Immortal Refiner

”Sect Leader Xu Yun, allow us to lend our strength as well,” Nine Heavens said solemnly as he stepped forward. ”Give us your orders, and we will follow them.”

The Lingyun Sect’s dire situation had been anticipated before their arrival. Now that the ancient demons had attacked, they couldn’t stand idly by. They had to contribute.

It wasn’t about altruism; a fallen nest leaves no intact eggs. If the Lingyun Sect were to collapse completely, the Azure Ridge Domain would truly have no place for them.

The elders of the Heavenly River Sect understood this perfectly. Since Sect Leader Qing Xuan had staked everything on the Lingyun Sect before his death, they had no choice but to cling to it.

Sect Leader Xu Yun didn’t refuse their help. Instead, he quickly accepted it.

”Good! In this critical moment, every additional force increases our chances of survival!”

”On behalf of the Lingyun Sect, I thank you!”

Nine Heavens exhaled deeply. ”We are willing to stand with the Lingyun Sect through this crisis!”

As his words faded, the other elders of the Lingyun Sect gathered, their expressions grave and their faces heavy with concern.

This was a true calamity for the Lingyun Sect, a matter of life and death for every member. In this critical moment, each person had to fight for their own survival.

”Fellow disciples, the time has come!”

”For millennia, the Lingyun Sect has remained steadfast in its duty, detached from worldly affairs, all for this very moment!”

”Behind us lie the countless lives of the world. There is no retreat. Now, we can only fight to the death!”

It had to be said that delivering a rousing pre-battle speech seemed to be an essential skill for every sect leader.

As Sect Leader Xu Yun’s words rang out, a wave of fervent excitement surged through the elders.

Amidst the crowd, Li Qing stood with a solemn expression, his fists clenched tightly.

From what I know, Ancestor Devourer of Heaven has been searching for reinforcements and hasn’t returned yet. This war against the Chi Demon Tribe is indeed extremely perilous, he thought, his expression grave.

I cannot foresee what will happen next. I can only do what I must.

In the next instant, the guardian grand formation protecting the Lingyun Sect’s mountain gate activated, enveloping the entire sect in a hazy spiritual light.

Everyone sprang into action. Each elder took charge of their designated duties: those responsible for maintaining the formation focused on their tasks, while those leading disciples to patrol the mountain gate remained vigilant.

Li Qing stood ready within the formation. Should a breach occur and ancient demons infiltrate, he would immediately intercept them, buying time for the formation hall elders to repair the defenses.

Boom!

The sky instantly darkened, and the inevitable tide of demonic qi finally crashed down.

”Nine Heavens Falling Cloud Formation! Activate!”

Sect Leader Xu Yun soared into the air, his figure ascending to the Formation Core. Drawing upon his pseudo core formation stage cultivation, he activated the Grand Formation.

The formation devoured heaven and earth spiritual energy, creating a momentary vacuum around it.

Indeed, this formidable formation consumed an immense amount of spiritual energy—only a Spirit Vein Land could sustain such a drain.

Clouds on the horizon seemed drawn downward, cascading toward the formation and coalescing into a radiant spiritual light that enveloped the entire Lingyun Sect.

The surging demonic qi crashed against the formation’s spiritual light with overwhelming force.

Rumble! Rumble!

Every elder and disciple of the Lingyun Sect clearly felt the earth trembling beneath their feet.

”Can we hold out?” Li Qing murmured, his gaze fixed on the sky. The overwhelming demonic qi surged toward the formation, relentlessly eroding the sect’s guardian grand formation.

Finally, as the demonic qi dissipated above the Lingyun Sect, the Chi Demon Tribe’s initial assault had been barely repelled.

Sect Leader Xu Yun stood with his hands clasped behind his back, though a close observer would have noticed his hands trembling slightly.

Clearly, the recent onslaught had drained him considerably. Even with the formation’s assistance, he had barely managed to withstand the attack.

”Xu Yun, how are you holding up? Should I take over?” Ancestor Bing Yun asked, her brow furrowed.

Xu Yun shook his head. ”The Chi Demon Tribe’s Old Ancestor hasn’t even moved yet. We can’t afford to waste too much mana here, Martial Aunt.”

He wasn’t being stubborn. If they couldn’t withstand even the initial probing attacks, the Lingyun Sect had no reason to continue defending to the death.

As the demonic qi gradually dissipated across the horizon, one ancient demon after another materialized in the sky.

The Chi Demon Tribe exhibited bizarre appearances, lacking the uniform forms of the human race.

Some Chi demons possessed wings, others were covered in bone spikes, while still others had three eyes and six arms.

Their sole common trait seemed to be the swirling demonic qi that enveloped their bodies.

”Heh, another formation. But this time, it’s become the human race’s shield.”

”There’s some skill here. Though individually weak, these humans are remarkably tenacious, thanks to their myriad ingenious contraptions. This explains why our ancestors suffered defeat.”

”Mere ants who rely on external tools. Crush them all and settle the score from last time.”

A Chi demon with six demonic qi orbs floating behind him strode forward from the sky. His high status within the Chi Demon Tribe was immediately apparent.

The moment he appeared, all surrounding Chi demons hastily retreated.

He’s here!

Ancestor Bing Yun’s expression darkened as she immediately soared into the air, confronting the Chi Demon Tribe powerhouse who had emerged.

Their auras involuntarily leaked out, forming two distinct blue-black zones. At the boundary between these zones, the Nine Heavens Falling Cloud Formation continued to operate tirelessly, shielding the Lingyun Sect members below from the oppressive pressure of a core formation realm true lord.

”Rainbow Extinction!” the Chi Demon Tribe ancestor murmured. Instantly, the six demonic qi orbs behind him began to spin, accelerating until they formed a swirling ring of demonic energy.

The ring shot forth from his back, unleashing a barrage of black demonic qi pillars.

”Extreme Ice Thousand Blades!”

Ancestor Bing Yun’s gaze turned icy as she countered immediately.

As her words echoed, countless ice blades materialized in an instant, hurtling skyward.

Yet, contrary to expectations, the blades didn’t clash with the demonic qi pillars. Instead, as if guided by sentience, they deftly avoided the pillars and converged on the Chi Demon ancestor himself.

”Audacious!”

The demon exclaimed in surprise, never expecting the human female cultivator hiding within the formation to be so audacious. Instead of defending against his attack, she had launched a counteroffensive, aiming to turn the tables.

Fortunately, there was still some distance between them. The demon narrowly avoided the most lethal attack, but several wounds were still carved across its body.

Rumble!

The pillars of demonic qi crashed down, exploding above the Nine Heavens Falling Cloud Formation.

The formation shuddered violently, and cracks appeared in the spiritual light protecting the sect, allowing wisps of demonic qi to seep through.

”Hahahaha! You’ve made quite a mess of yourself, Chi Shang. You’re embarrassing the tribe.”

A mocking voice echoed from the demonic qi-shrouded sky.

Chi Shang’s tone instantly turned icy. ”Hmph, you’re just taking advantage of the formation.”

”But I must admit, this human female cultivator is no ordinary opponent.”

As he spoke, the dense demonic qi behind him surged again, and another Chi Demon Tribe ancestor emerged.

”Then let me assess whether she’s truly as remarkable as you claim.”

Another ancient demon in the core formation realm!

Seeing this, the hearts of all the Lingyun Sect disciples and elders sank slightly.

Though they had anticipated this, the sheer pressure of the moment still weighed heavily upon them.

The core formation realm ancient demon they had faced moments ago had already exerted immense pressure on them. Now, that pressure had reached its breaking point.

But this was far from over. From the dense demonic qi behind them, another voice echoed in ancient demonic language, filled with supreme authority:

”Let’s attack together. I sense it—the spatial node leading to the holy realm lies within this sect.”

”There’s no time to waste. Break through this place immediately!”

Boom!

The oldest living ancestor of the Chi Demon Tribe emerged. He opened his massive maw and devoured all the swirling demonic qi in the heavens and earth.

The dense demonic qi converged into his abyssal maw, a sight that shook the minds of every Lingyun Sect cultivator to their core.

Nascent Soul Realm!

Yes, this was a genuine nascent soul realm ancient demon!

The aura emanating from his body couldn’t lie, nor could the reactions of the Chi Demon Tribe.

If the Lingyun Sect had felt immense pressure before, now that pressure had become boundless.

The rolling demonic qi that had blanketed the heavens and earth was instantly devoured, leaving the world clear and bright once more.

A clear sky and crisp air—yet this was no auspicious sign.

Below, Sect Leader Xu Yun roared fiercely:

”All disciples, purge every trace of demonic qi that has leaked in!”

”All elders, prepare for battle!”

”Fellow Daoist Su Xin! Lend me the Water Spirit Pearl fragment!”

Among the Heavenly River Sect’s ranks, the graceful Su Xin nodded. She formed a hand seal and summoned a Water Spirit Pearl fragment directly from her brow.

Buzz!

The surrounding water spiritual energy surged, and an irregular, azure crystal materialized.

”Take it,” Su Xin said, her face suddenly ashen, as if she had just endured a life-or-death battle.

Clearly, extracting the Water Spirit Pearl fragment from her body had taken a heavy toll.

But this was no time for such concerns. Sect Leader Xu Yun accepted the fragment without hesitation and immediately passed it to True Lord Ziqing.

”Martial Uncle, the Water Spirit Pearl fragment is yours to wield!”

Hearing Sect Leader Xu Yun’s urgent plea, True Lord Ziqing could only nod reluctantly.

”Alas, a supreme treasure like this can only unleash its full power when wielded by a core formation realm cultivator who practices a Water Dao cultivation technique. Even a fragment might be enough to hold back that nascent soul realm ancient demon.”

”There’s no other choice. I’ll just have to brace myself and go for it.”

With that, True Lord Ziqing ascended into the air, forming a hand seal. He drew upon the Violet Extreme True Essence within his body and channeled it into the Water Spirit Pearl fragment.

At that very moment, the Chi Demon Tribe launched their combined assault.

The Chi Tribe Old Ancestor swallowed a massive surge of demonic qi, then spat out a black orb no larger than an egg.

The orb drifted slowly downward, its descent unhurried.

”Spirit pearl, spirit pearl, show your might!”

True Lord Ziqing, using the Water Spirit Pearl fragment to defend for the first time, was still unfamiliar with its full capabilities. Yet he managed to activate its power.

Rings of pure water attribute spiritual power rippled outward, far more potent than when Fellow Daoist Su Xin had forcibly activated it before.

The water rings surged forward, but upon contact with the pitch-black orb, they shattered instantly.

The sight sent shockwaves through the crowd.

The Water Spirit Pearl is useless?!

”It’s not that the Water Spirit Pearl is useless. Some of the orb’s demonic qi was indeed purged.”

”But this is only a fragment, and my Violet Extreme Heavenly Art isn’t a top-tier Water Dao cultivation technique. I can’t fully unleash the spirit pearl fragment’s power.”

The crowd watched helplessly as the small black orb continued its descent toward the formation, despair creeping into their eyes.

When the orb finally touched the formation’s spiritual light, there was no earth-shattering explosion as they had feared. Instead, the impact was eerily silent.

The spiritual light barrier emitted by the Nine Heavens Falling Cloud Formation was easily pierced.

Cracks then spread in all directions.

Clang!

A sound like shattering glass echoed through the air, its crisp resonance ringing in everyone’s ears.

The formation had been breached!

A suffocating sense of despair rose in the hearts of all present.

The densely condensed black orb of demonic qi began to distort, as if on the verge of exploding.

At the moment of its impending detonation, True Lord Ziqing’s forehead was drenched in sweat. He roared skyward:

”Old Immortal Devourer of Heaven, if you don’t return now, your precious disciple will die here today!”

The instant his words faded, the clouds above churned violently. In a flash of lightning, a gluttonous beast descended from the heavens.

Time seemed to freeze, with only the gluttonous beast surging forward relentlessly. Its speed defied spatial constraints, as if distance held no meaning for it.

In a single gulp, the beast swallowed the demonic qi orb just before it exploded, devouring it whole into its belly.

A muffled, earth-shattering roar followed.

Boom!

The gluttonous beast’s entire body erupted, showering the area with thick, splattering demonic qi.

The aftermath of the explosion was barely contained, sparing the Lingyun Sect elders below from significant harm.

”Almost too late!” True Lord Ziqing roared. ”Chi Demon Tribe, you dare initiate this attack? Today, none of you will leave this place alive!”

(End of the Chapter)

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