131: Chapter 130 Crisis

He spread out his Divine Sense.

The Divine Sense of a Nascent Soul True Lord could not be mentioned in the same breath as that of the Golden Core Stage.

His Divine Sense was like a vast ocean, instantly covering a radius of several hundred miles.

Inside and outside the Qingxuan Sect, from the top of the mountain gate to the bottom, and even the distant wilderness and forests—every inch of land was within his perception.

The Old Ancestor's Divine Sense swept across the mountain gate, the sky where the fierce battle was raging, the Disciples watching the fight, the panicked Mortals, and every mountain, river, and forest on the outskirts of the Qingxuan Sect.

Then, he found it.

About two hundred miles north of the Qingxuan Sect, on a mountain path, a familiar aura was moving rapidly.

It was Jiang Yueling.

She had not been captured, nor had she fled the battle—she was running outward.

The direction was where the Shenduan Sect's Battleship had departed.

She was going to find her Master.

The Old Ancestor scanned again and discovered another aura approaching the Qingxuan Sect from a different direction. The aura was weak and well-hidden, but it could not deceive the perception of a Nascent Soul True Lord. It was a Late Golden Core Stage Cultivator, covered in Devilish Qi, sneaking toward the Qingxuan Sect.

It seemed these five devilish Cultivators were merely bait on the surface; they had secretly sent one more person to infiltrate.

The Old Ancestor withdrew his Divine Sense, his expression somewhat complex.

He beckoned two Golden Core True Persons over and gave a few whispered instructions. The two nodded and transformed into light, flying off in that direction. Two people were enough to intercept and kill one Late Golden Core Stage devilish Cultivator.

As for the other three...

The Old Ancestor's gaze darkened slightly. If those five devilish Cultivators were only there to hold back the Qingxuan Sect, then the other three must have gone to the Danding Sect.

He looked at Yun Ming and transmitted his voice: "That girl, Jiang Yueling, ran to the north to find her Master. Go and bring her back."

Yun Ming was stunned for a moment, then looked helpless: "Why me?"

The Old Ancestor glanced at him and said indifferently: "Even I cannot detect your breath-concealment technique. Those Golden Core devilish Cultivators outside certainly won't be able to detect you either. If you don't go, who will?"

The corners of Yun Ming's mouth twitched.

How did everyone know he had this ability?

He had indeed used the Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record in front of the Old Ancestor a few times, but that was when no one else was around. It wasn't strange that the Old Ancestor could detect it, but listening to that tone, it sounded as if everyone knew about it.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the complaints in his heart.

"Fine, I'll go."

The Old Ancestor nodded: "Go quickly and return quickly. If that girl gets into trouble, it will be hard for us to answer for it."

Yun Ming acknowledged, his figure flickering as he disappeared from where he stood.

With the Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record running at full power, he became like a wisp of invisible smoke, passing silently through the Mountain Guardian Array, through the sky where the fierce battle raged, and through the Divine Sense blockade of the five devilish Cultivators, speeding toward the north.

In the direction of the mountain gate, the battle continued.

Twelve Golden Core True Persons took turns attacking the five devilish Cultivators, with various Magic Treasures and Spells covering the sky. Li Tu's bone blade was chipped, Gui Sou's black banner had several large holes, Gu Tong's bone chain had broken into several pieces, and Xue Ji's blood-colored short blade was also notched. Only Ling Lang was relatively intact, but he was also unable to break free from being entangled by the old Daoist wielding a whisk.

Yet they still did not retreat.

They were waiting. Waiting for their infiltrating companion to succeed, waiting for news from the Danding Sect, and waiting for some backup plan that they themselves were not sure would appear.

Meanwhile, Yun Ming had transformed into a wisp of invisible smoke, speeding along close to the ground.

With the Fuli Heaven-Concealing Record running at full power, his aura was completely concealed, and his figure was nearly transparent. From the outside, it looked like nothing more than a breeze blowing by, stirring up a few dead leaves; nothing could be detected. This was one of his greatest trump cards, and the reason the Old Ancestor specifically named him to chase after Jiang Yueling.

As he chased, he cursed in his heart.

What on earth is this girl thinking?

Staying in the Qingxuan Sect, staying by the Old Ancestor's side, was clearly the safest option. Even if she insisted on finding her Master, running back in the direction of the Shenduan Sect would have been better—at least that was the East Xuan Region, the territory of a Soul Transformation great sect; no matter how rampant the devilish Cultivators were, they wouldn't dare to chase after her openly.

Yet she had to run deep into the Ximing Continent.

That was the devilish Cultivators' lair.

The more Yun Ming thought about it, the more his head ached. He had finally settled down in the Qingxuan Sect, spending time eating with his mother, practicing Alchemy, and guiding Yun Xi in her cultivation every day; life was peaceful and comfortable. As a result, how many days had this good life lasted? Five years? Or six?

No, counting the days in the Qingxuan Sect, it seemed to be six years.

Six years of peaceful life, and it had come to an end just like that.

He increased his speed, his five Golden Cores running at full power, spiritual energy pouring out as if it were worthless. He pushed the Tahua Zizai Escape Technique to its limit, transforming into a streak of invisible light, speeding along close to the ground.

He had to catch up to Jiang Yueling before she ran too far.

Meanwhile, ten thousand miles away.

The Shenduan Sect's Tier 4 Battleship hovered above a wilderness, its black-gold hull gleaming with a cold luster under the dim sky. The Formation patterns on the hull were fully activated, and layers of Restriction light swirled, protecting the entire Battleship airtight. The massive spiritual power cannon at the bow had finished charging, its muzzle faintly flickering with blue-white light, ready to fire at any moment.

But no one dared to fire easily.

Because the surrounding area was densely packed with nothing but devilish Cultivators.

The sky, the ground, and even underground—everywhere were the figures of devilish Cultivators. Some rode black clouds, some stepped on blood mist, some rode bone beasts, and some crawled directly out from the ground. Qi Refinement Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage—they were densely packed, like a plague of locusts, surrounding the two Tier 4 Battleships so tightly that not even water could trickle through.

A rough glance revealed at least ten thousand.

Farther up in the high sky, four figures hovered above the clouds, standing in a distant standoff with the two Battleships.

Four Late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators.

These four people were the real threat. If they didn't make a move, the Late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators on the Battleships dared not act rashly. Once a fight broke out, a radius of a thousand miles would be reduced to ruins, and those Golden Core Stage and Foundation Establishment Stage Disciples would not be able to survive at all.

Therefore, both sides were watching and waiting.

Only those at the Golden Core Stage and below were fighting.

On the wilderness beneath the Battleships, it had already become a chaotic mess. The Golden Core Disciples of the Shenduan Sect and the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion formed battle Formations, fighting fiercely with the devilish Cultivators. Spells, Magic Treasures, spiritual talismans, and Formations—various methods emerged one after another, and the exploding shockwaves plowed deep trenches into the ground.

A Shenduan Sect Golden Core Cultivator had just used his Flying Sword to kill a devilish Cultivator when he was slashed in the arm by another devilish Cultivator rushing from the side. He screamed, and before he could retreat, his chest was pierced from behind by a bone spear. He looked down at the section of the bone spear protruding from his chest, his eyes filled with unwillingness, and then his entire body exploded into a mist of blood.

Scenes like this could be seen everywhere on the wilderness.

Both sides had been driven into a killing frenzy.

High above, those four figures remained motionless.

The leader was an old man in a black Daoist robe, with white hair and a white beard, and a refined face. He stood with his hands behind his back, his aura as deep as the sea, occasionally with spiritual light flowing, carrying a heart-palpitating pressure.

Cang Xuanzi.

He stood there, his expression calm, his gaze sweeping indifferently across the battlefield below and the two besieged Battleships. His aura was deeper, more restrained, and more terrifying than it had been five years ago. It was a feeling of being about to break through a certain critical point, like a sharp sword hidden in its sheath, ready to be drawn at any moment to shatter everything.

But his cultivation was still at the Late Nascent Soul Stage.

He had not broken through to Soul Transformation.

The one who had truly broken through to Soul Transformation was someone else.

Standing beside Cang Xuanzi were three other Cultivators with equally terrifying auras. One was a withered old woman, leaning on a bone staff with a hunched back, her cloudy old eyes half-open and half-closed, as if she might fall asleep at any moment. She was Granny Bone, a veteran Late Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator of the Heavenly Demon Hall who had been famous for over a thousand years.

One was a burly middle-aged man with a shaved head and a face full of flesh, his bare upper body covered in black devilish patterns. He crossed his arms over his chest, a disdainful smile hanging on the corner of his mouth, his eyes sweeping contemptuously over the two Battleships. He was Tu Gang, the Killing God of the Heavenly Demon Hall, his hands stained with the blood of Righteous Path Cultivators.