Translator: AnubisTL
In the distant sky, a tiny red dot appeared.
The red dot streaked across the battlefield with incredible speed, carrying a formidable aura that parted the clouds on either side.
Soon, those with keen eyesight could make out the slender figure.
It was a breathtakingly beautiful woman in a crimson robe, her figure tall and slender, her face utterly expressionless.
Almost instantly, someone recognized her: "Exquisite True Lord!"
Indeed, it was Exquisite True Lord!
The cultivators from the Heavenly River Sect paled, their eyes filled with despair.
After their arduous escape, they had finally reached the snowy southern lands and met the Lingyun Sect's reinforcements, only to be confronted by Exquisite True Lord, the Shangqing Sect's notoriously ruthless figure!
Their mana was nearly depleted, leaving them with no hope of escaping a core formation realm cultivator.
"I refuse to accept this!" Liu Huai'an gritted his teeth, unwilling to die so easily.
As a cultivator with a heavenly spirit root, his dao path was destined for limitless glory. Given time, even reaching the core formation realm would be effortless.
But now, the Shangqing Sect would never give him that chance. He was destined to be cut down like a tender sprout, barely emerging from the earth.
Some turned to look at the Lingyun Sect elders who had come to provide support. They quickly noticed that the four elders showed no signs of panic, their expressions remarkably calm.
Seeing this, a flicker of hope ignited in many hearts.
"Could it be..."
"Heh, it's not like the Shangqing Sect is the only one with a core formation realm Ancestor," Wu Chong sneered, glancing in Li Qing's direction.
At that moment, Li Qing had just exchanged a fierce blow with Yan Xi, the two fighters separating.
In Li Qing's hand, fragments of purple jade continued to scatter like falling petals.
Exquisite True Lord's speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, she had already reached the battlefield.
Yet upon arriving, she didn't spare a glance for the foundation establishment elders. Instead, her gaze turned solemn as she stared toward the southwestern horizon.
"Old Monster Ziqing, since you're here, show yourself! Has hiding in the shadows become the Lingyun Sect's modus operandi?" Exquisite True Lord's voice rang out, cold and commanding. Her icy tone, combined with her overwhelming aura, only served to enhance her image as a cold and regal queen.
As the words faded, a faint purple mist instantly filled the air.
An elderly man drifted into view, reclining on a cloud of violet mist, his face etched with helplessness.
"Ah, this is the legendary Exquisite Treasure Physique! How could this old man possibly win? What if I die here?!"
"Exquisite True Lord of the Shangqing Sect, why don't we just put on a show?"
"Reaching the core formation realm in this domain is no easy feat. We should focus on our future dao paths—fighting and killing is so pointless."
True Lord Ziqing scratched his hand, his expression a mix of melancholy and resignation.
His words left everyone dumbfounded.
Even Li Qing swallowed hard, thinking, How could our ancestor be so unreliable?!
This completely shattered his preconceived notions of core formation true lords!
Since embarking on his cultivation journey, every core formation true lord he had encountered had exuded an air of immortal grace and dignity, either radiating profound composure or enigmatic mystery.
None had ever resembled this shameless old coot he had just summoned—a man who seemed utterly indifferent to maintaining even a shred of dignity as the sect's Ancestor!
Upon hearing these words, Exquisite True Lord immediately smiled, her beauty radiating a bewitching charm.
"Senior Ziqing's words resonate deeply with me. Truthfully, I have no desire to engage in a life-or-death struggle with you."
At this, True Lord Ziqing's wrinkled face broke into a joyous grin. "That's the spirit! Let the younger disciples of the sects handle the bloody battles. As Ancestors, our focus should be on pursuing the Dao and scaling the peaks of cultivation!"
Exquisite True Lord gradually withdrew her radiant smile, her voice softening as she continued, "However, there's one condition: allow me to eliminate these remnants of the Heavenly River Sect first."
With that, she turned her gaze toward the remaining foundation establishment elders of the Heavenly River Sect below.
Each elder who met her beautiful eyes felt a chill run down their spines, none daring to hold her gaze.
"Aiya, Exquisite True Lord, your killing intent is a bit too strong! Cultivation isn't about that, you know!"
"I've heard that the Nascent Soul Formation stage involves the Great Heart Demon Calamity. Those with such overwhelming killing intent often struggle to overcome this trial. When the Karmic Fire engulfs you, even the gods won't be able to save you!"
True Lord Ziqing shook his head repeatedly, his expression dismissive.
"Senior Ziqing, you needn't trouble yourself!" Exquisite True Lord's voice suddenly filled with icy killing intent. She gently raised her fair hand and pressed it down toward the Heavenly River Sect elders below.
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, a purplish mist materialized, directly blocking her attack.
"It seems Senior Ziqing wishes to guide my daoist arts. This junior has no choice but to humbly accept your guidance!" Exquisite True Lord abandoned her killing intent toward the Heavenly River Sect remnants and turned to face True Lord Ziqing.
True Lord Ziqing sighed repeatedly, "Ah! This is such a headache!"
Despite his words, his movements were anything but slow as he immediately engaged Exquisite True Lord in combat.
Waves of powerful battle aftermath swept down from the high heavens, causing the faces of everyone below to pale.
"Martial Uncle Ziqing, please move the battlefield further away! We're about to get caught in the crossfire!" Wu Chong shouted toward the sky.
Ancestor Ziqing didn't even turn his head, continuing to shake his head and sigh, "Ah, what a nuisance!"
With that, he seized control of the battle, leading Exquisite True Lord to another location to continue their clash.
Once the two core formation true lords had moved far away, only the foundation establishment elders from the three sects remained on the battlefield.
This time, however, Ling Ying and the others wore grim expressions.
"The mission has failed. Let's retreat!"
It was clear that the Lingyun Sect held the absolute advantage. With Exquisite True Lord preoccupied, any further engagement would only result in their deaths.
Ling Ying keenly sensed Exquisite True Lord's tacit approval of their withdrawal. After all, this was Lingyun Sect territory, and the consequences of escalating the conflict were obvious.
Without hesitation, Ling Ying led the remaining Shangqing Sect elders northward, showing no trace of regret.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Wu Chong's brow furrowed as he prepared to give chase.
Li Qing immediately stopped Fatty Wu from his reckless pursuit.
"Enough, Fatty Wu. Come back. Don't forget our mission. Chasing them is pointless."
In truth, Li Qing also wanted to seize this opportunity to eliminate both Ling Ying and the body-seizing Shi Nantian. However, continuing the pursuit would introduce too many variables, especially since the outcome of the battle between Ancestor Ziqing and Exquisite True Lord remained uncertain.
If the seemingly unreliable Ancestor Ziqing were to fail, they would all be in danger.
In the end, the sect's mission took priority. Everything else would have to wait.
Hearing Li Qing's words, Fatty Wu reluctantly abandoned his pursuit, his face filled with regret.
"How are you all? If you can still move, come back to Lingyun Sect with us. Senior Brother Sect Leader instructed me to bring you back," Li Qing said calmly, his hands clasped behind his back as he hovered in the air.
Liu Huai'an shook his head. "I'm fine. Traveling shouldn't be a problem."
"Fellow Daoist Li, thank you for your righteous intervention!" Nine Heavens, having narrowly escaped death, cupped his hands in a complex bow toward Li Qing.
Hearing this, Li Qing finally smiled. "Ha ha ha, Brother Nine Heavens, we've known each other for quite some time now. There's no need for such formalities."
Nine Heavens' expression grew even more complicated. He clicked his tongue and said, "After all these years apart, I never imagined you would achieve foundation establishment, Brother Li. My judgment was truly short-sighted back then."
His words were a clear reference to his decision to sever ties with Li Qing immediately after achieving foundation establishment himself.
Looking back now, he realized how inappropriate his actions had been.
"Enough talk. The important thing is that you're safe. I was ordered by Senior Brother Sect Leader to come and assist you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known the Heavenly River Sect was in such dire straits," Li Qing said, shaking his head.
Meanwhile, Liu Hanyue showed no such restraint or regret. She and Li Qing shared a deep bond.
With a gentle smile, Liu Hanyue said, "Brother Li, your success in achieving foundation establishment with a four spirit root aptitude truly exceeds all expectations."
"Hahaha, it was just luck, pure luck!" Li Qing chuckled, scratching his head with feigned modesty.
Liu Hanyue's expression softened. "While I might believe it was luck for someone else to achieve foundation establishment with a four spirit root aptitude, Brother Li, you've already reached the mid-foundation establishment stage. That's far beyond what mere luck could accomplish!"
Her words rang true. She had achieved foundation establishment before Li Qing, despite possessing a dual spirit root aptitude, yet she had only just barely touched the threshold of the mid-foundation establishment stage.
Even Liu Huai'an, who possessed a heavenly spirit root, had only reached the mid-foundation establishment stage. Though he was close to the late foundation establishment realm, Li Qing, with his average spirit root aptitude, had already caught up.
It was hard to imagine what this ordinary-looking man had experienced to progress so rapidly in recent years.
"This is not something to be shared with outsiders," Li Qing said. "Let's gather the others first and then return to Lingyun Sect together."
With that, he stepped onto his azure wind spear and soared downward.
In truth, Su Xin was the only one who had completely exhausted her spiritual energy, having forcibly activated the Water Spirit Pearl fragment.
Even a fragment of this supreme treasure was far beyond the capabilities of an ordinary foundation establishment cultivator to wield.
Amidst the snowy forest, Su Xin, clad in a pristine white robe, seemed to merge with the snow-covered ground. She sat with her back against a snow pine, her head buried in her knees.
Seeing this, Li Qing opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.
From their previous interactions, he knew how deeply Su Xin cared for her sect. The destruction of the Heavenly River Sect and the deaths of her fellow disciples must have been a devastating blow to her.
"Ahem, it's freezing here, and I don't have any cold-resistant treasures on me," Li Qing finally said, approaching her cautiously.
Su Xin slowly raised her head, revealing her sorrowful yet beautiful face.
"The Heavenly River Sect is gone," she said.
These simple words carried a profound pain that made Li Qing's heart tremble slightly.
(End of the Chapter)
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