80: Chapter 80: With retreat blocked, break through on the spot.

Ye Hongyu stood on a boulder, looking at the incomplete Magical Artifact emanating the Five Elements aura in Qi Yang's hand, and the killing intent in her eyes miraculously dissipated.

She seemed to have confirmed something, as she actually put away the thunder and fire spiritual power around her and did not continue chasing.

"The Five Elements are complete, and the Poison Wood share the same origin..."

Ye Hongyu looked at Qi Yang, the corners of her mouth slightly curving into a meaningful smile.

"You old fellow are quite interesting. Consider yourself lucky today; we will meet again."

After speaking, Ye Hongyu turned around, transforming into a red streak of thunder light, and smoothly plunged into the distant star-magnetic storm.

Qi Yang leaned against the rock wall, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked in the direction where Ye Hongyu disappeared, his brows tightly knitted together.

"This woman... What on earth did she see through?"

Alarm bells rang loudly in Qi Yang's heart.

Ye Hongyu's probing stopped at the right point, but that feeling of being targeted by a venomous snake made Qi Yang feel like needles were pricking his back.

He was well aware that the secret of his Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Roots and Poison Wood Spiritual Power had probably already aroused the interest of this mutated Spiritual Root Prodigy.

"Strength, my strength is still not enough!"

Qi Yang clenched his fists tightly, a flash of ruthlessness crossing his eyes.

Upon returning to the Nether Grass Field, he must spare no cost to push his cultivation to the Qi Condensation 12th Layer Great Perfection as soon as possible!

Qi Yang did not linger in place for long.

He knew very well that being targeted by a Prodigy with dual thunder and fire mutated Spiritual Roots was definitely not a good thing.

Even if the other party was only acting on a whim, he must leave this place of right and wrong as soon as possible.

He affixed a high-grade divine mobility talisman, pushed his breath-concealing technique to the limit, and shuttled rapidly through the dim mine caves of the Yunxing Abyss.

Along the way, he avoided several waves of Loose Cultivators who were fighting bloody battles over a few low-grade Ore, and headed straight towards the outer exit of the Yunxing Abyss.

However, just as Qi Yang was about to reach the exit and could even see the gray sky outside, his footsteps abruptly came to a halt.

At the canyon exit ahead, the originally violent star-magnetic storm was forcefully suppressed by an even more terrifying power.

Three massive beams of light, as substantive as reality, soared into the sky, interweaving in mid-air into a huge Formation chart that blotted out the sun and sky.

The Formation chart circulated with a heart-palpitating aura, completely sealing off the entire exit of the Yunxing Abyss!

"A Grade Two ultimate Formation, the Three Talents Heaven-Sealing Formation?"

Qi Yang hid behind a huge rock, a trace of shock flashing through his cloudy old eyes.

With a Formation of this level, even if a hundred experts of the Qi Condensation 12th Layer joined forces, they wouldn't even dream of shaking it in the slightest.

In front of the Formation light barrier, three Elders whose auras were as deep as an abyss and vast as an ocean sat cross-legged.

Foundation Establishment Stage Elders!

The Three Major Sects actually each sent a Foundation Establishment Stage Elder to personally guard the exit!

"The ruins of Yunge Pavilion deep within the Yunxing Abyss are about to appear in the world; this is the Opportunity of our Three Major Sects!"

A Ziyang Valley Elder dressed in purple robes slowly opened his eyes, his voice echoing like rolling thunder across the entire outer perimeter of the Yunxing Abyss.

"Starting immediately, the Yunxing Abyss allows entry but no exit! All Loose Cultivators will be uniformly searched and released after the ruins exploration is completed. Anyone who dares to trespass into the Formation will be executed without mercy!"

As soon as these words came out, the hundreds of Loose Cultivators gathered near the exit instantly exploded in uproar.

"On what grounds! We risked our lives nine times out of ten just to dig up a little Ore, on what grounds should we be searched by you!"

"The Three Major Sects are trying to cut off our paths of survival!"

A few hot-tempered Qi Refining Tenth Layer Loose Cultivators relied on their numbers and, refusing to believe in evil, rushed towards the Formation light barrier, attempting to forcibly break the Formation.

"Courting death."

That Ziyang Valley Elder cold-snorted without even moving a finger.

Several water-vat-thick thunder and fire light pillars abruptly struck down from the Three Talents Heaven-Sealing Formation, turning those Qi Refining Tenth Layer Loose Cultivators directly into a puff of flying ash in mid-air, and even their Storage Pouch were shredded into powder by the violent Formation power.

All the Loose Cultivators retreated in terror, and no one dared to step forward another inch.

Qi Yang hid behind the rock, his expression as gloomy as if water could drip from it.

Uniformly search and release? This was simply taking his life!

His Storage Pouch was packed with an entire vein of top-grade starlight sand!

This stuff was a supreme treasure that made even Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators envious.

Once discovered, the Three Major Sects would definitely kill him on the spot without the slightest hesitation, and even search his soul to uncover the secret of him killing Lu Yuan and others.

"This bunch of righteous sects, their eating manners are uglier than the last."

Qi Yang sneered in his heart.

Facing such a desperate situation, Qi Yang did not panic in the slightest, nor did he despairingly howl like other Loose Cultivators.

Having lived cautiously for so many years, he had long understood a truth: in the Cultivation World, placing hope on others' benevolence was the fastest way to die.

Since the escape route was sealed, he could only move forward!

Qi Yang decisively turned around and plunged headfirst back into the depths of the Yunxing Abyss along his original path.

He avoided all the main passageways and specifically picked dead ends with terrifyingly abnormal gravity to walk.

Relying on the sharp perception of danger from the Five Poisons Nourishing Spirit Art, he sneaked deep underground all the way without incident.

This place was a full several hundred zhang away from the surface, and the surrounding rocks, tempered by years of star-magnetic storms, were as hard as a Grade One Magical Artifact.

Qi Yang circulated the rich earth-type spiritual power within his body, and it took a full two hours to forcefully carve out a hidden secret chamber measuring about a zhang square within the hard rock layer.

His hands formed hand seals rapidly, arranging all the isolation Formation Plates on his body around the secret chamber, and even scattering a large amount of blood-dissolving powder toxic dust as early-warning traps.

After finishing all this, Qi Yang sat cross-legged in the center of the secret chamber, letting out a long breath of turbid air.

"Since I cannot get out, I will make a Breakthrough right here."

A flash of resoluteness crossed Qi Yang's cloudy old eyes.

His current cultivation was Qi Refining Tenth Layer, and although the liquid Poison Wood Spiritual Power within his body had terrifying might, the Meridians of his Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Roots were too fragile and simply could not withstand a prolonged outburst.

Facing the about-to-appear ruins of Yunge Pavilion and those Prodigies from the Three Major Sects inside, the strength of the Qi Refining Tenth Layer was still somewhat lacking.

To survive the upcoming chaos, or even pull chestnuts from the fire, he must push his cultivation to the Qi Condensation 11th Layer!

Qi Yang flipped his wrist and took out several pieces of starlight sand exuding a silver halo from his Storage Pouch.

At the same time, he took out another specially made warm jade box, inside of which were several poisonous herbs that were pitch-black all over and emitted a pungent, fishy odor—century-old Black Jade Severed-Connecting Grass.

Although this poisonous herb was incomparably toxic, if used well, it was a supreme Spirit Medicine for toughening Meridians and reshaping the Physical Body.

"starlight sand for Body Tempering, poisonous herbs to protect the Meridians—success or failure hangs on this single action!"

Qi Yang took a deep breath, pulled out the stopper of the mysterious black gourd, and dripped a drop of emerald-green liquid.

Under the forced ripening of the green liquid, the medicinal efficacy of the Black Jade Severed-Connecting Grass was stimulated to the extreme.

Qi Yang swallowed it in one gulp.

The moment the Black Jade Severed-Connecting Grass entered his abdomen, a violent toxic force directly exploded within Qi Yang's body.

This toxic force was like countless sharp little knives, frantically cutting his fragile Five-Element Mixed Spiritual Roots Meridians.

Qi Yang muffled a groan, his forehead covered in bean-sized cold sweat, and a trace of black blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth.

But he did not stop; instead, he slammed his hands heavily against the ground, shattering those few pieces of top-grade starlight sand into a clump of silver powder.

"Inhale!"

Qi Yang circulated the Five Poisons Nourishing Spirit Art, forcefully inhaling the starlight sand powder into his body.

Boom!

The moment the terrifying star-magnetic power contained in the starlight sand came into contact with his Meridians, it erupted with unimaginable destructive power.

Qi Yang only felt as if his body had been placed on an anvil, crazily forged by an invisible giant hammer.

Severe pain! Heart-wrenching and lung-splitting severe pain!

The star-magnetic power was tearing apart his flesh and blood, while the medicinal efficacy of the Black Jade Severed-Connecting Grass was frantically repairing it.

Tearing, repairing, tearing again, repairing again...

In this Hell-like cycle, Qi Yang's Meridians were undergoing a qualitative change of shedding mortality and transforming into transcendence.

The Meridians, originally as fragile as thin paper, gradually became incomparably tough under the tempering of the star-magnetic power and the nourishment of the poisonous herbs, and their surface even took on a faint layer of silver luster.

Time passed bit by bit in painful torment.

Qi Yang clenched his teeth tightly, not even letting out a single groan.

Beneath his withered human-skin mask, his eyes were bloodshot, but his gaze was terrifyingly clear.