Chapter 117: The Weak Oriole

The Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi had already fallen into Lin Suri's hands.

Chen Lingxi gave chase in the direction Lin Suri had vanished.

He moved silently through a dense, ancient forest, then looked up, his gaze sweeping past the layered canopy toward the edge of the minor world.

Thick fog still loomed there.

The pale, surging mist formed an endless, towering wall stretching from the ground straight into the sky, completely sealing this starlit minor world off from the outside.

'It seems that even though the Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi has been extracted, this world hasn't changed in the slightest.'

Chen Lingxi withdrew his gaze. With a shift in his thoughts, the spiritual qi around his body began to circulate silently.

His figure blurred into a faint, thin streak of jade light. Hugging the ground, he sped after Lin Suri.

His robes snapped in the wind as the trees blurred backward.

Countless experts currently occupied the Ancestral Mountain.

He had barely traveled a dozen li when he sensed an undisguised, powerful aura sweeping overhead. Deep and heavy, it carried a biting killing intent and recklessly unleashed its spiritual qi.

Using the forest for cover, Chen Lingxi glanced up to see a towering bridge of spiritual light cutting across the sky. The complex, ancient patterns along its surface gleamed with a cold luster beneath the starlight.

A blurry silhouette stood atop the bridge with his hands clasped behind his back, his Daoist robes snapping in the wind.

'Xi Yuan.'

Chen Lingxi reined in his aura and lay low.

The Hidden Edge Method operated to its absolute limit within his body.

Reaching the Subtle grade, the Hidden Edge Method formed a near-perfect invisible barrier around him, entirely masking his spiritual qi fluctuations, the flow of his vitality, and even the faintest trace of his breathing.

Aside from Xi Yuan, cultivators above the Qi Circulation 7th Floor were hardly a minority on the Ancestral Mountain.

The earth-shattering battle over the heavenly lake just moments ago had flushed out all the powerhouses lurking in this minor world.

Chen Lingxi detected no fewer than ten tyrannical presences prowling the area. Some searched openly like Xi Yuan, while others hid their tracks to spy from the shadows. Every single one of them targeted the immensely precious Mother Qi.

But the one Chen Lingxi feared the most was Imperial Consort Chun.

The Great Li imperial consort had reached the Qi Circulation 8th Floor, yet her lethal prowess was anything but ordinary. 'The power Imperial Consort Chun displayed earlier exceeded the scope of the Qi Circulation 8th Floor. She could even match those legendary figures of the Heaven-Facing Three Floors.'

Recalling the sight of Imperial Consort Chun fighting multiple powerhouses alone, Chen Lingxi understood that an ordinary Qi Circulation 8th Floor cultivator could never be this strong.

'Even if a standard Qi Circulation 8th Floor figure is stronger than 7th Floor noble cultivators like Lin Suri and Lu Baizhong, they probably couldn't fight so many experts all by themselves...'

'Imperial Consort Chun is definitely hiding another secret,' Chen Lingxi thought, though he never stopped sneaking in the direction Lin Suri had disappeared.

As he sprinted, he split his attention, occasionally sinking into the Divine Chamber deep within his mind to try and sense Lin Suri's location.

Chen Lingxi crossed two towering mountains and reached the very edge of the minor world, where the cloud-piercing wall of fog was close at hand.

The thick fog surged right in front of him, swirling with endless spiritual qi.

Yet even this close to the border, he still couldn't detect Lin Suri.

Like a drop of water blending into the ocean, Lin Suri had vanished without a trace, hiding in some unknown location.

Chen Lingxi frowned slightly.

'Where did Lin Suri hide? With my Vision Roaming covering eighty li in all directions, I actually can't sense him at all.'

He pondered. However, he wasn't in a rush.

Having played the oriole for so long, patience was the one thing he didn't lack.

He found a hidden crevice in the cliffside and sat cross-legged. As he adjusted his breathing to recover his spiritual qi, he pushed his perception to its peak.

From time to time, he saw Qi Circulation figures flying through the starry sky overhead, either riding streams of light or driving bizarre treasures.

The streaks of light varied in speed and strength, but they were likely all searching for Lin Suri.

Some flew in a rush with chaotic spiritual qi fluctuations, clearly nursing serious injuries from the previous siege. Others remained perfectly composed, drifting aimlessly as they hoped to fish in troubled waters.

Everyone stayed on guard against each other, maintaining a wide distance without daring to relax for a second.

One thing, however, surprised Chen Lingxi.

It was Imperial Consort Chun. After beating back that probing encirclement, she didn't aggressively pursue Lin Suri as everyone expected. Instead, she sailed off on that mysterious sky boat to an unknown destination.

'It's rather strange that Imperial Consort Chun possesses such overwhelming combat strength yet refuses to chase Lin Suri.'

Chen Lingxi shook his head and surveyed the surroundings again. 'Just where is Lin Suri hiding?'

He gazed out, his eyes sweeping past the three towering mountains arranged in a triangle, then over the vast plains left in ruins from the previous earth-shattering battle. A sudden thought struck him, and his gaze finally settled on the heavenly lake suspended in midair far in the distance.

In this minor world, that heavenly lake had always been an incredibly unique existence.

Even though the Mother Qi had already been taken by Lin Suri, the mysterious spiritual light on the lake's surface hadn't completely dissipated. Endless starlight and fog still intertwined above it, forming a magnificent and eerie scene.

'Could it be that Lin Suri, bold from his vast skills, actually returned to the heavenly lake?' Such an audacious idea suddenly bloomed in Chen Lingxi's mind.

The most dangerous place was often the safest.

If Lin Suri hadn't fled far but used some profound method to sneak back to the bottom of the heavenly lake—using its lingering rich spiritual qi and complex mechanisms to mask himself—it would indeed be an unexpected choice.

At this thought, Chen Lingxi hesitated no longer.

He rose to his feet and pushed the Hidden Edge Method even further. Like an invisible phantom, he silently approached the heavenly lake.

When he stepped within twenty li of the heavenly lake, he grew even more cautious.

He stopped driving his spiritual qi. Instead, he retracted all his aura and relied solely on his physical body—tempered by the Jade Qi Realm—to slip silently through the forest.

Finally, he found a mountain stream feeding into the large river below the heavenly lake and slid soundlessly into the icy water like a fish.

At the Qi Circulation 6th Floor, he could seal his pores, cycling his breath internally so that neither dust nor water could invade. Holding a single breath, he dove deep into the river, found a hollow scoured out by the current at the bottom, and sat cross-legged against the freezing rock, burying every trace of his aura.

Then, he closed his eyes tightly, sank his consciousness into the Divine Chamber, and once again entered the state of Vision Roaming.

Under the Vision Roaming divine ability, his perspective broke free from his physical body and silently probed into the heavenly lake suspended in midair.

Sure enough!

A figure sat cross-legged at the bottom of the heavenly lake.

The man's black brocade robe drifted gently in the water, a jade belt cinched around his waist and his hair crown perfectly neat.

His extremely pale face revealed no emotion. His eyes were shut tight, and a faint, gentle golden light mingled with the lake water around him, making him look like a divine statue sunken at the bottom.

It was Lin Suri!

And in his palm, he cradled that wisp of Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi.

The Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi swirled slowly in his hand, like a temporarily pacified spiritual beast. Though it no longer struggled, it still emitted astonishing waves of spiritual qi.

Meanwhile, incredibly pure spiritual qi poured from Lin Suri's body, turning into fine cyan threads. Like a silkworm spinning a cocoon, the threads wrapped layer upon layer around the cluster of Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi.

He was using his own spiritual qi as a guide, slowly and resolutely refining this heaven and earth spiritual object through painstaking effort. Through his Vision Roaming perspective, Chen Lingxi saw it all clearly.

His brows twitched as thoughts raced through his mind.

'Lin Suri really wants to secretly refine the Mother Qi here while everyone else searches madly for him outside!'

'Once he succeeds and the Mother Qi fuses with his spiritual aperture, it'll be incredibly difficult to take it away.'

Just as Chen Lingxi prepared to exit Vision Roaming and take action...

Right at that moment!

Gale-force winds suddenly howled above the heavenly lake!

The previously mirror-calm water surged, kicking up layer after layer of massive waves.

An immensely deep and heavy spiritual qi pressure carried on the wind, crashing down from the sky.

Following that, a behemoth blocked out the starlight above.

A towering bridge built entirely of spiritual light tore through the sea of clouds and the starlight, spanning the sky before violently smashing down!

The bridge was over ten zhang long. Its complex, ancient patterns all lit up at once with blinding brilliance, painting the entire heavenly lake in searing white. Xi Yuan's Longevity Bridge had shattered the void to arrive!

Almost at the exact moment the Longevity Bridge appeared, something else flickered in the distant sea of clouds.

It was an entirely translucent white skiff. Faint, soft spiritual light flowed across its hull as it floated silently in the clouds, like a white whale stalking its prey in the dark.

Imperial Consort Chun's sky boat had appeared in the distance as well.

The moment the fierce winds and spiritual pressure descended, Lin Suri snapped his eyes open at the bottom of the heavenly lake.

Not a hint of panic touched his deep, well-like eyes—only the calm of someone who had expected this all along.

He made his decision the instant he opened his eyes.

He stood tall, flipped his right palm, and swept the Mother Qi back into his sleeve.

Meanwhile, his left hand clamped onto the hilt of the two-foot Jade Sword at his waist.

The Jade Sword was only two feet long, its blade narrow as a leek leaf and translucent as jade, engraved with a crane spreading its wings in flight.

This Jade Sword looked like a mere ceremonial weapon, but the moment he drew it from its sheath, it erupted with an unimaginable sword light!

The sword light was pure cyan, condensed into a fine, nearly transparent thread. It looked insignificant!

Yet the instant this seemingly insignificant cyan sword light appeared, it shot straight out! It pierced from the bottom of the lake all the way into the heavens.

"Sizzle—!"

That cyan sword light viciously impaled the leading edge of Xi Yuan's crashing Longevity Bridge!

Faced with this sword light honed to the absolute extreme, the seemingly indestructible Longevity Bridge—which looked capable of smashing anything to pieces—was ripped open right down the middle!

The divine light on the spiritual bridge flickered violently. Wherever the sword light passed, the spiritual qi shattered inch by inch, turning into a sky full of luminous dust.

Relying on the might of the Jade Sword, Lin Suri forcibly carved out a path of survival beneath the Longevity Bridge's terrifying pressure.

His figure blurred into a faint golden streak of light. Following the rift torn open by his sword, he soared into the sky. In an instant, he flew out of the heavenly lake's range, hurtling toward the distant mountains.

His speed was astonishing, leaving only a faint golden afterimage across the horizon.

'Xi Yuan found him so quickly... Though Xi Yuan is powerful, Lin Suri has that Jade Sword and the tiger token. His foundation is extremely deep, making him no easy target. Let them fight it out.'

Leaving the Vision Roaming state, Chen Lingxi didn't rush to chase Lin Suri.

It wasn't time yet. 'Besides, Imperial Consort Chun is still glaring like a hungry tiger eyeing its prey from the sidelines.'

Taking a deep breath, he swam quietly to the river's surface, shifting more of his attention to the sky boat flickering far in the distance.

There, Imperial Consort Chun stood on the boat, her robes snapping like an immortal descending to the mortal realm from the moon palace.

But as Chen Lingxi studied her carefully with the Method of Qi Observation, his heart gave a slight jolt.

'Something's wrong.'

Chen Lingxi's eyes flickered.

Imperial Consort Chun's aura was now far less intimidating than when she had battled the crowd of cultivators on the mountain ridge earlier.

Back then, standing atop the clouds, her single palm strike had felt like a crushing mountain. Blazing with spiritual light and radiating brilliant majesty, she had seemed like a true empress, inspiring a despairing sense of invincibility.

Now, however, the spiritual light on her body had dimmed significantly. Like a candle flickering in the wind, she was still bright, but she lacked that world-destroying sharpness from before.

Investigating closely with the Method of Qi Observation, Chen Lingxi could faintly catch an incredibly profound trajectory.

He realized that something around Imperial Consort Chun's body seemed to be accumulating at an excruciatingly slow, yet incomparably steady pace.

That thing was formless and immaterial. But as it gathered, Imperial Consort Chun's overwhelming aura of a noble cultivator was also climbing back up at the exact same rhythm. It was like a world-shocking treasure regaining its energy after being exhausted.

'Imperial Consort Chun must have a bizarre treasure on her.' A flash of insight crossed Chen Lingxi's mind, nearly confirming his guess.

'Under certain conditions, this treasure can drastically boost her combat strength in a very short time.'

'Earlier, she dominated the heroes, forced back Lin Suri with a single palm, and fought Lu Baizhong, Xi Yuan, and numerous Truth-Seekers alone without losing—all because this treasure's power was at its peak.'

'But now, the treasure's power is spent. She has grown weak and needs to accumulate it again.'

Vaguely, Chen Lingxi had already thought through the crux of the matter.

'This Method of Qi Observation from the Six Qi True Method is even more useful than I imagined.'

Chen Lingxi felt a surge of joy.

'Those Truth-Seekers spying from afar might have higher cultivation and stronger spells than me.'

'But when it comes to perceiving the subtle shifts in heaven and earth qi, or probing the depths of another's Dao foundation, their ordinary techniques from the Greater World aren't necessarily stronger than my Method of Qi Observation!'

They probably hadn't seen through Imperial Consort Chun's true state at all.

They only saw the dazzling might she displayed while slaughtering everything in her path, failing to catch her current subtle state—her aura receding, leaving her at a relative low point. 'Imperial Consort Chun is still standing in the void above the heavenly lake... not moving an inch... because someone is coveting her!'

As Chen Lingxi's Method of Qi Observation swept the surroundings, he made a new discovery.

Around Imperial Consort Chun's sky boat, undercurrents already surged through the seemingly calm void.

No less than ten incredibly hidden streams of spiritual qi circled that sea of clouds like whirlpools lurking beneath reefs, glaring like hungry tigers eyeing their prey.

'People still want to kill Imperial Consort Chun!'

Riding her sky boat, Imperial Consort Chun drifted in and out of the clouds. Her intimidating spirit and pervasive pressure kept the gathered heroes from making any rash moves.

But the heroes surrounded her without attacking, simply forming a distant encirclement to subtly block off all her possible escape routes.

Neither side dared to break this delicate balance first.

On second thought, Chen Lingxi instantly grasped the deeper reason behind it.

'Imperial Consort Chun holds the highest superficial cultivation level on this Ancestral Mountain.'

'Right now, Lin Suri is pinned down by Xi Yuan. He won't have the peace of mind to refine the Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi anytime soon.'

'Xi Yuan is strong, but Lin Suri is armed with heavy treasures. With one chasing and the other fleeing, neither can truly do anything to the other in the short term. And this gives everyone else the perfect opportunity.'

'As for these numerous experts, their true target is still the Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi.'

'The reason they stayed behind and formed this loose alliance against Imperial Consort Chun is because this greatest variable hasn't been eliminated yet.'

'These people are all treacherous Truth-Seekers. If given the chance, they will definitely team up again—just like on the mountain ridge—to pool their strength and completely slaughter this Upper Three Floors cultivator who poses the biggest threat to them.'

'Only then will they turn around to fight over the Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi without any worries!'

Chen Lingxi completely figured out the stakes involved.

'It seems these experts are intimidated by the overwhelming power Imperial Consort Chun displayed earlier! Even though they covet the prize, they don't dare to strike.'

He slowly raised his eyes, shooting a deep look at the two bright mirrors hanging high in the sky.

Blazing gold and silver-white light reflected off each other, showering down on this starlit minor world.

Chen Lingxi's thoughts suddenly shifted.

'I'm inside the Absolute Perception Divine Chamber, so what do I have to fear? I've already gathered so much information and calculated so many advantages.'

'Right now, the Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi is in Lin Suri's hands. He and Xi Yuan are keeping each other busy, while Imperial Consort Chun is in a weakened state as her treasure recharges. The future situation could change in a heartbeat!'

'If I keep hiding in these undercurrents just to preserve my life, it won't help much.'

The two calm flames in his eyes suddenly flared brightly.

'I might as well step onto the board myself and stir up this muddy water, throwing the whole situation into chaos! Let's see if I can find an unexpected opportunity in this Absolute Perception Divine Chamber!'

'Since that's the case...'

A cold sneer touched Chen Lingxi's lips. With a twitch of his divine sense, he connected with the few trump cards hidden in his Vast Void Pouch.

He felt the rushing river currents around him, but the spiritual pool within his sea of qi was boiling over madly.

He hid no longer. His spiritual qi and Jade Qi Realm vitality erupted simultaneously. He stomped the giant river rock beneath his feet to pieces, using that terrifying thrust to blast out of the water and launch into the sky like a fired cannonball!

At this moment, he stopped masking his existence.

Abruptly and without warning, he appeared on a cliff hundreds of zhang away from the battlefield.

Then, a talisman appeared in his hand.

[Dragon Qi Treasure Talisman!]

Out of the three talismans obtained from Xi Mu, Chen Lingxi had already used the [Heavenly Light Treasure Form Talisman], leaving only this Dragon Qi Treasure Talisman and the Xi Yu Talisman!

Chen Lingxi circulated his spiritual qi, activating the Dragon Qi Treasure Talisman!

"Oooom—!"

An incredibly deep, heavy dragon's cry suddenly detonated in the sky above the dead silent battlefield!

Fueled by the frantic infusion of his spiritual qi, the Dragon Qi Treasure Talisman burst into flames.

The ash from the burning talisman didn't scatter. Instead, it danced wildly in the void, dragging all the clouds within dozens of zhang into a massive funnel that rushed madly toward the space right above his head.

In an instant, a ten-zhang true dragon made entirely of white clouds took shape in the sky above him.

Scales and claws flaring, the cloud dragon looked remarkably lifelike. It opened its massive maw to release a soundless roar into the void. Then, like a white comet trailing a long tail, it carried shocking might as it viciously rammed toward Imperial Consort Chun's sea of clouds!

At the same time, the spiritual qi in Chen Lingxi's sea of qi merged with that profoundly mysterious Profound Qi and surged up his throat all at once.

The Dragon Roar Technique, Subtle grade!

"Rong Chun!"

A voice even deeper and more domineering than the dragon's roar detonated across the entire sky. Resonant as a grand bell, it echoed clearly into every single person's ears.

"You are heavily injured! The bizarre treasure on you hasn't finished accumulating its power! Right now, your strength can't even compare to a standard Qi Circulation 8th Floor cultivator, yet you still dare to show your face here!"

As soon as those words fell, ripples swept through the void!

The true cloud dragon opened its massive jaws. Carrying the weight of ten thousand bolts of lightning, it bit fiercely into Imperial Consort Chun's clouds.

Her originally apathetic eyes finally changed at this moment.

Her brow twitched ever so slightly. She seemed genuinely surprised by this mysterious figure who dared to call her by name and accurately expose her weakness.

But she didn't panic in the slightest. Raising her slender, pale right hand, she slightly bent her index finger and lightly flicked it at the viciously diving cloud dragon—as casually as brushing away a fallen leaf.

"Sizzle—!"

A blazing white beam as thick as a baby's arm shot from her fingertip, fast enough to rip through the void.

The beam precisely nailed the cloud dragon's head. With an earth-shattering boom, spiritual light splattered everywhere!

The seemingly terrifying dragon was effortlessly pierced by the light from a single flick of her finger. Its head exploded violently, scattering into a sky full of clouds.

However, the moment she attacked, she could no longer maintain that perfect balance.

The very instant she shattered the cloud dragon, the Xi Mu puppet that had been tailing Chen Lingxi like a ghost received its master's will and stepped soundlessly out of the fog.

Xi Mu's face was completely expressionless. Only two specks of icy, gloomy light burned deep within his hollow eyes.

His spiritual qi erupted to the limit. A massive Qi Sea Whirlpool abruptly formed behind him, its intense suction churning all the surrounding clouds.

Using this force, he launched into the sky, tearing a white contrail through the void as he charged straight at Imperial Consort Chun. At the same time, all ten of his fingers flicked rapidly. Countless ice spears thick as arms condensed in midair and rained down on her, their frigid chill freezing the clouds around the sky boat into ice crystals!

Imperial Consort Chun snorted coldly.

A flash of impatience finally appeared on her elegant and noble face.

Flipping her right hand, the longsword of spiritual light manifested once again.

Without even looking back, she twisted her wrist. The sword transformed into a massive, piercing sword light—sharp enough to cleave the sky in half—and slashed directly at the diving Xi Mu puppet!

"Boom!"

The sword light slammed into the sky full of ice spears and Xi Mu's churning cloud vortex, triggering a deafening explosion.

Spiritual light shot everywhere. The clouds boiled furiously like water, and the tyrannical sword light shattered countless ice crystals into powder.

The Xi Mu puppet was sent flying backward by the strike, the mist winding around it dimming significantly.

But... compared to that massive battle earlier—where Imperial Consort Chun forced Lin Suri into a miserable retreat with a casual palm strike and effortlessly blocked Xi Yuan's Longevity Bridge with terrifying spiritual qi...

While this sword strike was still sharp, it clearly lacked that crushing, despair-inducing tyranny.

She had weakened!

The various Truth-Seekers lurking in the dark like a pack of starving wolves had naturally heard that dragon's roar clearly, and they also sensed that Imperial Consort Chun's attack was different from before!

Yet some still hesitated.

Could this be a trap?

What if Imperial Consort Chun was intentionally hiding her strength and acting weak to bait them into attacking, only to spring a trap later?

The scene fell into an eerie silence for a moment, leaving only the clouds surging on their own.

But in the end, there were simply too many Truth-Seeker figures.

Among them were those with immense courage, towering egos, and extreme confidence.

They might fear Imperial Consort Chun's reputation and weigh the risks and rewards, but when a genuine opportunity presented itself, their arrogance and nature as noble cultivators from the Greater World would override all logic.

Such as... Lu Baizhong!

From the clouds in the distant void, a long-suppressed streak of pale golden lightning suddenly detonated!

The lightning cleaved the boiling sea of clouds, dyeing half the sky blinding gold.

Right in the center of the lightning, Lu Baizhong stepped out on his sword, dressed in a moon-white robe. His youthful face with its red lips and white teeth held none of his usual innocent smile. Instead, it was replaced by pure, almost fanatical icy killing intent.

He didn't even glance at the repelled Xi Mu puppet. His eyes were fixed solely on Imperial Consort Chun in her boat.

Guiding a sword seal with his right hand, the lightning longsword beneath his feet released an earth-shattering hum. A strike of the Thunder-Hidden Sword Art—even grander, fiercer, and more condensed than before—rose up. Transforming into a pillar of lightning that spanned the sky, it surged relentlessly at Imperial Consort Chun, just like the puppet's attack!

"Rumble!"

Before the sword light even arrived, the thunderous boom made the entire heavenly lake tremble.

Flipping her palm, the spiritual light beneath Imperial Consort Chun's exquisite robes formed a complex palm print.

The print expanded into the wind, swelling into a massive handprint that covered dozens of zhang in diameter as it smashed down toward the lightning sword qi.

Lightning and the handprint collided violently in midair.

The blinding glare painted the entire world a ghastly white.

Following the clash!

That tyrannical lightning sword qi and the giant spiritual qi handprint dissipated into nothingness simultaneously, leaving only a sky full of glowing dust and chaotic spiritual currents.

"It's true! Her strength isn't as overwhelming as before!" someone exclaimed from the clouds. "A treasure accumulating power? Looking closely, there really is an incredibly hidden aura regathering on Imperial Consort Chun, but it's far too slow. Its recovery can't keep up with what she burns in battle!"

Another voice echoed from further away, its tone dripping with undisguised greed and murderous intent.

These figures all came from the Greater World. They were exceptionally talented qi cultivators.

In terms of eyesight, experience, and grasping opportunities, they lost to no one.

They had only been intimidated by Imperial Consort Chun's dazzling battle record earlier!

Now that she had exposed a flaw!

It was as if everyone woke from a trance. Immediately operating their respective detection techniques, their gazes pierced past her superficial pressure and, sure enough, saw the bizarre treasure on her body—currently at a low point and slowly accumulating aura!

For a moment, no more words were needed.

Those two Qi Circulation 7th Floor cultivators from Great Zhou were the first to lose their patience.

They attacked immediately, unleashing the spiritual qi around their bodies without holding back.

Drawn by their spiritual qi, the churning clouds in the void transformed into two massive tornadoes connecting heaven and earth. From the left and right, they swept toward Imperial Consort Chun's sky boat!

With someone leading the charge, the crowd hiding in the shadows discarded all caution. Several spiritual qi fluctuations that had merely been watching from the sidelines erupted at the exact same moment, fiercely blasting toward a single target!

Assorted spells and divine abilities merged into a multi-colored torrent of destruction, crashing down upon Imperial Consort Chun like an avalanche!

Standing at the bow of her boat, Rong Chun finally knit her willow-like brows in extreme displeasure.

Flipping her right hand, she cast an even more dazzling brilliance that shattered the two deafening cloud tornadoes into nothingness.

Her eyes flashed like lightning, instantly locking onto the source of that world-shaking dragon's roar.

She sneered. "A filthy rat trying to drive the wolves to devour the tiger?"

Imperial Consort Chun had seen right through Chen Lingxi's trick.

Her exquisite robes fluttered without wind, spiritual light swirling as that terrifying pressure spread out once again without reservation.

Flipping her right hand, her slender, pale five fingers clawed at the void!

The spiritual qi and clouds within a hundred zhang were forcefully ripped into her grasp. They compressed and condensed madly in her palm, once again forming a giant handprint—even larger, denser, and far more detailed than the last one.

This time, the giant handprint didn't intercept the incoming spells. Instead, Imperial Consort Chun viciously swatted it away. Carrying a lethal will, it crossed a tremendous distance to viciously slam into the exact spot where Chen Lingxi had stood while executing the Dragon Roar Technique!

"Rumble—!" The earth cracked apart as rocks went flying.

That giant handprint, brimming with destructive force, smashed the entire cliff to pieces!

Yet there was no sign of Chen Lingxi.

Just how cunning and terrified of death was Chen Lingxi?

The moment he yelled that out and completely stirred the pot, he had already masked all his presence and fled for his life, retreating hundreds of zhang away into another dense forest.

Crouched on the branch of a massive tree, he watched as his former position was flattened into a dead zone by Imperial Consort Chun's palm. Staring at the shattered rock and the soaring dust, he couldn't help but silently rejoice.

'That woman really is fierce! If I had run even a second later, I'd be dead!'

Imperial Consort Chun's furious blow was indeed no laughing matter. Even in her weakened state, the aftershocks of that hasty palm strike were enough to heavily injure him.

But right at that moment!

In the split second Chen Lingxi relaxed his guard, his brain flared with agonizing pain!

His vision suddenly went black, and the spiritual qi circulating in his body stalled. He nearly plummeted from the branch.

'A divine sense killing art!' Chen Lingxi was horrified. 'Imperial Consort Chun has another trick to kill me! There was an aura-tracking technique hidden in that giant handprint. She used it to find my tracks, and now she wants to kill me with a divine sense art!'

He had still underestimated the methods of a Qi Circulation 8th Floor cultivator.

Within his pain-blurred mind, an utterly terrifying image faintly surfaced.

He saw a foot.

Slender and elegant, clad in an embroidered flower shoe, it slowly descended from a blurry sky. With irresistible majesty, it stomped down on a dense swarm of ants on the ground.

The ants struggled in vain and scrambled madly, but no matter what they did, they couldn't escape the shadow of death cast by that foot.

The instant the foot crashed down, Chen Lingxi felt like he was just one of those ants.

A sense of insignificance and worthlessness stemming from the depths of his soul completely drowned him.

His spiritual qi froze, and his blood ran ice cold. Even moving a single finger became a pipe dream.

'Is Absolute Perception going to end?' Chen Lingxi ground his teeth.

Immediately, he bit down hard on his tongue, using the agonizing pain to force himself to maintain a sliver of clarity.

At the same time, the streak of Profound Qi in his sea of qi flashed abruptly, perfectly merging with his own spiritual qi. Chen Lingxi forcibly steadied his mind and retook control of his spiritual qi.

He unleashed the Dragon Roar Technique once more!

"Roar!"

Yet another earth-shaking dragon's cry!

Only this time, the Dragon Roar Technique wasn't aimed outward at an enemy. Instead, it exploded right beside Chen Lingxi's own ears!

Carrying the power of Profound Qi, the dragon's roar acted like an eternal, giant bell that had just been struck. It vibrated wildly within his Sea of Consciousness, turning into visible golden ripples that spread in all directions.

Those golden ripples were like the sharpest blades, shredding every trace of divine sense and mental branding Imperial Consort Chun had left in his mind, thoroughly dispersing them!

"Pfft!" Chen Lingxi violently coughed up a mouthful of murky blood, tainted with faint streaks of a bizarre gray aura.

His face was as pale as paper, but his eyes had regained their former clarity and sharpness.

With the Dragon Roar Technique, he had broken free from Imperial Consort Chun's divine sense shackles!

Not daring to pause for even a second, Chen Lingxi instantly turned around and pushed his movement technique to the absolute limit. Morphing into a faint cyan light, he sprinted madly toward the distance where Lin Suri and Xi Yuan had vanished.

Behind him, the battlefield he had ignited with a single yell was already at a boiling point. He had succeeded.

At the cost of only minor injuries, he had successfully dragged the most dangerous variable in the Ancestral Mountain into the quagmire of a public siege.

Barely able to fend for herself, Imperial Consort Chun had no mind to chase Lin Suri anymore, let alone the spare energy to hunt down the rat who ruined her plans.

In an instant, spells and divine abilities fired simultaneously, making the Ancestral Mountain tremble and roar!

As for Chen Lingxi—this seemingly weak, yet most cunning oriole...

He took advantage of the perfect moment—while the mantis and the cicada fought a bloody battle—to melt silently into the shadows of the distant mountains!

'Imperial Consort Chun is busy fending for herself... I'm within Absolute Perception. I don't need to fully obtain and refine the Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi. I just need it to fall into my hands for a single second!'

Chen Lingxi thought.