130: Chapter 13 Battle Begins

Tianji Village.

The high noon sun hung in the sky, illuminating everything in the village so that nothing could hide.

The plan had reached its critical moment.

Chen Zilong led Lu Bingyun, Tu Shan Xiaoxiao, and Wei Guodong, approaching the front of the Village Chief's residence directly.

At the same time, Ye Xishui and Jin Mei remained hidden in the shadows.

They watched for an opportunity, waiting for the right moment to burst in through the back door and provide backup.

The group arrived before the Village Chief's mansion.

The scene before them was startlingly luxurious.

Two pure gold Qilin guarded both sides of the vermilion gates, their eyes inlaid with pigeon-blood rubies that glinted with a blood-like luster in the sunlight.

Above the lintel, the three characters for "Tianji Sect" were inlaid with gold wire onto a solid piece of red sandalwood.

Every stroke and turn was filled with crushed South Sea pearls, shimmering brilliantly.

The white marble steps were carved with patterns of winding lotuses, the veins of the petals outlined with silver thread.

Thin ivory sheets, as delicate as cicada wings, were laid before the steps; a light footfall would produce a clear yet eerie tinkling sound.

Chen Zilong and the others quietly swept their spiritual senses through the area.

Passing through a twelve-fold glazed spirit screen, a scent of ambergris mixed with golden silk nanmu wood wafted toward them.

The beams and pillars of the main hall were all made of South Sea agarwood, with pure gold coiling dragons wound around the pillars.

The dragon scales were densely inlaid with emeralds and sapphires, and the night-luminescent pearls hanging from the dragons' mouths illuminated the hall as if it were day.

The floor was covered with rugs sewn from white tiger skins, the tigers' eyes replaced with obsidian and their claws and teeth adorned with diamonds that flickered with a cold, chilling light.

In the east wing stood a screen carved from a single piece of Qingtian jade depicting the "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea," with the immortals' robes made of gold leaf to look as if they were fluttering.

The west wing featured a red sandalwood bed inlaid with mother-of-pearl, its curtains made of gold-threaded gauze from the Western Regions; a glimmer of light caused the entire room to overflow with golden radiance.

Moving to the back garden, streams of water mixed with gold powder flowed among rockeries piled from Taihu stones.

The railings of the zigzagging corridors were inlaid with alternating tortoiseshell and coral, shimmering with light.

Under the glazed tiles of the warm pavilion hung thousands of crystal curtains.

Each crystal was engraved with a different auspicious cloud pattern.

When the wind passed, they tinkled like the whispers of ghosts, a strange sound that possessed a hint of ethereal celestial music.

Even the seemingly ordinary stone stools in the corners were actually polished from solid malachite, with gold sand filling the crevices.

Though the entire mansion reached the pinnacle of mortal luxury, it exuded a faint, grim aura.

Warding talismans were hidden within every gold pattern, peach wood swords hung between the beams, and the joints of the floor tiles were painted with cinnabar to form an Eight Trigrams Array for house-suppression, as if desperately trying to suppress something.

"Damn it! This woman actually lives in such luxury!"

Wei Guodong's thick eyebrows shot up as he couldn't help but curse, his rough face full of shock and anger.

Just then, the Village Chief, dressed in a scarlet cheongsam, walked slowly out of the shadows.

The corners of her lips were slightly raised, but there was no warmth in her eyes. Behind her followed three cold-faced women in black.

Simultaneously, a large number of black-clad disciples in the Qi Refining Realm poured out from the mansion behind her, silently forming a formation like a rising tide.

Chen Zilong swept his spiritual sense over them, and his heart sank slightly.

Those three women in black indeed all hailed from the Tianji Sect, and their cultivation had all reached the peak of the late Golden Core Stage.

"I wonder what has brought you Immortals here?" the Village Chief said, her voice charming as her eyes flickered with a trace of subtle mockery.

Chen Zilong’s face was as grim as water. He didn't answer, but a golden light suddenly rose from his sleeve.

It was his Lifebound Treasure, the "overlord cauldron."

The golden cauldron expanded in the air, transforming in an instant into the size of a mountain. It began to press down slowly with the force of ten thousand tons, its shadow covering half the courtyard as the atmosphere suddenly froze.

The Village Chief merely gave a cold laugh, the corners of her lips curling into a contemptuous arc.

She raised a slender finger and lightly tapped the air.

The imposing golden cauldron acted as if it had been struck by a heavy blow, humming as it flew backward and returned to Chen Zilong's palm.

"Village Chief, the malicious intentions of your Tianji Sect have long been laid bare," Chen Zilong said coldly as he took back the cauldron.

"Laid bare?"

The Village Chief looked as if she had heard a joke, the mockery in her eyes deepening, though frost began to gather on her features. "Years ago, my Tianji Sect fought bloody battles for the sake of the common people, yet all we received in return was the annihilation of our entire sect."

Her voice grew sharper, a blood-red light appearing in her eyes. "Since you insist on forcing us, then today, we shall settle all accounts, new and old, at once!"

As she finished speaking, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from her. Her red clothes fluttered despite the lack of wind, like a surging sea of blood.

The entire courtyard darkened along with her, as if even the sunlight was retreating in fear.

Chen Zilong's heart jolted, and his expression changed drastically!

The Village Chief's cultivation had actually reached the peak of the late Nascent Soul Stage, a half-step into the Soul Transformation Realm!

Before her words even faded, her killing intent spread like a physical substance, causing the temperature of the entire luxurious mansion to drop to freezing point.

The high noon sun seemed to be covered by an invisible veil of blood; the light became dim and distorted, and the air was filled with a bizarre smell—a mix of ambergris and the scent of blood.

"Strike!"

Chen Zilong let out a thunderous shout, instantly shattering the stagnant atmosphere.

He knew the gap in their cultivation was immense and that they had to seize the initiative with the force of a thunderbolt.

Thunderous light flashed around him as an ancient and majestic suit of armor instantly covered his entire body.

It was Chen Zilong's primary artifact, the "five thunders heavenly heart armor."

Silver electrical arcs crackled and flowed incessantly over the armor, making him look like a Thunder God descended to earth.

Without hesitation, he thrust both palms forward, pouring out the spiritual power of his Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivation without reservation.

Boom—!

A bolt of blazing white lightning, as thick as a man's arm and carrying the power of heaven and earth, tore through the air and struck directly at the Village Chief's face!

At the same time, his Lifebound Treasure, the "overlord cauldron," was sent out again. The cauldron grew as it met the wind, turning into a ten-meter-tall object.

The cauldron's mouth faced downward, spewing out ten thousand rays of golden light to form a massive golden force field, attempting to suppress the Village Chief within it.

Faced with this combined strike—one that would leave an ordinary Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivator scrambling—the Village Chief's scarlet lips curled into a cruel and contemptuous arc.

She didn't even move her feet; she simply traced her slender fingers through the air in front of her as if plucking a flower.

A blood-red screen of light, so thick it seemed solid, appeared out of thin air. Upon the screen, countless distorted faces of vengeful spirits struggled and shrieked.

Sizzle—!

The blazing white lightning slammed into the blood-red screen and vanished like a clay ox entering the sea, only stirring up a single ripple before disappearing without a trace.

The golden light descending from the overlord cauldron was also held firmly in place by the blood-red screen, unable to drop even an inch.

"Trivial tricks."

The Village Chief chuckled, a blood-red light flashing in her eyes. "Let me show you what true power looks like!"

She suddenly spread her five fingers and made a clawing motion forward!

Five blood-red claw shadows, as solid as reality, appeared out of thin air. Carrying a shrill whistling sound and a pungent scent of blood, they instantly lunged at Chen Zilong.

Where the claw shadows passed, even space itself distorted slightly, leaving behind faint blood-red trails.

Chen Zilong's pupils constricted as the overlord cauldron instantly returned to defend him, blocking his front.

Clang—!

With a deafening roar, the overlord cauldron vibrated violently, and five shallow white marks were even left on its body.

Chen Zilong felt as if he had been struck by a massive blow; his blood surged, and he was forced back several steps.

He only managed to barely deflect that terrifying force by relying on the defensive power erupting from the five thunders heavenly heart armor.

The gap in their realms was too large!

He felt a chill in his heart, but his gaze became even more determined as he once again activated his thunder arts to engage in a struggle with the Village Chief.

For a time, thunderous light and blood shadows clashed and intertwined frantically in the center of the courtyard, with deafening booms echoing incessantly.

The escaping energy tore the precious white tiger skin rugs to shreds, and cracks appeared on the gem-encrusted beams and pillars.

Almost at the same time Chen Zilong made his move, another battlefront erupted elsewhere.