261: Chapter 260: Martial Arts

"Unlucky, unlucky, unlucky!"

In the desolate and vast valley of his fiefdom, three low roars, almost gnashed out through gritted teeth, exploded deeply, carrying endless frustration and wretchedness as they echoed repeatedly through the mountains and forests.

Shi Jin's burly, sturdy body retreated rapidly, his feet stomping heavily and shattering the mountain rocks; every step back shook the ground, sending dust flying and causing gullies to spread.

He tightened his arms, firmly protecting the tiny Little Pebble in his embrace deep against his chest, while his broad, tough back remained completely exposed, forcibly enduring the violent, raging Qi currents and the tiny, piercing blades of wind tearing through the air around him.

In his arms, Little Pebble's thin body was curled up tightly, his head buried deep and unmoving, his tender frame unable to stop shivering.

At this moment, Shi Jin's heart was already filled with a chest full of pent-up frustration and the indignation of extreme bad luck, cursing incessantly to himself.

He had finally obtained this exclusive fiefdom, thinking that from then on he could stably guard his territory, go into seclusion to cultivate, consolidate his Dao foundation, and live a peaceful and carefree life of cultivation.

But fate seemed to be deliberately working against him; ever since he was enfeoffed, nothing had ever gone smoothly for him even once.

The first time he packed up to head to his fiefdom to take up his post, as soon as he stepped out of the Imperial City's main gate, he was intercepted by the territory-patrolling Second Elder Ao Ni, who forcibly dragged him back to the Imperial City to fill a vacancy, rendering months of preparation completely wasted.

The second time, he ran into Golden Immortal Ao Li halfway and was again forcibly dragged back to watch a battle between Immortals.

It wasn't until the third time that he finally successfully arrived at his fiefdom. For three whole years, he took root there, cultivating in seclusion, ignoring external disputes, and focusing solely on polishing his Bloodline Dao foundation and nurturing his flood dragon-patterned true body. His life was stable and smooth, his cultivation was steadily progressing, and he was on the verge of breaking through his shackles to reach a higher level.

Who could have expected that disaster would descend from the sky, and bad luck would come knocking again!

Just a moment ago, he was at a critical node in his meditative seclusion; the Spiritual Qi was circulating through his entire body, his Bloodline was quietly harmonizing, and he was immersed in an excellent state of cultivation.

Without any warning, an extreme, chilling terror originating from the depths of his Divine Soul and stemming from the instinct of Heaven and Earth suddenly swept over his entire body.

It was not the disturbance of a Heart Demon, but a sense of crisis transmitted from the outside world—piercingly cold and soul-shaking—that forcibly jolted him awake from his deep state of seclusion.

For those who cultivate, the connection between Heaven and Man is most acute; any anomalies in Heaven and Earth or imbalances in the energy field can be sensed in advance.

Shi Jin's heart shook violently. Not daring to hesitate for a moment, he immediately forcibly interrupted the circulation of his Spiritual Qi, flipped up to his feet, and pushed the door open to investigate the source.

But as soon as he stepped out of the Immortal Cave's gate, the scene before him made his whole body stiffen, his pupils shrink, and his scalp instantly tingle!

On the open ground directly in front of the Immortal Cave, the Void Realm was violently twisting and wrinkling, light and shadow were tearing and vibrating crazily, and a pitch-black, hideous rift spanning dozens of meters stretched across the sky and earth.

At the edge of the rift, spatial fragments were falling with a rustling sound, and faint light was extinguishing. Deep inside, violent and unfamiliar extraterritorial Qi currents were surging. They were completely different from the gentle and moist Spiritual Qi of the native Canglan Domain; they were overbearing, coarse, and savage, carrying extreme aggression and destructiveness.

The originally stable, quiet, and peaceful fiefdom valley was instantly beset by raging winds, chaotic Qi currents, bending plants, and dust filling the sky; the order of Heaven and Earth had been completely broken.

Shi Jin was full of astonishment and uncertainty, staring fixedly at the space rift that kept squirming and expanding, his mind tightened to the extreme.

"What is going on?"

Just as his mind was trembling and he was speculating to himself, from the depths of the pitch-black, dark rift came the sound of steady, heavy, and clanging footsteps.

Several burly men with massive frames, broad shoulders, wide backs, and sturdy physiques stepped slowly out along the rift, landing steadily in the Canglan Domain fiefdom.

Each of these people had skin the color of bronze, hardened by long exposure to the sun and bloody battles; their muscle lines were bulging and well-defined. There was not a single halo of Spiritual Qi flowing around them as seen with Cultivators; instead, they were replaced by thick, surging blood Qi that shot up into the sky—scorching, condensed, and overbearingly majestic—suppressing the surrounding Spiritual Qi until it stagnated and dissipated.

Every gesture and movement carried the power to collapse mountains and split rocks, the strength to shake the heavens and earth.

After landing, the burly man in the lead, with a face full of whiskers, greedily scanned the world around him. Feeling the pure, fresh, and rich Spiritual Qi of this plane, an extreme excitement and wild joy erupted in his eyes. He threw his head back and laughed loudly, his voice shaking the valley: "Hahaha! Finally, we've opened up another Cultivation World! It looks like a Cultivation World that cultivates Spiritual Qi!"

"The Spiritual Qi in this world is mellow and rich, and the vitality is flourishing; it's an excellent fertile land! We have resources again!"

The other Martial Artists echoed with wild laughter, their blood Qi churning and their Battle Intent rising high. Their eyes were arrogant and overbearing, not taking this strange world into account at all; they looked exactly like conquerors entering a new territory.

Hearing this, Shi Jin's heart sank completely to the bottom.

People from beyond the heavens!

Experts who have crossed the boundary from outside the Realm!

The rumors of powerful beings from beyond the heavens falling a few years ago had already spread everywhere. He had previously just listened to it as gossip and never thought that people from beyond the heavens would so coincidentally descend at the entrance of his own fiefdom!

Without any unnecessary probing, the group of extraterritorial Martial Artists instantly locked their gazes onto Shi Jin, who was standing not far away, and then looked at the Cultivators gathering around.

"Native Cultivators?"

"Since we've bumped into them, let's suppress them while we're at it! Clear the obstacles."

The leading burly man's gaze turned cold. He raised his hand and waved it, and a biting murderous intent instantly spread out: "Kill!"

At the order, several Martial Artists of the Physical Body stomped their feet hard against the ground; the earth collapsed and cracked with a boom, and their bodies shot out like cannonballs. Without any fancy Moves, they purely relied on the extreme brute force of their Physical Bodies to crush and collide, charging straight at the Cultivators to slaughter them!

The wind whistled, blood Qi towered into the sky, and the sense of oppression was extreme!

Shi Jin's expression turned stern suddenly. Not daring to hesitate, he tightly protected Little Pebble in his arms, his fingertips rapidly pinching a communication jade talisman, pouring Spiritual Qi into it frantically.

"Urgent military report! A rift from outside the Realm has opened wide in the fiefdom, and people from beyond the heavens are invading! Requesting the Law Enforcement Team to rush over for reinforcements!"

"Everyone, prepare for battle."

After sending the message, Shi Jin did not hesitate any longer. With a deep shout, he completely mobilized all the garrison combat power of the fiefdom!

This place was his fiefdom, and it already had quite a few local Cultivators and Sects. Usually, apart from paying him some Spirit Stones every year, they basically didn't communicate.

Now that an external enemy had invaded, everyone could only unite as one.

"All personnel, form up! Defend against the enemy and hold the line! Extraterritorial invaders, you have stepped on my fiefdom and violated my territory—kill without mercy!"

Boom!

Around the fiefdom, a large number of Cultivators instantly rushed out from countless Sects and mansions.

They could hear clearly that these people from beyond the heavens were extremely lethal and intended to kill them all.

Armor clanged, weapons were drawn, and Spiritual Qi surged, quickly forming an impregnable offensive and defensive battle Formation, blocking layer by layer and firmly intercepting the charging route of the extraterritorial Martial Artists.

For a time, Spiritual Qi techniques roared across the sky, and the sound of weapons clashing shook the valley. The native Cultivators' Spiritual Qi techniques and Formation attacks fiercely bombarded the extraterritorial Martial Artists.

But the vast disparity in combat power was fully revealed at this moment!

Within the fiefdom, Shi Jin belonged to the strongest.

There were not even a few Cultivators remaining who were at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage.

Facing the extraterritorial Martial Artists who had purely tempered their Physical Bodies to the extreme, ordinary Spiritual Qi techniques, weapon slashes, and Formation impacts all became child's play.

Those Martial Artists had Physical Bodies harder than iron, blood Qi as heavy as a mountain, and endless brute force. They didn't dodge or avoid, forcibly resisting all technique bombardments, letting the spiritual light explode and weapon slashes land on their bodies, leaving only shallow white marks that were instantly washed away and smoothed out by their boiling blood Qi.

They raised their hands to punch, stepped forward to collide, and crushed in close quarters. Every strike carried the terrifying brute force to collapse mountains and split rocks; there was no profound Dao technique or Spiritual Qi circulation, only the most primitive, most overbearing, and most savage Physical Body conquest!

Bang, bang, bang!

Dull and terrifying loud noises exploded one after another; the battle Formation formed by the elite guards of the fiefdom instantly collapsed, shattered, and scattered.

Countless Cultivators were sent flying by a single punch, their bones broken, their blood Qi churning, and they were severely injured and vomiting blood, having no power to resist at all.

Flesh and blood flew, dust filled the sky, and the Formation was scattered!

Shi Jin watched this with a heavy heart.

So strong!

What made him even more desperate was that the huge, dozens-of-meters-long space rift showed no signs of closing at all; instead, it was still slowly squirming, expanding, and spreading.

A steady stream of extraterritorial Physical Body Martial Artists walked out along the rift; their numbers were increasing, their auras were becoming more powerful, and their murderous intent was becoming increasingly dense.

The battle situation had completely collapsed; holding the line was already futile!

If they continued to hold the line, not only would his subordinates be wiped out, but even Little Pebble in his arms would be slaughtered!

"Retreat! Everyone, break out quickly!"

Shi Jin gritted his teeth and roared. Before he had even finished speaking, he turned and left.

The message had already been sent out; he was just a part-timer, he couldn't die here.

If he didn't run now, when would he?

Actually, he didn't need to shout. Upon seeing the Cultivators at the very front instantly evaporate, everyone flew toward the sky without hesitation.

"Want to run?"

A cold and overbearing sharp shout exploded from behind!

The people from beyond the heavens scattered to pursue and kill.

At the rift stood a person with a terrifying aura. He swept his cold expression across the battlefield: "Scatter quickly and hide everywhere to gather information. This rift cannot be maintained for long. I will try to extend the time to allow more people to enter. You all hide for now and wait for the next opening. With an anchor point, we will soon find a way to open this world again."

"This time the space rift opened outside our Sect; it is a fortunate event for our Sect. We must seize the initiative over the other Sects."

"Yes!" everyone replied, their eyes all burning with heat.

In an instant, the thousand or so Martial Artists on the spot disappeared into the sky. Only five people remained on the scene, each holding a strange compass and standing inside and outside the rift.

The center of the compass emitted a faint dark light, turning into a thin line that continuously injected into the edge of the rift.

And with the support of the compass, the space rift stabilized.

A burly man in black with a tall, straight figure and an aura far exceeding his peers scanned the crowd, and then pursued the strongest one, Shi Jin.

This person was named Kuang Yue, a leader of a small team. His Physical Body cultivation was perfect, his blood Qi was as condensed as an abyss, his tendons and bones were tempered to the extreme, and his martial Physical Body was indestructible, with the strength to shake mountains.

He did not activate any Spiritual Qi or cast any techniques; relying solely on the extreme speed erupted from his legs, he tore through the air, covering a hundred miles in an instant, firmly locking onto Shi Jin's escape trajectory, pressing step by step, and pursuing relentlessly!

One fleeing, one pursuing, they crossed mountain fields, gullies, forests, and wilderness at high speed.

Shi Jin ran wildly all the way, his blood Qi churning, his mind tightened. His back was already soaked with cold sweat, and he had narrowly avoided Kuang Yue's Physical Body bombardments several times. Every time the opponent's fist wind swept past, it could whip up biting gales, tear his clothes, and scrape his skin until it hurt, the shadow of death constantly shrouding him.

He fled with all his might, his Spiritual Qi continuously overdrawn, his Meridians aching in waves, his physical strength rapidly consumed; he was in an extremely wretched state.

Strong!

Too strong!

Although there was no aura of a Loose Cultivator, the pressure the opponent caused him was no less than that of a Loose Cultivator's three tribulations.

"Dad, are we going to die?"

Little Pebble's face was pale; this was the first time he had felt the approach of death.

He hadn't felt such obvious murderous intent from Second Elder Ao Ni before.

Shi Jin pursed his lips and didn't speak.

Fortunately, Heaven does not block all paths.

Just at the critical moment when his mind was anxious, his physical strength was fading, and he was about to be caught up to, at the end of the mountain path ahead, two familiar figures slowly came into view.

One carried a precept blade on his back and wore 108 Buddhist beads around his neck, with a steady, restrained temperament and faint Buddhist charm; the other held a long Immortal spear, with a tall, straight posture and a sharp, awe-inspiring aura.

It was none other than his sworn brothers with whom he had fought side-by-side in blood and shared life and death in the past—Wu Yang and Yang Chi!

Finding hope in a desperate situation, an extreme ecstasy instantly erupted in Shi Jin's eyes. As if grasping a life-saving straw, he shouted loudly from afar: "Wu Yang! Yang Chi! Two brothers, help me!"

Wu Yang and Yang Chi, who were flying in the air ahead, heard the sound and their steps suddenly paused, and they both turned to look.

The moment they saw Shi Jin running wildly and in a wretched state, both of them were slightly stunned, a look of extreme complexity flashing in their eyes.

Their steps subconsciously stalled, their faces showing deep hesitation.

In the past, the three of them were the best sworn brothers in Shuibo, sharing joys and sorrows, fighting side-by-side, entrusting their lives to each other, with deep friendship and absolute loyalty.

But having learned from Chieftain Song He that Shi Jin had already chosen to leave Shuibo, submit to the Imperial Dynasty, and follow Yuan Chen, he was defined by Shuibo as betraying the Sect and abandoning his brothers.

The old brotherly friendship was still there, but the other party's act of betrayal left them in a dilemma, not knowing whether they should help or not.

To help would be to violate Shuibo's stance, favor a traitor, and let down Brother Chieftain Song He; not to help, and watch their former life-and-death brother die on the spot, was something they ultimately could not bear in their hearts.

In an instant, Shi Jin saw through their hesitation and doubt. Understanding this, he immediately and decisively changed his wording, shouting again at the top of his lungs, his voice piercing through the wind and shaking the mountains and wilderness: "Don't hesitate! The one pursuing me from behind is a person from beyond the heavens! An extraterritorial invader!"

"It is an expert from beyond the heavens who has crossed the boundary!!"

"What?"

Once these words were spoken, the expressions of Wu Yang and Yang Chi changed drastically, and the hesitation in their eyes instantly dissipated, replaced by gravity and vigilance.

The two of them had naturally heard about the people from outside the Realm, but they didn't expect to run into them.

Taking a closer look at the methods of the pursuer, they were indeed somewhat strange.

At the same time, Kuang Yue glanced at the two of them and grinned: "Two more Mahayana Stage Cultivators have arrived. Since that's the case, then just stay here, all of you!"

He not only instantly saw through the strength of the three, but also knew the Realm classification of this Cultivation World!

Shi Jin's face instantly turned ugly. This showed that the opponent already understood the Canglan Domain Cultivation World and must have a way to deal with it.

But he himself knew nothing about the Cultivation World the opponent came from, and he was already at a disadvantage from the start.