Chapter 240: Here they come! Here they come! They

Tianyun Peak, summit.

Boom—

The celestial and terrestrial spiritual energy churned violently, as if boiling water, twisting into swirling vortexes of mist above the summit.

Cheng Yuan, Zhu Junwen, and Shi Jian, the three primordial cultivators, each occupied one corner, forming a triangle that enclosed the roiling spiritual energy at the center.

Behind each of them stood disciples from their respective sects, all holding their breath, eyes tense and fixed on the spiritual energy undergoing a profound transformation.

Under the intense gaze of all present.

At the heart of the roiling energy, a thread of pure white, barely an inch long and as fine as a hair, slowly coalesced into form.

Even from afar.

Everyone present could clearly sense the pure spiritual essence contained within that thread.

It was the most primordial gift from heaven and earth, the breakthrough opportunity that countless gangqi cultivators spent their entire lives pursuing.

“It… it’s appeared!!!”

“Primordial Qi!!!”

“It’s already birthed a thread of primordial qi so quickly...”

The disciples of each sect could no longer suppress their exclamations.

But Cheng Yuan, Zhu Junwen, and Shi Jian did not move immediately.

This was only the first thread; the real struggle was yet to come.

Zhu Junwen and Shi Jian exchanged a glance, both eyes flickering with burning heat.

This time, the primordial qi had formed faster than ever before.

That meant the total quantity this time would likely surpass all previous yields.

Cheng Yuan gazed coldly at the roiling celestial energy atop the peak, a confident smirk curling his shadowed lips.

As if that newly born thread of primordial qi was already his to claim.

His peripheral vision occasionally flicked toward the direction of Dongfeng.

But there was no one there.

The figure he had long hoped to see had not appeared.

“Old man will see if you dare show up!!!”

Cheng Yuan’s gaze burned like twin fire snakes, as if he wished to scorch holes into the empty mountain path of Dongfeng.

Zhu Junwen and Shi Jian naturally noticed Cheng Yuan’s frequent glances toward Dongfeng.

“Master Cheng, it seems our ‘new neighbors’ won’t be coming.”

A cryptic smile appeared on Zhu Junwen’s refined face.

Shi Jian laughed heartily: “If they don’t come, I’m disappointed—last time, Qingyun Sect had more guts!”

Both men sincerely hoped Tianqing Sect would boldly show up to die.

That way, they might draw some attention away from this old ghost, Cheng Yuan.

Cheng Yuan shot them a cold glance, his eyes growing even colder.

Amid the three’s standoff.

Boom—

Another thread of primordial qi, about an inch long, as fine as a hair, pure and flawless, slowly coalesced from the roiling celestial energy.

“Another thread already?!”

“It seems today’s yield may exceed three threads—perhaps even four...”

Zhu Junwen and Shi Jian’s faces lit up with joy.

Over the past two years, Tianyun Peak’s primordial qi births had averaged around three threads; exceeding four was considered a bountiful year.

But the current trend suggested the final count would likely go even higher.

Cheng Yuan’s face remained cold, silent, yet his eyes subtly shifted.

Soon.

Under the watchful eyes of all, another thread of primordial qi coalesced from the center of the roiling energy.

“Third thread!!!”

The disciples behind them cried out in astonishment.

Then—

The fourth thread.

Yet the celestial energy continued to churn, showing no sign of stopping.

Seeing this, Zhu Junwen’s usually composed face was replaced by shock:

“It’s not over… there’s a fifth thread coming!”

Shi Jian’s rugged face was equally stunned.

They knew that among the Nine Peaks of the Upper Sect, the density of celestial energy varied.

She Snake Peak, Monkey Peak, and Ox Peak—the top three peaks—had the densest spiritual energy, each yielding over ten threads of primordial qi.

Next came Yunfu Peak, Tianzhu Peak, and Danling Peak—the middle three—whose energy was slightly weaker, yielding over five threads each time.

Tianyun Peak’s energy density was considered good if it produced more than three threads.

But today’s situation clearly pointed toward five or more—matching the middle three peaks.

The fifth thread slowly formed, yet the celestial energy showed no sign of ceasing.

“This… this…”

Zhu Junwen and Shi Jian’s pupils shrank sharply.

A sixth thread was about to form.

At that moment.

“Chiyan Sect disciples, retreat inside Xifeng!”

Cheng Yuan suddenly barked a sharp order.

Zhu Junwen and Shi Jian’s hearts tightened.

They instantly realized: the old man, faced with such abundant primordial qi, was preparing to unleash his full power.

Once a primordial cultivator unleashed their full power, even the residual shockwaves could overwhelm ordinary gangqi cultivators—Cheng Yuan was clearing the battlefield.

“Wanliu Sect disciples, fall back!”

“Cangyue Sect disciples, fall back too!”

Zhu Junwen and Shi Jian shouted in near-unison.

A gangqi cultivator who reached peak cultivation rarely succeeded in breaking into the primordial realm on their first attempt, unless they were exceptionally gifted.

For any sect, one more thread of primordial qi meant one more chance to break through.

It meant the sect might gain another primordial cultivator.

Such a resource, tied to the rise or fall of the sect, was not surrendered an inch.

Once the disciples had retreated beyond their respective peak boundaries, only the three primordial cultivators remained atop the summit.

The air froze, save for the ceaseless churning of the celestial energy above.

Finally—

The celestial energy ceased its churning.

The final thread of primordial qi slowly formed—pure white, flawless, as fine as a hair, radiating a spiritual essence that quickened every heart.

Sixth thread!

Cheng Yuan’s shadowed face twisted into a nearly monstrous grin, his aged eyes blazing with unhidden greed: “Six threads! Hahahaha! Heaven aids the old man!”

At that moment, he even withdrew his gaze from Dongfeng.

Zhu Junwen and Shi Jian’s faces burned with equal hunger.

Without a word, all three launched themselves simultaneously toward the six floating threads of primordial qi.

The next instant.

Boom—

A thick, milky mist suddenly engulfed the summit, dense as paste, instantly swallowing the three primordial cultivators.

“Child’s play!”

Unfazed by the sudden mist, Zhu Junwen and Shi Jian unleashed primordial gangqi from their bodies.

One was like a chilling tide, the other like a heavy, immovable mountain.

They instantly shattered the white mist around them.

They had sensed Liu Qingyu’s aura within the mist.

Both men’s eyes flickered with surprise.

Did Tianqing Sect truly dare come to die?!

But Cheng Yuan’s reaction was utterly different.

Instead of dispelling the mist, he threw his head back and roared with unrestrained laughter: “Hahahahahaha!!!!!!”

The person he had waited for.

Had finally arrived.

Today, he would not only claim this abundant primordial qi—he would also crush his most hated enemy.

Double fortune, utterly exhilarating.

Come on! The primordial qi is right here! If you want it, come and take it!

His booming laughter, wrapped in scorching fire-element primordial gangqi, spread outward like a wildfire, burning straight through the white mist.

When the vast white mist cleared away.

A colorful, shimmering fire seal shaped like the character “ Da ” flashed through the void, coming into view of the three.