129: Chapter 128 Fierce Battle

Boom!

A dull, thunderous sound came from the direction of the mountain gate, shaking the main peak slightly.

The sound didn't seem like an ordinary attack; it was more like some kind of blunt weapon striking the Mountain Guardian Array repeatedly. Every impact caused the light shield covering the Sect to flicker violently, the array patterns dimming and brightening irregularly.

In the distance, the sky was illuminated by the flickering lights of various Spells, like lightning before a storm.

Yun Ming stood at the peak of the main peak, looking down at the mountain gate with furrowed brows.

From here, he could clearly see five black auras taking turns striking the Mountain Guardian Array. Each impact caused the array's light shield to cave in before slowly rebounding.

Each of those five auras was thick and deep, unreservedly releasing the pressure of the Late Golden Core Stage.

Five Late Golden Core Stage Cultivators attacking a Sect guarded by a Nascent Soul True Lord?

Yun Ming could not understand it. Were these people crazy or stupid? A Nascent Soul True Lord could slap a group of Late Golden Core Stage Cultivators to death with one hand; where did they get the nerve? Even if the Qingxuan Sect was just a small Sect on the border of the Ximing Continent, the Old Ancestor's cultivation was a genuine Nascent Soul, not just for show.

"Old Ancestor..." he could not help but say, "This isn't right, is it? Five Late Golden Core Stage Cultivators, and they dare to attack us? Are they not afraid of you taking action?"

The Old Ancestor stood beside him, hands behind his back, his expression equally grave.

He did not speak, just quietly gazed toward the mountain gate, his eyes deep.

The light of the Mountain Guardian Array flickered in his eyes, causing his aged face to light up and dim alternately.

Yun Ming glanced at his expression and added, "Is there some kind of conspiracy?"

The Old Ancestor was silent for a moment, then spoke slowly: "This seat is also thinking about this question."

He paused, then continued: "Five Late Golden Core Stage Cultivators—normally, this seat could destroy them with a flip of a hand. They cannot possibly be unaware of this. Since they know, and still dare to come, there are only two possibilities."

Yun Ming replied: "Either they have a backup plan, or... they are here to die."

The Old Ancestor nodded: "Regardless of which it is, it is not simple. If they have a backup plan, then if this seat acts rashly, it would be exactly what they want. If they are here to die... then what is the purpose of their death? Delaying tactics? Luring the tiger away from the mountain?"

He did not continue, but Yun Ming already understood.

The Old Ancestor was frightened by the news of the "Soul Transformation demonic Cultivator".

Those five Late Golden Core Stage Cultivators were just bait on the surface; in the shadows, there might be something even more terrifying hidden. Perhaps that Soul Transformation demonic Cultivator was hiding nearby, waiting for the moment the Old Ancestor took action to deliver a fatal blow.

That was why the Old Ancestor dared not move.

He had to remain here, guarding the Sect, to prevent any real threat.

In the direction of the mountain gate, there were more loud bangs. The attack frequency of those five demonic Cultivators had clearly increased, and every impact made the Mountain Guardian Array tremble violently. The light shield was growing dimmer, and the flow of the array patterns was becoming slower; at this rate, the array would be broken in an hour or two at most.

Yun Ming spread out his Divine Sense and looked from afar, finally seeing the appearance of those five demonic Cultivators clearly.

The leader was a giant nearly a zhang tall, bald, with a face full of flesh, and his bare upper body was covered in hideous scars. He wielded a bone saber the size of a door panel, the blade pale and covered in twisted runes; every swing brought with it shrill ghostly wails. His name was simple and crude—Li Tu.

To Li Tu's left was a withered old man in a black robe, with a sinister face and sunken eyes that looked like two burning ghost fires. He wielded a black banner embroidered with countless twisted ghost faces; when the banner unfurled, gusts of yin wind would blow, and the sound of ghost wailing was endless. This person was called Gui Sou.

To Li Tu's right was a middle-aged woman, heavily made up, dressed revealingly, with a charming smile always hanging on the corner of her lips. She wielded a pair of blood-colored short blades, with blood light faintly circulating on the edges; every swing carried a cloying, fishy scent. She called herself Xue Ji.

There were two more behind. One was a short, fat dwarf, his round body like a meatball, yet he had a pair of long, narrow eyes that squinted into slits when he smiled, looking eerie. He used a bone chain strung with dense small skulls, making a clattering sound when swung. He was called Gu Tong.

The last one was a taciturn young man, pale-faced with sunken eye sockets, keeping his head down as if he were uninterested in everything around him. A bronze bell hung at his waist; the bell had no clapper, yet it would ring on its own from time to time, the sound crisp yet making one's back feel cold. He was called Ling Lang.

Five demonic Cultivators, five auras of the Late Golden Core Stage, were just bombarding the Qingxuan Sect's Mountain Guardian Array so unscrupulously.

"Old Ancestor!" A voice came from below the mountain.

Several streaks of light landed on the main peak; they were several Golden Core Elders of the Qingxuan Sect.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a resolute face, a square jaw, thick eyebrows and large eyes, and a short beard on his chin; his aura was thick and steady. He was called Fu Qingyun, a Golden Core Middle Stage, one of the most senior Golden Core Elders of the Qingxuan Sect, having followed the Old Ancestor for over a hundred years. He used a High Grade Flying Sword named "qingyun sword"; the sword light was sharp, and he had long enjoyed the reputation of "Qingyun's Single Sword" within the Sect.

Behind Fu Qingyun followed two middle-aged Cultivators. The one on the left was slightly plump, round-faced, and smiling, looking like a Maitreya Buddha, named Zhou Yuan, a Golden Core Early Stage, wielding a bronze bell named "Zhenyue"; when the bell rang, it could shatter mountains. The tall, thin one on the right, with a cold expression and few words, was named Han Song, a Golden Core Early Stage, wielding an iron ruler named "Liangtian"; it was good for both offense and defense, and was standard and steady.

The last one was a female Cultivator, looking to be in her early thirties, with delicate features and a gentle temperament, named Liu Ruyan, a Golden Core Early Stage, using a long silk ribbon named "Yanluo"; it was as soft as water and as tough as steel. She was Fu Qingyun's Dao Companion, and the two had Cultivated together for a hundred years, their feelings deep.

The four stepped forward and clasped their hands in salute to the Old Ancestor.

Fu Qingyun said loudly: "Old Ancestor, this Disciple requests to fight! A mere few Late Golden Core Stage Cultivators dare to come and run wild in our Qingxuan Sect; this Disciple will go and meet them!"

Zhou Yuan, Han Song, and Liu Ruyan also echoed his request.

The Old Ancestor looked at them, pondered for a moment, and nodded.

"Go. Be careful, do not get entangled in the fight. If anything unexpected happens, retreat back to the array immediately."

"Yes!"

The four accepted the order, turned into four streaks of light, and flew toward the mountain gate.

Yun Ming stood where he was, not moving. His current state—his spiritual energy was mostly exhausted, and his Divine Sense hadn't recovered either; fighting Late Golden Core Stage Cultivators head-on would be pure suicide. Any one of those five demonic Cultivators could pin him to the ground and rub him into the dirt. It was better to watch from here and conserve his energy.

In the direction of the mountain gate, intense spiritual energy fluctuations soon erupted.

Yun Ming spread his Divine Sense to watch the battle from afar.

Fu Qingyun met Li Tu.

He unleashed the qingyun sword; the sword light was like a rainbow, turning into a sky full of sword shadows, enveloping Li Tu within.

Li Tu grinned hideously, hacking and slashing with his bone saber; the saber momentum was fierce and peerless, each strike carrying the force of ten thousand jun. One was nimble, the other fierce, and they fought to a standstill. The collision of sword light and Saber Qi set off circles of shockwaves, uprooting the surrounding trees.

Zhou Yuan faced off against Gu Tong.

He unleashed the Zhenyue bronze bell; as the bell rang, sound waves turned into visible ripples, crushing toward Gu Tong. Gu Tong chuckled, swinging his bone chain; those small skulls opened their mouths and emitted silent screams, actually canceling out most of the sound waves. One attacked with sound waves, the other defended with a bone chain; for a while, neither could do anything to the other.

Han Song faced off against Gui Sou. Liu Ruyan faced off against Xue Ji.