Chapter 439: Someone Took Advantage to Woolgather

Longling watched the Fangfeige women battling Heifeng, and from the female cultivator's companions he learned that her name was Luotian Yin, the leader of the Fangfeige disciples who had entered this place.

Fangfeige cultivators train in sound‑wave attacks; this technique can effectively strike the soul, and as most cultivators who enter the Tianji Shengyu are soul bodies, Fangfeige cultivators, using their soul‑body‑restraining method, have dominated the secret realm.

However, Longling did not worry about Heifeng; the ghost dance passed down in the Heifeng tribe is extremely strange, able to gather the wails of ghosts from all directions and seize people's consciousness.

Moreover, he saw that Heifeng showed no sign of panic when facing Luotian Yin's frequent tactics.

Fangfeige came to seize the ancient talisman with an overbearing attitude; this battle was inevitable, yet Longling, watching the surrounding tumult of battle, was thinking of something else.

That was how to take advantage of the chaos and profit.

Boom—

Heifeng faced Luotian Yin's flute attack; waving his Ten Thousand Soul Banner, a surge of sinister killing qi shot up into the sky, gathering the wailing killing souls and ghostly images that came from all directions, and they lunged at Luotian Yin of Fangfeige.

These ghostly images, their eyes entwined with a bewitching light, became extraordinarily fierce under the empowerment of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner; each possessed considerable attack power, and the mighty ghostly howls directly shattered Luotian Yin's flute attack.

The women of Fangfeige were not to be underestimated; they quickly formed a formation, Luotian Yin's xiao melody rose, the sound‑wave attack collided with the ghostly images, producing a deafening roar.

Within the sound wave lay a mysterious power that actually began to counterbalance the ghostly howl's attack, and that combined attack was quite extraordinary.

Various musical treasure instruments resonated, forming a mysterious variation that made Fangfeige's sound‑wave attack grow stronger and stronger, actually beginning to gradually weaken the ghost images' attack power.

Seeing Heifeng's offensive meet some obstruction, Longling's eyes suddenly sank.

No wonder it is the great sect of Huanyu that specializes in sound‑wave attacks; by combining instruments into a divine‑sense killing formation, the attack becomes all‑penetrating, leaving cultivators trapped in the sound‑wave killing formation defenseless.

Longling formed a seal with one hand, murmured an incantation, and a mysterious rune emerged from her palm, shooting onto the Ten Thousand Soul Banner above Heifeng's head.

As the mysterious rune surged, the dark banner instantly lit up completely with runes.

Black mist swirled out from the vortex formed on the flag surface, forming black light curtains around Heifeng's body.

The black light curtain shielded Heifeng, directly blocking the sound‑wave killing formation's impact on his divine sense from the Fangfeige cultivators.

Hum—

Peng—

The battle grew fiercer; both sides exchanged blows, each clash fraught with danger.

Heifeng's Ten Thousand Soul Banner kept releasing ghostly images, while the women of Fangfeige countered with sound waves and the runes on their jade flutes.

The light curtain around Heifeng continually bore the fierce sound‑wave impacts from Luotian Yin and the others, yet his face never showed any fear.

The anomaly that appeared when the Ten Thousand Soul Banner emerged proved one thing: although Longling had temporarily lent the banner to him, the banner's true power could not be fully mastered.

Unless Longling personally intervened, even if he exhausted all his strength he could not unleash the banner's heavenly demonic might.

Just then.

A glint of sharp light flashed in Longling's eyes; she took a deep breath, quickly formed seals with both hands, and complex runes took shape in her palms before she thrust them forcefully upward.

"Boss, what are you trying to do?"

Seeing this, Heifeng couldn't help but ask.

Longling gave no reply, merely focusing all her attention on controlling the runes in her hand.

Suddenly, bolts of lightning appeared in the sky, accompanying Longling's runes to form a huge thunder formation.

Within the thunder formation, lightning flickered and thunder roared, a mighty pressure descending from the heavens.

"Heavenly Thunder Formation, activate!"

Longling shouted loudly; the lightning in the thunder formation instantly struck down toward the women of Fangfeige.

The power of the lightning was immense; even the women of Fangfeige felt an unprecedented pressure.

"Boom"

The violent thunderclap shook heaven and earth; its vast sound instantly drowned out the instruments' sound waves, and at that moment Luotian Yin and the others of Fangfeige turned pale.

Luotian Yin gazed at the black thunderclouds continually pressing down from above; her facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.

The force of heavenly thunder could destroy myriad laws; its suppression of sound‑wave attacks was especially terrifying.

A single‑note sound‑wave attack has limited power; it must be combined into a regular melody to unleash great might, and among the various instrument combinations the killing formation's sound‑wave attack is the strongest.

Fangfeige's ability to stand firm in Huanyu stems from its three supreme treasures; when the treasures play together they shake heaven and earth, directly destroying enemies' souls.

But heavenly thunder is different.

Heavenly thunder is the innate grand sound of heaven and earth, moving the nine heavens and the netherworld; it can directly impact the rhythm of sound‑wave attacks, causing them to lose their lethal power and become feeble murmurs.

Knowing she could not resist heavenly thunder head‑on, Luotian Yin led her fellow cultivators in a swift retreat, trying to dodge the lightning strikes.

However, Longling's thunder formation covered an extremely wide area, almost enveloping the entire battlefield; although the Fangfeige cultivators shifted their forms, lethal lightning filled the net, leaving the female cultivators nowhere to escape.

Luotian Yin's jade flute flashed a clear light; a hint of ruthlessness appeared in her eyes.

Under the Heavenly Tribulation Killing Formation they were as fragile as eggs about to break; if they did not exert their full strength, they might very well fall here today.

Luotian Yin raised her jade flute to her lips, inhaled deeply, and then blew out a sound wave unprecedented in its magnitude.

This sound wave differed from any previous attack; it contained the entire cultivation and power of the jade‑flute women, and wherever it passed space itself was distorted.

When the sound wave collided with the lightning, a strange resonance arose; at that instant the two forces reached a delicate balance.

The battle reached a stalemate at that moment; both sides exerted their utmost effort, trying to break the balance.

At that instant, both Longling and Heifeng flashed a determined look in their eyes.

Heifeng waved his Ten Thousand Soul Banner again; this time he poured all his strength into it, the purple‑red runes on the banner blazed brightly, countless ghost images became even more ferocious, and they launched a violent assault on the women of Fangfeige.

Seeing this, Longling traced a phantom seal with her hand; the thunder formation intensified once more, the lightning's power reached a new height, and the whole battlefield was blanketed by lightning.

After roughly half an incense stick's time, under the combined effort of Longling and Heifeng, the women of Fangfeige finally succumbed; their formation was completely disrupted and their sound‑wave attack could no longer be sustained.

Under the violent thunderbolt's might, soil and stone were shattered; the entire battlefield was shrouded in hurricane and thick dust.

Seeing Luotian Yin of Fangfeige on the verge of collapse, Longling sent a mental transmission to Heifeng: "Heifeng, pretend to be weak later; you must make it look like you and the Fangfeige cultivators suffer mutual destruction."

As Longling's words fell, Heifeng's expression changed instantly upon hearing them.

He almost felt he had misheard, not knowing what Longling was up to.

He sent a mental inquiry to Longling, but upon receiving her plan his expression turned marvelous, his hands trembling slightly.

Boom

Just as the cultivators of Fragrant Blossom Pavilion were blown away by the violent force, on the brink of death on the battlefield, Longling and Heifeng exchanged a smile and simultaneously shot backward out of the storm.

They bit their tongues, and as soon as they hit the ground they coughed up a large mouthful of black blood.

In the surrounding forest, cultivators from other factions had long been hiding, waiting for an opportunity to act.

Their gazes greedily fixed on Longling and the others, their hearts filled with possessive desire.

At this moment, seeing that Longling and the female cultivators of Fragrant Blossom Pavilion seemed to have lost their fighting spirit, their eyes all lit up.

Whooo

Just as Longling and Heifeng were preparing to catch their breath, a low, solemn chant suddenly echoed from all around.

Immediately after, powerful auras surged from all directions; several figures shot out of the forest like ghosts, moving with extreme speed and arriving before Longling and Heifeng in an instant.

These cultivators came from various factions—some wore black robes with grim expressions;

some wore splendid long robes, holding Dharma Implements, their eyes flashing with cunning light;

others donned battle armor, wielding huge swords, their aura like a rainbow. Their sole goal was to seize the ancient symbols on Longling, Heifeng, and the Fragrant Blossom Pavilion cultivators.

Heifeng saw this, a faint cold smile flickering in his eyes; he knew these cultivators' strength was not to be underestimated, but those who had rushed in were drawn out by the feigned wounded bodies they had prepared.

Heifeng saw the cultivators' mouths curl into cold smiles as they approached; he swung his Ten Thousand Souls Banner again, releasing waves of killing energy like a tide, and engaged the incoming cultivators in fierce combat.

Longling would not be outdone; her Heavenly Thunder Formation activated again, lightning weaving into a massive net that trapped the charging cultivators.

The power of the lightning gave these cultivators an unprecedented sense of pressure, yet they did not simply await death; instead, they attacked even more frenziedly.

"Oh no, it's a trap!

Ah…"

In just an instant, many cultivators died miserably; at this moment, those who had rushed in finally realized they had been deceived.

"Damn it, to scheme against us, they spared no means.

Using their own lives as bait, truly damned treacherous scoundrels!"

Again, a severely wounded cultivator let out a loud roar.

He saw Longling and Heifeng vigorous and lively, his anger making his hair stand on end, and he roared ruthlessly.

Bang bang bang

The battle gradually intensified, each attack filled with deadly threat.

Longling and Heifeng, relying on their tacit cooperation, engaged many cultivators in a heart-pounding battle; as time passed, the cultivators lured earlier had become trapped, gradually overwhelmed and powerless.

Whoosh

Just then, a cultivator in a white robe descended from the sky, his gaze revealing an extraordinary aura, holding in his hand a long sword that emitted a faint light.

"Everyone, why must we slaughter each other over a mere ancient symbol?

The white-robed cultivator's voice was calm yet powerful, his eyes sweeping over everyone present.

"We have all come for the supreme treasure of the Ancient God Sect; there is no need for you to fight to the death.

Would it not be better to lay down the conflict and contend amicably?"

His words seemed to possess a kind of power, gradually calming the killing intent in the hearts of the cultivators present.

Longling and Heifeng exchanged a glance, not knowing what the white-robed cultivator was up to, but his strength was clearly not weak; just that initial move of Wave Cloud Push Moon, which instantly and easily split the battlefield, was quite extraordinary.

"Boss, the more I hear this cultivator's words, the more they sound like nonsense!

All of us came for the Ancient God Sect's supreme treasure; the top five have a chance to obtain its relics.

Not fighting to the death, are we supposed to draw lots to decide size?"

Heifeng sent a mental message to Longling, but she told him not to act rashly, to adapt and see what the white-robed cultivator was up to.

"Do you have any good suggestions?"

Longling tentatively spoke first, feigning a hint of fatigue in her tone, hoping to let the white-robed cultivator lower his guard toward her and Heifeng.

Heifeng also nodded slightly, saying, "If there is a peaceful way to obtain the ancient symbol, I would naturally be willing to lay down the conflict."

Seeing this, other cultivators also expressed their willingness to temporarily lay down the conflict and listen to the white-robed cultivator's opinion.

The smoke of battle gradually dissipated, and the forest returned to calm.

However, Longling and Heifeng did not expect that this white-robed cultivator was not simple; he knew the secret of the ancient symbol, and the Dao inscriptions on it could resist the forest's restrictions.

Just as the other cultivators grasped this secret and gathered together to question the white-robed cultivator, unbeknownst to them, while they ignored their own injuries, a black silhouette quietly appeared all around.

This was a mysterious figure in a black robe, wearing a mask that concealed his true face.

His gaze fixed on all the cultivators present, his eyes flashing with greed and cunning.

The mysterious black-clad person did not act immediately, but silently observed the movements of everyone in the valley, seemingly waiting for a suitable opportunity.

"Heifeng, do you feel it?"

Longling sent a mental whisper, pretending to blend into the crowd among the white-robed cultivators gathered in the middle, and also followed the other Huanyu cultivators in asking about endless matters in a disordered way.

Heifeng nodded and sent a mental message: "Like a mantis stalking a cicada, with the oriole behind—this white-robed cultivator surely isn't holding back anything good."

However, just then, the black-robed mysterious person could no longer restrain himself.

He condensed a mysterious Dharma seal in his hand; all the Huanyu cultivators gathered before the white-robed cultivators felt nothing.

The soil beneath his feet seemed alive, turning into a slender earthen spike that slowly rose from the dirt beneath the cultivators' crotches.

Boom

Just as those earthen spikes were about to reach the cultivators' lower garments, they flashed with a cold gleam, striking with the speed of thunder before one could cover one's ears, and pierced vertically upward.

Ah

Horrible screams rang out one after another; the dreadful calamity came too unexpectedly and swiftly.

The Huanyu cultivators, who had just fought Longling and Heifeng and were already severely injured, were lured by the white-robed cultivator with the secret of the ancient symbol and lost all sense.

At this moment, the sudden change occurred; those cultivators were instantly pierced through by the earthen spikes, standing like candied haws on the battlefield.

Bang bang bang……

That white-robed person's eyes flashed a cold gleam, white sand swirled around his body, and he suddenly swept toward those cultivators strung together like candied haws; in the blink of an eye they were left spotless by the white sand's corrosion.

Ding ding ding……

The cultivator's storage ring fell to the ground, and the black-clad person and the white-robed person, after picking up their storage rings, gathered together.

Strange, the number is off,

Two are missing?

The white-robed cultivator, after checking the number of storage rings, muttered strangely.

I never would have thought that a cultivator of the esteemed Ancient Earth Royal Clan would also do such a despicable, shameless act.

Just then, in the wide-eyed shock of the white-robed cultivator and the black-clad person, a dirt bulge suddenly rose from the ground before them, and only after it had grown to the size of an adult did it slowly sink back into the soil.

You, you are also a cultivator of the Ancient Earth Royal Clan?

No, no, no, you lack the bloodline resonance power of our ancient imperial clan!

After the black-clad cultivator finished speaking in shock, he sized up Longling and Heifeng from head to toe, realized something was off, and hastily added an explanation.