"Huu—huu—"
The blood-robed figure panted heavily, his heart pounding so hard against his ribs that it felt ready to burst straight out of his chest, thoroughly devoid of his earlier nonchalance and arrogance.
"Damn it! What rotten luck! I only wanted to observe the power of national destiny to make plans for the future, yet of all things, I ran straight into a half-immortal powerhouse stepping in! This era truly cannot be underestimated!
"Fortunately, I am thorough and made two-pronged preparations. Aside from the death-substituting jade, I had this backup corpse prepared!
"Just now, I intentionally detonated myself to cause confusion and catch that half-immortal off guard, using the chaos to flee!"
During the Great Yu era, people had fearfully called this blood-robed figure Venerable Calamity. His appearance signified bloodbaths, disasters, and troubled times.
Moreover, he had been at the Tribulation Transcendence stage with no one to hold him in check. Acting entirely as he pleased, who could possibly govern him?
He had planned to use the opportunity of restoring the empire in this era to elevate his cultivation to the next level, never expecting to encounter a peerless powerhouse capable of putting him to death.
"Damn it! When has this Venerable ever been reduced to such a wretched state?!"
Venerable Calamity looked down in disgust at this wretched body, which was merely at the Body Integration stage, filled with regret.
To deceive that half-immortal powerhouse, he had acted out his self-detonation with utter realism, severely damaging more than half his soul, nearly scattering his three ethereal and seven corporeal souls, and deliberately leaving behind soul remnants on the self-detonated corpse.
Yet the spare resurrection body he had prepared was only at the Body Integration stage.
With both his soul and physical vessel now at the Body Integration stage, returning to the peak of his power would require an unfathomable amount of heavenly materials and earthly treasures.
Unlike the Great Yu era, all kinds of treasures nowadays belonged to someone. How much effort and scheming would it take to acquire them, not to mention the risk of exposing his identity?
"Now is not the time to dwell on these difficulties. The most urgent matter is to leave this place first!"
He was not yet truly out of danger. His method of resurrection was subject to distance constraints, so the revival spot was right inside a room at an inn at the foot of the mountain.
"The surrounding area is under martial law right now. If I fly away, it will be far too conspicuous and easy to spot. Slipping away on foot is the safest option."
He walked out of the room and left the inn. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he spotted a herd of fine horses grazing leisurely on the lawn, seemingly oblivious to the immense pressure previously released by the two ancient Body Integration cultivators.
These horses had lustrous coats and were all mares, while the white horse in the very center appeared senile and well past its prime.
Strangely, these mares were deliberately or inadvertently rubbing up against the old white horse in their midst, casting coy glances and displaying unmistakable affection.
The old white horse welcomed all comers.
"A pureblood dragon horse!" Venerable Calamity's eyes gleamed. He never expected to encounter a pureblood dragon horse here—a rare species that existed solely in the boundless East Sea. He had always wanted to seize one from the East Sea, but legends said the ancient immortal, Immortal Ying Tian, was hidden there, so he had never dared to venture in.
"The beast's master must have intentionally disguised it as an old horse. Demon beasts revere the strong, so these ordinary horses are involuntarily drawn to the pureblood dragon horse—the advantage of bloodline!
"A dragon horse is swift of foot. Riding a dragon horse to escape will at least recoup some of today's losses!"
Venerable Calamity calculated silently and concluded this was the quickest way to flee this place. He released a sliver of pressure, frightening the mares into scattering away at full speed.
Fury flared in the dragon horse's eyes. Venerable Calamity paid it no heed and laughed aloud:
"Fine dragon horse, I know you understand human speech! Follow this Venerable, and I definitely won't mistreat you!"
With that, he strode toward the dragon horse.
A dragon horse was still a demon beast; surely it would follow him.
*Bang!*
The dragon horse lashed out with both hind hooves, dislocating both of Venerable Calamity's arms.
"A Body Integration-level Great Demon King?!" Venerable Calamity was horrified. How could there be yet another Body Integration cultivator? Why hadn't it intervened earlier when dealing with those two ancient Body Integration cultivators?
Who could possibly be the master of a Great Demon King mount?
"That half-immortal powerhouse's mount!" The possibility struck Venerable Calamity in an instant. Since he had made a move against a half-immortal powerhouse's mount, she might have already detected him!
Run!
Venerable Calamity still did not dare fly. Taking the risk of circulating his dharmic powers, he burrowed into the soil and crawled frantically through the dirt, not even daring to release his divine sense for fear of detection.
After fleeing for a while, the heart-stopping half-immortal pressure never arrived, allowing him to breathe a small sigh of relief.
"It seems she didn't notice me just now."
He poked his head out of the ground. The surroundings were desolate, with only a single person meditating in cultivation. Relieved, he climbed fully out of the earth.
"This place should be safe."
Looking at the person meditating nearby, greed stirred within him.
This spot was already far from the Grand Qingzhou Festival; the disappearance of a single cultivator would not raise suspicions against him.
Devouring a cultivator would at least restore some of his dharmic powers.
He strode directly toward the cultivator, only to hear the man speak coldly with his eyes tightly shut, projecting an aura that warned strangers away.
"If I were you, I wouldn't come anywhere near here."
Venerable Calamity sneered. Did this fellow sense malice and realize he couldn't run, trying to bluff his way out?
It seemed cultivators of this era loved bluffing as well. What a pity—those were parlor tricks he had outgrown millennia ago!
"Is that so? Then I'd like to see what happens if I do!" Venerable Calamity took step after step toward the cultivator.
Vice Cult Master Shi opened his eyes. Seeing Venerable Calamity still approaching him, he shook his head slightly.
Venerable Calamity had switched bodies, so Shi did not recognize him, but if someone was courting death, he certainly wouldn't stand in their way.
*Rumble—!*
A thunderclap roared, echoing across the firmament. The deafening rumble shook the entire sky, striking terror into the hearts of all who heard it.
Like a colossal silver-white spear descending from the heavens, the lightning linked heaven and earth, piercing through both.
"What is going on?! Where did this lightning tribulation come from?!" Venerable Calamity jumped in fright. Why had a lightning tribulation suddenly appeared?
Most importantly, the lightning tribulation had locked onto him as well!
"Damn you! It's you!" Venerable Calamity glared daggers at Vice Cult Master Shi. The man was undergoing a lightning tribulation, and he had been dragged into it, judged by the heavenly tribulation as an interloper!
"I told you not to come near here," Vice Cult Master Shi said coldly.
"A mere lightning tribulation—why should this Venerable fear it?!" Venerable Calamity roared. His robes billowed as he unleashed his full strength.
"It's you!" Vice Cult Master Shi's expression shifted. From the aura released by the man, he sensed that this was the very culprit who had wrecked the Qingzhou Grand Gathering!
He instinctively tensed for a moment, but upon sensing that the other party's vital energy was severely depleted and his cultivation was now roughly on par with his own, his fear vanished.
"You're the one who ruined the Grand Qingzhou Festival and forced my shop to close down!" Vice Cult Master Shi snapped furiously.
"Huh?" Venerable Calamity froze. There was a bit too much unexpected information in Vice Cult Master Shi's words.
"You're a Body Integration cultivator and you opened a shop at the Qingzhou Grand Gathering?!"
Venerable Calamity's eyes went wide. How was there yet another Body Integration cultivator who hadn't made a move earlier?
Just how many monsters were hiding in this Qingzhou Grand Gathering?!
"No point talking! Face this lightning tribulation with me!" Vice Cult Master Shi was in peak condition, while the other fellow was barely hanging on. Faced with the lightning tribulation, this bastard would definitely suffer far worse than him!
Retribution! Serves him right!
When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with fury. Vice Cult Master Shi had never imagined that sneaking out to undergo a tribulation would lead him right to his foe!
If not take revenge now, then when?!
*Rumble—!*
The lightning tribulation descended. Endless lightning turned into plasma, searing with blistering energy, drowning both of them completely.
Chapter 369