Ba Shifang stared at the looming tribulation clouds overhead. 'How long does it take for Main Body to overcome his tribulation? At this rate, a new generation will grow up thinking that the sky is always covered in black clouds.'

Okay, he was exaggerating. It had only been eight months, far from enough time for a new generation of mortals to mature, but still!

"Everyone, quiet down."

Ba Shifang and the nine other cultivators turned towards the speaker, an earth immortal.

"I know some of you are proud elites of your sect," The earth immortal elder scanned the group of ten, pausing specifically on Ba Shifang and a disciple of the Monolith Sword Sect. "However, this is war. Put away your arrogance, or die. Do you understand?"

Most of the cultivators respectfully nodded, but a few from first-rate and took the earth immortal's words like air. The earth immortal was from a second-rate sect, and he frowned at the blatant disregard for his words despite the strongest among them being a venerable.

The earth immortal snorted. "If you step out of line, don't think I won't sort you out. Enough, I don't want to hear your whining. Let's be on our way. We have a deadline to meet."

Ba Shifang didn't take the earth immortal's words to heart. Although, he was surprised by the antagonism in the earth immortal's words. 'What sect did he come from again? Something something Wind Sect? Meh, not important. Though, his attitude is a warning sign of betraying the Buzhou Immortal Sect if this had been a novel.'

He had accepted a mission from the Assignment Hall to join a squad to attack one of the Anti-Heaven Alliance's resource points. The mission was a joint venture, so members of the vassal sects, and their vassal sects, also joined.

"My name is He Yongli. What is your name?"

Ba Shifang turned his head and looked at the man who had flown next to him. Like him, the man was in the early Nascent Soul Realm and resembled an unsheathed sword.

"Ba Shifang," he said. Then, he scrunched his brows and openly scrutinized He Yongli. "Have we met before?"

"I don't believe we have," He Yongli said, but he also felt that Ba Shifang felt familiar. He just couldn't quite word it out.

Ba Shifang suddenly slammed his fist into his palm. "You're the guy who challenged Main Body and got demolished!"

He Yongli's expression immediately darkened at Ba Shifang's words. "What do you mean by that?"

"You remember Xi Tianyi? I'm his clone." Ba Shifang said.

Immediately, an awkward expression appeared on He Yongli's face. However, before he could speak, Ba Shifang spoke again. "Why are you still in the early Nascent Soul Realm? Shouldn't you at least be in the late or peak Nascent Soul Realm?"

He Yongli's anger vanished, and he just stared at Ba Shifang with his mouth agape. "I've already reached the Nascent Soul Realm faster than the other scions from the Heavenly Connection Gathering. Over half of them are still stuck at the Core Formation Realm."

"So slow?" Ba Shifang said. "I thought everyone who attended the Heavenly Connection Gathering would enter the under a hundred years. Why does it seem like most of you won't? I've been created for less than half a decade, and I've already reached this level."

"Do you think everyone is as monstrous as you and Xi Tianyi?!" He Yongli practically screamed. "Even among the descendants of immortals like me, less than one in ten will enter the Nascent Soul Realm under a hundred years old. I'm already outstanding for doing it at ninety-nine."

"Oh. My bad, it seems that I overestimated you people's–" Ba Shifang paused mid-sentence and immediately changed his words. "–underestimated the difficulty of reaching the Nascent Soul Realm. My apologies."

"You, you," He Yongli kept repeating the same word. Finally, he huffed and flew away, his intestines green with regret. He had wanted to gather more information on Tianyi since rumor has it that the tribulation clouds were his. Instead, he only got his confidence destroyed again.

Ba Shifang shrugged at He Yongli's departure and surveyed the rest of the squad members, but he didn't recognize any of them. Two came from the Boundless Mountain and Dust Veil Sect. Another one was a loose cultivator that joined, one from the same sect as the earth immortal leader and five from the Bright Ascension Sect. He recognized none of them.

'Or not.'

He blinked when he zeroed in on the blue-robed woman with a lily sprouting out of her right eye socket. "Why is Hu Landie here? I recall seeing her at the Three Heavens Connection Meeting. She was from the Earth Continent. And why as a loose cultivator?'

Ba Shifang, like most of Tianyi's clones, inherited Tianyi's memories name memorization skills. Still, he wouldn't easily forget someone as unique and beautiful as Hu Landie.

What? He was a man and liked pretty girls. Bite him.

The group traveled for a few days at arrived at their destination, Thousandroot Forest. As the name implied, the forest housed Thousandroot Trees, a core component to making many talismans. The value only increased in times of war, where every faction was creating as much talismans as possible.

They had rested beforehand, so the earth immortal elder immediately ordered an attack.

Ba Shifang watched as all five Bright Ascension Sect disciples charged forward at the first chance. He blinked in puzzlement. 'Isn't the smarter strategy to attack from range and feel out the enemy?'

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He soon received his answer as he recognized one of the people defending the resource point, Bai Weiwei. 'It's her?"

Ba Shifang glanced at the Bright Ascension Sect and saw the murderous intent in their eyes. 'No wonder they sent five members. They must have wanted to eliminate Bai Weiwei as much as possible. They sure are willing, sending three venerables for a mere core formation master.'

Bai Weiwei had been expelled from the Bright Ascension Sect because she had pointed a figurative knife at the Buzhou Immortal Sect. Her words could even be taken as rebellious intent from the Bright Ascension Sect. Normally, the matter would end with her expulsion, but with the betrayal of the Leakless Sect, Jade Cauldron Sect, and Nihility Sect, the Bright Ascension Sect was under magnified scrutiny.

At this time, Bai Weiwei's act of joining the Anti-Heaven Alliance was just a powder keg waiting to explode. It may just be the straw that broke the camel's back, unlikely as it was. Obviously, the Bright Ascension Sect didn't want to take such a chance.

The three venerables and two grandmasters charged forward and unleashed their attacks on Bai Weiwei.

Ba Shifang expected the girl to be pulverized into a flesh puddle, but someone jumped in front of her. He formed several hand seals, and a five-layer, five-colored barrier appeared and blocked the Bright Ascension Sect cultivator's attack.

'Another one,' Ba Shifang thought. Surprisingly, the nascent soul grandmaster protecting Bai Weiwei managed to hold his own against the five-person assault. Still, Ba Shifang didn't pay any more attention to him and zeroed in on the other people guarding the Thousandroot Forest.

He spotted a peak nascent soul grandmaster and charged forward. Ba Shifang's body was shrouded in a layer of true qi of wind, greatly enhancing his speed. The enemy nascent soul grandmaster didn't have time to react as an earthen yellow light shrouded Ba Shifang's fist.

The nascent soul grandmaster spat a mouthful of blood as Ba Shifang's fist caved in his chest, but Ba Shifang wasn't done just yet. With his fist still embedded in the grandmaster's chest, a fiery qi merged with the earthen yellow qi. The nascent soul grandmaster's skin began to sizzle as it turned red.

Finally, molten lava burst out from all nine of the grandmaster's orifices. Not long after, the nascent soul grandmaster burst into flames. Ba Shifang waved his arm, and the burning corpse fell to the ground. Not only had he instantly shattered the grandmaster's spiritual core and incinerated his nascent soul.

Ba Shifang turned around to search for his next target, but wherever he looked, all the Anti-Heaven Alliance grandmasters fled as far as possible.

"You have some guts, charging into enemies line like this!" An old croaky voice said.

Ba Shifang readied himself as a venerable rushed towards him. A piercing shriek of an eagle could be heard as the world merging venerable's punch sliced through the air. With an explosive thud, Ba Shifang blocked the punch by crossing his arms.

His body skidded through the air from the force, and a hiss escaped from his lips. "Ouch, I shouldn't have tried to block a martial venerable's punch head-on."

The world merging venerable's expression changed, and he took another glance at Ba Shifang. "I originally thought you were an arrogant nascent soul grandmaster, but it seems that you have some capital since you dual cultivate the martial path too. But, your mistake was to appear before me today!"

Ba Shifang didn't even have time to roll his eyes as the enemy venerable as a wind-green armored appeared. Tufts of feathers could be seen sprouting out of the joints, and an eagle-like helmet covered his head.

"Watch out, that's the Drifting Feather Sect's Grand Roc Qi Armor! It boosts his speed and attacks dramatically!" One of the venerables from the Bright Ascension Sect called out.

Ba Shifang ignored him. Instead, eight strands of true qi burst out from his back. Five colors composed each strand. Some emitted a fiery heat, another a gentle breeze, the third, a rapid torrent, the fourth, a dense heaviness, and the fifth, a stinging sharpness.

The eight strands of qi combined to form an illusionary continent. The sky and land were divided in two, mountains sprung throughout, the wind howled between two canyons, volcanoes erupted, numerous forests dotted the land, metal veins peaked out from crags, lightning storms covered mountains peaks, and rivers spread throughout the land like veins.

"Parlor tricks!" The world merging venerable shouted as he appeared in front of Ba Shifang. He unleashed a punch, and a spiraling tornado shrouded his arm like a drill.

Ba Shifang didn't say anything, and instead of blocking, he returned the punch. The moment the two fists connected, the world merging venerable discovered that thirty percent of his connection with heaven and earth had disappeared.

"What did you do!?" He shouted in horror.

Ba Shifang didn't reply and continued to attack, unleashing a flurry of attacks. Each attack diminished the connection the world merging venerable had with heaven and earth. When a venerable lost their connection with heaven and earth, they were just a grandmaster with slightly more energy and power.

After returning from the Demon Slaying Expedition, Tianyi had created this move to deal with venerables. But before he could even use it, he entered the Singularity Realm and lost the ability to use qi, so it was only until now that Ba Shifang reached the Nascent Soul Realm that the move, Continental Crush, had shown itself.

The user formed a pseudo world using their qi. While strengthening their attack, it also cut off a venerable's connection with heaven and earth. By this logic, it also had some uses against those between the Unity Realm and Pathfinding Immortal Realm. Although the effectiveness still had to be tested.

Only those with vast amounts of qi and had all five elements qi or chaos qi could perform this move.

Ba Shifang didn't give the world merging venerable time to escape and shatter his Great Roc Qi Armor and impaled his chest with his hand. One of the greatest disadvantages of a martial venerable was that they didn't have a nascent soul, so once their body perished, they couldn't escape with their soul.

The world merging venerable struggled mightily, but like a butterfly caught in a spiderweb, he struggled for naught. Not wanting to risk the world merging venerable using any hidden trump cards, Ba Shifang directly crushed his head like a melon. Then, he pulverized the rest of the venerable's body until it was a meat particle.

At the same time, he heard a shriek and turned toward the source.

"How cruel!" Bai Weiwei said. "Brother Peng, the Buzhou Immortal Sect won't even leave a complete corpse for Elder Sang."

'What does it matter to you? This is war. Get used to it.' Ba Shifang thought. He turned and searched for his next opponent, but Bai Weiwei's following words made him stop.

"Brother Peng, you have to punish him for his cruelty!" Bai Weiwei said.

'I wasn't going to look for trouble for you, but you look for trouble with me?! That's it, you're next.' Ba Shifang turned and glared at Bai Weiwei. His movements paused as he saw Bai Weiwei's new suitor decapitate one of the venerables aiming at Bai Weiwei.

The two grandmasters had already perished, leaving only two venerables from the Bright Ascension Sect.

Ba Shifang narrowed his eyes and sized up Bai Weiwei's Brother Peng. He hadn't thought much of him at first, but that all changed with a venerable's death. Even among the Buzhou Immortal Sect, only the top elites could cross realms and kill a venerable as a grandmaster.

It wasn't that the Buzhou Immortal Sect's geniuses were weak. It was the gulf between a grandmaster and a venerable. Even in the Demon Slaying Realm, no one aside from Tianyi had killed a demon venerable.

Ba Shifang flew and stopped twenty meters in front of Peng Yun and asked. "What's your name."

"Peng Yun, the man who will kill you!"