The world of Cultivation is harsh. Each cycle of the Four Nine Heavy Tribulations wipes out a large number of grand Cultivators who have dominated the universe for thousands of years. Yet, at the same time, it is a world teeming with vitality, constantly producing all sorts of extraordinary individuals. The phenomenon of the new wave overtaking the old is quite common.

Since the onset of this tribulation, in the Eastern Cultivation World, there are emerging powerhouses such as Ye Bin, Lucky Star, and Lu Su Hua. Their brilliance outshines the achievements of the older generation. Simultaneously, across the Sky Rift Valley, in the Western Cultivation World, a vast world that Eastern Cultivators customarily refer to as the "Boundless Buddha Kingdom," several extraordinary figures have also emerged. However, due to the great distance and infrequent interactions, they are less known to the Easterners.

Still, there are exceptions. Particularly, one individual not only made a great name for himself in the Boundless Buddha Kingdom but also crossed the valley a hundred years ago, spreading his notorious reputation to the Eastern Cultivation World.

"He achieved the Golden Body through Amritakundalin's Method, then joined the demonic path. Wherever he passed, he would massacre an entire city, with corpses scattered all over the field. His original Buddhist name is now unknown, and he is only referred to as: Blood Monk Tu Ling!"

Perhaps it was her emotion, or maybe the disturbance of the swirling sand and dust, but Gan Shi Zhen's voice was somewhat hoarse: "The Blood Monk caused such outrage in the Boundless Buddha Kingdom that he had to flee to the East. However, not long after his arrival, he disappeared. Many people speculated that he was full of evil, but it turns out he was hiding under a false name in this Cliff City."

"How can you be sure it's him?"

"Amritakundalin's Method is one clue. Not many can cultivate this Buddhist Guardian's Divine Power to the extent of the Golden Body. Besides, there's his ruthless modus operandi."

The female cultivator shook her head slightly: "Colluding with demons, slaughtering tens of thousands of civilians without any hesitation, utterly fearless of the impending tribulation, such a reckless butcher is rare in the Cultivation World."

As soon as her words fell, a sharp screech followed by the roar of surging waves echoed from the depths of the dust cloud. It was not just a sound wave but also carried a Curse Power that shook the Divine Soul. Gan Shi Zhen, with her high cultivation level, and Yu Ci, who transformed into the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form, were not afraid of it. However, the nearby Golden Elixir cultivators all looked pale. Gan Shi Zhen reacted quickly and exclaimed:

"It's the Yin Spirit Transformed Curse, beware of the Evil Demon Aura Possession."

A sound akin to silk tearing through the air echoed, as the female cultivator's Sword Energy transformed, drawing more than ten distinct trajectories in the void. They formed a sword pattern array, harnessing the atmospheric vibrations to reduce the damage from the Curse Sound. At the same time, she spared a glance towards Yu Ci, and seeing his calm demeanor, she was relieved.

Yu Ci, aware of her concern, grinned, "I have a unique constitution, immune to most Divine Soul impacts."

Upon hearing this, Gan Shi Zhen recalled and nodded, yet her expression remained grave. As a Vacuum Walking Cultivator, her perception range and precision surpassed Yu Ci's. She had already sensed that Monk Yi Xin's grand handprint was not a mere act of venting frustration.

However, before she could elaborate, her eyebrows furrowed. Without any hesitation, her short sword was enveloped in a purple mist, its sword aura piercing into the earth more than ten feet deep. The ground violently trembled, followed by a howling sound that, despite being muffled by the thick layer of soil, was eerily inhuman.

"Go!"

After Gan Shi Zhen's successful strike, the humming of her sword aura expanded, enveloping Yu Ci, including the Monk Zheng Yan in his hands, and they flew off at an angle. Yu Ci, holding Xi Guang Sword in his hand, asked, "What was that?"

"Formed Yin Demons, born of flesh and blood."

Gan Shi Zhen's answer was succinct, but Yu Ci didn't quite understand. However, following this, among the sweeping dust and smoke, a dozen giant shadows emerged. Through the haze, one could see that the shadows resembled human forms, but many parts were twisted grotesquely. It seemed as if smoke was billowing around them, or perhaps they were on fire. At the same time, a strong smell of blood accompanied the hot wind.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"These are puppets pieced together from flesh and blood!"

Nearby, Shi Song shouted. The Thousands Spirits Sect had notable expertise in this area, and he recognized it instantly, "Yi Xin must have prepared in advance, hiding the refined Flesh and Blood Puppet underground, using the Evil Demon Aura Possession to make it come alive."

Before he could finish, the dozen giant shadows in the dust had started moving. Initially, their movements were stiff, but after a few strides, their speed increased unbelievably, scattering to every corner of the ruins in the wake of the shockwave.

Dong Yan and Hu Dan were quick to react, their sword auras and Yin Fire striking simultaneously. However, their efforts merely slowed the two Flesh and Blood Puppets momentarily, causing no significant damage. Surprisingly, Gan Shi Zhen, the one with the highest Cultivation Level, did not act. Consequently, the present situation was subtly controlled by the Flesh and Blood Puppets, who had encircled Yu Ci and his companions, their strategic positioning revealing a hidden agenda.

The onslaught of the giant wave finally showed signs of subsiding. The Cultivators from various sects had unconsciously gathered around Gan Shi Zhen, hoping for her guidance.

Gan Shi Zhen, however, paid no heed to the changes on the ground. She knew well that the Flesh and Blood Puppets were not the crux of the matter; the decisive factor was still above them! She shifted her gaze to the sky. Due to the obscuring dust and smoke, the blazing golden light in the sky seemed to have dimmed, and the Golden Body of the Amritakundalin was no longer visible.

Yet, the battle in the sky was bound to be even more intense. The powerful, pulsating rhythm emanating from that direction was being transmitted in a unique way. The female cultivator keenly felt her Qi and Blood accelerate by ten percent due to this. As for the others, their senses were not as sharp, but the impact, or rather the "damage" they suffered, far exceeded hers.

This was the phenomenon of the "domain" created by an Authentic Cultivator who had reached a certain level. It had little effect on the combatants but was highly lethal to the spectators. Observing a battle of Taoism Immortal level was inherently dangerous.

Although He Qing was playing with fire, she had the support of the Law Sky Prison. Her combat power was absolutely comparable to that of a Taoism Immortal. Speaking of which, Gan Shi Zhen was most concerned about Yu Ci. Apart from the Nature-Connecting Cultivators who were already staggering, his Cultivation Level was the weakest, and his resistance to the "rhythm" transmitted from afar was the poorest. Turning her head, she indeed saw Yu Ci clutching his chest, seemingly feeling discomfort.

"How are you feeling?"

She asked with concern, reaching out to check Yu Ci's pulse. But as she extended her hand, she noticed something unusual: Yu Ci's breathing rhythm was different from usual. It was not hurried, but fluctuated between fast and slow. It seemed irregular, but Gan Shi Zhen, with her Cultivation Level, could discern that Yu Ci was deliberately adjusting the speed of his Qi and Blood circulation in response to the pressure from above, thereby reducing the damage. Of course, breathing alone could not achieve this; Yu Ci also had to press his chest to assist.

"Is this the highest level of Breath Regulation Technique? Even the Lichen Sect is teaching this?"

Gan Shi Zhen, both surprised and delighted, understood naturally that this was not merely about the high level of the Breath Regulation Technique. It also proposed an almost stringent requirement for the sensitivity of Yu Ci's perception. Otherwise, a single perception error might lead to a mishap, causing harm to oneself.

Initially, Yu Ci was rather apprehensive, unable to respond timely to Gan Shi Zhen's concern. After a moment, he managed to ease up a bit, flashing her a smile, "It's nothing, just a bit of a tight scalp."

He spoke lightly, yet he too understood that this time, he owed it to the "Iceberg" in his mind. If it weren't for the repeated exposure to the grand scenes and the great momentum of the two Great Mystical Powers clashing in the void, his Divine Soul would be extremely sensitive to such fluctuations, thereby triggering the exchange of Qi and Blood. Otherwise, he might have been seriously injured by the "rhythm" and not even known what had happened.

At this moment, he and Gan Shi Zhen were the ones who were forewarned. Shi Song and the others were all captivated by the Flesh and Blood Puppet before them, oblivious to the greater threat. The first thing to do now was to solve this problem, otherwise, as soon as they made a move, Shi Song and the others might be affected by the pressure rhythm, misdirect their Qi, and even die on the spot.

He and Gan Shi Zhen reached a consensus, while Shi Song also gained some insight, "The ground within a radius of five miles has already been set up in a formation. The puppets are in position, a total of eighteen, with the Three Thousand Yin Demons at the center, revolving like a wheel, this is probably the true face of the Eighteen Dark Demons Wheel Formation mentioned by Yi Xin."

Gan Shi Zhen hummed in agreement, about to warn the others, but suddenly she paused. Beside her, Yu Ci lifted his head, at that moment, the "rhythm" in the sky suddenly changed:

"Someone has joined."

As Yu Ci murmured, a reverse meteor emitted a bright light, piercing through the dust, rushing towards the battlefield in the sky where no one could interfere, swiftly advancing, and in a blink of an eye, it collided!

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