Chapter 169: Backstab, Return to the Summit

169. Chapter 169: Backstab, Return to the Summit

"Senior Brother Guangqin, you…"

Within the Mountain‑Guarding Great Array, a magical energy ripple at the Golden Core level spread, and a battle broke out at a crucial point of the formation.

A Fake Core True Person, caught off guard, was suddenly pierced by a magic sword; even though, as a Fake Core True Person, they possessed solid magical energy and strong vitality, they could not at that moment withstand the sword's damage.

He stared at the scene in disbelief, blood continuously spilling from his chest and mouth, his vitality rapidly extinguishing.

This person was also one of Character: Liyang's Seven Heroes, named Cui Kai, an outstanding disciple of Character: Liyang Zhenren, with Fake Core level cultivation.

Forming a Fake Core leaves no future, unable to advance for a lifetime; many Fake Core True Persons choose to indulge in pleasure or devise any means to secure resources for their descendants, committing acts that betray their original aspirations.

But Cui Kai was an orphan with no family; because of his remarkable cultivation talent, Character: Liyang Zhenren valued him and took him as a disciple, after which he rose rapidly, yet he never found a Dao Partner, so he has been alone all these years, with no attachments.

Among all of Character: Liyang Zhenren's disciples, he was the easy‑going good guy.

The disciples formed various small cliques and interest groups, but he never joined any and got along well with everyone.

His relationship with Guangqin True Person was the same.

He even admired Guangqin True Person greatly; for this group‑task of operating the Mountain‑Guarding Great Array, he voluntarily chose to team up with Guangqin True Person.

He never imagined that Guangqin True Person would suddenly strike him! "W‑why?"

Cui Kai asked that question just before death.

At that moment, Guangqin True Person's face lost its usual refined composure; the unassuming, amicable demeanor vanished, replaced by ambition and gloom, with a hint of madness in his eyes.

One should know that after many years under Character: Liyang Zhenren's tutelage—whether during his early weakness or later, when he unexpectedly achieved Golden Core and became the only Golden Core True Person among the disciples—Lu Guangqin gave everyone the impression of having no ambition, solely focused on cultivation.

He never held the command of the Character: Liyang Guard, nor cared about the city‑master's office; even the tangled web of interests within Character: Liyang Zhenren City scarcely involved him.

He was like a bitter hermit.

Who could have guessed that beneath his exterior lay such a ferocious, mad heart.

"There's no reason. I only blame your poor luck for voluntarily teaming up with me."

Guangqin True Person's magic technique shifted in his hand, and Cui Kai was instantly cleaved in two.

That wasn't the worst part.

If only a Fake Core‑level combatant died, it would be inconsequential to Character: Liyang Zhenren's side; as long as the Mountain‑Guarding Great Array remained unbreached, they would be safe.

But with Cui Kai slain, Guangqin True Person let out a mad laugh; the Golden Core power within his body erupted with supreme might, and the sword light surged toward the formation node he controlled.

Guangqin True Person's sword was not particularly strong, far weaker than the onslaught being rained down by Wei Wufeng and Zhu Jian True Person outside.

Yet it was not insignificant—it manifested power comparable to that of a mid‑Golden Core True Person.

One should note that Guangqin True Person's Golden Core formation time was short, less than twenty years, and the quality was low, merely a plain‑white hue, the lowest grade of Golden Core.

A Golden Core of this quality normally finds it hard to progress beyond the Golden Core stage.

Many Golden Core True Persons of plain‑white quality exhaust their four‑to‑five‑hundred‑year lifespan without ever breaking through to mid‑Golden Core.

Thus, after his Golden Core formation, Guangqin True Person must have either encountered a rare providence or ingested countless rare herbs, enabling him within just twenty years to make a huge leap and unleash a strike comparable to a mid‑Golden Core cultivator.

However,

If the attack were outside the formation, even two or three genuine mid‑Golden Core True Persons joining forces could be withstood by the Mountain‑Guarding Great Array.

But inside the formation, with Guangqin True Person holding the formation‑control permission, this sword not only carried a 'break defense, pierce' effect but also a built‑in 'severe injury'! With a single strike, the Mountain‑Guarding Great Array instantly resembled a fine porcelain piece pierced with a hole and cracked, becoming exceedingly fragile.

"Lu Guangqin, what are you doing?"

"Senior Brother Guangqin, how dare you betray the sect?"

"Stop him quickly!"

Seeing this, disciples of Character: Liyang Zhenren's lineage, including himself, glared in fury, their shock and anger intertwined.

They had not failed to anticipate a traitor and had even suspected that a betrayer might be among Character: Liyang Zhenren's disciples, considering several heavily favored apprentices.

Yet no one had suspected Lu Guangqin.

After all, before Gu Zongyuan's Golden Core, Lu Guangqin was the sole Golden Core cultivator among the disciples, and for many years he was virtually the outside world's assumed successor of Character: Liyang Zhenren.

With such cultivation and status, what reason was there to betray?

Therefore, when assigning cultivators to operate the formation, any suspect cultivators were excluded.

Only they didn't expect a single misstep to ruin everything.

In the end, the one who back‑stabbed Character: Liyang Mountain and shattered the Mountain‑Guarding Great Array turned out to be the 'Number Two' of Character: Liyang Zhenren City! In an instant, chaos erupted within the formation, and countless cultivators swarmed Lu Guangqin, trying to stop him.

But there was no time.

Wei Wufeng and Zhu Jian True Person had clearly foreseen this.

Seeing this, they laughed loudly and seized the opportunity.

Hovering in the sky like a mountain, the earth‑yellow giant seal Magic Treasure pulsed with intense earth‑element power, wildly compressing the Mountain‑Guarding Great Array's crack, and the brilliant sunrise‑like sword light slashed fiercely.

Boom! A gash dozens of meters long was torn open by the sword light, and the Mountain‑Guarding Great Array was finally breached.

Immediately after, the earth‑yellow giant seal crashed down like a small hill, shattering the already‑opened Mountain‑Guarding Great Array into complete ruin, fully exposed.

Guangqin True Person, seeing this, did not hesitate and sped to Wei Wufeng and Zhu Jian True Person's side; at the same time, the other twenty‑plus True Persons such as Lu Daoming who were skimming the formation also leapt forward, hovering in the air like a pack of wolves eyeing a flock that had left its pen. "Hahaha! Character: Liyang old dog, now you're finally willing to turn your neck and be slaughtered?"

Wei Wufeng said gleefully.

He claimed to have a way to destroy the Mountain‑Guarding Great Array, not merely to fool others into joining his assault.

If the Mountain‑Guarding Great Array could not be breached, then even these twenty cultivators above the Fake Core realm, even if they fought alongside him, would be useless; without breaking the array, he could not avenge his grievance! With Lu Guangqin as an infiltrator, he had absolute confidence in breaching the array.

"You wretched one, I never expected the traitor to be you. It was you who leaked the news of my departure and colluded with the Blood Crow True Person in a treacherous plot," Character: Liyang Zhenren stared at Lu Guangqin and asked coldly.

"Old relic, you're only realizing this now— isn't it too late?" Lu Guangqin, who usually showed meticulous courtesy before his master—so careful that even after becoming a Golden Core True Person he remained more deferential than any other senior brothers—now revealed his true face, exposing how much he had suppressed all along.

"Guangqin… Lu Guangqin!" Gu Zongyuan lunged forward, standing beside his master Character: Liyang Zhenren, his eyes blazing with fury as if about to burst into flames, and raged, "You wolf‑hearted, dog‑livered, human‑faced beast of a scoundrel! The master bestowed upon you mountain‑deep gratitude, passing down techniques and Magic Treasures; even when you caused a great disaster years ago, the master helped you settle it. Are you repaying that kindness with hatred?"

"Gratitude as heavy as a mountain? The so‑called resources you gave me were as trivial as tossing crumbs to a beggar; the crucial opportunity for a Golden Core, ask this old relic—has he ever favored me even a bit? Don't even mention the treatment you gave Gu Zongyuan; it was arranged long before I even completed foundation establishment! I'm not even comparable to the waste like Zuo Zichun or Cui Kai, who had good resources but could only form Fake Cores!"

"After I completed foundation establishment, I should have formed a Golden Core early on, yet this old relic made me wait again and again. I waited a full eighteen years before I could finally prepare for the Golden Core! And that, thanks to my years of accumulation, I gathered half of the true‑core condensation opportunities!"

"Fortunately my talent is extraordinary; even while being neglected in every aspect, I still formed a Golden Core!"

"Originally I thought that after forming the Golden Core I would be given a prominent position, perhaps become the No. 2 figure of Character: Liyang Zhenren City? But… haha, they won't even give me the deputy city lord title, and they hand the Character: Liyang Guard over to you, the inexperienced Gu Zongyuan!"

"On what grounds? You old thing! Having fallen to this state today, do you ever regret having looked down on me?"

Gu Zongyuan heard the words and grew even angrier, about to continue scolding.

Character: Liyang True Immortal raised a hand to stop him, signaling him not to speak.

At that moment Gu Zongyuan realized something was off; faced with Lu Guangqin's backstab, he was so angry, yet his master appeared unusually calm, with hardly any anger on his face.

Could it be that there is no greater sorrow than a dead heart?

"Damned disciple. Before you formed the Golden Core, I repeatedly told you that your foundation was not as deep as other brothers, and your talent was rather average; you needed more accumulation before attempting the Golden Core, otherwise you would inevitably fail. I originally thought that after years of accumulation, when you finally formed the Golden Core in one go, you would understand my intentions, but instead you blamed me for not valuing you enough!" Character: Liyang True Immortal shook his head.

"Now you still pretend to be benevolent here!" Lu Guangqin roared in fury, his face twisted as he said, "Do you think I don't know that you have long been telling outsiders that I ruined your sect's reputation, that I act too ruthlessly, selfishly, and am unfit to inherit your position. Old thing, have you forgotten how you rose from a mere Scattered Cultivator to where you are today? Haven't you committed enough wicked deeds? A cultivator, if not ruthless and not self‑serving, how can he walk a long road?"

Character: Liyang True Immortal heard the words, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

A moment later, he glanced at Wei Wufeng and Zhu Jian True Immortal beside Lu Guangqin, as if he understood something.

"You are right; we cultivators, when faced with special circumstances, must take extraordinary measures and be ruthless, otherwise we cannot intimidate others." Character: Liyang True Immortal nodded, commenting, "However, today I still have to give you the final lesson. The premise of all this is that one's own strength must be strong enough to inspire awe and fear, not relying on others or taking shortcuts."

"Facing death and still daring to speak so shamelessly!" Lu Guangqin sneered, "Today, it's my turn to teach you!"

Seeing this, Wei Wufeng grew tired of listening to the master–disciple argument and laughed, "Everyone, the years of hatred end today! Zhu Jian Dao Companion, the Character: Liyang old dog is temporarily handed over to you; we will first eradicate his followers!"

Zhu Jian True Immortal nodded, wielding his spell sword which transformed into thousands of sword rays, sweeping toward Character: Liyang True Immortal.

Behind them, Lu Daoming and the others' eyes lit up, ready to act together with Wei Wufeng.

They did not expect that Wei Wufeng had secretly turned one of Character: Liyang True Immortal's most outstanding disciples.

Now their side has gained a genuine Golden Core True Immortal, while Character: Liyang True Immortal's side has lost a capable general.

One loss is another's gain; this battle now tilts even more in their favor!

"Zhu Jian True Immortal? How could my Da Yu Cultivation World ever have such a sword cultivator?" Character: Liyang True Immortal looked at the dazzling sunrise‑like sword light flooding the ground, a mocking smile on his face: "No matter who you are, since you dared to storm Character: Liyang Mountain today, even if you have a Nascent Soul True Lord behind you, you deserve to perish here!"

The words hung in the air.

Amid everyone's astonished gazes, Character: Liyang True Immortal neither flinched nor dodged; facing the sword light that could threaten a mid‑Golden Core cultivator, he summoned a fiery artifact that burned like a sun‑shaped ring.

In an instant, the artifact simply spun once in the air, and the unparalleled sword light melted away like snow.

At that moment, Character: Liyang True Immortal's aura rose with each breath, his internal Golden Core emitting a powerful mana surge, soaring in an instant to a level far beyond everyone present.

Even Wei Wufeng and Zhu Jian True Immortal, both mid‑Golden Core cultivators, felt the oppressive pressure under such overwhelming might.

This is the aura of a peak mid‑Golden Core cultivator.

No! It is the aura at the limit of a mid‑Golden Core!

"You actually managed to return to your peak? What secret technique did you use?" Zhu Jian's almond eyes showed astonishment.

According to intelligence and Wei Wufeng's recent probing, Character: Liyang True Immortal's Golden Core foundation had been severely damaged, his strength plummeting so he could no longer exert his true power.

However, at this moment, for reasons unknown, Character: Liyang True Immortal not only reclaimed the summit, restoring his glory as Da Yu Cultivation World's top Scattered Cultivator, capable of overwhelming the two major Nascent Soul sects' mid‑Golden Core cultivators.

And even if she gave her all, she could only barely reach the mid‑Golden Core threshold.

Holding back the weakest mid‑Golden Core cultivator, there's still drama.

But against the top‑tier mid‑Golden Core masters, there is no chance of a single battle.

Heh heh heh! The Sun‑shaped ring artifact spun, scorching flames charging at her; Zhu Jian reacted swiftly, instantly turning into sword light to dodge.

But the artifact was faster; after dodging twice, there was nowhere left to evade, so she had to summon all her strength to drive her spell sword forward.

Bang! After just one clash, Zhu Jian was slammed hard onto the ground, shattering countless rocks and sinking into the earth.

Quickly she rose into the air again.

Yet what terrified her even more was the terrifying flame power still invading her body, as if it would ignite all her mana.

"Wei Wufeng, come help me quickly! This old brute is out of sorts; I don't know what treasure he took or what secret technique he used, his strength is now no less than at his peak, I can't hold him!" Zhu Jian shouted in bewildered terror. (End of chapter)