Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

"You... you all... deserve to die!" Cao Wu, his eyes red with rage, was overcome with fury.

Before the words even finished, the two who were free immediately surrounded him, and the three engaged in a frenzied battle, not holding back and giving their all.

Afar, the air was violently disturbed, emanating from the center of the battle, spreading in all directions like the rumble of muffled thunder.

The terrifying spiritual power of the Golden Core experts burst forth in blinding light, affecting even the clouds overhead, causing the weather to change unpredictably, with clouds swirling and shifting endlessly.

The flying boat swayed slightly.

Inside the control cabin, there was dead silence, not a sound to be heard.

"This is the might of the Golden Core..." Despite being inside the flying boat, Chen Li still felt a kind of panic that seemed to emanate from his soul.

At first, the battle in the distance was somewhat visible.

But as the blinding light intensified and the battle heated up, he could only make out the gist.

"Boom!"

A figure was sent flying in an instant.

Chen Li focused his gaze.

It was alright!

It was not his sect leader but the sect leader of the Hongshan Sect, Ao Xiang, who slammed heavily onto another flying boat and was stopped by a protective barrier. Chen Li vaguely saw that the other party had vomited blood.

But Ao Xiang seemed to pay no heed to his injuries and charged back into the battlefield.

The two kept up their relentless assault on Cao Wu, swinging magic artifacts and using various secret techniques in succession.

At first, Cao Wu was barely holding his own against the two, but before long, he began to falter, his defenses weakening until he was left with nothing but a desperate defense, his mouth and nose beginning to bleed.

It was clear he had sustained serious injuries.

"Don’t celebrate too soon. I will remember today’s events, and you will be handsomely rewarded in the future," Cao Wu threatened as he used a secret technique, suddenly bursting forth with spiritual power to repel the two and transformed into a streak of light heading towards the sect’s gate, intending to rely on the Mountain Protection Array to go on the defensive.

The two couldn’t catch up with him in time.

They stopped midair.

"There will be no future for you," Ao Xiang, with blood on the corner of his mouth, laughed maniacally and shouted, "Hongshan Sect disciples, heed my command and attack the southeast corner of the formation!"

He Zhao also shouted loudly, "Returning True Sect disciples, heed my command and strike at the northwest corner!"

About a dozen huge flying boats suddenly started moving.

They split into two groups.

Slowly they closed in on the sect’s gate.

Chen Li’s heart was in his throat as he took a deep breath.

"The Tianxing Sect has a considerable number of Foundation Establishment cultivators. When the formation breaks, don’t disperse unless necessary; move in teams," Xiao Yuan said solemnly.

"Indeed, that’s what we should do!" Hu Buwei quickly agreed.

Chen Li and the others also voiced their agreement.

Such sectarian attacks were always dangerous, and with a Golden Core still unvanquished, the peril was multiplied severalfold. Even for those at Foundation Establishment, the battlefield held little safety over a Qi Cultivation cultivator.

Wealth was enticing, but life was necessary to enjoy it.

"Boom!"

Just as the flying boats reached halfway, the Mountain Protection Array suddenly shot out thick beams of ghostly light.

Chen Li’s flying boat was struck by the ghostly light and shook violently!

His heart skipped a beat.

The Mountain Protection Array of Tianxing Sect was clearly not just a passive defensive object; its attacks were extremely fearsome. Fortunately, the flying boat was also strong in defense, and for the moment, it was able to hold up.

Half a minute later.

The flying boat finally came to a gradual stop.

The doors of each cabin opened.

"Quick, quick, quick..."

Amid a series of urgent calls, all the cultivators filed out one after another.

Chen Li used the Golden Light Body Protection Skill, Fortune Seeking and Disaster Avoiding Skill, and the Rainbow Transformation Skill in succession and, together with a few Foundation Establishment cultivators, flew out of the cabin door to cooperate in attacking the formation.

For a time, spells and magic artifacts of all kinds turned into rays of light that struck the protection shield of Tianxing Sect’s Mountain Protection Array like a violent storm, causing the shield to trembl incessantly.

At the same time, the distant Mountain Protection Array continued to shoot out ghostly light beams.

Many unfortunate cultivators were swallowed by the ghostly light, disappearing without a trace as if erased, unable to even let out a scream, along with their robes and magic artifacts, including some at Foundation Establishment.

The battlefield was a scene of carnage.

Fate truly governed life and death.

"Boom!"

A flying boat was hit by the ghostly light repeatedly, its protective barrier shattered and its hull pierced; a series of explosions followed, and then like a mountain, it crashed down, colliding violently with the ground and shattering to pieces.

All of the cultivators were attacking the formation with everything they had.

They couldn’t afford to hold back.

The longer the battle dragged on, the more dangerous it became.

Chen Li took out a bottle of Gathering Qi Elixirs and swallowed five pills in quick succession to keep his spiritual power at its peak.

Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat as a premonition of danger emerged. Without thinking, his body flashed to the side.

The next instant!

A ghostly light, emanating a destructive aura, grazed past him.

Still shaken, Chen Li turned his head and smelled a strong scent of blood. He saw Song Zhi, who had been slacking off, now missing half his body, everything below his chest gone without a trace, along with half of one hand.

The look of shock on his weathered face was evident.

Upon seeing Chen Li, he opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, blood spurted out and he fell from midair.

With such injuries, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator could not be saved.

"Increase the attack, the formation is about to break!" He Zhao shouted loudly, himself no longer able to remain calm amidst the heavy casualties, taking out a fiery orb-like magic artifact that grew in the wind, striking the Mountain Protection Array like a meteor.

The Mountain Protection Array began to falter, its trembling increasing and its light growing dimmer.

After enduring for over half a minute more.

The Mountain Protection Array finally dissipated like a soap bubble.

"All disciples of the Returning True Sect, heed the command—kill!" Having shouted, He Zhao transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the sect gate.

The remaining cultivators surged in after him.

However, perhaps because the Golden Core was still there, the morale of the Tianxing Sect did not collapse; a multitude of cultivators were already prepared for battle. Thus, an even bloodier slaughter began, with magic artifacts waving in the sky.

A large number of cultivators were struck down in midair and fell.

Following Xiao Yuan along with several other Foundation Establishment cultivators, Chen Li landed at the gate of Tianxing Sect. As soon as they touched down, a group of cultivators charged at them, the leader of whom was none other than a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"Take out that Foundation Establishment first, quick battle, quick decision!" Xiao Yuan ordered in a low shout.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

The distance was closing fast.

"Attack!"

Without any hesitation, all sorts of Magic Artifacts were unleashed in unison.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator had no power to resist, his water shield instantly shattered, and his body was sliced into several pieces. His death was horribly tragic.

The remaining Qi Cultivation cultivators either continued to charge forward or tried to flee.

Unfortunately, neither choice altered their fate of death.

Flying swords zipped through the crowd at high speed, blood erupted violently, and all of them were mercilessly slain by the six, leaving behind more than a dozen corpses.

Xiao Yuan waved his hand, and Spiritual Power swept up storage bags from the bodies and Magic Artifacts from the ground, stuffing them into a sack: "Old rules, we’ll distribute the spoils after we get back."

The others nodded.

"Boom boom boom!"

In the distance, there came more explosions, thunderous in their resonance.

Clearly, He Zhao and Ao Xiong had intercepted Cao Wu again and the battle that was yet to end continued.

Before Chen Li and his group could catch their breath, another wave of Tianxing Sect cultivators arrived.

"There they are, the scoundrels of the Returning True Sect, kill!"

"To the death!"

The slaughter continued.

Against six Foundation Establishment cultivators, the battle held no suspense.

Lives were lost mid-journey.

Along the way, they left a trail of blood.

Any solitary Heavenly Star Sect cultivator they encountered was swiftly dealt with.

All over the sect’s mountain gate, slaughter was everywhere.

It was either your death or my survival.

Screams of agony and shouts of anger rose and ebbed continuously.

Even the air was permeated with a pale red mist of blood.

Chen Li and his team finally met a formidable enemy, a foundation-establishing squad of four, who rapidly approached without a word and immediately struck with lethal moves, with the leader bringing out a treasure pavilion Magic Artifact.

Tossed into the air, it grew upon the wind into a massive pavilion that descended over the six of them.

"Not good!"

Chen Li and the others alertly took cover to the sides, but Huang Qin was a beat too slow to react and was engulfed by the treasure pavilion. She seemed to be trapped in a quagmire, and as the pavilion crashed down, she was smashed into a pulp on the spot.

The seven Foundation Establishment cultivators had lost one more.

"Damn it, kill!" Xiao Yuan roared, his killing intent icy cold.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Magic Artifacts flew about.

Chen Li finally drew his sword, he spared no effort as his blade knocked aside the incoming Magic Artifacts.

At the same time, he quickly cast the Invisibility Technique.

His figure disappeared.

Striding several steps, he flashed across a distance of forty or fifty meters.

Summoning his full circle of Gang Qi, a Sonic Boom Sword wrapped in the invincible force pierced through one cultivator’s defenses, leaving a hole the size of a baby’s fist in his forehead.

"Boom!"

Only then did the invisibility spell break.

Before his body was fully revealed,

Chen Li vanished again, appearing behind another person.

Yet another sword thrust pierced through the back of a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s head and emerged from the forehead.

His quick thinking and exceptional sense of timing made Chen Li seem like an assassin-like specter. The reactions of the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Heavenly Star Sect, even those in the mid-stage, seemed like slow motion to him.

By the time the remaining two Heavenly Star Sect Foundation Establishment cultivators realized what was happening, fear painted their faces as they started to scatter and flee.

But by then, where could they escape?

One was repeatedly struck by the Magic Artifacts of Xiao Yuan’s group,

and thus met his end.

The last one was caught up to by Chen Li in a few strides and beheaded with his sword.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, you..." Xiao Yuan was dumbstruck, looking at him as if seeing him for the first time, too shocked to speak a word.

This damn guy, is he really just at the early stage of Foundation Establishment?

He’s only been at Foundation Establishment for five years?

In the span of a single breath, three of the four had been dispatched,

And one of them had even been at the same mid-stage Foundation Establishment as him.

Right, how did he suddenly appear behind them?

In the previous fight, he had been so focused that he didn’t even notice Chen Li using the Invisibility Technique.

The others weren’t faring much better, looking equally incredulous and dumbfounded.

"I have simply achieved a minor success in Body Refinement and happen to be relatively good at close-range combat," Chen Li said.

"You’re being too modest, far too modest, Fellow Daoist Chen. With such ’minor success,’ you must be the foremost Body Refinement expert in the entire Returning True Sect," Hu Buwei quickly said.

"Yes, indeed!" Peng Yan chimed in.

Wen Hui, who had narrowly escaped death, was still shaken: "It’s a good thing you were here, Fellow Daoist, or today we might have had more than one casualty."

Chen Li was about to respond modestly,

when at that moment, a crazed voice echoed across the sky.

"If I die, none of you shall live either. Let’s die together."

"Not good, the Sect Leader of Tianxing Sect is going to self-destruct," Xiao Yuan exclaimed with terror, looking towards the far-off sky.

Chen Li also turned to look promptly.

He saw Ao Xiong and He Zhao splitting up and fleeing at high speed, and Cao Wu, no longer concerning himself with Ao Xiong, was frantically chasing after He Zhao.

His hatred for He Zhao was clearly greater than for Ao Xiong.

Blinding spiritual light burst from Cao Wu’s body, his flesh was rapidly disintegrating. Even from a great distance, the sight sent a chill through Chen Li!

If our Sect Leader is doomed...