A Bold Gamble!

As waves of terrifying pressure rolled outward, Lu Kangnian's furious roar resounded across the entire Great Xia Sword Sect!! "Cang Lu has betrayed the sect! He has struck down his master!" Those few short words plunged countless people into an icy abyss!!! No one could have imagined that Cang Lu, the sect's heaven-favored prodigy, would commit such an atrocity. Elders across the sect took to the skies one after another!! *Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!!!* Piercing sonic booms rang out incessantly. One furious figure after another rose from the ground. Atop Pill Peak, Sun Miao's gaze hardened. Before Li Guanqi left, he had asked Sun Miao to find a way to test that boy named Cang Lu once more. Sun Miao had probed Cang Lu with his divine sense and found nothing abnormal either. Yet right now, the aura radiating from that frantically fleeing youth was utterly terrifying—unquestionably that of a mighty Soul Formation Realm cultivator, and not merely one who had just entered early Soul Formation either!!! Sun Miao's expression shifted slightly. Conjuring a shimmering cauldron radiant with flowing light into his hand, he stepped into the void and teleported upward. Far from the various peaks, in the waters of the domain, the elder at the head slowly stood up. "Patriarch, should we really get involved?" The elder gripped a bone sword, his robes snapping violently in the wind as the scales on his cheeks emanated a soft, lustrous glow. With a grim, resolute gaze, he said in a deep voice, "We must go! The Spirit Fish Clan now shares honor and disgrace with the Great Xia Sword Sect!" "Not just this time—even if a mighty Void Refinement expert comes in the future, we must still step forward!" "All Soul Formation cultivators and above, follow me to slay the enemy!" *Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!!* A full dozen Soul Formation auras erupted with a roar!! Under the explosion of primal energy and pressure, a terrifying spiritual storm tore through the void. Wherever the storm passed, massive boulders were swept into the sky and ancient trees were uprooted. Dense, hairline fractures webbed across the heavens. Ling Daoyan flashed into the courtyard, pulling the weeping little girl aside. "Move aside! Let me do it!!" As he spoke, the elder flipped his hand and retrieved a crystal-clear bottle. Lifting the unconscious Li Nanting, he poured the medicine toward his mouth. However, the liquid merely dribbled down the old man's chin. Helpless, Ling Daoyan had to wrap the spiritual liquid in primal energy and guide it into his body. Yet inside Li Nanting, his dantian was cracked, and his golden core—already fragile—was covered with fractures!!! Ling Daoyan grew frantic and looked up, shouting in fury, "Old Li's golden core is cracked and about to shatter!!! Find a way to save him!!!" Thousands of zhang up in the sky, over a dozen Soul Formation cultivators had encircled Cang Lu! Boundless primal energy and domain powers intertwined, forming an airtight, formidable barrier. Yet not a single person dared underestimate the youth before them in the slightest. For no other reason than that he was resisting everyone's pressure entirely on his own!! Late Soul Formation!! Perhaps even nearing the peak!! Lu Kangnian stared coldly at Cang Lu without a word, not even asking what his true purpose was. Raising his sword, he shot forward like lightning, roaring, "Kill him!!!" Boom!!!! Instantly, brilliant spiritual lights erupted across the sky as primal energy surged and weapons chimed together in unison!! Deafening explosions blasted outward; the void twisted violently and tore into jagged fissures. Cang Lu ripped away his black robe with a demonic smirk, licking his lips. With a backward reach, he unslung the ancient zither from his back. As primal energy poured into it, the instrument flared with an intensely formidable pressure, gleaming with dazzling light. Cang Lu sat cross-legged in midair, his expression flat, letting the dozen-plus figures charge to cut him down! Yet the instant their blades were about to strike his body— *Zheng, zheng! Deng deng zheng!!* A frantic cascade of zither notes erupted, and the dozen-plus airborne figures were blasted back hundreds of zhang by an inexplicable force!!! In an instant, sharp sonic waves tore through the air, injuring everyone and sending crimson blood spraying across the sky. *Puff, puff, puff, puff!!!* Severed arms flew into the air!! Lu Kangnian stepped forward with sword in hand to protect several people beside him, the primal energy barriers before him shattering one after another!! Even as he shifted and dodged, that horrifying attack still sheared the flesh clean from his shoulder. In the courtyard, a woman's figure manifested in a flash. Lan Xun of the Spirit Fish Clan clutched an azure fish pearl in her hand, anxiously holding it out to Ling Daoyan. "Put the fish pearl in his mouth! Quick!" Ling Daoyan felt the rich vitality inside the fish pearl, pried Li Nanting's mouth open, and placed it inside. Instantly, a mysterious power coursed through the old man's body, finally slowing the leakage of his life force. Shen Lan, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, looked at the old man lying on the ground on the brink of death, her eyes swimming with tears. Ling Daoyan gave a brief word of comfort, then drew his sword with eyes brimming with murderous intent and vaulted into the air!! *Dong!!!!* The ground of the courtyard abruptly sank three inches, and the elder shot forward like an enraged lion!! "Contact Li Guanqi!" Only then did Shen Lan snap back to her senses. Pulling out a jade slip, she hesitated for a moment before recounting everything to Li Guanqi: "Cang Lu betrayed his master. Your master is dying now—his loss of life force has slowed, but it is still draining away continuously." "Cracks have appeared in his dantian, and his golden core is on the verge of shattering!" "Guanqi... can you... find a way..." Boom, boom, boom, boom!!! Unable to control his emotions, Li Guanqi crushed the jade slip in his grip!! His pure white eyes were now bloodshot, and his features contorted in sheer ferocity as he snarled through clenched teeth: "Cang Lu!!!!! Damn you!!!" Then, within Li Guanqi's sea of consciousness, the Dao platform hummed, and a surge of divine sense forcibly suppressed the raging tide of fury. He forced himself to calm down. In the span of a breath, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Right now, the most critical thing was to keep his master alive! Pulling out a jade slip, Li Guanqi said in a heavy voice, "Tang Ru, help me!" Speaking at rapid speed, he told Tang Ru what had happened. Far away in the Treasure Pavilion, Tang Ru held his jade slip with a grave expression. From the shadows behind him, the figure of an old man slowly emerged. With an equally somber look, the elder spoke: "Young Master, if a golden core is on the verge of shattering, there is basically no hope." Tang Ru could naturally hear the desperate hope in Li Guanqi's voice. He gritted his teeth. "There is still one way!" Hearing this, the old man behind him turned pale, his pupils constricting violently. Taking a stride forward, he urged in a low voice, "Young Master, think twice! That item is vital to you as well!!" "Besides, even if you give it to him, it can only prolong his life for a month or so; it cannot reverse his injuries!" "You... you must think this through!" Tang Ru leaned his hands on the desk, veins throbbing at his temples, his eyes filled with inner turmoil. Suddenly! *Bang!* Tang Ru slammed his fist against the desk and said resolutely, "Give it to him!" The elder let out a deep sigh upon hearing that, speaking in a low voice, "Very well... this old servant will deliver it at once..." "But Young Master... you..." "Say no more. My mind is made up!" Tang Ru sat back in his chair, his expression calm now as he said, "Everything I have today was brought to me by him." "I know my own body best. That thing would at most increase my chances by twenty percent." "Li Guanqi... is a man who deeply values bonds and loyalty. I want to take a gamble!"