracks, then flew toward the hole at the base of the golden pagoda, unable to resist the suction force.
Angeline was struggling desperately to stabilize the giant sword, but to no avail, and after just two or three seconds, the giant sword was completely sucked into the golden pagoda.
Angeline's heart sank as her spiritual connection with the black longsword was completely severed.
The golden light radiating from the giant pagoda became even brighter, and it continued to descend amid a burst of loud rumbling.
The surface of the silver handkerchief began to collapse downward, and under the enormous suction force released by the giant golden pagoda, the mountain and river projections on its surface began to warp, looking as if it were about to be sucked into the pagoda as well.
Angeline hurriedly made a hand seal, then thrust both hands toward the handkerchief and rapidly injected her magic power into it.
Bright silver light radiated from the mountain and river projections on the surface of the handkerchief, and it was finally stabilized again.
Booom
Right as the hunch-backed elderly man raised his hand to continue his attack, a loud boom suddenly rang out in the distance as the gray light around the long-faced young man exploded.
A black scroll was hovering before him, and it was none other than the one that he had summoned earlier, except at this moment, it was already unfurled. There were countless ghostly entities drawn on the scroll's surface, and it was radiating piercing black light.
"Stand down, Brother! I'm going to punish this bitch for hurting me and make her wish she was dead!" the long-faced young man roared as he glowered at Angeline with a resentful expression.
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- 23,716
- Points
- 113
Chapter 24: Crushed
The hunch-backed elderly man raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and he briefly stopped what he was doing, but his gaze remained fixed on Angeline.
At the same time, the long-faced young man flipped a hand over to produce a black dagger, using which he sliced viciously into his own arm.
Blood gushed out of the gash, forming a cloud of dense blood mist that fused into the black scroll.
The black energy emanating from the scroll instantly became significantly denser, and gusts of fierce negative energy wind were swept up all around it amid the sound of ghastly howls, presenting a harrowing sight to behold.
A pair of fierce ghostly entities leaped out of the scroll, then swelled drastically
The two ghostly beings had ape-like upper bodies that were covered in short green fur with sharp white fangs that protruded out of their mouths. Each of them had a pair of thick and strong ape arms with fingers that were tipped with sharp crimson claws that were each around a foot in length, while their lower bodies were enshrouded in black mist, appearing to have no physical form.
The gusts of negative energy wind around the scroll became even fiercer, and black energy surged as one ghostly being flew out after another.
In the blink of an eye, over hundred ghostly beings had appeared.
Most of them were at the Foundation Establishment Stage, but there were also five or six of them that were clearly far more massive than the other ones, and they were giving off Core Formation Stage auras.
"Kill them!" the long-faced young man cackled as he stabbed a finger in Angeline's direction.
The ghostly beings roared in unison as they swarmed the spirit ark with ferocious might.
Angeline's expression changed drastically as she patted the storage bag on her waist to release four streaks of white light, which descended around her before transforming into four humanoid jade puppets, each of which was around ten feet tall. The puppets were clad in suits of armor, and each of them was holding a large white flag that was glowing with bright spiritual light.
With a wave of the flags in their hands, dazzling white radiance emanated from the bodies of the puppets before quickly joining together to form a white array that encompassed the entire spirit ark within.
As soon as the array took shape, the army of ghostly beings swarmed onto it, surrounding it from all directions.
The ghostly beings roared ferociously as they attacked the white array with all their might.
In particular, the Core Formation Stage ghostly beings were blasting bursts of green light into the array with devastating power, causing it to tremble violently.
Angeline hurriedly made a hand seal before releasing bursts of white light onto the four puppets, and only then was the array gradually stabilized.
Meanwhile, the long-faced young man himself also flew over to the white array, and he chanted an incantation as a vast expanse of gray fire emerged on his body again, forming a sea of fire that was over hundred feet in size.
He then made a grabbing motion with both hands, and two small balls of fire detached themselves from the sea of flames before transforming into a pair of fiery spears that were several dozen feet in length.
With a wave of his arms, the two fiery spears shot forth like lightning, flying through the air with a sharp screeching sound before striking the white array with tremendous force.
Two resounding booms rang out as the fiery spears exploded, but the white array also trembled violently, and Angeline also shuddered as her face paled slightly.
The long-faced young man cackled with glee as he hurled one fiery spear after another into the array.
The white array continued to tremble violently, and it was originally around seventy feet in size, but it was shrinking rapidly and was quickly reduced to less than thirty feet in size.
Angeline's face became paler and paler, and her body began to tremble from overexertion as a faint sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.
The hunch-backed elderly man burst into raucous laughter at the sight of the terrible state that Gu Angeline was in, and he patted the storage bag on his waist to release dozen streaks of black light, which were revealed to be dozenbone tridents.
The bone tridents expanded rapidly while inky-black flames rose up on their surface, and they gave off a bone-chilling aura as they came hurtling down toward the white array.
They were here on Greg Butler's orders, so the one who killed Angeline would naturally be rewarded handsomely.
Angeline was already depleted of energy, and the hunch-backed elderly man was taking full advantage to try and land the killing blow.
The long-faced young man was furious to see this, but the hunch-backed elderly man was a superior cultivator to him, so he could only begrudgingly accept this.
A hint of despair surfaced in Angeline's eyes upon seeing this.
However, right at this moment, a figure rose up into the air from the spirit ark, flying through the white array to arrive outside it in the blink of an eye. It was none other than JB, John Brown
He moved left and right through the air, conjuring up several afterimages that quickly fused as one, and the dozen bone tridents somehow vanished in the blink of an eye.
The hunch-backed elderly man's brows furrowed tightly upon seeing this, following which his expression changed drastically.
As it turned out, all dozenof the bone tridents had been caught in JB's grasp, and as he rubbed them between his hands, the black flames on the tridents were completely snuffed out.
He took a glance at the tridents before casually stowing them away in an expressionless manner, as if he had just done something completely unremarkable.
"You... You..." The hunch-backed elderly man was both shocked and furious to see this.
As soon as the ghostly beings surrounding the array detected John's aura, they immediately abandoned the array and pounced toward him, letting loose excited roars as they did so.
"What a nuisance!"
John's brows furrowed slightly, and he sped into the army of ghostly beings as an indistinct azure shadow.
In the face of the azure shadow, all of the ghostly beings in its path were like waves crashing into rocks, exploding violently into countless pieces.
In the blink of an eye, all of the ghostly beings had been slain with incredible ease.
The long-faced young man was utterly astonished as he looked on with wide eyes.
All of a sudden, John appeared in front of him before throwing a vicious punch, and the long-faced young man didn't even get a chance to cry out before his body exploded into scraps of flesh and blood, and not even his nascent soul managed to survive.
The hunch-backed elderly man was horrified to see this, and he hurriedly swept a sleeve through the air to release hundreds of green flying needles. Each needle was around a foot in length and as thin as a strand of hair, with green flames burning on their surface.
The thin needles screeched through the air as they sped toward John, and at the same time, green flames erupted out of the elderly man's body as he fled into the distance, even abandoning the golden pagoda in his desperation to get away.
John remained completely still on the spot as he opened his mouth before taking a deep breath.
A burst of enormous suction force took shape in the air before him, and the entire space buzzed incessantly as all of the flying needles were caught by the suction force before flying into John's mouth.
The needles crunched between his teeth as he chewed briefly, then tipped his head back slightly to swallow everything.
Angeline's mouth gaped open slightly upon seeing this, and she was completely rooted to the spot.
“WTF? Is this for real”
From the perspective of Drew and Megan on the spirit ark, all they saw was a frenzied flurry of activity. Before they had even figured out what had happened, one of their two powerful assailants had been killed, while the other was desperately fleeing the scene, and they were no less shocked than Angeline.
Meanwhile, John cast his gaze toward the fleeing elderly man, and golden light flashed from his arm as he threw a punch in that direction with an indifferent expression.
A golden fist projection that was around the size of a human head instantly appeared behind the hunch-backed elderly man, and it was flying several times faster than he was.
The hunch-backed elderly man's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he hurriedly released a layer of black light around his entire body, right before he was struck by the golden fist projection with devastating force.
The green flames around him exploded violently, but only a pile of bones fell out of the sky.
At the same time, a burst of spatial fluctuations several dozen kilometers away, and a vast expanse of black light appeared out of thin air before the hunch-backed elderly man stumbled out of it.
He took a horrified glance behind him, then opened his mouth to release a burst of green light, which enveloped his body in a layer of green flames before he continued to flee into the distance, vanishing out of sight in the blink of an eye.
John's spiritual sense had already been released, so he was well aware of where the hunch-backed elderly man was. However, right as he was about to lash out again, he suddenly lowered his head to look at the azure light around his body, which had clearly become dimmer than before.
His brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, and he decided against pursuing the elderly man. Instead, he swept a hand through the air to release a burst of azure light that drew the long-faced young man's storage bag to him, then descended back onto the spirit ark.
He had relied mostly on the power of his physical body during that battle, but he had still expended a great deal of spiritual energy.
The hunch-backed elderly man raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and he briefly stopped what he was doing, but his gaze remained fixed on Angeline.
At the same time, the long-faced young man flipped a hand over to produce a black dagger, using which he sliced viciously into his own arm.
Blood gushed out of the gash, forming a cloud of dense blood mist that fused into the black scroll.
The black energy emanating from the scroll instantly became significantly denser, and gusts of fierce negative energy wind were swept up all around it amid the sound of ghastly howls, presenting a harrowing sight to behold.
A pair of fierce ghostly entities leaped out of the scroll, then swelled drastically
The two ghostly beings had ape-like upper bodies that were covered in short green fur with sharp white fangs that protruded out of their mouths. Each of them had a pair of thick and strong ape arms with fingers that were tipped with sharp crimson claws that were each around a foot in length, while their lower bodies were enshrouded in black mist, appearing to have no physical form.
The gusts of negative energy wind around the scroll became even fiercer, and black energy surged as one ghostly being flew out after another.
In the blink of an eye, over hundred ghostly beings had appeared.
Most of them were at the Foundation Establishment Stage, but there were also five or six of them that were clearly far more massive than the other ones, and they were giving off Core Formation Stage auras.
"Kill them!" the long-faced young man cackled as he stabbed a finger in Angeline's direction.
The ghostly beings roared in unison as they swarmed the spirit ark with ferocious might.
Angeline's expression changed drastically as she patted the storage bag on her waist to release four streaks of white light, which descended around her before transforming into four humanoid jade puppets, each of which was around ten feet tall. The puppets were clad in suits of armor, and each of them was holding a large white flag that was glowing with bright spiritual light.
With a wave of the flags in their hands, dazzling white radiance emanated from the bodies of the puppets before quickly joining together to form a white array that encompassed the entire spirit ark within.
As soon as the array took shape, the army of ghostly beings swarmed onto it, surrounding it from all directions.
The ghostly beings roared ferociously as they attacked the white array with all their might.
In particular, the Core Formation Stage ghostly beings were blasting bursts of green light into the array with devastating power, causing it to tremble violently.
Angeline hurriedly made a hand seal before releasing bursts of white light onto the four puppets, and only then was the array gradually stabilized.
Meanwhile, the long-faced young man himself also flew over to the white array, and he chanted an incantation as a vast expanse of gray fire emerged on his body again, forming a sea of fire that was over hundred feet in size.
He then made a grabbing motion with both hands, and two small balls of fire detached themselves from the sea of flames before transforming into a pair of fiery spears that were several dozen feet in length.
With a wave of his arms, the two fiery spears shot forth like lightning, flying through the air with a sharp screeching sound before striking the white array with tremendous force.
Two resounding booms rang out as the fiery spears exploded, but the white array also trembled violently, and Angeline also shuddered as her face paled slightly.
The long-faced young man cackled with glee as he hurled one fiery spear after another into the array.
The white array continued to tremble violently, and it was originally around seventy feet in size, but it was shrinking rapidly and was quickly reduced to less than thirty feet in size.
Angeline's face became paler and paler, and her body began to tremble from overexertion as a faint sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.
The hunch-backed elderly man burst into raucous laughter at the sight of the terrible state that Gu Angeline was in, and he patted the storage bag on his waist to release dozen streaks of black light, which were revealed to be dozenbone tridents.
The bone tridents expanded rapidly while inky-black flames rose up on their surface, and they gave off a bone-chilling aura as they came hurtling down toward the white array.
They were here on Greg Butler's orders, so the one who killed Angeline would naturally be rewarded handsomely.
Angeline was already depleted of energy, and the hunch-backed elderly man was taking full advantage to try and land the killing blow.
The long-faced young man was furious to see this, but the hunch-backed elderly man was a superior cultivator to him, so he could only begrudgingly accept this.
A hint of despair surfaced in Angeline's eyes upon seeing this.
However, right at this moment, a figure rose up into the air from the spirit ark, flying through the white array to arrive outside it in the blink of an eye. It was none other than JB, John Brown
He moved left and right through the air, conjuring up several afterimages that quickly fused as one, and the dozen bone tridents somehow vanished in the blink of an eye.
The hunch-backed elderly man's brows furrowed tightly upon seeing this, following which his expression changed drastically.
As it turned out, all dozenof the bone tridents had been caught in JB's grasp, and as he rubbed them between his hands, the black flames on the tridents were completely snuffed out.
He took a glance at the tridents before casually stowing them away in an expressionless manner, as if he had just done something completely unremarkable.
"You... You..." The hunch-backed elderly man was both shocked and furious to see this.
As soon as the ghostly beings surrounding the array detected John's aura, they immediately abandoned the array and pounced toward him, letting loose excited roars as they did so.
"What a nuisance!"
John's brows furrowed slightly, and he sped into the army of ghostly beings as an indistinct azure shadow.
In the face of the azure shadow, all of the ghostly beings in its path were like waves crashing into rocks, exploding violently into countless pieces.
In the blink of an eye, all of the ghostly beings had been slain with incredible ease.
The long-faced young man was utterly astonished as he looked on with wide eyes.
All of a sudden, John appeared in front of him before throwing a vicious punch, and the long-faced young man didn't even get a chance to cry out before his body exploded into scraps of flesh and blood, and not even his nascent soul managed to survive.
The hunch-backed elderly man was horrified to see this, and he hurriedly swept a sleeve through the air to release hundreds of green flying needles. Each needle was around a foot in length and as thin as a strand of hair, with green flames burning on their surface.
The thin needles screeched through the air as they sped toward John, and at the same time, green flames erupted out of the elderly man's body as he fled into the distance, even abandoning the golden pagoda in his desperation to get away.
John remained completely still on the spot as he opened his mouth before taking a deep breath.
A burst of enormous suction force took shape in the air before him, and the entire space buzzed incessantly as all of the flying needles were caught by the suction force before flying into John's mouth.
The needles crunched between his teeth as he chewed briefly, then tipped his head back slightly to swallow everything.
Angeline's mouth gaped open slightly upon seeing this, and she was completely rooted to the spot.
“WTF? Is this for real”
From the perspective of Drew and Megan on the spirit ark, all they saw was a frenzied flurry of activity. Before they had even figured out what had happened, one of their two powerful assailants had been killed, while the other was desperately fleeing the scene, and they were no less shocked than Angeline.
Meanwhile, John cast his gaze toward the fleeing elderly man, and golden light flashed from his arm as he threw a punch in that direction with an indifferent expression.
A golden fist projection that was around the size of a human head instantly appeared behind the hunch-backed elderly man, and it was flying several times faster than he was.
The hunch-backed elderly man's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and he hurriedly released a layer of black light around his entire body, right before he was struck by the golden fist projection with devastating force.
The green flames around him exploded violently, but only a pile of bones fell out of the sky.
At the same time, a burst of spatial fluctuations several dozen kilometers away, and a vast expanse of black light appeared out of thin air before the hunch-backed elderly man stumbled out of it.
He took a horrified glance behind him, then opened his mouth to release a burst of green light, which enveloped his body in a layer of green flames before he continued to flee into the distance, vanishing out of sight in the blink of an eye.
John's spiritual sense had already been released, so he was well aware of where the hunch-backed elderly man was. However, right as he was about to lash out again, he suddenly lowered his head to look at the azure light around his body, which had clearly become dimmer than before.
His brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, and he decided against pursuing the elderly man. Instead, he swept a hand through the air to release a burst of azure light that drew the long-faced young man's storage bag to him, then descended back onto the spirit ark.
He had relied mostly on the power of his physical body during that battle, but he had still expended a great deal of spiritual energy.
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Chapter 25: Brad Pitt
"Brother Rock!"
Megan hurriedly rushed toward John upon his return, and there was a concerned look on her face.
She had never witnessed a battle between such powerful cultivators before, and even though John seemed to have secured victory with ease, she still couldn't help but fear that perhaps he had sustained some injuries in the process.
John gave her a warm smile to reassure her, then stowed the storage bag in his hand away.
Without the support of the hunch-backed elderly man's magic power, the giant pagoda's golden radiance quickly faded, and it rapidly shrank before descending from the sky.
With a wave of her hand, Angeline drew the golden pagoda into her grasp, then took a glance at John, and only after confirming that he had no intention of taking the pagoda for himself did she dare to stow it away into her storage bag.
The golden pagoda was clearly quite a powerful treasure, and its ability to trap other treasures would make it an extremely useful trump card for her in future battles. However, the Windcloud Duo had been defeated by John, so it was only right that this treasure belonged to him. Thankfully, he seemed to have given her silent permission to take the treasure.
Angeline made her way over to John. "Thank heavens you're here with us, John. I knew you were no ordinary cultivator, but I still severely underestimated your powers."
Even though she looked quite calm and collected on the outside, the awe and veneration hidden deep in her eyes didn't escape John's notice.
Even if she had faced the long-faced young man on her own, she knew that there was definitely no way that she would've been able to kill him as easily as John did, inflicting such a heavy blow that even his nascent soul had been unable to escape. On top of that, there was also another late-Nascent Soul Stage enemy present, making John's feat even more remarkable.
"They were trying to kill me, so I naturally had to deal with them," John replied with a faint smile.
A faint smile appeared on Angeline's face upon hearing this, but as she cast her gaze upon John, there was also a hint of awe and veneration in her eyes, intermingled with some other complex emotions.
In her eyes, her master was an unfathomable powerful being. Her father had to treat Master Stone with the utmost respect, yet even Master White Stone didn't dare to step out of line in the slightest in Angeline's presence. However, John had just displayed incredible power that was far beyond even Angie's reach.
To her, John was a massive mystery, and even though she was standing by his side, she felt as if they were separated by a vast galaxy.
"I thought we'd be safe from the Heavenly Ghost Sect after leaving the Prosperous Nation, I wasn't expecting them to come after us so quickly," Angeline sighed.
"That's only to be expected. After all, we're currently still within the Heavenly Ghost Sect's territory," John replied with a nonchalant expression, not appearing worried in the slightest.
"As soon as we enter our Cold Flame Sect's territory, we should be free from our pursuers," Angeline replied with a nod, but her expression suddenly stiffened slightly, and she glanced at John with a perplexed look in her eyes.
It was only for an instant, but her peculiar gaze didn't escape John's notice.
John's expression remained unchanged, but he was feeling rather frustrated. During the battle that had just taken place, he had only briefly unleashed a layer of protective spiritual light over his body, yet his magic power had plummeted from the mid-Nascent Soul Stage to the early-Nascent Soul Stage.
Angeline had most likely sensed the change in his aura, but he naturally wasn't going to bother to explain anything to her.
……
Inside a dark secret chamber deep within a certain cave abode in the Heavenly Ghost Sect.
There were around a dozen lit torches on the walls of the secret chamber, and the yellow flames of the torches were casting countless shadows all over the entire secret chamber.
Right at the center of the secret chamber was a round stone table, in front of which sat a thin elderly man with a head of white hair and a mismatching black beard. He was wearing an ochre robe, and he had one hand resting on the stone table, while his other hand was gently tapping his knee in a rhythmic manner.
He had a very pronounced nose and a pair of deep-set eyes that were staring absentmindedly forward. There was a contemplative expression on his thin and wrinkly face, which was illuminated by the light of the burning torches.
Directly in front of him was a copper mirror roughly the size of a human head hovering in mid-air. The mirror was displaying the visage of a hunch-backed elderly man. It was none other than the surviving half of the Windcloud Duo.
He already had a hunched back to begin with, and he was hunched over even further at this moment. His head was virtually buried against his chest, and he didn't dare to look up at all.
"So what you're saying is that not only did the two of you fail to bring back the people I wanted, one of you died in the process?" the thin elderly man asked.
His voice was extremely deep and coarse.
The hunch-backed elderly man shuddered, then hurriedly replied, "Please forgive me, Martial Uncle Butler. Our enemy was simply far too powerful! In the beginning, he seemed to have intentionally concealed his aura so that he appeared to be no different from a mortal, but in the instant that he entered the battle, he suddenly became a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.”
“He managed to take my twelve bone tridents before I could even see what he was doing, and after that………….."
Before he had a chance to finish, he was interrupted by the thin elderly man. "So his cultivation base was inferior to yours, yet he was able to take your treasures with ease?"
"Th... That's right. Not only that, but his physical body is also extremely powerful. Compared with him, the ghostly entities in my junior martial brother's Myriad Ghost Scroll may as well have been made from mud and twigs! All of them were destroyed on contact, and he even ate my Bone Devouring Needles!" the hunch-backed elderly man replied with a hint of lingering fear in his voice.
The thin elderly man fell silent upon hearing this, seemingly having fallen into deep thought again.
The hunch-backed elderly man still didn't dare to raise his head, and the fear in his heart was further fueled by the thin elderly man's prolonged silence. He couldn't help but fall to his knees as he said in a trembling voice, "I'm telling the truth, Martial Uncle Butler! I'm not exaggerating the story at all!"
The thin elderly man remained silent, and only after a long while did he speak again. "Judging from what you've told me, that man is most likely a powerful body cultivator. Cultivators of that nature are extremely rare, and they are indeed too powerful for you to handle. I'll take care of matters from here, you don't need to play any further part in this."
With that, he casually swept a sleeve through the air, and the image of the hunch-backed elderly man on the copper mirror instantly vanished.
"So what if you're a high-grade body cultivator? I'm still going to tear you from limb to limb for killing Chuck!" the thin elderly man spat through gritted teeth as a vicious look appeared on his face.
Sometime later, his gaze returned to the copper mirror, and he chanted an incantation before making a hand seal, then pointed a finger at the mirror.
The surface of the mirror began to ripple like water, following which another image emerged.
The image depicted a well-built middle-aged man standing in mid-air above a lush forest, and he stroked his short beard as he said with a smile, "It's been quite some time since we last saw each other, Brother Butler. What business do you have with me today?"
"I won't bore you with small talk today, Brother Brad Pitt. I have a favor to beg of you," the thin elderly man said with a serious expression.
The middle-aged man could see that the thin elderly man was in no mood to be joking around, so he also adopted a serious expression as he asked, "What is it?"
The thin elderly man took a deep breath, then gave the middle-aged man a recount of everything that had happened, starting with the death of Gerald Butler.
"How dare he go after one of your descendants? He deserves to die thousand deaths!" Brad Pity harrumphed coldly after hearing the story.
"I have some matters to attend to in the sect at the moment. I know that you're near the Prosperous Nation right now, so I'm hoping you can go after Chuck's killer in my stead and exact revenge on him," the thin elderly man said.
Brad Pitt was silent for a moment, then mused, "Body cultivators are far more powerful than normal cultivators, but it's extremely difficult for them to advance in their cultivation and break through bottlenecks. The fact that this man has been able to reach such a high level in body cultivation indicates that he must be no ordinary cultivator..."
The thin elderly man took a meaningful glance at Brad, then replied, "According to one of my disciples, he's a guest elder that the Cold Flame Sect is planning to take in, but he still hasn't officially joined the sect yet, so you don't need to worry. If you can kill him for me, you can have my Origin Spirit Pill as repayment."
A hint of elation flashed through Brad's eyes upon hearing this, but he quickly disguised it, then said, "In that case, you can count on me, Brother Butler."
A thought suddenly occurred to the thin elderly man, and a sinister look appeared on his face as he said, "By the way, spare that girl with the Anderson surname for now. If possible, bring her to me alive."
Brad Pitt faltered slightly upon hearing this, then nodded in response.
"Brother Rock!"
Megan hurriedly rushed toward John upon his return, and there was a concerned look on her face.
She had never witnessed a battle between such powerful cultivators before, and even though John seemed to have secured victory with ease, she still couldn't help but fear that perhaps he had sustained some injuries in the process.
John gave her a warm smile to reassure her, then stowed the storage bag in his hand away.
Without the support of the hunch-backed elderly man's magic power, the giant pagoda's golden radiance quickly faded, and it rapidly shrank before descending from the sky.
With a wave of her hand, Angeline drew the golden pagoda into her grasp, then took a glance at John, and only after confirming that he had no intention of taking the pagoda for himself did she dare to stow it away into her storage bag.
The golden pagoda was clearly quite a powerful treasure, and its ability to trap other treasures would make it an extremely useful trump card for her in future battles. However, the Windcloud Duo had been defeated by John, so it was only right that this treasure belonged to him. Thankfully, he seemed to have given her silent permission to take the treasure.
Angeline made her way over to John. "Thank heavens you're here with us, John. I knew you were no ordinary cultivator, but I still severely underestimated your powers."
Even though she looked quite calm and collected on the outside, the awe and veneration hidden deep in her eyes didn't escape John's notice.
Even if she had faced the long-faced young man on her own, she knew that there was definitely no way that she would've been able to kill him as easily as John did, inflicting such a heavy blow that even his nascent soul had been unable to escape. On top of that, there was also another late-Nascent Soul Stage enemy present, making John's feat even more remarkable.
"They were trying to kill me, so I naturally had to deal with them," John replied with a faint smile.
A faint smile appeared on Angeline's face upon hearing this, but as she cast her gaze upon John, there was also a hint of awe and veneration in her eyes, intermingled with some other complex emotions.
In her eyes, her master was an unfathomable powerful being. Her father had to treat Master Stone with the utmost respect, yet even Master White Stone didn't dare to step out of line in the slightest in Angeline's presence. However, John had just displayed incredible power that was far beyond even Angie's reach.
To her, John was a massive mystery, and even though she was standing by his side, she felt as if they were separated by a vast galaxy.
"I thought we'd be safe from the Heavenly Ghost Sect after leaving the Prosperous Nation, I wasn't expecting them to come after us so quickly," Angeline sighed.
"That's only to be expected. After all, we're currently still within the Heavenly Ghost Sect's territory," John replied with a nonchalant expression, not appearing worried in the slightest.
"As soon as we enter our Cold Flame Sect's territory, we should be free from our pursuers," Angeline replied with a nod, but her expression suddenly stiffened slightly, and she glanced at John with a perplexed look in her eyes.
It was only for an instant, but her peculiar gaze didn't escape John's notice.
John's expression remained unchanged, but he was feeling rather frustrated. During the battle that had just taken place, he had only briefly unleashed a layer of protective spiritual light over his body, yet his magic power had plummeted from the mid-Nascent Soul Stage to the early-Nascent Soul Stage.
Angeline had most likely sensed the change in his aura, but he naturally wasn't going to bother to explain anything to her.
……
Inside a dark secret chamber deep within a certain cave abode in the Heavenly Ghost Sect.
There were around a dozen lit torches on the walls of the secret chamber, and the yellow flames of the torches were casting countless shadows all over the entire secret chamber.
Right at the center of the secret chamber was a round stone table, in front of which sat a thin elderly man with a head of white hair and a mismatching black beard. He was wearing an ochre robe, and he had one hand resting on the stone table, while his other hand was gently tapping his knee in a rhythmic manner.
He had a very pronounced nose and a pair of deep-set eyes that were staring absentmindedly forward. There was a contemplative expression on his thin and wrinkly face, which was illuminated by the light of the burning torches.
Directly in front of him was a copper mirror roughly the size of a human head hovering in mid-air. The mirror was displaying the visage of a hunch-backed elderly man. It was none other than the surviving half of the Windcloud Duo.
He already had a hunched back to begin with, and he was hunched over even further at this moment. His head was virtually buried against his chest, and he didn't dare to look up at all.
"So what you're saying is that not only did the two of you fail to bring back the people I wanted, one of you died in the process?" the thin elderly man asked.
His voice was extremely deep and coarse.
The hunch-backed elderly man shuddered, then hurriedly replied, "Please forgive me, Martial Uncle Butler. Our enemy was simply far too powerful! In the beginning, he seemed to have intentionally concealed his aura so that he appeared to be no different from a mortal, but in the instant that he entered the battle, he suddenly became a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.”
“He managed to take my twelve bone tridents before I could even see what he was doing, and after that………….."
Before he had a chance to finish, he was interrupted by the thin elderly man. "So his cultivation base was inferior to yours, yet he was able to take your treasures with ease?"
"Th... That's right. Not only that, but his physical body is also extremely powerful. Compared with him, the ghostly entities in my junior martial brother's Myriad Ghost Scroll may as well have been made from mud and twigs! All of them were destroyed on contact, and he even ate my Bone Devouring Needles!" the hunch-backed elderly man replied with a hint of lingering fear in his voice.
The thin elderly man fell silent upon hearing this, seemingly having fallen into deep thought again.
The hunch-backed elderly man still didn't dare to raise his head, and the fear in his heart was further fueled by the thin elderly man's prolonged silence. He couldn't help but fall to his knees as he said in a trembling voice, "I'm telling the truth, Martial Uncle Butler! I'm not exaggerating the story at all!"
The thin elderly man remained silent, and only after a long while did he speak again. "Judging from what you've told me, that man is most likely a powerful body cultivator. Cultivators of that nature are extremely rare, and they are indeed too powerful for you to handle. I'll take care of matters from here, you don't need to play any further part in this."
With that, he casually swept a sleeve through the air, and the image of the hunch-backed elderly man on the copper mirror instantly vanished.
"So what if you're a high-grade body cultivator? I'm still going to tear you from limb to limb for killing Chuck!" the thin elderly man spat through gritted teeth as a vicious look appeared on his face.
Sometime later, his gaze returned to the copper mirror, and he chanted an incantation before making a hand seal, then pointed a finger at the mirror.
The surface of the mirror began to ripple like water, following which another image emerged.
The image depicted a well-built middle-aged man standing in mid-air above a lush forest, and he stroked his short beard as he said with a smile, "It's been quite some time since we last saw each other, Brother Butler. What business do you have with me today?"
"I won't bore you with small talk today, Brother Brad Pitt. I have a favor to beg of you," the thin elderly man said with a serious expression.
The middle-aged man could see that the thin elderly man was in no mood to be joking around, so he also adopted a serious expression as he asked, "What is it?"
The thin elderly man took a deep breath, then gave the middle-aged man a recount of everything that had happened, starting with the death of Gerald Butler.
"How dare he go after one of your descendants? He deserves to die thousand deaths!" Brad Pity harrumphed coldly after hearing the story.
"I have some matters to attend to in the sect at the moment. I know that you're near the Prosperous Nation right now, so I'm hoping you can go after Chuck's killer in my stead and exact revenge on him," the thin elderly man said.
Brad Pitt was silent for a moment, then mused, "Body cultivators are far more powerful than normal cultivators, but it's extremely difficult for them to advance in their cultivation and break through bottlenecks. The fact that this man has been able to reach such a high level in body cultivation indicates that he must be no ordinary cultivator..."
The thin elderly man took a meaningful glance at Brad, then replied, "According to one of my disciples, he's a guest elder that the Cold Flame Sect is planning to take in, but he still hasn't officially joined the sect yet, so you don't need to worry. If you can kill him for me, you can have my Origin Spirit Pill as repayment."
A hint of elation flashed through Brad's eyes upon hearing this, but he quickly disguised it, then said, "In that case, you can count on me, Brother Butler."
A thought suddenly occurred to the thin elderly man, and a sinister look appeared on his face as he said, "By the way, spare that girl with the Anderson surname for now. If possible, bring her to me alive."
Brad Pitt faltered slightly upon hearing this, then nodded in response.
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Chapter 26: Persistent Enemies
In the sky above a desert tens of thousands of kilometers away from the Prosperous Nation's border, a spirit ark that was enshrouded in white light was flying rapidly toward a certain direction.
It was a bright and sunny day with clouds that resembled clumps of cotton drifting lazily through the sky. It was a truly beautiful and relaxing sight to behold, but none of the people on the ark were in the mood to be appreciating the scenery.
John was seated with his legs crossed and his eyes tightly shut at the tail-end of the ark, and there was a layer of faint golden light roaming over his body.
Megan was seated right next to John with green light surging over her body, and she was clearly also cultivating.
Angeline and Drew were standing at the head of the ark, and the latter was occasionally turning around to cast her gaze toward the other end of the ark with a complex look in her eyes. Meanwhile, Angeline was controlling the ark with a faint smile on her face, and she seemed to be in high spirits.
Two days had already passed since they were last attacked, and during that time, they hadn't encountered any more danger. As they approached the Cold Flame Sect, they were drawing closer and closer to safety.
After an indeterminate period of time, John's brows suddenly furrowed slightly, and he opened his eyes, following which the golden light on his body quickly faded.
During these past few days, he had attempted several more methods to try and remove the seal on his nascent soul, but he had made no progress at all and expended quite a bit of spiritual energy in the process.
Even though he had managed to find two pills of a similar caliber to the Sharp Watch Pill in the long-faced young man's storage bag, for some reason, they had no effect on him at all.
It seemed that his condition was far more complex than he had anticipated.
He shook his head to rid himself of that train of thought, then cast his gaze toward Megan.
Her aura had clearly become significantly more powerful than before, and she was showing signs of breaking through to the late-Foundation Establishment Stage. This was all thanks to another vial of pills that John had found in the long-faced young man's storage bag.
John gave a pleased nod and didn't interrupt her cultivation. Instead, he stood up and made his way over to the side of the spirit ark before casting his gaze outward.
Angeline approached him with a smile and said, "All we need to do is travel west from here, and we'll be able to reach the sect in no more than half a month. Once we arrive, our sect will be sure to organize a top-tier cave abode for you so you can recover from your injuries."
Angeline was following along behind her in silence.
"I'll be in your care then, Miss," John replied with a nod.
Angeline was just about to say something else when a burst of faint rumbling suddenly rang out up ahead.
The three of them turned toward the direction where the sound was coming from, and they discovered that there was a vast expanse of darkness on the horizon. Several massive tornadoes were extending directly up into the heavens, sweeping from side to side, and thunderous rumbling was ringing out incessantly from the tornadoes, while the entire sky was enshrouded under a suffocating layer of yellow sand.
Angeline's brows furrowed slightly as she released an incantation seal, and the spirit ark drew to a halt.
Megan was roused from her cultivation as a result, and she made her way over to John's side with a curious expression.
"It looks like nothing more than a sandstorm. Is there a problem?" John asked.
"The desert that we're currently in is known as the Yellow Billow Desert, and sandstorms are very rare here, but in the case that a sandstorm does arise, it'll quickly spread across the entire desert and rage on for around a month without rest," Angeline replied.
"Why don't we just travel directly through it? The sandstorm may encompass the entire desert, but surely it won't have any impact on us," John said as his brows furrowed slightly.
"Of course the sandstorm is of no concern to us, but there's a type of ancient insect known as the Flying Sin Ant that resides in this desert. Normally, they rest beneath the sand in hibernation, but they always come out during sandstorms. One or two of these flying ants naturally pose no threat, but they often appear in vast numbers, and they're incredibly fast.
“On top of that, they're capable of releasing a corrosive mist that's capable of eroding the spiritual natures of all treasures unless they've been refined using devilish arts. Hence, even high-grade cultivators find them to be a huge headache to deal with, and getting caught in a swarm of those flying ants could be quite troublesome," Angeline explained with a grim expression.
Han Li was silent for a moment upon hearing this, then asked, "What if we fly around this desert?"
At the moment, his spiritual energy was a limited resource, and he didn't want to have to waste it here.
Angeline considered the question for a moment before replying, "It'll probably extend our journey by over a month."
John fell silent as he stroked his chin in contemplation.
Angeline was also watching John in silence, clearly waiting for him to make a decision on how to proceed.
All of a sudden, Bruce's voice rang out in John's mind. "There's no need to worry about those flying ants, JB. Just leave them to me."
"Oh? You have a way to deal with them?" Jihn asked internally.
"Flying Sin Ants are a type of ancient insect born from a mixture of underground baleful negative energy and the resentment of deceased spirits, so they share some similarities with Heavenly Devilish Monarchs like myself”
“I didn't think that they would exist in the Spirit Domain Realm as well. These ants are indeed quite difficult to deal with, but they have a natural fear of sound-based devilish attacks. I may have lost most of my abilities, but even in my current state, dealing with these mere flying ants won't be an issue at all," Bruce said in an assured voice.
John considered the situation briefly before making a decision. "Alright, then we'll be counting on you if we encounter those Flying Yin Ants in the desert."
"We're both in the same boat here, so I naturally have to do my part," Bruce said before falling silent.
"Going around the desert will take too long, so let's go straight through the sandstorm. If we encounter those Flying Yin Ants, I have a way to deal with them," John said to Angeline.
Angeline faltered slightly upon hearing this. "Are you sure, Mr John?"
"Do you not trust me, Miss Jolie?" John asked with a faint smile.
"I have no intention of doubting you, Mr. John. In that case, let's proceed," Angeline hurriedly replied, then wasted no further time with words as she made a hand seal.
The spirit ark began to glow brightly, releasing a white protective barrier before plunging directly into the sandstorm up ahead.
In the next instant, the surroundings dimmed significantly, and there was nothing in sight in all directions aside from boundless yellow sand that was being carried by fierce gusts of wind, which were blowing viciously against the spirit ark's protective barrier.
The ark immediately began to sway slightly, and in response, Angeline switched to a different hand seal, releasing a burst of white light that vanished into a certain part of the ark in a flash.
As a result, all of the spirit patterns engraved onto the surface of the ark immediately lit up, and the white protective barrier instantly became several times brighter. The ark itself was also stabilized, and it continued onward.
Initially, Megan and Drew were rather concerned by the sight of the ferocious sandstorm outside, but as time passed, it became clear that there was no way that the sandstorm would be able to break through the spirit ark's protective barrier. Hence, their concerns were put at ease, and they began to marvel at the rare scenery outside the white light barrier.
Angeline was controlling the spirit ark, carefully maneuvering it so that it avoided the tornadoes up ahead, and the speed of the ark's advance wasn't hampered by much.
Soon, they had already been traveling through the sandstorm for several hours, and thankfully, they were yet to encounter any Flying Sin Ants.
John was standing at the head of the ark with a calm expression and his hands clasped behind his back, but a hint of blue light suddenly flashed through his eyes as he cast his gaze toward a certain direction up ahead.
Angeline immediately noticed the slight change in John's expression, and she asked, "What is it,?"
"Looks like we have trouble" John replied as he turned to her with a faint smile.
Angeline was unsure of what John was referring to.
Right at this moment, one of the tornadoes up ahead suddenly moved directly toward the spirit ark.
This tornado was particularly thick, and it extended all the way up into the heavens. Even before it arrived, the spirit ark was almost swept up by the ferocious gusts of wind that it was releasing.
Angeline's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and she had no time to ponder what John had just said as she quickly stomped a foot down onto the ark.
The flying ark immediately began to glow brightly as it sped forward rapidly, instantly covering a distance of close to fifty feet, allowing it to just barely evade the tornado.
However, before Angeline had a chance to catch her breath, the ground around the ark suddenly fell away, and pillars of yellow light erupted into the sky.
These pillars of yellow light instantly intertwined with one another to form a huge yellow array in the blink of an eye.
In particular, the array that had appeared on the ground was extremely complex and over 1,000 feet in size.
Angeline was naturally quite alarmed to see this.
All of a sudden, the surrounding scenery took on a drastic change, and they were transported into a glittering and translucent world. They were surrounded by a series of mountains, and the sky and the ground were shimmering with yellow light.
A burst of enormous spiritual pressure compressed toward the spirit ark from all directions, and countless cracks quickly appeared on the white protective barrier around the ark, looking as if it were going to crumble away at any moment.
Megan and Drew immediately let loose cries of alarm upon seeing this.
In contrast, John remained as calm as ever as he reached out a hand to summon a small dragon bell, which swelled to several dozen feet in size before descending onto the spirit ark, encompassing Megan and Drew beneath it.
The dragon bell was a defensive treasure that John had found in the long-faced young man's storage bag, and it was perfect for this situation.
Almost at the exact same moment, the white light barrier around the spirit ark was shattered, and an enormous burst of pressure descended upon the ark.
The spiritual light around John and Angeline's bodies wavered slightly, but they were able to bear the pressure without much difficulty.
The spiritual light radiating from the dragon bell also flickered erratically for a moment before returning to normal again.
"Could it be that the Heavenly Ghost Sect has sent more people after us?"
Angeline was doing her best to maintain her composure, but judging from the immense pressure being released by the array, she could tell that it definitely couldn't have been erected by a normal Nascent Soul cultivator, and that was making her feel a little panicked.
"The Heavenly Ghost Sect sure is persistent!" John chuckled.
In the sky above a desert tens of thousands of kilometers away from the Prosperous Nation's border, a spirit ark that was enshrouded in white light was flying rapidly toward a certain direction.
It was a bright and sunny day with clouds that resembled clumps of cotton drifting lazily through the sky. It was a truly beautiful and relaxing sight to behold, but none of the people on the ark were in the mood to be appreciating the scenery.
John was seated with his legs crossed and his eyes tightly shut at the tail-end of the ark, and there was a layer of faint golden light roaming over his body.
Megan was seated right next to John with green light surging over her body, and she was clearly also cultivating.
Angeline and Drew were standing at the head of the ark, and the latter was occasionally turning around to cast her gaze toward the other end of the ark with a complex look in her eyes. Meanwhile, Angeline was controlling the ark with a faint smile on her face, and she seemed to be in high spirits.
Two days had already passed since they were last attacked, and during that time, they hadn't encountered any more danger. As they approached the Cold Flame Sect, they were drawing closer and closer to safety.
After an indeterminate period of time, John's brows suddenly furrowed slightly, and he opened his eyes, following which the golden light on his body quickly faded.
During these past few days, he had attempted several more methods to try and remove the seal on his nascent soul, but he had made no progress at all and expended quite a bit of spiritual energy in the process.
Even though he had managed to find two pills of a similar caliber to the Sharp Watch Pill in the long-faced young man's storage bag, for some reason, they had no effect on him at all.
It seemed that his condition was far more complex than he had anticipated.
He shook his head to rid himself of that train of thought, then cast his gaze toward Megan.
Her aura had clearly become significantly more powerful than before, and she was showing signs of breaking through to the late-Foundation Establishment Stage. This was all thanks to another vial of pills that John had found in the long-faced young man's storage bag.
John gave a pleased nod and didn't interrupt her cultivation. Instead, he stood up and made his way over to the side of the spirit ark before casting his gaze outward.
Angeline approached him with a smile and said, "All we need to do is travel west from here, and we'll be able to reach the sect in no more than half a month. Once we arrive, our sect will be sure to organize a top-tier cave abode for you so you can recover from your injuries."
Angeline was following along behind her in silence.
"I'll be in your care then, Miss," John replied with a nod.
Angeline was just about to say something else when a burst of faint rumbling suddenly rang out up ahead.
The three of them turned toward the direction where the sound was coming from, and they discovered that there was a vast expanse of darkness on the horizon. Several massive tornadoes were extending directly up into the heavens, sweeping from side to side, and thunderous rumbling was ringing out incessantly from the tornadoes, while the entire sky was enshrouded under a suffocating layer of yellow sand.
Angeline's brows furrowed slightly as she released an incantation seal, and the spirit ark drew to a halt.
Megan was roused from her cultivation as a result, and she made her way over to John's side with a curious expression.
"It looks like nothing more than a sandstorm. Is there a problem?" John asked.
"The desert that we're currently in is known as the Yellow Billow Desert, and sandstorms are very rare here, but in the case that a sandstorm does arise, it'll quickly spread across the entire desert and rage on for around a month without rest," Angeline replied.
"Why don't we just travel directly through it? The sandstorm may encompass the entire desert, but surely it won't have any impact on us," John said as his brows furrowed slightly.
"Of course the sandstorm is of no concern to us, but there's a type of ancient insect known as the Flying Sin Ant that resides in this desert. Normally, they rest beneath the sand in hibernation, but they always come out during sandstorms. One or two of these flying ants naturally pose no threat, but they often appear in vast numbers, and they're incredibly fast.
“On top of that, they're capable of releasing a corrosive mist that's capable of eroding the spiritual natures of all treasures unless they've been refined using devilish arts. Hence, even high-grade cultivators find them to be a huge headache to deal with, and getting caught in a swarm of those flying ants could be quite troublesome," Angeline explained with a grim expression.
Han Li was silent for a moment upon hearing this, then asked, "What if we fly around this desert?"
At the moment, his spiritual energy was a limited resource, and he didn't want to have to waste it here.
Angeline considered the question for a moment before replying, "It'll probably extend our journey by over a month."
John fell silent as he stroked his chin in contemplation.
Angeline was also watching John in silence, clearly waiting for him to make a decision on how to proceed.
All of a sudden, Bruce's voice rang out in John's mind. "There's no need to worry about those flying ants, JB. Just leave them to me."
"Oh? You have a way to deal with them?" Jihn asked internally.
"Flying Sin Ants are a type of ancient insect born from a mixture of underground baleful negative energy and the resentment of deceased spirits, so they share some similarities with Heavenly Devilish Monarchs like myself”
“I didn't think that they would exist in the Spirit Domain Realm as well. These ants are indeed quite difficult to deal with, but they have a natural fear of sound-based devilish attacks. I may have lost most of my abilities, but even in my current state, dealing with these mere flying ants won't be an issue at all," Bruce said in an assured voice.
John considered the situation briefly before making a decision. "Alright, then we'll be counting on you if we encounter those Flying Yin Ants in the desert."
"We're both in the same boat here, so I naturally have to do my part," Bruce said before falling silent.
"Going around the desert will take too long, so let's go straight through the sandstorm. If we encounter those Flying Yin Ants, I have a way to deal with them," John said to Angeline.
Angeline faltered slightly upon hearing this. "Are you sure, Mr John?"
"Do you not trust me, Miss Jolie?" John asked with a faint smile.
"I have no intention of doubting you, Mr. John. In that case, let's proceed," Angeline hurriedly replied, then wasted no further time with words as she made a hand seal.
The spirit ark began to glow brightly, releasing a white protective barrier before plunging directly into the sandstorm up ahead.
In the next instant, the surroundings dimmed significantly, and there was nothing in sight in all directions aside from boundless yellow sand that was being carried by fierce gusts of wind, which were blowing viciously against the spirit ark's protective barrier.
The ark immediately began to sway slightly, and in response, Angeline switched to a different hand seal, releasing a burst of white light that vanished into a certain part of the ark in a flash.
As a result, all of the spirit patterns engraved onto the surface of the ark immediately lit up, and the white protective barrier instantly became several times brighter. The ark itself was also stabilized, and it continued onward.
Initially, Megan and Drew were rather concerned by the sight of the ferocious sandstorm outside, but as time passed, it became clear that there was no way that the sandstorm would be able to break through the spirit ark's protective barrier. Hence, their concerns were put at ease, and they began to marvel at the rare scenery outside the white light barrier.
Angeline was controlling the spirit ark, carefully maneuvering it so that it avoided the tornadoes up ahead, and the speed of the ark's advance wasn't hampered by much.
Soon, they had already been traveling through the sandstorm for several hours, and thankfully, they were yet to encounter any Flying Sin Ants.
John was standing at the head of the ark with a calm expression and his hands clasped behind his back, but a hint of blue light suddenly flashed through his eyes as he cast his gaze toward a certain direction up ahead.
Angeline immediately noticed the slight change in John's expression, and she asked, "What is it,?"
"Looks like we have trouble" John replied as he turned to her with a faint smile.
Angeline was unsure of what John was referring to.
Right at this moment, one of the tornadoes up ahead suddenly moved directly toward the spirit ark.
This tornado was particularly thick, and it extended all the way up into the heavens. Even before it arrived, the spirit ark was almost swept up by the ferocious gusts of wind that it was releasing.
Angeline's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and she had no time to ponder what John had just said as she quickly stomped a foot down onto the ark.
The flying ark immediately began to glow brightly as it sped forward rapidly, instantly covering a distance of close to fifty feet, allowing it to just barely evade the tornado.
However, before Angeline had a chance to catch her breath, the ground around the ark suddenly fell away, and pillars of yellow light erupted into the sky.
These pillars of yellow light instantly intertwined with one another to form a huge yellow array in the blink of an eye.
In particular, the array that had appeared on the ground was extremely complex and over 1,000 feet in size.
Angeline was naturally quite alarmed to see this.
All of a sudden, the surrounding scenery took on a drastic change, and they were transported into a glittering and translucent world. They were surrounded by a series of mountains, and the sky and the ground were shimmering with yellow light.
A burst of enormous spiritual pressure compressed toward the spirit ark from all directions, and countless cracks quickly appeared on the white protective barrier around the ark, looking as if it were going to crumble away at any moment.
Megan and Drew immediately let loose cries of alarm upon seeing this.
In contrast, John remained as calm as ever as he reached out a hand to summon a small dragon bell, which swelled to several dozen feet in size before descending onto the spirit ark, encompassing Megan and Drew beneath it.
The dragon bell was a defensive treasure that John had found in the long-faced young man's storage bag, and it was perfect for this situation.
Almost at the exact same moment, the white light barrier around the spirit ark was shattered, and an enormous burst of pressure descended upon the ark.
The spiritual light around John and Angeline's bodies wavered slightly, but they were able to bear the pressure without much difficulty.
The spiritual light radiating from the dragon bell also flickered erratically for a moment before returning to normal again.
"Could it be that the Heavenly Ghost Sect has sent more people after us?"
Angeline was doing her best to maintain her composure, but judging from the immense pressure being released by the array, she could tell that it definitely couldn't have been erected by a normal Nascent Soul cultivator, and that was making her feel a little panicked.
"The Heavenly Ghost Sect sure is persistent!" John chuckled.
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Dude I am very busy, will try my best. Please follow John White story while u find time to update here
- Joined
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Chapter 27: Carrying the Five Mountains, Crushing the Five Ghosts
As soon as John's voice trailed off, the surrounding space suddenly underwent a change.
A series of giant yellow rocks the size of millstones emerged out of thin air. They were positioned tightly next to one another, forming a watertight encirclement around the spirit ark.
Angie was greatly alarmed to see this, and she immediately made a hand seal, upon which a streak of black light rose up into the sky from her body, then instantly swelled drastically in size, transforming into a giant black sword
The giant sword swiveled around as it released a vast expanse of black light, which took on the form of a dragon with a long tail trailing behind it as it struck the nearest rock.
Boom
Upon collision the giant sword shattered the rock with great difficulty, but as a result of the impact, the sword itself was also sent flying back, flipping end over end, and the radiance that it was giving off had also completely faded.
Angie shuddered violently, and she stumbled back several steps before steadying herself as a stunned look appeared on her face.
The power of that single giant rock in free fall was comparable to an all-out attack from a Nascent Soul cultivator, and she couldn't help but shudder internally at the sight of the translucent giant rocks that were rapidly approaching from all directions.
However, right at this moment, John's voice rang out beside her.
"Focus on protecting those two and leave the rest to me."
Before she had a chance to reply, John had already risen up from the spirit ark with golden light glowing from his hands, and he spun around as he threw punches at the air all around him.
Boom
Crushing sounds rang out in all directions as all of the giant yellow rocks were struck by a burst of tremendous force almost at the exact same time, then exploded into countless rock fragments that rained down from the sky.
"So you really are a rogue body cultivator." A cold harrumph rang out, but it was impossible to determine where the voice was coming from.
Angie hurriedly inspected her surroundings, trying to find the owner of the voice.
Meanwhile, a hint of derision appeared in John's eyes, and he abruptly turned around before flicking a finger through the air, unleashing a burst of azure sword energy that shot forth like lightning before striking a certain corner, exploding upon impact.
The air there rippled violently, and a burly man dressed in black stumped out into the open.
The man had a very sturdy build with a short beard on his square face, which was currently etched with shock.
The burly man's expression quickly returned to normal, and he asked, "I didn't think that you would also be a sword cultivator. It's quite remarkable that you were able to see through my illusory array as a mere Nascent Soul cultivator. Based on that alone, I'm sure you're not just some nameless cultivator. Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am moderfucker. A dead man like you doesn't need to know too much," John chuckled coldly.
"What a joke! I was only putting a fraction of this array's power on display, don't think that you've got the better of me! I'm going to crush you to a pulp with this next attack!" The burly man was infuriated by John's provocation, and he made a hand seal, upon which yellow ripples surged over his body, and he vanished into thin air once again.
A hint of surprise flashed through John's eyes upon seeing this.
This array was quite an intricate construction, and the burly man had most likely concealed himself somewhere deep within it. To John's surprise, he was no longer able to detect the burly man even with his spiritual sense.
However, he then gave a cold harrumph as golden light appeared all over his entire body. His plan was to destroy the array with brute force, leaving the burly man with nowhere to hide.
However, right at this moment, an unexpected turn of events suddenly unfolded.
The entire sky abruptly darkened, and five enormous creatures with evil energy surging around their bodies emerged, surrounding the spirit ark from five different directions.
John's pupils contracted slightly upon seeing this, and piercing blue light flashed through his eyes.
Beneath the evil energy were five giant black ghosts. If it weren't for the curved horns growing on their heads, they would be the spitting image of apes that had been significantly enlarged. Their bodies were covered in short black fur, and their mouths were filled with sharp fangs, while their eyes were bright red in color. They were extremely fearsome to behold, but their expressions were quite blank and vacant.
Each of the giant ghosts was holding a miniature black mountain.
Compared with these five ghosts, John was made to appear as tiny as an ant.
Angie's expression changed drastically upon seeing this.
Every single one of these five giant ghosts was giving off an aura that was superior to hers, and a layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead.
As for Megan and Drew, they were unable to withstand the combined spiritual pressure being released by the five giant ghosts, and they had fallen unconscious on the spot.
The five giant ghosts let loose a collective deafening roar, and a vicious gleam flashed through their bright red eyes as they swung their ape arms violently to hurl the five miniature mountains that they were holding through the air.
The miniature mountains glowed brightly with spiritual light, and they swelled rapidly in size as soon as they left the hands of the giant apes, expanding in the blink of an eye as they crashed directly toward John and the spirit ark.
Even before the giant mountains arrived, an asphyxiating sense of pressure had already descended upon the spirit ark, and the space around the ark was buzzing incessantly as gusts of fierce wind were instantly swept up.
Angie was almost unable to suppress the urge to cry out in horror, and all she could do was summon a series of treasures in a panicked frenzy, conjuring up several layers of light barriers of different colors around herself and the two unconscious young women on the ark.
John's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, and golden light flashed from his palms as he extended his hands nonchalantly toward the oncoming mountains.
Boom
Upon impact incredibly powerful shockwaves surged through the air one after another.
The entire yellow space began to buzz loudly while warping violently, and finally, it reached a breaking point, shattering with a dull thump.
With the yellow space destroyed, the environment reverted back to the desert, and countless bursts of yellow light scattered erratically in all directions.
The formidable shockwaves were released upon the desert, proliferating outward in all directions, causing the surrounding sandstorm to churn violently.
Even though the yellow space had been destroyed, it was only an illusion to begin with, and the glowing yellow array on the ground was still standing.
The five giant ghosts were also still hovering in mid-air, but their expressions had become vacant and aloof again.
The burly man emerged out of thin air, and a pleased smile appeared on his face.
In the face of these five ghosts, even a late-Deity Transformation cultivator would definitely struggle immensely unless they possessed a powerful spirit treasure.
However, in the next instant, his smile abruptly stiffened, and his eyes widened as he looked down with an incredulous expression.
As it turned out, the five enormous mountains had been stacked in a pile on top of one another, and John was standing casually in mid-air beneath the base of the fifth mountain, casually supporting it with one hand as if he were carrying nothing more than five feathers.
As for the spirit ark beneath John and the three women on it, they were completely unscathed.
Before the burly man had a chance to react, John exhaled nonchalantly, releasing a burst of white energy out of his mouth, and the five giant mountains were blown away like leaves in the wind.
The surfaces of the mountains flashed with black light, and they rapidly shrank back to their original size.
John casually flicked his fingers through the air, and the five miniature mountains were instantly sent flying toward the burly man at an incredible speed, reaching him in the blink of an eye.
The burly man's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and dazzling black light erupted from his body as he plummeted rapidly toward the ground, just barely evading the five miniature mountains.
All of a sudden, John's body blurred, and he appeared in front of the five mountains in wraith-like manner, and he casually reached out again to stop the mountains cold in their tracks.
He then swiveled around before kicking two of the miniature mountains with his feet, and the two mountains instantly descended from above like a pair of shooting stars, flying close to twice as fast as they had been when they were launched through the air earlier.
The two miniature mountains flashed with black light as they abruptly expanded once again, expanding in the blink of an eye, and the whistling sound that they produced as they flew through the air was also heightened into a terrifying rumble.
One of the mountains was crashing toward the array down below, while the other was hurtling toward the burly man.
Boom
A resounding sound rang out as the former struck the yellow array with devastating force.
The array immediately began to glow with dazzling radiance in an attempt to resist, but the astonishing power imbued within the giant mountain crushed its resistance with ease, and it instantly exploded into countless bursts of light.
With the array destroyed, the spirit ark was instantly freed, and it was carried away far into the distance by a gust of fierce wind.
Meanwhile, the other mountain was hurtling rapidly toward the burly man, catching up to him before he had even landed on the ground.
The burly was greatly alarmed by this, and he opened his mouth to expel a mouthful of blood essence. His entire body was instantly enshrouded in a layer of crimson light, and he transformed into a burst of serpentine spiritual light that sped through the air, boosting his speed by several-fold.
The second giant mountain crashed into the ground, and vast chunks of rocks erupted in all directions.
In the instant that the giant mountain struck the ground, the streak of serpentine spiritual light flew over the ground, appearing in a flash. The burly man was encompassed within the streak of light, and his entire body was already drenched in cold sweat.
Before he had a chance to catch his breath, a dark shadow suddenly appeared over him, and he looked up to see another giant mountain rapidly descending upon him. At this point, it was already too close for him to evade.
As soon as John's voice trailed off, the surrounding space suddenly underwent a change.
A series of giant yellow rocks the size of millstones emerged out of thin air. They were positioned tightly next to one another, forming a watertight encirclement around the spirit ark.
Angie was greatly alarmed to see this, and she immediately made a hand seal, upon which a streak of black light rose up into the sky from her body, then instantly swelled drastically in size, transforming into a giant black sword
The giant sword swiveled around as it released a vast expanse of black light, which took on the form of a dragon with a long tail trailing behind it as it struck the nearest rock.
Boom
Upon collision the giant sword shattered the rock with great difficulty, but as a result of the impact, the sword itself was also sent flying back, flipping end over end, and the radiance that it was giving off had also completely faded.
Angie shuddered violently, and she stumbled back several steps before steadying herself as a stunned look appeared on her face.
The power of that single giant rock in free fall was comparable to an all-out attack from a Nascent Soul cultivator, and she couldn't help but shudder internally at the sight of the translucent giant rocks that were rapidly approaching from all directions.
However, right at this moment, John's voice rang out beside her.
"Focus on protecting those two and leave the rest to me."
Before she had a chance to reply, John had already risen up from the spirit ark with golden light glowing from his hands, and he spun around as he threw punches at the air all around him.
Boom
Crushing sounds rang out in all directions as all of the giant yellow rocks were struck by a burst of tremendous force almost at the exact same time, then exploded into countless rock fragments that rained down from the sky.
"So you really are a rogue body cultivator." A cold harrumph rang out, but it was impossible to determine where the voice was coming from.
Angie hurriedly inspected her surroundings, trying to find the owner of the voice.
Meanwhile, a hint of derision appeared in John's eyes, and he abruptly turned around before flicking a finger through the air, unleashing a burst of azure sword energy that shot forth like lightning before striking a certain corner, exploding upon impact.
The air there rippled violently, and a burly man dressed in black stumped out into the open.
The man had a very sturdy build with a short beard on his square face, which was currently etched with shock.
The burly man's expression quickly returned to normal, and he asked, "I didn't think that you would also be a sword cultivator. It's quite remarkable that you were able to see through my illusory array as a mere Nascent Soul cultivator. Based on that alone, I'm sure you're not just some nameless cultivator. Who are you?"
"It doesn't matter who I am moderfucker. A dead man like you doesn't need to know too much," John chuckled coldly.
"What a joke! I was only putting a fraction of this array's power on display, don't think that you've got the better of me! I'm going to crush you to a pulp with this next attack!" The burly man was infuriated by John's provocation, and he made a hand seal, upon which yellow ripples surged over his body, and he vanished into thin air once again.
A hint of surprise flashed through John's eyes upon seeing this.
This array was quite an intricate construction, and the burly man had most likely concealed himself somewhere deep within it. To John's surprise, he was no longer able to detect the burly man even with his spiritual sense.
However, he then gave a cold harrumph as golden light appeared all over his entire body. His plan was to destroy the array with brute force, leaving the burly man with nowhere to hide.
However, right at this moment, an unexpected turn of events suddenly unfolded.
The entire sky abruptly darkened, and five enormous creatures with evil energy surging around their bodies emerged, surrounding the spirit ark from five different directions.
John's pupils contracted slightly upon seeing this, and piercing blue light flashed through his eyes.
Beneath the evil energy were five giant black ghosts. If it weren't for the curved horns growing on their heads, they would be the spitting image of apes that had been significantly enlarged. Their bodies were covered in short black fur, and their mouths were filled with sharp fangs, while their eyes were bright red in color. They were extremely fearsome to behold, but their expressions were quite blank and vacant.
Each of the giant ghosts was holding a miniature black mountain.
Compared with these five ghosts, John was made to appear as tiny as an ant.
Angie's expression changed drastically upon seeing this.
Every single one of these five giant ghosts was giving off an aura that was superior to hers, and a layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead.
As for Megan and Drew, they were unable to withstand the combined spiritual pressure being released by the five giant ghosts, and they had fallen unconscious on the spot.
The five giant ghosts let loose a collective deafening roar, and a vicious gleam flashed through their bright red eyes as they swung their ape arms violently to hurl the five miniature mountains that they were holding through the air.
The miniature mountains glowed brightly with spiritual light, and they swelled rapidly in size as soon as they left the hands of the giant apes, expanding in the blink of an eye as they crashed directly toward John and the spirit ark.
Even before the giant mountains arrived, an asphyxiating sense of pressure had already descended upon the spirit ark, and the space around the ark was buzzing incessantly as gusts of fierce wind were instantly swept up.
Angie was almost unable to suppress the urge to cry out in horror, and all she could do was summon a series of treasures in a panicked frenzy, conjuring up several layers of light barriers of different colors around herself and the two unconscious young women on the ark.
John's brows furrowed slightly upon seeing this, and golden light flashed from his palms as he extended his hands nonchalantly toward the oncoming mountains.
Boom
Upon impact incredibly powerful shockwaves surged through the air one after another.
The entire yellow space began to buzz loudly while warping violently, and finally, it reached a breaking point, shattering with a dull thump.
With the yellow space destroyed, the environment reverted back to the desert, and countless bursts of yellow light scattered erratically in all directions.
The formidable shockwaves were released upon the desert, proliferating outward in all directions, causing the surrounding sandstorm to churn violently.
Even though the yellow space had been destroyed, it was only an illusion to begin with, and the glowing yellow array on the ground was still standing.
The five giant ghosts were also still hovering in mid-air, but their expressions had become vacant and aloof again.
The burly man emerged out of thin air, and a pleased smile appeared on his face.
In the face of these five ghosts, even a late-Deity Transformation cultivator would definitely struggle immensely unless they possessed a powerful spirit treasure.
However, in the next instant, his smile abruptly stiffened, and his eyes widened as he looked down with an incredulous expression.
As it turned out, the five enormous mountains had been stacked in a pile on top of one another, and John was standing casually in mid-air beneath the base of the fifth mountain, casually supporting it with one hand as if he were carrying nothing more than five feathers.
As for the spirit ark beneath John and the three women on it, they were completely unscathed.
Before the burly man had a chance to react, John exhaled nonchalantly, releasing a burst of white energy out of his mouth, and the five giant mountains were blown away like leaves in the wind.
The surfaces of the mountains flashed with black light, and they rapidly shrank back to their original size.
John casually flicked his fingers through the air, and the five miniature mountains were instantly sent flying toward the burly man at an incredible speed, reaching him in the blink of an eye.
The burly man's expression changed drastically upon seeing this, and dazzling black light erupted from his body as he plummeted rapidly toward the ground, just barely evading the five miniature mountains.
All of a sudden, John's body blurred, and he appeared in front of the five mountains in wraith-like manner, and he casually reached out again to stop the mountains cold in their tracks.
He then swiveled around before kicking two of the miniature mountains with his feet, and the two mountains instantly descended from above like a pair of shooting stars, flying close to twice as fast as they had been when they were launched through the air earlier.
The two miniature mountains flashed with black light as they abruptly expanded once again, expanding in the blink of an eye, and the whistling sound that they produced as they flew through the air was also heightened into a terrifying rumble.
One of the mountains was crashing toward the array down below, while the other was hurtling toward the burly man.
Boom
A resounding sound rang out as the former struck the yellow array with devastating force.
The array immediately began to glow with dazzling radiance in an attempt to resist, but the astonishing power imbued within the giant mountain crushed its resistance with ease, and it instantly exploded into countless bursts of light.
With the array destroyed, the spirit ark was instantly freed, and it was carried away far into the distance by a gust of fierce wind.
Meanwhile, the other mountain was hurtling rapidly toward the burly man, catching up to him before he had even landed on the ground.
The burly was greatly alarmed by this, and he opened his mouth to expel a mouthful of blood essence. His entire body was instantly enshrouded in a layer of crimson light, and he transformed into a burst of serpentine spiritual light that sped through the air, boosting his speed by several-fold.
The second giant mountain crashed into the ground, and vast chunks of rocks erupted in all directions.
In the instant that the giant mountain struck the ground, the streak of serpentine spiritual light flew over the ground, appearing in a flash. The burly man was encompassed within the streak of light, and his entire body was already drenched in cold sweat.
Before he had a chance to catch his breath, a dark shadow suddenly appeared over him, and he looked up to see another giant mountain rapidly descending upon him. At this point, it was already too close for him to evade.
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Chapter 28: Alarmed
The burly man let loose a desperate cry as he swept his hands through the air, releasing two bursts of light, one yellow and one black.
It was a pair of treasures, one of which was a black cane, while the other was a large yellow seal with countless runes flashing on its surface, and both of them hurtled directly toward the giant black mountain.
The two treasures were giving off astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations, and it was clear that they were the burly man's trump cards.
He made a hand seal before letting loose a thunderous roar, and two enormous bursts of light appeared, one yellow and one black, and they were able to slow down the descent of the giant black mountain.
The burly man took advantage of this opportunity to flee back in retreat.
However, the two bursts of light only managed to resist for a brief moment. The burly man had only just managed to fly over hundred feet away when the giant mountain crushed the two bursts of light, then slammed into the ground, causing sand to erupt in all directions once again.
The burly man flew out of the sand, but he was no longer moving as quickly as before. His face was as pale as a sheet, and half of his body was drenched in blood, while his left arm was hanging limply by his side.
Even though he had reacted very quickly, the giant mountain was far too fast, and he was still grazed by it in the end, resulting in severe injuries.
The burly man threw up a large mouthful of blood as he fell onto the ground with a horrified expression. However, he then immediately gritted his teeth and flipped a hand over to produce a white talisman. Countless densely packed runes were inscribed onto the talisman's surface, and it was giving off powerful spatial fluctuations.
The burly man quickly chanted an incantation, mustering up all that remained of his spiritual energy to try and activate the talisman.
However, right at this moment, another massive shadow appeared over his head, and yet again, he was faced with a falling mountain, this one descending at an even more alarming speed than the previous three mountains.
The burly man's expression changed drastically upon seeing this. He needed some time to activate this spatial talisman.
In his desperation, he hurriedly made a strange hand seal, and black light erupted from his body to form a black array.
All of a sudden, the five giant ghosts that had been standing in mid-air just a second ago appeared around him, forming a protective encirclement.
The eyes of the five ghosts flashed with crimson light, and they roared in unison as they swept their enormous claws through the air, unleashing a series of black claw projections that sped toward the base of the black mountain.
As soon as the claw projections struck the giant mountain, they were instantly shattered, and the downward momentum of the mountain was hampered slightly, but it was still crashing down with tremendous force.
The five ghosts roared in unison as evil energy surged over their bodies, and the muscles on their bodies bulged, particularly those on their arms and legs.
They reached up with their thick, muscle bound arms to resist the giant mountain with no regard for their own lives, well actually they were already dead, dying twice is fun
As soon as their arms came into contact with the giant mountain, they were instantly shattered by the enormous impact. However, the five ghosts were still roaring valiantly as they resisted the mountain with their bodies, refusing to take a single backward step.
Boom
The giant black mountain struck their bodies with ferocious might, and a sickening grinding sound rang out as blood and flesh flew in all directions.
The giant mountain was finally stopped.
The upper bodies of the five ghosts had been completely destroyed, but they were still standing with their feet buried deep in the desert sand, resembling five enormous pillars that were supporting the giant mountain.
The burly man heaved a faint sigh of relief upon seeing this, and he hurriedly injected all of his remaining spiritual energy into the white talisman.
The talisman began to glow with white light, and he was ecstatic to see this.
Boom
However, right at this moment, a resounding sound rang out as the final mountain came crashing down, landing on the fourth mountain.
A burst of terrifying force descended from above, and what remained of the five ghosts' bodies instantly exploded into dust.
The burly man felt the air constrict around him, rendering him completely immobile.
The two giant mountains then came crashing down upon him, and his body was crushed into a pile of mincemeat before he even had a chance to cry out.
All of a sudden, a burst of golden light shot out of the sand beneath the giant mountain, then sped away rapidly into the distance.
John focused his gaze on the streak of golden light to find that it was a miniature golden figure that was only around three inches tall. Its appearance was identical to that of the burly man, except its hair was completely disheveled, and it wore a horrified expression as it flew toward the northwest, clutching a silver storage bracelet tightly to its chest.
It was none other than the burly man's nascent soul!
"You are not going anywhere little fucker!"
John made a grabbing motion, then with a casual flick of his wrist, he sent a streak of black light flying toward the burly man's nascent soul at an incredible speed.
Meanwhile, Angie had only just managed to stabilize the spirit ark, and she just so happened to cast her gaze toward John's direction. She heard a sharp screeching sound in her ear, but her eyes were unable to follow the trajectory of the streak of black light.
Boom
In the next instant, a resounding voice rang out in the distant sky, and the burly man's nascent soul exploded into a ball of golden light.
A black palm-sized object also fell out of the sky, and it was nothing more than a piece of normal iron essence.
As for the burly man's silver storage bracelet, it was drawn into John's grasp with a casual wave of his hand. He then flew over to the five scattered mountains, shrinking them back down to their miniature forms and stowing them away before returning to the spirit ark.
All the while, Angie was staring blankly at him as if she were looking at a complete stranger.
Earlier in her panicked state, she didn't get a chance to try and identify the burly man. However, thinking back to the cultivation arts and secret techniques that he had unleashed, she was able to identify him as an early-Deity Transformation Stage elder of the Heavenly Ghost Sect by the name of Brad Pitt.
He was particularly adept in the art of manipulating ghosts, and it was said that over a decade ago, he was able to hold his own in battle against two Origin Realm Temple cultivators of the same cultivation base.
Despite all of his accolades, he had been slain by the man himself, JB with ease, and this had already exceeded the boundaries of Angie's comprehension.
It had finally become clear to her that there was no comparison whatsoever between her and John, and she was utterly astonished.
After a while, Angie finally returned to her senses, and she asked with a wry smile, "Mr. John, are you really only a Nascent Soul cultivator?"
The awe and veneration in her eyes were clear to see.
"I'm sure you can tell that for yourself, can't you, Miss?" John replied in an ambiguous manner.
"I'm naturally able to discern the level of your spiritual energy fluctuations, but your prowess in battle far exceeds what should be possible for a Nascent Soul cultivator! Even among all of the Deity Transformation Stage elders of our sect, I can't think of any who would be capable of slaying other Deity Transformation cultivators so easily," Angie sighed.
"My only advantage is that I possess a physical body slightly more powerful than most, I wouldn't dare to compare myself with the powerful elders of the Cold Flame Sect," John replied with a shake of his head, then spoke no further on the subject.
Instead, he directed his gaze toward Megan and Drew, who were still laying on the ground in an unconscious state, and he swept a sleeve through the air to release a burst of azure spiritual light that passed over the two.
Both of the young women slowly awakened, but as they opened their eyes, they were a little disoriented.
As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Megan quickly recalled what had just happened, and she sat bolt upright with an alarmed expression.
"Brother Rock! You..."
"Don't worry, everything's fine now. We can continue onward," John said in a gentle voice, looking as if nothing had happened.
……
"Peak Master, according to the message that Martial Niece Angie just sent back, that vagrant cultivator with the Brown surname definitely isn't just some ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. Who could've thought that she would run into such an interesting character on this trip?"
Inside a conference hall within a certain mountain in the Cold Flame Sect, a burly man with a coarse and rugged appearance was speaking to a middle-aged man in a scholarly robe.
The middle-aged man was clean-shaven and was wearing an azure robe, holding an ancient azure scroll in his hands, giving him the appearance of an elegant and refined scholar.
"The fact that he was able to kill an early-Deity Transformation cultivator with the power of his physical body alone indicates that he's clearly a high-grade body cultivator," the azure-robed man replied with a nod.
"In any case, it's certainly great news that the Heavenly Ghost Sect has lost one of its Deity Transformation Stage elders. I must say, I'm very interested in this vagrant cultivator," the burly man chuckled with a hint of triumph in his eyes.
A faint smile also appeared on the azure-robed man's face upon hearing this, and he said, "In that case, I'll get you to greet him in person once he arrives. I'm sure you know what needs to be done."
"Yes," the burly man replied.
The burly man let loose a desperate cry as he swept his hands through the air, releasing two bursts of light, one yellow and one black.
It was a pair of treasures, one of which was a black cane, while the other was a large yellow seal with countless runes flashing on its surface, and both of them hurtled directly toward the giant black mountain.
The two treasures were giving off astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations, and it was clear that they were the burly man's trump cards.
He made a hand seal before letting loose a thunderous roar, and two enormous bursts of light appeared, one yellow and one black, and they were able to slow down the descent of the giant black mountain.
The burly man took advantage of this opportunity to flee back in retreat.
However, the two bursts of light only managed to resist for a brief moment. The burly man had only just managed to fly over hundred feet away when the giant mountain crushed the two bursts of light, then slammed into the ground, causing sand to erupt in all directions once again.
The burly man flew out of the sand, but he was no longer moving as quickly as before. His face was as pale as a sheet, and half of his body was drenched in blood, while his left arm was hanging limply by his side.
Even though he had reacted very quickly, the giant mountain was far too fast, and he was still grazed by it in the end, resulting in severe injuries.
The burly man threw up a large mouthful of blood as he fell onto the ground with a horrified expression. However, he then immediately gritted his teeth and flipped a hand over to produce a white talisman. Countless densely packed runes were inscribed onto the talisman's surface, and it was giving off powerful spatial fluctuations.
The burly man quickly chanted an incantation, mustering up all that remained of his spiritual energy to try and activate the talisman.
However, right at this moment, another massive shadow appeared over his head, and yet again, he was faced with a falling mountain, this one descending at an even more alarming speed than the previous three mountains.
The burly man's expression changed drastically upon seeing this. He needed some time to activate this spatial talisman.
In his desperation, he hurriedly made a strange hand seal, and black light erupted from his body to form a black array.
All of a sudden, the five giant ghosts that had been standing in mid-air just a second ago appeared around him, forming a protective encirclement.
The eyes of the five ghosts flashed with crimson light, and they roared in unison as they swept their enormous claws through the air, unleashing a series of black claw projections that sped toward the base of the black mountain.
As soon as the claw projections struck the giant mountain, they were instantly shattered, and the downward momentum of the mountain was hampered slightly, but it was still crashing down with tremendous force.
The five ghosts roared in unison as evil energy surged over their bodies, and the muscles on their bodies bulged, particularly those on their arms and legs.
They reached up with their thick, muscle bound arms to resist the giant mountain with no regard for their own lives, well actually they were already dead, dying twice is fun
As soon as their arms came into contact with the giant mountain, they were instantly shattered by the enormous impact. However, the five ghosts were still roaring valiantly as they resisted the mountain with their bodies, refusing to take a single backward step.
Boom
The giant black mountain struck their bodies with ferocious might, and a sickening grinding sound rang out as blood and flesh flew in all directions.
The giant mountain was finally stopped.
The upper bodies of the five ghosts had been completely destroyed, but they were still standing with their feet buried deep in the desert sand, resembling five enormous pillars that were supporting the giant mountain.
The burly man heaved a faint sigh of relief upon seeing this, and he hurriedly injected all of his remaining spiritual energy into the white talisman.
The talisman began to glow with white light, and he was ecstatic to see this.
Boom
However, right at this moment, a resounding sound rang out as the final mountain came crashing down, landing on the fourth mountain.
A burst of terrifying force descended from above, and what remained of the five ghosts' bodies instantly exploded into dust.
The burly man felt the air constrict around him, rendering him completely immobile.
The two giant mountains then came crashing down upon him, and his body was crushed into a pile of mincemeat before he even had a chance to cry out.
All of a sudden, a burst of golden light shot out of the sand beneath the giant mountain, then sped away rapidly into the distance.
John focused his gaze on the streak of golden light to find that it was a miniature golden figure that was only around three inches tall. Its appearance was identical to that of the burly man, except its hair was completely disheveled, and it wore a horrified expression as it flew toward the northwest, clutching a silver storage bracelet tightly to its chest.
It was none other than the burly man's nascent soul!
"You are not going anywhere little fucker!"
John made a grabbing motion, then with a casual flick of his wrist, he sent a streak of black light flying toward the burly man's nascent soul at an incredible speed.
Meanwhile, Angie had only just managed to stabilize the spirit ark, and she just so happened to cast her gaze toward John's direction. She heard a sharp screeching sound in her ear, but her eyes were unable to follow the trajectory of the streak of black light.
Boom
In the next instant, a resounding voice rang out in the distant sky, and the burly man's nascent soul exploded into a ball of golden light.
A black palm-sized object also fell out of the sky, and it was nothing more than a piece of normal iron essence.
As for the burly man's silver storage bracelet, it was drawn into John's grasp with a casual wave of his hand. He then flew over to the five scattered mountains, shrinking them back down to their miniature forms and stowing them away before returning to the spirit ark.
All the while, Angie was staring blankly at him as if she were looking at a complete stranger.
Earlier in her panicked state, she didn't get a chance to try and identify the burly man. However, thinking back to the cultivation arts and secret techniques that he had unleashed, she was able to identify him as an early-Deity Transformation Stage elder of the Heavenly Ghost Sect by the name of Brad Pitt.
He was particularly adept in the art of manipulating ghosts, and it was said that over a decade ago, he was able to hold his own in battle against two Origin Realm Temple cultivators of the same cultivation base.
Despite all of his accolades, he had been slain by the man himself, JB with ease, and this had already exceeded the boundaries of Angie's comprehension.
It had finally become clear to her that there was no comparison whatsoever between her and John, and she was utterly astonished.
After a while, Angie finally returned to her senses, and she asked with a wry smile, "Mr. John, are you really only a Nascent Soul cultivator?"
The awe and veneration in her eyes were clear to see.
"I'm sure you can tell that for yourself, can't you, Miss?" John replied in an ambiguous manner.
"I'm naturally able to discern the level of your spiritual energy fluctuations, but your prowess in battle far exceeds what should be possible for a Nascent Soul cultivator! Even among all of the Deity Transformation Stage elders of our sect, I can't think of any who would be capable of slaying other Deity Transformation cultivators so easily," Angie sighed.
"My only advantage is that I possess a physical body slightly more powerful than most, I wouldn't dare to compare myself with the powerful elders of the Cold Flame Sect," John replied with a shake of his head, then spoke no further on the subject.
Instead, he directed his gaze toward Megan and Drew, who were still laying on the ground in an unconscious state, and he swept a sleeve through the air to release a burst of azure spiritual light that passed over the two.
Both of the young women slowly awakened, but as they opened their eyes, they were a little disoriented.
As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Megan quickly recalled what had just happened, and she sat bolt upright with an alarmed expression.
"Brother Rock! You..."
"Don't worry, everything's fine now. We can continue onward," John said in a gentle voice, looking as if nothing had happened.
……
"Peak Master, according to the message that Martial Niece Angie just sent back, that vagrant cultivator with the Brown surname definitely isn't just some ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. Who could've thought that she would run into such an interesting character on this trip?"
Inside a conference hall within a certain mountain in the Cold Flame Sect, a burly man with a coarse and rugged appearance was speaking to a middle-aged man in a scholarly robe.
The middle-aged man was clean-shaven and was wearing an azure robe, holding an ancient azure scroll in his hands, giving him the appearance of an elegant and refined scholar.
"The fact that he was able to kill an early-Deity Transformation cultivator with the power of his physical body alone indicates that he's clearly a high-grade body cultivator," the azure-robed man replied with a nod.
"In any case, it's certainly great news that the Heavenly Ghost Sect has lost one of its Deity Transformation Stage elders. I must say, I'm very interested in this vagrant cultivator," the burly man chuckled with a hint of triumph in his eyes.
A faint smile also appeared on the azure-robed man's face upon hearing this, and he said, "In that case, I'll get you to greet him in person once he arrives. I'm sure you know what needs to be done."
"Yes," the burly man replied.
M. W. Durrani
First Level Body Fusion Realm
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Haha when you add pictures makes it look like a movie.
M. W. Durrani
First Level Body Fusion Realm
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I'm still unable to get courage for translating a novel. However, this is the least I can do to express my imagination and enjoyment of your efforts! Keep it up, bro!
M. W. Durrani
First Level Body Fusion Realm
- Joined
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Chapter 29: Spiritflame Mountain Range
At the same time, in a certain cave abode, a thin elderly man wearing an ochre robe was situated on the main seat gently blowing into a cup of tea that he was holding in his hand.
In front of him was a middle-aged man with a pair of narrow eyes, standing with his head lowered slightly and a respectful look on his face.
"Given how much time has passed, Brad Pitt should be done on his end," the thin elderly man mused.
"There's no chance that anything could go wrong under Elder Pitt's watch. Only someone of such a lofty status as yourself would be able to request such a favor from Elder Pitt," the middle-aged man said in a respectful voice.
"Out of all of my descendants, Chuck is the only one who possesses the aptitude to be destined for great things, yet to think that he would die such a premature death! That bastard should be killed thousands of times over for what he's done!" the elderly man said in a furious voice as he slammed down his teacup.
"Look on the bright side, Patriarch. Once Drew Anderson is captured, you'll be well on your way to attaining full mastery of your cultivation art," the middle-aged man hurriedly consoled.
The fury on the elderly man's face eased slightly, and he said, "Come to think of it, she's partially to blame for Chuck's death as well, but I'll spare her for now, seeing as she possesses a constitution that's useful to me."
As soon as his voice trailed off, his expression suddenly changed slightly, and he cast his gaze toward the gates of his cave abode.
Moments later, the sound of footsteps rang out, and a young female servant appeared at the cave abode's entrance, then extended a respectful bow as she declared, "Elder Butler, Elder Clooney has come to see you."
Before the elderly man had a chance to reply, a cold male voice rang out from outside the cave abode.
"To think that you're still in the mood to be sipping tea in your cave abode at a time like this. I must say, your composure is very remarkable, Elder Butler."
Immediately thereafter, a middle-aged man in a black robe with a tall hat on his head appeared outside the entrance.
Greg Butler raised an eyebrow at the sight of the man, and he gestured for the servant to leave before asking, "What business do you have with me, George Clooney? Unless I'm mistaken, I don't believe we arranged a meeting at this time."
Instead of answering Butler's question, George raised one of his own. "Elder Pitt's soul badge suddenly cracked not long ago. Do you have anything to say about that, Elder Butler?"
"What did you say?" Butler immediately sprang to his feet with a stunned expression.
"According to those who last saw Elder Pitt, he went to intercept a group of people at your request, and that was what led to his death. May I ask who you requested him to intercept, Elder Butler?" Clooney asked in a cold voice.
"That's impossible! How could a pair of Nascent Soul cultivators possibly have been a match for Brad Pitt?" Butler was absolutely incredulous.
"Elder Pitt was an early-Deity Transformation cultivator, yet not only was he killed, even his nascent soul was unable to escape. Am I supposed to believe that you had no idea at all about how much danger you were placing Elder Pitt in? I hope you haven't made a powerful enemy for the sect all for your own selfish vendettas. In any case, I'll have to ask you to come with me on a trip to the Enforcement Hall, Elder Butler," Clooney said in a cold voice.
……
Several days later, John's group finally emerged from the Yellow Billow Desert.
Along the way, they were attacked by several swarms of Flying Sin Ants, but they were easily taken care of by John through Bruce Willa, and they encountered no further pursuers from the Heavenly Ghost Sect.
Furthermore, given that John was able to slay a Deity Transformation cultivator so easily, Angie was not surprised at all to see that he was able to deal with the Flying Sin Ants as well.
The consecutive days of travel had left Drew and Megan feeling rather exhausted, and they were cuddled up together, sleeping soundly on one side of the spirit ark.
John was seated with his legs crossed at the tail-end of the spirit ark with his brows slightly furrowed and a rather peculiar look in his eyes. In front of him seven or eight vials of different colors and materials, all of which had been completely emptied.
"How did it go, JB?" Bruce's voice rang out in his mind.
"Most of these pills came from that Deity Transformation cultivator, and there's no lack of pills of a decently high caliber among them, but not a single one has had any effect on me," John sighed.
During the previous battle, he was able to kill his opponent with his immense physical strength and the help of those five mountains, so he hadn't expended much spiritual energy, but it was still naturally a problem that he was unable to increase his current reserves of spiritual energy.
"What about the top-grade spirit stones?"
"I can't absorb them, either," John replied with a wry smile, spreading open his hand to reveal a spirit stone that had already become completely devoid of luster.
"It seems that only certain special pills will have an effect on you," Bruce mused.
"Perhaps. So far, only that Sharp Watch Pill and that golden pill I found in Gerald Bulter's storage bag have been effective. Once we get to the Cold Flame Sect, I'm going to get another Sharp Watch Pill and study it thoroughly. Perhaps I'll be able to find out the underlying reasons then," John replied as he absentmindedly stroked the small vial that he wore around his neck.
……
Half a month later, a spirit ark sped through the air above a lush mountain range.
There was one man and three women on the ark, and they were none other than John’s group.
"This Spiritflame Mountain Range is the entrance to our Cold Flame Sect," Angie introduced with a smile as she swept her gaze over the forest down below.
"The spirit veins are very stable, and there's a vast abundance of spiritual energy. This is indeed a fantastic place," John mused with a nod of approval.
Drew was ecstatic to hear this, but after looking around, a puzzled look appeared on her face as she turned to Angie.
Megan was holding onto the side of the spirit ark, leaning her body over the edge to inspect her surroundings, but she couldn't see any signs of a sect amid the lush greenery, either, and she couldn't help but ask, "Brother Rock, I can also sense that the spiritual energy here is very abundant, but I don't see any sect."
"All major sects are concealed by powerful arrays. We are currently situated outside the array, which is equivalent to standing outside the walls of a city, so we naturally can't see what's inside," John replied with a smile.
Megan and Drew didn't fully understand this concept, but they still nodded in response.
"Mr. John, please wait for a moment while I inform the sect of our arrival," Angie said.
She flipped a hand over as she spoke, producing a palm-sized golden badge with a flame design etched onto its surface.
A burst of light emerged on the badge, and the flame design suddenly began to sway as if it were an actual flame.
A streak of light shot forth from the badge, flying directly into the mountain range down below.
Moments later, a burst of ripples suddenly spread through the air below the spirit ark, and a semi-spherical golden light barrier that was barely visible slowly emerged.
The entirety of the Spiritflame Mountain Range, which stretched for several hundred kilometers, was completely encompassed within the light barrier.
"As expected of one of the most dominant sects in a realm," John remarked with a hint of approval in his voice.
Megan and Drew were both gripping onto the edge of the spirit ark, looking down with awe and amazement in their eyes.
Beneath the golden light barrier were countless palaces and pagodas interspersed throughout the lush forest.
Some of the buildings were situated individually atop sheer cliffs, while others were connected together in a cluster. Some were positioned in canyons and gorges, while others were built halfway up mountains.
At the center of the entire mountain range were around a dozen mountains that were far taller than all of the other ones, and there was white mist and purple qi rising up from those mountains. It was clear just from a glance that those peaks were particularly abundant in spiritual energy.
"This place is beautiful!" Drew couldn't help but exclaim.
Megan also nodded eagerly in agreement.
Angie was clearly in a very good mood following their return to the sect, and she turned to John with a smile as she said, "Mr. John, Elder Murray is already waiting for us on Cloudrise Peak. Let's go see him right away."
John nodded in response.
Right as the spirit ark passed through the light barrier, he felt a burst of spiritual sense sweep over his body, and he presumed that it belonged to the aforementioned Elder Murray.
After John and the others officially entered the Cold Flame Sect, Megan took a curious glance upward to find that the light barrier had already disappeared, and all that was left to be seen were the pristine blue sky and the drifting white clouds.
The spirit ark flew toward the center of the mountain range, then descended onto a lush mountain peak that extended all the way up into the clouds.
At the foot of that mountain was a spacious white plaza, where an imposing man was standing, casting his gaze toward the spirit ark from afar.
The man had a set of rugged features and was wearing an ochre robe with a black belt around his waist, accentuating the outline of his pronounced pectoral muscles. Judging from the aura that he was giving off, he was a Deity Transformation cultivator.
At the same time, in a certain cave abode, a thin elderly man wearing an ochre robe was situated on the main seat gently blowing into a cup of tea that he was holding in his hand.
In front of him was a middle-aged man with a pair of narrow eyes, standing with his head lowered slightly and a respectful look on his face.
"Given how much time has passed, Brad Pitt should be done on his end," the thin elderly man mused.
"There's no chance that anything could go wrong under Elder Pitt's watch. Only someone of such a lofty status as yourself would be able to request such a favor from Elder Pitt," the middle-aged man said in a respectful voice.
"Out of all of my descendants, Chuck is the only one who possesses the aptitude to be destined for great things, yet to think that he would die such a premature death! That bastard should be killed thousands of times over for what he's done!" the elderly man said in a furious voice as he slammed down his teacup.
"Look on the bright side, Patriarch. Once Drew Anderson is captured, you'll be well on your way to attaining full mastery of your cultivation art," the middle-aged man hurriedly consoled.
The fury on the elderly man's face eased slightly, and he said, "Come to think of it, she's partially to blame for Chuck's death as well, but I'll spare her for now, seeing as she possesses a constitution that's useful to me."
As soon as his voice trailed off, his expression suddenly changed slightly, and he cast his gaze toward the gates of his cave abode.
Moments later, the sound of footsteps rang out, and a young female servant appeared at the cave abode's entrance, then extended a respectful bow as she declared, "Elder Butler, Elder Clooney has come to see you."
Before the elderly man had a chance to reply, a cold male voice rang out from outside the cave abode.
"To think that you're still in the mood to be sipping tea in your cave abode at a time like this. I must say, your composure is very remarkable, Elder Butler."
Immediately thereafter, a middle-aged man in a black robe with a tall hat on his head appeared outside the entrance.
Greg Butler raised an eyebrow at the sight of the man, and he gestured for the servant to leave before asking, "What business do you have with me, George Clooney? Unless I'm mistaken, I don't believe we arranged a meeting at this time."
Instead of answering Butler's question, George raised one of his own. "Elder Pitt's soul badge suddenly cracked not long ago. Do you have anything to say about that, Elder Butler?"
"What did you say?" Butler immediately sprang to his feet with a stunned expression.
"According to those who last saw Elder Pitt, he went to intercept a group of people at your request, and that was what led to his death. May I ask who you requested him to intercept, Elder Butler?" Clooney asked in a cold voice.
"That's impossible! How could a pair of Nascent Soul cultivators possibly have been a match for Brad Pitt?" Butler was absolutely incredulous.
"Elder Pitt was an early-Deity Transformation cultivator, yet not only was he killed, even his nascent soul was unable to escape. Am I supposed to believe that you had no idea at all about how much danger you were placing Elder Pitt in? I hope you haven't made a powerful enemy for the sect all for your own selfish vendettas. In any case, I'll have to ask you to come with me on a trip to the Enforcement Hall, Elder Butler," Clooney said in a cold voice.
……
Several days later, John's group finally emerged from the Yellow Billow Desert.
Along the way, they were attacked by several swarms of Flying Sin Ants, but they were easily taken care of by John through Bruce Willa, and they encountered no further pursuers from the Heavenly Ghost Sect.
Furthermore, given that John was able to slay a Deity Transformation cultivator so easily, Angie was not surprised at all to see that he was able to deal with the Flying Sin Ants as well.
The consecutive days of travel had left Drew and Megan feeling rather exhausted, and they were cuddled up together, sleeping soundly on one side of the spirit ark.
John was seated with his legs crossed at the tail-end of the spirit ark with his brows slightly furrowed and a rather peculiar look in his eyes. In front of him seven or eight vials of different colors and materials, all of which had been completely emptied.
"How did it go, JB?" Bruce's voice rang out in his mind.
"Most of these pills came from that Deity Transformation cultivator, and there's no lack of pills of a decently high caliber among them, but not a single one has had any effect on me," John sighed.
During the previous battle, he was able to kill his opponent with his immense physical strength and the help of those five mountains, so he hadn't expended much spiritual energy, but it was still naturally a problem that he was unable to increase his current reserves of spiritual energy.
"What about the top-grade spirit stones?"
"I can't absorb them, either," John replied with a wry smile, spreading open his hand to reveal a spirit stone that had already become completely devoid of luster.
"It seems that only certain special pills will have an effect on you," Bruce mused.
"Perhaps. So far, only that Sharp Watch Pill and that golden pill I found in Gerald Bulter's storage bag have been effective. Once we get to the Cold Flame Sect, I'm going to get another Sharp Watch Pill and study it thoroughly. Perhaps I'll be able to find out the underlying reasons then," John replied as he absentmindedly stroked the small vial that he wore around his neck.
……
Half a month later, a spirit ark sped through the air above a lush mountain range.
There was one man and three women on the ark, and they were none other than John’s group.
"This Spiritflame Mountain Range is the entrance to our Cold Flame Sect," Angie introduced with a smile as she swept her gaze over the forest down below.
"The spirit veins are very stable, and there's a vast abundance of spiritual energy. This is indeed a fantastic place," John mused with a nod of approval.
Drew was ecstatic to hear this, but after looking around, a puzzled look appeared on her face as she turned to Angie.
Megan was holding onto the side of the spirit ark, leaning her body over the edge to inspect her surroundings, but she couldn't see any signs of a sect amid the lush greenery, either, and she couldn't help but ask, "Brother Rock, I can also sense that the spiritual energy here is very abundant, but I don't see any sect."
"All major sects are concealed by powerful arrays. We are currently situated outside the array, which is equivalent to standing outside the walls of a city, so we naturally can't see what's inside," John replied with a smile.
Megan and Drew didn't fully understand this concept, but they still nodded in response.
"Mr. John, please wait for a moment while I inform the sect of our arrival," Angie said.
She flipped a hand over as she spoke, producing a palm-sized golden badge with a flame design etched onto its surface.
A burst of light emerged on the badge, and the flame design suddenly began to sway as if it were an actual flame.
A streak of light shot forth from the badge, flying directly into the mountain range down below.
Moments later, a burst of ripples suddenly spread through the air below the spirit ark, and a semi-spherical golden light barrier that was barely visible slowly emerged.
The entirety of the Spiritflame Mountain Range, which stretched for several hundred kilometers, was completely encompassed within the light barrier.
"As expected of one of the most dominant sects in a realm," John remarked with a hint of approval in his voice.
Megan and Drew were both gripping onto the edge of the spirit ark, looking down with awe and amazement in their eyes.
Beneath the golden light barrier were countless palaces and pagodas interspersed throughout the lush forest.
Some of the buildings were situated individually atop sheer cliffs, while others were connected together in a cluster. Some were positioned in canyons and gorges, while others were built halfway up mountains.
At the center of the entire mountain range were around a dozen mountains that were far taller than all of the other ones, and there was white mist and purple qi rising up from those mountains. It was clear just from a glance that those peaks were particularly abundant in spiritual energy.
"This place is beautiful!" Drew couldn't help but exclaim.
Megan also nodded eagerly in agreement.
Angie was clearly in a very good mood following their return to the sect, and she turned to John with a smile as she said, "Mr. John, Elder Murray is already waiting for us on Cloudrise Peak. Let's go see him right away."
John nodded in response.
Right as the spirit ark passed through the light barrier, he felt a burst of spiritual sense sweep over his body, and he presumed that it belonged to the aforementioned Elder Murray.
After John and the others officially entered the Cold Flame Sect, Megan took a curious glance upward to find that the light barrier had already disappeared, and all that was left to be seen were the pristine blue sky and the drifting white clouds.
The spirit ark flew toward the center of the mountain range, then descended onto a lush mountain peak that extended all the way up into the clouds.
At the foot of that mountain was a spacious white plaza, where an imposing man was standing, casting his gaze toward the spirit ark from afar.
The man had a set of rugged features and was wearing an ochre robe with a black belt around his waist, accentuating the outline of his pronounced pectoral muscles. Judging from the aura that he was giving off, he was a Deity Transformation cultivator.