Chapter 506: Seizure |
When Extreme Sword Spirit General appeared, Qin Hongying didn't pay much attention. She didn't even consider the Foundation Building cultivator in her eyes. Her main focus was on Meng Zhang. She believed that, with her hidden trump card aside from the Third Rank superior talisman, she could easily kill Extreme Sword Spirit General.
Though temporarily at a disadvantage, Qin Hongying remained composed. Besides the Third Rank superior talisman, she concealed other aces up her sleeve, yet to be unleashed. With full confidence, she knew that once she deployed her most powerful move, Meng Zhang would not escape death.
Throughout the long battle with Meng Zhang, Qin Hongying had been looking for the right moment to reveal her secret weapon. Now, she was determined not to give Meng Zhang any chance to flee. This time, she had to strike and kill with a single blow.
As the space continued to collapse rapidly, time was running out. Qin Hongying could not wait any longer. She was willing to risk taking a hit from Meng Zhang just to keep him here.
Meng Zhang seemed to sense something and intensified his attacks.
While Qin Hongying prepared herself, Extreme Sword Spirit General, whom she had always underestimated, suddenly made a move. A broken Third Rank flying sword appeared and exuded the power of a Gold Core Daoist Master. Qin Hongying, caught off guard by this unexpected attack, was in a bit of a predicament.
But that wasn't all; Extreme Sword Spirit General took out the sword pouch collected by Meng Zhang and activated it somehow. Numerous fiercely sharp sword energies shot out, overwhelming Qin Hongying.
With a shocked expression, Qin Hongying wondered how a mere Foundation Building cultivator could unleash such a fierce assault. Could this person be a Gold Core Sword Cultivator hiding their identity and power to scheme against her?
In the midst of the fierce battle, Qin Hongying no longer paid attention to Meng Zhang. She focused all her efforts on defending against Extreme Sword Spirit General's attacks, which reminded her of the terrifying Gold Core Sword Cultivators she had encountered before. Fear crept into her heart, making her uneasy.
Another broken Third Rank flying sword shot toward her, leaving Qin Hongying struggling to cope with the successive attacks. Extreme Sword Spirit General had exerted all their power after releasing three attacks that surpassed their current Cultivation Base.
After the final Gold Core-level attack, Extreme Sword Spirit General suddenly appeared weakened, struggling to remain stable.
Qin Hongying, busy defending against the three attacks, finally realized that the enemy's assault was mostly a facade, a show of force without the true lethality of a real Gold Core Sword Cultivator's one-hit-kill ability.
Once Qin Hongying noticed Extreme Sword Spirit General's sudden weakness, she felt relieved. Though uncertain how the seemingly terrifying attacks were accomplished, she knew that the opponent was just a Foundation Building cultivator with limited strength and posed no real threat.
At this moment, Meng Zhang, holding the Spiritsnake Spear, took advantage of Qin Hongying's distraction and silently struck her. Having learned many assassin skills from Luo Ye Daoist Master, who was skilled in both orthodox and unorthodox paths, Meng Zhang now displayed the expertise of an excellent assassin, launching a powerful attack.
By the time Qin Hongying reacted, the Spiritsnake Spear had already pierced her. This fierce spiritual weapon handed down by Taiyi Sect's ancestors easily claimed Qin Hongying's life.
With a successful assassination, Meng Zhang wasted no time. They swiftly took Qin Hongying's corpse and brought Extreme Sword Spirit General, leaving the area at the fastest speed possible.
Because of the extended battle at Myriad Layers Peak, Meng Zhang was the last one to leave the collapsing space. Shortly after flying out, the entire space crumbled. The peaks collapsed rapidly, and massive explosions followed suit.
Meng Zhang hurriedly flew away, accelerating to avoid the force of the collapsing space. The other Gold Core Daoist Masters who had escaped from within didn't linger either; they promptly left the area.
After the Taiyi Sect cultivator army assembled near Crow's Nest under Niu Dawei's leadership, they waited in silence. As soon as Meng Zhang gave the order, they would launch a fierce attack against the Flying Swan Sect cultivator army.
Deep Earth Spirit General, within the Taiyi Sect's ranks, kept a wary eye on the Third Rank warship floating above the Flying Swan Sect army. He knew that, in a large-scale battle between cultivator armies, the Third Rank warship played a crucial role, nearly matching the combat power of a Gold Core Daoist Master.
But the Flying Swan Sect cultivators were not blind or deaf; they noticed the ominous Taiyi Sect army. Due to their heavy losses after the battle at Crow's Nest and the absence of three Gold Core Daoist Masters, the temporary commanders of the Flying Swan Sect were hesitant to initiate a war with Taiyi Sect. They could only strengthen their vigilance and prepare to fight Taiyi Sect cultivators while waiting.
Qi Nanfei and Hong Siming had left the area long ago, fearing Fei Shi Daoist Master's retaliation. After escaping from Myriad Layers Peak's space, the heavily injured Fei Shi Daoist Master returned to the Flying Swan Sect army alongside Wu Mingwei. With Fei Jiang Daoist Master's recent loss and Fei Shi Daoist Master's grave injuries, they had no intention of continuing the confrontation with Taiyi Sect.
Myriad Layers Peak had completely collapsed, and there was nothing valuable left. Flying Swan Sect's large army stayed here for a long time when Endless Sea of Sand was in a vulnerable state.
Fei Shi Daoist Master, eager to return to Endless Sea of Sand, did not even consider leaving a small team to occupy the place. He ordered the Flying Swan Sect cultivator army onto the flying boats and quickly departed.
Once Meng Zhang returned to the Taiyi Sect army, he remained silent, watching the Flying Swan Sect's fleet of flying boats depart. With two Gold Core Daoist Masters still unaccounted for, and unsure of Fei Shi Daoist Master's condition, Meng Zhang dared not initiate an attack.
Once Meng Zhang confirmed that the Flying Swan Sect's fleet had completely departed, he ordered the Taiyi Sect cultivator army to move forward and fully occupy Crow's Nest. The terrifying power of the collapsing space had left numerous deep and large crater-like holes where Myriad Layers Peak's peaks used to be, but those mountains had almost entirely disappeared.
After the explosion's force subsided, it took many days for the space storms to begin calming down and the surroundings to return to normal. Crow's Nest was Dark Crow Demon General's lair, possessing a few Second Rank spirit veins. Myriad Layers Peak, where many peaks transformed from, was White Lion Demon King's former lair. Originally, it had an excellent Third Rank spirit vein, making it unparalleled across the vast Demon Wind Gobi. This Third Rank spirit vein allowed Myriad Layers Peak to be placed there.
When Myriad Layers Peak exploded, the closely connected Third Rank spirit vein naturally suffered significant impact. The most valuable resource in the vicinity was this Third Rank spirit vein, and it was also the most important to Meng Zhang. Once the area returned to normal, he had Deep Earth Spirit General personally inspect it.
Flying Swan Sect's original army of demon beasts had been scattered by the Flying Swan Sect cultivators. Taiyi Sect's cultivator army effortlessly occupied the area, bringing the surrounding region under Taiyi Sect's control. This time, Taiyi Sect had picked up a huge advantage, gaining a vast territory for free.
Within a radius of thousands of miles around Crow's Nest, powerful demon beasts were concentrated mostly inside the nest. After losing a large portion of their forces in the recent battle with Flying Swan Sect, there were hardly any demon beasts left that could challenge Taiyi Sect.
With the destruction of Crow's Nest, a huge vacuum formed around, and Taiyi Sect seized the opportunity to expand into the area. By connecting Crow's Nest with Grand Lion Ridge, Taiyi Sect would occupy at least a quarter of Demon Wind Gobi. This vast territory contained abundant resources that, once developed, could support Taiyi Sect's rise as a powerful sect among the Gold Core sects.
Meng Zhang didn't rush to disband the Taiyi Sect cultivator army; instead, he dispatched teams to hunt and drive away the demon beasts that had fled in the surroundings. The main force of the cultivator army remained together, ready to handle any unexpected situations.
Once everything settled down, Meng Zhang took the time to sort out the various gains obtained from Myriad Layers Peak. Extreme Sword Spirit General didn't hide anything and took out the glowing orbs they had collected from the peak. After breaking the protective spell on the outer layer, the true contents were revealed.
Meng Zhang and Extreme Sword Spirit General obtained dozens of glowing orbs in total, along with 10-20 orbs found on Qin Hongying's body. After breaking them open, the multitude of treasures left Meng Zhang stunned. Among them were many jade slips containing Layered Mystery Sect's various legacies, including cultivation techniques, magical arts, and secret manuals for alchemy and mechanical arts.
Most notably, there were three legacy beads. Legacy beads were a more advanced and rarer form of information storage compared to jade slips. These precious items, which only Gold Core Daoist Masters could refine, could store vast amounts of information, including insights from senior cultivators.
Among the three legacy beads were records of Layered Mystery Sect's secret alchemy techniques, crafting arts, and a profound cultivation technique. The latter was one of Layered Mystery Sect's fundamental legacies and directly pointed to the "Fusang Golden Crow Canon" at the Primordial Spirit stage. An Xiaoran's "Fusang Sutra" was a derivative of this technique, though incomplete.
The alchemy techniques and crafting arts were also complete legacies in their own right, forming a self-contained system. If obtained by a talented cultivator, they could grow into an outstanding Alchemist or tool refiner from scratch.
These two legacy beads significantly strengthened Taiyi Sect's heritage. Moreover, among the glowing orbs was a variety of Third Rank talismans, elixirs, and a few Third Rank magic tools.
Especially noteworthy was the large glowing orb Meng Zhang collected first, following his instincts. After breaking the outer protective spell, a palm-sized tower appeared. The tower had special restrictions on its surface, and even with Meng Zhang's current strength, breaking them would require considerable time.
As one of the Primordial Spirit major sects, Layered Mystery Sect had indeed left behind a remarkable hidden card for its disciples to rise again after experiencing a crisis of extermination. Meng Zhang admired the profound heritage of Layered Mystery Sect but also felt regretful. The glowing orbs that fell into his hands were only a small part of those that flew out. The majority had disappeared during the space's collapse.
If he had obtained all the glowing orbs, perhaps he could rebuild a completely new Layered Mystery Sect from scratch. Of course, Meng Zhang, as the Taiyi Sect's Sect Master, would not rebuild Layered Mystery Sect. However, the inheritance of Layered Mystery Sect now falling into Taiyi Sect's hands meant that the legacy would continue to be passed down through Taiyi Sect to some extent.
With these gains, Taiyi Sect's foundation significantly strengthened, and it could quickly be converted into power for Meng Zhang and the entire sect.
Aside from these gains, there were also various rewards obtained from Qin Hongying. Among the miscellaneous items such as spirit stones, talismans, and elixirs, a silver-colored page particularly caught Meng Zhang's attention.
The page bore some unique characters that even the experienced Extreme Sword Spirit General and other Guardian Spirit Generals could not recognize. Meng Zhang carefully tested the page's resilience, but even with his current Cultivation Base and means, he could not damage it.
No matter if it was the Spiritsnake Spear or the Solar True Flame and Lunar True Water, they could not affect the page in the slightest. After numerous attempts, Meng Zhang finally grasped one function of the page. By continuously inputting True Essence, he could activate a light circle within the page that could be used to trap enemies.
Once an enemy was ensnared by the light circle, they would find it difficult to escape and would be at the mercy of the captor. When dealing with Gold Core Daoist Masters, this could serve as Meng Zhang's secret weapon. However, due to the heavy consumption of True Essence, he could not use it lightly.
Killing Qin Hongying this time brought Meng Zhang a lot of pleasant surprises. With her death, Taiyi Sect was rid of a massive burden. Moreover, with the deaths of Dark Crow Demon General and others, and the destruction of Crow's Nest, Taiyi Sect finally got rid of its biggest internal threat and firmly established itself in Demon Wind Gobi without any external pressure.
From now on, Taiyi Sect could focus on developing Demon Wind Gobi and obtaining various cultivation resources. While Taiyi Sect reaped a massive advantage from Flying Swan Sect, the situation changed drastically on the Flying Swan Sect's side, directly impacting the entire Endless Sea of Sand's situation.
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