Chapter 90: Crystal Spirit Sect

Deep within the Yunmiao Mountain Range, three great sects dominated the area: the Crystal Spirit Sect, Heavenly Seal Mountain, and Spirit Twilight Valley.

Among the three, Spirit Twilight Valley was undoubtedly the strongest. No fewer than four Nascent Soul cultivators sat within the valley, one of whom had reached Mid-Nascent Soul cultivation. Their foundations ran deep.

The weakest, by contrast, was the Crystal Spirit Sect. The entire sect boasted only two Early Nascent Soul cultivators, and one of them was nearing the end of his lifespan, his qi and blood failing, his combat power a shadow of what it once was. Such a soft target naturally became Jiuyou's first choice.

But he did not recklessly charge straight to their doorstep. His strength was nowhere near its peak these days. At best, he was only comparable to his Early Nascent Soul self from several decades ago. In this unfamiliar land of Qian Prefecture, a little extra caution never hurt anyone.

Within half an hour, Jiuyou had already silently infiltrated the area near the Crystal Spirit Sect's mountain gate.

He concealed his form and observed from afar.

The mountain gate was bustling with activity. Quite a few sect disciples were coming and going. Several loose cultivator marketplaces dotted the foot of the mountain, where low-level cultivators gathered in small groups to buy and sell goods. It was all quite lively.

The entire sect looked peaceful and carefree. Compared to his own Soul Wraith Island, shrouded in perpetual gloom and sinister energy, this place was practically a paradise on earth.

But then again, this kind of comfortable life wouldn't last much longer.

Over the following days, Jiuyou made no move to act.

Each day, he kept close watch over the Crystal Spirit Sect's movements with his Divine Sense. He did draw near once, and under his powerful spiritual perception, he could only detect the aura of a single Nascent Soul cultivator. As for the other one, he had no idea where he had gone.

Still, he did not act rashly. At the end of the day, this was someone else's territory. Who knew what kind of powerful formations were buried beneath their mountain gate?

Keeping a measure of caution never did anyone wrong.

Jiuyou simply disguised himself as a middle-aged loose cultivator at the Qi Refining Stage in the marketplace at the foot of the mountain. He rented a secluded cave dwelling, and while meditating to recover his Essence Blood, he kept a sharp eye on the activities up on the mountain.

A few days later, he finally sensed the aura of the other Nascent Soul cultivator.

The man had returned without making a sound. Had Jiuyou's Divine Sense not far surpassed that of his peers, he would hardly have noticed. The two auras were roughly equivalent, both Early Nascent Soul.

A glimmer of delight flashed through Jiuyou's eyes, along with a flicker of sinister intent. He licked his dry lips.

Another few days passed.

That aura departed the Crystal Spirit Sect once more, silently streaking toward Spirit Twilight Valley. It seemed the three great sects had finally caught on and discovered that something had gone wrong at the Qiaoling Mountain secret realm. This person was heading to Spirit Twilight Valley to discuss countermeasures.

Jiuyou followed in secret.

He was like a patient beast of prey, quietly waiting for his quarry to walk into the trap.

...

Yue Hao was the Nascent Soul Supreme Elder of the Crystal Spirit Sect.

His senior brother remained behind to hold the sect together, but his lifespan was almost spent. All the daily affairs of the sect fell on Yue Hao's shoulders alone.

Half a month ago, he had just been summoned by the Dayong imperial court to head to the capital to discuss strategies against the Northern Plains.

Those barbarians of the Northern Plains had grown increasingly restless in recent years. Using the rampant ghost creatures of the ancient battlefield as an excuse, they frequently harassed Dayong's borders. The Dayong imperial court, weary of the nuisance, had summoned all the sects and factions to discuss a joint strategy.

Yue Hao was long accustomed to this sort of thing. Those great sects kept their noses high in the air, unwilling to waste energy on the Northern Plains threat. All the grueling work was dumped on small sects like his. Even if he was resentful, he could only grit his teeth and swallow his frustration.

He had finally finished his exhausting trip to the capital, returned to the sect, and barely rested a few days when trouble erupted at the Qiaoling Mountain secret realm. The disciples guarding the place had been slaughtered to the last man, and even the entrance to the secret realm had been destroyed. Several great sects had paid a hefty price to reopen the entrance and rescue the disciples trapped inside.

Rumor had it the culprit struck with ruthless efficiency, at least at the Nascent Soul level. Moreover, he hadn't targeted any single sect but had shown no mercy to people from all three sects of the Yunmiao range. The higher-ups of the three sects naturally couldn't afford to take this lightly, hence the urgent gathering to discuss countermeasures.

Yue Hao traveled while silently lamenting the unpredictability of the world.

But just after he had put several thousand li between himself and his sect, he suddenly felt that something was off.

The alarm bells in his heart had barely begun to ring.

The spiritual energy on both sides exploded without warning!

Two giant skeletal hands, formed from eerie azure flames, came slamming down at him from left and right. They moved fast and struck with ferocious power, as if they had been lying in ambush all along, just waiting for him to walk into the trap.

Yue Hao broke out in a cold sweat. He had never been skilled at combat, merely average among his peers.

Just as the two skeletal hands were about to crush him into a pulp, a flash of brown light burst from his body. With a "whoosh," he dove straight into the earth. It was an earth escape technique.

He fled with everything he had toward Spirit Twilight Valley, leaving deep furrows in the ground wherever he passed.

Hidden in the shadows, Jiuyou's gaze turned icy cold.

He hadn't expected this man to know the earth escape technique. In these sprawling mountain ranges, it wouldn't be easy to take him down in a short time.

However, a cold smirk curled at the corner of his mouth.

He had survived multiple pursuits by Late Nascent Soul Grand Cultivators. A mere earth escape technique was hardly enough to slip through his fingers.

In the blink of an eye, Jiuyou, draped in the Sky Wind Robe, had caught up to behind Yue Hao. The Golden Sun Mountain flew out from his sleeve and came crashing down upon the man's head.

Beneath the earth, Yue Hao saw that flaming mountain artifact bearing down on him and his pupils shrank to pinpricks. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, he could tell at a glance that this was a top-tier ancient relic. If it struck him, he would either die or suffer severe injuries.

He swerved sharply, narrowly dodging the strike, his heart pounding with sheer terror.

But then the Golden Sun Mountain suddenly expanded, slamming into the ground and directly blocking his path, sealing the entire underground passage solidly.

At the same time, countless black arrows rained down from the sky in overwhelming numbers.

The Ghost Arrow Banner was being driven at full power, arrows pouring down like a torrential storm, blasting giant craters into the ground wherever they landed. Yue Hao was forced to burst out from underground, transforming into a streak of brown light in a desperate attempt to escape through the air.

But it was already too late.

He had barely flown a few li when the figure of a young man appeared right in front of him, blocking his path.

Countless Nine Nether Soul-Chaining Chains surged out from behind the young man, blotting out the sky and staining the heavens azure. The chains clashed against one another, producing crisp, ringing sounds like the death knell of a funeral bell.

Seeing that escape was hopeless, Yue Hao steeled himself and produced a defensive artifact, determined to fight to the death.

But how could he possibly match Jiuyou?

After only a few exchanges, that artifact was shredded to pieces by the countless chains. Then his physical body was bound layer upon layer by the cyan chains, eerie blue ghost fire clinging to them. Even his Nascent Soul was frozen solid, unable to move a single inch.

Yue Hao watched in despair as his Nascent Soul was dragged out of his body by an invisible giant hand and pulled into a gloomy bronze gate. Inside the gate, countless mournful souls wailed and shrieked in endless waves.

Jiuyou raised a hand and collected Yue Hao's corpse into his Storage Pouch, then took the man's own Storage Pouch as well.

He glanced expressionlessly in the direction of the Crystal Spirit Sect, the coldness in his eyes growing even deeper.

"Just one more left..."