Chapter 244: The Great Battle with the Mist River Lady

"Mist River Lady, why aren't you speaking? Don't you want to?"

"What about that elder of your Fuhai Sect who could match a late Golden Core? Where did he disappear to? The Spirit Treasure Embryo—how did it end up in Fang Yuan's hands?"

Li Yuan, usually solemn and austere, couldn't help launching a verbal attack in the midst of her great surprise.

Because the opponent had just unsettled her like that, she indeed felt very upset inside, utterly desperate.

Now it's a case of using their own method against them.

Mist River Lady's expression turned grim; she said nothing, but it was clear her heart was extremely unsettled.

On her side, not only did she fail to exploit the flaw in the western‑corner formation, she also lost a great master!

She could hardly believe it was real, still clinging to a sliver of hope.

Perhaps…

As an absolute senior of the Fuhai Sect, she naturally knew what Jin Mu had relayed: they must not kill Fang Yuan or his disciple Hu Li under any circumstances. If the two met with misfortune, not only could she not bear the responsibility, she would likely be sacrificed herself, and the Fuhai Sect would face serious trouble.

Perhaps… Fang Yuan was already turned by Jin Mu beforehand, and during the earlier clash he temporarily struck a pact with the Fuhai Sect elders, creating the illusion of Fang Yuan killing a Fuhai elder to mislead Li Yuan.

Mist River Lady is not one who likes self‑deception.

But at this moment she could not believe the situation could change so drastically.

Fang Yuan of the Three Yang Sect is an obscure fellow; even a year ago she casually wounded him severely and never gave it a second thought.

Had it not been for the news from Jin Mu, she wouldn't have recalled that such a Golden Core cultivator almost died at her hands.

How could such a frail fellow's strength suddenly surge to this level, easily slaying the aide she had waited months to obtain?

Thus Mist River Lady did not retreat outright; while straining against Li Yuan, she also stared intently at Xiao Zhangqing, wanting to see what Xiao Zhangqing was really about.

Was she there to help her, or to aid Li Yuan?

If she was helping Li Yuan, then today's scheme would be utterly failed, forcing a hasty withdrawal.

…

After Xiao Zhangqing slew the mid Golden Core elder of the Fuhai Sect, he rushed to the main battlefield at once.

That nameless Golden Core elder of the Fuhai Sect possessed strength that surprised him, his cultivation comparable to a late Golden Core plus a Spirit Treasure Embryo, making him quite threatening.

He dared not be reckless, so he abandoned the deception plan and opted for a swift, decisive battle.

Originally he feared that exposing too much power and ending the fight too quickly would cause Mist River Lady to see the unfavorable turn and flee, making it hard for him to claim great merit.

He didn't expect Mist River Lady not to retreat immediately, as if she were waiting for him to come.

"Then I won't be polite."

Xiao Zhangqing wielded the freshly refined fourth‑grade Spirit Treasure Embryo as a magic sword, executing the Plucking Stars, Changing Dipper Sword Technique toward Mist River Lady.

The sky glittered, and the astonishing sword qi startled the two top Golden Core cultivators fighting on the main battlefield.

Lacking systematic support, his proficiency with the Plucking Stars, Changing Dipper Sword Technique was lower than his true self's, and its lethality waned, yet it still reached top late Golden Core level, capable of threatening most late Golden Core cultivators.

"Damn it!"

Mist River Lady saw Xiao Zhangqing swing at her without hesitation, baffled at how his strength could have surged so quickly; his Soul Transformation was already formidable, and even his magical power and divine abilities matched a late Golden Core.

But she knew she had mis‑bet.

She immediately abandoned hope and prepared to leave.

Even if Li Yuan and Fang Yuan teamed up, she was unafraid; she fully possessed the strength to take on two.

But the formation at the island's western corner remains intact, so the fourth‑grade island‑protecting formation will soon be restored.

Once the formation is fully repaired, the opening she created with the formation‑breaking treasure will close, trapping her inside, posing a huge risk of collapse.

"Go!"

Mist River Lady activated her formation disc Magic Treasure; under the drive of full, robust Golden Core realm power, endless rain and seawater merged into a river dozens of zhang wide, surging majestically to sweep everything around while shielding her at the very center.

This Magic Treasure of hers can both advance to attack and retreat to defend.

It is a key reason she enjoys today's reputation, ranking among the top Golden Core cultivators out of hundreds to thousands in the Eastern Extreme State.

Another reason, naturally, is her mastery of Soul Transformation mystic arts.

"Where do you think you're escaping!"

Li Yuan snorted coldly at the sight, unwilling to waste such a chance; she manipulated formation power into shockwaves, attempting to intercept Mist River Lady.

"I intend to leave; no one can stop me."

Mist River Lady, brimming with confidence, let the massive black river nullify both Li Yuan's formation power and Xiao Zhangqing's sword qi from the fourth‑grade Spirit Treasure Embryo.

Like a mud‑ox entering water, the two blasts made the river boil and carve a huge opening, but it quickly repaired itself.

Li Yuan refused to give up; wave after wave of attacks fell, achieving little effect, as the Mist River Lady hidden within the river could not sustain fatal damage.

"I originally thought my strength compared to this Mist River Lady's was almost equal—she might have a slight edge, but overall we were on the same tier. Now I see I was too arrogant. Her survival ability far exceeds mine; had I not relied on formation power and met her in the outside world, fighting to the death, I would surely have perished."

Li Yuan sighed inwardly.

Mist River Lady's defensive measure is almost invincible in the Golden Core realm.

Although her overall strength places her only within the top dozen Golden Core cultivators of the Eastern Extreme State, her defensive capability alone likely ranks within the top ten, perhaps even the top five!

However.

She is still young, under two hundred years old, having accumulated almost only half the time of Mist River Lady.

In the future she will surely catch up.

But today, unable to kill the opponent, she must let them retreat calmly.

Just as Li Yuan gave up on keeping Mist River Lady, she suddenly felt the surrounding sky grow noticeably dim, followed by a flash of brilliant light.

No! The sky didn't darken, nor was it blocked by some massive creature.

It was merely the emergence of brilliant stars, combined with a powerful, inexplicable, soul‑shaking force, giving her the illusion that the sky had turned black.

Then Elder Fang Yuan once again brandished the fourth‑grade Spirit Treasure Embryo blade, this time with grave solemnity, far more cautious than his earlier casual strike.

"Is that… the aura of a Nascent Soul True Lord?" Li Yuan stared at the scene in disbelief.

If she didn't clearly know who this person was and also be familiar with the Sect Leader, she couldn't help but doubt; the figure before her was not Elder Fang Yuan, but the Sect Leader Chi Xuan True Lord of their Sanyang Sect appearing in person!

Even the previously confident, unhurriedly withdrawing Madam Minghe instantly fell into madness, her face showing shock and terror.

At her level and status, she naturally has sufficient knowledge of the Nascent Soul True Lord.

The power contained in Xiao Zhangqing's sword is indeed unique to the Nascent Soul True Lord!

It is also the real reason the Nascent Soul True Lord strikes their Core Formation Real like a dimensional reduction.

The divine ability incorporates the power of Heaven and Earth! Yes.

Xiao Zhangqing saw that Madam Minghe's strength was indeed impressive, her defense being top‑tier among Core Formation cultivators; if he didn't give his all, he truly couldn't hold her back.

So he had to reveal his strongest trump card of this clone: the Primordial Spirit merged with Heaven and Earth, drawing a trace of stellar power into the sword aura.

Whoosh! The black water flowing around Madam Minghe, when faced with Xiao Zhangqing's sword aura earlier, was like trying to cut water with a knife— it kept flowing, impossible to sever.

Now the sword bearing stellar power slashed through; the river water was cut off and partially evaporated.

The sword aura swept by, revealing everything's true form.

Madam Minghe could not hide; she let out a terrified scream, and her breath immediately waned considerably.

She tried to flee, but the second sword arrived instantly.

"Want to kill me? Not that easy!"

Madam Minghe let out a sharp scream, simultaneously manipulating the remaining black water to block the terrifying sword aura, while her Soul Transformation, pushed to its external limit, exhausted all strength, turning into a hazy mist; in an instant, the surrounding world resonated with eerie mournful music, as if ten thousand fierce ghosts were snatching souls, tearing at Xiao Zhangqing.

Of course the tearing was not of the flesh but of the mind, the Soul Transformation.

This is another Soul Transformation secret technique of Madam Minghe that countless Core Formation cultivators deeply fear.

If the Soul Transformation is not strong enough, early Core Formation cultivators, even a slight exposure to such a bizarre technique would cause severe injury, just like Fang Yuan before.

Even late Core Formation practitioners, if their Soul Transformation hasn't reached its limit, would find it hard to parry this move and would be gravely wounded.

Madam Minghe used this technique with the aim that, even if she couldn't seriously wound Xiao Zhangqing, she would still occupy his attention, preventing him from continuing his sword technique.

"Fang Yuan, be careful!"

Li Yuan gasped at the sight; her own Soul Transformation was already near its limit, but to face Madam Minghe's killing move she had to rely on a Soul Transformation‑defending Magic Treasure, otherwise she would not only be severely injured but also see her combat power plummet instantly.

"His mastery of Soul Transformation is indeed impressive; no wonder he's famed in the Eastern Extreme State for Soul‑based attacks, with unique insight…" Xiao Zhangqing felt ten thousand evil ghosts tearing and dragging his Soul Transformation, as if trying to drag him into an abyss.

This Soul Transformation secret technique surpasses his own Dragon Chant technique in both power and sophistication.

Even a Core Formation Perfection cultivator, when faced with such a Soul Transformation attack, if they can endure it must hold their breath and focus entirely on countering the myriad evil ghosts, unable to launch any further offense.

This is Madam Minghe's purpose as well.

After executing the Soul Transformation secret, she didn't even glance at Xiao Zhangqing, indifferent to the damage inflicted or whether he was gravely wounded; she dragged her injured body, barely gathering the remaining black river water, turning it into a rainbow light and fled swiftly toward the breach of the island‑protecting formation.

At this moment her condition was dire; even if Xiao Zhangqing were gravely injured, she still wasn't Li Yuan's match, and any hesitation would leave her behind.

"Escape quickly! The annihilation of the Sanyang Sect is already decided; today's vengeance will have its chance!"

A thought flashed through Madam Minghe's mind.

In the blink of an eye the breach of the island‑protecting formation was right before her; once she escaped the array, the endless sea would be her best cover, and Li Yuan and Fang Yuan could not catch her.

But this final inch felt like the ends of the earth.

Buzz! An aura surpassing the Soul Transformation level erupted suddenly behind her, as dazzling as the sun; her top‑tier Core Formation Soul Transformation secret instantly turned paper‑thin, and under the scorching flames, ten thousand evil ghosts were instantly reduced to ash.

"Primordial Spirit? It's the Primordial Spirit! Fang Yuan, which Nascent Soul elder possessed you?"

After Madam Minghe let out a terrified scream, just as she had fled the array, another sword aura infused with stellar power slashed at her.

Chirp—chirp—chirp! The scant remaining black river water was completely vaporized; under the sword aura bearing Heaven and Earth's power, her flesh too turned to ash.

A renowned Core Formation master of the Eastern Extreme State died on Blood Crystal Island just like that.

Li Yuan watched this scene, momentarily regaining her senses…

And Xiao Zhangqing swiftly leapt upward, his magical power sweeping like an invisible giant hand, gathering the scattered treasures.

Although Madam Minghe's body was cut down and her storage bag was violently blown apart, most items were damaged, some truly precious, high‑grade treasures remained preserved within the sword aura.

"First haul upon arriving at Qingxu Realm!"

Xiao Zhangqing made a mental ledger.

He roughly tallied; Madam Minghe's assets were still substantial.

First was the Compass Magic Treasure, which Madam Minghe used to condense the Black River; it could attack when advancing and, when retreating, raise defense to the Core Formation limit. Even her own Star‑Plucking Sword Technique infused with stellar power required several strikes to fully break.

Undoubtedly, this Compass Magic Treasure is a genuine Fourth‑Tier Spirit Treasure!

Thus, even with Core Formation cultivation, Madam Minghe could withstand several Nascent Soul‑level attacks.

The origin of this Compass Magic Treasure is unknown; before Madam Minghe, it belonged to which Nascent Soul True Lord's spirit treasure.

Lacking a system by her side makes this inconvenient; she cannot identify it.

Besides that, there were numerous high‑grade materials, Third‑Tier top Magic Treasures, and superior Spirit Stones.

Among them was a cone‑shaped special treasure for breaking formations, likely from the Fuhai Sect's stock, temporarily loaned to Madam Minghe; its value was not far below that of a Fourth‑Tier Spirit Treasure.

Of course, beyond the treasures that exploded from Madam Minghe, the subsequent haul was what Xiao Zhangqing valued most.

—A reward from the Sanyang Sect! Killing a top enemy sect master like Xiao Zhangqing, the contribution points aside.

Only Xiao Zhangqing's terrifying power makes him absolutely the second most important figure of the Sanyang Sect after Sect Leader Chi Xuan True Lord!

His presence can rival the Nascent Soul True Lord, and at this critical moment of the sect's survival, how should the sect win his loyalty? How many treasures should be awarded? Thinking of the precious items displayed in the sect's merit hall made Xiao Zhangqing's heart itch.

The guard mission on Blood Crystal Island should be considered successfully completed, ending ahead of schedule.

It now depends on how much sincerity the Sanyang Sect shows. (Chapter End)