Chapter 151

Deep in the cave, Wang Shan's seated body was like a volcano about to erupt.

The medicinal power of the Purple Monkey Flower and the Condensed Yuan Obstacle-Breaking Pill surged tumultuously within his body, having already shattered the shackles of the Qi Refining stage; now it was wildly evolving toward a brand-new realm. His skin alternated between flaming red like a branding iron, with bulging, twisted veins like snakes, and deathly pale, devoid of any trace of blood, cold sweat beading. The Spiritual Energy Fluctuation radiating from his whole body was violently terrifying, wave after wave stronger than the last, yet laced with an indescribable chaos, as if it might lose control and explode at any moment.

Boom—

A low, muffled boom exploded within his Dantian Qi Sea; the newborn Foundation Establishment Spiritual Power, as if finding an outlet, yet like a wild horse breaking free of its reins, surged wildly, trying to break free of some invisible bond.

【Warning! Host's Spiritual Power Core is extremely unstable, Foundation Establishment not yet solid, risk of dissipation!】

【Advice: Immediately stabilize the mind, guide Spiritual Power to return to the source, otherwise all prior effort will be wasted!】

The system's alert tone was icy and urgent, but Wang Shan had no spare attention to spare; all his will was devoted to resisting the tearing pain and desperately controlling the vast power within him that was both familiar and strange. This Foundation Establishment was far more perilous than he had imagined!

Outside the cave, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed almost to drip water.

"Gulp—" Li Hu swallowed, his sturdy hand gripping the board axe at his waist, eyes locked on the cave entrance shrouded in vines, where a palpably throbbing energy tide seeped out. Each rise and fall of the tide made his heart clench.

"Mei girl, Old Master… is this commotion a bit too big?" he lowered his voice, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. This wasn't the first time he'd asked something like that.

Zhang Mei remained as cool as ever, but her tightly pressed lips and the half-drawn Iron Bone Bow in her hand betrayed her inner unrest. On the bowstring, three specially made Armor-Piercing Arrows glowed with a faint, cold light.

"Old Master knows his limits." Her voice was soft yet unusually firm, "We just need to hold our ground."

Beside her, Wang Zhitao and the recently retrieved, still somewhat timid Wang Zhe, their two little heads pressed close against her.

Wang Zhitao's little face turned pale as he clutched Zhang Mei's sleeve, whispering, "Aunt Mei, will Grandpa… Grandpa succeed? I feel it's scary in there…"

Wang Zhe was a bit older, but still just a child; his lips trembled as he stared at the pitch-black cave mouth, eyes full of fear, yet he struggled not to cry, merely clutching Li Hu's pant leg, his small hand icy cold.

Li Hu cracked his mouth, trying to smile to ease the mood, but it looked worse than crying: "Don't worry, who's your grandfather? He'll be fine! He'll come out soon to bring you something good to eat!"

He himself didn't believe those words.

Just then, the system's alarm rang sharply again in Wang Shan's mind:

【Special Alert! Detected Super High Intensity Spiritual Pressure Source! Target: Wan Honghai (Wan Family Supreme Elder, Late Foundation Great Perfection), already entered Ghost Sorrow Cliff Area! Heading toward Wan Tianjue to converge!】

【Alert! Wan Honghai's Spiritual Sense has already covered Ghost Sorrow Cliff Core Area; estimated to lock onto our approximate position within three minutes!】

Almost at the same moment, in the Ghost Sorrow Cliff Core Area, above that ravaged battlefield.

A figure descended like a shooting star, terrifying pressure sweeping all directions in an instant, as if even the air had solidified. The newcomer's beard and hair bristled, his stature burly—none other than the Wan Family Supreme Elder, Wan Honghai!

At a glance he saw Wan Tianjue sitting cross-legged on the ground, adjusting his breath, in a wretched state.

"Tianjue, what happened?!" Wan Honghai's voice was like the icy depths of the Nine Abodes, carrying boundless fury. "A mere Man Yun Mountain Range has caused our Wan family to suffer such losses, even our most cherished junior severely wounded?"

Feeling Wan Honghai's aura, Wan Tianjue struggled to his feet, his face flushed with shame and hatred: "Supreme Elder! It's that Dan Fu Fierce Old Wang Shan! He stole the Purple Monkey Flower and used treachery to gravely wound me!" He quickly recounted the events, especially the details of how, despite his power surging, he was still schemed against.

"Wang Shan..." Wan Honghai's eyes burst with killing intent, his aura surging, "A mere Qi Refining junior actually drove you to this point? And stole the Purple Monkey Flower? Trash!"

He laughed bitterly in his rage: "Good! Very good! I, old man, want to see just what kind of divine being this Wang Shan is!"

His Spiritual Sense spread like a tide, enveloping the entire Ghost Sorrow Cliff.

"Issue my order! All Wan Family descendants, block every exit of Ghost Sorrow Cliff! Not a single fly may escape! That Wang we shall dig three feet into the earth to find for me! I will make him wish for life but not find it, wish for death but not obtain it!"

Wan Honghai's voice echoed throughout Ghost Sorrow Cliff, carrying an unquestionable will. Yet he harbored a deeper doubt: was Wang Shan truly only after the Purple Monkey Flower?

At the same time, in another hidden spot of Ghost Sorrow Cliff.

The Black-clad Leader sat cross-legged on a black strange stone, before him hovering an ancient compass, its needle violently trembling, pointing toward a certain direction.

"Huh?" his hoarse voice tinged with surprise, "Such unstable Spiritual Power fluctuations... is someone attempting to break through to Foundation Establishment?"

A gleam flashed in his eyes, the corner of his mouth turning up in a silent arc.

"Ghost Sorrow Cliff... Wang Shan... breaking through Foundation Establishment... heh, truly heaven helps me as well!"

He immediately sent a message via some secret art: "Everyone, gather at coordinate XXX area! The target is breaking through Foundation Establishment—this is our best chance to seize the 'Key' and take the life of that old codger! Remember, conceal your movements; this person's methods are strange, do not be careless!"

At the command, dozens of black shadows surged out like ghosts from various shadows, silently flanking toward the cave where Wang Shan was. Their concealment technique was indeed superb, perfectly evading the few crude warning talisman arrays Li Hu and Zhang Mei had set up around the perimeter.

Outside the cave behind the waterfall.

Li Hu was about to say something more when suddenly his hairs stood on end, a feeling of being stared at by a primeval beast making his scalp go numb.

"Not good!"

Zhang Mei reacted even faster, almost simultaneously drawing her bow to full, the arrow tip pointing at a dense thicket to the left front, she shouted sharply, "Who goes there?!"

She sensed several strong Spiritual Sense waves sweeping over like bone‑eating maggots, openly malicious, and not just from one faction!

"Damn it, they found us this fast?!" Li Hu pulled the two children behind him, his board axe held across his chest, eyes flashing with ferocity, "A-Mei, protect the kids! Let's fight them!"

Wang Zhitao and Wang Zhe turned deathly pale with fright, yet both clenched their lips; Wang Zhitao even snatched up a stone, trembling as he pointed it outward.

"Grandpa… Grandpa is still in there…" Wang Zhe said with a sobbing tone, yet he clung tightly to Li Hu's pant leg, refusing to let go.

Deep in the cave, Wang Shan had reached the most critical moment.

His Spiritual Power within boiled like boiling water; in his Dantian Qi Sea, an illusory Spiritual Power vortex was gradually forming, the embryonic form of a successful Foundation Establishment. As long as this vortex was completely stabilized, he could leap to become a true Foundation Establishment cultivator!

However, at this critical juncture, an indescribably terrifying pressure descended from the heavens, as if the entire Ghost Sorrow Cliff were pressing down on his heart!

"Pfft!"

His mind shuddered; the Spiritual Power he had barely gathered nearly scattered, and he spat out a mouthful of reverse blood.

【Warning! Overwhelming external Spiritual Sense oppression! Host's mind disturbed, Foundation Establishment progress obstructed!】

【Warning! Heavenly Earth Law Perception, Foundation Establishment Tribulation imminent! Estimated thirty breaths!】

"Foundation Establishment... tribulation?!" Wang Shan's heart sank. When it rains, it pours!

He could clearly sense that outside the cave, at least two powerful, hostile auras were rapidly approaching!

One is that immortal old coot of the Wan family; the other… is that damned bunch of black‑clothed people!

How could they be this fast?!

What's worse, the sky above seemed to grow overcast, an intangible, soul‑trembling force gathering, its target precisely him!

Within, his Foundation Establishment was unsteady, his Spiritual Power raging; without, powerful enemies surrounded him, killing intent palpable; above, tribulation loomed—life and death hung by a thread!

Wang Shan and his two companions, his two grandsons, at this moment were utterly driven into a desperate situation.