Chapter 254: Waiting Thirty Years for the Sword Disciple of Xiang Xiang Qiyu

"What if, fifteen years from now, nothing happens?"

The Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivator with a pointed face and monkey cheeks remained restless, speaking anxiously: "That Sword Disciple of Xiang Xiang Qiyu can stay within the sect gates for fifteen years without stepping out; why would he not stay out for another fifteen years?"

"If there is nothing, then there is nothing."

"At worst, we just change locations to cultivate bitterly for another twenty years; the sect has not failed to provide spirit stones."

The old man in the shadows spoke coldly: "Junior Brother Liu, do you perhaps think the Ancestor acted wrongly?"

"You may state it clearly; there is no need to hide it."

"I dare not; Junior Brother would never do such a thing!"

The Foundation Establishment early-stage cultivator with a pointed face and monkey cheeks shivered and dared not speak another word, even though the matter within his family was truly a matter of life and death.

Seeing this, the other Foundation Establishment cultivators of Huaxuedian sighed slightly, calmed their hearts, and continued to cultivate.

"One at the peak of Foundation Establishment, five at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, and fifteen at the early-stage of Foundation Establishment."

"A quasi-third-grade formation; a Jin Dan-level killing move may exist."

"If this stalemate continues, a late-stage Jin Dan cultivator may appear on the battlefield."

Jiang Ding used his divine sense and sword intent countless times to probe every location within a hundred li radius, yet found nothing abnormal.

At the same time, he ruled out the possibility of super-standard power appearing above the Jin Dan realm.

If such power truly existed, the opponent would not need schemes or tricks; they could simply rush into Xiang Qiyu Sect and capture him with one hand, rather than setting up traps and ambushes that wasted so many years.

"Based on the above intelligence, we can fight, aiming to eliminate the possibility of early contact with the remnants of the Great Sun."

Jiang Ding made his decision, a flash of killing intent passing through his eyes.

Yet he did not act immediately; instead, he returned to the immortal sect and reappeared ten-plus days later, holding three talismans in his hand, having spent over four million low-grade spirit stones and sold some Kongming copper to gather the funds.

【Trace-Seeking and Path-Retracing Talisman】

【Grade: Third-Grade Supreme】

【Effect: Retraces all events that occurred within a ten-li radius over the past twenty years.】

【Note: It cannot retrace people or objects of the Nascent Soul realm or above; even a Jin Dan cultivator, if proficient in Heavenly Secret arts, cannot be retraced.】

This one was the most expensive, costing over two million low-grade spirit stones.

It was merely a single talisman; simply calculating by low-grade spirit stones, without considering other factors, its value was nearly higher than that of two magical treasures.

【Heavenly Chaos Talisman】

【Grade: Third-Grade Supreme】

【Effect: Disrupts the orderly Heavenly Secrets and cause-and-effect of a location, greatly increasing the difficulty of retracing.】

It sold for over one million five hundred thousand low-grade spirit stones.

Such things as Heavenly Secrets and cause-and-effect, these mystical and eerie matters, are all very expensive.

The remaining talisman was the cheapest, named the Third-Grade Soul-Search Talisman.

Actually, it seemed a Second-Grade Soul-Search Talisman could also be used, and its price was much lower, yet he did not save money in this regard.

Conceal the form.

After spending several more days confirming, he found no abnormalities within a hundred li radius.

"In that case, then..."

Jiang Ding murmured to himself.

"Die."

The voice,

accompanied by a faint sword chime, entered the ears of the twenty-one Foundation Establishment cultivators of Xuetudian.

"Sword intent?"

All the Foundation Establishment cultivators instantly fell into confusion, their magic power even halting.

"The Sword Disciple of Xiang Xiang Qiyu! He has come..."

At the center of the Golden Knife Mountain formation, the massive magic power of the shadowy old man at the peak of Foundation Establishment erupted; he struggled desperately, even burning his essence blood.

Only then did he barely open his eyes, revealing a pair of eyes filled with extreme terror.

His divine sense trembled as he struggled to extend it, wanting to touch a crimson talisman he always kept at hand.

Clang!

He saw that amidst the deafening sound of an aerial explosion, a deep blue flying sword appeared; its speed was terrifying, and merely by seeing it, it was already at his neck, his divine sense not even having time to react.

In the midst of excruciating pain, darkness fell before his eyes, and he lost all consciousness.

A scarlet talisman drifted weakly from his hand.

With his last sight, the shadowy old man saw twenty pale blue sword qi piercing the skulls of twenty fellow sect brothers amidst the annihilating sword intent, the image of their skulls shattering.

From beginning to end, the quasi-third-grade formation of Golden Knife Mountain was never triggered.

"The battle plan was executed normally; no abnormal factors appeared."

Jiang Ding said calmly.

Whoosh!

The Taiching flying sword carried the shadowy old man's head back, dropping into a jade box where it was sealed layer upon layer.

His divine sense spread recklessly; the magnetic field lines of electromagnetic magic power extended across a six-kilometer radius, missing no perception of any metal.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two small dots on the ground broke through the soil; the clearly visible, slightly deformed warheads emerged, followed by over ten fragments of anti-magic steel ranging from needle-point to ant size.

Then, there was nothing more.

"Only three!"

"Still thirty-four short!"

"Who picked them up?!"

Jiang Ding growled in a low voice, his cold killing intent spreading in all directions, capable of freezing the divine souls of Foundation Establishment cultivators in an instant.

Yet his movements did not hesitate for a moment; the Tracking Concealment Talisman, into which he had pre-infused magic power, activated, slipped from his hand, and flew toward the sky.

In an instant,

invisible light blazed forth, illuminating every spot within ten li of Lingshan Fang, passing over every living being, every small stone, every grain of sand, branding their traces upon it.

From the kill to the talisman's activation, only the span of a single breath had passed.

"Go!"

Jiang Ding stowed the third-tier Tracking Concealment Talisman, collected twenty-one storage bags—including the Shadow Elder's—into the Spirit-Sealing Box, did not spare even a glance at that blood-red talisman on the ground, and vanished as a formless streak of escape light.

Twenty-three breaths later.

Amidst a deafening, terrifying roar of tearing air, a sheet of blood-red cloud-glow appeared on the horizon, arriving in an instant, landing atop the mountain peak, and transforming into a fair-skinned young girl in a white dress.

"It really is him."

Her elegant brows furrowed deeply.

With but a single glance, amid the headless corpses strewn across the ground, the faint lingering sword intent reminded her of the memories left behind by the avatar at the Nine Heavens Ruins.

"Twenty-one Foundation Establishment cultivators, including one at the peak of Foundation Establishment, and a quasi-third-tier formation master."

"Killed in an instant—even the distress and lock-on talismans had no time to be triggered."

"If he advances to Jin Dan…"

Mu Mu Tianxue picked up the blood-red talisman from the ground, and a chill rose unbidden in her heart.

"He must be killed immediately!"

A cold, fierce glint flashed in her eyes; she collected the headless remains left behind by the Shadow Elder. Blood-light flowed, the fleshly body dissolved, and it became a single drop of deep-red blood.

Her crimson lips murmured an incantation.

Yin winds howled furiously, sand and stones flew, and faintly the piercing wails of vengeful ghosts could be heard. A pitch-black vortex appeared before her, cold and deathly still, as if it had opened a passage to the netherworld.

"Seek!"

Mu Mu Tianxue's jade-like hand gave a tap, and the blood-light transformed from the Shadow Elder's remains flew into it.

This was the Blood Ghost Soul Pursuit Art that had spread out from the Modaoda Sect, and it even faintly touched upon the outer fringes of the Art of Cause and Effect.

Performed at great cost by a late-stage Jin Dan cultivator!

Boom!

The deep-red blood drop exploded, scattering into a puff of ash.

"Damned sword intent."

Mu Mu Tianxue's face turned iron-blue.

The blood-light from the Blood Ghost Soul Pursuit Art had fled into the netherworld, but before it could do anything, it crashed headlong into an abruptly appearing azure great sun, and amidst the sword-light of destruction and the end of the Law, it vanished into thin air.

"I don't believe that in the span of a few breaths, you could have escaped anywhere!"

Her killing intent was wild and icy; the blood-colored escape light chose a direction at random and vanished at the edge of the sky.

(End of this chapter)