129: Xuji Sansheng Resurrection

Devilish Qi churned around Chen Liufeng like ink waves, and a long sword trembled incessantly in his palm, a three-foot cold gleam suddenly rising from the silver-white blade.

With a light twist of his wrist, the spine of the sword traced an arc against his palm.

"Sshhh—"

The silver Sword Qi poured down like the Milky Way, slicing a transparent fissure through the air.

"Bang!"

The remaining momentum of the Sword Qi did not cease, slamming fiercely into the Spiritual Qi barrier of the Du Pang Dynasty's imperial city, shattering it like thin paper; cracks spread like a spiderweb before finally dissipating into a sky full of light spots.

Cultivators on the city walls were knocked staggering backward by the blast of air; many clutched their chests and spat out blood, and even the city wall beneath their feet shook, shedding dust.

Chen Liufeng rose on his sword and landed on the crenellations of the city wall, his black robes snapping in the wind.

His gaze swept over the stalled battle below, and a cold sneer curled the corner of his mouth.

Those giants of the Demonic Path who had previously been lurking in the shadows had already moved, heading straight for the imperial palace deep within the imperial city.

"Kill!"

The low-level demonic Cultivators burst into earth-shattering battle cries, surging toward the imperial city like a tide.

The soldiers of the Du Pang Dynasty on the city walls were pale, their hands trembling as they gripped their spears.

Just at this critical moment, a resounding voice suddenly rang out: "My Meng family has guarded this Dynasty for generations; today, even if we die, we shall die upon this imperial city!"

The speaker was Meng Jingyi.

This Mortal emperor, who lacked the strength to truss a chicken, stood at the very front of the city wall at this moment, like a banner.

The soldiers were infected by this tragic heroism, and their previously trembling arms gradually steadied.

They raised their spears and shouted in unison: "Defend the imperial city to the death! Never retreat!"

The battle cries and the shouts of the city defenders intertwined, causing even Yang Kai to cast a sidelong glance.

He and Zi Ning and the other Flowing Cloud Sect Disciples were originally there to assist in the defense, and seeing this Mortal emperor possess such spirit, a ripple rose in his heart.

He cleared his throat and said loudly: "Do not panic, everyone! Elder Xuanqing is already on his way to reinforce us, and other Elders of the Flowing Cloud Sect are also rushing here! Once reinforcements arrive, these demonic Cultivators will be nothing but worthless rabble!"

Although these words were meant to soothe, they were not empty words.

As a major sect of the Righteous Path, the Flowing Cloud Sect had a deep foundation; as long as reinforcements arrived, the battle might not be without a turning point.

Chen Liufeng, however, listened impatiently and sneered: "Stubborn fools! Since you want to die, I will grant your wish!"

As his voice fell, he stamped his foot, and half of the city wall collapsed with a roar; a sharp Aura swept out, and under its coverage, Cultivators below the Foundation Establishment Stage and ordinary soldiers were all crushed by this Aura; at this moment, a Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Du Pang Dynasty shouted, blocking Chen Liufeng, and the two rose into the air to battle, thus avoiding this slaughter.

Amidst the chaos, Yang Kai remained calm throughout.

He knew well that on a battlefield of this Core Formation and Nascent Soul level, being too conspicuous would only invite death.

Therefore, he only defended and did not attack, protecting Zi Ning by his side while secretly observing the situation—he discovered that after many demonic Cultivators crossed the city wall, they did not entangle with the defenders but instead headed straight for the inner city, clearly targeting the resources within the imperial palace.

"Strange," Yang Kai thought, "The few Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Du Pang Dynasty could clearly stop them, so why are they letting the demonic Cultivators enter the city?"

While he was pondering, a heart-palpitating Aura suddenly came from behind.

The Aura was faint at first, but soon it swept across the entire field like a tsunami, and even the Devilish Qi in the air was suppressed and stagnated.

Even more bizarrely, those demonic Cultivators who had sneaked into the inner city were now like ghosts illuminated by a strong light; their figures were revealed one after another, and no matter what concealment techniques they used, they could no longer hide their tracks.

"Welcome, Old Ancestor!"

The few Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Du Pang Dynasty saw this scene, and far from being surprised, they were full of excitement.

They broke away from the battle one after another, rose into the air, knelt on one knee in mid-air, and gazed intensely toward the depths of the imperial city.

Yang Kai followed their gaze and saw a withered figure slowly rising from the direction of the Golden Throne Hall of the imperial palace.

It was an old man wearing an imperial robe, the five-clawed golden Dragon embroidered on the robe already somewhat faded; his frame was shriveled, as if a gust of wind could blow him over, yet he possessed an Aura that looked down upon the world.

"In just a thousand years, I did not expect that when I woke up again, it would be to such a state."

The old man's voice was not loud, yet it clearly spread throughout the entire imperial city, carrying the vicissitudes of time.

The Third Ancestor—who was the most senior among the few Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Du Pang Dynasty—hastily bowed and said: "Reporting to Old Ancestor, the Four Demonic Sects together with some Loose Cultivators have ambushed the imperial capital, the defensive array has been broken, and we hope Old Ancestor will act to exterminate the demonic thieves!"

As he spoke, his tone carried an undisguised yearning.

A thousand years ago, when he was still a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he had the honor of seeing this Old Ancestor act, and that world-destroying power was still carved in his mind to this day.

Even though he was now a Nascent Soul Cultivator, in front of this Old Ancestor, he still felt as insignificant as an ant.

Chen Liufeng had also killed his way to the front of the imperial palace by this time, and seeing this old man suddenly appear, and hearing the address of those Nascent Soul Cultivators, a flash of disdain crossed his eyes: "Playing god! Just a dying old dog! Everyone, follow me and kill him!"

As he spoke, he was the first to wave his sword and strike.

The zhanlu sword traced a silver arc, pointing straight at the withered old man's glabella.

The other giants of the Demonic Path also attacked one after another; bone banners, Demonic fire, and demonic artifacts were all unleashed, and for a moment, countless attacks bombarded the old man.

The defenders on the city walls saw this, and their faces turned pale again.

Yang Kai also furrowed his brows—although this old man had a powerful Aura, facing so many experts of the Demonic Path, he would likely find it difficult to resist.

However, the scene that followed left everyone stunned.

The withered old man slowly raised his right hand, and his withered fingers curled slightly.

In an instant, everything around seemed to have been pressed with a pause button—Chen Liufeng's sword stopped in mid-air, the attacks of the Demonic Path giants froze in place, and even the shouts of the soldiers on the city walls were stuck in their throats.

Everyone was still conscious, yet unable to move a single bit, and could only watch the old man with wide eyes.

Chen Liufeng's eyes were full of shock and anger; he wanted to speak, but could only utter a few blurred syllables: "This is... space..."

Before he could finish, a faint, lustrous white light flashed in the old man's eyes.

His withered yet upright body shook slightly, and the invisible Aura field around him suddenly expanded; everywhere it passed, even the air rippled.

The old man made no extra movements; he only slowly lifted his chin, parted his lips slightly, and took a light breath toward the firmament above.

This inhalation seemed understated, but a drastic change suddenly surged between Heaven and Earth.

The clouds that had been drifting loosely in the sky were like threads gripped by an invisible giant hand, gathering toward the top of the old man's head at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At first it was just a few fluffy cumulus clouds, but soon even the stratus and cirrus clouds in the distance were pulled over, and as the clouds surged, they emitted a muffled "rumble," as if the sky was being swallowed by a churning vortex.

Even more shocking was the change in Spiritual Qi.

As the clouds gathered, the Spiritual Qi drifting between Heaven and Earth was no longer in an invisible and intangible state, but transformed into threads of lustrous white visible to the naked eye, surging toward the old man's direction from all sides.

These Spiritual Qi threads gathered more and more, gradually forming a huge, funnel-shaped Qi column above the old man's head that was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom—the top of the funnel connected to the entire firmament, and clouds were constantly rolled into it, transforming into pure Spiritual Qi that flowed downward along the funnel walls; the bottom of the funnel was precisely aimed at the old man's lips and teeth, and the lustrous white Spiritual Qi, like a rushing stream, poured continuously into his body.

The imperial robe around the old man moved without wind, and the dark golden Dragon patterns on the fabric, nourished by the Spiritual Qi, gradually lit up with golden light, as if about to come alive.

He closed his eyes, and there was not a trace of effort on his face, as if he were not swallowing the majestic Spiritual Qi of Heaven and Earth, but a simple sip of tea.

Yang Kai and the others watching from a distance were already dumbfounded.

Yang Kai subconsciously circulated his Spiritual Qi, wanting to steady himself, but discovered that the Spiritual Qi within his own body showed signs of being drawn by that funnel-shaped Qi column, so he hurriedly suppressed it by force.

"What Realm is this?" he muttered to himself, his voice full of shock, "To be able to condense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into substance, turning it into a funnel and absorbing it into the body..."

Zi Ning also had a grave expression: "The strength of this person's Aura far exceeds that of the Nascent Soul... I fear he is a Cultivator of the legendary Soul Transformation Stage!"

The Soul Transformation Stage!

These three words caused a shock in the hearts of all the Cultivators present.

Ever since the passage between the Liuyun Continent and the Immortal Realm was closed, there had been no more Immortal Qi on the continent, and the Soul Transformation Stage had become a chasm lying before all Cultivators, difficult to cross.

And this withered old man was clearly an expert who had crossed this threshold.

"The First Ancestor of the Du Pang Dynasty, 'Xu Ji, Unrestrained Saint'..." Zi Ning whispered, "I didn't expect the legend to be true; he is actually still alive."

Just as "Xu Ji, Unrestrained Saint" was swallowing Spiritual Qi and his Aura was continuously rising, a sudden change occurred!