Chapter 362: Returning Home (A Celebration for the Silver Alliance Grandmaster)
Chapter 362: Returning Home (A Celebration for the Silver Alliance Grandmaster)
Wu Kingdom.
“Hooooowl! ”
A rhinoceros-like demon beast was currently chewing on shredded meat in its mouth.
Its nasal bridge was high, and three rhinoceros horns, arranged side by side, gleamed with cold light—it was a second-order demon beast, a Cold Moon Rhinoceros!
With a wide gulp, the beast even ground all the fragmented bones in the meat into powder.
Wherever it passed, a mortal village had already been reduced to ruins.
After eating its fill, the beast felt satisfied and was just about to leave.
Suddenly, a few yellow-winged birds circling above its head cried out.
Ripple!
The original ruins rippled like water, revealing a curtain of light.
Behind the light curtain stood several cultivators, dressed in different robes, each holding array flags.
“Damn it. . . I didn't expect this Cold Moon Rhinoceros to also have its companion demon beasts, the 'Yellow Spirit Birds'! ”
A middle-aged cultivator, carrying a large bamboo basket on his back, roared, “Go. . . kill these Yellow Spirit Birds first! Otherwise, none of us will escape! ”
As he spoke, he raised a hand, and several talismans flew out like hidden weapons, transforming into balls of flame in mid-air.
The fluctuations of this person's magic power were considerable; he was actually a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
“Kill! ”
Behind him, several mid to late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators exchanged glances, all releasing their magical artifacts to assist in the attack, secretly cursing their bad luck.
This beast tide had indeed arrived with excessive ferocity; it was said that White Peace Immortal City was breached in a single day, and large hordes of demon beasts surged into the heartland of the Three Kingdoms.
By the time the cultivators reacted, the situation had already become uncontrollable.
This time, they had been dispatched on a mission and were resting here after fortunately completing it, never expecting to encounter a Cold Moon Rhinoceros!
This demon beast was not only thick-skinned and tough-fleshed but also proficient in several innate magical arts; even against a late-stage Foundation Establishment grand cultivator, it could fight back and forth.
'Uncle-Master Li', who led the group, naturally did not want to fight head-on and chose to conceal themselves with an array formation instead.
However, he hadn't expected that this demon beast would actually have companion demon beasts!
Although the Yellow Spirit Birds were only first-order demon beasts, they were naturally extremely sensitive to spiritual energy fluctuations and possessed some ability to discern illusions, directly discovering their hiding place!
Now, they had no choice but to fight for their lives!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several fireballs struck the Yellow Spirit Birds in the sky, exploding violently.
Scorched bird corpses fell to the ground, and the Cold Moon Rhinoceros's eyes immediately turned red at the sight.
It pawed at the ground with its four feet, letting out an earth-shattering roar, ready to charge forward!
“Go! ”
Seeing this, Uncle-Master Li tossed the bamboo basket from his back.
Clack! Clack!
Countless sounds of mechanisms clicking were heard as the bamboo basket rapidly transformed in mid-air, actually becoming a mechanical twin-headed giant tiger. From one of its tiger mouths, it spewed pale green wind blades, while the other tiger head opened wide and abruptly shot out a crimson beam of light.
The two attacks struck the Cold Moon Rhinoceros one after another, but only left shallow wounds, causing the rhinoceros to stumble, though its momentum was greatly reduced.
The mechanical twin-headed tiger roared and bravely surged forward, beginning to entangle with the Cold Moon Rhinoceros.
After all, it was merely a puppet; being fearless of death, it was not difficult for it to barely hold off the Cold Moon Rhinoceros.
Taking advantage of this opportune moment, the magical artifacts used by the Qi Refinement disciples also slammed onto the Cold Moon Rhinoceros's body.
Meanwhile, Uncle-Master Li carefully and gravely took out a jet-black blade, muttering incantations as a large amount of liquid magic power continuously poured into it.
The jet-black blade looked like a fragment of some magical treasure; its edges were sharp, and it bore intricate patterns.
This was Uncle-Master Li's trump card, something he kept hidden. The fragment of a magical treasure was obtained through a fortuitous encounter, and he later spent a fortune to find a refining grandmaster to reforge this fragment, barely making it suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators to use.
However, each activation consumed a vast amount of magic power, making it a life-saving trump card that could only be used at critical moments of life and death.
Using it now, its power was indeed extraordinary.
The fragment spun rapidly, conjuring countless jet-black light blades that whistled as they flew towards the Cold Moon Rhinoceros.
Thud! Thud!
The Cold Moon Rhinoceros's battered hide armor finally broke through its defenses, sending a spray of blood.
Meanwhile, the magical treasure fragment followed a wound, drilling into the Cold Moon Rhinoceros's body and directly into its skull. . .
Thump!
With a rumbling crash, the Cold Moon Rhinoceros collapsed, causing a small tremor.
“Uncle-Master Li is amazing! ”
The other Qi Refinement disciples' eyes lit up, and they stepped forward to flatter him, “Your mechanism arts are becoming even more formidable. . . ”
“Haha. . . ”
Uncle-Master Li wore a pleased expression. “Most second-order demon beasts are inferior to Foundation Establishment cultivators; as long as you find their weakness, you can kill them with one blow. . . I also. . . not good! ”
He was just about to step forward and harvest the valuable materials from the Cold Moon Rhinoceros when his divine consciousness captured something, and his expression suddenly changed drastically.
He saw, not far away in the forest, strange birds with three pairs of wings flying up.
They looked like vultures, but each had a white skull atop its head, appearing extremely terrifying.
“It's the Six-Winged Ghost Doves! A second-order group demon beast. . . ”
A Qi Refinement disciple's face was filled with despair. “These demon beasts must have been startled by the commotion of our previous fight. . . ”
“Split up and run. . . everyone for themselves! ”
Uncle-Master Li gritted his teeth, slapped several 'Light Body Talismans' onto himself, and said with determination.
Encountering this group of second-order demon beasts, even he might fall.
And fleeing now was simply courting death; what difference was there between comparing speed with second-order flying demon beasts and playing with one's life?
However, as long as he concealed his aura and mingled with the scattered Qi Refinement disciples, with not many ghost doves giving chase, he might still escape with his life!
In an instant, Uncle-Master Li had grasped the only chance for survival, proving himself astute, capable, and extremely decisive.
Chirp!
Just as this person was preparing to flee, a clear cry suddenly echoed from the sky!
A terrifying wave of demonic qi erupted, causing even the other Qi Refinement disciples to go weak in the knees and fall to the ground.
Even Uncle-Master Li felt his magic power circulate sluggishly within him, and couldn't help but reveal a look of despair: “It's a third-order Demon King. . . ”
Not just a Demon King, the pressure this Demon King exerted on him felt several times stronger than any third-order demon beast he had ever encountered.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
At this moment, a flash of light appeared on the horizon; it seemed a carriage was flying towards them.
And in front of the carriage, there was a flood dragon and a green bird?
Upon seeing the ghost doves below, the green bird's eyes immediately showed a look of disgust, and it flapped its wings.
Balls of green flame took the form of feathers, or perhaps flying arrows, raining down from mid-air.
The second-order Six-Winged Ghost Doves were utterly unable to resist; as soon as a trace of Green Luan True Fire touched them, they screamed and turned into ashes.
From afar, it looked as if a shower of green meteor-fire was falling.
“A dragon and a phoenix pulling a carriage. . . which high-level cultivator possesses such grandeur? ”
“No, judging by the direction, they actually came from the depths of the Myriad Beast Mountain Range. Could they be a grand cultivator from the Yuan Kingdom? ”
Uncle-Master Li watched this scene, his heart long devoid of any relief at surviving the ordeal, leaving only an inexpressible shock.
Chirp! Chirp!
The carriage in mid-air paused slightly, then immediately arrived above the small mountain village.
By now, the aura of the Horned Dragon and the Green Fire Luan had become even more terrifying, simply unfathomable.
Uncle-Master Li no longer cared about the awkward Qi Refinement disciples and immediately bowed with utmost respect. “Li Shu of the Jade General Sect, I thank Senior for saving our lives! Should Senior have any commands, this junior will not refuse even unto death! ”
He was now certain that the being inside the carriage was at least a Core Formation cultivator, and not an ordinary one at that!
“Li Shu? ”
From within the carriage, a faint, very young voice drifted out: “Your puppet arts are cultivated quite well. . . It seems the Three Kingdoms cultivation world is once again in a beast tide period. I have some questions for you. . . ”
“Yes, Senior, please ask away; this junior will tell you everything I know. . . ” After Li Shu heard a few questions, confusion arose in his heart.
This Senior seemed remarkably knowledgeable about the Three Kingdoms cultivation world, not at all like an outsider.
Could it be. . .
In his mind, a renowned figure immediately surfaced.
That individual was also a Core Formation cultivator from the Three Kingdoms, and a prime example of late bloomers, revered as an idol by countless Foundation Establishment cultivators.
After he achieved the Golden Core Dao, it was rumored that he had gone to the Yuan Kingdom. By now, it must have been almost a century, right?
Fang Xi had no idea that a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator could roughly guess his identity; this was also due to the scarcity of Core Formation cultivators in the Three Kingdoms.
However, this was originally an inconsequential matter.
This time, upon his return, he had no intention of concealing his identity any longer.
Listening to the Foundation Establishment junior's answer, he immediately fell into thought. “The Three Kingdoms cultivation world is truly a bit too miserable. . . The Myriad Beast Mountain Range could barely hold up after just one mid-grade third-order Demon King appeared. Old Ghost Yan is a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator, and from a major sect at that. . . ”
Having thought this, he asked, “Has Old Ghost Yan of the Ethereal Valley Sect still not made a move? ”
Li Shu was startled, then a hint of resentment appeared on his face. “For the past few decades, Old Ancestor Yan has only been concerned with suppressing the You family. After White Peace Immortal City was breached, he immediately activated their mountain-protecting grand array and declared the Ethereal Valley Sect closed for ten years. . . leaving us smaller sects of the Wu Kingdom in a terrible plight. . . ”
“Haha. . . that's true. After all, he's nearing the end of his lifespan, why would he pull chestnuts from the fire for you all. . . The internal affairs of the Ethereal Valley Sect are enough to consume much of his effort. As long as they hold out for a while, the beast tide will eventually recede. . . I wonder how the other two kingdoms are faring? ”
Fang Xi rubbed his fingers, thinking of many people in the Three Kingdoms cultivation world.
Li Shu thought for a moment and replied, “The Yue Kingdom is still alright, with Old Ancestor Zhang leading the Black Heaven Sect in resistance. . . Although there are still demon beasts rampant, the losses aren't too severe. As for the Mu Kingdom, it's far more tragic. . . Since Old Ancestor Lu of the Green Wood Sect passed away, not a single Core Formation cultivator has emerged, and they've been embroiled in open and secret struggles with numerous Foundation Establishment forces, depleting their strength considerably. This kingdom is currently the weakest among the Three Kingdoms in terms of cultivator power. . . Now, besides that mid-grade third-order Demon King, several other third-order demon beasts have also entered the Mu Kingdom, and it's said they are even attacking the Green Wood Sect's mountain-protecting grand array. . . ”
“Still haven't nurtured a Core Formation cultivator? That truly is troublesome. . . ”
Fang Xi was lost in thought.
He had no deep animosity towards the Green Wood Sect; on the contrary, he had a bit of an acquaintance with them.
'There's no rush to return to Myriad Islands Lake now. I'll settle all my debts and grievances first. . . '
With this thought, his divine consciousness stirred.
The Green Fire Luan immediately let out a long cry and flapped its wings, taking flight.
Watching the carriage transform into a stream of light and vanish, Li Shu remained bowed until half an hour later, when he finally straightened his body.
“Uncle-Master. . . who exactly was that Senior? ”
Only then did a Qi Refinement disciple timidly open his mouth to ask.
“Don't go asking about things you shouldn't know. . . ”
Light flickered in Li Shu's eyes. If the person he suspected had truly returned, the power structure of the Three Kingdoms cultivation world might be about to undergo a massive change.
Within this, would there be an opportunity for their Jade General Sect?
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