Chapter 206: This Is What You Call a Surprise
Chapter 206: Chapter 206: This Is What You Call a Surprise
Donghua Mountain.
Old Demon Lu’s heart sank at Qiu Changfeng’s accusation.
Qiu Changfeng was right. He was indeed the one behind the incident in the secret realm.
But of course, he wouldn’t admit it now. After all, if his plan succeeded, the entire Cyan Cloud Secret Realm would collapse.
If he took the blame for something that would uproot the very foundation of the Western Wilderness’s cultivators, he would surely be besieged by all the powers in the region.
Forget the Righteous Dao; even the Nine Nether Sect and the other two sects would turn against him.
As for himself... once he got his hands on the Treasure, he planned to leave the Western Wilderness for the East Sea and present it to his master.
Even though it meant breaking his promise, and there would be no place for him back in the Great Zhou, he had already become a Demon Traitor. Why would he care about such things?
Old Demon Lu knew the other Core Formation Cultivators were calm only because they were unaware of how dire the consequences would be this time.
They probably thought it was just some minor instability and that they could still enter the secret realm to gather Spiritual Materials in another thirty years.
Thinking of this, he feigned indifference, shook his head, and said, "Heh heh... Fellow Daoist Qiu, you must be joking. I’ve been waiting outside with everyone else. How could I possibly affect the stability of the secret realm itself?"
Qiu Changfeng was merely venting his anger; he didn’t actually have any real proof against Old Demon Lu. Hearing this, he just gave a cold snort and said no more.
Besides, the Academy Palace’s Celestial Spiritual Root cultivator, Xiao Yunzhi, was also inside the secret realm. He couldn’t gamble with her life just to prove a point.
Next, the eight Late-stage Core Formation Cultivators joined forces again to open the entrance to the secret realm.
This time, however, they didn’t let go immediately. Instead, they waited patiently for all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators inside to walk out safely.
...
In the sky, a streak of cyan Escape Light was flying at high speed.
Suddenly, the Escape Light came to an abrupt halt, revealing Li Ping. He frowned slightly, his gaze fixed ahead with surprise and suspicion.
He could clearly sense fluctuations of Magical Power in the distance. His initial judgment was that cultivators were engaged in Magical Combat.
’There are other cultivators in this secret realm?’ Li Ping wondered.
Sensing the commotion from the Magical Combat drawing closer, he scanned the ground below, immediately descended, and slapped his Storage Bag. A dark, ethereal cloak appeared in his hand.
After draping the cloak over himself, Li Ping’s figure gradually vanished. From the sky, his location looked like nothing more than an ordinary patch of sandy ground.
Hiding under the cloak, he locked his gaze in the direction of the Magical Power fluctuations.
A few moments later, several streaks of light entered Li Ping’s line of sight. He couldn’t help but be taken aback. ’It’s her.’
He recognized her at a glance. The figure within the foremost streak of fiery red light was none other than the Academy Palace cultivator he had once healed, Xiao Yunzhi.
At this moment, she was being pursued. Tailing her relentlessly were six unidentified cultivators in black robes.
Evidently, for some unknown reason, these six Foundation Establishment Cultivators were hunting Xiao Yunzhi down.
Xiao Yunzhi was in bad shape. Her face was slightly pale, a clear sign that she had exhausted a great deal of her Magical Power.
Although she was a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, assisted by her Blazing Sun Bird, a Spirit Beast that had also reached Tier Two Late Stage, her six pursuers included two Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, and the remaining four were at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment.
Against their combined strength, she had almost no option but to flee.
「A short while ago.」
Seeing that the six cultivators from the Spirit Control Sect were about to completely surround her, a look of grim determination appeared in Xiao Yunzhi’s eyes. "Even if I die here today, I’ll make you Demon Cultivators pay the price before I do!"
"CHIRP CHIRP~"
But just as she was preparing to fight to the death and take down one or two of her pursuers, the Blazing Sun Bird by her side suddenly let out a series of urgent, low chirps.
Xiao Yunzhi paused. "Xiaohuo, you want me to flee in that direction?"
Without much hesitation, she abandoned her desperate plan and flew in the direction the Blazing Sun Bird indicated.
But as they flew, a human-like look of confusion appeared in the Blazing Sun Bird’s eyes. The familiar aura it had sensed had just inexplicably vanished.
While the bird was confused, Xiao Yunzhi had no time to communicate with it before she was surrounded by the six members of the Spirit Control Sect.
Spirit insects, Spirit Beasts, and cultivators... they blocked all of Xiao Yunzhi’s escape routes, trapping her.
Seeing this, Kun Hu’s face darkened as he roared, "Xiao Yunzhi, hand over the Treasure, and I’ll give you a quick death!"
As he spoke, the six Spirit Control Sect cultivators carefully maintained their distance from Xiao Yunzhi.
They all knew she was a descendant of Xiao Changkong and a Celestial Spiritual Root cultivator herself. She was bound to have many life-saving measures. If they got too close, they might get taken down with her in a final, desperate counterattack.
The Blazing Sun Bird circled Xiao Yunzhi anxiously, seeming to explain something.
"Fellow Daoist Yan isn’t on the list of cultivators who entered the secret realm, so how could he suddenly appear here?" At this, Xiao Yunzhi sighed. "Xiaohuo, I don’t blame you. It’s just that neither of us will be able to leave today."
After comforting the Blazing Sun Bird, a fierce glint flashed in Xiao Yunzhi’s eyes. She stared at Kun Hu. "If you want the Treasure, come and get it yourself!"
...
’A Treasure? What Treasure?’
Li Ping, his form and aura concealed by the cloak, had remained completely undetected.
Originally, he had planned to just watch and see what happened.
After all, it was six against one. Even with him, it would be six against two.
Although he considered his own abilities to be extraordinary, far beyond that of a typical Foundation Establishment Cultivator, who knew what special techniques the other cultivators might have?
Once a real fight broke out, Dharma Artifacts have no eyes and Magic is merciless; he couldn’t avoid the risk to himself.
The only way to avoid all risk was to not fight at all.
Besides, he wasn’t particularly close to Xiao Yunzhi. In the end, he had only healed her once.
Perhaps due to the unique properties of his Nourishing Life Skill Power, the woman had developed some special feelings for him, but he didn’t owe her anything.
However, the mention of a Treasure couldn’t help but pique his curiosity.
This secret realm was clearly extraordinary, so any Treasure hidden within would undoubtedly be priceless.
If he could get his hands on this Treasure, Li Ping didn’t mind taking a little risk.
Moreover, since Xiao Yunzhi and those six Foundation Establishment Cultivators had appeared in this secret realm, perhaps they knew a way to leave it.
Thinking of this, Li Ping quietly took out the Blood Banner, while his other hand was already gripping the Li Fire Ring Talisman Treasure.
’Either I don’t act at all, or if I do, it has to be a lightning strike that gives the enemy no time to prepare.’
Just as Li Ping was about to intervene—
Xiao Yunzhi and the six Spirit Control Sect cultivators began to fight. At this life-or-death moment, she could no longer afford to hold back.
Chanting an obscure curse, her entire body radiated a dazzling light, like a glaring sun. Beside her, the Blazing Sun Bird’s form expanded rapidly, transforming into a giant flame bird with a wingspan several zhang wide.
Then, Xiao Yunzhi landed directly on the Blazing Sun Bird’s back, and their Magical Power linked together as one.
Boosted by Xiao Yunzhi’s Magical Power, the giant flame bird transformed from the Blazing Sun Bird expanded once more.
Finally, it coalesced into a Divine Bird one hundred zhang tall, composed purely of scorching flames.
"SCREEE!"
With a heaven-shaking cry, the Flame Divine Bird flapped its wings and instantly lunged toward the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Spirit Control Sect who controlled the swarm of bees.
"RUMBLE~"
Watching the Flame Divine Bird dive toward him like a meteor and feeling the air temperature rise rapidly, the bee-controlling Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn’t help but jump in fright.
Fortunately, his Divine Sense could already detect his fellow sect members rushing to support him.
He hastily directed his swarm of spirit bees to block the Flame Divine Bird, but how could these spirit bees possibly be a match for it? The moment they touched the flames, they fell from the sky, belly-up.
"How dare you!"
Kun Hu roared, activating the small black ruler Talisman Treasure in his hand.
"WHOOSH~"
Countless small rulers made of pure Spiritual Qi flew from his hand, forming a black river that intercepted the Flame Divine Bird.
The other Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, the one with a triangular face, frowned and clapped his hands lightly. The horned Exotic Beast beside him immediately opened its gaping maw, and a thick beam of light shot out, aiming straight for the Flame Divine Bird.
The other three also used their own techniques, joining the siege on the Flame Divine Bird formed by Xiao Yunzhi’s Secret Technique.
Facing the barrage of attacks, the Flame Divine Bird let out a continuous low cry. Its target remained fixed on the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator controlling the bees, while it focused purely on defending against or tanking the other attacks.
A vicious glint flashed through Xiao Yunzhi’s eyes. She knew she was unlikely to escape death today; she only hoped to kill a few more Demon Dao cultivators before she died.
Faced with the Flame Divine Bird’s reckless, all-out attack, the bee-controlling Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator panicked.
Cultivators from the Spirit Control Sect excelled at raising pets like spirit insects and Spirit Beasts. In Magical Combat, they mainly relied on their pets to fight while they stayed hidden in the back.
They weren’t actually skilled at direct combat themselves.
So now, seeing the Flame Divine Bird charge at him and his bee swarm completely unable to stop it, he hastily retreated while pulling Dharma Artifacts from his Storage Bag to defend himself.
But since Xiao Yunzhi had made up her mind, willing to suffer injuries just to get close, how could she possibly give him a chance to escape!
BOOM!
Making no attempt to block, it allowed the thorn-like Dharma Artifact to pierce its body. The Flame Divine Bird let out a pained cry, but at the same time, it accelerated, appearing right in front of the bee-controlling Foundation Establishment Cultivator and seizing him with talons that seemed forged from metal.
"SQUELCH!"
The talons squeezed, and the bee-controlling Foundation Establishment Cultivator was crushed into a bloody pulp.
"Junior Brother Zhuang!"
Seeing this, the remaining five Spirit Control Sect cultivators couldn’t help but cry out in alarm.
They hadn’t expected that Xiao Yunzhi, a Female Cultivator, would be so fierce and brave as to kill Junior Brother Zhuang even while surrounded by them.
But in exchange for killing Junior Brother Zhuang, the Flame Divine Bird had also sustained considerable injuries.
The five of them had no time to worry about Junior Brother Zhuang’s Storage Bag. They hurriedly used more techniques, intending to take advantage of its injuries to kill it and Xiao Yunzhi along with it.
’What’s happening to me?’
Aside from Kun Hu and the triangle-faced Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the other three Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators suddenly felt their normally smooth and flowing Magical Power become sluggish and stagnant. Even their bodies were gradually growing numb.
Before they could react further, a massive ring, several zhang in diameter, shot up from the supposedly empty sand below. Scorching flames blazed from the ring, faintly taking the shape of a bird.
Everyone’s expression changed instantly. "It’s an ambush!"