45: Chapter 45

"So... so strong!"

"No wonder this Dao Seeking Sect is so arrogant."

"Dao Seeking Sect... Dao Seeking Sect, why have I never heard of this Sect before?"

From the moment that woman struck and killed Elder Cai to the arrival of the two experts from the Azure Nether Sword Sect, in less than half an incense stick's time, this woman had actually killed two people from the Azure Nether Sword Sect in succession.

Fairy Qiyue curved her slender fingers, and the fallen snow on her white dress quietly slipped off, as if she had just brushed away a speck of dust.

Her gaze indifferently swept over Elder Zhu, and she said in a cold tone, "It's your turn."

"Senior, wait!"

At this moment, there was only one piece of information in Elder Zhu's mind: the woman before him was a Golden Core Realm expert who must absolutely not be provoked.

At least for now, the opponent could crush him to death at will!

He swallowed hard and forced a smile, saying, "Senior, it's a misunderstanding. I am an Inner Sect Elder of the Azure Nether Sword Sect. If you kill me, the Qingming Sword..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his pupils constricted suddenly. The Spiritual Qi in his body seemed to be imprisoned by an invisible force, unable to be mobilized in the slightest.

Before Elder Zhu could even look for a reason, his consciousness blurred!

"Thud!"

Fairy Qiyue retracted her gaze and said indifferently, "I don't know how many people I've heard say such words of begging for mercy. It's truly a bit tiresome; I don't have the patience to keep listening."

Ye Hao's eyelids twitched slightly. Why did he feel that his Revered Master's temper was actually considered good compared to Elder Qi Yue's?

"Let's go, continue our journey!" Fairy Qiyue said softly.

"Elder, wait!"

"Hmm?" Fairy Qiyue turned her head in confusion.

"Elder, don't forget to collect those two's storage rings yet." Ye Hao spoke up to remind her.

Fairy Qiyue was stunned for a moment, then with a wave of her hand, the two storage rings flew toward Ye Hao.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth as she said, "This kind of behavior is somewhat similar to the 'killing and arson leads to a golden belt' down the mountain."

Ye Hao explained awkwardly, "Revered Master said this is called thanking enthusiastic Fellow Daoists for their generous donations."

...After Fairy Qiyue and her group left, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The volume of their voices grew a bit louder.

Looking at the Disciples of the Azure Nether Sword Sect who were leaving in a pathetic state, they all chattered incessantly.

Gossip is human nature!

"This Dao Seeking Sect is going to have a miserable time; the Azure Nether Sword Sect will never let this matter rest."

"Although for some reason that Dao Seeking Sect is connected to the Bamboo Mountain Sword Sect, their Sect Master offended the Crimson Firmament Sect, and now these Sect Disciples actually dare to offend the Azure Nether Sword Sect. They really don't take Hegemon-level Forces seriously!"

"Say, that woman killed those two Elders so effortlessly just now; could she be a Golden Core Realm expert?"

"How is that possible? If that were true, wouldn't this tiny Dao Seeking Sect have two Golden Cores in one Sect?"

"Satisfying, truly satisfying. Having seen these Hegemon-level Force Elders acting like dogs bullying people, this is the first time I've seen them suffer a setback. I hope this Dao Seeking Sect can survive this calamity. If it weren't for their Sect Master taking action, we wouldn't even be able to enter this Spirit Void Secret Realm."

Just as everyone was discussing, three experts from the Joyful Union Sect also arrived by riding the wind.

She scanned the corpse of the Ice-Armored Earth Dragon, looked toward Elder Ji, and asked urgently, "What happened? Was the ice soul snow lotus snatched by the people from the Azure Nether Sword Sect?"

Elder Ji rubbed her brow and shook her head bitterly, "No, it wasn't the Azure Nether Sword Sect! It was the people from the Dao Seeking Sect who took it."

"Dao Seeking Sect?" The leading Sixth Elder's elegant brows furrowed tightly.

"Was it their young Sect Master?" The opponent was a Golden Core Expert who could kill Ghost Hand Asura in one move. If it really was him, she could only report this matter to the Sect Master for a decision.

Elder Ji shook her head and said, "It wasn't that Sect Master; it was a woman in a white dress."

The Sixth Elder pondered for a moment and issued an order, "Which direction did they go? We'll give chase. They dare to snatch something my Joyful Union Sect has set its sights on? They have quite the nerve."

Upon hearing they were going to give chase, Elder Ji was so startled she hurriedly stopped her, "Sixth Elder, that woman might also be a Golden Core Realm expert."

Hearing this, the arrogance on the three Elders' faces instantly froze. They all looked at Elder Ji, their eyes filled with disbelief.

"Golden Core Realm?" That woman looked to be only in her twenties; how could she possibly have a Golden Core cultivation?

Elder Ji had no choice but to quickly recount the events that had occurred here.

The Sixth Elder's expression changed slightly, and the anger in her eyes became increasingly solemn, "No wonder this Dao Seeking Sect dares to challenge the Crimson Firmament Sect; they actually have two Golden Cores in one Sect."

She was silent for a moment before finally saying, "This matter can only be left to the Sect Master to decide."

...In another part of the Secret Realm!

The taciturn Li Pingan and Xiao Lingxian, who was dressed in a red dress, were traveling through a place of ruins.

After the two were teleported here, they were still completely bewildered!

They could only pick a direction and move forward, hoping to reunite with Chen Xuan and the others as soon as possible.

They walked for about fifteen minutes.

The two crossed a hilltop, and the view suddenly opened up. A plaza about several dozen feet square appeared before them. The ground was paved with ancient blue-gray bricks. In the center of the plaza stood a ten-foot-tall stone stele. The body of the stele was dark gold, and its surface was covered with dense, tadpole-like runes.

Dozens of Cultivators were gathered around the stone stele. Most were sitting cross-legged on the ground with their eyes closed, their expressions pious and focused. Faint fluctuations of Mental Energy lingered around them; they were clearly practicing.

"This is... the divine soul stele!" Xiao Lingxian looked at the stone stele and cried out in surprise, her beautiful eyes filled with shock and joy.

"divine soul stele?" Li Pingan was completely bewildered.

Xiao Lingxian explained, "I also heard my Revered Master mention it. Rumor has it that this kind of stone stele contains the purest Divine Soul power in heaven and earth. It can nourish a Cultivator's Sea of Consciousness, strengthen the Divine Soul, and offers unimaginable benefits for breaking through Realms!"

"Especially for Cultivators like us whose Divine Souls are not yet fully stabilized, it is a massive Opportunity!"

Li Pingan realized, "No wonder so many Cultivators here are sitting with their eyes closed in meditation."

Xiao Lingxian continued, "The closer one is to the stone stele, the greater the benefit. However, correspondingly, the impact of the Divine Soul power within the stele is also stronger, and positions are limited. Senior Brother, let's go quickly."

Li Pingan gave an "un" in agreement.

Although he possessed the Heaven-Loathing Divine Body, the Divine Profound Mountain Shaking Art also required tempering the Divine Soul in the cultivation after the sixth level of martial arts. Now that he had encountered such an Opportunity, there was naturally no need to miss it.

He took a look and indeed found that within three feet of the stone stele, there were only a few people. The aura on them was very thick; they were clearly experts at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment or above.

Li Pingan also saw a familiar figure—it was the Second Elder of the Bamboo Mountain Sword Sect, Bai Tang.

However, he had no intention of going over to greet him!

The other party was currently absorbing the Divine Soul power from the stone stele; a sudden disturbance would be very presumptuous.

The two came to a distance of about three feet from the stone stele, sat down cross-legged, and began to try to absorb the Divine Soul power emanating from the stele.

As soon as Xiao Lingxian closed her eyes, she felt a gentle warm current flow into her Sea of Consciousness through her brow. Those usually restless Mental Energies gradually became docile under the nourishment of this power. Her Divine Soul power was like a seedling moistened by spring rain, slowly growing tall.

Li Pingan's feeling was even more peculiar. The Divine Profound Mountain Shaking Art operated automatically, and those flowing runes seemed to resonate with the Cultivation Technique, surging into his Sea of Consciousness along his Meridians and constantly washing over his fragile Divine Soul.

It was like a dust-covered bronze mirror being wiped clean bit by bit, becoming increasingly clear. Even the range of his perception of the outside world quietly expanded a bit.

Just as the two were cultivating, a voice reached their ears.

"Kid, get the hell out of the way right now. Is this a position you're worthy of sitting in?"