Chapter 55

Chen Zhao's eyes narrowed.

These two arrived far too early; if we go to Enguang Ge now, there'll be nothing left to pick up.

Rather than follow behind and sip the broth, better to get ahead and eat the meat.

He has methods to suppress Evil Cultivators, his soul is stronger than Fang Zijing's, and if things turn bad, he still has the Jade Tablet given to him by Elder Zhang.

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The three landed in a Bamboo Sea.

Chen Zhao looked around.

Lush, verdant, teeming with life—nothing like after a catastrophe.

Beneath their feet, a small stream wound forward, its water black as ink.

"This... our clan's Spirit Spring?"

Su Muqing spoke in surprise, bent down, sniffed—and indeed, there was a pine scent.

The group followed the stream upstream; Spirit Qi grew ever denser.

Not long after.

The path ended, revealing a pool gushing forth living water, strikingly similar to Xiyan Pool.

Beside the pool stood a Bamboo Building.

Two shadowy figures rummaged through chests and cabinets, furtive and sneaky.

Zing!

A stringed instrument's note rang out, shaking loose sheets of bamboo leaves.

Fang Zijing suddenly felt his head splitting open; Liang Chenfeng frowned and silently stepped back.

"How interesting—the ones come to intercept aren't Su Family members, but two outsiders and a traitor."

Fang Zijing gritted his teeth and swallowed a Nourishing Spirit Pill.

His soul still ached, but the pain had lessened.

"Now that Elder Fang is dead and all Evil Cultivators are wiped out, the Su Family's Sect Master, grateful for my contributions, specifically sent me here to invite you both back."

Chen Zhao smiled faintly.

At these words, Fang Zijing was stunned and uncertain.

Did the Sect Master act?

He immediately realized—but still couldn't believe it.

The Sect Master is on the verge of breaking into Nascent Soul; why would he emerge from seclusion early?

Liang Chenfeng, however, remained calm and detached.

"It seems the higher-ups were right: even with heavenly talent and concentrated Spirit Pulse Qi, how could he break into Nascent Soul when Yue Prefecture has no fourth-rank Spirit Pulse?"

He shook his head and softly chuckled as he transmitted his voice:

"Failed breakthrough, plus reckless action—how many years of life could he still have?"

"I thought you truly wanted this ruin! Using a False Core cultivator as cannon fodder—what a grand gesture!"

Fang Zijing whirled around, gritting his teeth.

Liang Chenfeng glanced at him coolly, too lazy to explain.

A dead-end False Core for the lifespan of a Golden Core Great Perfection—he didn't think it a loss.

"I have no wish to engage in a Dharma Battle. I'll take my leave first; you all do as you please."

Liang Chenfeng was merely ordered here; most of the opportunities here were useless to him—he had no reason to exert himself.

Pinching an Azure Talisman, he muttered "Go!" and vanished before their very eyes.

Transmission Talisman?

Chen Zhao frowned.

It seems the rumors were true—the Spirit Spring truly relates to a great Rune Master.

But.

With Liang Chenfeng gone, Chen Zhao now faced one against three.

Fang Zijing sensed danger and tried to flee—but realized he was already trapped in a sealing array.

Helpless, he prepared to summon the Black Magical Bead.

A dark blue arc of light slashed toward him.

Remembering the fate of his Folding Fan, he hastily retracted the Bead.

Too late.

The Yin Thunder Sword Art, launched later, struck first—piercing straight through the Bead.

Even a top-grade Dharma Treasure couldn't withstand it?

Fang Zijing's eyes turned dark and fierce; he formed a hand seal.

"You really think I'm afraid of you? My sword is no less sharp!"

After looting Enguang Ge, he carried many treasures—but now his spiritual sense was restricted, his abilities severely diminished.

Instantly,

Golden light spun within the room; behind him, three great swords materialized and shot forth.

Chen Zhao activated the Yin Thunder Sword Art; thunderlight flared, his sword technique following after.

Yet Fang Zijing's cultivation was one level higher, and with guidance from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, his strength surpassed Chen Zhao's.

A single strike halted the Qingming Spirit-Absorbing Sword.

Su Muqing activated her technique and barely managed to trap one of the swords with a Golden Talisman.

And the final sword shattered the feint, already upon Chen Zhao's front.

He activated the Wind-Riding Art, instantly flashing to the side; the golden great sword shot straight out the window, leveling entire stands of bamboo.

Even a single green bamboo stalk possessed the strength of a Low-grade Magical Tool.

While the great sword had not yet returned.

Chen Zhao recalled the Qingming Spirit-Absorbing Sword and unleashed the Yin Thunder Sword Art once more!

He had speed advantage and the Illusion Heart Zither's interference—he had no fear of a prolonged battle.

Meanwhile, Xin Tong activated a First-grade Mid-tier Array Disk; a purple light barrier flared up, and several violet thunderbolts shot straight toward Fang Zijing.

"Come then!"

Fang Zijing cupped his hands in the air, and a White Jade Seal flew forth, blocking the thunder.

Simultaneously, he formed a hand seal; his right hand instantly sheathed in purple-red scales, and he deflected the Wuqing Treasure Sword aside with bare hands.

This sword could shatter Mid-grade Dharma Treasures, yet left only faint white marks.

"You truly think I'm a frail scholar?"

Fang Zijing sneered; this was the Body Refining Technique personally selected by Fang Zhang, capable of pushing his Qi Refining eighth-layer physique to its utmost.

He immediately punched forward.

Clang.

One corner of the Purple Thunder Array shattered.

He dared not linger, leaping off bamboo branches to flee.

Suddenly.

A chill struck his back.

He whirled around—and saw sword qi crisscrossing like spilled ink, iron strokes and silver hooks.

Within the sword qi, coldness spread freely; wherever it passed, three feet of frost coated the ground.

Fang Zijing crossed his arms to block, activating a First-tier Protective Talisman.

Yet the sword qi blended illusion and reality, fast and slow—he could not guard front and back, and his body was already coated in shards of ice.

It didn't seem to hurt.

He dared not be careless; he surged his spiritual energy, holding firm against all changes.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a one-inch crack forming on the bamboo branch beside him, ravaged by the cold.

Then two inches, four inches… a green bamboo stalk snapped and fell.

Was the damage accumulating?

When he came to his senses, dozens of frost shards clung to his body, and the scales peeled away layer by layer—all within a single breath!

Fang Zijing had no time to be stunned; the next breath brought searing pain.

The purple-red scales—shattered!

But sword qi came in relentless waves; his eyes could no longer distinguish moonlight from icy gleam.

One after another, his Protective Dharma Treasures were destroyed; he reached for another Talisman—but felt a tremendous force strike him.

His vision went suddenly black.

When he opened his eyes again, he lay before Xiyan Pool—and sword qi came again.

Fang Zijing silently cursed.

He had acquired many Second-tier Talismans in the pavilion, even third- and fourth-tier ones—but his spiritual sense was insufficient, his cultivation too low; he could not activate them at all.

Worse still.

The Illusion Heart Zither never ceased its assault, leaving him dizzy and disoriented, even struggling to activate a First-tier Talisman.

Fortunately, this was his escape route!

Fang Zijing pinched a Water Escape Talisman and leapt toward Xiyan Pool.

The sword qi barely grazed his back, then shot straight into Xiyan Pool.

At that very moment, an anomaly erupted.

Xiyan Pool seemed to respond to the sword qi; the water surged upward like a dragon drinking, rushing toward the silver moon.

And at the instant the two met:

The water instantly froze into ice, solidifying into a black skyward staircase in midair!

Fang Zijing's mind raced.

This place was less than a hundred zhang from the silver moon; he immediately activated his evasion technique and shot upward.

The Wuqing Treasure Sword sought to intercept—but was blocked by a beam of lunar radiance, crashing into the ground and carving a pit several zhang deep.

Chen Zhao frowned and ordered the two women to follow him upward.

The silver moon expanded in his vision; jade pavilions and golden branches of the moon tree grew faintly visible.

A heavenly gate materialized above, faintly bearing three large characters: "Taiyin Palace."

Chen Zhao's eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of excitement passing through them.

There, upon the silver moon, stood a solitary stone stele.

Its surface bore intersecting sword marks, ancient and weathered.

Inscribed upon it were the twenty-eight characters of the Quick Snow Clears Sky Rubbing!

It was this very artifact, resonating with his Sword Formula, that had opened this path to heaven!