Chapter 201: Chapter 201: Drastic Change in the Situation

High above the endless mountain range.

Shrill whistles and deafening roars echoed ceaselessly, their terrifying shockwaves causing the mountains to tremble.

A mountain-sized, earth-yellow Seal smashed down casually, shaking the entire range. Several peaks struck by the Seal shattered in the middle and collapsed with a thunderous crash.

For the creatures living in the mountains, it was nothing short of an apocalypse.

The earth-shattering commotion only began to subside after a heaven-shaking dragon’s roar pierced the clouds.

Now, the mountains looked as if they had endured a massive earthquake. The rock faces were covered in cracks, and the valleys that once connected the peaks had been replaced by bottomless chasms.

...

Old Devil Lu stood in the sky. Opposite him...

...was a tower-like figure whose chest had been pierced by a vicious dragon claw, which was clutching a glistening, egg-sized Golden Core.

Instantly, the stench of blood filled the air.

This figure was none other than Xiao Changkong, the Alliance Leader of the Daoist Guardian Alliance, on his way back to the Qi Kingdom from the Liang Kingdom.

At this moment, staring at the bloody dragon claw protruding from his chest, his face was filled with disbelief. He couldn’t seem to understand how a mere Tier Three Red Flood Dragon could have shattered his defenses and torn out his heart.

SPLAT.

The glistening Golden Core was crushed into dust.

With his chest pierced and even his life-bound Golden Core shattered by the claw, Xiao Changkong let out a muffled grunt. The life force in his body rapidly faded, his body went limp, and his breathing ceased.

In his final moments, he mustered all his remaining strength to twist his head around and finally see what was behind him.

Standing behind him was a half-man, half-flood dragon figure, its face covered in Scale Armor and two crystalline, jade-like horns sprouting from its head.

His pupils shrank at the sight. A bitter laugh echoed in his heart, followed by a sigh of resignation.

’When did a Tier Four Demon Cultivator appear in the Western Wilderness Cultivation Realm? To die at the hands of a Tier Four Demon Cultivator... I can’t say it’s an injustice.’ This was the only thought that flashed through Xiao Changkong’s mind before he lost consciousness.

The esteemed Alliance Leader of the Daoist Guardian Alliance, the number one Cultivator of the Western Wilderness, died silently above an unknown Desolate Mountain just after completely wiping out the six tribes of the Tuluo People.

’Is he dead?’ Old Devil Lu watched the scene, his heart still pounding with fear.

A short while ago, he had successfully intercepted Xiao Changkong above these mountains as the latter was returning south to the Qi Kingdom.

The two had immediately come to blows after a brief disagreement.

Old Devil Lu had initially thought the gap between himself and Xiao Changkong wasn’t large, but he never expected the power Xiao Changkong wielded with the Ancient Treasure, the Seal of All Living Beings, to be so terrifying. It had almost completely crushed him and his flood dragon.

He had nearly died on the spot.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, he had awakened his master’s split soul. The split soul unleashed a full-power strike and killed Xiao Changkong instantly.

Just as Old Devil Lu was reeling from the lingering fear, the half-man, half-flood dragon figure flew before him, carrying Xiao Changkong’s corpse.

Old Devil Lu hurriedly and respectfully called out, "Master."

The figure tossed the corpse to Old Devil Lu and said flatly, "My split soul will dissipate after this attack. Before that, there are some things I must entrust to you."

"Please give me your orders, Master." Old Devil Lu lowered his head.

"Now that Xiao Changkong is dead and the Seal of All Living Beings is in your hands, you will attack Donghua Mountain and seize the entrance to the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm.

Inside that secret realm is a passage to an ancient Demon Race’s secret realm. Although Core Formation Cultivators cannot enter the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm, you must dispatch many Foundation Establishment Cultivators to go inside, open the passage to the ancient Demon Race’s realm, and retrieve a certain Treasure for me..."

At this point, the half-man, half-flood dragon figure’s voice suddenly grew quiet, switching to a mental transmission.

Hearing of the Treasure the being sought, Old Devil Lu’s expression changed drastically in fear. However, he had long been a slave to the Tier Four Red Flood Dragon and naturally did not dare to defy it.

Thus, he ultimately nodded respectfully. "I will obey Master’s command."

"If you can find that Treasure for me, I will help you achieve Nascent Soul Formation. If you fail... well, you know my methods..."

"Alright, that is all. You’d best not disappoint me."

The voice gradually faded, leaving Old Devil Lu alone in the sky, drenched in a cold sweat.

As the Tier Four Red Flood Dragon’s split soul dispersed, the Tier Three Red Flood Dragon it had possessed reverted to its original form. However, the Red Flood Dragon now appeared severely drained of Primordial Energy, its aura having almost fallen below Tier Three.

With a wave of his hand, Old Devil Lu recalled the Red Flood Dragon into his Spirit Beast Pouch, letting it slumber to replenish its Primordial Energy.

He then began to take stock of Xiao Changkong’s Storage Bag. To his surprise, however, the Storage Bag contained very few Spirit Stones, let alone any Magical Treasures.

The few Pills inside had been used up in the recent battle.

The only valuable spoils on the body were likely the Ancient Treasure, the Seal of All Living Beings, and Xiao Changkong’s Lifebound Magical Treasure.

However, a Lifebound Magical Treasure is connected to its master’s life. Even if another Core Formation Cultivator were to obtain and forcibly refine it, they could at most unleash about seventy percent of its power.

Furthermore, it would lose its potential for growth, and its power could no longer be increased.

This was unlike one’s own Lifebound Magical Treasure, whose power could be continuously enhanced through persistent nurturing with Pill Fire and Magical Power.

As for the Seal of All Living Beings.

Ancient Treasures possess a spirit of their own. Without a compassionate heart that cares for all living beings, one could never gain the recognition of the Ancient Treasure’s spirit.

Moreover, the Magical Treasures of Confucian cultivators mostly require the support of Vast Righteous Qi to be used.

Take the Seal of All Living Beings, for example. The more abundant and pure the Vast Righteous Qi within a Cultivator’s body, the more terrifying the power it can unleash.

In short, besides Confucian cultivators, no other Cultivator could use the Seal of All Living Beings.

’You truly were a remarkable figure. If not for my master’s help, you really would have turned the tables on me completely.’

Old Devil Lu glanced back at the battlefield and shook his head. He put the Seal of All Living Beings into his Storage Bag and transformed into a streak of light, flying toward Donghua Mountain in the Qi Kingdom.

Before setting out, he had already ordered the four Demon Dao Sects to regroup, reinvade the Qi Kingdom’s territory, and surround Donghua Mountain.

He was now heading there to deliver the final, thunderous blow.

He had to be fast. He had to completely conquer Donghua Mountain before the Daoist Guardian Alliance Cultivators who were fighting the Tuluo People could head south.

If he missed this window of opportunity, he feared he would never get such a good chance again.

...

「In the secret realm’s cave residence.」

After finishing his tests, Li Ping looked at the tall puppet before him, a satisfied expression in his eyes. "I’ll call you Jia Er."

Jia Er’s role was slightly different from Jia Yi’s.

Jia Yi was built for ultimate offense, with attack power that nearly reached the limit of a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

In the previous great battle, it had destroyed Hua Hong’s Tier Two Upper Grade shield with a single arrow, a testament to its terrifying attack power. However, with its focus on offense, its defense was rather average.

It was precisely for this reason that Li Ping created Jia Er.

Jia Er represented the ultimate defense. Its offensive capabilities were not numerous, only equivalent to a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but its defense was terrifying.

Not only was it like a giant shield itself, but the numerous spirit-absorbing runes inscribed on its body, combined with spirit-absorbing materials, maxed out its resistance to most Magic attacks.

With Jia Yi and Jia Er working together, one on offense and one on defense...

Li Ping believed their combined combat strength was enough to crush an ordinary Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

This way, when Li Ping engaged in Magical Combat with other Cultivators, he would have two puppets assisting him. It was basically a group beatdown, and he quite liked ganging up on his opponents.

Unfortunately, he didn’t dare leave the secret cave residence right now. Otherwise, he would definitely gather more Spiritual Materials and craft another puppet.

Three puppets was the operational limit for the first layer of the Ten Thousand Spirits Divine Communication Skill.

After putting the puppets into his Storage Bag, Li Ping slapped the Spirit Beast Pouch at his waist and called out the slumbering Desolate Fire Sparrow.

Looking at the crimson Spirit Bird circling within the secret realm, a gratified look appeared in Li Ping’s eyes.

The Desolate Fire Sparrow truly lived up to its reputation as a worldly Spirit Bird possessing a trace of True Spirit Bloodline. Its advancement speed far surpassed that of an ordinary Cultivator.

About twenty years after its last advancement, the Desolate Fire Sparrow had finally reached the peak of the early Tier Two and was about to evolve to the Mid-stage Tier Two.

Li Ping sighed to himself. At this rate of growth, the Desolate Fire Sparrow might reach the late stage before he did.

As for advancing to Tier Three, given his own cultivation speed, he was already one hundred percent certain he couldn’t match it.

After all, the Desolate Fire Sparrow’s aptitude was equivalent to that of a human Cultivator with a Celestial Spiritual Root.

It was perfectly normal for Li Ping’s advancement speed to be slower than the bird’s.

Take Xiao Yunzhi, for example. Possessing a Celestial Spiritual Root, she had reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment before the age of thirty. When Li Ping saw her again twenty-six or twenty-seven years later, she was already at the Late-stage Foundation Establishment.

A Late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator under the age of sixty... a Cultivator with a Celestial Spiritual Root was just that terrifying.

Furthermore, Cultivators with a Celestial Spiritual Root face no bottlenecks before Nascent Soul Formation, so Xiao Yunzhi would most likely advance to the Core Formation Realm before she turned one hundred.

At that time, Li Ping might have only just broken through to Late-stage Foundation Establishment.

"The new generation always surpasses the old."

Li Ping sighed with emotion and let the Desolate Fire Sparrow play freely, while he himself sat down cross-legged and began to cultivate diligently.

’It’s fine to fall behind, but I have no desire to be the one left behind on the beach.’

...

Xiao Changkong’s death triggered a chain reaction in the Western Wilderness.

The four Demon Dao Sects launched a massive invasion. Although the Daoist Guardian Alliance did its best to resist, the news of Alliance Leader Xiao’s death in battle dealt a devastating blow to the morale of the Academy Palace’s Cultivators, which plummeted to rock bottom.

Amidst the brutal battle, seeing that the situation was irreversible, Yan Changqiu directly detonated the Mountain Protection Array, killing a large number of Demon Dao Cultivators.

At the same time, however, losing the Mountain Protection Array meant that Donghua Mountain was about to fall.

Fortunately, the Daoist Guardian Alliance’s willingness to perish together with their enemies intimidated the Cultivators of the four Demon Dao Sects. Coupled with the imminent arrival of reinforcements from the Western Realm, Central-South Realm, and Northern Realm of the Western Wilderness, they did not dare to press too hard.

Old Devil Lu personally came forward and promised that as long as the Daoist Guardian Alliance guaranteed not to destroy the entrance to the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm, the four Demon Dao Sects would voluntarily retreat a certain distance and allow the Cultivators and mortals of Jixia Immortal City to evacuate.

The Academy Palace agreed to this.

Yan Changqiu personally remained behind on Donghua Mountain, guarding the entrance to the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm to deter the four Demon Dao Sects.

The mortals and Cultivators of Jixia Immortal City evacuated in an orderly fashion. They joined the arriving reinforcements to establish a new line of defense in the western part of the Qi Kingdom.

Once the last person had evacuated from Jixia Immortal City, Yan Changqiu took one last, lingering look at the familiar Donghua Mountain, then soared into the sky and flew toward the Daoist Guardian Alliance’s front line.

He had no plan to destroy the entrance to the secret realm.

Because in the future, they would surely reclaim Donghua Mountain and take back the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm.

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