424: Chapter 428 Sneak Attack (4k)

Woom—!!!

The gray light and the taiji diagram were locked in a stalemate in the void; time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Jiang Wunian's face was as red as blood, veins bulged on his forehead, and faint traces of blood seeped from his seven orifices.

He exerted all his strength to drive the gray light, which fused six extreme desires, attempting to push it deep into the taiji diagram and crush Yun Chenzi's Dao Heart.

Yun Chenzi's expression was as solemn as iron. The taiji diagram's rotation grew slower and slower, each revolution requiring an immense toll on his mental energy.

On the surface of the taiji diagram, the black and white colors, originally as smooth as a mirror, began to show fine cracks—a sign like exquisite porcelain on the verge of shattering.

This was the ultimate collision of two sets of laws, a Life and Death duel between two Dao Realm powerhouses!

Whoever could hold out until the end would be the final victor.

And just as the two were locked in a stalemate, unable to attend to anything else...

"Watch out!"

Zhuge Xuanji, who had been slacking off on the sidelines, suddenly shouted a sharp warning!

He had actually been watching the battle from the edge of the battlefield, never once intervening on either side.

This was the greatest wisdom that had allowed him to survive until today.

He knew his combat prowess couldn't compare to the two monsters before him who had already stepped into the Dao Realm, and he had no desire to get involved in such a Life and Death struggle over the Dao.

He had been coerced into coming here by Yun Chenzi anyway, so why risk his life for this?

Thus, he had been "slacking off" from start to finish.

On the surface, he seemed to be providing support for Yun Chenzi, but in reality, he was staying as far away as possible.

But slacking aside, he was, after all, a Heavenly Secret Master who had entered the Dao through heavenly secrets and Karma.

His intuition was a hundred times sharper than that of ordinary Cultivators.

From the moment he stepped onto this battlefield, he had a faint feeling that something was wrong.

The Karma here was as chaotic as a cesspool, layered and hopelessly entangled.

Within it all, he had a strange sensation, as if he had unknowingly fallen into an invisible giant web.

No matter how he moved or what he chose, something bad would happen.

That feeling caused a faint tremor of fear in his heart.

Therefore, Zhuge Xuanji chose to respond to all changes by remaining unchanged.

As long as he did nothing, he wouldn't make a mistake.

Meanwhile, he kept a thread of his mind focused, constantly watching for every trace of abnormal fluctuation around the battlefield.

Until this moment, his intuition suddenly sounded an alarm!

"Someone's there!"

He jerked his head up, his gaze piercing through layers of void to lock onto a specific direction!

There, a deeply hidden aura was quietly coalescing!

He hurriedly shouted a warning but had no intention of stepping in to stop it.

Was he kidding? Giving a warning was already more than enough!

Expecting him to block it? In his dreams!

...

At the same moment Zhuge Xuanji spoke, a beam of destructive light suddenly shot out from the depths of the void at the edge of the battlefield!

The light appeared in an eerie dark gold color. Wherever it passed, the void was torn open like a giant gash cut by a sharp blade!

Within the light, countless tiny runes could be seen spinning wildly, each containing a terrifying power sufficient to heavily injure a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator!

This strike was clearly the ultimate blow of a Golden Core Perfection expert!

Furthermore, the timing was chosen with extreme cunning, precisely at the moment when Yun Chenzi and Jiang Wunian were in full confrontation, with no time to attend to anything else!

If this strike hit, both of them would inevitably suffer heavy injuries!

"Hahahaha!!"

A burst of arrogant laughter echoed from the depths of the void.

Next, a figure stepped out from the folds of space, finally revealing his true form.

"Venerable Ming Gu?"

Yun Chenzi narrowed his eyes as he looked at the figure that had suddenly appeared, blurting out a name.

The man looked to be about fifty, with a sinister face, narrow eyes, and a goatee. His aura was as vast as the sea—clearly another Golden Core Perfection expert!

He wore a dark gold robe embroidered with countless strange runes, faintly emitting heart-palpitating fluctuations.

This person was none other than the Loose Cultivator giant from the East Sea—Venerable Ming Gu!

The East Sea was separated from the Northern Territory by a boundless ocean, and there had always been little travel between them.

But this Venerable Ming Gu was one of the few top Loose Cultivators in the East Sea.

His cultivation had reached Golden Core Perfection a hundred years ago, but because he worked alone and did not attach himself to any power...

His reputation wasn't as loud as a major sect's true disciple like Yun Chenzi, but in terms of strength, he was definitely not to be underestimated!

A hundred years ago, while still at the Late Golden Core Stage, he had single-handedly killed three enemies of the same stage, making a name for himself in that battle!

Yet his greatest skill was patience and sneak attacks; all his abilities were focused on the "Way of Survival."

And Venerable Ming Gu's appearance on this battlefield was naturally no coincidence.

He had heard that the Lancang Li Family in the Northern Territory was facing a great disaster and was being besieged by an Alliance, seeming to offer an Opportunity.

So, he quietly crossed the East Sea and came here.

His plan was simple: wait for the Alliance's cannon fodder to break through the Li Family and exhaust their foundations and trump cards, then he would step in to reap the benefits.

Of course, what he feared most was the existence of Li Daoxuan.

If the Alliance members discovered that Li Daoxuan was still alive or that his combat power was undamaged, he would not show himself.

But if Li Daoxuan did not appear or was confirmed to have fallen, then with his Golden Core Perfection cultivation, who among the Late Golden Core Cultivators present could stop him?

At that time, wouldn't all the resources of the Lancang Li Family's vast blessed land be his?

However, things always change. Everything was progressing well, the Li Family was on the verge of being breached, and Li Daoxuan had not appeared.

But Jiang Wunian's appearance disrupted everything.

At the same time, Yun Chenzi's subsequent arrival made his heart leap with fear.

That fierce man from the Qingming Immortal Sect had actually come too!

Despite being far away in the East Sea, this man's name was like thunder to his ears; he knew full well how formidable he was.

Although Venerable Ming Gu was conceited, he also knew the gap between himself and Yun Chenzi.

Thus, he immediately suppressed his aura and hid himself deep within the void, not daring to make the slightest move.

He was even prepared to give up this Opportunity; after all, life was more important than anything else.

However, the subsequent developments showed him a turning point.

Jiang Wunian had actually exploded with power at the critical moment, and then proceeded to fight Yun Chenzi to a literal standstill!

The two fought until the heavens collapsed and the earth split, eventually falling into that deadlocked state of confrontation!

Venerable Ming Gu's eyes gradually lit up.

When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman reaps the rewards?

Wasn't this a once-in-a-lifetime Opportunity!

He suppressed the wild joy in his heart and continued to hide, waiting for the perfect moment.

Finally, at this moment, the two were clashing with all their might, unable to attend to anything else!

All their attention was focused on each other!

It was the perfect time for a sneak attack!

Venerable Ming Gu hesitated no longer and acted decisively!

His long-accumulated strike was arguably the strongest of his life!

"Darkbone Soul-Devouring Light!"

This dark gold light was his trump card ultimate move, fusing all the essence of the "Way of Darkbone" he had cultivated throughout his life!

Once it hit, even if Yun Chenzi and Jiang Wunian were Golden Core Perfection powerhouses, they would certainly be heavily wounded!

This was actually the drawback of being a Loose Cultivator.

Although he was at Golden Core Perfection, he didn't realize there were gaps even within that stage, nor did he know what the Dao Realm was.

He only knew the two were strong, but since they were currently tied up with each other, if he could take this chance to kill them both in one go...

A flash of intense greed crossed Venerable Ming Gu's eyes!

The entire net worth of two Golden Core Perfection experts, and possibly even resources related to the "Nascent Soul"!

If he succeeded, he would have gathered all the resources needed to charge for the Nascent Soul stage!

"Die!"

He barked fiercely, and the dark gold light was already less than ten zhang away from the two!

However, at the very instant the dark gold light was about to touch them...

Yun Chenzi and Jiang Wunian, who were supposedly in a full-force confrontation, glanced at each other!

A hint of a smile flashed in both their eyes.

Then, in the next instant, both of them withdrew their hands simultaneously!

The gray light and the taiji diagram that were deadlocked in the void were swept aside as if by an invisible giant hand, vanishing without a trace in an instant!

As for the men themselves, they each flickered and effortlessly dodged the incoming dark gold light!

"What!"

Venerable Ming Gu's pupils shrank, and the look of triumph on his face instantly froze!

He watched this scene in disbelief, his mind going completely blank!

How could this be!

They were clearly clashing with everything they had, locked in a stalemate!

And neither would dare to withdraw first, because the one who did would inevitably be heavily injured by the other's power backlashing!

But they had actually withdrawn in perfect sync, without either taking the chance to sneak attack the other.

At this point, how could Venerable Ming Gu not realize that they had discovered him long ago!

In the void, Yun Chenzi stood with his hands behind his back, the black and white Qi slowly circulating around him.

He looked down at Venerable Ming Gu from above, the corners of his mouth curling up in a faint, mocking sneer.

"A rat in the gutter."

He spoke slowly, his voice calm yet sounding like a clap of thunder in Venerable Ming Gu's ears.

"If you had stayed quietly hidden in the shadows, perhaps you could have lived a few days longer."

He paused, his gaze growing cold.

"But since you were in such a hurry to jump out..."

He didn't finish, but the meaning was already more than clear.

He had actually discovered this person's presence long ago, but the man's Cultivation Technique was mysterious, suppressing his aura to the extreme; he could only sense that the person was here, but not exactly where.

If it weren't for Jiang Wunian, he would have easily rooted this person out.

But facing Jiang Wunian, he didn't dare to be distracted.

Fortunately, it seemed Jiang Wunian had also noticed this person's presence. While they appeared to be fighting to the death, they both held back a bit of strength to monitor their surroundings.

Even without Zhuge Xuanji's warning, the two of them would have detected this sneak attack immediately.

As if confirming his thoughts, Jiang Wunian also retracted the churning rainbow mist around him, revealing a face with a similarly mocking smile.

He tilted his head as he sized up Venerable Ming Gu, as if looking at prey.

"A mere Golden Core who hasn't even touched the threshold of the laws, yet you dare play the game of 'the mantis stalks the cicada' before us?"

He sneered, his tone full of disdain.

"You think we couldn't sense you? From the moment you stepped into this area, your foul stench has been like sludge in a gutter, making me feel quite nauseated."

The two looked at each other and laughed simultaneously.

Although the two had just been in a Life and Death struggle, they were now surprisingly in agreement when facing this foolhardy creature.

Because in their eyes, such a character was simply not worthy of being their opponent.

Hearing their words, Venerable Ming Gu's face instantly turned as pale as paper.

He opened his mouth to say something, but found his throat as if gripped by an invisible hand, unable to utter a single word.

He could never have imagined that his proud concealment technique had been seen through long ago!

The timing of his carefully calculated sneak attack had been a joke from the start!

Even more unthinkable was that the two people who were just at each other's throats were now standing on the same side in such perfect harmony!

"I... I..."

His lips trembled, his eyes filled with terror and despair.

But he was, after all, a Golden Core Perfection expert, a Loose Cultivator giant who had dominated the East Sea for a hundred years.

His survival instinct led him to make the most correct choice instantly.

Flee!

He spun around abruptly, his escape light surging as he prepared to tear through the void and flee!

However, he had barely taken a step when he felt the surrounding void suddenly solidify!

A giant hand condensed from black and white Qi descended from the sky, pinning him firmly in place like a massive mountain!

Yun Chenzi had appeared above him at some unknown point; with a slight press of his right hand, the Yin-Yang giant hand gripped him so tightly he couldn't move!

"Trying to run?"

Yun Chenzi's tone was indifferent.

"Too late."

Before his voice faded, Jiang Wunian's figure also appeared by his side.

He formed hand seals, and the rainbow mist around him suddenly expanded, turning into countless thick tentacles that tightly entwined Venerable Ming Gu!

Those tentacles contained endless power of desire.

Greed, fear, despair, madness... all sorts of emotions bored into the depths of Venerable Ming Gu's Divine Soul like venomous snakes!

"Ah!!!"

Venerable Ming Gu let out a shrill scream!

He felt his emotions spiraling out of control, his Dao Heart collapsing, and his Divine Soul being torn apart inch by inch!

"Spare... spare me..."

He struggled desperately, but he couldn't move at all.

He wanted to beg for mercy, to say he was willing to hand over all his possessions for a chance to live.

But the two didn't give him any chance to speak.

Yun Chenzi and Jiang Wunian exchanged a glance.

In the next instant.

Two terrifying attacks struck Venerable Ming Gu simultaneously!

Yun Chenzi struck with his palm, and the Yin-Yang Qi transformed into a massive taiji diagram that descended from the sky, enveloping Venerable Ming Gu entirely!

The taiji diagram rotated slowly; with every turn, Venerable Ming Gu's aura weakened.

His defensive treasures, protective spiritual light, and even his Physical Body and bones were ground down, decomposed, and ultimately reduced to nothingness under that Yin-Yang cutting force!

Meanwhile, Jiang Wunian formed hand seals, and the six dharma images of the Six Desires Heavenly Demon emerged once more!

They opened their massive mouths, greedily devouring every trace of aura and every shred of life force escaping from Venerable Ming Gu's body!

"No, no—"

Venerable Ming Gu let out a final wail.

His body was ground into dust within the Yin-Yang taiji diagram.

His Divine Soul was torn apart and devoured by the dharma images of the Six Desires Heavenly Demon.

His cultivation, his attainment, his existence, his everything...

All completely dissipated between heaven and earth within a few short breaths.

Only a desperate wail echoed in the void, lingering for a long time before vanishing.

When the dust settled, the place where Venerable Ming Gu had once been was empty.

It was as if he had never appeared in this world.

Yun Chenzi withdrew his palm, his face as calm as water, as if he had just casually crushed an ant.

Jiang Wunian also retracted the six dharma images and licked his lips, a look of satiety flashing in his eyes.

Devouring the entire desires of a Golden Core Perfection expert was a rare supplement for him.

The two looked at each other again.

In the air, the hostility that had been temporarily suppressed for their collaboration began to permeate once more.

Jiang Wunian tilted his head, a provocative smile curling on his lips.

Yun Chenzi said nothing; he merely raised his hand again, and the black and white Qi began to circulate slowly around him once more.

The answer was already self-evident.

...