Chapter 155: So Strong?

155. Chapter 155: So Strong?

The early Core Formation stage and the middle Core Formation stage are essentially not vastly different.

There is no qualitative change.

Only the quantity changes: magical power becomes more robust, and the Soul Transformation becomes stronger.

It is not like the Core Formation realm facing the Foundation Establishment realm, which has an insurmountable chasm and a fundamental difference in magical power.

Therefore, the ability of an early Core Formation practitioner to match a middle Core Formation one has increased considerably.

Of course, overall, only a handful of Heaven's Pride can achieve it.

Except for the few Heaven's Pride who have formed a Golden Core, most ordinary Core Formation cultivators, especially Fake Core cultivators, are completely crushed from all sides when facing middle Core Formation practitioners!

Because a Fake Core True Person is equivalent to a failed Core Formation; the Golden Core inside is dead and silent.

Once one breaks through into a Fake Core, it means that cultivation can never advance any further in a lifetime; magical power and Soul Transformation become stagnant, and no heavenly materials, earthly treasures, divine skills, or secret methods will have any effect.

Thus, Fake Core cultivators cannot, like early Core Formation practitioners, continuously increase their cultivation, magical power, and Soul Transformation to gradually match the middle Core Formation stage.

Fake Core cultivators are forever only at the stage of just having condensed a Golden Core; once they face a middle Core Formation, they are destined only to be brutally beaten.

When this mysterious accomplice of the Puppet Evil Lord revealed his middle Core Formation magical power, his Blood-colored Blade Magic Treasure instantly crushed Xiao Zhangqing's Blue Sky Sword Formation.

Xiao Zhangqing was fortunate to sense the unfavorable turn and retreat quickly, dodging in time; otherwise he would have been seriously injured.

Because Xiao Zhangqing's magical power relies only on Immortal Stone Fragments and the system's special nature, allowing him to convert a portion of his stored magical power into solidified magical power.

In comparison, he is still inferior to a Fake Core True Person.

Facing a middle Core Formation level magical power‑driven Magic Treasure, he is naturally far inferior.

Then Xiao Zhangqing summoned

Gu Zongyuan, who was charging at full force to swiftly capture the Puppet Evil Lord, glanced sideways and was greatly shocked by the battle here.

His current state, enhanced by the Character: Liyang Guard Formation, can suppress ordinary Fake Core True Persons, but it is not much stronger; fundamentally there is no great difference.

If another early Core Formation True Person appears, he also has the strength for a fight.

But the one arriving is a middle Core Formation, and he is no match.

At most he can struggle a few more times, but cannot avoid a crushing defeat.

"But... where did that middle Core Formation come from?"

"Throughout Character: Liyang Immortal City, aside from my master, there are no other middle Core Formation practitioners, right?"

Gu Zongyuan's mind swirled with countless thoughts, impossible to guess.

The reason he is so bold and daring is that he is not at all worried about the expedition to encircle the Puppet Evil Lord; even after Xiao Zhangqing's warning, he still proceeds, thinking that even if Xiao Zhangqing's speculation is true, it cannot threaten his safety.

As long as there are no middle Core Formation cultivators, he is completely unafraid.

"An external middle Core Formation?"

"Probably not. An external middle Core Formation wouldn't go to such lengths to put me to death..."

"If it's within Character: Liyang Immortal City..."

Gu Zongyuan's eyes flickered as the name 'Xue Ya Zhenren' flashed in his mind.

Although, in his view, the conflict between him and Xue Ya Zhenren has not escalated to a life‑or‑death level; there are profit conflicts but not fundamental ones, yet given the circumstances, Xue Ya Zhenren is indeed the prime suspect.

However, according to the information he obtained, at the auction two months ago, Xue Ya Zhenren bid on a three‑pattern Jade Dew Pill that would greatly aid breaking through to middle Core Formation, yet his final breakthrough failed, unable to cross the barrier that had trapped him for nearly a hundred years, remaining at early Core Formation.

"He deliberately concealed the successful breakthrough information just to eliminate me? What a long‑planned scheme!"

Gu Zongyuan felt a mix of shock and anger.

Boom—Boom—Boom! Gu Zongyuan fully activated his Flame Long Spear Magic Treasure, crazily thrusting at the Puppet Evil Lord.

"Old ghost, don't go after that invincible one, first get rid of Gu Zongyuan and the Character: Liyang Guard! I'm about to collapse; later don't blame me for not having a mouth..."

A black silhouette let out a cold snort, and its hoarse voice cursed, "Useless piece of trash."

But immediately after, it still ignored the rapidly retreating Xiao Zhangqing, who showed signs of fleeing, and the Blood-colored Blade Magic Treasure slashed toward Gu Zongyuan and the Character: Liyang Guard formation.

Although today he acted with absolute confidence that he could slay Gu Zongyuan here, revealing his identity was actually no big deal.

But he has always been cautious, accustomed to keeping an extra hand.

Even if he could kill Gu Zongyuan, he does not wish to expose his identity, leaving Gu Zongyuan as a clueless fool.

When the Blood-colored Blade came down, Gu Zongyuan dared not underestimate it nor flee, because while he could escape, his eighteen Character: Liyang Guards could not.

The formation's flaw also manifested at this moment.

When facing an evenly matched opponent, the formation's might can be stacked onto oneself, easily crushing the enemy.

But if the opponent is far stronger and not a match, the formation's flexibility drops dramatically; escaping becomes difficult, turning one into a passive punching bag.

Gu Zongyuan, as the Character: Liyang Guard commander, cannot abandon his subordinates, nor can he.

If the formation of eighteen Character: Liyang Guards disappears, no matter how strong his foundation or how many survival tactics he has, he could never withstand the pursuit of a middle Core Formation cultivator.

"Reform the array, focus on defense, hold your ground!"

Gu Zongyuan abandoned the attack on the Puppet Evil Lord; his eighteen Character: Liyang Guards, under his order, ceased dispersing and quickly clustered together, forming a small formation with Gu Zongyuan as the array's eye.

Boom! The Flame Long Spear surged dozens of zhang, turning into an ancient fire dragon roaring in the sky, lashing at the Blood-colored Blade Magic Treasure.

Chit—chit—chit! The eighteen Character: Liyang Guards together with Gu Zongyuan struck in unison, appearing immensely powerful, like a torrent of celestial fire descending, seemingly able to match the Blood-colored Blade.

But in fact, upon collision, the combined formation was still far inferior to a genuine middle Core Formation.

Under the massive impact, the formation was like a sandbag with a tear, magical power wildly spilling outward; Gu Zongyuan's own magically enhanced power, comparable to early Core Formation, receded like a flash flood, and in an instant the Flame Long Spear's might was largely extinguished.

External forces stacked upon it ultimately render the foundation unstable.

When not facing a strong enemy, one might not see it.

Once a tough opponent appears, its true nature is quickly exposed. The Blood-colored Blade radiates a murderous, berserk aura, like a killing god bearing ten thousand troops, constantly pressing down.

Although they are the side with many people and great momentum, the Character: Liyang Guard under Gu Zongyuan is like a small boat in a storm, ready to be capsized at any moment.

"I've already sent a message to my master; he'll arrive soon! Hold on a little longer!"

Gu Zongyuan's face flushed red, his qi and blood surged, the magical power in his body had already begun to burn yet still could not be sustained, so he had to roar, urging his subordinates.

At the same time, his glance flicked to Xiao Zhangqing and the Liu Family Head Liu Ke, and he quickly made a decisive decision, shouting, "Brother Bai, Brother Liu, you retreat first; I will hold this person, waiting for my master to arrive!"

His judgment today was wrong; it seems truly a case of many misfortunes and few blessings.

But Xiao Zhangqing and the Liu Family Head need not stay here to die with him.

Better to leave one by one.

The mysterious mid‑stage Core Condensation hidden beneath the black cloak, Jie Jie laughed, "Your master? Commander Gu, can your master Character: Liyang True Person really arrive? At this moment, is he in Character: Liyang Immortal City?"

Swish! Gu Zongyuan's eyes changed at the words.

This person already knows his master's whereabouts?

How could that be possible?

Only fewer than three people know that his master's recent movements will take him away from Character: Liyang Immortal City for a while! Even his senior and junior brothers, most of the Character: Liyang Seven Heroes, are unaware! Xue Ya True Person could not possibly know!

"So, everyone present today, none of you can leave!"

The black figure sneered, even igniting a strand of vital blood, making his magical power even more forceful, and the crimson blade's potency surged by three points.

Gu Zongyuan and the eighteen Character: Liyang Guards found it even harder to sustain; their aura wavered, and a few Guards already had blood spilling from their mouths, nearly unable to hold on.

"Xue Ya!" Gu Zongyuan's eyes widened; with matters this far, he no longer held back, directly calling out the black figure's identity, shouting angrily, "Why hide your head and tail? Reveal your true form! I know it's you!"

The black figure did not pause; Jie Jie laughed, "Commander Gu, it seems you're not too foolish, beginning to awaken."

Having his identity exposed, the black figure simply stopped disguising himself.

After a flash of light on his body, the black shadow and cloak fell away, revealing his original face—Xue Ya True Person, one of the notorious Core Condensation cultivators of Character: Liyang Immortal City! Gu Zongyuan's eyes turned blood‑red as he shouted, "How did you learn my master's whereabouts? Today's scheme isn't just about our feud, is it? Who else stands behind you?"

Xue Ya True Person did not babble like a typical villain, nor did he spill all secrets because Gu Zongyuan's death seemed certain; he merely sneered, "You don't need to know who. In short, blame it on your master's great favor toward you—soon many of your senior and junior brothers will join you in the Yellow Springs!"

Buzz! Gu Zongyuan also ignited vital blood, forcibly amplifying his faint aura back to its peak, the spirit within his flaming spear fully awakened, and he even attempted a counter‑attack.

"Xue Ya, even if you kill me today, the Da Yu Cultivation World will have no place for you thereafter! To be frank, even if my master is not in Character: Liyang Immortal City, he placed a seal on me; uncovering who murdered me won't be hard!" Gu Zongyuan roared.

"Then you needn't worry, Commander Gu; just set off calmly…" Xue Ya True Person was unfazed, manipulating a magic technique, "Futile struggle!"

Liu Ke, the Liu Family Head who had not joined the fight, was bewildered by the sudden turn of events.

Seeing the situation already 'clear', today's encirclement destined to fail and become a slaughter, he hesitated briefly, then decisively obeyed Gu Zongyuan's command, abruptly turning into a flash of light and fleeing wildly toward Character: Liyang Immortal City.

Xue Ya True Person ignored the scene, merely ordering the Puppet Evil Lord, "Ignore the Liu Family Head; keep Bai Wuji!"

The Puppet Evil Lord, having just caught his breath, was reluctant to act, yet dared not defy Xue Ya's order, and stepped forward to clash with Xiao Zhangqing.

In his view, Bai Wuji was also a tough nut, his identity mysterious, at least not weaker than his Fake Core True Person.

Not only does he possess a powerful Soul Transformation, but also an extremely strong Divine Insight Secret Technique, and his sword formation skill is highly refined.

When Xiao Zhangqing sheathed eleven Qingxiao Swords and the Nine Autumn Flute reappeared in his hand, the Puppet Evil Lord felt a surge of delight.

At this moment he was seriously wounded, his magical power unstable, and even his strongest Command Flag Magic Treasure had been damaged in the earlier battle array; if Xiao Zhangqing activated the Qingxiao Sword against him, he would be at a disadvantage and find it hard to resist.

As for his Divine Insight Secret Technique, he considered it cunning and hard to counter, capable of threatening the Fake Core True Person.

But having already witnessed it, he was mentally prepared; he activated a second‑tier top‑grade Soul Dao Magic Treasure on his body, which, even if it could not fully nullify Xiao Zhangqing's divine insight attack, would at least let him endure for a short while without serious harm.

He only needed to stall until Xue Ya True Person dealt with Gu Zongyuan and his Character: Liyang Guards, and everything would settle.

Thinking that, the Puppet Evil Lord did not act that way.

He is good at acting.

Seeing Xiao Zhangqing brandish the Nine Autumn Flute, he immediately wore a terrified expression, hurriedly deploying two second‑tier mid‑stage, winged flying puppets to flank Xiao Zhangqing, as if to block his use of the Divine Insight Secret Technique.

It seemed he could not withstand a Core‑Condensation‑level divine insight attack.

Buzz! Xiao Zhangqing glanced once, without even using the Nine Autumn Flute; a powerful divine insight pressure spread, enveloping the rushing puppets, instantly suppressing them and forcibly severing the link between the two puppets and the Puppet Evil Lord.

He then reached out with a snatching move, pulling the two flying puppets into his grasp.

That scene left the Puppet Evil Lord a bit stunned.

So strong? He thought silently, "No wonder a practitioner of the divine insight secret technique, also a Fake Core True Person, can so easily erase his divine insight imprint."

It seemed he had no resistance at all.

However, he had not yet realized the seriousness, could not comprehend the scene, and merely assumed it was a special method of Xiao Zhangqing's divine insight technique.

After all, his second‑tier top‑grade puppets were destroyed in the earlier duel, and these were only two second‑tier mid‑grade puppets.

In any case, having already felt Xiao Zhangqing's divine insight power, his own Soul Transformation was sufficient to resist.

Thus, when Xiao Zhangqing again activated the Nine Autumn Flute, the invisible divine insight attack rippled through space like concentric waves, spreading toward the Puppet Evil Lord.

The Puppet Evil Lord's face showed terror and pain, yet his heart remained calm; while gathering qi to guard, he also activated a second‑tier Soul Dao defensive Magic Treasure.

But in the next instant—Slash! The second‑tier top‑grade Soul Dao Magic Treasure the Puppet Evil Lord had just triggered shattered instantly, like a jade artifact smashed to the ground.

Immediately, the Puppet Evil Lord finally sensed something wrong; a fierce unease birthed an unprecedented terror within him.

He was tens of times more terrified than when Gu Zongyuan's Character: Liyang Guards had besieged him before! He widened his eyes and shouted toward Xue Ya True Person, "Save—"

He could only utter a single word.

Then his body slowly collapsed to the ground, eyes still wide with terror, but his breath had already left him. (End of chapter)