Chapter 504 - 503: Lamp Holder, Soul Keeper

Chapter 504: Chapter 503: Lamp Holder, Soul Keeper

Chapter 503: Lamp Holder, Soul Keeper

Xuan Ming felt his luck had been truly terrible lately.

Ever since being thoroughly beaten by the Holy Saint in the Sword Province, he’d spent the entire journey back as a miner. Upon returning to the Royal City, he was forced to do manual labor searching for the Nether Formations. To make matters worse, his colleagues had been relentlessly mocking him for weeks about his earlier boast of "a narrow defeat against the Demon Sect’s Holy Saint."

That was bad enough, but what was this situation?

Just a few days ago, Kirin had been responsible for night security at Ascending Immortality Lake without any issues. But today, for some unknown reason, the Empress assigned her a new task, and the moment he took over, troublemakers appeared?

And their leader was a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator.

Xuan Ming pressed his chest, his gaze beneath the mask darkening.

He was already injured.

The group clearly had a plan. Before even revealing their cultivation, they had launched a surprise attack.

If it weren’t for their numerical advantage and the intervention of several Nascent Souls who had been recruited by the Immortal Nation during the Netherkin chaos and hadn’t yet departed, coupled with the defensive formations the Immortal Nation had set up around Ascending Immortality Lake days earlier, the enemy would likely have already severely wounded them all and achieved their objective.

But how much longer could they hold out against a Peak Nascent Soul?

Not to mention there’s still five other Nascent Souls and a group of Golden Core cultivators on the enemy’s side.

This is going to be tough... Where did this leader come from? I’ve never seen a Peak Nascent Soul like this in the reports. Is he disguised? Or is he some reclusive old cultivator from a hidden sect?

As the core controller of the Ascending Immortality Lake defensive formations, Xuan Ming was temporarily at a loss for what to do.

He had already sent out a distress signal, but he knew that with the current situation in the Royal City, it would be difficult to dispatch a force capable of countering a Peak Nascent Soul in time.

And his side clearly couldn’t hold out that long.

"What? Still not moving? Are you really willing to be severely wounded, even killed, for a single tree?"

The Brocade-Robed Man at the forefront narrowed his eyes and stepped forward. "Or are you waiting for the Immortal Nation to send reinforcements? Can the Immortal Nation even muster sufficient aid to counter us at this moment?"

Xuan Ming sensed that the man was preparing to unleash a Technique.

Though the Brocade-Robed Man seemed to be rambling, he had no intention of resolving this through dialogue. He merely wanted to shake the resolve of the Immortal Nation cultivators maintaining the Formation, seeking to exploit its weakest point for a decisive strike.

The air began to tremble, the leaves of the dense forest rustling and shaking.

’Tsk, why aren’t they here yet... Even if they can’t find anyone capable of fighting a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator, they should at least summon Tian Zhu. With her innate ability to control the Formation through her Formation Heart, she could hold out longer than I can...’

Despite his growing anxiety, Xuan Ming remained composed, channeling spiritual energy into the Formation’s core and reaching for his storage bag.

He needed to retrieve his Greatsword and go all out.

"It’s a pity I’m still a little short of breaking through to the mid Nascent Soul stage... Hmm?"

The eyes behind the turtle-patterned mask suddenly flickered, and the hand that had been pressed against his storage bag slowly relaxed.

At the same time, a cold glint flashed in the Brocade-Robed Man’s eyes on the horizon.

"Enough. Let’s strike."

As the words fell, a fragmented wooden carving, reduced to little more than its base, materialized in the Brocade-Robed Man’s hand. His spiritual energy coiled around the carving, emitting terrifying fluctuations.

The group behind him unleashed their own attack techniques, their effects dazzling and overwhelming.

This wave of attacks would likely overwhelm the Ascending Immortality Lake’s Formation, and even if it could withstand it, it would leave the cultivators maintaining it severely injured.

The group of cultivators, all here for the Phoenix Tree, raised their hands in unison.

But at that moment, a detached voice rang out, reaching every ear present.

"Do not move."

The techniques poised to strike froze mid-air. The dozens of cultivators led by the Brocade-Robed Man found their hands suspended in the air, their gathered spiritual energy dissipating in the sudden, jarring halt.

Despite this, they remained frozen in their spell-casting poses, utterly immobilized.

If the voice said not to move, they would not move.

. . .

"Aren’t we going to intervene? If we don’t show ourselves, how long can your Dao Rhythm keep that Peak Nascent Soul cultivator restrained?"

Miss Yanyao, crouching in the grass within the small grove on the outskirts of Ascending Immortality Lake, turned to Luo Wusheng beside her.

They had arrived some time ago and had overheard every word the Brocade-Robed Man had spoken.

Dao-Dao had originally wanted to attack. Although her cultivation was still only in the early Nascent Soul stage, she had gained considerable benefits from the Netherkin chaos battle. The fact that she was close to breaking through was secondary; more importantly, she had made significant progress in understanding the Great Dao Rhythm. Combined with various Daoist Sect artifacts, she could actually put up a decent fight against a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator.

If she couldn’t win, she could borrow Di-Di’s Human Emperor Sword or even remotely merge with her.

However, Luo Wusheng had stopped her. Instead, he had instructed her to feign using the Imperial Alter Ego to send a message to Xuan Ming, urging him to remain calm.

’His methods are truly extraordinary... Every word he speaks becomes a Dao Principle, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth, and even affecting cultivators at the Peak Nascent Soul stage... Just how far has his strength advanced now?’

Miss Yanyao’s eyes sparkled with a peculiar light beneath her White Tiger mask.

Beside her, Luo Wusheng glanced at the group of cultivators he had frozen in place with his words-as-laws Dao. His gaze lingered on the Brocade-Robed Man leading them before he stroked his chin.

"No need to rush. I’ve discovered something interesting."

"Hmm?" Miss Yanyao looked puzzled by Luo Wusheng’s words.

He offered no explanation, his attention fixed on the incomplete wooden carving in the Brocade-Robed Man’s hand.

That thing can attract the Phoenix Incense Fire within me... How strange. The others might genuinely want to chop down the tree to find some so-called ’great opportunity’ I mentioned, but this leader seems to have other motives. And his cultivation realm is also a bit... off.

Yet these people are likely all misunderstanding the situation.

The Phoenix Tree was actually a manifestation of the Nirvana Flame, with only a trace of Luo Wusheng’s consciousness mixed in. At its core, it wasn’t a tree at all, but the indestructible Nirvana Flame. No matter how many times it was chopped down, it would quickly regenerate. Even if someone used a special skill to truly destroy it, it would be utterly meaningless.

Otherwise, the bald donkeys of the Buddhist Sect would have acted long ago, leaving no opportunity for these underlings.

With this thought, Luo Wusheng turned his gaze elsewhere.

Among the crowd surrounding Ascending Immortality Lake, he recognized quite a few familiar faces. Besides Fellow Daoist Da Zhuang, ten of the nineteen Nascent Soul cultivators who had originally come from Sword Province were also present. The rest were unfamiliar faces and officials from the Immortal Nation.

They had numerical superiority, but that was meaningless when one person could take down dozens.

His gaze didn’t linger on the crowd for long. Instead, Luo Wusheng’s eyes drifted across the lake to the massive Phoenix Tree.

The tree itself held no particular significance, yet Luo Wusheng found himself strangely fixated on a single branch.

Three red ropes were tied to the branch, materializations of Luo Wusheng’s consciousness once intertwined with it.

Yet, beside these red ropes, a black-and-white one had appeared at some point, also tied to the branch and swaying in the wind.

At that moment, the Brocade-Robed Man in mid-air broke free from his "do not move" state, his face now etched with vigilance as he scanned his surroundings.

"Who’s there! What kind of trickster dares to play this little trick? Show yourself and face me in battle!"

Hearing these words, Luo Wusheng’s expression shifted slightly beneath his black tiger mask as he turned to face the man’s opposite direction.

Miss Yanyao seemed to sense something as well, her gaze also drawn to that direction.

Then, two voices suddenly rang out from that direction.

"What kind of little punk dares to bark so wildly before our Holy Saint’s grave?"

"...Lamp Holder, watch your tongue. The Holy Saint isn’t quite dead yet."

Two figures, one tall and one short, emerged from the void, both cloaked in black robes.

The taller one held a green lantern, its flickering flames mirroring his wild demeanor.

The shorter one gripped a chilling silver-black chain, as if endless souls were entwined within it, ghostlike figures drifting through the links.

The Brocade-Robed Man frowned deeply.

He couldn’t make sense of the situation before him.

Had the Immortal Nation sent reinforcements? But how could the Immortal Nation mobilize forces capable of opposing him so quickly?

Moreover, the voices of the two figures who had appeared were completely different from the one that had initially halted his movements.

The power behind that first voice had been utterly bizarre. He hadn’t sensed any spiritual energy fluctuations, yet it had frozen him in place.

An Immobilization Technique? What kind of Immobilization Technique could do that?

Wait, judging by their words, they don’t seem like members of the Immortal Nation at all, but rather...

"The Demon Sect?"

A flicker of panic flashed in the Brocade-Robed Man’s eyes. This turn of events was completely unexpected.

"Heh, I was originally planning to stay here and witness the legendary feats our Holy Saint would achieve, then cultivate for a few days before heading to Sword Province to attend the Sword Sect’s succession ceremony... I never expected to run into this."

The tall, black-robed figure chuckled playfully, gently lifting the azure lamp in his palm. "Demon Sect Divine Envoy, Lamp Holder," he announced.

The shorter black-robed figure followed suit. "Demon Sect Divine Envoy, Soul Keeper."

The moment his words fell, the Soul Keeper Divine Envoy yanked the chain in his hand, producing a sharp clink.

The grotesque faces on the chain instantly sharpened into clarity, and countless soul bodies surged forth, each emitting a chilling, cackling laugh.

"Soul Keeper, be careful with your attacks. That guy’s Life Lamp is peculiar. Don’t kill him carelessly, we’ll hand him over to the Immortal Nation later."

The Lamp Holder Divine Envoy, still holding the azure lamp, showed no intention of attacking. Instead, his gaze drifted toward the small grove of trees nearby.

Hearing his words, the Soul Keeper Divine Envoy tilted his head. "You’re going after the one who attacked just now? That should be an Immortal Nation cultivator. We can’t act rashly."

"I’m just curious about that ’word’ technique. I’d be satisfied with a few sparring matches at most."

The Lamp Holder Divine Envoy waved his hand. "Besides, I see a man and a woman over there... Hehe~ out in the woods late at night, huddled together in a secluded spot. They must be..."

"Ahem, as it happens, the Lord of Love Divine Envoy gave me that special artifact as collateral for the ’payment’ to the Fu Su Maiden Dao last time. I could try using that as an exchange... A mutually agreed-upon sparring match shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"Don’t worry, I can sense it. Those two youngsters are at most mid-Nascent Soul stage. Perfectly safe... Even if they’re stronger, they won’t exceed late-Nascent Soul. They couldn’t possibly be as monstrously talented as the Holy Saint and the Empress in the Royal City, could they?"

With that, his figure vanished without a trace, seemingly unconcerned about the battle unfolding around him.

After the Lamp Holder disappeared, the Soul Keeper Divine Envoy sighed softly and flicked the chain in his hand again.

In the next instant, before the eyes of the astonished cultivators opposite, a soul shadow completely engulfed the entire space.

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Cultivation Realm:

1, Qi Refining

2, Foundation Establishment

3, Golden Core

4, Nascent Soul

5, Divine Transformation (Formerly Known as Tribulation Crossing)

6, Tribulation Transcendence

7, Land Immortal

Note: Link to the character Illustration:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD

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