txolops Chapter 75: On the Eve of the Great Battle
Chapter 75: On the Eve of the Great Battle
In the mountains, hills, valleys, and forests, the spiritual energy of the Earth element is abundant.
Li Wu sat cross-legged on a blue stone, closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. The spiritual power in his body flowed slowly, and silver-white lightning traveled through his meridians, faintly echoing the aura of the newly acquired [Great Edict Thunder].
Although this spiritual object from the Purple Mansion has been sealed in a jade box, the resonance born from the same origin cannot be completely isolated.
Pei Xiyan stood on a high slope not far away, gazing in the direction they had come from. Her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she said in a deep voice:
"Someone's coming."
Li Wu opened his eyes, a flash of lightning in them, and said in a deep voice:
"How many people came?"
"Currently, only two auras have been sensed, one in front and one behind, and they are still far apart."
Pei Xiyan turned around, looked at Li Wu, and said:
"But they're very fast; they should be here in about fifteen minutes."
Ying Zichu stood up and nodded slightly, saying:
"They arrived fairly quickly."
"Only two?" Li Wuwei frowned slightly.
He released the aura of the [Great Edict Thunder] in order to attract as many cultivators from the four kingdoms as possible so that he could capture them all in one fell swoop.
So far, only two people have arrived?
"No rush."
Pei Xiyan shook his head, his expression grave, and said:
"These two auras have strong spiritual energy fluctuations, and they should be the best among the cultivators from the four countries, and they are the fastest. The rest are a bit slower to sense, so they must be behind."
Li Wuwei nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings.
The disciples of Yulin Mountain had already set up layers of restrictions around the area as Pei Xiyan had instructed.
Those dragon-type cultivators remained hidden in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment.
"Then let's deal with these two first, and then wait for the rest."
After all, there are quite a few cultivators from the four countries. If we can deal with some of them in advance, it will alleviate a lot of pressure later.
"Hmm." Pei Xiyan nodded slightly, agreeing with Li Wu's idea.
"They're here."
Ying Zichu suddenly whispered.
Li Wu looked up and saw a crimson streak of light breaking through the sky at great speed, trailing a long tail of flame.
"He is a cultivator of the [Fire Virtue] path."
Ying Zichu narrowed his eyes and said in a serious tone:
"Moreover, his cultivation level is not low; he has reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage."
The crimson streak of light suddenly stopped a hundred feet away from them, revealing a figure.
He was a burly middle-aged man with a rugged face and long, fiery red hair that cascaded over his shoulders. He wore a crimson Taoist robe embroidered with flame patterns, and his body was filled with surging spiritual energy, radiating a scorching aura.
He glanced at Li Wu and the others, but did not approach them.
A moment later, another [Earth Virtue] cultivator arrived, exuding a lazy aura.
"Fellow Daoist Situ."
Situ Yan glanced at him and chuckled:
"Fellow Daoist Ji Si, why aren't you off flirting with Fellow Daoist Chu Yun? Why did you come so quickly?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Si rolled his eyes and said:
"Don't talk nonsense, I have nothing to do with that crazy woman."
Situ Yan raised an eyebrow and stroked his chin, saying:
"Hmm? Wasn't it rumored that your master proposed marriage to Fellow Daoist Chu Yun's master?"
"Proposing marriage is not the same as getting married; they're worlds apart."
Ji Si waved his hand, yawned, and his expression suddenly turned serious. He said in a deep voice:
"Alright, let's not talk about these trivial matters anymore. Let's think about how to get that [Great Edict Thunder] back."
Upon hearing the mention of the "Great Edict of Thunder," Situ Yan snorted coldly, sparks flying from his nostrils, and angrily rebuked:
"Those three good-for-nothings from the Lingyun Sect couldn't even keep an eye on the Great Edict Thunder Cutter."
Ji Si shook his head and said:
"After all, they are [Divine Thunder] and [Thunderclap], and [Lingyun Sect] is a sect that devours people. It's normal that we can't beat them."
"Fellow Daoist Ji Si, why don't we join forces and snatch back that [Great Edict Thunder-Slaying Scroll]?" Situ Yan said, rubbing his hands together, his face full of excitement.
"no."
However, Ji Si refused without hesitation. He cultivated the Dao of "Cultivating the Soil," and this cave heaven could bless him, so he could sense things that Situ Yan could not.
Ji Si looked around and said in a deep voice:
"Those cultivators from Yulin Mountain and those belonging to the dragon are lying in ambush all around us. If we get any closer, we will fall into their trap."
Upon hearing this, Situ Yan frowned slightly and asked:
"So what do we do?"
Ji Si slowly extended two fingers and said:
"Either we wait for the other fellow cultivators to arrive, or we let the three of them come out and fight us."
"I'm definitely not going to fall into a trap."
…………
Looking at the two people standing outside, no longer moving forward, Ying Zichu nodded and said:
"They are two cautious people, though."
"If they won't come, then we'll go ourselves," Li Wu said.
Pei Xiyan nodded slightly and said:
"I will stand with you, with Brother Zichu assisting us. Let's not hold back and finish this quickly."
Li Wucong rose from the bluestone, his halberd crackling with lightning, and said in a deep voice:
"Walk."
Before he finished speaking, his figure transformed into a streak of silver-white lightning and shot out into the sky.
Pei Xiyan followed closely behind, his body surging with [Thunder], with purple-blue electric arcs coiling and swirling, reflecting off Li Wu's silver-white lightning.
Ying Zichu then activated his [Lu Qi], causing a layer of pale golden spiritual light to rise from his body. He made a hand seal and opened his mouth, unleashing two blessings.
Li Wu and Pei Xiyan immediately felt a sense of comfort, as their spiritual energy flow, recovery speed, and physical strength all improved.
【福炁】【寿炁】 and 【禄炁】 are not good at fighting when they are in the Foundation Establishment stage, but once they reach the Purple Mansion stage and gain supernatural powers, they can undergo a qualitative change.
For example, once Ying Zichu's immortal foundation, the "Bestowed Body," breaks through to the Purple Mansion, he will gain a life-saving divine power. With a single word or phrase, he can either bestow titles or knock down cultivators of lower rank than himself.
However, if one is at the Foundation Establishment stage, the effect is only auxiliary, and one can only apply buffs later.
…………
When Situ Yan saw the two streaks of light approaching, he was not surprised at all. Instead, he grinned and his long, crimson hair moved without wind.
"Well done!"
With a flick of his wrist, a long, red-copper sword appeared in his palm, its blade adorned with flowing flame patterns and radiating intense heat.
He cultivates the [Fire Combination] path, and his immortal foundation is [Flame Crow]. His killing power ranks first among the Five Virtues.
Ji Si frowned slightly and took a half step back without making a sound.
"Fellow Daoist Situ, please be very careful."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Wu had already arrived.
The halberd pierced the air, lightning coiled around it, and a powerful, heavy slash, carrying the thunder's roar, crashed down.
Situ Yan raised his sword to meet the attack.
"clang!"
Swords and spears clashed, and lightning and fire erupted.
Crimson flames and silvery lightning exploded at the point of impact, sending shockwaves sweeping outwards and scattering rubble and dirt across the ground.
Situ Yan's arms jerked, and he actually withstood the attack head-on, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes:
"Great skill! Again!"
He flipped the red copper longsword in his hand, and the flame patterns on the blade suddenly lit up. With a horizontal slash, he brought up a scorching wave of fire.
Li Wu slightly turned his body, and pressed down with his halberd. Lightning condensed at the tip of the halberd, transforming into a lightning snake that rushed straight at Situ Yan's face.
Situ Yan reacted extremely quickly, shifting his blade and striking the lightning snake with the back of his sword, deflecting it.
At the same time, he let out a low shout, and the flames around him suddenly surged, transforming into a ring of fire that spread outwards.
"boom!"
Wherever the ring of fire passed, the ground was scorched black, and the air was filled with a scorching heat.
Li Wu was forced back several steps by the ring of fire, his brows furrowing slightly as he thought to himself:
"This person must be cultivating the [Fire Combination] technique; the flames are indeed powerful."
With this in mind, Li Wu no longer held back, summoning the Golden Mirror and the Thunderous Flying Sword, while softly calling out:
"Mysterious Thunder".
Suddenly, to Situ Yan and Ji Si's surprise, a hundred-zhang-long thunder dragon appeared.
Ji Si's expression changed drastically as he looked at the thunder dragon:
"This thunder dragon... Oh no, Fellow Daoist Situ, retreat quickly!"
Xuan Lei's figure spiraled upwards, and in an instant, dark clouds gathered, thunder roared, and lightning flashed.
"Damn it! Why is there a dragon with the ability to cultivate lightning?!"
Situ Yan cursed angrily and retreated rapidly, his crimson escape light piercing the sky.
However, Xuan Lei would not allow him to escape.
The giant tail swept across, carrying immense thunder, and slammed heavily into Situ Yan.
"boom!!!"
Lightning exploded, and flames scattered everywhere.
Situ Yan spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward like a kite with a broken string. His crimson Taoist robe tore to shreds, revealing the charred flesh underneath.
Taking advantage of the situation, Li Wu pressed forward, his halberd crackling with lightning, and the [Thunder Sound Flying Sword] transformed into a silver-white streak, attacking Situ Yan from the side.
At the same time, Pei Xiyan's purple arrows also arrived.
Three bolts of lightning struck from different directions, leaving Situ Yan with no way to dodge and forcing him to grit his teeth and endure them.
"Clang clang clang!"
The long bronze sword was swung wildly, flames and lightning intertwined, but it could not stop the relentless onslaught.
Upon seeing this, Ji Si's expression changed repeatedly, and he took several steps back, showing signs of wanting to retreat.
"Fellow Daoist Ji Si, save me!"
Situ Yan shouted hoarsely.
Ji Si gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and a layer of earthy yellow spiritual light rose from his body. The ground trembled, and several stone walls rose from the ground, attempting to block the attack of Li Wu and the others.
"snort!"
Pei Xiyan snorted coldly, drew his bow and shot an arrow. The purple-blue arrow shattered the stone wall and continued its momentum as it slashed towards Ji Si.
Ji Si's gaze sharpened. He summoned a dim yellow pagoda to block the lightning arrow, pondering to himself:
"I was careless. I didn't expect that the Dragon Palace would actually hide a Thunder Dragon at the Foundation Establishment stage."
"If you can't win, you have to run."
With this in mind, he abandoned Situ Yan without hesitation and turned to flee into the distance.
"Fellow Daoist Ji Si!"
Upon seeing this scene, Situ Yan shouted angrily, a sense of despair rising in his heart.
He forcefully repelled the Thunder Sound Flying Sword with a single strike, then turned and fled.
However, Xuan Lei had already blocked his escape route.
The enormous dragon head looked down, lightning gathering in its massive maw. In the next instant, a thick pillar of lightning roared out.
Situ Yan had nowhere to dodge. He used his red copper longsword to block, and flames surged out wildly, but they were as fragile as paper in front of the devastating lightning pillar.
"boom!!!"
The lightning bolt pierced through, and Situ Yan's figure disappeared in the blinding lightning.
When the lightning subsided, only a few wisps of charred ash remained, drifting away in the wind.
At this moment, Li Wu also saw Ji Si fleeing and immediately snorted coldly:
"Hmph, where do you think you're going?"
He then chanted incantations and made hand seals, and the Thunder Sound Flying Sword suddenly gave chase, moving at an extremely fast speed, with arcs of electricity flashing.
Ji Si sensed the sharpness of the [Thunderous Flying Sword] behind him and immediately pushed his escape speed to the limit, the earth-yellow escape light frantically shuttling through the hills and forests.
However, the Thunder Sound Flying Sword is a magic weapon at the Core Formation level. Although Li Wu could not fully utilize it, its speed was still astonishing.
"boom!"
A bolt of lightning grazed Ji Si's shoulder, blasting a large gash in his protective aura, causing blood to splatter.
Ji Si grunted and staggered, but dared not stop for a moment, gritting his teeth and continuing to flee.
Just as the Thunderclap Flying Sword was about to strike again, a clear, cold voice filled with anger rang out:
"Hmph, you scoundrel Ji Si, you better not die here!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several beams of light of various colors shot towards the Thunder Sound Flying Sword, knocking it away.
Ji Si looked up and saw several cultivators standing there, and the one speaking was Chu Yun.
"Chu Yun, you've arrived!"
Ji Si, who had narrowly escaped death, breathed a sigh of relief and quickly flew to Chu Yun's side.
Chu Yun looked at the cut on Ji Si's shoulder, her delicate brows furrowing almost imperceptibly, and whispered:
"How are your injuries?"
Ji Si shook his head and said:
"It's alright."
Despite his words, the divine lightning left by the Thunder Sound Flying Sword continued to erode the wound.
This resulted in a very slow recovery even after he took the elixir.
"Fellow Daoist Ji Si, how strong are those [Divine Thunder] cultivators and [Thunderclap] cultivators?" At this moment, other cultivators gathered around and asked.
Ji Si said with a solemn expression:
"Very strong. That [Thunderclap] cultivator is at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage and is skilled in using a longbow."
"And that [Divine Thunder] cultivator, although he is only in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, his flying sword is extremely powerful and difficult to defend against."
"Not only that, they also have a dragon subordinate who cultivates lightning, and as for its strength... it is also at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage."
At this point, Ji Si's tone became somewhat uncertain, because he himself couldn't gauge Xuan Lei's strength.
Even though he was also at the peak of Foundation Establishment, the dragon attribute gave him a feeling of suppression, clearly much stronger than someone at the peak of Foundation Establishment.
But what about the Purple Mansion realm?
Not to mention that it's impossible for someone at the Purple Mansion Realm to enter the [Great Void] Secret Realm, and that dragon didn't seem to use any supernatural powers either.
If that dragon was truly at the Purple Mansion Realm, he wouldn't have been able to escape.
After hearing Ji Si's words, the others all frowned slightly and said in a deep voice:
"A dragon-attribute lightning cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage? How is that possible... Aren't dragons no longer cultivating lightning?"
"How dare the Dragon Palace break its promise?"
"What do we do now?"
Those who were slightly weaker and relied on cannibalism to improve their cultivation level immediately showed signs of panic.
"Damn it, it's all those three good-for-nothings from the Lingyun Sect's fault. If they had found the Great Edict Thunderclap earlier and moved it back, I wouldn't be here."
"Alright, in my opinion, let's wait until everyone is here before we talk about it."
At this moment, a cultivator who had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment spoke up:
"I think that since they deliberately released the Great Edict Thunder to lure us here, they probably hope to have a decisive battle with us here."
Upon hearing this, another person scoffed:
"A decisive battle? Do they think they're some kind of Heavenly Mystic Immortal?"
"Even including those from Jade Forest Mountain and the dragon-related cultivators, our numbers are still three times theirs!"
Upon hearing this, the others nodded in agreement.
"Then let's wait until everyone is here."
Then they waited for a while longer.
Several streaks of light appeared on the distant horizon.
Multicolored rays of light streaked across the sky, rapidly approaching this direction.
Ji Si squinted and looked over, then said in a deep voice:
"It's someone else who has arrived."
The cultivators' cultivation levels varied greatly, with the weakest being only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and the strongest at the late-Foundation Establishment stage.
Qi Chengheng arrived, stepping on the water. He had been healing his injuries at the [Water Margin] for a long time and was now completely healed.
"Fellow Daoist Qi, you've arrived."
His cultivation had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, and he was also skilled in swordsmanship, making him one of the strongest among them.
Therefore, the others felt somewhat relieved when they saw Qi Chengheng arrive.
Immediately afterwards, more and more cultivators arrived and joined them.
More and more cultivators from the four kingdoms gathered, and a rough count revealed that there were already more than thirty people, all of whom were at least at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, with ten of them being at the Foundation Establishment Perfection stage.
Qi Chengheng stood before the crowd, his gaze dark as he looked in the direction of Li Wu and the others, and said in a deep voice:
"That [Divine Thunder] cultivator has a Core Formation level flying sword in his hand, which is extremely powerful. He also has a Foundation Establishment Perfection level lightning dragon to assist him. We must not be careless."
"Fellow Daoist Qi, rest assured, with so many of us, what are we afraid of?"
The speaker was a thin, middle-aged man with a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation level. His fawning expression made Qi Chengheng feel nauseous.
"Gentlemen."
Ji Si then spoke, his voice deep and serious:
"The Jade Forest Mountain and the dragon-affiliated cultivators have laid traps all around. It would be unwise to force our way in. In my opinion, it would be better to send someone to probe first and find out their strengths and weaknesses."
"A test?"
The middle-aged cultivator chuckled:
"Fellow Daoist Ji, are you scared out of your wits? With so many of us, we could just rush in and crush them to death. What are you testing them for?"
Ji Si frowned, about to speak, but was stopped by Chu Yun raising her hand.
Chu Yun's gaze was cold as she glanced at Yin Li and said indifferently:
"If Fellow Daoist Yin feels confident that he can take on three opponents at once, he may go ahead and we will wait here for good news."
Yin Li choked, her face turning somewhat pale, but she remained silent.
"Alright, there's no need to argue."
Qi Chengheng said in a deep voice:
"Fellow Daoist Ji is right. We should send someone to probe first, find out their plans, and then take them down in one fell swoop."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd:
"Who is willing to go?"
The crowd looked at each other, but no one responded.
To test someone is an easy way of putting it.
That [Divine Thunder] cultivator was ruthless. Situ Yan killed him without hesitation. Who will go and test him? What if he doesn't come back?
Most of them were not as good as Situ Yan.
Seeing this, Qi Chengheng sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm:
"Since no one has volunteered, I'll do it."
His reason for going was naturally to continue the battle that Li Wuwei had just finished.
Qi Chengheng pondered in his heart:
"Brother Li, last time you were unwilling to fight me seriously because you wanted to get the [Great Edict Thunder-Slaying] as soon as possible. Now that you have the [Great Edict Thunder-Slaying], you should be able to have a good fight with me."
After thinking it over, he took a step and a wave of water appeared out of thin air beneath his feet, carrying him towards the direction where Li Wu and the others were.
"Fellow Daoist Qi, be careful!"
Ji Si called out from behind.
…………
In the distance, on another hill.
A figure stood quietly, hands clasped together, golden light emanating from his body, Buddhist runes flowing across his skin.
Ning Que gazed at the assembled cultivators from the four kingdoms in the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly, and murmured to himself:
"What a lively scene."
His gaze then fell on Li Wu, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.
"The [Divine Thunder] cultivator... After I devour that tortoise, perhaps I can use this body to try and control his fate."
However, his current target is not Li Wu, but the white jade turtle.
Ning Que withdrew his gaze, turned and sped off in another direction, his figure disappearing behind the hill.
He had just sensed a faint trace of the aura of [Longevity Qi]. Although it was fleeting, it was enough for him to determine his direction.
The tortoise is located within this cave.
…………
On the other side, in the cracks of the rocks.
Qi Yu and the white jade tortoise, hidden among them, looked up at the large group of people gathered above them and thought in surprise:
"With so many people, are Brother Li and his group really a match for them?"
The white jade turtle shook its head and said:
"It's hard to say, but from what I've observed, about two-thirds of these people have taken human pills."
"Cultivators who have consumed human pills will naturally be at a disadvantage when facing cultivators from the Thunder Palace. Moreover, they also have a dragon-type thunder cultivator who has reached the Foundation Establishment stage."
"If a real fight breaks out, it's hard to say who will win or lose."
"So what do we do now? Just watch the show?" Qi Yu asked.
The white jade tortoise suddenly became serious and said:
"I felt it!"
"What?" Qi Yu frowned.
"That Buddhist monk is also in this grotto-heaven."
"He keeps calculating my fate using destiny."
Upon hearing this, Qi Yu immediately became anxious and said:
"What should we do then? Shall we run away?"
Qi Yu has now gotten used to playing it safe.
In any case, if you're unsure what to do, just play it safe for now.
However, the white jade turtle shook its head and said:
"No rush, no rush. We can take this opportunity to completely eliminate that Buddhist monk."