The protective mountain array's light shield was covered in spreading cracks, teetering on the brink of collapse. Chen Changqing didn't hesitate any longer. His left hand remained as steady as a rock, controlling the seventy-two layers of the Earth Fiend Tortoise Shell Formation. With a flip of his right hand, a jade-green light shone, and the River-Taming Ancient Jade was in his grasp!
The ancient jade felt warm to the touch, and the sound of a rushing river seemed to echo faintly in his ears. Chen Changqing dared not delay; he sank his divine sense into the jade and began to recite an ancient and obscure incantation. This incantation wasn't from the Yin Xuan Sect's teachings. Instead, it was a secret language for communicating with the entrance array of the Earth Vein Spirit Realm, which he had deduced using the Primal Calculation Rods combined with the Karma Heavenly Eye. As the incantation ended, the River-Taming Ancient Jade suddenly bloomed with a brilliant jade-green light, like a lighthouse tearing through the night sky!
Chen Changqing's heart skipped a beat. He clearly sensed a mysterious connection being established between the jade and the deep depths of the forbidden area behind the mountain, where a spiritual energy vortex was concealed by an ancient array. "Open!" Chen Changqing shouted, his syllables obscure, yet imbued with an undeniable will. A surge of pure Great Purity Water Essence Scripture True Essence poured into the jade like a breached dam.
Buzz——!
A giant dragon that had slept for ten thousand years suddenly opened its eyes. From the direction of the forbidden area behind the mountain, an indescribable, vast aura erupted, shooting into the sky like a volcanic eruption! The entrance to the Earth Vein Spirit Realm was successfully activated! In an instant, a boundless, vibrant, and pure spiritual energy, as ceaseless as the Yangtze River, found an outlet through that invisible connection and furiously surged toward the seventy-two layers of the Earth Fiend Tortoise Shell Formation in front of the mountain gate! This spiritual energy, though originating from the same source as the Earth Vein spiritual power of the spiritual spring eye itself, was even purer, more vast, and more full of life! It wasn't a dead energy, but rather the breath of the Earth Mother, carrying the compassion and depth that nourished all beings.
Whoosh!
A rain of sweetness fell from the sky. The unstoppable Earth Vein spiritual energy instantly poured into the nearly shattered protective mountain array. The turtle shell light shield, originally covered in cracks and dim in light, began to repair itself at a speed visible to the naked eye! Those hideous cracks, as if encountering their nemesis, instantly closed and disappeared without a trace. The color of the light shield suddenly deepened, changing from a pale gold to a profound, heavy hue, as if becoming solid. A layer of jade-green water light flowed on its surface, which was the manifestation of the pure Earth Vein spiritual energy. The seventy-two Earth Fiend star deities' phantom figures, bathed in the Earth Vein spiritual energy, seemed to have been reborn. Their forms instantly solidified several times over, and they let out even more majestic roars to the heavens. The formation's power not only didn't decrease but even increased greatly, far surpassing its previous strength.
"Roar——!!!" At this moment, the Bloodfiend Corpse King, which had unleashed the power of the Drought Demon's remnant soul, once again swung its fist, which was burning with dark red baleful flames. It carried a terrifying momentum that sought to destroy everything, and smashed fiercely toward the revitalized turtle shell light shield! It wanted to break through this turtle shell in one fell swoop! However, this time, the expected destruction of the array and the death of those inside didn't occur.
BOOM——!!!
A deafening explosion, even more muffled and heavy than before, ripped through the air. The Bloodfiend Corpse King's fist slammed squarely against the impenetrable, jade-green water-light shield of the tortoise shell. But the expected shattering didn't happen. Instead, a force of unimaginable power surged back, coursing through its fist and instantly engulfing its entire body! This power not only contained the inherent, Yang-suppressing force of the Earth Fiend Formation, but also the vast, ceaseless power of the Earth Vein, crashing against it like a surging river against a reef!
"Awww——!!"
The Bloodfiend Corpse King let out a piercing, agonizing scream. Its massive frame was thrown back as if struck by a speeding train, propelled by the terrifying counter-force! The enormous body arced through the air, crashing down into the forest dozens of yards away. A thunderous roar erupted, snapping countless trees and kicking up a cloud of dust. Wisps of smoke rose from its fist and arm where they had contacted the shield, a clear sign of the corpse energy, the most Yin and evil, being burned away by the pure Earth Vein power! The full-force attack, fueled by the Drought Demon's remnant soul, had not only failed to break the formation but had backfired spectacularly!
"What?!" On the covered boat below the mountain, Xue Tu, who had been certain of victory, saw his smirk instantly freeze. His pupils contracted sharply, and he gasped in disbelief, his gaunt face etched with shock. "Earth Vein power?! This... how is this possible?!" "A mere minor sect like the Yin Xuan Sect, can actually harness the power of the Earth Vein to reinforce their mountain-protecting formation?!" "Could it be... could that legend be true?!" Xue Tu's voice suddenly rose, trembling, as a storm of emotions raged within him. He thought of an ancient legend that had been circulating within the Bloodfiend Sect for ages.
In ancient times, certain powerful sects could communicate with the Earth Vein, establish "Spirit Realms," and use the power of the earth to protect their mountain gates, enduring through countless calamities. Could this seemingly dilapidated Yin Xuan Sect be a remnant of such an ancient sect?! This was completely beyond his expectations! A mountain-protecting formation reinforced by the power of the Earth Vein was so strong that it couldn't be easily shaken by him, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and a corpse king!
However, while Xue Tu was in a state of shock and uncertainty, Chen Changqing, at the heart of the formation, suddenly turned deathly pale, devoid of all color. While the power of the [Earth Vein Spirit Realm] was indeed boundless, instantly turning the tide of the battle, it also came at a price. The surging Earth Vein power that flooded his body was like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, instantly detonating a hidden, massive threat within him—the [End of Dharma Curse]!
A chilling, deathly, and dreadful aura, as if it wanted to drag everything into the end of the Dharma, emerged from the depths of his limbs and bones like a venomous snake, relentlessly eroding his vitality and Dao foundation. The Blood Essence in his body churned violently like boiling water, his meridians tore with excruciating pain, and the True Essence in his Purple Mansion began to stagnate, taking on a gray, decaying hue. What terrified him even more was that the Heavenly Tribulation clouds gathering above his head had suddenly thickened at an alarming rate. The dark clouds swirled, and lightning snakes danced, a majestic Heavenly might locked onto him, as if a world-destroying thunderbolt was about to descend at any moment!
The Heavenly Tribulation had actually been triggered! And judging by the look of it, its power was far beyond that of a normal Foundation Establishment Heavenly Tribulation! "Steady!" Chen Changqing's heart was ringing alarm bells, and cold sweat instantly covered his forehead. He didn't hesitate and immediately severed the deep connection with the Earth Vein Spirit Realm, retaining only a faint channel to maintain the supply of Earth Vein spiritual energy needed for the formation. At the same time, he fully operated the "Steady" word technique within the Great Purity Water Essence Scripture! A cool, peaceful, and balanced aura, like a gentle stream, flowed slowly through his turbulent Blood Essence and stinging meridians, forcibly soothing the agitated True Essence and suppressing the chilling, deathly Curse of the End of Dharma.
The Great Purity Water Essence Scripture was indeed a fundamental method that directly pointed towards the Great Dao; its "Steady" word technique had such a miraculous effect on stabilizing the mind and suppressing backlash. As the technique was running, the churning Blood Essence within Chen Changqing's body gradually calmed down, and the stinging sensation in his meridians lessened. Although the aura of the End of Dharma Curse still existed, it was temporarily suppressed deep within his body, unable to wreak havoc anymore. The forming tribulation clouds above his head also seemed to have lost their target, slowing down their tumbling, the lightning hidden, and finally, unwillingly, dissipated slowly. Phew... Chen Changqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his back was already soaked with cold sweat.
It was truly a perilous moment just now, "Just one step away!" The End of Dharma Curse was indeed his biggest weakness. Triggering the power of the Earth Vein, this "over-leveling" behavior, had been too stimulating for it, and he must be more cautious in the future. The true meaning of "playing it safe" must not be forgotten for a moment! The situation on the field, due to this sudden change, temporarily fell into a strange stalemate. The Bloodfiend Corpse King was severely injured by the power of the Earth Vein. Although its ferocity remained, its eyes clearly showed more wariness when looking at the tortoise shell light shield flowing with green water, and it dared not rush forward to attack again. As for Chen Changqing, although he had successfully triggered the power of the Earth Vein and reversed the perilous situation, he dared not recklessly extract the power of the Earth Vein Spirit Realm due to the End of Dharma Curse, and could only maintain the basic operation and defense of the formation. It seemed that neither side could do anything to the other, and the battle had entered a strategic stand-off phase.
"Senior Brother, are you... are you alright?" Lin Wanqing had been keeping a close eye on Chen Changqing. She saw his pale face and unstable breath just now. Although he had recovered his calm at the moment, his still pale face and sweat on his forehead couldn't fool her, and she couldn't help but ask with concern, her small hand holding the Azure Frost Sword turning white from the force. She didn't understand the power of the Earth Vein, nor did she understand the End of Dharma Curse. She only knew that Senior Brother had definitely endured tremendous pressure and danger just now.
"It's nothing, just a little bit of exhaustion." Chen Changqing gave his junior sister a reassuring smile and spoke lightly. But Lin Wanqing was intelligent and wouldn't be easily fooled by him. She pursed her lips and didn't ask any more questions. She just silently increased the input of the Azure Frost Sword Qi, the cold sword qi carrying worry and protective intent, continuously pouring into the formation, hoping to share the pressure for her senior brother.
Xue Tu, down the mountain, had a changing expression. The appearance of the Earth Vein's power had completely disrupted his plan. A direct attack was impossible in a short time to break this tortoise shell, which was blessed by the Earth Vein. Retreat? He, Xue Tu, had been rampant in the southwest for decades and had never been so embarrassed! Furthermore, the sect's mission had not been completed, and he wouldn't be able to explain when he returned. "Damn it! Just a small Yin Xuan Sect, forcing me to use that move..." A look of pain and crazy determination flashed in Xue Tu's eyes. He seemed to have made up his mind. With a flip of his withered palm, a blood-red, diamond-shaped crystal appeared in his palm, condensed from fresh blood and emitting an extremely dangerous aura.
"For the sake of the Blood God's Great Undertaking, it can only be this way!" A sharp look flashed in Xue Tu's eyes, as if he was prepared to spare no effort to use a forbidden technique with great power but also extremely terrifying aftereffects, to forcefully break this damn mountain-protecting formation! A new crisis had arrived!
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