Chapter 211 - 209: Ability

...Since the enemy was now stretched thin, he might as well press his advantage. In that moment, a plan took shape in Chen Qingyang's mind.

It was risky, but he had to try.

Executing the Void Step Introduction, he moved with incredible speed, arriving more than thirty li away in an instant. There, he stopped concealing his aura and unleashed the full power of the Separation Huo Dragon Pearl, adopting an offensive stance. The Conscious Fish, however, remained in its original position.

Sure enough, the move caused Senior Brother Liang to frown. Situ noticed it as well. He briefly stepped away from the Inscriptionless Stele and said to Senior Brother Liang, "Senior Brother, did you feel that?"

"Yes."

Situ continued, "I focused on it. It seems to be just a single aura, revealing itself here on purpose. It must be a ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain. I say we ignore it."

But Senior Brother Liang's frown deepened. "We've lost three people. In your opinion, how many more days will it take to complete the Refinement of those inside?"

"I think three days should be enough," Situ replied.

Senior Brother Liang shook his head. "No, it's not enough. Their killing methods might not be on par with ours, but their ability to hunker down and defend is far beyond what we imagined. For one thing, the Elixirs they carry can sustain them for quite some time."

Situ looked somewhat puzzled. "Then what are you suggesting, Senior Brother?"

"Regardless, you have to go check it out. If you're a match for this person, kill them. If not, then we all need to escape."

Situ was silent for a moment, then his eyes lit with understanding. "This is Tai Xu Sect territory, after all. You want me to give chase because you're worried word will get out and they'll call for reinforcements. If I can't even defeat this person, it means reinforcements have already arrived and are far stronger than us. Combined with the gaps in the Array, we would have no choice but to retreat."

Senior Brother Liang nodded. "Exactly."

With the decision made, Situ departed. This left only the Essence Condensation Third Realm Disciple, who couldn't possibly maintain his position for long. Senior Brother Liang had no choice but to pour more of his own energy into the Inscriptionless Stele.

A situation they once had well in hand had suddenly become precarious.

For Chen Qingyang, this was his chance.

Seeing Situ barreling toward him at incredible speed, Chen Qingyang knew he was no match for him. He didn't dare to linger and immediately fled outward at top speed.

Situ's Cultivation was clearly far above his own, and his speed was immense. No matter how Chen Qingyang wove through the mountains, Situ was able to lock onto his trail, drawing closer and closer.

But just then, the Array behind them began to shake. A red aura erupted like boiling water, a roar swept through the forest, and the earth quaked. The disturbance instantly spread far and wide.

Situ was already worried this was a feint, and now that another problem had arisen, his concern deepened. Even if he could catch Chen Qingyang, there was no telling how long it would take.

Frustrated, he had no choice but to give up the chase and turn back.

It turned out that as soon as Situ had left, Chen Qingyang had targeted the lone Essence Condensation Third Realm Demon Sect Disciple operating one of the Inscriptionless Steles, severely wounding him. Though he failed to take his life, he had robbed the disciple of his ability to fight. That was what had caused the Array to shake.

Afterwards, the Conscious Fish once again swam deeper into the valley. A man of Senior Brother Liang's skill could hardly fail to notice its presence. But he had to focus all his efforts on stabilizing the Array, so he could only watch helplessly as Chen Qingyang slipped away.

This was the price of being stretched too thin.

When Situ returned, he was furious, and his tone was tinged with complaint toward Senior Brother Liang. "I told you we shouldn't give chase! Not only did we fail to catch him, but he managed to launch a sneak attack. Now there isn't just one Daoist Sect Disciple hounding us, there are two!"

Senior Brother Liang ignored the complaint, remaining perfectly calm. "So what if there are two?"

Perhaps influenced by his composure, Situ fell silent for a moment before calming down himself. "Senior Brother, just tell me exactly what's on your mind."

Senior Brother Liang said, "This person must have some kind of special technique, or perhaps a Magical Artifact, that allows for sudden, indefensible attacks."

"When he killed our Second Realm junior brother, it was a one-hit kill. But against the Third Realm Disciple, he only managed to inflict a severe wound. This means the attacker's Cultivation is likely at the Essence Condensation Third Realm, and he's relying on the power of a Magical Artifact. The Qi Mechanism of this artifact is so faint that I couldn't lock onto it even while controlling the Array."

"As for the person you chased, his Cultivation is certainly lower than yours—it's even highly likely he's also at the Essence Condensation Third Realm. His Cultivation may be mediocre, but he's extremely clever and understands how to use harassment tactics to stall our progress."

Senior Brother Liang finally concluded, "...they're just a pair of Essence Condensation Third Realm Daoist Sect Disciples with a few special tricks. Right now, we're tied down by the Array. Otherwise, you alone would be enough to kill them both."

Hearing this, Situ stomped his foot in regret. "If I'd known, I would have kept chasing him. His Cultivation is no match for mine; I would have caught him sooner or later."

Senior Brother Liang shook his head again. "Enough with the 'if onlys.' There's no use for them now. Since we have a good idea of who we're up against, we need to change our strategy."

Situ was thoroughly convinced and stopped arguing. "What do you propose, Senior Brother?" he asked.

"We're short-handed now, which means you and I are indispensable to the Array. Therefore, I intend to send out all seven of our Essence Condensation Third Realm junior brothers and sisters. They'll split into two teams and hunt for those two."

"The people inside the Array have been affected, so their resistance is bound to have weakened. With the five of us operating the Array at full power, we can complete the Refinement of everyone inside within five or six days. Even if our junior brothers and sisters can't catch those two Daoist Sect Disciples, they can at least guard the perimeter and prevent them from harassing us."

At this, Senior Brother Liang sighed. "This way, the biggest variable becomes the speed of their reinforcements. If even this doesn't work... then our only choice is to withdraw for now and return in a few days."

The thought of failing when success was so close was a bitter one, and Senior Brother Liang's expression darkened as he said the word "withdraw."

Situ was surprised at first, then he sank into deep thought for a long time. "It seems this is the only way. The power of the Inscriptionless Stele requires a Cultivation of Essence Condensation Fifth Realm or higher to control, and there are exactly five of us. But..."

Senior Brother Liang cut him off decisively. "There's no point agonizing over it. If seven of our Holy Sect Disciples can't stop two Daoist Sect Disciples of the same realm, then we deserve to fail here today."

He was a decisive man who understood the need for compromise, and he made his decision swiftly.

Though the Daoist Sect Disciples were trapped in the Array, the Demon Sect had lost four members in succession, putting them in an extremely passive position. This was the best solution he could come up with.

A ruthless look appeared on Situ's face. "You're right. If we can't even manage that, then we deserve to die."

The same logic applied to Chen Qingyang. The Demon Sect was only sending out its disciples with lower Cultivation. If he couldn't even deal with them, then even with his Stealing Immortal Skill, he would never obtain a single Immortal Seedling.

While the two were talking, he was also calculating. 'How can I kill that half-dead Essence Condensation Third Realm Disciple first? Obtaining an Immortal Seedling means obtaining Cultivation.'

'If I kill two or three more, I can break through to the Essence Condensation Four Realms. I'll fuel my war with war, growing stronger with each battle.'

The Demon Sect members quickly arranged their forces. They split into two teams—one of three, one of four—and began to patrol the valley. Their actions were quite effective; at the very least, Chen Qingyang didn't dare to reveal his true body.

He felt he had a decent chance against three of them at once, but it wasn't a risk worth taking. 'I'll stick to safer methods and wear them down slowly.'

The two Demon Sect teams traveled using Wind Control, their speed was immense. They could almost instantly detect the slightest disturbance in the valley.

If one team ran into trouble, the other could immediately provide backup. But what they could never have imagined was the existence of a Cultivation Technique like the Great Soul Scripture.

Chen Qingyang slipped through their defensive line with ease. The Essence Condensation Third Realm Disciple he had severely wounded earlier was sitting not far from an Inscriptionless Stele, quietly meditating to recover his Cultivation.

This time, the Conscious Fish slipped silently into his body. The Demon Sect Disciple's body went rigid, his eyes bulged, and a choked gasp escaped his throat before he slumped to the ground, devoid of life.

The lifelong Cultivation of this Essence Condensation expert transformed into an Immortal Seedling and entered his body. This time, he had collected a total of 3,413.

'Just a couple more kills like that,' he thought, 'and I'll reach the Essence Condensation Four Realms.'