Chapter 677: Southern Xuan Sect's Demise

Pure Nine-Lotus Treasure Lamp

"Senior Brother, I haven't congratulated you since you formed your Nascent Soul. Please accept this spiritual pearl as a congratulatory gift."

Above Mount Changzhuan, Chen Mobai handed the Golden Mist Pearl to Zhou Shengqing, who naturally hesitated to accept it.

"Junior Brother, this is your spoils of war..."

"Senior Brother, as a Nascent Soul cultivator, this item can only unleash its true power in your hands. After we eliminated those two, a full-scale war between our sect and the Xuanxiao Dao Palace is inevitable. When that time comes, only you will be able to contend with Patriarch Jinfeng, so please do not refuse."

After Chen Mobai finished speaking, Zhou Shengqing, who was already quite moved, immediately accepted it without further protest.

"Thank you, Junior Brother."

With a joyful expression, Zhou Shengqing took the Golden Mist Pearl and, unable to put it down, infused it with his spiritual power, beginning the process of refining it.

Artifacts from the Tianhe Realm generally have no regard for spirit stones. Their previous owners never lacked such resources. The Golden Mist Pearl, a middle-grade fourth-tier artifact, possessed only faint spirituality. Although it had just been struck by the Purple Lightning Sword, it stubbornly sealed itself off, resisting Zhou Shengqing's attempts at refinement.

"This artifact was refined by Xuan Shu for over a hundred years. Without the correct refining incantations, I can, at most, only use its most basic functions in the short term."

After a period of experimentation, Zhou Shengqing looked at the pearl in his palm with a mix of joy and concern. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, he knew that with persistent effort, he would eventually be able to remove all traces of Xuan Shu's divine consciousness from it and replace them with his own. However, for an artifact to unleash its full power, it also requires corresponding incantations and mental cultivation techniques for refining and controlling treasures.

At this point, Chen Mobai remembered the Falling Treasure Golden Light technique he cultivated. Although he had always practiced this spell, he mainly used it to fill fragmented moments in his daily life. Thus, even now, he had only reached the "Treasure Sealing" realm. However, with years of persistent effort, he was not far from reaching the "Treasure Falling" realm. Moreover, Chen Mobai was now at the fourth layer of the Golden Core stage, and his speed in refining golden crystals was much faster. By his estimation, if he worked hard for another two or three years, he would essentially be able to master eighty-one streams of Falling Treasure Golden Light, elevating this secret art to the "Treasure Falling" realm.

The reason Chen Mobai had never given up on this secret art was its "Treasure Refining" realm, which it reached upon cultivation to its peak. This would allow him, from scratch, to directly become a fourth-tier Treasure Appraiser of the Immortal Sect.

"You can check Xuan Shu's storage bag to see if there are any corresponding cultivation methods. With some luck, you might find them."

Chen Mobai's Falling Treasure Golden Light was ineffective against the Golden Mist Pearl, but he immediately thought of something else. He handed the storage bag in his hand to Zhou Shengqing. Xuan Shu was a cultivator at the perfected Golden Core stage, and Zhou Shengqing could easily break through his divine consciousness imprint.

"Mmm, I hope so..."

Zhou Shengqing nodded, took the storage bag, and was about to open it when he suddenly paused, then turned his head to look at the empty northern sky.

"Senior Brother, what's wrong?"

Chen Mobai's divine consciousness was not as strong as a Nascent Soul cultivator's, so he didn't detect Fang Xuanyang flying towards them from afar, nor Luo Yixuan following him.

"Hahahaha, the last one who slipped through the net has come to deliver himself to his death!"

Zhou Shengqing laughed heartily as he informed Chen Mobai of his discovery. The latter, upon hearing it, couldn't help but chuckle as well. The two simply descended at their leisure.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Fang Xuanyang, his expression excited, finally arrived. He gazed at Mount Changzhuan, half-shattered, and felt the lingering wind spiritual power within it, marveling at the power of Xuan Shu's Heavenly Wind Finger. Fang Xuanyang naturally also sensed another powerful fire spiritual power, thinking that this 'Turtle Immortal Chen' truly lived up to his reputation, being able to fight Xuan Shu to such an extent. It was a pity he was born into the wrong sect; even a heaven-defying talent would only become a corpse once deemed an enemy by their Xuanxiao Dao Palace.

Fang Xuanyang calmly stopped above Mount Changzhuan, now a scene of ruins, and turned around with a faint smile, looking at the female cultivator in palace attire who had been flying behind him. At that moment, Luo Yixuan, seeing him stop, also sensed that something was amiss. As she drew closer, she also felt the potent spiritual power that had yet to dissipate in the air, one of which was very familiar to her.

Just as she cautiously prepared to retreat, Fang Xuanyang suddenly burst into laughter, took out his vital artifact, and turned to attack Luo Yixuan, blocking her escape.

"You're dead for daring to chase me here. Let me tell you, this is where your master is buried. My Senior Brother Xuanqi and Junior Brother Xuan Shu are here. This way, it's good; master and disciple can share the same burial plot after death, haha!"

Fang Xuanyang, believing victory was in his grasp, no longer held back and charged towards Luo Yixuan. But he suddenly noticed that while panic had initially appeared on Luo Yixuan's face, her eyes quickly lit up as if she had seen something, and she offered a charming smile.

"You're facing death, what are you still laughing about?"

Fang Xuanyang thought Luo Yixuan was trying to fight desperately before her death. To prevent himself from being affected by a fourth-tier artifact, he even took out a life-preserving talisman from his storage bag.

"She's just laughing that you've walked right into a trap!"

A clear voice suddenly rang out from the marketplace below.

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanyang's eyes widened as he turned, and then he saw Chen Mobai and Zhou Shengqing flying out from a ruined house.

"Impossible, how are you still alive?"

Amidst his shock, Fang Xuanyang quickly realized the problem: why weren't Xuan Shu and Xuanqi coming out? Immediately, an unbelievable thought flashed through his mind. The targets he wanted to kill were still alive, and there were traces of a battle at the scene. Didn't that mean... they had been counter-killed?!

"Junior Brother, should I kill him or will you?" Zhou Shengqing asked with a smile, turning to Chen Mobai beside him.

"I've already taken two kills from Senior Brother; I feel a bit bad about it, so I wouldn't dare take another!" Chen Mobai said somewhat sheepishly.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Shengqing smiled and flew in front of Fang Xuanyang. However, cultivators in the Tianhe Realm possess an incredibly strong survival instinct. Although Fang Xuanyang felt he was not as strong as Xuan Shu, he thought that if he fought desperately, he might actually be able to escape the encirclement of three Golden Core cultivators.

However, just as he activated his vital artifact, preparing for a desperate struggle, Zhou Shengqing raised his hand. The pressure unique to a Nascent Soul cultivator instantly made Fang Xuanyang's face turn ashen.

"This is impossible!"

Fang Xuanyang's face was filled with shock, and at the same time, a cyan light needle had already shot out from Zhou Shengqing's palm. In his despairing state, Fang Xuanyang's survival instinct still compelled him to pull out all his trump cards, struggling to escape! Unfortunately, the gap between major cultivation realms could not be compensated by fighting spirit alone. Fang Xuanyang's efforts were like fireworks at night; though they briefly shone brilliantly, they ultimately dissipated into the vast, boundless darkness.

The cyan light needle irresistibly pierced his forehead, causing his entire head to explode. With this, all three major Golden Core cultivators of the Xuanxiao Dao Palace in the Eastern Barrens had fallen.

"Greetings, Patriarch! Greetings, Master!"

Luo Yixuan, smiling brightly, approached and bowed to Zhou Shengqing and Chen Mobai.

"To avoid alerting the enemy, we purposely left the Nanxuan Sect untouched until now. But the time has come. Xuan'er, by my command, gather all cultivators of the Divine Wood Sect in Yan Country and flatten Baose Mountain!"

To cut weeds, one must remove the roots. Since Chen Mobai and his group had killed three Golden Core cultivators from the Xuanxiao Dao Palace, they naturally wouldn't spare the Nanxuan Sect.

"Yes, Master!"

Luo Yixuan's eyes lit up instantly upon hearing this. After she displayed her Golden Core strength before the Hua Family, it signified her intention to declare it to the world. The destruction of the Nanxuan Sect would be the perfect opportunity for her name to resound throughout the Eastern Barrens, letting everyone know that she was the most outstanding successor of the Little Nanshan lineage.

"A full-scale war with the Xuanxiao Dao Palace will commence soon. Junior Brother Chen, you can now transfer all the elites from the sect's Three Halls and Twelve Departments to Beiyuan City."

Zhou Shengqing took the initiative to speak, and Chen Mobai had no objections. He was even considering relocating the entire Divine Wood Sect to Beiyuan City, preparing to use the full might of the sect to contend with the approaching Xuanxiao Dao Palace!

After clearing the battlefield, the three of them proceeded together to Beiyuan City. Upon receiving the news, E Yun immediately came to seek an audience. However, Zhou Shengqing still kept himself hidden; the longer his Nascent Soul formation remained a secret, the better.

At the highest point in Beiyuan City, where the newly upgraded fourth-tier immortal's cave was located, Chen Mobai was giving orders to E Yun.

"Yes, Sect Master, I will immediately transmit your order to all cultivators of the sect in Yan Country!"

After receiving the order, E Yun immediately used a Sky-Reaching Instrument to summon people. This communication artifact, due to its speed and convenience, had already been deployed by the Divine Wood Sect in various countries. One Sky-Reaching Instrument after another was buried along the river routes, within the spiritual veins and spiritual hubs. The entire Beiyuan City had long since achieved complete coverage. It was precisely for this reason that rogue cultivators had already bestowed upon it the name "Immortal City"!

At a single command, the thirteen Foundation Establishment cultivators within Beiyuan City assembled. Led by Luo Yixuan, who had revealed her Golden Core strength, they marched with a thousand Qi Condensation cultivators towards Baose Mountain. Three days later, E Yun assembled nine more Foundation Establishment cultivators who had returned from various sections of the river, along with another eight hundred Qi Condensation cultivators. They boarded flying boats and hastened to Baose Mountain to reinforce Luo Yixuan.

Without Fang Xuanyang guarding it, Baose Mountain, despite being protected by a high-grade third-tier grand formation, only managed to hold out for half a month before it spectacularly shattered under the continuous assault of the Divine Wood Sect's army! After Baose Mountain was breached, some remnants of the Nanxuan Sect escaped via teleportation arrays. However, unable to leave the Eastern Barrens, most were hunted down one by one by Divine Wood Sect cultivators. A few lucky ones weren't found by the Divine Wood Sect, but they became tempting targets for rogue cultivators throughout the Eastern Barrens.

What most shocked the Eastern Barrens cultivators in this battle was Luo Yixuan revealing her strength at the Golden Core realm. In an instant, the title "Immortal of Nanshan" echoed across the skies. However, in the eyes of the other forces in the Eastern Barrens, the signal revealed by this event was deeply shocking. Everyone knew that the Nanxuan Sect was an affiliate of the Xuanxiao Dao Palace, yet the Divine Wood Sect still acted ruthlessly and decisively to annihilate it. This indicated that a major war between the two great powers was imminent.

Naturally, the Return-to-Heaven Valley, Five Elements Sect, and Blowing Snow Palace were pleased by this development. After Luo Yixuan displayed her Golden Core strength, the Divine Wood Sect had become the undisputed overlord of the Eastern Barrens. Before forming their own Nascent Souls, the other sects could essentially only rely on fourth-tier grand formations for defense. If Patriarch Jinfeng of the Xuanxiao Dao Palace led his army and both sides, Divine Wood Sect and Xuanxiao Dao Palace, suffered heavy losses, that would be the best news for them. There were quite a few cultivators who harbored this thought. After all, the Divine Wood Sect, under the leadership of Sect Master Chen, had shown truly terrifying aggression. Given his ruthless and decisive nature, his next target would likely be the three major powers—Return-to-Heaven Valley, Five Elements Sect, and Blowing Snow Palace—to completely unify the Eastern Barrens. And after Luo Yixuan formed her Golden Core, even if the three sects formed an alliance, they would probably only be able to barely maintain a balance with the Divine Wood Sect. Thus, they all hoped that an outsider, a "strong dragon," could cripple the Divine Wood Sect.

"Those despicable minor sects from the Eastern Barrens, they've gone too far!"

At Mount Bright Mirror in Dongyi, Xuan Guang erupted in fury after reading the intelligence gathered by the disciples he sent to the Eastern Barrens. Shortly after, Patriarch Jinfeng and the other three Golden Core cultivators arrived. After reading the news about the destruction of the Nanxuan Sect by the Divine Wood Sect in the Eastern Barrens, all of them had icy expressions and were filled with righteous indignation.

"If we don't avenge this, what reputation will our Dao Palace have left in Dongyi!"

"Junior Brother Xuanyang's soul tablet has also shattered; it must be that 'Turtle Immortal Chen' from the Divine Wood Sect who did it!"

"Master, please descend upon the Eastern Barrens with your spiritual might, and allow us to follow you to destroy the Divine Wood Sect and wash away this humiliation!"

Inside the grand hall, all the Golden Core cultivators were consumed by rage. Under the immense pressure from Kongsang Valley over the past year, their already strained nerves finally snapped when provoked by the Divine Wood Sect, a mere backwater sect. They yearned to unleash their fury by cleansing the Eastern Barrens with blood.

However, after shouting for a while, they noticed that Patriarch Jinfeng remained silent with an icy expression. Gradually, they quieted down, exchanging glances.

"Master..."

Ultimately, Xuan Guang, as the Sect Master, stepped forward and bowed to Patriarch Jinfeng.

"Have none of you considered why a mere Divine Wood Sect would possess such audacity to provoke our Xuanxiao Dao Palace?"

Patriarch Jinfeng's words made the four Golden Core cultivators freeze for a moment. Xuan Guang's expression cleared, realizing the crucial point.

Xuan Guang: "Could it be that someone is backing them from behind?"

Jinfeng: "Hmph, I was originally wondering if that fellow Bai Wu had truly allied with Kuzhu. Now it seems certain. The Divine Wood Sect was founded by an old disciple of Hunyuan; he must have instigated this, hoping to make me lose my composure and lead you, and even the elite disciples of the Dao Palace, out of Mount Bright Mirror and into the Eastern Barrens."

Upon hearing this, all the Golden Core cultivators in the grand hall suddenly realized the truth.

"If we rashly leave the Mount Bright Mirror grand formation, we might be surrounded by the armies of Kongsang Valley and Bathing Sun Sea even before entering the Desolate Ruins."

"Moreover, if Bai Wu and Kuzhu were more cunning and ruthless, they could simply wait for us to exhaust ourselves cleansing the Eastern Barrens with blood, and then lead their cultivators to annihilate us while we are fatigued."

"Perhaps, those two fellows are just waiting for me to step out of the grand formation, hoping to take my old life..."

After stating his conjectures, Patriarch Jinfeng angrily slammed the chair he was sitting on.