Zhao Chun helped Meng Han up. His dantian had been destroyed, leaving him little more than a cripple. However, because he had once cultivated a secret technique, and after Zhao Chun fed him the pill gifted by Liu Xuan, he was at least able to keep his life.
“Because of the matter with Yue Zuan, she had her eye on you and me long ago. It’s only that my spiritual root aptitude is mediocre, so she only came for me now. Fortunately, the Sect Master sent you out of the sect on an errand, so you didn’t end up like me.”
Meng Han let her support him out of the rock cave. Knowing his own path was now cut off, there was a trace of relief in his voice as he spoke. Zhao Chun recalled how Qiu Jianying had once said she wanted to take her as a disciple, but was intercepted by Li Su, and so it never happened.
A chill suddenly rose in her heart — she realized she had already brushed past the gates of the Underworld once. Later, when she stumbled upon her killing Chi Song to seize a treasure, that had also been a moment of extreme danger. Thinking back on all of it, her life had always hung on that woman’s whim.
She gritted her teeth. It was truly because her own strength was too weak that she had ended up in such a passive position.
“For now, we should first find a way out. She only destroyed your dantian, Senior Brother, she hasn’t extracted your spiritual root yet. I’ll take you to find Senior Sister Liu — she’ll surely have a way to help you.”
But both of them knew these were only words of comfort. The dantian was the place where a cultivator stored their qi, and also the foundation of their cultivation. If the dantian was broken, the Great Dao was severed.
Since ancient times, cultivators whose dantian was damaged often died suddenly; those who could repair it and once more step onto the Immortal Path were almost unheard of. Meng Han had no strength at all, unable to take even a single step without help. Zhao Chun supported him and leapt toward the stone gate.
But suddenly, the ground shook violently, iron chains clashed with a piercing screech, and from the depths of the abyss below surged a blood qi so dense it was almost tangible, roaring upward. Cracks spread across the stone ceiling above, and chunks began to fall. Zhao Chun lifted her true qi, enveloping Meng Han within it to shield him.
“An earthquake?”
She frowned deeply. Falling boulders quickly blocked the stone gate completely. Since she had to protect Meng Han, she couldn’t easily use her sword to break through the rocks.
Just as she was troubled over this, a thread of white light shone down from above, then split into many strands. Looking up, she saw water dripping down. Gradually, the sound of rushing water became audible.
Zhao Chun’s heart sank — not good! She gripped Meng Han’s shoulder and leapt upward. Almost at the same instant they rose, the stone ceiling collapsed entirely, and a torrential flood poured in!
She held her sword in one hand, slashing upward through the current, carrying Meng Han against the flow. They burst out of the water into a place where pine waves flowed endlessly.
Shangyan Hall!
So the vile deeds of Qiu Jianying had actually taken place beneath the very hall where the Sect Master resided! Beneath the great hall was the source of the Heaven-Piercing River, where a great waterfall roared. Zhao Chun pointed her longsword upward and continued to ascend.
Passing through layers of mist, she encountered an obstruction. At the moment of impact, the Return-Kill Sword in her hand suddenly flared with dazzling light, breaking the barrier apart. Zhao Chun was able to enter an inner hall.
She set Meng Han down to the side and examined the obstruction. Carved into it were myriad beasts and plants forming formation patterns, with immortal cranes circling in flight. At the center was a small formation disk, along with the gold-and-stone base beneath it — all of which had been completely destroyed by the Return-Kill Sword.
“The Ten Thousand Spirits Protection Grand Formation — this is also the True Spirit Sect’s Sect Protection Formation.”
The Return-Kill Sword laughed coldly.
“In the past, twelve Profound Division cultivators condensed their true essence into a crystal stone to power this formation for ten thousand years. Useless fools — they even lost the crystal stone that concerned the very foundation of the sect! No wonder the sect was broken.”
Only now did Zhao Chun understand the connection. She asked, “Senior Gui Sha, did you recover because of this formation?”
“After losing the crystal stone, this formation must have been kept running for a time with human assistance — probably by that deceased Sect Master you mentioned. But now that even that human effort is gone, it naturally can’t help me. Fortunately, there was a trace of sword intent left here by the Sword Master in those years, which allowed me to regain the ability to speak for a short while. But as for helping you kill a late Foundation Establishment cultivator like before — that’s impossible now.”
Having said this, the Return-Kill Sword withdrew its radiance and returned to its ancient, unassuming appearance. Zhao Chun held the sword and walked toward the hall’s exit — when suddenly a figure stumbled inside.
“Elder Huo!”
Huo Zixun, seeing her, was also startled. He quickly pushed her toward the inner hall. Just as the two entered, a beam of white light blasted the outer hall into ruins.
The tremendous force surged inward, but Huo Zixun raised his hand to block it. Through the breach, they could see several figures standing in midair. The leader was none other than Chunyu Gui, the one who had once appeared together with Qiu Jianying.
“Fellow Daoist Huo, reaching the Core Formation Stage has not been easy for you. If you let go now and leave on your own, my Ren Yang Sect can let you go and not pursue this further.”
Counting them, the Ren Yang Sect had five Core Formation cultivators here. On their side, only Huo Zixun remained. As for Li Su, who should have been with him, he was nowhere to be seen — likely already met with misfortune.
Huo Zixun, hearing this, felt both grief and fury. This Chunyu Gui always wore a mask of compassion while committing acts of slaughter. Ge Xingchao, Wu Yunzhang, and Li Su had all died at his hands, their corpses devoured by his life gu — utterly cruel!
“If I were to leave now, how would I be any different from her?”
Though he did not name her, everyone present knew who he meant. Chunyu Gui knew as well. Back then, he had made an agreement with Qiu Jianying that if she left on her own, the Ren Yang Sect’s Profound Division cultivators would not act.
It was indeed beneficial to both sides.
He chuckled.
“Your sect’s Elder Qiu knows how to judge the situation — that’s why she left. Fellow Daoist Huo, you could do the same. Stay alive — why care about the difference?”
“You bloodthirsty, murderous lot — how could you understand my heart? Today, I will only die in battle. There is absolutely no possibility of betraying and living!”
Huo Zixun firmly shielded Zhao Chun behind him. But how could someone like Chunyu Gui fail to notice her? His eyes sharpened, and he reached out a large hand to seize her.
He had been wearing a half-smile, but his expression suddenly changed.
“You killed Liang Qi?!”
The other four Core Formation cultivators of the Ren Yang Sect immediately turned their attention to her. Among them, a woman’s face twisted in rage. Looking closely, her features bore some resemblance to Liang Qi.
“She carries the aura of my dear grandson’s snake gu! I’ll kill her to avenge him!”
She was Liang Qi’s blood relative. If Chunyu Gui merely recognized the aura of the snake gu and was uncertain, the woman’s life gu reacted violently, sensing the blood qi on Zhao Chun’s body — it could only have come from her blood kin!
This time, among the juniors she had brought to attack the True Spirit Sect, Liang Qi had been the only one! How could Zhao Chun possibly withstand a Core Formation cultivator? She felt as if her body was about to be crushed by the woman’s true essence.
At that moment, Huo Zixun acted without hesitation, fighting with his life on the line to block the strike. He had only just entered Core Formation and could not match several of the Ren Yang Sect’s Core Formation cultivators. To save Zhao Chun, almost his entire left arm was blasted to pieces by the woman!
The woman truly doted on Liang Qi. Now, hearing of her dear grandson’s death, she went mad, attacking the two of them relentlessly! Huo Zixun was almost a man of blood, forcing himself to remain standing.
But the woman’s true target was never him — several times she struck obliquely, seeking to break through this obstacle and kill Zhao Chun!
Her life gu was also a Jade Twin-headed Snake, but massive as a small mountain, far stronger than Liang Qi’s. Before the giant serpent, Huo Zixun was but a speck, caught in its enormous jaws, his body swaying in the wind.
The other head lunged toward Zhao Chun — When suddenly, a Heavenly Thunder Strike from the skies blasted the entire snake gu into pieces, blood and flesh scattering. The woman spat a mouthful of blood, fell to the ground, and her aura vanished instantly!
A woman in a flowing gown descended gracefully, holding a blazing feather that stirred the thunder above into constant rumbling.
(End of Chapter)