65: Chapter 24 A Dead End

Maitreya!

Alarm bells rang loudly in the hearts of Chen Xuan and Liu Lili.

"Senior Sister, hold him back for me!"

"Mm!" Liu Lili forced herself to stay calm.

At this moment, she could clearly hear her own breathing and heartbeat.

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator and those in the Qi Refining Realm were practically two different species.

Right now, the shopkeeper, who had been turned into a pile of minced meat, was a warning of what was to come.

This Maitreya indeed crushed people like biscuits with a single punch; he was terrifyingly powerful.

Right now, just his leaking aura alone felt like a lump in the throats of Chen Xuan and his companion, making it impossible to breathe.

"Tap, tap, tap!" Old Ancestor Maitreya did not fly over; he merely approached the two of them step by heavy step.

This speed seemed slow but was actually extremely fast, reaching Chen Xuan in almost the blink of an eye.

Liu Lili's eyes narrowed as she snapped out of it. Although she was not in good shape, her Origin Qi was unharmed. She immediately pinched hand seals to cast a technique of the Liuyang Sword Sect.

Risking it all!

Risking it all!

Only by risking their lives could they survive—to find life in death.

Facing a powerful enemy, holding back in the slightest was equivalent to writing one's own epitaph.

In his past life, Chen Xuan had never truly fought a Foundation Establishment Cultivator; even during spars, they had held back a lot.

The result was usually the Foundation Establishment Cultivator instakilling Chen Xuan in a single move.

Now in a battle of life and death, Chen Xuan was even more focused and prepared.

Laughing at the Vast Sea was already fully charged.

Once Liu Lili distracted him, he would be able to find an opportunity.

Old Ancestor Maitreya still looked like a golden-bodied monk with an exposed chest. Revealing a smile, he unhurriedly struck out with a palm toward the two.

However, the two of them activated their techniques while dodging.

"Bright Moon Sword Qi!" Liu Lili shouted, quickly retreating.

Old Ancestor Maitreya pursued relentlessly. His offensive was extremely fierce; though it seemed slow, it was actually unimaginably fast. It was so fast that the naked eye could not capture the movement of his palm, making it appear slow and unhurried.

"Boom!"

That palm strike landed after all!

Liu Lili immediately spun and flew backward from the impact.

She spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground, nearly losing consciousness.

She swallowed a Medicinal Pill. Her left arm was bent completely out of shape; clearly, both her combat strength and her life were in critical danger.

At the same time, the Bright Moon Sword Qi she had prepared beforehand was unleashed!

Strands of Sword Qi rained down from the sky, working in tandem with her dharma sword to fiercely attack Old Ancestor Maitreya.

Ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators would have to temporarily retreat when facing such a fierce offensive.

After all, they were not Body Cultivators; Foundation Establishment Cultivators were merely glass cannons with high attack but low defense.

Yet Old Ancestor Maitreya maintained that same smile, which now seemed somewhat sinister.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The sound of clashing metal rang out continuously, but Maitreya ignored it completely. With a shockwave sent through the air, he shattered all the Sword Qi.

High attack and high defense!

The hearts of the two sank once more.

Could it be that they were truly going to perish here today?

Just like countless nameless individuals in the Qi Refining Realm.

Liu Lili, who was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, had absolutely no power to fight back before Old Ancestor Maitreya.

Outside the shop, in the distance, many Half-Yaos, members of the Yao Race, and members of the Human Race were already watching!

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator fighting in the Water Marsh Kingdom was a rare event to witness.

"Those two are dead for sure."

"The Liuyang Sword Sect had better prepare to collect their corpses. I wonder which Foundation Establishment Cultivator they will send to hunt down this Old Monster Maitreya."

"These cultists appeared so strangely!"

"Clearly, thirty years ago, no one had ever heard of the Dao of Shakya, let alone this Maitreya Future Buddha."

"Exactly, exactly!"

Countless people gossiped, watching the fire from across the river.

Meanwhile, at the center of the battlefield, Chen Xuan had finally finished gathering his power.

"Laughing at the Vast Sea!"

Splash!

It was as if stormy waves were crashing, and the sound of giant waves instantly resounded.

Chen Xuan immediately executed Sword Light Differentiation, transforming into multiple sword lights. Activating Laughing at the Vast Sea, he concealed himself within the technique.

"Holy crap! Sword Light Differentiation."

"Sword Light Differentiation, which only Foundation Establishment Cultivators can perform! This guy actually mastered such a method while still in the Qi Refining Realm? Could he be a Dao Seed of the Liuyang Sword Sect?"

"Wait, that's not right. This technique is almost a Minor Divine Ability; it actually manifested a sea of Concept. What terrifying combat strength."

"Today, we might actually witness a legendary battle across realms."

The residents of the Water Marsh Kingdom were incredibly shocked.

Meanwhile, Maitreya clearly realized the danger as well.

At this critical juncture, he immediately sat cross-legged in the Void Realm, with one leg touching the void as if taking root.

Then, pressing his palms together, a phantom golden lotus appeared beneath him.

A Concept Minor Divine Ability!

The crowd was astonished!

This Maitreya was actually this powerful.

Ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators could never comprehend a Minor Divine Ability in their entire lives; that was the Domain of Golden Core Cultivators.

"Boom!"

The giant waves crashed, but Old Ancestor Maitreya remained completely motionless, as if immune to all techniques.

Various sword light slashes and sweeping waves failed to shake Maitreya in the slightest.

He stood cross-legged on one leg in the Void Realm, like a pillar stabilizing the world.

Free of sorrow or joy, with a compassionate look on his face, he was impervious to all methods, looking just like an orthodox Buddhist.

Right then, Chen Xuan changed his hand seal. Amidst the gentle breeze and waves, the Sword Light Differentiation and the three hundred and sixty-five major acupoints of the universe attacked Old Ancestor Maitreya in unison.

This strike was the Peak of Chen Xuan's accumulated lifetimes!

"Boom!"

The golden light faded, and the sword lights dimmed.

The marsh slowly dissipated.

Chen Xuan spat out blood. He was sent flying several tens of feet by the backlash, crashing through a wall before collapsing onto the ground.

As for Maitreya, his golden body had been broken!

A black-haired old man looked at the two with a dark gaze. Clearly, he had not expected that someone could break his Maitreya Body.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, he suppressed the backlash injuries from his broken technique and struck out with a palm toward Chen Xuan!

This familiar aura!

The Stealing Heaven Great Hand Seal!

Chen Xuan's eyes narrowed. It was the old dog of the Wang family.

What an ill-fated encounter!

The great hand seal loomed over Chen Xuan and Liu Lili, about to slam down amidst the dust and smoke.

"You old dog of the Wang family, so it was you."

Right at this moment, a voice echoed faintly. A golden sword light instantly severed the giant palm, and then several strands of Sword Qi stabbed toward the Old Ancestor of the Wang family.

"It's you! Golden Light Sword Elder Liu!" Without a second word, the Old Ancestor of the Wang family burned his essence blood to flee.

"Trying to flee?" Elder Liu was no longer as kind-faced and gentle as he had been during the assessment; instead, he was as sharp as jagged rock, ready to pierce the sky.

"Go!"

The surrounding sword lights closed in, becoming even faster.

"Boom!" The sword light slashed against the escaping light, yielding only a splash of blood.

He still managed to escape!

Elder Liu did not pursue. First, he threw out a needle compass to prevent the two Disciples from being finished off.

He had seen their responses clearly through his Divine Sense just now; they were very good.

The dragon-seeking token had not been given in vain.

"I arrived late."

"As soon as I received the distress message, I rushed over from the Chen Clan. I ran into that Water Nightmare on the way and had to spend some effort to shake it off." He explained the reason for his delay.

"You both did very well. Take some medicine to heal your wounds first. I will record this truthfully in the Sect's Annals."

The Sect's evaluation of its Disciples was always well-documented. Once recorded in the register, it could naturally be accessed and reviewed.

The ratings were divided into: Ordinary Disciple, Core Disciple, and Legacy Disciple.

In the outside world, they were also known as Foundation Establishment Seeds and Golden Core Seeds.

Still feeling lingering fear, Chen Xuan and his companion struggled to their feet, swallowed some Medicinal Pills, and began to heal.

Without another word, after Chen Xuan helped Liu Lili set her bones, Elder Liu used his magic power to help accelerate their healing.

After half a day, Liu Lili's injuries stabilized, but she needed to be sent back to the Sect's Baimu Peak Medicine Hall for treatment.

As for Chen Xuan, his injuries were almost fully healed. Though he looked covered in blood, they were actually all superficial wounds.

Elder Liu gave him even more credit in his heart; this kid had actually been secretly practicing Body Refining.

One must know that a person's time is limited. Body Refining, Spell Refining, and Spirit Refining—corresponding to the three barriers of Essence, Qi, and Spirit—all consumed precious time.

Without great perseverance, it was impossible.