Chapter 114: Ambush by Peerless Summit Sect Spies, A Flurry of Sword Intent and Blood
Although the former Evil Spirit Sect couldn’t compare to a major sect, it was still quite a decent one.
Alchemy Pavilion, Scripture Library, sparring arena… etc., it had everything.
But now, these buildings were engulfed in flames. The operation of the protective formation was draining the spirit vein’s power, causing the entire Evil Spirit Sect, built upon the spirit vein, to collapse.
Killing intent filled the protective formation, and the Evil Spirit Sect disciples fled in panic.
Zhang Xianzhao stood on the collapsed sect gate, tears of blood almost flowing from his eyes.
“How could this be…”
“Zhang Xianzhao is back.” Luo Xue glanced over, then turned to Li Guijiao. “How is it going? How’s the pill condensing?”
“I’ve already extracted about two-thirds of the spirit vein’s power. The Super Invincible Powerful Heaven-Shaking Tyrant Explosive Spiritual Pill will be ready soon!”
Li Guijiao stared intently at the pill floating in the center of the formation’s core, meticulously adjusting the formation.
“Sigh, I still overestimated myself. I thought I could use the entire spirit vein… Now it seems, I can only condense at most half of its power.”
“…That’s already very impressive.”
Luo Xue’s eyelids twitched. To dare to attempt such a feat on her first try at alchemy, even the great alchemy sect, the Everspring Pavilion, had never heard of such a thing.
It was hard to determine the grade of the pill Li Guijiao was refining.
But in terms of power, it should be enough to injure a Nascent Soul cultivator…
Of course, to achieve that, it would have to hit the Nascent Soul cultivator directly.
Logically, a Nascent Soul expert wouldn’t allow such a pill to get close enough to threaten them.
“So, this is a Nascent Soul level indiscriminate weapon.” Luo Xue looked at it with apprehension. “If it’s not used properly and goes out of control, it might even blow up the user…”
“How much longer?” Luo Xue asked.
“About the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn.” Li Guijiao estimated. “With Zhang Xianzhao’s strength, he shouldn’t be able to break through the protective formation within three incense sticks.”
“What if… besides Zhang Xianzhao, there are other Core Formation cultivators?”
Nangong Mengxiang suddenly opened her eyes and asked.
“I’ve used all the remaining power of the spirit vein for defense. It should be able to withstand the combined attack of five or six Core Formation cultivators.” Li Guijiao said. “Even a Nascent Soul cultivator could be held off for a few breaths.”
“…What if there are about twenty Core Formation cultivators?” Nangong Mengxiang asked again. “How long can it last?”
Hearing this, Luo Xue and Li Guijiao were both stunned.
“Twe-, twenty?”
“Yes,” Nangong Mengxiang said calmly. “It seems like all the Core Formation cultivators in the Northern Zhou Dynasty are here. They’re just watching from outside.”
Nangong Mengxiang wasn’t sleeping when she closed her eyes; she was concentrating, sensing the approaching auras.
A full twenty Core Formation cultivators. It could be said that all the Core Formation demonic cultivators in the Northern Zhou Dynasty had gathered here.
“That shouldn’t be possible, how could they cooperate…” Luo Xue frowned slightly.
She knew the situation of the Demon Abyss sects very well. Achieving cooperation was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
Unless the leader was willing to give up some benefits, but which Demon Abyss cultivator would do that?
The sects that could survive in the sinister Demon Abyss were all those who believed in the survival of the fittest, selfish and self-serving.
Li Guijiao’s face had turned pale, and she said,
“If there are twenty Core Formation cultivators… the protective formation won’t even last for one incense stick!”
She jumped up and pulled Luo Xue, about to leave.
“Quickly, Little Junior Sister, you escape first, I’ll cover you!”
The one here was still the puppet Li Guijiao. Her real body was still in the capital city.
Since learning puppetry, Li Guijiao had never acted directly with her true body.
“Don’t worry, Senior Sister Li.” Luo Xue shook her head and said, “Even if you stay behind, we might not be able to escape.”
“The three of us are already weak. Losing another important combatant will only waste our chance.”
Twenty Core Formation cultivators were enough to set up a dragnet around them.
Anyone trying to escape would only be throwing themselves into the net.
“Then what should we do…”
Li Guijiao panicked. If it were just her puppet here, it would be fine, but Little Junior Sister and Nangong were also here.
Once the formation was broken, they would be captured.
Luo Xue pondered for a moment, then asked,
“Can only this puppet of yours control the refining of the protective formation? Or can ‘Master Zou’ do it too?”
“Both can, but ‘Master Zou’ is actually faster.” Li Guijiao replied, but she was still anxious. “At this time, Little Junior Sister, you’re still thinking about this…”
It was all her fault. Why did she involve Little Junior Sister in this…
Li Guijiao blamed herself. If not for her, Little Junior Sister wouldn’t be in such danger.
“It’s not that bad yet.”
Luo Xue shook her head. She had experienced many life-or-death situations, and this was far from hopeless.
Zhang Xianzhao, outside the protective formation, attacked frantically, the constant bombardment shaking the formation.
The other Core Formation cultivators of the Demon Abyss sects were also attacking, but only tentatively, not using their full power.
At this rate, the formation might not even last for three incense sticks.
This was enough to show that their temporary alliance wasn’t unbreakable.
However, once they realized this and joined forces for a full-on attack, the protective formation wouldn’t last long.
“First, Senior Sister Li, don’t let this puppet of yours die so easily.” Luo Xue said faintly. “Puppetry is a trump card. Once they realize you’re a puppet, they will deliberately search for your real body.”
“I know…”
Li Guijiao said weakly.
“Second, we need to understand their objective.” Luo Xue looked up at the Core Formation cultivators outside, eyeing them covetously. “A temporary alliance is unlikely to be for saving the Evil Spirit Sect. A newly established sect doesn’t have the face to ask so many Core Formation cultivators for help.”
“Their target… can only be us.”
Luo Xue narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice,
“Let ‘Master Zou’ come back and maintain the protective formation, continuing to refine the pill. We’ll escape first, but don’t go too far. We’ll use the protective formation to escape danger from time to time. Once the pill is refined, we’ll give them a… surprise!”
Although this pill was indeed a powerful weapon, when the time came to use it, they couldn’t hesitate.
Since the other Core Formation cultivators were targeting them, once they left the protective formation, the temporary alliance naturally wouldn’t attack the formation to save the Evil Spirit Sect.
“If necessary, we can sacrifice ‘Master Zou’.” Luo Xue’s expression turned strange. “It’s just a pity… that I can’t let my colleagues from the Peerless Summit Sect see this…”
What would the expressions of the Peerless Summit Sect spies be if they were nearby and recognized the “Master Zou” puppet…
At the same time, the Core Formation cultivators outside seemed to have lost their patience. They gradually approached the formation, attempting to break it and tear apart the trio’s last refuge.
But just then, a figure rushed out from the sect, followed by several battered Evil Spirit Sect disciples.
“Don’t run, you traitor!” The Evil Spirit Sect disciples shouted, their voices filled with anger and despair. “Traitor… die!”
But this suddenly appearing figure was very agile, narrowly dodging the Evil Spirit Sect disciples’ techniques and abilities.
Before the Core Formation cultivators could react, the figure “whooshed” into the protective formation.
“Damn it! It’s Zou Junxin!”
Seeing this, Zhang Xianzhao’s expression became even more crazed, and he attacked the protective formation with all his might.
Shensuanzi also frowned slightly, a sense of familiarity flashing through his mind.
“Is this that formation master, Zou Junxin? Why does he look so familiar…”
“Master Zou,” after entering the protective formation, nodded at Luo Xue and said faintly,
“Little Junior Sister, Nangong, you go first. I’ll take care of this.”
“…Senior Sister Li, please don’t call me Little Junior Sister while wearing the Sect Master’s face. It feels weird.” Luo Xue’s brow twitched.
“Okay.”
“Master Zou” seemed to be imitating the Sect Master’s personality and was much calmer.
As soon as he entered the formation, he quickly took over control of the formation from Li Guijiao.
During this time, Li Guijiao’s puppetry skills had improved, and she could now control multiple puppets simultaneously with less effort.
Luo Xue and the others didn’t waste any words and immediately left the formation.
Nangong Mengxiang carried Luo Xue, holding Li Guijiao in her other hand, and charged towards the weakest point in the encirclement she sensed.
Soon, the Core Formation cultivators outside saw Nangong Mengxiang’s figure.
“They’re escaping!”
Almost all the Core Formation cultivators stopped attacking the formation and looked at Nangong Mengxiang.
Only Zhang Xianzhao, seeing Nangong Mengxiang and the others emerge, continued to attack the formation relentlessly.
Because if the formation wasn’t broken, the Evil Spirit Sect would be destroyed.
“Shensuanzi! Didn’t you say you would help me reclaim my sect?” Zhang Xianzhao said anxiously. “Why aren’t you attacking now?”
“Did I? I thought we were just here to capture these three villains.”
Shensuanzi said faintly, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Luo Xue and the others in the distance.
“You!”
Zhang Xianzhao was so enraged that he almost fainted.
But Shensuanzi couldn’t care less now. The target was right before his eyes; he had to capture them quickly before anything unexpected happened.
“Everyone, remember what I said, do not harm those two little girls.”
The cultivators nodded. Although they were puzzled, it wasn’t a big deal.
The two little girls’ combat power was insignificant, just a few annoying tricks.
It was the tall body cultivator whose strength was noteworthy. A peak Foundation Establishment cultivator who could fight against an early Core Formation cultivator was truly astonishing.
Nangong Mengxiang used all her strength to escape the Evil Spirit Sect. Facing the two Core Formation cultivators who came to intercept her, she sent them flying with two punches.
The power of their small worlds was easily broken, unable to slow her down.
“What!”
The two Core Formation cultivators had never seen such power. Nangong Mengxiang hadn’t shown such strength before.
Caught off guard, they let Nangong Mengxiang escape the encirclement.
But…
“You can’t escape.” Shensuanzi narrowed his eyes slightly. “If it were just a few Core Formation cultivators, they indeed couldn’t stop her.”
“But this is the Northern Zhou Dynasty, with all the Core Formation cultivators present. Even with great abilities, below Core Formation, it’s all futile.”
The Core Formation cultivators used various methods to surround and intercept Nangong Mengxiang, restricting her within a certain area, then slowly shrinking the encirclement.
Time passed, and the encirclement grew smaller. Every time Nangong Mengxiang tried to escape, she had to face five Core Formation cultivators.
If not for Shensuanzi’s instructions not to harm Luo Xue and Li Guijiao, the Core Formation cultivators would have already attacked with their full strength.
But this was all within Luo Xue’s plan. She knew Nangong Mengxiang’s strength very well.
Escaping directly was impossible. Only by relying on that pill could they break through the encirclement.
Only one person was truly anxious.
As time passed, Zhang Xianzhao became increasingly desperate.
He stopped attacking the formation, as it was meaningless now.
The Evil Spirit Sect’s spirit vein was about to be depleted. Even if he broke the formation, the Evil Spirit Sect would still be destroyed.
“Kong! Lian! Bin!”
Zhang Xianzhao looked at the trio, his furious roar echoing, making Luo Xue’s hair stand on end.
It wasn’t Zhang Xianzhao’s roar that scared her, but the name…
Senior Sister Li’s alias was truly simple and crude, directly using the name of someone she knew.
Especially Kong Lianbin… the Temple spy who wanted to kill Luo Xue.
Zhang Xianzhao soared into the sky, intending to join the other Core Formation cultivators in besieging the trio.
But before he could take a few steps, a dark light flashed.
“This…”
Zhang Xianzhao’s eyes widened. He looked in a certain direction in disbelief, his mouth agape.
But in the end, he couldn’t utter a word.
His head rolled to the ground, his eyes wide open in death, staring at the earth.
No, not just his head.
In an instant, Zhang Xianzhao’s body exploded, his flesh and blood seemingly annihilated.
In less than half a breath, a Core Formation cultivator was dead.
“So noisy, how annoying.” The general sheathed his sword, looked at the Core Formation demonic cultivators in the sky, a hint of disdain in his eyes. “Tsk, I really want to kill them all.”
“Focus on the mission, don’t cause any more trouble… We have more important things to do.”
The farmer, his hands behind his back, coughed twice and limped forward.
“Peerless Summit Sect!”
Shensuanzi’s pupils constricted. He sensed the sword intent lingering in Zhang Xianzhao’s remains, a sharpness that made one’s eyes sting just by looking at it.
In this world, only the Peerless Summit Sect could control such sword intent.
“Could it be that the Peerless Summit Sect came to save her… and even sent out so many Core Formation cultivators…”
Shensuanzi immediately recognized the general. He was Zhou Li, the general who conquered the west for the Northern Zhou Dynasty. He just hadn’t expected him to be a spy for the Peerless Summit Sect.
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