The sky was dark, thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed.
The wind howled, and clouds churned, as though the heavens and earth were in turmoil.
The battle was on the verge of erupting. Patriarch Xu arrived with fury, his anger alone causing a change in the heavens.
Golden Core cultivators were no longer ordinary mortals. Without even lifting a hand, his fury-laden divine sense stirred the winds and clouds within a radius of three hundred miles.
"Jiang Linglong!" he roared.
"Do you dare stand against me?"
Patriarch Xu's cold eyes flashed like lightning across the sky, and his immense aura swept out. Rain began to pour heavily from above, as if washing away the dust of the mortal world.
"Yes," Jiang Linglong replied calmly, stepping into the sky.
"Let us ascend to the heavens for battle."
When a true cultivator was angered, the earth would quake for a hundred miles.
With the boundless magical power of Golden Core cultivators, a full-fledged battle could sink the earth for hundreds of miles. If the spiritual mountain here were destroyed, it would be a great pity.
Elian looked up and saw two figures ascend thousands of miles into the sky. A fierce confrontation was about to begin.
He wasn't worried about Jiang Linglong's safety. Patriarch Xu's cultivation was merely at the third level of the Golden Core stage. Even with the Qingyang Sect's resources, it was unlikely he could harm Jiang Linglong.
The only potential threat was the Radiant Heaven Mirror. As a supreme artifact for subduing demons, its power could level a thousand miles and even kill a late Golden Core cultivator in one strike. However, Jiang Linglong had prepared countermeasures.
"Late-stage Purple Mansion cultivators, follow me. Our task is to handle Elder Mo and Elder Liu of the Qingyang Sect," Elian commanded.
"Everyone else, secure the spiritual herb garden, scripture library, treasure vault, and spiritual pool."
He took the lead, sword in hand, charging into Qingyang Mountain.
Everyone followed their assigned tasks and executed the battle plan. Elian led the Patriarch, Patriarch Qian, Xu Qianyang, and Patriarch Fang, all Purple Mansion cultivators, toward the core of the formation.
There was no doubt that the strongest elders of the Qingyang Sect, Elder Mo and Elder Liu, were overseeing the formation.
With over thirty Purple Mansion cultivators attacking Qingyang Mountain, the entire spiritual mountain was completely sealed off. From the outset, this was an unequal battle.
Elian soon arrived at the formation's center at Qingyang Peak and saw two elderly figures.
Elder Liu sat cross-legged with a calm expression.
"You've come," he said.
"Elder Liu, Elder Mo!" Patriarch Qian nodded in recognition. The two were old acquaintances of his.
Elder Mo smiled faintly, glanced at the five present, and shook his head.
"Only five of you came? Do you look down on the two of us?"
"We five are more than enough," Elian said, his white robes as immaculate as snow. He stepped forward with his sword and said flatly, "It's time for you two to depart."
"Hahaha," Elder Liu laughed heartily.
"You must be the famous Sword Immortal of Bianzhou."
"So, it's only the five of you who have the late-stage Purple Mansion strength. No wonder only five of you came."
As he finished speaking, his expression turned serious.
With a sweep of his wide sleeves, Elder Liu soared into the sky, exuding a boundless aura.
"He's a pseudo-Golden Core cultivator!" Patriarch Qian's face shifted slightly. Pseudo-Golden Core cultivators possessed magical power 50% more profound than ordinary late-stage Purple Mansion cultivators, making them formidable opponents capable of fighting two or three late-stage Purple Mansion cultivators at once.
"World-Swallowing Wide Sleeves!"
Elder Liu ascended into the heavens and activated his magical ability, World-Swallowing Wide Sleeves. This technique harnessed the energies of Yin and Yang, storing them in his wide sleeves.
When unleashed, they erupted in a storm of Yin-Yang energy that swept across the sky like crashing waves.
The group felt the world turn upside down, as Yin and Yang energy surged toward them. However, as high-ranking Purple Mansion cultivators, they each had their strengths and ways to counter such an assault.
The Patriarch quickly reacted by summoning the Whiteblade Star Orbs. Seven orbs enveloped the void, reversing the Yin-Yang energy and stabilizing the chaotic forces.
Elian then summoned the Purple blood Tower to shield the group and prepared to attack Elder Liu.
"Don't," the Patriarch stopped him.
"Elder Liu's magical power is immense. It won't be easy to take him down quickly."
"Go handle Elder Mo. We'll deal with Elder Liu."
Elian nodded. Though Xu Qianyang and Patriarch Fang were injured, they could still fight at 70-80% of their capacity. Four late-stage Purple Mansion cultivators should be able to hold off Elder Liu.
With that, Elian charged toward Elder Mo. Elder Liu tried to intercept but was forced back by a barrage of magical treasures from Patriarch Qian and the others.
Elder Mo showed no fear as Elian approached and engaged him directly.
After exchanging more than ten moves, Elian discovered that Elder Mo, at the ninth level of the Purple Mansion stage, had magical power even more profound than his own, making him a formidable opponent.
As a veteran cultivator of a major sect, Elder Mo had no shortage of high-grade magical treasures. Aside from his natal treasure, the Kunwu Earth Bell, he wielded two top-grade third-rank treasures: the Blackgold Celestial Sword and the Goldjade Demon-Subduing Shuttle.
With the Kunwu Earth Bell defending him and the Blackgold Celestial Sword and Goldjade Demon-Subduing Shuttle in hand, Elder Mo managed to hold his ground against Elian's Twin Swords.
After another dozen moves, Elian realized that suppressing Elder Mo with just his two swords would be difficult. He then activated his Jade Spirit Eyes.
With this ability, Elian's eyes gleamed with spiritual light, and Elder Mo's movements appeared significantly slower. Seizing the advantage, Elian used his two swords to suppress Elder Mo, forcing him into several mistakes. Even the Kunwu Earth Bell dimmed under the relentless assault.
"This isn't good," Elder Mo thought. He sensed that if the fight continued, Elian would find an opening to destroy his defensive treasure and kill him. Anxiety flickered across his face as he raised his hand and unleashed three divine abilities: the Earth Lightning, Metal Lightning, and the Catastrophic Metal-Earth Thunder Seal.
The Qingyang Sect had collected four of the five-element divine lightnings, earning them renown across the nations. Their founding ancestor had even fused Metal and Earth Lightning to create the Catastrophic Metal-Earth Thunder Seal, a top-tier divine technique.
As the three divine abilities struck, Elian countered with Metal, Wood, and Fire Lightning. However, his Fire Lightning was pierced by the Catastrophic Metal-Earth Thunder Seal, which continued its trajectory toward him.
With no choice, Elian summoned the Grand Plough Celestial Sword to destroy the incoming attack.
"Now's my chance," Elder Mo thought, taking the opportunity to summon a radiant treasure talisman.
The talisman, called the Whiteblade Soul-Breaking Talisman, was a fourth-rank lower-grade talisman and one of the Qingyang Sect's greatest assets accumulated over a millennium.
...
85+ chapters ahead on patreon: patreon.com/David_Lord
I need POWAAA! Gimme Power Stones :D