139: temporary plan

In a few leaps, he had arrived at the battlefield a thousand meters away, where the scorched smell of spiritual power collisions still lingered in the air.

The sight before him tightened his heart: Wu Zhang’s green robe was torn to shreds, three claw marks on his chest were deep enough to show bone, and blood dripped down his clothes, blooming into dark red flowers on the soil.

The Magical Artifact, the Judge's Brush, was broken into two pieces, its spiritual ink tip drawing chaotic, bloody trails on the ground, like a strange Talismanic Incantation.

His Second Uncle's right fingertips were still trembling slightly, clearly indicating a severe internal injury.

Across from him, the black-robed Cultivator cackled eerily, his hoarse laughter like the cry of a night owl, sending shivers down one's spine.

The black banner in his hand flapped in the wind, with gruesome skeletons embroidered in gold thread on its surface, and countless resentful spirits surged from the skeletons' mouths, emitting piercing shrieks.

These translucent resentful spirits had distorted faces, some still retaining their horrific appearance from before death—some bleeding from all seven orifices, some with twisted necks, and even some with only half a head remaining, yet still letting out mournful wails.

"Foundation Establishment third layer!" Wu Guohua instantly judged the opponent's cultivation level. He secretly transmitted a message to Golden Tiger, and the little fellow in the Spirit Beast Pouch immediately understood, gently scratching the lining as a response.

He, meanwhile, pretended to be panicked and shouted, "Second Uncle, run!" He intentionally added a tremor to his voice, even deliberately stumbling in his steps.

The black-robed Cultivator was indeed attracted, his bloodshot eyes turning to Wu Guohua: "Another one coming to die!"

As he spoke, he revealed a mouth full of yellow and black teeth, and his tongue was a bizarre purplish-black, clearly indicating he cultivated some evil art.

Just as he turned around, a golden light suddenly struck from the side.

Golden Tiger revealed his true form, his golden fur gleaming in the sunlight, each strand appearing to be made of pure gold, shimmering with a metallic luster.

A lightning-shaped white pattern on his forehead was particularly striking, now emitting a dazzling white light. The strong wind generated by the Spirit Beast's pounce stirred up dead leaves on the ground, forming a small vortex in the air.

"Beast!" The black-robed Cultivator roared, turning his black banner towards Golden Tiger.

Countless resentful spirits surged towards the Spirit Beast like a tide, but upon contact with the golden light surrounding Golden Tiger, they let out tragic screams, dissolving like snow meeting a blazing sun.

The distorted expressions on the faces of the purified resentful spirits gradually relaxed, finally transforming into specks of light that dissipated into the air.

In this flash of lightning, a blue light flew out from Wu Guohua's sleeve. The Qingfeng Sword, like a swimming Dragon, pierced through the black banner, its blade vibrating and emitting a clear Dragon's roar, directly stabbing into the Cultivator's heart.

A muffled "thump" sounded as the blade penetrated flesh and blood, and the black-robed Cultivator's pupils suddenly dilated.

"You..." The black-robed Cultivator looked down in disbelief, staring at the sword tip protruding from his chest.

Blood gushed out along the blood groove, outlining bizarre patterns on the Qingfeng Sword.

His fingers convulsively clawed at the sword blade, his fingernails scraping against the metal with a grating sound.

Wu Zhang seized the opportunity and threw the broken half of the Judge's Brush.

The brush tip, stained with his own blood, drew a bloody Talisman in the air, a Talisman shaped like a chain, which accurately embedded itself in the opponent's throat.

The black-robed Cultivator's eyes widened, his Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he finally collapsed with a thud. As he fell, he broke several bushes, kicking up a cloud of dust.

While searching the body, Wu Guohua found a hidden pouch in the black robe's lining.

This hidden pouch was sealed with an invisibility Talisman, the cinnabar runes on the Talisman paper were somewhat faded, making it undetectable by ordinary Cultivators.

He condensed a wisp of true essence at his fingertips and gently wiped it over the Talisman's surface. With a soft "hiss," the Talisman paper turned into green smoke and dissipated.

"This is..." The moment the pouch opened, both uncle and nephew were stunned.

A Medicinal Pill, completely pure white, lay quietly on the brocade, with a golden pattern flowing on its surface, emitting a familiar medicinal fragrance—another Foundation Establishment Pill!

The Medicinal Pill glowed with a gentle luster in the sunlight, and the three golden patterns slowly moved like living things, sometimes separating and sometimes intertwining.

Wu Zhang's voice trembled with excitement, his thin, withered fingers carefully touching the edge of the jade box: "Heaven helps my Wu Family!"

He looked around, lowering his voice: "Guohua, this place is only five days' journey from our old home..." As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the Ten Thousand Mountains to the southeast, where the Wu Family ancestral home was located.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two, stretching into the dappled tree shadows. Wu Guohua looked at the distant undulating mountain silhouettes and suddenly had an idea.

He squatted down, looking at Golden Tiger at eye level, the Spirit Beast's warm breath puffing on his face, carrying a faint scent of blood.

"Take this Foundation Establishment Pill back to the Wu Family and give it to Third Uncle." He said, placing the jade box into the Storage Pouch around Golden Tiger's neck.

Golden Tiger rubbed against his master's palm, his amber eyes reflecting Wu Guohua's resolute face, and a low purr rumbled in his throat.

"Be careful on the way, avoid Sect Cultivators." Wu Guohua then took out an invisibility Talisman and stuck it on Golden Tiger's forehead, the cinnabar runes on the Talisman paper glowing faintly the moment they touched the Spirit Beast's skin, then disappearing.

"When Third Uncle successfully completes Foundation Establishment, have him and Grandfather come to the Secret Realm to meet up." He finally rubbed the soft fur behind Golden Tiger's ears, where there was a particularly soft tuft of white fur.

That night, a golden light silently disappeared into the moonlight. Golden Tiger's agile figure weaved through the tree shadows, each leap precisely avoiding areas directly hit by moonlight.

He made no sound whatsoever. Soon, the golden figure merged into the distant darkness, leaving only the rustling of the night wind through the treetops.

Wu Guohua stood on the cliff, the night wind howling past his robes, his sleeves flapping with a rustling sound.

The bright moonlight cast a silver edge on his silhouette, but it could not penetrate the unfathomable depths of his eyes.

He could feel Golden Tiger's aura growing further and further away, finally disappearing completely from the range of his Divine Sense perception, like a drop of water merging into the vast ocean.

"When Third Uncle successfully completes Foundation Establishment, my Wu Family will have four Foundation Establishment Cultivators..." Wu Guohua murmured to himself, his voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the wind.

His slender fingers unconsciously caressed the jade pendant at his waist, a token of the Wu Family's direct descendants, its warm jade glowing faintly in the moonlight.

The glow from the Tiankeng Secret Realm in the distance illuminated his profile with a reddish hue, shifting light and shadow flowing across his sharply defined features, also illuminating the burning ambition in his eyes.

The light was like a flickering flame, dyeing his pupils a demonic reddish-gold.

The spatial crack at the Secret Realm entrance occasionally made faint "crackling" sounds, like some ancient giant beast chewing on something.

Just as the uncle and nephew were about to enter the Secret Realm, Wu Guohua suddenly pressed his hand on his Second Uncle's shoulder, with such force that Wu Zhang frowned: "Someone's coming."

The two quickly hid in the tree shadows, their breathing becoming almost inaudible. Wu Guohua could even hear the sound of his own heartbeat, steady and strong, echoing in his chest like a war drum.

Three Cultivators dressed in Blood Fiend Sect attire arrived at the battlefield, their blood-red robes particularly striking in the moonlight.