Chapter 1664: Battlefield Shift (Part One)

The situation on Li Wuyi’s side was noticed by the enemy. They realized their initial judgment was wrong; the plan hadn’t gone as expected. They had thought only the Spirit Transformation cultivator would be the focus of their collective effort, but the result was different. Now, things had changed. Even losing one Nascent Soul cultivator would completely change the outcome.

‘Damn it, why hasn’t Fellow Daoist Yu finished his opponent yet?’ The late-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator was anxious. He and his companion were being stalled by the Ghost-Severing Sect’s Spirit Transformation master, and the grey-robed elder hadn’t returned. They had planned on the elder’s secret intervention, allowing them to resolve everyone quickly and quietly. But that newcomer had disrupted everything, and the elder was forced to deal with him warily.

Ten seconds had passed, and they still hadn’t won. Though they had the upper hand, the wind was about to change. Once their Nascent Soul cultivator fell, the other two wouldn’t last long. ‘The techniques of these Ghost-Severing Sect cultivators are too strong!’ the mid-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator transmitted. They were only talking among themselves, not letting the three Nascent Soul cultivators hear, lest they panic.

“Hmph, die!” The initial-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator realized that only his circle and the one facing the two beasts had a chance of an early kill. Red light flashed in his hand as a shadow pounced toward Wei Zhongran. At the same time, he pointed at his natal giant axe in the air. It moved like a snake, skillfully cleaving toward the approaching Red-Whisk Crimson Dragon Spear. He personally dodged a strike from Mo Qing aimed at his forehead and engaged Zhao Min. His movements were fluid. Before reaching her, he pointed at her face. A green stone the size of a fist shot toward her.

All of this happened in a flash. Wei Zhongran saw the shadow pouncing at him. His Divine Sense revealed it was a mid-fourth rank Fire-Eyed Cloud-Piercing Fox with red fur. It was incredibly fast and was already before him the moment it appeared in his Divine Sense. At the same time, the giant axe clashed with the Crimson Dragon Spear, erupting with blinding light.

The Spirit Transformation cultivator’s eyes were locked onto Zhao Min, a look of pain flashed in his heart. ‘Stall for one second!’ This was his command to the Fire-Eyed Cloud-Piercing Fox. That plump young man was the most troublesome; if the man understood the laws better, he might not even be his match in a duel. Using the fox to stall him would likely result in the beast being heavily injured or killed. It was a mid-fourth rank beast that had accompanied him through many dangers. But that annoying plump young man had the ability to easily kill most Nascent Soul cultivators. As his companion said, these people were troublesome. If this continued and the elder didn’t return, they would have to flee.

A Spirit Transformation master’s speed was not something Zhao Min could match. Since she and Gong Chenying fought in close quarters, they were already near him. The attack arrived instantly. Her eyes remained calm as she flicked her long whip, which coiled like a snake around the green stone. At the same time, she retreated rapidly.

Almost simultaneously, the Nascent Soul enemy facing the two beasts also realized that his companion was in trouble. He let out a roar. His human face suddenly grew dense, coarse black hair. His limbs also began to swell and thicken.

Riiip! Riiip!

His clothes were shredded as his body expanded. His boots burst into fragments. His fingers and toes grew like gnarled tree branches, and his purple nails curved like hooks. His tongue dangled from his mouth like a hanged ghost. Everything happened fast. As he transformed, he raised his right hand. A strange sight appeared: while his limbs and body had just thickened, everything except his right hand began to thin again. That right hand suddenly became as thick as his waist, and he clawed toward Qianji. The claws let out sharp shrieks, and spatial rifts appeared. This was a sight that only a peak Nascent Soul could cause. It meant he had pushed his power to its absolute limit in an instant. His dangling tongue began to vibrate, causing ripples in the air. This was an acoustic wave that only Divine Sense could detect, and it spread toward Zi Kun. Zi Kun’s innate abilities also included acoustic attacks. In this moment, he felt his own acoustic attack being drawn in and turned back against him.

Though only ten seconds had passed, the enemy had learned many of the beasts’ abilities. Qianji’s body was strong, but not enough to withstand a direct clash with a higher rank. Zi Kun was strong, but he was better at physical force. Thus, the enemy used his full power against Qianji while using a soul-vibration technique against Zi Kun.

Zhao Min’s whip coiled around the green stone.

Boom!

The moment the whip touched it, the hard stone turned into green mist. Zhao Min’s whip passed right through. ‘Not good!’ Her expression changed. The enemy’s series of lightning attacks had forced the others to defend, breaking their cooperation. He had used this moment to get right in front of her. Furthermore, the green stone had looked and felt hard, leading her to make a wrong judgment. The mist accelerated as it spread. After her whip missed, both were moving at extreme speeds. She couldn’t dodge in time, and the green mist fell onto her. Although she had a protective aura, she hadn’t summoned other defensive artifacts. As a body-refiner, she believed in offense as defense; too many auxiliary artifacts would affect her combat power.

The moment the mist touched her, her aura erupted with white light. But the mist and light intertwined, quickly hardening into a shell. In a flash, Zhao Min was encased in a green outer shell. This was the true purpose of the artifact: trapping! The Spirit Transformation master wanted this effect. A golden rope appeared in his hand.

“Bind!” He shouted. The golden rope flew toward the green shell. He wanted to capture her with the Immortal-Binding Rope. With one person captured, the threat of the other three would rapidly decrease.

Zhao Min was trapped by the sudden change, and her sensing of the heavens and earth was cut off by ninety percent. The power of the world she could draw upon fell to its lowest point. But she only changed expression for a moment before pushing her magical power. The demon flower on her arm became more vivid. Just then, a golden rope appeared in her Divine Sense, and she felt a mortal threat. She pushed off with her feet, sinking downward, unable to punch through the green shell in time.

At the same time, the enemy facing the two beasts also unleashed his strongest attack. He intended to break the stalemate here or with Wei Zhongran. Under the suppression, the claw descending upon Qianji had distorted the surrounding space. It felt as if five sharp blades were closing in on him. No matter where he moved, he couldn’t escape. A fierce light flashed in Qianji’s eyes. A massive, crystalline wing separated from his body and appeared above his head. He didn’t use his kin to form ice swords; facing such an enemy, his kin could assist in offense, but at the cost of countless lives—a desperate measure.

Thud!

In a muffled sound, Qianji used his remaining wing to slide to the side. A mass of black and white light exploded above his head. Five sharp black nails pierced through the shield-like ice wing with only a slight delay. Countless ice shards flew in all directions. The claw continued to strike the void below! By separating his wing, Qianji’s aura plummeted. He looked exhausted, but he had escaped that distorted space!

Zhao Min was falling rapidly with the green shell. The Immortal-Binding Rope was only an inch away, locked onto her. As chaos reigned in the sky, a figure appeared at the mountain gate. It was Li Zhaoyan, one of those who had braved the danger to retrieve Li Yuyin and the others. This sudden battle had left the sheltered Li Zhaoyan dazed. Though a Golden Core expert, she hadn’t seen such a battle since the era of Li Yan. Zhao Min knew her weakness and had planned to send her out to see the cruelty of the cultivation world. But then she had become obsessed with puppet arts under her new master, and her training had been delayed.

Now, Li Zhaoyan saw a massive battle erupt without warning. To her shock, in just ten seconds, the senior uncles who could call upon the wind and rain were falling from the sky like meteorites or broken birds. Everything happened so fast. In the shouts of her experienced peers, she saw figures braving the warnings to retrieve their fallen elders. Despite her fear, she followed. She couldn’t run away—that was what Li Wuyi and Zhao Min had taught her since childhood. But the collapsing mountains and the debris flying like lethal arrows forced the Golden Core disciples to dodge with all their might. They managed to retrieve several elders, and Li Zhaoyan had just returned to the gate. She looked up and saw Zhao Min encased in green mist, chased by a golden rope, falling rapidly.

Li Zhaoyan covered her mouth with her hand. Her Divine Sense couldn’t keep up with the speed of the green shell. She didn’t know what happened to her mother. She thought her mother was unconscious, or… She hesitated for a moment while entering the gate. The disciples beside her had already retreated with Li Yuyin and the others, leaving her somewhat prominent amidst the chaos.

In the sky, the Spirit Transformation cultivator chasing Zhao Min saw Mo Qing approaching again. Wei Zhongran had just killed the Fire-Eyed Cloud-Piercing Fox, and Gong Chenying was sliding backward through the void, her aura fluctuating wildly after being blasted back by the giant axe. The Spirit Transformation cultivator suddenly let out a soft exclamation.

“Eh? This person looks like the target’s child!” His Divine Sense swept over the prominent Li Zhaoyan below. Since they were here to capture Li Yan, they had a lot of information on his closest kin. The Spirit Transformation master’s eyes lit up. He would capture the child to force them to submit. He knew many of the Nascent Soul cultivators were either Li Yan’s peers, his master, or his Dao companions. Once the child was in his hand, the others would surely fall into chaos. He pointed forward. The Immortal-Binding Rope turned into a golden line and shot toward Li Zhaoyan at the gate. The Spirit Transformation master’s body blurred as he rushed toward the falling Zhao Min. Her combat power was good; though Mo Qing was coming to her aid, he wanted to use this chance to deal a heavy blow. Even if he couldn’t capture her, he would cripple her and change the entire battlefield.

Everything changed in a flash. Only a few people in Zhao Min’s circle noticed the Immortal-Binding Rope vanishing. They were focused on the enemy’s next major attack. The sudden change made Mo Qing’s face pale. He immediately abandoned the enemy and rushed downward. Wei Zhongran and Gong Chenying also changed expression, but it was too late for them to intercept the rope.

‘Why did that child come out?’