Chapter 501 - 470: I’ll Kill You First, Then Save Them; It’s the Same Thing

Chapter 501: Chapter 470: I’ll Kill You First, Then Save Them; It’s the Same Thing

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH—

In the city, dozens of Golden Core cultivators, hundreds in the Foundation Establishment Realm, and thousands upon thousands of Qi Refining Cultivators all took to the sky, leaping into the air or streaking out on their swords.

In an instant, the streaks of their figures were like dazzling stars, shining brilliantly under the oppressive black clouds.

"Disciples of the Lei Family, follow me to defend Ghost Mother Peak! We will fight to the death to prevent the Star-Picking Sect from taking a single step out of Celestial Ghost Ridge!"

"Anyone at the Foundation Establishment Realm or above, with me..."

Cries rang out from among the figures.

In the blink of an eye, ninety percent of the people on the city wall were gone.

All that remained were the brilliant flashes of unleashed Spiritual Power in every color.

...

"Che... Che’er?"

In mid-flight, Meng Changtu realized Chen Che hadn’t followed. He glanced back and saw the man still standing on the city wall.

"What’s going on?"

"Valley Master Chen..."

"Just as we were leaving, I thought I heard Zuo Qinlong tell him to stay behind."

Meng Qianxun’s brow furrowed. He glanced back and saw that most of the Golden Core cultivators were with them. He wasn’t suspicious, and instead ventured a guess:

"Perhaps he’s worried that if all the Golden Core cultivators leave, we’ll fall for the Star-Picking Sect’s ploy to lure the tiger from its mountain."

Meng Changtu and the others nodded slightly upon hearing this.

After all, to deal with the assault, Celestial Ghost Ridge’s defenses had already been pushed to their limit. If a battle broke out within the city, that area would instantly become a massive meat grinder.

Ghost Mother Peak, on the other hand, was a natural fortress—easy to defend and difficult to assault. It was the perfect place for a surprise attack.

As long as the enemy broke through this narrow pass, it would be like a bursting dam. With the wide-open lands behind them, Celestial Ghost Ridge would no longer be able to contain them.

"But don’t worry..."

Meng Qianxun withdrew his gaze and said in a clear voice, "Celestial Ghost Ridge is not far from Ghost Mother Peak. For a Golden Core cultivator, it’s only a thirty-breath journey. If there’s trouble, we can support each other!"

The short distance between the two locations was precisely why no forces or arrays had been set up at Ghost Mother Peak.

"They’re here!"

Just then, Xiao Chan, who was behind them, suddenly spoke.

Everyone quickly looked up and saw True Master Xuehai, wrapped in a long robe, leading the charge. His surging True Essence radiated outwards, merging with the auras of his disciples until they resembled a vast, rushing sea of blood.

"Prepare to engage the enemy!"

With a flick of his right hand, Meng Qianxun summoned a silver Flood Dragon that coiled around his body.

Almost simultaneously, streaks of Spiritual Light flashed into existence all around him.

...

"Huh?"

Zhao Yunchen, who was in the crowd, was also surprised to find that his son, Zhao Shifeng, had not followed them but had remained on the city wall.

At that moment, he had already taken down his Sword Box, his eyes burning as he stared outside the city.

’No one knows a son better than his father.’ Zhao Yunchen immediately guessed his son’s intentions: ’There were many Golden Core cultivators at Ghost Mother Peak; with his strength, he might not be able to make a significant impression. But now, with very few Golden Core cultivators left in the city, it was possible that some of the unrevealed enemy Golden Cores would launch a direct assault on Celestial Ghost City.’

’Oh well. With Valley Master Chen and City Lord Zuo in the main city, that’s probably the safest place to be anyway.’

With that thought, Zhao Yunchen also withdrew his gaze.

As a father, while he hoped his son would achieve fame, he cared more about his son’s safety and happiness.

...

"City Lord Zuo, what is the meaning of this?"

Chen Che’s wariness spiked, and he turned to look at Zuo Qinlong.

The moment he had stood up to leave, the other man had not only enveloped him with his Divine Sense but had also covered him with his True Essence. Although Zuo Qinlong stood there motionless, his entire aura had subtly changed, like a tiger that had locked its eyes on its prey, ready to pounce at any moment.

The others who remained in the city didn’t notice anything amiss, not even Zhao Shifeng, who was at the other end of the wall.

"Valley Master Chen, look outside the city..."

Zuo Qinlong didn’t answer. With a wave of his sleeve, he conjured an Array of rippling Spiritual Light that enveloped the two of them. He then began to speak at a leisurely pace:

"The Primordial Sect occupies the Sixteen States, and now three of them have been lost. Once Celestial Ghost Ridge is breached, the rest is open heartland. Tell me, how long do you think it will take for these Golden Core cultivators to reach Jinyun Valley?"

As he spoke, the streaks of light that were the Golden Core cultivators outside the city had already rushed into Ghost Mother Peak.

Then, BOOM—

A deafening roar echoed out. Inside the ridge, countless Celestial Ghost Bats shrieked and circled in panic as snow and giant boulders tumbled down from the summit.

They had already clashed with the Golden Core cultivators who had gone to provide support.

Even Celestial Ghost City felt a distinct tremor.

At almost the exact same moment, a group of Golden Core cultivators who had previously been hiding revealed themselves and surged toward Celestial Ghost Ridge.

Behind them were countless Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining cultivators.

These cultivators had clearly planned this. They waited for True Master Xuehai Gong Liangyi and the others to draw away most of the city’s Golden Core cultivators with their forced entry into Ghost Mother Peak, and then they switched their attack to Celestial Ghost City.

"Kill!"

On the city wall, Zhao Shifeng, who had long been eager to make a name for himself in this battle, showed no fear. Instead, he stepped forward and formed a Seal Technique.

SHING!

A sword hummed, and countless Flying Swords, transformed into a rainbow of light, shot into the sky, hovering and gathering before him.

With a sweep of his bare hand, they shot out like a hail of bullets.

"AHH!"

Countless screams followed as nearly a hundred cultivators were torn to shreds by the Sword Qi on the spot.

But immediately, a Golden Core cultivator in the crowd raised a hand and threw out a golden Bracelet. The Bracelet spun through the air, and the light it emitted immediately enveloped the swarm of swords. The Flying Swords seemed to fall into a mire, their speed instantly halved.

"Ding Haochuan!"

Zhao Shifeng recognized the owner of this Magical Artifact.

The man was a veteran Golden Core cultivator. Although he had achieved Core Formation with a Lower Spirit Root, he had been stuck at the Golden Core Second Layer for a hundred years of bitter cultivation, unable to break through.

However, before he could act again, several other Golden Core cultivators quickly threw out their Magical Artifacts, knocking down thirty percent of his Flying Swords in an instant.

"I really misjudged. So, City Lord Zuo is also a member of the Star-Picking Sect?"

Glancing at the battlefield outside the city, Chen Che’s eyebrow twitched. "No wonder you’ve been so confident of victory this whole time. I thought you had some ultimate Magical Treasure, but if this is the case, then it all makes sense."

"Valley Master Chen is as perceptive as they say."

Zuo Qinlong nodded slightly, making no attempt to hide it. "A wise bird chooses a good tree to nest in. Has the Valley Master considered forsaking the darkness for the light? Join the Star-Picking Sect, and let’s take down the Primordial Sect together. With your Alchemy Skill, you would be a Vice Chief at the very least, and even promotion to Chief in the future wouldn’t be out of the question."

"Are you even qualified to say such things?"

’His peripheral vision took in the stalemated battle. Not wanting to waste any more words on Zuo Qinlong, he planned to finish him off first, annihilate these other Golden Core cultivators, and then go support Ghost Mother Peak.’

However, just as the words left his mouth, another immense Divine Sense washed over him, followed by a surge of True Essence no weaker than Zuo Qinlong’s. As it enveloped him, a gentle and scholarly voice sounded at the same time:

"And what if I am the one saying it?"

Chen Che turned his head.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man dressed in a scholar’s robe, looking more like a Scholar from the Mortal World. He held a Folding Fan and clasped his hands in greeting.

"I am Dou Shanhe, Great Protector of the Star-Picking Sect. To a certain extent, I can speak for the Sect Leader. If Valley Master Chen is willing to join the Star-Picking Sect, you will be the Vice Chief of the Pill Hall."

"And if I’m not willing?"

Chen Che’s gaze hardened slightly.

"Then that would be a pity..."

Zuo Qinlong grinned, his eyes scanning Chen Che as he slowly shook his head. "After all, with your exceptional Alchemy Skill, it would be a waste to kill you. My guess is we’d most likely place a restriction on you and have you perform Alchemy until the day you die."

"Life or death. Riches and glory, or imprisonment and humiliation. I trust Valley Master Chen will make his own choice."

Dou Shanhe added with a smile.

Zuo Qinlong also put on a menacing expression. The two were playing good cop, bad cop, doing nothing more than trying to force Chen Che to join the Star-Picking Sect. In the end, a Pill Master capable of refining a Realm-breaking Elixir was simply too valuable.

In the future, when the Star-Picking Sect advanced to a Nascent Soul Major Sect, their requirements for the number of Golden Core disciples wouldn’t be as strict as before.

Therefore, they prioritized the recruitment of cultivators skilled in various arts, such as Pill Masters, Talisman Cultivators, and Array Masters. Of course, they would never openly mention things like placing restrictions or forcing contracts.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

At this point, the battle was growing increasingly intense.

With the city nearly empty of Golden Core cultivators, Zuo Qinlong’s betrayal, Dou Shanhe’s appearance, and Chen Che pinned down by the two of them, the only truly capable fighter left on the wall was Zhao Shifeng.

But how could he possibly hold off six Golden Core cultivators by himself?

After just one exchange, he was suppressed. Forty percent of the Flying Swords in his Sword Box were already shattered, and he was forced back again and again.

Fortunately, there were still many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the city who could offer assistance. Even so, they couldn’t stop the enemy’s advance. In just a few breaths, the group of Golden Core cultivators led by Ding Haochuan was about to reach Celestial Ghost City.

’What are they doing? Why haven’t they made a move yet? And who is that other person? Is he also a Golden Core cultivator?...’

As Zhao Shifeng was repeatedly forced back, he kept glancing toward Chen Che and Zuo Qinlong. But from within the Array, he could only see their figures; he had no idea what they were talking about.

The other cultivators in the city were clearly just as confused.

However, the fact that a City Lord and a Valley Master were still holding the line gave everyone a slight sense of security.

They had no idea that this City Lord had already sold them out, engineering this entire situation just to reduce the number of Golden Core cultivators under the Primordial Sect’s command.

"Valley Master Chen, you’re running out of time."

Seeing Chen Che remain silent, Zuo Qinlong gradually lost his patience. He sneered,

"Zhao Yunchen and his group alone can’t stop those Golden Core cultivators out there... True Master Xuehai Gong Liangyi is one of us, too. His orders are to slaughter every last Golden Core. If you sign the contract and accept the restriction now, you might still have a chance to save them!"

"Otherwise, you’ll live to regret it..."

"Hm?"

Hearing this, Chen Che suddenly looked up.

"What, made up your mind?"

Zuo Qinlong grinned.

"I have!"

Chen Che nodded slightly and let out a long breath. He stopped suppressing his Qi Mechanism entirely, and his aura instantly poured out like a surging tide. Under the astonished gazes of Zuo Qinlong and Dou Shanhe, he slowly raised his head.

"I’ll just have to kill you two first, then go save them!"

"Haha!"

Dou Shanhe burst out laughing mockingly.

Zuo Qinlong’s expression, however, turned frosty in an instant, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"You’re courting death!"