Chapter 535 297: The Opportunity for Nascent Soul Formation

Lü Zhong watched them leave.

There was no need for any precautions.

The six members of the Fang Family were only at the Qi Refining Stage. In this vast Sea of Death Sand, danger lurked everywhere. Without the protection of a Core Formation cultivator like him, they could perish at any moment.

He began to collect the spoils.

Flood Dragon Scales, Flood Dragon Claws, Flood Dragon Meat...

Having done this three times before, Lü Zhong knew exactly what to do.

He was remarkably efficient, wasting nothing.

He even collected and stored the Flood Dragon Blood.

Although he only dabbled in Talisman Making these days and wouldn't use much of the Flood Dragon Blood himself, he could still take what he didn't use back for his disciples and grand-disciples.

If you wanted the horse to run, you had to make the necessary investment.

Every jar of Flood Dragon Blood he gave out would eventually return to him as more Spirit Stones.

Before long, he had finished dismantling the Crystal Rock Flood Dragon.

Thanks to his Void Netherstone Storage Ring's immense capacity, Lü Zhong took every valuable part. He packed the remaining useless bits—down to the last grain of blood-soaked sand—into a Storage Bag.

Once he was done, Lü Zhong didn't go looking for the Fang Family.

Instead, he set up a hidden Prohibition and prepared to meditate within it to recover the Magical Power he had just expended. In a perilous place like the Sea of Death Sand, it was essential to always maintain peak strength.

...

Time ticked by, second by second.

The temperature gradually dropped, and soon, it was the dead of night.

"HUUU!"

Lü Zhong slowly exhaled a breath of Dense Qi.

After meditating for most of the day, he had used a Replenishing Qi Pill to restore his expended Magical Power. It was time to find the Fang Family and retrieve the Earth Spirit Crystal.

He was just getting up to leave.

Suddenly, an Escape Light shot towards him from the distance at extreme speed.

'Danger!'

A warning flared in his Spiritual Sense.

Lü Zhong's heart leaped in shock; he had never felt anything like it before. He hastily activated his Celestial Net Secret Eye Technique and looked toward the Escape Light. He saw a cultivator in the Daoist Robes of Qingxu Temple, their body radiating an extremely powerful aura. As if sensing his gaze, the person looked back in his direction.

Despite being separated by dozens of miles, their gazes met.

The newcomer smiled faintly and made a throat-slitting gesture.

'Such blatant arrogance!'

Lü Zhong didn't waste time wondering how the person had seen him. Instead, he immediately began forming Hand Seals and Chanting, rapidly casting a series of augmentations like the Star Gathering Skill and the Rising Star Seal.

His aura surged, climbing steadily.

Yet, his brow furrowed ever deeper.

Lü Zhong could already sense that the newcomer was also at the Fake Infant Realm, with a power level no less than his own.

Perhaps even greater.

As expected, this was going to be a hard-fought battle.

'Flee?' Lü Zhong dismissed the thought.

With the Escape Speed of his Meteor Escape, shaking this person wouldn't be difficult. But he had a nagging premonition, one that grew stronger with each passing moment.

'This... this might be the catalyst I need for Nascent Soul Formation...'

'If I can overcome this, I can attempt my breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Formation stage.'

If he failed, he would have no choice but to continue lying low, to keep building his foundation for Nascent Soul Formation. Another catalyst might appear in two or three hundred years—or it might not.

Thus, the opportunity before him was too rare to give up easily.

'No matter what, I have to fight!'

Taking a deep breath, he transformed into a streak of rainbow light and shot skyward to meet the newcomer.

Ten thousand feet in the air, the two faced each other.

"Lü Zhong?" A bright glint flashed in Jia Yujun's eyes, her expression playful. "I never thought it would be you... But then again, it makes sense. In this backwater of the Southern Barbarians, a place where the Immortal Dao has yet to flourish, most Core Formation cultivators are as useless as clay chickens and pottery dogs. To be able to kill Yinn Qiao and his two companions so easily, without a scratch... only Fellow Daoist Lü and a few from the Six Sects could manage that. Very good. You'll make an excellent whetstone. I trust you'll help me advance a step further!"

"And you are?" Lü Zhong asked, his expression calm.

"Heh heh, I suggest you remember this well, Fellow Daoist Lü!" Jia Yujun stared at Lü Zhong. She raised a hand, summoning ten gleaming golden Small Flags, and said coolly, "The one who kills you is Jia Yujun, first disciple of Spiritual Crane True Monarch of Qingxu Temple!"

The words had barely left her lips when she formed a Hand Seal.

At the same time, she began muttering an incantation.

"Mystic source of Heaven and Earth, root of the ten thousand qi. Through myriad eons of cultivation, I manifest my Divine Techniques..."

"HUMMM!"

A ring of energy rippled out from Jia Yujun.

The ten golden Small Flags erupted with Spiritual Light. They transformed into ten incorporeal golden streams, which circled once in the air before descending upon her. They then coalesced into a flowing golden garment, enveloping her in a layer of brilliant light.

'The Golden Light Spell?' Lü Zhong was startled.

"Heh. You truly live up to your reputation, Fellow Daoist Lü, to recognize this technique!" Jia Yujun gave Lü Zhong a surprised look, and her expression was genuine. She clearly hadn't expected to find a cultivator in the Southern Barbarian Immortal Cultivation World—a place she considered an uncivilized backwater—who could identify Qingxu Temple's secret Golden Light Spell.

'So it really is.'

Lü Zhong flicked his sleeve, and the Star Mirror moved according to his will.

Countless beams of Mirror Light tore through the air like a torrential downpour, leaving shimmering trails as they shot toward Jia Yujun. To his surprise, she simply smiled faintly, making no move to dodge.

'Is she being careless?'

Lü Zhong's heart sank when he saw the result.

The beams of Mirror Light, each powerful enough to pierce a mountain, struck the golden garment on Jia Yujun's body. Like tofu hitting a brick wall, they instantly shattered into wisps of Spiritual Qi that dissipated back into the world.

'Such powerful Defense!'

But it wasn't enough to intimidate him.

He formed a Sword Gesture and pointed.

A Flying Sword shot forth in a streak of light. There was no thunderous roar, a sign that its Escape Speed had already broken the sound barrier. The invisible, sharp energy of its passage tore a vacuum in the air.

"Still not giving up?" Jia Yujun asked, looking completely unfazed.

She casually extended a single finger, slowly but precisely placing it directly in the path of the incoming Flying Sword.