Chapter 445 - 44: 6 vs. 3

"Haaa..."

Zhu Ju let out a long, turbid breath and slowly withdrew his power.

"How were you so fast?" Pei Jingque, who had appeared at his side at some point, asked with a look of astonishment.

"I thought it would take you a few more years."

With his Outer Body Incarnation, Wukong, one year of Cultivation for Zhu Ju was equivalent to six or seven for anyone else.

At such a pace, breaking through to the Mid-Stage Golden Core was only a matter of time, but she hadn’t expected it to be this soon.

"I used a certain Secret Technique, as well as the Spiritual Medicine I’ve accumulated over the years," Zhu Ju said with a faint smile.

"From now on, it won’t be so fast."

It would be far from fast.

To break through as quickly as possible, he had used a Demon Sect Forbidden Technique, completely severing his own path forward.

In other words, unless a miracle occurred, Zhu Ju would have no hope of reaching the Late-Stage Golden Core in this lifetime.

But it didn’t matter.

’The path of Pill Breaks and Infant Forms is a dead end anyway.’

And to Zhu Ju, there was almost no difference between Mid-Stage and Late-Stage Golden Core.

Although Pei Jingque didn’t know the reason, she clearly sensed something was wrong, and her expression couldn’t help but darken.

"It’s my fault!"

"If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have needed to be so desperate. With your Outer Body Incarnation, you would have eventually reached Golden Core Perfection, or even advanced to Nascent Soul."

"Nascent Soul is a dead end," Zhu Ju said, shaking his head. He stood up and flexed his wrists.

"My Power of Physical Body is nearly seventy percent stronger than before, and my Magical Power is several times that of the Early-Stage Golden Core. The increase in my Divine Soul Power, however, is much weaker than I imagined, which is a real pity."

He sighed with regret.

Right now, Divine Soul Power was the most crucial thing for him.

As long as his Divine Soul Power was sufficient, he could connect to the final of the Seven Spirits—the Spiritual Wisdom Spirit.

By then, his Power of Physical Body would be comparable to a Late-Stage Golden Core cultivator, and it would bring immense benefits to his Blood Flesh Martial Dao.

"One must learn to be content."

Consoling himself, Zhu Ju smiled faintly.

"If I had run into a Late-Stage Golden Core cultivator before, I’m afraid I would have been finished in a single blow. Now, at least I can last a few more."

"Don’t say such depressing things," Pei Jingque said, rolling her eyes.

"We’ll be fine."

"Yes."

Zhu Ju nodded firmly.

"We will be fine."

"Congratulations!"

Zhou Yuantong’s figure descended from the sky, her face wreathed in smiles as she spoke, "Having a Primordial Spirit Stone Embryo really makes a difference. Reaching Mid-Stage Golden Core so quickly... I imagine it won’t be long before—"

"Eh?"

She raised an eyebrow, a look of confusion in her eyes.

"Did you use the Celestial Corpse Sect’s Sacrifice Technique on yourself?"

"Fellow Daoist Zhou is truly knowledgeable," Zhu Ju nodded.

"That is indeed the case."

"Why?" Zhou Yuantong looked at Pei Jingque, her gaze complex.

"Was it worth it?"

*

*

*

The mountains were vast and green.

A white ribbon appeared high in the sky.

The ribbon swayed gracefully in the wind, its speed astonishing.

One moment it was several miles away, and the next it had already streaked past, appearing far behind.

On the ribbon,

stood three figures with extraordinary auras.

"Bai Feng."

A handsome, scholarly man spoke slowly.

"How much farther?"

"A journey of two or three days." Qi Baifeng, her features picturesque and her long white dress flowing like an immortal’s, chuckled at his words. Her beautiful eyes glinted with a hint of Spirituality, and though her face was saintly, it exuded a captivating allure.

"What is it?"

"Is Brother Li getting impatient?"

"How could I be?" Li Yugui, the Golden Core from the Blood Demon Sect, burst out laughing.

"I wish I could be with you forever, Bai Feng. It’s just that having an extra person along is ultimately unpleasant."

As he spoke, the smile vanished from his face, and he glanced at the last person.

"The feeling is mutual."

Lu Zhen, a stout man with rough features, spoke in a dull voice, glaring with a pair of large, bell-like eyes.

"Did you think I wanted to travel with you?"

If anyone else had seen this man, they would have been greatly shocked.

For Lu Zhen was a famous Golden Core of the Righteous Immortal Alliance, yet here he was, mixed up with fiends from the Demon Dao.

And looking at the three of them, despite their different attitudes, they were clearly familiar with each other.

"Enough."

Qi Baifeng frowned slightly.

"If you two want to leave, you can go at any time. I can go to the Secret Realm by myself just fine."

"Bai Feng, don’t be angry," Li Yugui quickly advised.

"This matter is too important to be emotional about."

"With your Cultivation and the Spirituality of your Yin Yang Dual Swords, for you to feel a premonition of danger, there must be a reason. Only with the two of us accompanying you on this trip can we ensure nothing goes wrong."

"Correct." Lu Zhen nodded, his expression also turning grave.

"I have performed multiple divinations using the Six Ren Method. The heavenly secrets are vast and difficult to predict, and this kind of situation is extremely rare."

"Either someone who knows a Divination Method is using a Secret Technique to obscure the heavens, or the person who bears you killing intent is extraordinary."

"In any case, this journey will be fraught with difficulties!"

Lu Zhen’s appearance was coarse, but he was an expert with Mastery in the art of divining heavenly secrets, and his own Cultivation was not low either.

"Mm."

Qi Baifeng nodded slowly.

"I have lived for several hundred years and made countless enemies, but there are only a handful of people capable of moving against me."

"I wonder..."

"Who could it be?"

A cold sneer crossed her face, and a murderous glint, sharp as a blade, flashed in her beautiful eyes before vanishing.

As the Sect Leader of the Joyful Sect, her personal strength was one thing, but her methods for controlling men were also second to none in the world.

"Hey!"

Li Yugui suddenly pointed to the side, his face lit with surprise.

"An Underworld Ghost-Eyed Leopard!"

Down in the mountains, a yellow wind was tearing about recklessly. Wherever it passed, beasts fled in panic.

Hidden within the yellow wind was a Demon Beast.

It had the form of a leopard but possessed a pair of deep and eerie eyes, as if they were a gateway to the Netherworld.

A Tier Three Demon Beast!

And a relatively rare one at that.

The three exchanged glances, each seeing the interest in the others’ eyes. Li Yugui waved a hand and was the first to strike.

"SWISH!"

A bloody light appeared, slashing straight for the Demon Beast’s head.

"ROAR!"

The Underworld Ghost-Eyed Leopard’s movements froze. It jerked its head up, and upon sensing the auras of the three cultivators, its eyes narrowed. Its body transformed into a gust of yellow wind and fled into the distance, showing no intention of fighting.

"Trying to escape?"

Lu Zhen shook his head.

"Stay right there!"

With a flicker, he shot forward. A strange spear appeared in his hand, and with a light shake, arcs of incandescent lightning blasted out.

"BOOM!"

"RUMBLE..."

Amidst a pained shriek, a gray shadow shot out from the lightning and darted into the distance.

"It’s wounded!"

Li Yugui laughed.

"After it!"

Qi Baifeng frowned, instinctively wanting to refuse, but seeing that the other two had already given chase, she could only shake her head helplessly and follow.

Such a rare Tier Three Demon Beast couldn’t be given up so easily.

The chase was on.

In an instant, they covered hundreds of miles.

"I’ve got it!"

Li Yugui’s face beamed with joy, but just as he was about to strike, his expression changed abruptly, and he flickered backward in a hasty retreat.

Lu Zhen had sensed something was wrong even earlier and had already sped back to Qi Baifeng’s side.

"Something’s not right!"

"Mm."

Qi Baifeng nodded. With a slight shake of her hands, two Longswords, one black and one white, appeared in her palms.

Slash!

The dual swords crossed, slashing lightly at the empty space before her. A hundred-mile-long beam of Sword Qi instantly spanned the void.

The terrifying Sword Qi swept over a mountaintop, and the peak shattered with a BOOM.

The might of the attack was simply astounding.

Yet both of their expressions suddenly sank.

"An Array!"

Lu Zhen’s voice was grim.

"A Tier Three High Grade Grand Array!"

Qi Baifeng slowly nodded.

Her Yin Yang Dual Swords were not just Spiritual Artifacts; they also had a special connection to the Joyful Sect’s Wind Moon Valley.

While holding the dual swords, she could travel to Wind Moon Valley at any time.

But now, that connection was being blocked by an Invisible Power. Even their ability to slice through the void had been sealed.

It was as if...

...a three-dimensional world had been compressed and stretched into two dimensions, rendering all methods of Instant Teleportation useless.

Not only that.

Qi Baifeng pursed her lips and looked at Lu Zhen beside her.

They were clearly standing close to each other, but she knew that, in reality, they were not together at all.

"Come out!"

Taking a deep breath, Qi Baifeng suppressed the distracting thoughts in her mind and spoke slowly.

"Yuantong, I know it’s you."

The void rippled.

Three figures appeared one after another.

Zhou Yuantong.

Zhu Ju’s Outer Body Incarnation, Wukong.

And Lou Yutang, the Vice Sect Leader of the Netherworld Sect and a Late-Stage Golden Core cultivator.

Among the three ’people’, Zhou Yuantong’s strength was profound and unfathomable, Wukong’s was comparable to a Late-Stage Golden Core, and Lou Yutang was a bona fide Late-Stage Golden Core cultivator.

The three positioned themselves at three different points, completely surrounding Qi Baifeng.

Meanwhile, Jin Fangqiu and a black-clothed, masked Golden Core Grandmaster blocked Lu Zhen’s path, their powerful auras clashing in mid-air.

At the same time, the husband and wife pair, Zhu Ju and Pei Jingque, had appeared before Li Yugui.