79: Chapter 79 Desperate Preparations for Battle! Sword Intent Breaks Through Four Levels, Xuan Yin Valley Launches a Full-Scale Attack!

[Age 51, May 17th, 7:00 PM.]

[Returning by sword flight.]

[The jinhong sword transformed into a stream of light, slicing through the night wind at high speed.]

[You poured your spiritual energy into the sword without reservation, the oncoming gale cutting across your cheeks.]

[Shen Tian lay on your back, not making a sound.]

[His fingers, clutching the back of your collar, were turning blue, and his palms were piercingly cold.]

[This was the poison spreading.]

[Shen Residence in Yunzhou.]

[The sword light landed heavily, startling the lanterns in the backyard and making them sway violently.]

[Liu Qingqing walked out from under the corridor, carrying a bowl of calming soup.]

[Seeing the person hanging on your back, her hand loosened, and the porcelain bowl shattered on the ground with a "clatter".]

[Soup and fragments splattered onto the hem of her skirt.]

[She was stunned for only half a breath.]

["Carry him into the east wing."]

[She turned and ran toward the pharmacy, her voice not trembling in the slightest.]

[You laid Shen Tian on the daybed in the east wing.]

[His lips had already turned black.]

[Liu Qingqing rushed in carrying a pile of porcelain bottles, shoving the door open forcefully.]

[She crouched at the edge of the bed, unscrewed a bottle stopper, and a pungent medicinal odor filled the air.]

["What kind of poison?"]

["Pulse-Eroding Poison from Xuanyin Valley. I suppressed it with water-element spiritual energy."]

["Enough."]

[She interrupted you, poured three dark green pills from the bottle, and forced them into Shen Tian's mouth.]

["I just finished refining a batch of Green Spirit Pills last month; they are specifically for neutralizing yin poison."]

["When did you refine them?"]

[Liu Qingqing didn't even look up.]

[She clasped Shen Tian's wrists and began channeling spiritual energy to catalyze the medicinal properties.]

["The day you took him out."]

[After the pills entered his stomach, the black color on Shen Tian's face quickly faded.]

[His short, shallow breathing gradually stabilized.]

[That hideous purple-black poison vein stopped dead three inches above his knee, unable to advance any further.]

["His life is saved."]

[Liu Qingqing wiped the sweat from her forehead.]

["His leg won't be crippled, but he won't be able to get out of bed for at least half a month."]

[You nodded.]

[Shen Tian's eyelids twitched, and he weakly opened them a crack.]

["Dad..."]

["Close your eyes and sleep."]

[His lips moved, and finally, he closed his eyes.]

Shen Ji sat on the straw pile in the woodshed, staring at the light screen.

The version of himself in the simulator had just come out of the east wing and was standing in the courtyard, his robes stained with the scent of blood and medicine.

That escaped Xuanyin Valley elder had seen his face and seen the jinhong sword.

And even more, had seen the sword intent unleashed by someone at foundation establishment level 3.

Xuanyin Valley had locked onto him.

Demon King Iron Rhino had also set his sights on Yunzhou.

Twenty-three years of disguise had been completely shattered on the day he drew his sword at Heming Mountain to save his son.

He had no regrets.

But the score had to be settled.

A Golden Core great demon stood in his path; this was an insurmountable death trap.

Calculating the days, this lifetime's simulation was coming to an end.

Since it was a dead end regardless, before he died, he would squeeze out everything he could take with him!

Cultivation!

Traits!

This was the foundation of his survival in reality.

The light screen continued to scroll.

[You stood in the courtyard; the night wind could not disperse the murderous intent filling you.]

[Do not run.]

[For someone Demon King Iron Rhino wanted to kill, running to the ends of the earth with his whole family would only change the way he died.]

[Better to do everything that could be done right here!]

[You kicked open the door to the storage room and dumped everything from your storage bag onto the stone table.]

[Foundation Building Pills, barrier-breaking pills, Essence Condensing Powder, spiritual liquid... they piled up into a small mountain with a clatter.]

[The family assets you had scraped together over the years were all here.]

[You picked out all the pills that could assist in breaking through to Foundation Building Stage 4 and roughly divided them into two piles.]

[The larger pile was yours.]

[The smaller pile, with three Foundation Building Pills and two bottles of Essence Condensing Powder, you swept to the other end of the table with your sleeve.]

[You turned and walked toward the east wing.]

[Shen Tian was fast asleep, and Liu Qingqing was dozing off against the head of the bed, still clutching the medicine bottle tightly.]

[You placed that pile of pills on the bedside table and tapped her shoulder.]

[She opened her eyes immediately.]

["When he wakes up, feed all of these to him." You lowered your voice. "Use the fastest speed to push to the peak of Qi Refining Level 9."]

[Liu Qingqing looked at you steadily.]

[A few breaths later, she asked: "Is the sky falling?"]

["Pretty much."]

[She didn't ask again.]

["...Go."]

[— —]

[Age 51, May 17th, late at night.]

[You returned to the study and locked the doors and windows tight.]

[The enemy camp had a Golden Core demon king; relying solely on pills to force cultivation up was far from enough.]

[You rummaged to the very bottom of your storage bag and found a crimson jade slip.]

[This was the token Huo Quji had left behind to contact his sect. The other end of the jade slip was connected to a Nascent Soul expert of the Tianxuan Sect, True Person Chiyang.]

[He was also Huo Quji's direct master.]

[You engraved an urgent message into it regarding Xuanyin Valley colluding with the demon race's Golden Core and their intention to slaughter the orphans of the Huo family.]

[Activating it with spiritual energy, the jade slip glowed red, and the message was successfully transmitted.]

[You sat at the table and waited for an entire night.]

[Until sunrise, there was no response from the jade slip.]

[You dispatched your most capable scout and activated your secret lines to investigate the movements of True Person Chiyang.]

[The following afternoon, the message came back.]

[Half a month ago, the Abyss Rift in the far north erupted. Chiyang was currently suppressing the rift's formation eye. The great formation was locked, isolating heaven and earth, and he could not escape within a month.]

[You crushed the crimson jade slip into powder.]

[Better to rely on oneself than others.]

[— —]

[Age 51, May 18th to mid-June.]

[Seclusion.]

[The stone door of the secret chamber closed heavily.]

[Three layers of soundproofing arrays and one layer of warning array completely isolated you from the outside world.]

[You sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, grabbed three barrier-breaking pills, and threw them straight into your mouth.]

[Violent medicinal power collided within your meridians.]

[Uncontrolled spiritual energy rampaged, tearing your meridians apart inch by inch, only to be forcibly reconnected by your sword bones.]

[On the fifth day, you took the spiritual liquid and Essence Condensing Powder.]

[The spiritual energy in your dantian was forcibly compressed.]

[The internal pressure surged, causing blood streaks to appear on the surface of your dantian.]

[On the tenth day, you touched the barrier of Foundation Building Stage 4.]

[This barrier was thick and solid; under the onslaught of spiritual energy, it did not budge.]

[You grabbed the last barrier-breaking pill and swallowed it.]

["Pfft—"]

[A mouthful of blood sprayed out, and the pain inside your body caused you to convulse.]

[You forcefully mobilized the First Rainbow Sword Intent.]

[The sword intent condensed into a single line, fiercely piercing toward the weakest point of the barrier!]

[Break the barrier with sword intent!]

[The fifteenth day.]

["Crack—"]

[A faint, crisp sound rang out from the depths of your dantian.]

[The barrier broke open.]

[Spiritual energy surged straight in, flooding toward the brand-new realm.]

[Your cultivation, amidst a surge, firmly settled at Foundation Building Stage 4.]

[You vomited out the congested blood, and your energy stabilized.]

[Got it.]

[— —]

[You pushed open the door of the secret chamber.]

[The midday sun illuminated the blue bricks of the entire courtyard.]

[Qin Yao was sitting on a stone stool, teaching your five-year-old daughter, Shen Ruoqi, to read.]

[The Little Girl lay on the stone table, holding a twig and scratching in the sand tray.]

["Dad!" Seeing you, the Little Girl threw down the twig and ran over to hug your leg. "Dad, you've lost weight!"]

[Qin Yao looked up, saw your pale appearance, and stood up immediately.]

["The food is in the pot."]

[You crouched down and picked up the Little Girl.]

["Dad, there are so many green birds flying outside." The Little Girl pointed at the sky.]

[You looked up.]

[The horizon was empty, with only a few faint traces of green spiritual energy fluctuation that had not yet dissipated.]

[Those were the traces left by Xuanyin Valley scouts passing by.]

[From the east wing came the clear, resonant sound of a sword.]

[You carried the Little Girl over and pushed open the door.]

[Shen Tian was sitting cross-legged on the bed, his right leg wrapped in gauze, holding the green feather sword in his left hand, spiritual energy billowing around him.]

[His aura was more than twice as thick as it had been half a month ago.]

["What level of Qi Refining are you at?"]

["Peak of Level 9." Shen Tian opened his eyes. "Dad, give me ten more days, and I can reach Foundation Building."]

["There are no ten days left."]

[You placed the Little Girl at the foot of the bed.]

["A fierce battle is coming."]

[Shen Tian's expression darkened.]

["Xuanyin Valley?"]

["Yes. They won't give us any more time."]

[Shen Tian's fingers, gripping the sword hilt, clicked loudly.]

["My leg won't affect my sword skills." He looked directly into your eyes. "I can fight."]

[You watched him.]

["Alright."]

[— —]

[Age 51, June 28th, at dusk.]

[Liu Qingqing was cooking in the kitchen.]

[You stood by the stove, silently adding firewood.]

[Neither of you spoke.]

[The firewood crackled in the stove, and the meat soup bubbled.]

[Liu Qingqing ladled a bowl and handed it to you.]

["Taste it and see if it's salty enough."]

[You took a sip and shook your head.]

["It's bland."]

["When do you ever not say it's bland?" She pushed the salt jar toward you and ladled a bowl for herself.]

[The afterglow of the setting sun slanted in, stretching and overlapping the two of your shadows on the floor.]

[You spoke: "Qingqing..."]

["Hmm?"]

["These years..."]

[She didn't let you continue.]

[She reached out and smoothed your collar, which had been ruffled from your seclusion, picking off a piece of straw.]

[You shut your mouth.]

[You drank the soup in the bowl in one gulp.]

[— —]

[Age 51, July 1st. Early morning.]

[You sat up from your bed.]

[Within thirty miles of the residence's perimeter, the dozen or so warning arrays you had set up were all triggered at the same time, and then completely collapsed.]

[You rushed out of the room.]

[Shen Tian was already standing in the courtyard, leaning on his sword.]

[Like you, he was looking up at the northern sky.]

[On the skyline, a dark green shadow was spreading over at an extremely fast speed.]

[That was not a cloud.]

[That was a group of escape lights blocking out the sky.]

[As the lights approached, a thick, fishy stench completely overwhelmed the coolness of the morning.]

[The flow of spiritual energy throughout Yunzhou City was forcibly flattened.]

["Dad—" Shen Tian spoke.]

[The dark green light at the very front had an extremely powerful pressure.]

[That was the Grand Elder of Xuanyin Valley, Valley Master Mo Jiuyou, at foundation establishment level 8.]

[Behind him, Xuanyin Valley had come out in full force.]

[Six mid-stage foundation establishment elders and dozens of late-stage Qi Refining death squads.]

[This was an army of cultivators capable of razing Yunzhou City to the ground.]

[They had arrived.]