“You know how to break the formation? Why didn’t you say so earlier!”
Chun’er immediately began to see Dongfang Xiaotian in a new light. Although this man was a bit despicable, shameless, and lecherous, he had once been a Azure Dragon Sword Immortal.
Especially seeing him handle things with such ease, Chun’er’s heart stirred with hope—maybe he really had some tricks up his sleeve!
It seemed this guy wasn’t entirely unworthy of her young lady, though, of course, only worthy enough to be her servant.
Reluctantly, Chun’er acknowledged Dongfang Xiaotian as an equal in status to herself.
“You never asked,” Dongfang Xiaotian shrugged, already weighing a Bone Sword in his hand. “So, who’s paying the five hundred spirit stones? You or your young lady?”
“You!”
Chun’er’s mouth twitched. How could this guy manage to make every sentence so irritating?
“If I don’t pay, I don’t believe you can break it!” Chun’er gritted her teeth, placing her hands firmly on her slim waist, determined to resist to the end.
Dongfang Xiaotian gathered his energy, sighing, “Hey, I’m only doing this because you dragged me into it. Five hundred spirit stones—is that really so expensive?”
If only they’d been more cautious around living people, none of this would have happened.
Chun’er was momentarily speechless. It was true that she and the young lady acted faster than they thought things through.
No wonder Dongfang Xiaotian looked so smug—it was clearly out of sheer annoyance.
“Fine, then, as you say,” Beichen Yue opened her eyes from meditation, agreeing to Dongfang Xiaotian’s request without a word.
“Miss, what did you promise him? Does he really plan to stay in this formation forever?” Chun’er frowned, unable to understand why her young lady was so agreeable.
Beichen Yue replied simply, “The longer we drag this out, the worse it is for us.”
“Hmph, interesting,”
The Evil Cultivator Leader watched silently, a mocking smile on his face as he stared at Dongfang Xiaotian.
“Kid, I thought you had some brains, but you’re nothing but a lunatic. The formations of the Era of the Ancient Gods aren’t something you can just break on a whim.”
The reason the Era of the Ancient Gods was called the Age of Divinity was largely due to these unfathomable legacies—the Blood Refining Formation was one such legacy.
If anyone could break it, this era wouldn’t be called divine.
“Try me. I’m not just going to wait to die, right?”
Dongfang Xiaotian shrugged as if chatting casually, responding to the Evil Cultivator Leader.
Beichen Yue looked at the low-grade spiritual tool in his hand and handed over her sword. “Want to switch to something better for breaking the formation?”
A good spiritual tool not only transmits spiritual power more efficiently but also stores more, making attacks more powerful.
“No need. It’s just breaking the formation.”
Dongfang Xiaotian weighed the Long Sword in his hand. “Hmm, not bad. Still familiar.”
“Are you reliable or not?” Chun’er eyed Dongfang Xiaotian skeptically as he examined the sword. Could this last-minute cram really work?
Beichen Yue noticed Dongfang Xiaotian accumulating energy in the sword the same way she did moments ago, using pure spiritual power control to deliver the strongest strike.
After ten breaths, Dongfang Xiaotian seemed ready.
“Here! Watch me break the formation!”
He raised the Bone Sword and swung it down sharply. With a clear “clang,” a thin sword qi sliced toward the position two-thirds away.
Unlike Beichen Yue’s heavy, forceful strike, Dongfang Xiaotian’s sword was devoid of spiritual power—just pure, sharp sword qi.
In terms of power, it definitely couldn’t compare to Beichen Yue’s previous slash.
Yet Beichen Yue could clearly feel that Dongfang Xiaotian’s attack was not weakened at all by the formation’s spiritual power drain.
However, Chun’er looked on disappointed. Even without being a prodigy, she could tell this strike hadn’t reached the Jindan Stage level—meaning it wouldn’t even damage the formation by eighty percent.
“Crack!”
The thin sword qi carved a fine line in the ground, then smashed against the formation’s light barrier like glass shattering!
The Blood Refining Formation was broken!
Everyone was stunned. The formation in this ancient relic had just been broken so easily?
Suddenly, applause rang out.
“Well done, well done!”
The Evil Cultivator Leader clapped, his eyes burning with fanaticism. “Interesting kid. But don’t think that escaping means everything is settled.”
With that, he unleashed the aura of a Foundation Establishment Stage Level Seven cultivator. In an instant, Chun’er and Beichen Yue felt the very air grow heavy.
The Evil Cultivator Leader laughed wildly. “What if I told you coming out only means I had to work harder to move you to another Blood Refining Formation?”
No doubt, this late-stage Qi Refining cultivator before them had many secrets! And secrets were good—because if they killed her, all secrets would be theirs!
Several Evil Cultivators immediately surrounded the three.
Their eyes shone fiercely as they sized up Beichen Yue and Chun’er, waiting for their leader’s command to attack en masse.
“You don’t think I didn’t foresee your foresight, do you?”
Dongfang Xiaotian remained unfazed, strolling leisurely within the Blood Refining Formation.
He approached a severely drained Four Sages Academy female disciple and stuffed a pill into her mouth, treating the seven Evil Cultivators as if they were nothing.
Everyone was stunned by Dongfang Xiaotian’s casual confidence. After all, he had just broken a formation only a Jindan Stage cultivator could crack, shaking them deeply.
For a moment, not a single Evil Cultivator dared to move forward.
The Evil Cultivator Leader’s face darkened as he pulled a spiritual tool from his spatial artifact. “Kid, any tricks left? Even if you understand formations, it’s too late to set one up now.”
Though a Formation Master was formidable, it required time and the right conditions. How could this guy suddenly erect a formation?
Even Chun’er couldn’t help but grow a little hopeful toward Dongfang Xiaotian. After all, he’d already pulled off a miracle—maybe there would be a second.
“A formation? I don’t even need to use one on you.”
He looked confidently at Beichen Yue. “Come on, Beichen Yue! Now’s the time to spend spirit stones! Bring out all the Body-protection Talismans from your family, all the Top-grade Talismans from your sect!”
Damn! After all that talk, he still expected his young lady to fight!
Chun’er was speechless but had no better plan. Though the Evil Cultivators were a ragtag bunch with varying strength, she couldn’t possibly defeat them alone, six small realms lower as she was.
Yet Dongfang Xiaotian waited a while with no response, then turned to Beichen Yue. “Hmm? What’s wrong? If you don’t act, we’re truly done for. Now’s not the time to be stingy with spirit stones.”
But Beichen Yue’s calm face showed a trace of embarrassment. Dongfang Xiaotian’s eyes widened.
“Wait, your family doesn’t have any life-saving treasures?”
Beichen Yue said, “The Family Treasure Vault is sealed, so the Bei family is struggling to manage on its own.”
Still a big family, yet can’t provide anything against a Foundation Establishment cultivator?
No wonder the Bei family almost got wiped out—descending the mountain like this was asking for trouble.
Dongfang Xiaotian pressed on, “Then what about Ice Ling Immortal Palace?”
Beichen Yue lifted the Ice-blue Long Sword slightly. “This sword was a gift from my master, but Ice Ling Immortal Palace has always been poor. There’s no other treasure.”
Because they lived atop the snowy mountains year-round, Ice Ling Immortal Palace had few people and, among the Four Great Sects, the least resources—undeniably the poorest of the four.
“But it’s still one of the Four Great Sects, right?”
Dongfang Xiaotian felt a headache coming on. “You’re too honest. Even if there’s nothing, you could pretend! Why answer every question truthfully?”
Dongfang Xiaotian was at a loss. Seeing the Evil Cultivators shift from wary, to confused, to hungry, he felt an urge to pull out an Earth-walking Talisman and run.
But the ridiculously high price of the Earth-walking Talisman—and a certain approaching light—quickly stopped him.
“Gonna kill you later, you brat! I’m definitely going to skin you alive first!”
“I was going to just quickly finish off these two pretty little Blood Refiners, but huh~”
“Pretty little beauties, you’d better surrender. If we treat you right, maybe we’ll spare your lives!”
“Never thought I’d meet beauties from Ice Ling Immortal Palace in my lifetime~ Hiss~”
“Blame that kid. Brother will take good care of you all~”
“Shut up!”
The Evil Cultivator Leader laughed angrily. He had thought Dongfang Xiaotian was a clever clown, even felt intimidated by him.
Intimidated by a Qi Refining Stage Seven clown! What a disgrace!
Raising his blade, he ordered, “Capture them! Keep the men alive. Do whatever you want with the women!”
Ugh, those words sounded so disgusting.
Dongfang Xiaotian’s hair stood on end; goosebumps broke out all over him.
But before he could move, Chun’er blocked the attack, her slightly round face filled with determination.
“Miss, take Dongfang Xiaotian and escape first. I’ll cover your retreat!”
Though Chun’er didn’t want to like her young lady’s fiancé, the Family Treasure Vault key was in his hands. If Dongfang Xiaotian died, that key would fall into the hands of Evil Cultivators!
She only cared about preventing the treasure vault from falling into enemy hands—not about the careless guy.
As she tangled with the Evil Cultivator Leader, she suddenly heard her young lady’s voice behind her.
“Young master, take this person and leave first. Chun’er and I will cover your retreat.”
Chun’er felt a stab of betrayal from her mistress. Suppressing tears of humiliation, she vented her frustration on the Evil Cultivators.
Still, one person couldn’t hold back a Foundation Establishment Stage Seven Evil Cultivator.
Though Beichen Yue was a prodigy, she had to give her all against one Foundation Establishment Stage Three and five late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.
Several Evil Cultivators tried to break through to Dongfang Xiaotian but were blocked by Beichen Yue’s chilling sword qi.
Two fists couldn’t fight four hands.
Beichen Yue tried an Immortal Technique to kill one Qi Refining cultivator, but a Foundation Establishment Stage Three Evil Cultivator sneered and blocked it with his weapon.
Though he was forced back by the Divine Weapon’s sharpness, Beichen Yue gained a small opening.
One Evil Cultivator immediately swung a broad axe at Beichen Yue’s back. She activated Lianbu Qingdian and dodged swiftly to the side.
Crack!
The ground where Beichen Yue had stood was gouged into a shallow pit. Such a blow would be fatal if it had landed.
Ordinary disciples unfamiliar with such a scene would be terrified and fall into traps, but Beichen Yue’s training in Forgetting Emotion Dao proved invaluable.
Though she only cultivated at home and had no real combat experience, she remained calm and chose the best counterattack.
“I wonder how long you can protect them!”
Swish.
She turned, slashing horizontally. Sword qi flew toward the Foundation Establishment Stage Three Evil Cultivator who failed to react in time.
Blood splattered as the cultivator took a deep wound to the chest.
In just a dozen moves, their number was reduced by one!
Dongfang Xiaotian had already carried the half-dead junior sister aside and fed her another pill.
Looking at the battlefield that seemed in complete chaos, Dongfang Xiaotian couldn’t help but admire the power of a ‘pay-to-win’ player.
Though Beichen Yue was only half a Foundation Establishment Stage, her strength hadn’t fundamentally changed. She lacked the innate spell and sword mastery of a Foundation Establishment sword cultivator.
But don’t forget—she wielded top-grade equipment, consumed the finest pills, practiced the highest-level cultivation method.
Even as a sword cultivator, how could Qi Refining cultivators match her stats without a large difference in cultivation?
Moreover, she was the strongest sword cultivator on the path of killing.
It was like a pay-to-win player bullying free players in a game.
If it weren’t for the Foundation Establishment Stage Three cultivator holding Beichen Yue in check, those five Qi Refining Evil Cultivators would likely have fallen one by one.
Dongfang Xiaotian couldn’t help but feel he’d hired the right Protector. Normally, with Beichen Yue’s cultivation, he could roam the ruins unhindered!
He hoped his junior disciple would one day grow strong enough to help him deal with such trouble.
Suddenly, “clang,” Beichen Yue struck the Foundation Establishment Stage Three Evil Cultivator’s Long Sword away. “Die!”
The cultivator’s face turned desperate. A lower-stage sword cultivator losing their weapon was a disaster.
Just as Beichen Yue’s situation looked promising, a figure suddenly flew at her. Expecting a sneak attack, she instinctively raised her sword to strike the Foundation Establishment cultivator again.
But upon closer look, it was a reckless maid coughing up blood.
The Evil Cultivator Leader sneered at the maid who had come to help Chun’er. “Useless!”
Beichen Yue ignored the insult, quickly sheathed her sword, and moved to catch Chun’er.
Yet that momentary gap was seized by the Foundation Establishment Stage Three Evil Cultivator, who unleashed a palm strike at Beichen Yue’s back.
The powerful blow would surely incapacitate her!
However, the expected pain never came. Opening her eyes, Beichen Yue saw a golden light shield blocking the strike.
She realized Dongfang Xiaotian was holding a talisman, fading away—her bright green eyes filled with surprise.
“That’s… a Golden Body Protection Talisman?”
“Tsk. Too many things happening; I almost forgot about that girl.”
Dongfang Xiaotian’s voice echoed in Beichen Yue’s ear. “Consider that talisman your debt.”
Regret and caution mixed in Dongfang Xiaotian’s heart.
He had to watch the approaching spiritual power fluctuations, look after the lower-level Beichen Yue, and yet nearly forgot about the not-so-powerful maid.
Fortunately, the timing of his intervention was just right.