159: Battle of Broken Cloud Cliff

In front of the water mirror in Beyond Heaven, Jun Xiaoyao stood still, his gaze passing through the flowing water to take in the slaughter on Broken Cloud Cliff.

At the edge of the cliff, the bone whip of the Marshal of the Unruly danced like a spirit snake. The tip of the whip carried dark, poisonous energy, and every strike caused ripples in the air.

The Poison Hand Medicine King held a poison banner, and the poison mist wrapped around it turned to dust upon meeting the whip's energy. The two exchanged blows, and where their energy clashed, the cliff rocks cracked and shattered, falling into the sea of clouds, their sounds swallowed by the gale.

"Young Lord, the High Priest of the Snow Region has restrained the two Elders of the Ten Thousand Poisons Cult," Zhao Gao stood to the side, reporting in a low voice, "Blue Phoenix's Gold Silkworm Mother Gu is devouring the opponent's child Gu, and the ordinary Cultists of the Ten Thousand Poisons Cult have fallen into chaos."

Jun Xiaoyao lightly traced the edge of the water mirror, and the scene instantly switched to the bottom of the cliff—the 'Earth' group assassins of The Net were lurking in the rock crevices, their crossbows aimed at the rear guard of the Ten Thousand Poisons Cult, waiting only for the signal from the Marshal of the Unruly to fire in unison.

"Let them wait a moment longer," Jun Xiaoyao said indifferently, "Let us see what this High Priest of the Snow Region is worth."

In the water mirror, the High Priest's ice crystal staff swept across, and an ice wall a zhang wide rose from the ground, blocking the poison palm of the Ten Thousand Poisons Cult Elder. Fine runes condensed on the surface of the ice wall; it was the "Freezing a Thousand Miles" from the "Snow Region Sacred Canon," the cold air so intense that even the air seemed to be freezing.

"The foundation of a Land Immortal expert is truly extraordinary," Zhao Gao exclaimed, "Such ice magic is likely capable of freezing the internal energy of those in the Heavenly Human Realm."

Jun Xiaoyao did not commit, his gaze falling on the entanglement between the Marshal of the Unruly and the Poison Hand Medicine King. At this moment, the bone whip of the Marshal of the Unruly had wrapped around the poison banner. The two were competing in internal energy; the veins under the mask of the Marshal of the Unruly bulged, while the face of the Poison Hand Medicine King turned a strange blue-purple—evidently, he had used some kind of harmful poison Cultivation Technique.

"That is enough," Jun Xiaoyao finally spoke.

Zhao Gao immediately took out a message talisman. The moment spiritual power was injected, the crossbow arrows at the bottom of the cliff shot out like a rainstorm. The rear guard Cultists of the Ten Thousand Poisons Cult were caught off guard, falling in droves, and their screams echoed across the cliff.

While the Poison Hand Medicine King was distracted, the Marshal of the Unruly suddenly increased his strength, and the bone whip tightened abruptly, actually splitting the poison banner in two! "Pfft—" The Poison Hand Medicine King spat out a mouthful of black blood and staggered backward.

"Your opponent is me!" The High Priest's ice crystal staff thrust out, the ice spikes condensed at the tip of the staff pointing directly at the heart of the Poison Hand Medicine King.

Just at this critical moment, the Poison Hand Medicine King suddenly tore open his robe, revealing a chest covered in poisonous tumors, and laughed wildly: "Let's perish together!" The poison mist around him suddenly thickened; he was actually going to detonate his own cultivation and perish with everyone else.

"Not good!" The expression of the Marshal of the Unruly changed drastically, and he pulled back his bone whip, trying to protect himself.

Jun Xiaoyao, in front of the water mirror, narrowed his eyes slightly and pointed at the void: "summoning array, initiate emergency summoning."

[System prompt: Fatal threat detected, consuming 3000 points to initiate emergency summoning... Matching high-defense character...]

Golden light suddenly lit up over Broken Cloud Cliff, and a figure wearing a kasaya arrived through the air. When he pressed his palms together, golden Buddha light a zhang wide appeared around him, enveloping everyone within.

"Amitabha."

The deep sound of the Buddha's name was like a great bell, dispelling the poison mist that filled the sky. The poison Cultivation Technique detonated by the Poison Hand Medicine King collided with the Buddha light and vanished like mud into the sea, without even causing a ripple.

[Character panel expanded: Name: Sweeping Monk. From World: "demi-gods and semi-devils". Realm: Late Stage Land Immortal Realm. Martial Skill Cultivation Technique: 1. Indestructible Vajra Body: Unparalleled physical defense, can withstand any attack below the Land Immortal Realm. 2. Three-Foot Qi Wall: Uses Buddha Dharma to condense a Qi wall, has absolute restraint against poison and evil Cultivation Techniques. 3. Buddha Dharma Salvation: The Buddha's name can purify the mind and spirit, weakening the opponent's killing intent and attacks. Additional Items: - Bodhi Prayer Beads (contains thousand-year Buddha Power, can suppress evil spirits) - Worn Kasaya (invulnerable to water and fire, can automatically trigger defensive Buddha light). Loyalty: 95% (Compassionate, but absolutely obedient to the Young Lord's orders).]

The Sweeping Monk landed at the edge of the cliff, looking with pity at the Poison Hand Medicine King, who was suffering from the backlash of his poison technique and whose body was gradually festering: "The sea of bitterness is boundless; turn back and find the shore."

The Poison Hand Medicine King screamed in the Buddha light, but could not even move, eventually turning into a puddle of black water, leaving behind only a poisoned token.

The High Priest looked at the Sweeping Monk, shock flashing in his eyes: "Your Excellency is..."

"Beyond Heaven, Sweeping Monk." The Sweeping Monk pressed his palms together in a salute, his voice calm and ripple-free.

A world-shaking slaughter ended in this way. Seeing that their leader was dead, the remaining forces of the Ten Thousand Poisons Cult knelt and surrendered one after another, and were captured by the people of The Net.

The High Priest looked at the intact Nine-Turn Soul Returning Grass, then at the unfathomable aura of the Sweeping Monk, and no longer had any doubts about the strength of Beyond Heaven. He took out the boundary breaking talisman and handed it to Zhao Gao: "This item belongs to Beyond Heaven. I hope the Young Lord keeps his promise and helps the Snow Region Holy Land get a share in the battle for the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda."

Zhao Gao received the boundary breaking talisman and bowed: "The Young Lord always keeps his word."

In the conference hall of Beyond Heaven, the Sweeping Monk stood quietly to the side. After his Buddha light retracted, he was just an ordinary old monk. Jun Xiaoyao placed the boundary breaking talisman next to the demon suppressing token and the soul settling pearl. The three tokens lit up simultaneously, and the third-layer patterns on the map of the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda appeared accordingly.

"Many thanks for your action, Great Master." Jun Xiaoyao nodded slightly to the Sweeping Monk.

The Sweeping Monk pressed his palms together: "It is my duty." His gaze swept outside the hall, "There is still residual poison at the edge of the cliff; I will go and deal with it." After speaking, his figure flashed and disappeared outside the hall.

Mysterious Mechanism Master looked at the three tokens, stroked his beard and laughed: "With these three items, the Young Lord already holds the key to the first three layers of the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda, far ahead of the major forces. Next, the 'Boundary Crossing Shuttle' of the fourth layer is on the 'Overseas Immortal Island,' where the descendants of the 'Xiaoyao Sect' live. It is said that they have a very eccentric temper."

Jun Xiaoyao lightly tapped the location of the Overseas Immortal Island on the map: "Xiaoyao Sect?" He recalled Li Xunhuan, whom he had summoned earlier, "There is some connection, after all."

The Marshal of the Unruly walked into the hall, the bloodstains on his bronze mask already wiped away: "Young Lord, the prisoners of the Ten Thousand Poisons Cult have been brought back. It was interrogated from them that the heart-rotting grass was to be sold to the 'Blood Saber Sect' to use against the 'Huashan Sect'."

"Blood Saber Sect?" A coldness flashed in Jun Xiaoyao's eyes, "Do they also want to meddle in the affairs of the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda?"

Zhao Gao added: "The Sect Leader of the Blood Saber Sect, 'Blood Saber Old Ancestor,' is in the Peak Heaven-Human Realm. It is said that he recently obtained a fragment of the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda and is gathering forces everywhere, wanting to seize the initiative when the Secret Realm opens."

Jun Xiaoyao put the three tokens into a brocade box: "Have the 'Heaven' group of The Net keep a close eye on the Blood Saber Sect and see where they have hidden their fragment. In addition, notify Li Xunhuan and have him go to the Overseas Immortal Island; the people of the Xiaoyao Sect might give him some face."

"Yes."

Outside the conference hall, the sun was setting, dyeing the sea of clouds in the sky golden-red. The Sweeping Monk returned after dealing with the residual poison, the Bodhi Prayer Beads in his hand emitting a faint golden light. Blue Phoenix was counting the poison scripture and Gu insects seized from the Ten Thousand Poisons Cult, occasionally emitting surprised low cries. The Marshal of the Unruly was explaining follow-up tasks to the assassins of The Net, his bone whip occasionally clinking lightly, carrying unquestionable majesty.

Jun Xiaoyao stood in front of the window, looking at the distant horizon. The battle at Broken Cloud Cliff, although Beyond Heaven did not officially appear, had already shown a glimpse of its strength to all parties—the Land Immortal Realm Sweeping Monk and its unfathomable foundation were enough to make any force coveting the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda weigh their options.

Mysterious Mechanism Master walked to his side and said softly: "Young Lord, this old man has deduced that when the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda opens in three months, uninvited guests will arrive. They do not seem to be people of this world."

Jun Xiaoyao narrowed his eyes: "Not people of this world?"

"Exactly." Mysterious Mechanism Master nodded, "Their aura is completely different from ours, carrying the meaning of destruction and plunder. I am afraid they are coming for the Opportunity of Shattering the Void."

A cold sneer curled the corner of Jun Xiaoyao's mouth: "No matter who they are, if they dare to block the path of Beyond Heaven, they can only be crushed." He turned and walked towards the summoning array, "Before that, we still need more power."

The Spirit Stone at the array eye lit up again. This time, there was a bit more expectation in Jun Xiaoyao's eyes. As the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda approached, more and more powerhouses and forces would be drawn into this dispute, and what he had to do was to keep Beyond Heaven at the very top, taking all resources and Opportunities into his possession.

The candles in the conference hall lit up, reflecting the increasingly clear outline of the Heaven-Reaching Pagoda on the map. The journey belonging to Beyond Heaven had only just passed the halfway point, and a more intense storm was already brewing in the distance.