Immortal Refiner

An Elder of the Heavenly River Sect!

Upon hearing those words, Lu Feiyu’s heart was nearly swept away by a tidal wave of shock.

For any cultivation clan, a major Immortal Path sect was an absolute behemoth not to be trifled with. He had never imagined this unfamiliar woman possessed such a background, leaving him deeply shaken.

Zhong Ya, who had been pursuing them, chuckled lightly. ”Brother Lu, there’s no need to be so intimidated. The Heavenly River Sect’s claws can’t reach this far. What consequences could there possibly be if we leave her here today?”

”Besides, are you really willing to just hand over that second-tier demonic beast crystal core?”

Faced with Zhong Ya’s teasing words, Lu Feiyu’s expression darkened slightly. He simply spat out a single word:

”Kill!”

The instant the word fell, the entire Grand Formation was completely activated!

Formations were exquisite techniques for manipulating the power of heaven and earth, leveraging the advantages of time and terrain. They allowed a single cultivator to easily match multiple cultivators of the same cultivation level, and even barely withstand attacks from higher-level cultivators.

In the immortal cultivation world, there’s a saying: ”If you fight a Formation Master on their home turf, no amount of lives will be enough to fill the void.”

At this moment, Su Xin and Li Qing, who were desperately trying to escape, were experiencing the truth of this saying firsthand!

Trapped deep within the Grand Formation, they felt as if the entire world was their enemy, with danger lurking everywhere.

”This is the Wood Essence Demon-Locking Formation, a sub-formation of the Five Elements Demon-Sealing Grand Formation. It uses the wood attribute Vital Energy of the surrounding environment to trap and kill enemies,” Su Xin said, her willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed and her expression grim. Clearly, she understood how formidable this formation was.

Behind her, Li Qing couldn’t help but force a bitter smile. Explaining the formation’s intricacies now was pointless. Though he had reached the peak of the Qi Refining Realm, he could only stand in awe before such a second-tier formation.

”Is there any way to escape?!” Li Qing asked, his spiritual perception nearly bursting. He felt danger lurking everywhere, as if immense peril lay hidden in every corner.

Boom!

Before Su Xin could answer, the trees in the wild forest within the mountain gorge began to wither rapidly, their wood attribute spiritual energy completely absorbed by the formation.

Swish!

Dozens of thorny vines materialized out of thin air, forming a dense net that enveloped the two figures.

Su Xin’s beautiful eyes narrowed. Without slowing down, she charged straight into the wooden vine net, a sharp sword appearing in her hand. Several sword beams flashed, cleaving the net into pieces.

However, the power of a second-tier formation was far more than that. The severed vine net began to regenerate, sprouting even more vines that surged toward the pair, intent on binding them.

Li Qing knew he couldn’t stand idly by any longer. If Su Xin couldn’t hold out, he would suffer the same fate.

He slapped his storage pouch, summoning the Crimson Shadow Umbrella. Activating it, he watched its ribs spin rapidly, slicing through the dense mass of vines that snaked toward them.

Too many! Li Qing’s heart sank. At this rate, even if he and Su Xin exhausted all their spiritual energy, they wouldn’t be able to escape.

Though the Crimson Shadow Umbrella was both offensive and defensive, a Mid-Grade Magic Tool of considerable quality, its ability to cut through the vines generated by the second-tier formation was like trying to empty the ocean with a cup.

The most critical factor was that two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators were pursuing them from behind—a near-certain death sentence.

Suddenly, several vines shot out from a treacherous angle, leaving neither Su Xin nor Li Qing time to react.

Swish, swish!

The vines wrapped around Su Xin and Li Qing’s waists, attempting to pull them down.

However, Su Xin, focused on both escaping at full speed and cutting down the vines, couldn’t afford to be distracted. The moment she faltered, they would be overwhelmed by the dense mass of vines ahead.

”Hmph!” Li Qing roared, his blood qi exploding outward. He grabbed the vines with terrifying force, crushing them with his bare hands.

Crack!

Li Qing’s response was swift, but the distraction caused Su Xin’s escape speed to falter slightly.

Meanwhile, the two pursuers behind them maintained their relentless pace. Protected by restriction tokens from the Grand Formation, they moved unimpeded through the array.

As the distance between them closed, Su Xin, who had never once relaxed her brow, finally spoke:

”Is your divine sense power very strong?”

At this point, Li Qing had nothing left to hide. He said, ”That’s right. I consumed several high-grade Heavenly Star Grass in my early years. My divine soul power now rivals that of a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator.”

”If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word.”

Su Xin spoke directly. ”I need to cast a secret technique that requires your divine sense power.”

”I’ll first transmit a mantra to you. When the time comes, you’ll channel your divine sense power to me according to this mantra.”

As her words faded, she transmitted a portion of the secret technique’s mantra into Li Qing’s mind.

Soul Fusion Technique!

This was only a fragment of the complete technique. In this critical situation, Li Qing didn’t have time to carefully examine its intricacies. He immediately began reciting the mantra, channeling his divine sense power through the fragmented technique into Su Xin’s Sea of Consciousness.

”Mmph!” Su Xin let out a pained groan. Suddenly bearing the burden of foreign divine sense power naturally caused her immense strain.

But Li Qing’s experience was different. Merging his divine sense with another’s was an extraordinary sensation, even quite comfortable—like his soul was undergoing a baptism.

The feeling was so intense that he almost couldn’t help but moan.

Su Xin, her focus unwavering as she cleared the ever-growing vines around her, began to channel her divine sense, preparing to unleash the forbidden secret technique she had been unable to use before.

Soon, Li Qing’s comfort vanished. He felt his divine sense power spiraling out of control, rapidly dissolving.

As his divine sense dwindled, sharp pangs shot through his divine soul, transporting him back to the agonizing days of practicing the Soul Condensing Slash.

Fortunately, his past experience with the Soul Condensing Slash had prepared him. This pain, though intense, remained within his threshold of endurance, preventing him from collapsing.

Before long, a brilliant aurora erupted across the heavens, its light blindingly intense.

Buzz!

A powerful wave of energy surged outward, forcing Li Qing to squint his eyes shut.

Zhong Ya and Lu Feiyu, who had been relentlessly pursuing him, were struck by a sudden, profound change in their expressions.

”Core Formation Realm divine sense fluctuation... How is this possible?”

”Impossible! Though this woman excels in divine sense cultivation, she couldn’t possibly possess a Core Formation Realm divine soul!”

The two men instinctively stopped in their tracks, too afraid to advance any further.

In the next moment, a burst of aurora erupted. The outer perimeter of the mountain gorge, at the edge of the formation, was utterly obliterated by a torrent of divine sense power, leaving a gaping hole.

They knew this was a sub-formation derived from the renowned Five Elements Demon-Sealing Grand Formation. Even though it had been hastily set up, it was still a genuine second-tier formation. How could it have been breached so easily?

”Chase her! She must have used a forbidden secret technique, paying a heavy price for such power!”

”That’s right! She’s just a spent arrow now, cornered and doomed!”

Both men were seasoned cultivators, and they immediately grasped the truth behind the display.

(End of the Chapter)

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