Chapter 176: Ningyuan Encounters an Ambush

"Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Zhang seems to be surrounded. Aren't you going to help him?" Song Hesong asked, a worried expression on his face.

Li Fan recalled Senior Brother Zhang's strength from Li Chen's memories and shook his head. "Forget four ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators. Even an early-stage Golden Core cultivator wouldn't necessarily be able to do anything to Senior Brother."

Song Hesong's expression changed upon hearing this.

As if to confirm Li Fan's words, with Chu Liang's furious roar, four beams of light simultaneously activated, about to strike Zhang Qianmo. But at this critical moment, a purple mirror instantly appeared above his head, forming a protective shield around him. It immediately reflected the four beams of light back. Chu Liang and the other three attackers hadn't expected this to happen. Caught off guard, they were hit squarely by their own attacks.

"Insignificant fireflies dare to shine!" The purple lightning mark between Zhang Qianmo's eyebrows emitted a heart-pounding radiance. Streaks of purple lightning enveloped his body, exuding an intimidating aura. A long halberd, filled with a baleful aura, slowly materialized in Senior Brother Zhang's hand.

Zhang Qianmo, holding the halberd, pointed it at Chu Liang and the other three, declaring disdainfully, "Today, I will show you the difference between a true disciple of a major sect and a rogue cultivator from a minor path!"

Before his words had even faded, Zhang Qianmo flashed to the nearest enemy. With a swing of his halberd, purple lightning, like a dragon, mercilessly engulfed the person.

"Ah!"

The person only managed to let out a tragic cry before vanishing into the furious purple light. In an instant, one of the four was gone. The remaining few couldn't help but show horror on their faces. Chu Liang even shouted, "Fellow Daoist Song, if you don't act now, when will you?!"

Li Fan's expression changed upon hearing this. Before he could react, he felt eight blood-red chains suddenly appear beside him, wrapping around him. Then, an immense force, far surpassing that of the Foundation Establishment stage, violently struck his back. Another purple mirror appeared above his head, and the shield it formed partially absorbed the force. However, the force was too immense; the purple mirror's protective light only held for a moment before shattering into countless points of starlight.

Having taken the full blow, Li Fan violently spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura rapidly weakening. But the opponent pressed on relentlessly. Li Fan looked back and saw Song Hesong, expressionless, swinging a giant blood-red hammer. With immense power, the hammer strikes came one after another, threatening to kill Li Fan on the spot.

At the brink of death, a jade pendant on Li Fan's chest shattered with a crash. A giant hand, entirely composed of purple lightning, formed from the fragments of the jade pendant. It formed a hand seal with one hand, locking onto Song Hesong. Above, dark clouds instantly gathered. A bolt of purple lightning, as thick as a water bucket, struck down directly at Song Hesong.

Song Hesong's face showed a ruthless determination; he didn't dodge, and his attack remained unchanged. He was prepared to take the hit, prioritizing killing Li Fan first. In a flash, a long halberd flew from a distance, blocking the blood-red hammer. Zhang Qianmo arrived instantly, appearing beside Li Fan and supporting him.

"Are you alright, Junior Brother?" As he spoke, he channeled a wisp of spiritual energy to help Li Fan recover from his injuries. Then, with a serious expression, he looked at Song Hesong.

His spiritual energy slowly recovering from the shock, Li Fan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes narrowed as he stared at Song Hesong. This person had suddenly betrayed them and unleashed strength far beyond his apparent late-stage Qi Condensation cultivation. It was truly beyond Li Fan's expectations. Moreover, inhabiting someone else's body, he was still unfamiliar with his own cultivation techniques and moves. Caught off guard, he had almost been killed by the sneak attack. Fortunately, Li Chen, the original owner of the body, was an inner disciple of the Violet Heavens Sect and possessed many defensive measures, allowing him to barely escape this peril.

When he looked at Song Hesong again, he saw that the man had been struck by the Divine Lightning of Violet Heavens and appeared to be gravely injured. But immediately after, many green vital energy flows drifted up from Ningyuan City below, rapidly healing his injuries. In just a moment, he was fully recovered.

Song Hesong's expression was grim. The blood-red hammer transformed into a long sword, which he held in his hand. Chu Liang and the other three also rushed over from afar, surrounding the two Violet Heavens Sect members.

Zhang Qianmo ignored Chu Liang and the three Foundation Establishment cultivators, instead focusing on Song Hesong, his brows deeply furrowed. "Mid-stage Golden Core? Manager Song, have you also started cultivating that new method?"

Song Hesong's face showed mockery: "What else? I worked tirelessly for your Violet Heavens Sect for most of my life, only to become an outer sect manager. Aside from a rudimentary 'Violet Heavens Lightning Summoning Art,' all I received was a meager amount of spirit stones each year. I'm afraid I would have only reached the Foundation Establishment stage by the time I died of old age." Song Hesong said resentfully, "They said my aptitude wasn't enough! After switching to the new method, I reached Foundation Establishment in five years and formed my Golden Core in ten! Senior Brother Song, what do you think of my aptitude now?"

Zhang Qianmo looked at the thick, lingering bloody aura around Song Hesong, murderous intent clearly visible in his eyes: "Demonic heresy! I will eradicate you!"

As if hearing the funniest joke in the world, Song Hesong burst into laughter, his mockery almost overflowing: "Demonic heresy? You so-called righteous sects raise mortals like livestock, extracting their lifespans to refine longevity fruits. With such utterly evil methods, how dare you call others demonic heretics? In my opinion, you are the greatest demons!" The bloody aura around Song Hesong surged along with his furious words.

Zhang Qianmo's expression remained unchanged: "Mortals receive our protection, so they naturally must pay a price. Beyond the wilderness, demons and strange beasts are everywhere. Mortals are truly like provisions. Without the protection of our Immortal Sects, how could they live so peacefully for so long? Do you think your mere baseless words can shake my Dao heart?" The purple in Zhang Qianmo's eyes grew even deeper. He pointed his halberd at Song Hesong from a distance: "Though you are Golden Core, I will still kill you today!"

Pointed at by Zhang Qianmo's halberd, Song Hesong's breath hitched, seemingly intimidated by the imposing aura. But soon, he grew somewhat indignant and furious. "I've long heard how extraordinary the inner disciples are. Today, I'll properly experience it for myself!" As he spoke, the blood-red long sword in his hand instantly split into six blades, meeting Zhang Qianmo's halberd.

Meanwhile, on Li Fan's side, Chu Liang's three cultivators had surrounded him. Facing the siege of three cultivators of the same level, Li Fan remained unhurried. He circulated the "Violet Heavens Lightning Control True Art," took out his magic weapon—a long spear. He twirled the spear shaft, and it seemed to emit a series of dragon roars. He engaged Chu Liang and the other two in battle.

At first, Li Fan was not very familiar with the moves he could use. His attacks always felt a bit stiff. Even with his long spear dancing, Chu Liang and the other two could easily dodge his moves. Although Chu Liang and the other three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators were at the same cultivation level as Li Fan, they were, after all, "half-trained," and their attacking methods were more than just a notch weaker. Li Fan handled them with even greater ease.

As time passed, and as Li Fan became more proficient with his own spells, his attacks grew sharper and more lethal. Chu Liang and the other two gradually began to fall into a disadvantage.