The Forbidden Path to Immortality - Chapter 189

Chapter 6: Setting a Trap

Li Xun’s contemplation was brief. Within the dark clouds, the third Yang Gang Tribulation Thunder, long suppressed, finally exploded.

The blinding flashes seemed like hundreds of suns exploding in the sky. Even though they didn’t strike directly, even though they were thousands of feet underwater, the light still pierced through. The immense energy contained within them, oblivious to the thick layer of water, erupted directly upon Li Xun and the other two, searing them like a scorch, consuming their protective Qi with a crackling sound.

Li Xun, now brimming with Xuanmen Gang Qi, wasn’t overly concerned by the impact. By comparison, Water Butterfly Orchid was far more troubled.

This kind of Yang Gang lightning and fire was particularly detrimental to the demon’s vital energy, and the demon woman, still wounded, would face a difficult challenge.

Seeing this, Li Xun immediately executed a sword gesture, slashing through the air twice, using the “Green Smoke Barrier” technique to create a barrier to block the remaining power of the external lightning and fire.

“How’s it going?”

Li Xun asked softly. At that moment, the lightning faded, and the thunder roared again. The series of explosions was truly far-reaching. Underwater, the sound waves weren’t as penetrating, but the vibrations were definitely stronger. Li Xun felt the sea shaking, his blood churning. Worried that Shui Dielan couldn’t hear clearly, he asked again.

Shui Dielan suddenly raised her hand, silencing Li Xun.

The thunder soon faded completely, and the seabed seemed to be silent. But soon, Li Xun heard the faint sound of air coming through the seawater. It sounded insignificant at first, but as he listened, he found it eerie, like hundreds of insects crawling through thick fallen leaves, a dense, creaky sound. As he listened for a while, he felt as if the insects were crawling all over him, even burrowing into his skin and bone marrow. It was a truly eerie feeling.

Li Xun naturally knew that this voice held profound meaning. He immediately focused his mind and activated his primordial embryo with the Mysterious Pearl Technique, emitting a mysterious golden light that shone through his limbs and bones. The Jade Devil-Repelling Blade, pressed against his chest, also responded to this light, radiating a circle of spiritual light and blocking the demonic sound.

Shui Dielan was amused by his unparalleled mastery of the Mysterious Demon-Subduing Technique, but she said nothing more. She simply smiled and said, “The Wind Disaster Hell has arrived. This is exactly what I was waiting for. Now I can speak normally.”

So, speaking normally meant that everything that had happened before was abnormal.

Seeing that Li Xun still didn’t seem to understand, Shui Dielan rolled her eyes and continued, “I need to guard against that toothless tiger. A tiger’s roar creates wind, not to mention wings. That toothless tiger is naturally able to harness the wind, from which he can master the art of sonic killing, and then through thunderous sound, achieve enlightenment. From then on, he can control it at will, letting it flow or withhold. If he pricks up his ears, he can truly hear sounds from a thousand miles away. Only when a hurricane arrives, muddling all sounds for a thousand miles around, can he be deceived.”

Only then did Li Xun realize that Bancheng Jushi had such a skill. As expected, none of the Seven Demons of the Universe are easy to deal with. He couldn’t help but think about how much Shui Dielan had lied before. Could it be that the news that the demon phoenix was no longer in the East China Sea was actually false?

Li Xun was even more confused. What was Shui Dielan planning in this situation that required her to keep it secret, even to the point of intentionally misleading Li Douliang and the others?

Raising this question, Shui Dielan sneered, “Who hid it from them? Everything I said before was true. It’s just that if I say it in a different way, won’t it be easier for them to accept it?”

“Accept what? The news that the demon phoenix is not with Gu Yin?”

“It’s not just the demon phoenix.” Shui Dielan shook her finger lightly, and her expression made people grit their teeth. However, her next words shocked Li Xun’s scalp: “Except the demon phoenix, all the council members are not here. Not only them, but also the five servants of Miaohua are not here!”

Li Xun’s eyes widened: “You mean, there is no master around Gu Yin?”

“Who knows, maybe that Yu Sanren puppet is still here, but the others are definitely not better than the East China Sea. This woman relied on a group of second-rate cultivators to fight against the Nineteen Sects Alliance until the thunder fell. So, what do you think?”

Hearing this, Li Xun could only smile bitterly. Yes, why bother about whether there are masters around Gu Yin, she herself is the most terrifying existence in this world.

Even though she was now weak and frail, and even though she had nearly exhausted all her cards, she could still leverage various situations to face an almost invincible enemy. After several attempts, she still had the upper hand.

A peerless genius!

“No, no, that’s not the case. What I meant was, what do you think they would think if I walked up to them before the thunderbolt struck and said, ‘I have definite information. Gu Yin doesn’t have any experts around. You can do whatever you want…’?”

Li Xun immediately understood: “Probably, after some debate, they would let it go.”

“Then, when Li Douliang asks me, I’ll tell him what he wants. What will they do?”

“Well, after some debate, the possibility of a counterattack is the greatest. However, we can’t rule out the possibility of them acting more conservatively.”

“Now, if I turn around and leave, but let that toothless tiger take the initiative to find out the news, what will they think?”

Li Xun listened with a wry smile.

When it comes to penetrating human analysis, Shui Dielan is undoubtedly a Grandmaster-level figure, and her grasp of the mindsets of the Nineteen Sect Leaders is incredibly accurate.

Human hearts are so strange. When given the power to choose, they don’t value things that come easily. Even when pushed to the brink, grasping at their last straw, they’ll second-guess whether it’s a trap set by the enemy…

Li Xun couldn’t help but express his concern. “She’ll use a hundred thousand independent cultivators to contain the enemy in the East China Sea, while she mobilizes her elite experts to wreak havoc within the inner six. If that’s Gu Yin’s plan, by the time the battle in the East China Sea is over, the Tongxuan Realm might have been emptied out.”

“I don’t think so. I don’t think destroying a few sects is a big deal. You know, almost all of the Nineteen Sects’ elite are concentrated in the East China Sea. As long as they’re there, we can recruit new disciples if we lose them, rebuild our foundation if we lose it, and our legacy will never be cut off. Gu Yin wouldn’t be so incompetent.”

“Then what does it mean to be incompetent?”

“Of course it’s a plan to wipe out the entire family. Look at the East China Sea now, isn’t it the best opportunity? Under the heavenly calamity, the higher the cultivation level, the greater the interference. One hundred thousand independent cultivators have set up the Three Thousand Gangsha Hunyi Formation to minimize their own influence. In this situation, I dare not say what will happen, but this is at least an opportunity. An ordinary cultivator may also have the opportunity to kill the almighty Zhenyi Grandmaster!”

Shui Dielan’s face could not tell whether she was happy or sad. Anyway, her tone was subtle and unusual. She continued: “The heavenly calamity is raging. Masters like Qixia are actually of no use here. They are not as convenient as ordinary cultivators. Gu Yin might have thought of this a long time ago…” This is not arrogance, but the most practical arrangement.

“But on the other hand, this isn’t the true forty-nine tribulations. It will eventually pass in a short time, perhaps a day, two days, or perhaps only three or five hours. Gu Yin’s time is limited after all. If we don’t consider other unimaginable backup plans, then if Ramash and the others really focus on rushing out, breaking through the formation and escaping the range of the tribulation, after this period of time is over, they can strike back and defeat Gu Yin in an instant. Or, would you rather see this happen?”

“Well, for now, that’s about right.”

Shui Dielan immediately glared at him, “You’re useless. How can such a grand event end so anticlimactically? And Ramash, that guy, always looks so arrogant. How can I be willing to not see him suffer?”

Tsk, that’s the truth.

Li Xun didn’t rush to blame Shui Die Lan for her selfishness. In reality, every one of the over a hundred thousand people on the East China Sea had their own ambitions. Some simply couldn’t realize them, so they could only suppress them. Others, however, could leverage their abilities and the existing situation to make them a reality. That was all.

Li Xun also had his own selfish desires, and like Shui Die Lan, he made no effort to conceal them. He nodded, acknowledging Shui Die Lan’s intentions, and then shifted the conversation to the topic that concerned him most. “So, what about the other one?”

His tone was gentle. Shui Die Lan glanced at him, but didn’t argue. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again, and pointed in a direction. “Over there, but she’s constantly moving, and sometimes she gets into blind spots. If I keep tracking her, I’m not very confident.”

“A rough direction is enough,”

Li Xun breathed out, closing his eyes. The demonic sound of the wind disaster outside no longer had any effect on him, and he quickly entered a state of mind free from all thoughts.

In this state, his intuition was amplified to the maximum. With the guidance of the water butterfly orchid, a vague trajectory emerged in his mind.

“Is it also heading towards the void rift?”

Li Xun couldn’t help but think of his previous speculation, and a cloud of gloom suddenly fell over him.

He had a certain psychological advantage over Qing Yin; he was deeply wary of Gu Yin. And as for Zhong Yin, who had already ascended to the sky, even after nearly a hundred years, the arrangements he had left behind still weighed like a mountain on his mind, suffocating him.

Zhong Yin must be on Qing Yin’s side, but why would he help Gu Yin?

How much of Gu Yin’s grandiose move, which shook the entire Tongxuan world, was related to Zhong Yin?

If the worst-case scenario was truly the case, with Zhong Yin, Gu Yin, and Qing Yin inextricably linked, wouldn’t his relentless pursuit be like a flying insect slamming into a dead end?

Negative questions and assumptions were thrown one after another, and Li Xun felt his mind tremble, and unsurprisingly, he lost touch with Qing Yin again. Just then, Shui Dielan called out again, “Ramashi and the others are moving.”

Indeed, they were.

Li Douliang and the others, taking advantage of the thunderbolts and the initial storm, had recklessly radiated their presence, announcing their presence.

Direction, the most crucial thing, was direction.

Captivated by the overwhelming movement, Li Xun was momentarily captivated.

He quickly pinpointed the core of the change. Given Li Douliang and the others’ positions, heading west—and only west—was the only option to escalate the situation and overturn the situation. Any other direction would have sealed the defeat of the Nineteen Sects Alliance in the East China Sea.

As for tactics like feints to the east, deception, and surprise attacks, Li Xun dismissed them as meaningless.

Soon, the final direction was determined:

west!

Unmistakably heading west, without any real or fake change, the unique and powerful auras of the four Grandmasters—Li Douliang, Ramash, Qingming, and Bancheng Jushi—burst through the sea like the sun rising in the night, overwhelming the chaotic vital energy caused by the heavenly tribulation. Every cultivator within a thousand miles could sense the distinct coordinates.

Suffering from the heavenly tribulation, divided by the Three Thousand Gangsha Hunyi Formation and trapped in the dilemma of fighting each other, the nineteen cultivators of the sects finally found a target within their reach and reliable support. Instantly, within Li Xun’s range of perception, dozens of auras of varying strengths erupted, converging in the direction of Li Douliang and his companions.

Li Xun roughly counted and found that during the brief period of time between the three Yang Gang thunder and fire strikes and the arrival of the wind disaster, only about seventy of the more than one hundred elite cultivators from each sect were still able to react quickly.

Of course, one couldn’t simply assume the remaining individuals were dead. However, in this situation, if the calamity continued, lone cultivators would have little chance of survival.

He looked up and scanned the sky, but perhaps because it was too far away, he saw nothing.

However, within his uncanny intuition, the pulses of vitality he’d focused on, whether strong or weak, were still present.

Grasping these unique auras, vivid images flowed through his mind, each imbued with indescribable emotion.

“This is not the smartest way, but it must be the most important thing to do!” Shui Dielan whispered on the side: “This is like a calamity sent by the evil God. When you really face it, if you want to be a turtle, you will always die. The only way is to face its pressure, use all your tricks, and survive from death, then you can find a way out.

“In front of us is the life and death calamity of all the Tongxuan sects. On Gu Yin’s side, it is both a place of death and a way to survive. If those people like Ramash can really show the mentality and heroism when facing the heavenly calamity, I still favor them.”

After a pause, a sly smile appeared on her face again: “Of course, they will definitely pay the price.”

Li Xun raised his eyebrows: “Are you so sure that Ramash will be the one to pay the price?”

“Because I have confidence in Gu Yin.”

It’s rare that Shui Dielan can speak with confidence when being unreasonable, but Li Xun just can’t refute it.

Li Xun was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. “Yes, that’s a good reason. Since you have confidence in her, it’s only natural for me to have confidence in certain people, and in myself.”

This statement was so strange that Shui Dielan was puzzled, but she could tell that Li Xun was in a good mood. At least, the smile on his face was genuine.

“Okay, now, let’s go too. Let’s see Gu Yin and my old lover.”

Li Xun, not keeping his mouth shut, finally received a blow to the ribs. Laughing loudly, he and Shui Dielan broke through the sea and flew westward.

As soon as they emerged from the sea, Li Xun noticed something unusual.

From the end of the thunderstorm and the onset of the storm, in just a few dozen breaths, a thin layer of floating ice had formed on the surface of the sea. Although this thin layer often broke and shattered with the turbulent seawater, it formed again and again. Looking out, the sea was covered with tiny ice flowers, rising and falling, a spectacular sight.

At the same time, the mighty force of the sea’s Gangsha wind finally reached full force.

The Gangsha was invisible, and posed no visible threat.

But once a foothold was established on the surface, one could sense the violent, harsh currents rubbing against one another from all directions, creating invisible vortexes of varying sizes that rapidly eroded the protective zhenqi. Within these vortexes lay countless independent cultivators from the alliance, gathering and dispersing, making them difficult to grasp.

These cultivators followed the formation’s movements, coming and going, their very flesh and blood seemingly fused with the Gangsha, invisible and formless. At the first sign of opportunity, they leaped from thin air, imbued with the sharp edge of the Gangsha, charging with a fearless, heart-wrenching ferocity.

In just a short while at sea, Li Xun had already encountered five such surprise attacks. Although he was proficient in forbidden techniques and immune to the Gangsha’s turbulent currents, and had instantly slain over a dozen cultivators involved, the relentless, desperate charge, each one pressing against the last, still weighed heavily on him.

The casualties of the Loose Cultivator Alliance were likely considerable.

Ever since the Gangsha Formation was established and the Yanggang Thunder and Fire struck, the situation on the East China Sea had reached a fever pitch. From Li Xun’s own experience, close combat, life for life, was commonplace. Add to that the heavy casualties inflicted during the previous period when the Nineteen Sects Alliance held absolute dominance, and even a tenth of the current base of one hundred thousand loose cultivators would be a conservative estimate.

Yet, even under these circumstances, the pressure exerted by the Loose Cultivator Alliance on the Nineteen Sects continued unabated, and the Three Thousand Gangsha Hunyi Formation showed no sign of stagnation.

Li Xun, having dabbled in military tactics in his youth, knew that in the mortal realm, a force capable of withstanding a tenth of its casualties in frontal combat without losing its formation was considered elite. Compared to the strict physical constraints of the mortal realm, achieving this standard for a cultivator usually undisciplined, even with Gu Yin’s ability to turn the tide, would be a miracle.

Sighing, he killed another rogue cultivator who had charged forward. Now dead, no longer protected by the formation, he was swept away by the aura of the swift evil, stripping away his outer layer of flesh. The chill of the Wind Disaster Prison filtered through, freezing the blood-red remains of his body.

Li Xun watched as the blood-red ice block crashed into the sea with a thud, as if hitting solid ground. The combined force of the two forces instantly transformed it into a blood-red, icy mist, leaving no trace of his body.

“The cold wind poison of the Wind Disaster Yin Prison kills without warning. You must be careful and try not to get hurt,” Shui Die Lan warned. Seeing Li Xun seemed unconcerned, she poked him again, “Don’t think you can be careless with your Blood Shadow Demon Body. Even if you can heal your wounds instantly, the pervasive cold wind poison can still infect them, sealing your skin and flesh and implanting itself directly into your body. This is the most troublesome thing. Even if a trace of it seeps through, it won’t dissipate without three to five days of dedicated cultivation.”

Hearing this, Li Xun was startled. He now understood more clearly that the power of the heavenly tribulation was far beyond the imagination of ordinary people. He dared no longer be careless and remained extremely vigilant, paying close attention to the surrounding Gangsha flow and changes, not allowing anyone to take advantage.

Although Li Xun and Shui Die Lan were both at the top of their realm, they found it difficult to truly improve under the combined effects of the Gangsha storm and the Wind Disaster Yin Prison.

The remaining cultivators of the Nineteen Sects were also in the same predicament.

Normally, a journey of three to five thousand miles wouldn’t be a problem for them. But now, a full quarter of an hour had passed, and even the four Grandmasters, including the most prestigious Li Douliang, had only advanced a little over three hundred miles. Furthermore, during this time, no cultivators from the Nineteen Sects had encountered them.

“This situation is a bit strange,”

Shui Dielan asked, and Li Xun nodded silently.

Ten thousand Shui Dielans combined couldn’t match his understanding of forbidden formations.

What they saw was completely different. Shui Dielan could only rely on intuition, while Li Xun could use the flow of the surrounding evil energy to deduce the shifting emphasis of the formation’s power over a vast area.

This was control.

Li Xun paused for a moment before responding, “Now, at least within the range we are in, all changes in the Gangsha Hunyi are completely under Gu Yin’s control. She can use this to temporarily change the pressure intensity in a certain area, concentrate her forces to kill a certain target, or delay the opponent’s speed of advancement. If your information is correct, and the connection between the heavenly tribulation and the formation is really that close, this change may also cause the heavenly tribulation to tend to the corresponding area. Perhaps, this is Gu Yin’s method of controlling the heavenly tribulation?”

Li Xun spoke very simply, and Shui Dielan understood it all. She responded, “The news is absolutely correct. I captured the news when Gu Yin was arranging the formation for his men. I didn’t change a single word of the key points in it.”

“Really? Then I understand where your confidence in Gu Yin comes from… I never knew that Gu Yin’s forbidden technique cultivation is so powerful!” As soon as the words fell, the vision of both of them lit up.

Several twisted golden snakes of lightning shot forth from the hazy sky, swooping down to strike the sea surface over ten miles to their north.

Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and the crackling of the atmosphere once again oppressed their eardrums. The immense energy contained within, and the accompanying annihilation of a cultivator’s life force, sent a chill through Li Xun’s heart.

He whipped his head around, startled, “Why are there more lightning and fire?”

“Who said there can’t be lightning and fire in the Wind Disaster Hell?” Shui Dielan glared back. “The Forty-Nine Tribulations isn’t a dinner where you clear the plates before you’re done. You’re frightened by the lightning and fire now. When the three tribulations come together and the sky and earth crumble, will you rush to your mother’s arms for milk?”

Li Xun rolled his eyes at her retort, but he could only blame his own inexperience. Unlike Shui Dielan, who experienced the Forty-Nine Tribulations like a daily routine.

Embarrassed, he changed the subject: “Then won’t Li Douliang and the others have to restrain their energy again to prevent any unforeseen events?”

“Yes, that newly inflated aura will surely be extinguished.”

As the two spoke, the situation on the East China Sea shifted, just as they had predicted. The aura of the nineteen sects, which had just ignited like a spark, threatening to spread like wildfire, was extinguished one by one as if doused by icy rain.

“Such an insult is like a double-edged sword. I wonder if Gu Yin has considered the consequences of this move?” Shui Dielan maintained a comprehensive perspective. Li Xun was momentarily stunned, then nodded silently.

In truth, even though he was officially no longer affiliated with the Tongxuan sects, seeing this situation made him feel suffocated.

One could imagine that the nineteen sects on the East China Sea were filled with intense resentment, ready to burst forth at any moment.

As they sighed, a powerful roar echoed from miles away, so close that both Li Xun and Shui Dielan were startled.

They both turned back, piercing the mist and icy powder, to discern a figure in Taoist attire leaping into the sky. With a wave of his hand, he dispatched three waves of wandering cultivators emerging from the Gangsha storm. Then, his robes fluttered, and over ten shimmering green light shuttles shot out, soaring in different directions.

Li Xun didn’t recognize the figure at first, but his movements, aligning with the flow of the Gangsha, like a boat sailing on a river, clearly showed a deep understanding of forbidden techniques. When he considered the figure at sea, he realized it was Master Xuanhua.

As the leader of the Huixuan Sect, Master Xuanhua’s cultivation wasn’t at the highest level, but his mastery of forbidden techniques and formations was undeniably that of a Grandmaster. Even Li Xun seemed a bit less sophisticated and adept than him.

This Gangsha armillary sphere formation was no match for him.

“That was the Pilu Shuttle that just flew out, wasn’t it?” Shui Dielan’s vision was also impressive, and she immediately spotted another key point. “Xuanhua is quite a man of purpose. If he were to step forward and guide the cultivators of the Nineteen Sects, Gu Yin might not be able to achieve his goal.”

Due to the disparity in their proficiency in forbidden techniques, Li Xun understood everything Shui Dielan said. He observed the flying Pilu Shuttles, each one seemingly possessing eyes, gliding along the edge of the swirling Gangsha flow. Far from being disturbed, they instead harnessed the force, accelerating ever faster. Eventually, they transformed into over a dozen striking beams of brilliant green light, refracting and intersecting through the void, forming a vast pattern spanning dozens of miles. It could probably be seen for hundreds of miles.

“Excellent idea!”

Li Xun and Shui Dielan exclaimed simultaneously.

Leveraging the Pilu Shuttles’ magical powers and his mastery of the formation, Xuanhua carved the trajectory of the Gangsha flow in the air. This move was both unexpected and incredibly practical.

Every cultivator from the nineteen sects of the East China Sea was a perceptive figure. With this hint, even if they couldn’t fully understand the workings of the Gangsha Armillary Sphere, imitating it was far better than blindly following it.

And that wasn’t all. After Xuanhua released the Pilu Shuttle, he let out another long roar, his sleeves swung wildly, and he ignored the threat of the thunderbolt, soaring straight into the air, almost reaching the bottom of the clouds. Then he struck again, this time with a golden flying sword.

From Li Xun’s perspective, the flying sword was about half a foot long and two fingers wide, its light condensing and lingering, revealing an extraordinary entity.

Two wandering cultivators who had leaped from the Gangsha vortex were caught in the sword light, their bodies instantly torn into four pieces, dead on the spot.

But the sword light didn’t stop. The trailing blade light swirled like a dragon emerging from the water, leaping through the air and actually passing through the pattern drawn by the Pilu Shuttle.

“Brilliant!”

Li Xun clapped his hands vigorously in applause. This time, Shui Dielan’s train of thought was lost, her face bewildered. “Why?”

Knowing Shui Dielan had no talent for this, Li Xun didn’t bother explaining, simply saying, “This sword strike creates the most efficient path to avoid the interference of the Gangsha Hunyi…”

“Of course you understand, but others might not.”

“As long as the cultivators returning to Xuanzong understand it, it’s fine,” Li Xun replied casually, not moving away, staring intently at the sky.

Opportunities like this for Master Xuanhua to personally demonstrate how to break through forbidden formations are rare. Furthermore, he wondered how this figure, whose mastery of forbidden techniques surpassed his own, would break through Gu Yin’s tactics.

Master Xuanhua seemed to sense Li Xun’s gaze and glanced towards Zhu, but said nothing more. He retracted his flying sword and flew slightly northwest.

This direction didn’t lead directly to Gu Yin’s location. Li Xun observed Xuanhua’s trajectory, comparing it with his own deductions, and soon came up with an answer.

That direction wouldn’t encounter Gu Yin, nor would it encounter cultivators from the Nineteen Sects. However, it was a key element in the operation of the Gangsha Hunyi Formation, or more accurately, a crucial point that must be utilized in its dynamics.

Xuanhua Zhenren’s initial speed wasn’t swift, but as he advanced, he was like those path-breaking shuttles in midair, harnessing the pervasive Gangsha vortexes, repeatedly increasing his power. The casual cultivators who attempted to block him were either narrowly missed or instantly slain by the sword’s flashes.

This scene unfolded over ten times within Li Xun’s sight, yet Xuanhua Zhenren’s speed showed no sign of slowing down, instead accelerating.

“Perfect and sophisticated, sophisticated and perfect—just four words, yet they aren’t cultivated through years or even decades of practice.”

Even until Xuanhua’s form could no longer be seen, Li Xun marveled at the subtle yet profound difference between the two. Xuanhua’s series of actions fully demonstrated his supreme prowess as a Grandmaster of Forbidden Techniques.

Even a master of forbidden techniques alone couldn’t swiftly break the Gangsha Hunyi formation, which encompassed a hundred thousand men. However, Xuanhua had grasped the most crucial element at this stage: Gu Yin’s exquisite manipulation of the entire formation.

Gu Yin manipulated the formation to alter the pressure in specific areas, slowing or even controlling the movements of the nineteen sects. Xuanhua, observing this, utilized his profound mastery of forbidden techniques to react swiftly, preemptively destroying or disrupting the key elements of the formation’s operation, neutralizing Gu Yin’s lethal attack.

In a matter of breaths, Xuanhua soared above the crucial center of the formation.

The cultivators of the loose cultivator alliance there, presumably having received the news, swarmed over to intervene.

But their formation was completely insignificant in Xuanhua’s eyes, and without the formation’s protection, these loose cultivators were no match for Xuanhua.

Over a dozen independent cultivators were annihilated in the blink of an eye. Their deaths were visible only to the closest cultivators. However, the impact of their deaths, through the pervasive Qi connection, quickly reached those experts with a more or less familiar understanding of the East China Sea situation.

Perhaps more people were unaware of this, but the consequences of the formation’s stagnation were clearly evident.

In that instant, the progress of the nineteen sects’ cultivators accelerated dramatically, while casualties on the side of the Independent Cultivators Alliance soared.

“Perhaps Gu Yin was too complacent,”

the thought flashed through Li Xun’s mind, and he beckoned Shui Die Lan to continue.

Perhaps the battle between Master Xuan Hua and Gu Yin for control of the formation would be truly exciting, but he had his own goals to achieve.

It’s undeniable that Master Xuan Hua’s methods benefited Li Xun and the others greatly, increasing their speed by at least 30%.

Meanwhile, Shui Die Lan continuously reported Qing Yin’s location, but Li Xun struggled to locate the female cultivator using his previous sensing methods.

Even the occasional flashes were quickly cut off. It seemed Qing Yin had mastered a method to block his perception.

However, using the water butterfly orchid as a conduit alone, Li Xun could confirm that Qing Yin was advancing towards the area of the Nine Netherworld Qi eruption. His speed wasn’t much faster than theirs, and he had killed just as many independent cultivators.

It seemed that even the Taixu Yuanhua Divine Light would struggle to maintain its concealment amidst the intertwining forces of heavenly tribulation and the fierce evil storm.

Suddenly, the water butterfly orchid stopped. Li Xun was startled. “What’s going on over there?”

“Not over there, it’s…”

She stopped mid-sentence. However, the sudden surge of vital energy a hundred miles away spoke volumes.

“Jade Sanren… Kuipian!”

Even with the interference of the fierce evil storm, the violent vital energy tremors from the side and rear were powerful enough to resonate a hundred miles away. The true nature of both parties’ true energy was undeniable. Li Xun’s memory of one of them was truly etched in his mind, and he identified it immediately.

“Is that Gu Zhixuan, the puppet?”

Shui Dielan closed her eyes, carefully sensing the situation. Finally, with a slight wrinkle of her delicate nose, she offered her final verdict: “It stinks!”

Her comment was quite unique, but Li Xun wasn’t in the mood to laugh. In the space between words, the distant shift in vital energy revealed the Jade Sanren puppet’s attack, unstoppable and unstoppable, like moving mountains and seas.

In terms of personal cultivation, Xuan Hua Zhenren was vastly inferior to this Zhenyi puppet. In the blink of an eye, he was overwhelmed and devastated.

“Gu Yin is truly…”

Li Xun was at a loss for words. He had expected a thrilling duel of forbidden techniques, controlled and counter-controlled, like a master chess player, simmering murderous intent within the invisible. Instead, he hadn’t expected Gu Yin to unleash his power after just a single blow, striking down his opponent, who had been pondering for so long. At

that moment, countless people across the East China Sea cursed him as despicable, but what effect would that have on Gu Yin? The two armies engaged in a war, using every possible means. Gu Yin achieved his goal, but Xuan Hua was clearly unprepared.

A strange whistling sound emanated from the atmosphere. It wasn’t sharp, but it pierced the eardrums and shook the mind. The whistle rose and fell three times, sending the listener’s Qi and blood surging three times.

This triggered a shift in Qi flow, disrupting the previously smooth flow of True Breath.

At this moment, a sharp sound suddenly erupted, its razor-sharp sound waves piercing the heart even from a distance of a hundred miles.

Even as the sound lingered, the strength of Xuanhua Zhenren’s aura plummeted, nearly vanishing.

Crack!

Another flash of lightning ripped through the sky, leaving a deep scar in the hazy gray air. Its power rivaled that of the initial Yang Gang thunder and fire.

Li Xun’s heart trembled, and before he could even exclaim “Oh no” (or “Crap”), the lightning and fire exploded within the Gangsha storm.

A massive fireball exploded between sea and sky, and countless electric snakes darted around the rapidly expanding cloud of fire, stifling the flames’ further expansion in an incomprehensible and mysterious manner.

A fiery crimson wave surged within the area, seemingly poised for another explosion. In reality, this terrifying energy was limited to a limited area, at most forming a scorching wind around it.

Li Xun had never imagined that the thunder and fire from heaven could lead to such a scene. But he knew perfectly well that Xuan Hua Zhenren’s already faint aura had been completely evaporated by the massive fireball, leaving not even a trace behind. At

that moment, a chill shot up from his tailbone and penetrated his brain, sending a shiver through Li Xun.

“Xuan Hua is dead,” Shui Dielan pronounced.

Facing Li Xun’s gaze, she shrugged. “That’s how the yin and yang energies collide. This is the most unpleasant aspect of the heavenly tribulation. When the yang thunder and fire combine with the wind disaster and the Yin Prison, all sorts of changes will occur. When the wind disaster and the Yin Prison connect with the demonic tribulation, even more changes will occur. And when all three tribulations unite, it’s even more devastating.”

The demon woman’s demeanor was calm and natural. She had witnessed countless such events throughout her long life, and compared to her, Li Xun seemed a bit inexperienced.

At least he couldn’t ignore the shock of a powerful sect leader’s instantaneous demise.

Human nature is such a strange thing. When Xuanhua Zhenren was cornered by Yu Sanren’s puppets, Li Xun hadn’t offered any assistance. Yet, as he faced his final moments, a strange wave of emotions welled up within him. Fragments of his limited encounters with Xuanhua Zhenren from decades before flashed through his mind, and finally, a single thought emerged—

Xuanhua…had once taught me forbidden techniques!

This small thought only caused a faint ripple in his mind, before more pressing concerns surged. Xuanhua Zhenren’s death was an almost unbearable blow to the Nineteen Sects Alliance, practically sealing the doom of the remaining seventy-odd elite cultivators.

From this moment on, Gu Yin could use the Three Thousand Gangsha Hunyi Formation even more recklessly to manipulate the situation in the East China Sea, turning the cultivators of the Nineteen Sects into puppets manipulated by silk strings, advancing, stalling, and retreating at her will until exhaustion and demise.

And given the current situation, the emergence of another figure worthy of replacing Master Xuanhua was virtually impossible!

“Want to help?”

Aside from her personal grudge against Ramasha, Shui Dielan held no position on the situation in the East China Sea. This made her particularly attentive to Li Xun’s thoughts, displaying unprecedented empathy.

Li Xun smiled and responded, “When the time comes, it’s never too late to act.”

This statement set the tone.