Duan Qiankun drew a deep breath and suddenly flew backward.
With his words, he had already bought sufficient reaction time for the Duan family cultivators.
Next, it was a matter of eliminating all enemies as quickly as possible.
The instant he retreated, a massive fist smashed into where he had stood.
A formidable blast of qi erupted violently, blasting a crater dozens of feet deep into that stretch of mountain woods.
"What terrifying power!"
Duan Qiankun's pupils constricted as he identified his opponent.
"War Hall, Wang Yuan!"
Behind the fiery-red fist shadows, a figure clad in coarse hemp robes emerged.
He stared at Duan Qiankun, his gaze burning with wild fanaticism.
"Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, Duan Qiankun!"
"Today, I shall test my moves against you."
With those words, his fist flew.
Surging vital blood coiled around his fist.
Witnessing this, Duan Qiankun sneered coldly.
"Boorish brute!"
Graceful as a swallow, circling in the sky, he brought two fingers together like a blade and carved an arc through the air.
*Chi...*
The surging vital blood hitched, and Wang Yuan looked down.
His hemp garment was torn open, revealing a startlingly deep sword slash across his chest.
*Swish!*
The supreme dharma artifact Heluo Sword returned to Duan Qiankun's side, swimming around him like an agile fish.
The old man sneered, "Possessing the strength to shake a mountain, yet unable to harm this old man in the slightest. A body cultivator? Nothing more than a heretical sideline swept aside by the torrent of time!"
"Even a sideline can kill you!"
Wang Yuan roared in fury, executing the Ascending Dragon Steps to cross a hundred feet in a single stride.
Vigorous vital blood swirled around his golden-gloved fists.
A fist crashed out violently.
Duan Qiankun's heart jumped, and he hurriedly projected a barrier of light.
*Boom!*
A thunderous blast erupted, sending the old man drifting backward.
Midair, the supreme flying sword blazed with blue light, showering forth vast billows of water-attribute spiritual power.
"What a bizarre footwork technique!"
"Yet even so, you are still no match for me!"
"Too much idle chatter—die!" Unmoved, Wang Yuan took another stride.
Duan Qiankun's expression tightened slightly, but his wealth of combat experience prevented any panic.
He calmly widened the distance between himself and Wang Yuan in the sky.
Riding the cold night's spring rain, the Heluo Sword advanced and retreated unpredictably.
At times vanishing into the night sky, at times erupting in surging sword light.
Though fighting on the move, after several exchanges, he held the upper hand entirely.
Aside from a slight expenditure of spiritual power, Duan Qiankun was completely unscathed.
Wang Yuan, on the other hand, who had been constantly in pursuit, was now drenched in blood, his body marred by countless sword wounds.
Many of the cuts were so deep that bone was nearly visible.
"So what of a Vajra physique?"
"Before an immortal's flying sword, it amounts to nothing!"
Duan Qiankun stood aloft in the heavens, looking down at Wang Yuan panting heavily on the ground below.
His expression was disdainful, as if gazing upon an ant.
*Is this what a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator is?*
Wang Yuan looked up at that decrepit enemy, who reeked of withering death from head to toe, and a feeling of possessing power with nowhere to exert it nearly drove him mad.
*No magic treasure, three-to-seven odds?*
He had been too arrogant!
With the speed of a flying sword paired with the escape speed of a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, getting within a thousand feet of the man was utterly beyond his reach.
"I shall kill you first, then decapitate every enemy here and display their heads to the public."
"I will let everyone know that the Duan family of Great River is not to be trifled with!"
Duan Qiankun snarled with vicious resolve.
Events had unfolded abruptly today; the Luotian Association's preemptive strike had caught him off guard.
Yet two hundred years of lifespan had exposed him to far too much.
An unfavorable situation also carried tremendous rewards.
So long as he established dominance in this battle and then relied on the protector Xiong Kun to suppress opposition, even without him, no one would dare challenge the Duan family's edge for a hundred years!
Still, slaying an opponent in the second realm of body cultivation would require some effort.
Drawing a deep breath, the Heluo Sword before him burst with layers of blue light, carrying the faint sound of crashing ocean waves.
A powerful aura radiated continuously.
Wang Yuan's expression turned solemn. Treading the Ascending Dragon Steps, his vital blood surged; he would never be one to wait passively for death.
It was merely a pity that his foe was too agile, preventing him from employing the Giant Spirit Technique and drastically reducing his combat effectiveness.
Even so, he was by no means entirely without a chance.
Just as both sides were on the verge of clashing, rumbling booms echoed continuously from Mount Xiaohuan.
Duan Qiankun glanced aside, his eyes nearly tearing at the corners in rage.
A fifty-foot-tall exploding ape was wreaking havoc across the Duan family estate like a primeval behemoth.
Wherever its massive feet stomped, buildings collapsed.
With a sweep of its colossal hands, giant boulders rained down.
Whenever a Duan family cultivator rushed forward to attack, Duan Feng, standing atop the ape's shoulder, fired off cold, ruthless strikes.
Anyone beneath the ninth layer of Qi Refinement was not his match for even a single bout.
And the direction of their advance was unmistakably toward the Duan family's forbidden grounds.
"Vile beast!"
Duan Qiankun cursed furiously, ceasing his buildup of power and hastily unleashing his flying sword.
At the same time, without bothering to see whether Wang Yuan could withstand it, he flew straight toward the forbidden grounds.
"Duan Rui, if you do not come out now, when will you?!"
No sooner had his voice fallen than a thirty-foot-tall gray giant bear plunged down from the mountain summit.
Creaking and clattering noises sounded incessantly.
As if oblivious to death, it crashed into the exploding ape, sending it flying.
Duan Feng's brows lifted, and he pulled away into the sky.
He looked up toward the heavens.
From within the white mist of the formation walked out a young man whose features bore a slight resemblance to his own.
The man looked down, staring at Duan Feng with utter disdain.
"Bastard spawn, you dare return!"
...
*Bastard spawn!*
Hearing that familiar voice, an expression of madness abruptly surfaced on Duan Feng's face.
"If not for your instigations behind the scenes, why would my mother have committed suicide?!"
"That old dog must die, and you must die as well!"
When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with venom.
Without hesitation, Duan Feng surged forward.
"You want to kill me? With just your abilities?"
Seeing this, Duan Rui did not panic. He cast a glance over the chaotic battlefield outside, then stepped back into the vast white mist.
Without hesitation, Duan Feng followed closely behind, flying toward the mountain summit.
Agitated by their presence, the vast white mist seemed to come alive, rolling outward continuously.
Duan Qiankun arrived nearby, his face dark and exceptionally grim.
"Incompetent wretch!"
He had wanted Duan Rui to step forward and use his Great Perfection Qi Refinement strength to stabilize the battle and bolster the family's morale.
Though the Duan family cultivators were at a disadvantage in numbers and strength, this was their ancestral land, established and fortified for generations.
Leveraging the terrain and with Duan Rui holding the line, it could have bought him enough time in the short term to dispose of Wang Yuan and the other ninth-layer rogue cultivators.
Yet he had never expected that coward Duan Rui to flee into the forbidden grounds' grand formation.
Although he had lured Duan Feng away with him, that was nothing more than choosing to avoid blame rather than seeking achievement.
*At a moment of life and death, to still be so craven!*
A surge of fury nearly overwhelmed the old man's mind.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Looking down, he saw the two colossal behemoths clashing repeatedly.
Without Duan Rui's control, the puppet he had acquired with such great effort at auction from Tianxingzi had virtually no defensive ability.
Under the second-tier exploding ape's berserk onslaught, it was battered backward step by step.
Its originally mirror-smooth exterior was now riddled with dents and gashes, looking thoroughly battered.
"Damn it!"
Without hesitation, Duan Qiankun reached out, and a cylindrical metal cover appeared in his hand.
Evidently, the greatest threat to the Duan family right now was this second-tier exploding ape.
No one could stop it.
It was running rampant without restraint.
Once it finished off the puppet, it would be capable of leveling the Duan family single-handedly.
"Seal!"
With a low shout, the metal cover, which had flown into midair, radiated beams of spiritual light before transforming into twelve gigantic pillars.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
In the blink of an eye, the twelve massive pillars descended from the heavens.
Three in front, three behind.
Three to the left, three to the right.
From all directions, crisscrossing beams of spiritual light instantly formed an inescapable seal.
Naturally unwilling to be trapped, the second-tier exploding ape rammed left and right, only to be thrown back by the rebound.
"With my supreme dharma artifact, the Qiankun Shroud, how could I let you run amok?"
"What a pity Mi Shuhua's Demon Locking Pagoda didn't fall into my hands; otherwise, slaying this beast would have been effortless."
The exploding ape threw its head back, glaring furiously at Duan Qiankun.
The next moment, it bent its waist, flexed its knees, and stamped both feet heavily onto the ground.
It surged toward the sky!
"Vile beast, get back down!"
Duan Qiankun swung his sword down directly atop its head without mercy.
The exploding ape was struck down to the earth, trapped within the Qiankun Shroud, and howled in impotent fury.
More radiant light gushed from the twelve pillars, completely sealing heaven and earth so the exploding ape could no longer break out.
At the same time, the immense recoil forced Duan Qiankun to retreat wildly.
Just then, his face abruptly changed.
"Something's wrong!"
In his field of vision, crimson iron chains whipped in from all directions, binding and sealing off every avenue of escape.
A colossal palm print, bearing an unstoppable momentum, crashed down.
Duan Qiankun looked up, gazing coldly at the approaching figure.
The unavoidable giant palm print was on the verge of hitting him, and violent gales battered his face.
Yet he showed no panic, only chilling killing intent.
*Huala, huala...*
The sound of water echoed from his body.
Trickling at first, it turned into an endless torrent in an instant.
A scroll unfurled from his person like an exquisite painting.
Within the scroll lay a boundless ocean, resembling an expanse of grand marshland waters.
When the giant palm print struck the scroll, it was like a clay ox sinking into the sea—unable to stir even the slightest ripple.
"The Marsh Country Gui Chart?"
Wang Yuan's figure came to a halt as he stared at the magic treasure.
Duan Qiankun swept his gaze around; crimson chains had completely encircled an area of a thousand feet.
If he remembered correctly, this was a high-grade exotic dharma artifact auctioned at the Zhenlong Black Market, known as the River-Spanning Iron Chains.
It possessed neither offensive nor defensive utility, serving solely to lock down an area of heaven and earth while moving with its wielder at the center.
Even if he tried to force his way out, the River-Spanning Iron Chains would harass him incessantly, drastically reducing his speed.
His heart sank.
Duan Qiankun's gaze finally settled upon Wang Yuan, his voice dripping with malice.
"That wretch Duan Feng truly told you everything."
Wang Yuan remained silent, offering no reply.
He simply clenched his hand into a fist, protruded his thumb, and pressed hard against his own body.
In the blink of an eye, he tapped twelve acupoints in succession.
"Hmph..."
With a muffled grunt, his physique began to swell rapidly.
Two meters, three meters...
Five meters!
With a wave of his hand, three streams of blood-red qi surged forth, transforming into flood dragons that coiled around his flanks.
He was staking his life!
Gazing at this giant, Duan Qiankun joined his fingers like a sword, the Heluo Sword circling him like a fish.
"How could you possibly fathom the might of a magic treasure?!"
Wang Yuan paid no heed, taking giant strides that covered three hundred feet each.
His speed had tripled compared to earlier.
"Then come! Let this old man see what you are capable of!"
Duan Qiankun shouted sharply as the Heluo Sword unleashed supreme power and slashed down with savage force.
*Boom!*
With just a single strike, a massive wound opened at Wang Yuan's waist, so deep that bone showed through—a horrific sight.
Yet as if numb to pain, he simply hammered a fist downward.
Duan Qiankun dodged repeatedly, but in such confined quarters, he was still grazed by the colossal fist's shockwave.
Yet he did not panic.
The Marsh Country Gui Chart unfurled, its shimmering blue waters gently enveloping the fist's gale.
"Nothing more than this... Zhou Qing?!"
*Bang!*
Duan Qiankun felt as if struck by a battering ram, hurtling back hundreds of feet and crashing into a massive crater.
Just now, the defensive magic treasure, the Marsh Country Gui Chart, had inexplicably failed to display its full power.
And up in the sky, an azure brilliance descended like moonlight, shrouding the Marsh Country Gui Chart.
"Not Elder Zhou, but me—Nangong Jin."
Nangong Jin stepped upon white clouds, holding a circular mirror in his hand.
That azure radiance emanated directly from the mirror.
In the deep crater on the ground below:
"The Azure Congealing Treasure Mirror... He was actually willing to lend you such a treasure?"
"Merchants prioritize profit. If I offered immense benefits, why would he be unwilling?" Nangong Jin chuckled casually, though his spiritual sense swept discreetly in every direction. "You would do better to worry about yourself!"
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Duan Qiankun flew out of the crater.
The Marsh Country Gui Chart still enveloped him, hovering around his person.
Yet at this moment, the chart was half-azure and half-blue, its condition clearly compromised.
"Even with the Azure Congealing Treasure Mirror, it can suppress only half the power of a low-grade magic treasure, and with a time limit at that."
"Otherwise, when Zhou Qing joined the siege against Mi Shuhua back then, how could he have failed?"
As he spoke, he flicked his fingers repeatedly, and several talismans combusted without wind.
Wang Yuan, who had just closed in, was forced back by the chaotic barrage unleashed by the talismans.
Duan Qiankun paid Wang Yuan little mind; even with only half its power remaining, the Marsh Country Gui Chart was not easily broken.
He looked up at Nangong Jin, his expression frosty.
"Why?"
Nangong Jin knew what he was asking. His eyes fixed intently on the painted scroll. "No particular reason. I merely lack a defensive magic treasure of my own."
"Just for that?"
While speaking, Duan Qiankun brought his sword across to parry another of Wang Yuan's strikes.
"Yes, just for that," Nangong Jin nodded. "I am in the prime of my life and do not wish for my path of cultivation to be cut short. A defensive magic treasure is what I desire most."
Duan Qiankun fell silent.
At the same time, Wang Yuan attacked once more.
His boundless vital blood formed three blood dragons that burrowed into the Marsh Country Gui Chart.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The vital blood self-detonated, shaking the Marsh Country Gui Chart violently.
Duan Qiankun's eyelids twitched frantically. His flying sword turned into a shooting star, stabbing toward Wang Yuan's chest, only to be knocked away viciously by a fist.
He hesitated no longer. "If I gift this treasure to you, could you turn your blade against them instead?"
In that instant, Wang Yuan paused.
Yet up in the sky, Nangong Jin, holding the Azure Congealing Treasure Mirror, shook his head without the slightest hesitation.
"It would be better for you to die."
Duan Qiankun clamped his mouth shut. He knew his offer had been born of vain hope.
Since the other party had made a move, he had surely struck an agreement with the Luotian Association.
How could he possibly switch sides in the middle of battle?
It had merely been wishful thinking on his part.
*In that case...*
"Nuisance of a junior, die!"
He glared directly at Wang Yuan, his pure spiritual power churning frantically without holding anything back.
The Heluo Sword's speed surged explosively, its sword light dazzling to the utmost.
Wang Yuan grinned viciously like a demon, relentlessly releasing ferocious blasts of qi.
Every move and stance carried an archaic simplicity and natural grace.
Within mere breaths, the two exchanged several rounds of blows.
In the sky, one large figure and one small intersected repeatedly.
Spiritual power and vital blood clashed ceaselessly.
Extreme forces vented and erupted over and over, shattering the thousand-foot area into ruin.
Around them, not a single cultivator dared draw near, all fleeing far away.
*Boom!*
After yet another violent collision, the two figures flew backward in opposite directions.
Wang Yuan crashed to the earth, soaked in blood, several of his jade-white bones fractured.
Duan Qiankun was in slightly better condition, but blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, and he panted heavily.
He was, after all, old.
Channeling spiritual power so recklessly placed a burden that his decrepit meridians simply could not sustain.
Moreover, he could sense it.
With every close clash, the little red serpents emerging from Wang Yuan's body persistently pulled at and devoured his vital blood.
Even though he was stronger than his opponent, in a prolonged battle Wang Yuan grew steadily stronger while he grew weaker.
If things continued this way, even if he managed to slay Wang Yuan, his vitality would be grievously wounded.
He had little lifespan left to begin with, surviving solely on spirit medicines to prolong his days.
If they kept tangling like this, even if he won today, he might perish tomorrow.
*I cannot drag this out any longer.*
*Killing him and wiping out the invading enemies is the top priority.*
*Not only that, but the other Foundation Establishment cultivators in Dahe Market have likely received word by now and are already on their way.*
*How to dispel their covetous desires will require careful planning.*
Countless thoughts and worries raced through his mind.
Duan Qiankun drew a deep breath and beckoned with his hand.
For the first time, he grasped the Heluo Sword directly; angling the tip diagonally downward, a glimmer of eerie light surfaced on the point.
On the ground, Wang Yuan's eyes narrowed.
*Artifact and art combined!*
*Is this the technique Duan Feng warned about?*
His heart shuddered, yet a furious battle lust made him refuse to step back.
His millstone-sized hands moved with rare dexterity.
In a flash, he tapped five points on his body in succession.
"Return of the Five Qi!"
Heart qi! Liver qi! Spleen qi! Lung qi! Kidney qi!
Vast, surging vital blood churned endlessly, and his condition transformed once more.
His entire frame shrank steadily, yet the aura radiating from him soared ever higher.
Duan Qiankun naturally saw this unfold and hesitated no longer.
"Go!"
The Heluo Sword, like a swimming fish, vanished into the curtain of night.
In the next breath, it abruptly appeared right before Wang Yuan's throat.
"Is this the Wave-Severing Strike?"
Murmuring to himself, Wang Yuan pinched two fingers together.
Deceptively slow, yet lightning fast.
*Ding!*
The sword's tip was firmly caught between his fingers!
That agile fish could swim no more.
The blade and hilt vibrated violently, yet could not advance a single inch.
Watching from afar, Nangong Jin's pupils contracted.
*Can mere mortal power truly reach such terrifying heights?*
Yet just as Wang Yuan was inching the sword tip outward bit by bit, a colossal wave surged forward with violent momentum.
*Boom!*
After one wave came another.
In the blink of an eye, three successive waves crashed down from above.
Wang Yuan was smashed directly into the bedrock beneath Mount Xiaohuan.
"Junior, you are still too green."
Midair, Duan Qiankun gasped raggedly for breath, overcome with exhaustion.
In his hand, a dharma artifact resembling a rattle-drum was drawing in its spiritual glow.
Gazing upon his silent foe, he raised his head and looked at Nangong Jin.
"Fellow Daoist, how about coming down so we can talk?"
*This old scoundrel actually had another supreme dharma artifact.*
*The Duan family truly lives up to its reputation as an artifact-forging clan!*
Nangong Jin shook his head slowly, and to Duan Qiankun's surprise, quietly retreated.
"Hmm?"
*He does not take advantage of the situation, but retreats instead?*
Duan Qiankun was puzzled, but immediately his heart began to pound violently.
A sense of extreme danger abruptly flooded his mind.
His spiritual sense expanded, sweeping across a ten-li radius.
Suddenly.
He whipped his head around and looked up into the heights of the sky.
Within his cloudy eyes, a blazing sun was seen slowly rising.
The cold rainy night was pitch-black, yet beneath that blazing sun, the world was illuminated as bright as day.
Fiery red and dazzling, the scorching sun hung high.
In the warping air, a figure stood with sleeves and robes fluttering, his gaze chilly.
His hands held upward.
A boundless aura—supremely firm, supremely strong, supremely yang, supremely fierce—was ballooning frantically.
The immense fluctuation of spiritual energy instantly became the sole focus of everyone's vision.
Abruptly, he turned his palms downward, and the blazing sun plunged toward the earth.
"Danchenzi—!!!"
A shrill, bloodcurdling shriek instantly rang out.
Yet everything was drowned out within that vast and terrifying explosion.
Chapter 182