Chapter 1661: Divide and Conquer

As long as they engaged in combat here, the aura of the Spirit Transformation stage would stir the heavens and earth. Other protectors across the Barren Moon Continent would surely sense the abnormality. Therefore, as long as they could stall, the advantage would shift toward the Ghost-Severing Sect. This demonstrated that Wei Zhongran and Mo Qing possessed exceptionally sharp tactical vision. In an instant, they had measured the situation and determined the best response: they could not allow Gu Jiuqi to fall. If the overall situation could be kept in a stalemate, that was the ultimate victory.

Gu Jiuqi hesitated only for a moment before his spells locked onto the two strongest enemies. He, too, felt that Wei Zhongran’s approach was correct. As Wei Zhongran and Mo Qing intercepted the initial-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator, Gong Chenying watched the three late-stage Nascent Soul enemies pounce. She immediately let out a sharp cry.

“Min’er, we will assist Master and the others! Qianji, Zi Kun, Eldest Senior Brother, Peak Master Li—you four must entangle at least two of them! The rest of you, concentrate everything on killing one of them at all costs!”

Seeing the scene before her, a past memory flashed through Gong Chenying’s mind. She knew all too well the vast gulf between the Spirit Transformation stage and the Nascent Soul stage. Back then, even with the combined power of Li Yan, the Grand Elder, Hong Yin, and Yan San, they had nearly been slaughtered by Xue Longzi. Among them, three had been at the peak of the late-stage Nascent Soul realm, yet they had been beaten into a miserable state. Wei Zhongran and Mo Qing had only recently entered the late-stage Nascent Soul realm; it was highly probable they could not withstand the enemy alone. If even one Spirit Transformation cultivator broke free, their side was doomed.

Thus, for the time being, even if their Nascent Soul cultivators suffered heavy losses, as long as their top-tier combatants remained standing, there was still hope. She knew the combat strength of the two beasts: Zi Kun was in the mid-fourth rank, and Qianji was in the initial-fourth rank. However, they both possessed unique innate divine abilities, and with the unique swarm tactics of Qianji’s kin, their true power was not something ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators could match. Among the remaining people, Li Wuyi and Li Yuyin had reached the Nascent Soul stage the earliest and were at the mid-stage. It would be best if they could stall one late-stage enemy. The Ghost-Severing Sect had many Nascent Soul cultivators, but most were at the initial-stage. Their best bet was to hope for the result of an ant colony bringing down an elephant. But this meant the Ghost-Severing Sect would surely suffer heavy casualties.

“Do as the Sixth Junior Sister says! Stall them!” Li Wuyi shouted. Without waiting for Li Yuyin to speak, he charged straight toward one of the late-stage Nascent Soul enemies.

“Wuyi…” Li Changting watched with anxiety, about to follow him, when a sharp rebuke reached her ears.

“Do as he says! It’s enough if you can trap one of them!” Li Yuyin barked. Her figure blurred as she joined Li Wuyi in attacking the same target.

In the midst of speaking, the spear on Gong Chenying’s back let out a dragon’s cry as it soared into the sky. She gripped the shaft firmly. Dressed in her blue archer-sleeved robes, her aura surged violently. She was like a blue phoenix, and her spear like a swimming dragon!

Zhao Min did not hesitate. Her grasp of the battlefield was equally sharp, and she knew this was a gamble where they had to use their lives to ‘stall’ the enemy. Out of her longing for Li Yan, she had asked Gong Chenying more than once about the final battle against the Spirit Transformation expert at the Tianli Clan. Though she hadn’t been there, she knew every detail by heart and understood the true terror of such a master. Gong Chenying’s single sentence was all she needed to understand her intent.

“Retreat, quickly…” Mo Qing’s heart filled with anxiety as he and Wei Zhongran met the enemy. Gong Chenying and Zhao Min were only at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Coming up here wouldn’t do much good; they would be far more useful helping the others against the three late-stage Nascent Soul enemies.

But before he could finish, he felt two powerful auras arrive from behind. Zhao Min, dressed in snow-white robes, had a strange demon flower swaying vividly upon her jade-white neck. Gong Chenying arrived with the momentum of a raging fire, her spear piercing through the air!

The initial-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator on the opposite side felt that it was fine for two late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators to pounce—after all, he had intended to capture the two strongest first. But why were two mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators throwing their lives away as well?

‘Are they out of people? A cornered dog jumping over a wall? Having more people doesn’t mean it’s useful!’ He let out a cold snort in his heart. On the other side, a massive explosion had already rung out as Gu Jiuqi, being faster, had already begun clashing with the two Spirit Transformation powerhouses.

However, just as the initial-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator allowed a flash of mockery to cross his eyes, the two auras erupting from behind the girls came crashing down like a tidal wave. It was enough to make his intended attack slow down for a heartbeat.

‘Late… late-stage Nascent Soul?’

The moment the two women attacked, their auras multiplied, and the momentum they radiated was not even weaker than that of Mo Qing or Wei Zhongran. This left Mo Qing dazed; he had never expected Zhao Min and Gong Chenying to possess such formidable strength. These two had always been extremely low-profile, never interacting with other Nascent Soul disciples and spending their days in the bamboo courtyard. Many felt that among Wei Zhongran’s disciples, besides the eccentricities of Lin Daqiao, Wei Chituo, and Wen Xinliang, the others were carved from the same mold as their master.

But the enemy cultivator soon sensed that the two arriving women were still physically at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Their ferocity was simply overwhelming. ‘It must be that their cultivation techniques are too unique!’

At this moment, a fire burned within Gong Chenying’s chest. If only she had possessed this strength back then, she could have fought side-by-side with her Little Junior Brother. This time, she would no longer be a helpless spectator!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Accompanied by the thunderous sounds from Gu Jiuqi’s side, the five of them clashed in a single instant. Mo Qing was the first to be forced back, blood spraying from his mouth and nose. Immediately after, Gong Chenying and Zhao Min were sent flying back amidst the explosions.

However, Wei Zhongran, wielding his twin hammers, had long since abandoned his usual gentle demeanor. He held a massive Crow-Gold Hammer in each hand, their heads terrifyingly large—the size of three or four adult human heads. At the top of each Crow-Gold head was a long, sharp spike radiating a dark golden light. Dressed in his dark green robes, he stood tall against the wind. At this moment, his twin hammers smashed upward against a golden, mountain-splitting giant axe that was cleaving down!

Sizzle, sizzle…

Black light and golden light intertwined in a series of electrical arcs.

Thump!

Another muffled sound echoed. Wei Zhongran’s body shook violently, and he took several large steps backward. With every step, a black spatial rift appeared beneath his feet in the void. Blood began to seep from the corners of his mouth.

“Hmm? How are they this strong?” The initial-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator’s condensed magical power dissipated, and the giant golden axe flew back into his hand. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes. These four had actually managed to block one of his strikes by joining forces—and he was a Spirit Transformation master!

The first cultivator who flew out wasn’t so bad; he was a normal late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, though his cultivation felt slippery and hard to pin down. Although he was blasted back, he had shed much of the force and wasn’t heavily injured. But those two mid-stage Nascent Soul women were actually body-refiners with strength rivaling the late-stage. Despite the incredible shock to their bodies, they hadn’t been injured and performed even better than the late-stage cultivator.

The woman in the blue archer-sleeved robes had used her spear to take nearly twenty percent of his attack, and the strange heat coming from her weapon had surged toward his internal organs, making his meridians sting. As for the white-robed woman, her single punch had sent a vibration through his bones, causing a numbing sensation.

But the most ridiculous one was that mild-mannered, slightly plump young man. He had taken forty percent of the attack by himself and even managed to blast back the giant axe with the help of the others. The depth of his magical power seemed no less than his own, though his manipulation of the Heavenly Rules was far inferior. This resulted in his strangely massive magical power being wasted and dissipated during the attack.

“Truly a top-tier sect of a major continent. Every single one of them possesses such powerful techniques!” The initial-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator’s eyes turned red with greed. They were from minor realms, and although they had found their own immortal destinies to reach the peak, the hardships they had endured throughout their lives were things they never wished to remember.

He immediately realized these people practiced top-tier techniques. In an instant, his jealousy and greed erupted. He intended to seize their techniques for himself. ‘Why should you have such excellent cultivation resources while we struggled in minor realms? The heavens are truly unfair. In that case, I will trample all of you beneath my feet!’

Thinking this, he raised the giant axe with one hand. In an instant, the golden light intensified, and a shockwave surged toward the sky…

At this moment, within the surrounding area outside the Ghost-Severing Sect, massive mountains began to collapse amidst the tremors. The sky changed color as explosions sent shattered rocks and tree debris flying. On the other side, the Nascent Soul battle had split into three circles. In those three circles, even after just a brief contact, a large number of Gu-insects and Snow Mosquitoes had already perished.

First, Li Wuyi and Li Yuyin faced a late-stage Nascent Soul enemy. With just one exchange, they were suppressed; after all, the opponent was a Great Cultivator. But the techniques practiced by Li Wuyi and Li Yuyin were also high-level arts of the Ghost-Severing Sect, and they possessed vast combat experience. Though suppressed, the enemy could not kill them in a short time.

Furthermore, Li Yuyin had released a swarm of golden Gu-insects. These insects possessed hard golden shells and were the size of an infant’s fist. They immediately surrounded the late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. Although Li Wuyi and Li Yuyin were constantly forced back by the enemy’s strikes, those golden Gu-insects managed to block many of the attacks.