492: Chapter 509 Standoff

Yin Leici was the first to lose his patience.

He had been tied down by Yue Qingyao for a long time, his mind disturbed by Hua Nongying's Illusory Colors, and further plagued by Yuan Tu's intermittent sneak attacks.

This caused a mountain of rage to build up within the heart of this hot-tempered Prodigy of Zixiao Grotto-Heaven.

Though his lightning techniques were fierce and overbearing, Yue Qingyao's Taiyin power happened to counter hardness with softness; every time he unleashed a bolt of lightning, it was neutralized layer by layer by that gentle lunar radiance.

Like a heavy punch hitting the surface of water, it only stirred up ripples without causing any harm.

Hua Nongying's Illusory Colors gave him an even greater headache; those eerie seven-colored lights frequently disrupted his perception, causing him to miss his mark several times.

As for Yuan Tu, he was like a maggot in the gutter, always launching sneak attacks from behind when Yin Leici was most focused, forcing him to divert his attention to defend.

"All of you, get lost!"

Yin Leici roared, his hands suddenly clenching into fists.

He would endure no longer, a resolute purple light flashing in the depths of his eyes.

A bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, not striking anyone else, but crashing directly onto himself.

That was the secret technique of Zixiao Grotto-Heaven—the "Ten Thousand Tribulations Lightning Body."

If an ordinary Cultivator were struck by this lightning, their Meridians would be shattered at best, or they would be turned to ash on the spot at worst.

But the "Zixiao Righteous Method" Yin Leici cultivated allowed him to enter the Dao through lightning. As this heavenly lightning entered his body, instead of harming him, it activated the dormant lightning Origin within him.

As the lightning entered his body, Yin Leici's eyes turned a pure purple, and a thunderstorm seemed to be brewing deep within his pupils, with electric light flickering.

His hair stood on end, every strand entwined with tiny arcs of electricity.

Solid lightning patterns emerged all over his body, spreading from his neck to his limbs like the totems of an ancient god of thunder.

His aura surged at this moment, nearly touching the limit of the Golden Core Realm and reaching the quasi-Nascent Soul stage.

In the next instant, he moved.

Almost at the same time he vanished from his spot, his figure appeared beside the corpse.

That was Lightning Evasion—turning the body into lightning for instantaneous movement.

The illusions set up by Hua Nongying were shattered by the waves of lightning Qi erupting from his body; those eerie seven-colored patches were like paper before the pure power of lightning.

Yue Qingyao's threads of lunar radiance coiled toward his ankles, only to be sliced into countless fragments by his lightning patterns, dissipating into spots of starlight.

Xuan Zhenzi slashed out with his sword.

"dao gives birth to one" carried a sharp Sword Intent, aiming straight for the center of Yin Leici's back.

If this strike landed truly, it would be enough to heavily wound any Golden Core Cultivator.

Yin Leici did not dodge, nor did he even look back. He allowed the Sword Qi to strike his shoulder, leaving a deep wound that exposed the bone, as blood splattered.

Using the impact of this strike, his speed actually increased.

His fist had already slammed into the blade of Xuan Zhenzi's sword.

"Bang!"

The golden fist energy and the azure Sword Qi collided violently, erupting in a deafening boom.

Xuan Zhenzi was sent flying along with his sword, crashing into the stone wall as a trace of blood leaked from his mouth.

A hint of shock flashed in his eyes; Yin Leici's punch was much stronger than he had anticipated.

But Yin Leici did not press his advantage; instead, he reached out directly to grab the corpse.

His fingertips were almost touching that four-colored spiritual light.

But in the next moment, Yue Qingyao struck again.

Her hands formed a seal, and the lunar radiance was no longer threads but transformed into pillars of light, blasting toward Yin Leici from all directions.

Those were Taiyin Seals, which used Taiyin power to imprison space, rendering the target unable to move for a short time.

Invisible force fields connected the pillars of light, weaving a seamless net that enveloped Yin Leici along with the space around him.

In just an instant, Yin Leici felt his movements suddenly stagnate.

It wasn't over yet; Xuan Zhenzi had already bounced back from the stone wall. The blood on the corner of his mouth hadn't even been wiped dry, but his gaze had become even sharper.

After stabilizing himself, his Flying Sword "dao gives birth to one" transformed into a thousand sword shadows in front of him, densely packed and blotting out the sky.

As his finger pointed down, the thousand sword shadows poured down like a torrential rain, creating a sword barrier between Yin Leici and the corpse.

At this moment, Yin Leici was only three inches away from the corpse.

But three inches might as well have been the ends of the earth.

Yin Leici's patience had finally run out.

These fellows were truly troublesome, blocking him time and again!

Truly damned!

He suddenly retreated, the lightning around him surging to blast away the surrounding lunar radiance and sword shadows.

His eyes stared fixedly at the corpse, a hint of madness flashing in his gaze.

He knew that if he continued to stall like this, his condition would only worsen. For this reason, he had to take a gamble.

"Lightning Moves the Nine Heavens!"

Yin Leici growled, the lightning patterns on his body suddenly lighting up and erupting with a blinding purple light.

His figure turned into a bolt of purple lightning, rushing straight toward the corpse.

This pure speed was so fast that even Yue Qingyao's lunar radiance couldn't capture it, and Xuan Zhenzi's Sword Qi didn't have time to intercept it.

"Stop him!"

Yue Qingyao's expression changed, her hands forming seals as pillars of lunar radiance blasted out again.

Xuan Zhenzi's Flying Sword turned into a golden rainbow, aiming straight for Yin Leici's back.

This time, Hua Nongying didn't bother with Yuan Tu either, instead turning to target Yin Leici.

The Illusory Peacock transformed into nine phantoms, pouncing on Yin Leici from nine different directions simultaneously.

A ghostly light flashed in Yuan Tu's eyes as bone claws emerged from the ground, grabbing for Yin Leici's ankles.

To this, Yin Leici neither dodged nor avoided, intending to rely on his current state to forcibly seize the spiritual item.

But he had clearly underestimated the terrifying strength of their combined efforts.

The lunar light pillars slammed into him in an instant, shattering more than half of his lightning patterns, and blood leaked from the corner of Yin Leici's mouth.

But it didn't end there; the attacks from the others continued to fall.

The phantom of Hua Nongying's Illusory Peacock crashed into him, causing Yin Leici's consciousness to daze for a moment.

Although it was quickly dispelled by the lightning, in the midst of a battle, this momentary trance was a fatal flaw.

Yuan Tu's bone claws burst from the earth, instantly grabbing his ankle and tearing away a piece of flesh, leaving it bloody.

Xuan Zhenzi's Flying Sword also slashed his back, leaving a deep wound that showed the bone.

Five people attacked at once, five forces slamming into him simultaneously.

At this point, let alone competing for the spiritual item, Yin Leici himself was sent flying by the massive force.

His lightning patterns completely shattered, his protective lightning light was pierced, and his body flew backward like a broken kite, slamming heavily into the stone wall as he coughed up blood.

Yin Leici slid down from the stone wall, kneeling on one knee and gasping for breath.

His body was covered in wounds, with charred marks left behind where the lightning patterns had shattered.

Blood dripped down his arm, forming a small pool on the ground.

But even worse was that the lightning patterns were beginning to fade; the side effects of the Ten Thousand Tribulations Lightning Body were manifesting.

He could feel the lightning Origin within him gradually going silent, that violent power leaving him.

However, while his situation was dire, the others' conditions weren't much better.

After all, before this, none of them had been idle; restraining each other had sparked a real fire in them, so their consumption was also significant.

Yue Qingyao's lunar power had also grown thin; maintaining the Taiyin Seal had consumed too much of her magical power.

The number of Xuan Zhenzi's sword shadows began to decrease sharply, and the wound on his shoulder was still seeping blood.

However, Yin Leici knew that compared to the others, his situation as the target of everyone's attacks was worse than anyone's.

If he continued to stall, he would only get weaker.

Once the lightning patterns completely vanished, he would fall into a brief period of weakness.

At that time, let alone seizing the spiritual item, even leaving alive would be an issue.

Although he was reckless and hot-tempered, he was no fool.

To persist in doing what is clearly impossible is not the way to live long.

With a roar, the lightning around him suddenly surged, blasting away the surrounding lunar radiance, sword shadows, and Illusory Colors, and he immediately retreated.

"Everyone, stop!"

He growled, taking the opportunity to pull out an all-silver short spear from his robes.

The shaft of the spear was covered in lightning patterns, each one emitting a heart-palpitating aura of Heavenly Tribulation.

The moment the short spear appeared, the entire stone chamber trembled, and the air seemed to freeze.

"Zixiao Lightning Spear!"

Yin Leici's voice was full of smugness.

"This is a protective item bestowed by the Nascent Soul Old Ancestor of my Zixiao Grotto-Heaven. It contains the full-power strike of the Old Ancestor. If anyone dares to block me, ask it if it agrees first!"

Instantly, everyone fell silent. They looked at the flickering purple token, their expressions varying.

The corners of Yin Leici's mouth curled up. Thinking he had intimidated these fellows, his tone softened slightly.

"If you know what's good for you, yield this item to me, and my Zixiao Grotto-Heaven will surely show great gratitude in the future."

However, before he could finish, he was interrupted by a light chuckle.

"Heh."

Hua Nongying sneered, "Yin Leici, who are you trying to scare!"

"What, do you want to break the fish and the net!"

Yin Leici's face was gloomy, a fierce light in his eyes. It seemed that if they disagreed, he would truly activate this killing weapon for mutual destruction.

Hua Nongying curled her lips and didn't retort further.

She couldn't gauge Yin Leici's true thoughts either, but she, Hua Nongying, was not so easily threatened.

She chuckled and took a feather from her hair.

The feather was seven-colored, with every barb flowing with an eerie light.

With a gentle shake, the Illusory Colors became blurred like smoke and mist, making one's mind daze.

These Illusory Colors were not fake illusions, but the real seven emotions and six desires—joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, worry, fear, and shock.

Each emotion transformed into a color, intertwining to form a mesmerizing scroll that made one sink into it.

The Seven Emotions Heavenly Desire Feather, refined by the Old Ancestor of the Six Desires Grotto-Heaven using their own seven emotions and six desires.

With one fan, ten thousand demons arise.

Hua Nongying fanned herself and chuckled, her eyes rippling with a naturally seductive charm: "Yin Leici, you think you're the only one who has such a thing?"

The changes in the field happened too quickly, leaving the other three momentarily speechless.

Yue Qingyao looked at the Zixiao Lightning Spear, then at Hua Nongying's...

Seven Emotions Heavenly Desire Feather, and fell silent for a moment.

Then she sighed softly and raised her hand to extract a drop of Essence Blood from between her brows.

The Essence Blood transformed into a bright moon in her palm; the moonlight was like frost, cold to the bone.

That bright moon was only the size of a fist, yet it seemed to contain the power of the entire Taiyin Star.

Wherever the moonlight passed, the cracks on the stone walls were frozen, the dust in the air was solidified, and even time seemed to slow down.

This was the Taiyin True Blood.

This was a supreme treasure nurtured for a thousand years with Essence Blood by a Nascent Soul True Monarch of the Taixuan Immortal Sect; a single drop could suppress everything.

Yue Qingyao stood holding the moon, her robes fluttering, as cold and aloof as a lunar palace Fairy. Her voice remained indifferent: "You two, it is better to calm down."

Meanwhile, Xuan Zhenzi remained silent, raising his hand to hold his Flying Sword "dao gives birth to one" horizontally before his chest.

On the blade, the two characters "Taichu" emerged, the Sword Intent so grim it seemed as if it would slash through the firmament.

Those two characters were not engraved; they were the Taichu Sword Intent personally inscribed by the Sect Master of the Qingwei Dao Sect using the Law of the Sword. Every stroke contained the ultimate truths of the Great Dao.

Taichu Sword Intent.

Once activated, it could sever everything.

Xuan Zhenzi held the sword across his chest, his expression calm. He didn't speak any threatening words, but the killing intent in his eyes was palpable.

"These guys... they're doing this on purpose, aren't they!"

Finally, it was Yuan Tu's turn. Facing their wealthy methods, he fell somewhat silent, tears of envy metaphorically streaming from the corners of his mouth.

The form of Legacy inheritance in the Hunyuan Demon Cave destined him to be different from the others.

To put it simply, although he was also from a Grotto-Heaven, he didn't have the support of a Nascent Soul Old Ancestor behind him, much less any Nascent Soul-level means...

Facing this group of second-generation immortals, Nascent Soul direct disciples, and Dao Sect true successors, he felt a sense of inferiority for the first time.

But though he might be outclassed, he wouldn't lose his nerve. Yuan Tu still took out a bone bead from his sleeve.

The bone bead was as black as ink, its surface flowing with a cold, ghostly luster.

Within the bone bead, countless tiny runes could be seen flickering, each one containing the aura of death.

It gave off a sense of returning all things to the ruins, of everything returning to nothingness.

This was the hunyuan bone bead, which he had exchanged for a massive amount of contribution points from the Demon Cave.

Its power couldn't compare to those others, but it basically possessed a trace of Nascent Soul might!

In an instant, four and a half Nascent Soul True Monarch pressures descended upon the field simultaneously.

The Lightning Tribulation power of the Zixiao Lightning Spear, the Taiyin power of the Taiyin True Blood, the Seven Emotions power of the Seven Emotions Feather, the sword Dao power of the Taichu Sword Intent, and the ruin power of the hunyuan bone bead.

Five types of Origin power intertwined, collided, and contended in the void. The entire Secret Realm shook violently, and cracks appeared in the sky as if it were being torn apart by an invisible giant hand.

The earth cracked, and countless bottomless fissures spread in all directions.

Distant mountain peaks teetered, and huge rocks rolled down, kicking up clouds of dust as they smashed into the ground.

Yin Leici pointed his spear forward, lightning swirling around him, his killing intent chilling: "Do you truly wish to be my enemies?"

Yue Qingyao stood holding the moon, her expression indifferent: "You must be joking. It's just that you, Fellow Daoist, are a bit too greedy."

Hua Nongying fanned herself and chuckled, seven-colored light flowing: "Yin Leici, can you swallow it all by yourself? Aren't you afraid of choking to death?"

Xuan Zhenzi held his sword across his chest, his Sword Intent soaring to the heavens: "This item, you cannot take away."

Yuan Tu held his bead in silence, not speaking. He didn't have the confidence of the others, so he simply stayed silent to act like a master.

The five faced off against each other; no one dared to strike first, and no one was willing to yield.

After stalling like this for a long time, Hua Nongying suddenly spoke.

"How about this? Let's first join forces to kick Yin Leici out. With one less person, the four of us can slowly divide it. That's better than five people fighting over one piece of meat."

Yin Leici's face changed, the veins on his hand gripping the lightning spear bulging.

"Hua Nongying, you!"

"I don't think that's appropriate."

Before Yin Leici could finish, Xuan Zhenzi spoke up, his tone calm.

No matter what, Yin Leici was a Cultivator of the Righteous Path. If they truly kicked him out, their side would lose a combatant.

At that time, the Righteous and Demonic Paths would be evenly matched, needlessly weakening their own say in the matter.

However, he didn't explain it out loud, but everyone present understood.

Hua Nongying's smile stiffened, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes, but she immediately put back on a smile and said in a seductive voice.

"Xuan Zhenzi, do you not trust me? Our Six Desires Demonic Sect has a very good reputation."

"Does it?" Xuan Zhenzi retorted.

Hua Nongying was momentarily at a loss for words.

The credit of those on the Demonic Path was indeed not very good, so she simply shut her mouth.