Chapter 394: Strategic Retreat
At the foot of Suspended Bitter Mountain, Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes, able to discern only a faint, blurry light.
A massive horde of ghost beasts roared as they charged up the mountain, only to tumble back down halfway up the slope. An invisible, transparent barrier enveloped the peak, serving as Suspended Bitter Mountain’s final defense.
The fallen ghost beasts, however, did not die. They turned and charged up the mountain again, their numbers exceeding a thousand within Xu Sanyan’s line of sight alone. How many more lurked beyond his vision?
Of these ghost beasts, less than half had been drawn here by their actions.
Yet even without their intervention, Suspended Bitter Mountain would likely have been in grave danger.
The great elder maintained a serene expression as he gazed upward, the dense mist seemingly unable to completely obstruct his vision.
“That’s… a formation?”
Xu Sanyan’s eyes widened with curiosity. Hadn’t they been told Suspended Bitter Mountain lacked formations?
The great elder slowly shook his head. With his higher cultivation level, he could see more clearly. “That’s not a formation. It’s mystical arts.”
Xu Sanyan gasped. Mystical arts?
A mystical art encompassing the entire mountain peak?
Xu Sanyan wondered. With his Perfected Soul Refinement cultivation level, he could never achieve such a feat. There was only one possibility: the Sect Leader of Suspended Bitter Mountain had intervened.
On Suspended Bitter Mountain,
An old man with snow-white hair extended a hand, channeling vast spiritual power into the barrier before him, providing it with an endless stream of energy.
Behind him, disciples watched the ghost beasts swarming from all directions, their hearts pounding with fear. If the Sect Leader’s barrier failed, they would be torn to shreds in an instant.
The old man’s face remained stern as he observed the ever-increasing horde of ghost beasts. With a swift motion, he drew a purple longsword and hurled it into the air. The blade split into hundreds of violet beams, each piercing a ghost beast’s skull.
Awooo!
The mountain range echoed with the beasts’ death throes. With every strike, another ghost beast fell silent.
Xu Sanyan’s eyes narrowed. Though he couldn’t see the details of the battle on the mountain, he could hear the ghost beasts’ dying wails—clear evidence of their impending demise.
Suspended Bitter Mountain was indeed a formidable opponent. A void harmony realm expert was not to be underestimated.
“When do we strike?” the middle-aged man beside him asked.
The great elder chuckled. “No rush. Let’s wait a bit longer and let him expend more spiritual power.”
Suspended Bitter Mountain relied solely on Chen Yunzi’s strength. Though the sect had many disciples, few were capable of handling serious matters. Once Chen Yunzi was killed, the pool milk would be theirs for the taking.
As time slowly passed, the sky gradually darkened.
“Awoo~”
The distant howls remained agonizing, but the intervals between them grew longer, and fewer ghost beasts surged toward the mountain peak.
Xu Sanyan marveled inwardly. As expected of a void harmony realm expert. He’s protecting his disciples while still slaughtering ghost beasts with ease. Truly remarkable.
Sensing the opportune moment had arrived, the great elder turned and said, “Chen Yunzi is at his limit. Young Master Lin, Venerable Li, please join me in striking now. We must eliminate him swiftly and decisively.”
Chen Yunzi was the Sect Leader of Suspended Bitter Mountain.
“Understood,” the two men nodded in unison.
Xu Sanyan glanced at the burly middle-aged man beside him—Venerable Li.
Their eyes met, and they exchanged slight nods in acknowledgment.
“The three of you, assist from the flanks and intercept any reinforcements.”
“Yes.”
“Attack!”
The great elder roared, leaping into the air and charging straight toward the mountain peak. Xu Sanyan and the others followed closely behind.
“Hahahaha!”
The great elder’s laughter echoed like a demonic roar, his voice betraying his sinister intentions. “Chen Yunzi, do you still recognize me?”
Chen Yunzi’s heart tightened at the sound. His mind raced, and he immediately understood: no wonder the ghost beasts kept multiplying—this old fiend was behind it all!
“Why are you here?” Chen Yunzi demanded, his face darkening as he sensed the elder’s hostile intent.
The great elder chuckled. “Long time no see. I came to check if you were still alive. And if you’re not…”
His tone shifted abruptly, a ball of searing golden light coalescing in his palm. “Then I’ll send you to your death!”
“You’re courting death!” Chen Yunzi retorted fiercely. Though his spiritual power was severely depleted, he showed no fear.
Xu Sanyan tightened the secret realm fruit strapped to his back, conjured his great halberd, and charged forward alongside the great elder.
Venerable Li, not wanting to be outdone, suddenly produced a purple-gold dragon-patterned staff and brought it crashing down with a thunderous roar.
“Protect the Sect Leader!”
Four Soul Refining Realm cultivators from Suspended Bitter Mountain flew forward to assist Chen Yunzi, but the three members of the Wang Family intercepted them.
The battle instantly escalated to a fever pitch.
A golden radiance, tens of thousands of feet high, erupted from the great elder, its brilliance piercing even the thickest fog.
“Hmph!”
Chen Yunzi snorted coldly, immediately forming a Sword Incantation with his hand. His purple longsword soared into the air like a flood dragon, directly confronting the golden light.
Seizing the moment of distraction, Xu Sanyan swung his great halberd. A crimson blood-colored beam pierced through the fog, aimed at Chen Yunzi’s neck.
“Take this!”
Venerable Li, arriving close behind, was far more brazen. He roared loudly as he swung his long staff, as if afraid others wouldn’t notice his arrival.
Chen Yunzi completely disregarded the two. Though the Perfected Soul Refinement stage seemed only a thin veil away from the void harmony realm, they were worlds apart.
Without crossing that threshold, one could never grasp the true gulf between them.
“Trifling tricks!”
With a wave of his sleeve, Chen Yunzi summoned a beam of white light from the void. The luminous aura enveloped him, instantly dissolving the approaching crimson beam like a drop of water into the sea, leaving no ripple.
Xu Sanyan’s pupils constricted, his heart pounding with shock. He sensed something extraordinary within that white light—something beyond mystical arts or magic artifacts.
The Power of the Heavenly Dao!
This white light contained the Power of the Heavenly Dao!
Before he could dwell on it, the great elder’s golden radiance collided with the purple flood dragon. At the moment of impact, space itself seemed to freeze for an instant.
Boom!
The deafening explosion finally reverberated through the air, followed by a shockwave that swept across the battlefield. Thick mist billowed outward, creating a vast vacuum in the sky.
Xu Sanyan swiftly channeled his spiritual power, conjuring a luminous barrier before him. The instant the shockwave struck, the barrier shattered.
Cough, cough…
Xu Sanyan coughed lightly. The barrier had dissipated most of the residual spiritual power, leaving only a choking sensation.
The disciples of Suspended Bitter Mountain fared far worse. Those with lower cultivation levels immediately coughed up blood, sustaining severe injuries.
“Die!”
The great elder’s face twisted with malice as he unleashed another devastating strike, the golden light even more intense than before.
The previous attack had merely been a probe.
Chen Yunzi steeled his resolve. Knowing he had no choice but to fight with everything he had, he abandoned all restraint. He summoned his longsword and declared in a resolute voice,
“Didn’t your Wang Family want pool milk? Very well, today I’ll show you its true power!”
With that, the white light in the sky intensified, coalescing into a radiant pillar that enveloped Chen Yunzi. His body began to swell rapidly, his robes bursting apart under the strain.
A soul-shaking pressure descended upon the mountain peak. Xu Sanyan’s heart trembled—was this the void harmony realm?
Boom!
At the same moment, the great elder’s attack struck Chen Yunzi, the light completely engulfing him.
When the radiance dissipated, Chen Yunzi stood unscathed, as if the strike had merely tickled him.
Realizing the situation, Xu Sanyan immediately decided on a strategic retreat.
He also understood something crucial: if Suspended Bitter Mountain guarded the pool milk, wouldn’t they use it themselves?
As Sect Leader, how much pool milk had Chen Yunzi consumed?
No wonder the Wang Family remained obsessed with the pool milk.
(End of the Chapter)