266: Chapter 266: Chaotic Battle

Deep within the ruins.

The soaring golden light grew brighter, like a lighthouse guiding everyone's way.

But beneath the golden light lay a vast wasteland, its grayish-black soil cracked into countless fragments.

Grayish-black mist surged from the cracks, emitting an aura of decay.

Across the wasteland, countless palaces, ruins, catacombs, and caves were scattered...

In some places, traces of Formations from ten thousand years ago remained; occasionally, a flash of spiritual light flickered—the residual spiritual power fluctuations of treasures.

Xiao Ran flew over a collapsed stone forest, where stone pillars lay scattered in every direction.

Some were broken into several sections, while others remained tilted.

Ancient runes were carved onto the stone pillars; most were already blurred and indistinct, though a few runes still glowed with a faint light.

He bypassed a broken stone pillar and continued flying toward the golden light.

After his Breakthrough to the Void Refinement Stage, his flight speed had more than doubled.

As he activated his Evasion Technique, the wasteland beneath him receded rapidly.

The Guixu Vortex inside his body was three times larger than before and spun more powerfully.

With every rotation, his spiritual power grew a bit denser.

He felt like a newly unsheathed sword, his entire body brimming with power.

After flying for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a massive palace ruin appeared on the wasteland ahead.

The ruins covered a hundred acres, with dilapidated walls and fallen pillars.

The once majestic palace was now nothing but a pile of rubble, with withered grass and vines growing through the cracks, the vines entangling the fallen stone pillars.

Yet, spiritual light flickered faintly within the ruins—the residual spiritual power fluctuations of treasures.

Xiao Ran narrowed his eyes, preparing to head down and investigate.

He slowed his flight speed and leaned forward slightly, preparing to land.

Right then.

His Divine Sense suddenly captured intense spiritual power fluctuations ahead.

Two bursts of Demonic Qi and one of Sword Qi.

Among the Demonic Qi, one was the golden Demonic Qi of the Golden Lion Clan, domineering and blazing like a burning sun.

The other was the black Demonic Qi of the Nine-Headed Snake Clan, cold and eerie like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows.

The Sword Qi was the Platinum Sword Intent of the Sword Sect, sharp and piercing like an unsheathed sword.

Xiao Ran immediately stopped his flight light and hovered in mid-air, his body sinking slightly.

Finally, he quietly landed behind a collapsed stone pillar within the ruins.

He restrained his aura, and his Guixu Body operated automatically, suppressing his life force to the minimum, making him almost indistinguishable from the surrounding stones.

Hiding his aura, Xiao Ran looked toward the direction of the battle.

In the distance, three figures were engaged in a fierce battle.

The Human Race Cultivator was a middle-aged man wearing a white robe.

He had a square face, sword-like eyebrows, and starry eyes, with a long sword hanging at his waist, its scabbard inlaid with a blue gemstone.

This person was a Sword Sect Elder named Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan, at the Void Refining Middle Stage.

Xiao Ran had seen him once at the Sword Qi Great Wall, when he was reporting Sword Sect affairs to City Lord Li Qingge in the main hall of the City Lord’s Manor.

His attitude had been respectful, and his words were impeccable.

They had no real friendship, but Xiao Ran remembered his face.

At this moment, Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan’s situation was very dire.

His white robe was torn in several places, and there was a deep claw mark on his left shoulder, with blood still seeping out and staining the white fabric dark red.

There was a patch of black venom corrosion on his right arm, the skin festering to reveal the raw red flesh beneath.

Blood overflowed from the corner of Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan’s mouth, and his aura was erratic.

The spiritual power fluctuations in his Dantian were like a candle flame in a gale, flickering uncertainly.

His long sword was covered in cracks, with several notches on the blade and a dimmed spiritual light.

Besieging him was a male Golden Lion of the Golden Lion Clan at the Void Refining Early Stage.

The male lion was thirty feet long, its golden mane burning like fire, each strand like a golden sword glinting coldly in the twilight.

Its eyes were golden vertical pupils with faint flames dancing within.

Golden light flowed over its claws, the tips hooked like barbs capable of tearing through steel.

Every swipe of its claws carried a whistling wind, the claw light slicing through the air and leaving behind golden afterimages.

The other was a Nine-Headed Snake Clan Elder at the Void Refining Early Stage.

That Nine-Headed Snake was hundreds of feet long, its body covered in pitch-black scales filled with blood-red patterns that looked like distorted faces.

It was coiled at the edge of the battlefield, its body wrapped around several collapsed stone pillars, crushing them to pieces.

Its seven heads were raised high, their vertical pupils cold as frost.

Each head possessed a different ability.

The first spat venom as black as ink, which corroded deep pits into the ground upon landing.

The second spat Poisonous Fire that was dark green and extremely hot, capable of melting even stone.

...

The seventh spat a Poisonous Miasma that corroded spiritual power and could cause a person's cultivation level to drop temporarily.

In short, it had many functions.

The two Yao Race members coordinated perfectly, attacking from front and back, left and right, cutting off all of Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan’s paths of retreat.

Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan found it difficult to defend against four hands with only two, especially when those hands belonged to two powerful foes.

His sword techniques were sharp, each strike capable of forcing the Golden Lion back.

However, the Nine-Headed Snake’s venom and Poisonous Fire always ambushed him in the gaps between his sword strikes, making them impossible to guard against.

"Human Race, hand over the treasure and I shall spare your life!"

The Golden Lion roared, striking a claw toward Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan’s chest.

The claw light carried golden flames, twisting the air wherever it passed.

Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan gritted his teeth and raised his sword to parry.

"Clang!"

Sword and claw collided, sending sparks flying.

Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan was shaken back three steps, his feet leaving two deep imprints in the stone slabs beneath him as rubble flew.

The Golden Lion didn't have it easy either; a shallow sword mark was left on its claw.

Golden blood seeped out and dripped onto the ground, making a sizzling sound.

The Nine-Headed Snake took the opportunity to ambush from the side, three heads simultaneously spitting venom, Poisonous Fire, and Poisonous Needles.

The venom was like arrows, the Poisonous Fire like a dragon, and the Poisonous Needles like rain, blanketing toward Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan.

Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan’s expression changed drastically, and he quickly used a Movement Technique to dodge.

His figure flashed, leaving an afterimage in place while his true self floated a hundred feet away.

The venom, Poisonous Fire, and Poisonous Needles all hit the afterimage, which was instantly corroded, melted, and pierced.

Although Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan had dodged, his left arm was grazed by a Poisonous Needle, leaving a tiny wound.

The wound immediately turned black, and black patterns spread under his skin like little snakes.

Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan cursed inwardly, wiping his left hand over the wound to seal the toxin with spiritual power.

But his face grew even paler.

"Dammit, if the main forces of my Human Race weren't elsewhere, how could I be pushed to this point by the likes of you!"

Sword Sect Elder Zhou Xuan shouted hoarsely.

His voice echoed across the wasteland, but there was no one around.

It couldn't be helped.

The Cultivators in the inner perimeter of the ruins each fought for themselves; no one wanted to risk their life to save a stranger.

It wasn't worth it if they ended up losing their own life.