Chapter 367: Intervention

After an yao beast reaches the second stage, each minor realm breakthrough requires it to endure a heavenly tribulation.

Relatively speaking, it is considerably more brutal than for human cultivators.

However, once an yao beast survives the heavenly tribulation, its strength surges dramatically, multiplying manyfold.

It is a matter of gain and loss.

After nine bolts of lightning passed, the thunderclouds in the sky dispersed.

The Devouring Sky Rat lay barely alive on the ground, its body steaming with charred black energy.

At this moment, it had lost the earlier arrogance and ferocity; though it barely survived the tribulation, it was still left scorched inside and out. "I'm convinced!"

"I'm truly convinced!"

…

Three days later.

Qin Ming used the Four Seasons Divine Light to nurture it, and the Devouring Sky Rat regained its vigor.

He observed closely: after its advancement, its innate bloodline ability had strengthened further, and its terrifying demonic power had deepened into an abyss, bottomless and vast.

"Gagaga! Master, I feel like I have endless strength now!"

"I will fight for you in this life!!"

"."

"Hmm, there will be a time soon when you'll need to use that strength."

After the Devouring Sky Rat advanced to the mid-stage of the third level, its strength rivaled that of a human cultivator at the late Foundation Establishment realm.

It was now Qin Ming's most powerful ally.

He then turned his gaze toward the cave of the Azure Water Crocodile—no movement, it had sunk back into slumber and would not awaken for years.

After all, an yao beast's breakthrough into an yao king is as great a barrier as a human cultivator's, not to be taken lightly.

Jin Dan is merely external force; whether it can reach a new realm depends entirely on itself.

"Time's about right. Let's go out and take a look."

Qin Ming summoned the Silver-Winged Frost Bees, took the Devouring Sky Rat with him, and left Wangyue Island.

He then levitated through the air, flying with his Jin Dan magic power, feeling a speed like wind and lightning—unlike anything before.

Within just a few breaths, he had flown hundreds of li; after half a stick of incense.

Qin Ming looked down and descended toward Fengqi Island of the Seventy-Two Islands Alliance.

In recent days, due to Jin's invasion, the outer regions of the spiritual energy Archipelago had been affected.

The Alliance urgently dispatched numerous cultivators to confront the external threat.

When Qin Ming arrived, dozens of the Alliance's magic ships were docked at the harbor, resupplying.

Injured cultivators and corpses were constantly being carried out.

Seeing this, Qin Ming frowned.

He had not anticipated that Jin's invasion of the cultivation world had reached such a dire state.

Without hesitation, Qin Ming shot forward like a streaking rainbow toward the Alliance's central headquarters on the island.

"Who are you?!"

"How dare you intrude on Lingdao?!"

The patrol cultivators around Fengqi Island, seeing a streak of light hurtling toward the island from afar, immediately raised the alarm—but as the aura drew near.

A massive spiritual pressure descended, causing the surrounding air to ripple.

Before the patrol team could react.

The aura vanished, revealing a plain-looking young man before them.

He asked calmly: "Where is Alliance Master Li Yuanqing?"

Just before arriving at Fengqi Island, Qin Ming had scanned with his spiritual sense but found no trace of Li Yuanqing.

Though these patrol cultivators were all late Qi Refining, some had sharp eyes and had seen Qin Ming's portrait before.

The squad leader, upon recognizing Qin Ming's face, was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

He hurried forward, bowing deeply in trembling reverence: "I—I humbly pay homage to Wangyue True Person!"

"We were ignorant just now—please, True Person, forgive us!"

The other patrol cultivators behind him, hearing the visitor was a Jin Dan cultivator—and the famed Wangyue True Person—nearly fainted from terror.

"Pay homage to Wangyue True Person!" "Pay homage to Wangyue True Person!"

…

The squad leader then said: "Report, True Person! Alliance Master Li departed recently to supervise the front at Tianying Gorge and has not returned."

"Should I send word to Alliance Master Li on your behalf?"

But before he finished, the Wangyue True Person vanished before his eyes—the crowd collectively exhaled in relief.

The squad leader wiped the sweat from his brow; he had been so tense facing the Jin Dan True Person he could barely breathe.

He couldn't fathom why Wangyue True Person had come here.

"That was close! Lucky it's Wangyue True Person—he didn't hold a grudge against us."

"If we'd offended a Jin Dan Ancestor, we'd be finished."

"Damn it, we nearly had a disaster."

"Next time, all of you, stay alert—identify who you're facing before shouting, understood?"

"B-but boss, he moved too fast—we couldn't see anything!"

"."

Tianying Gorge, Alliance outpost, command tent.

Li Yuanqing, his temples streaked with gray, hadn't slept in a long time; listening to his subordinates' reports, his brow was tightly knotted.

"Report, Alliance Master: the three major Jin forces have massed troops and broken through Lei Yuanzong's defenses on Black Stone Plain—they're advancing toward us."

"Our scout unit was discovered; only five cultivators escaped to report. The Jin army will likely reach Tianying Gorge soon."

The old woman deputy alliance master, upon hearing this, asked Li Yuanqing: "Alliance Master, according to my knowledge, among Jin's three major forces, there are even False Jin Dan Ancestors—our strength won't hold out long!"

Li Yuanqing had been utterly exhausted these past days; now, hearing of the approaching army.

He felt a crushing sense of helplessness.

"Tianying Gorge cannot fall…"

"If it falls, Jin's army will surge through unchecked."

Less than two hundred li from Tianying Gorge's outer perimeter.

Dozens of Jin's magic ships, dark and massive, advanced toward the Alliance's position.

On the deck of one enormous vessel stood three cultivators, one of whom—a red-robed elder—was a False Jin Dan Ancestor.

"Senior He, we've reached Tianying Gorge."

The other two, late Foundation Establishment cultivators, spoke respectfully to the red-robed elder.

"Hahahaha! Good!"

"Let this old man see what these useless sacks of flesh dare to block my path!"

Li Yuanqing and his men flew out from camp to meet the enemy—but when he saw the leader of the opposing force.

His heart sank to the bottom.

"Hahahaha! Who is it?"

"Just a late Foundation Establishment cultivator with scattered aura."

He Laogui, seeing only a few Foundation Establishment cultivators before him, his eyes gleamed with bloodthirsty excitement! But the next moment.

Just as He Laogui prepared to strike.

Boom! The surrounding space suddenly rippled.

First like water waves, then violently trembling.

At that instant, a streaking rainbow shot from afar—its overwhelming spiritual pressure turned every cultivator present pale.

He Laogui felt the aura and his pupils widened in disbelief and terror! The next moment.

In the stunned gazes of all present.

Boom! Splat!

He Laogui's entire body, without warning, was crushed as if by an invisible hand.

Instantly exploding into a mist of blood! "What?! A Jin Dan Great Cultivator?!"

The nearby cultivators cried out in horror!

(End of Chapter)