Chapter 288: The Battle of the Golden Core |
"Pupupu!"
Countless arrows struck them, with a hundred arrows shot by Qi Cultivation cultivators, only causing slight dents in their Daoist Robes before being bounced away. Though they hadn't achieved much, it had depleted a small amount of the opponent's Spiritual Power.
The arrows from the Foundation Building cultivators pierced through the Daoist Robes, but they were stopped by an inner layer of armor.
Only one arrow, shot with all of Wang Hong's strength, pierced through the armor and struck two inches into the chest of the Old Man.
Wang Hong sighed in disappointment; he had almost succeeded in ambushing and taking down a Golden Core expert in one blow.
"You dare!" Old Man roared in anger, his hair standing on end. He had never seen a Foundation Building cultivator daring to attack him actively; he had just narrowly escaped a fatal attack.
Old Man pinched a technique with one hand and silently chanted in his mind. In an instant, a giant log appeared in front of him. With a wave of his hand, the log hurtled towards the Flying Boat.
This was the only Tier-Three Magical Art that Old Man currently knew.
The people on the Flying Boat, after the first arrow was shot, didn't pay attention to the outcome of that arrow. Without hesitation, they fired two more rounds of arrows.
At the same time, they each used Binding Spirit Ropes and launched attacks on Old Man from different angles.
The next two rounds of arrows mostly collided with the giant log in mid-air, shattering upon impact and weakening the log's force as it approached.
The remaining arrows flew towards Old Man but were blocked by the defensive barrier he conjured.
Though Old Man could only perform the Tier-Three Giant Log Art, even ordinary Tier-Two Magical Arts, when wielded by a Golden Core cultivator, were not something Foundation Building cultivators could contend with.
The giant log advanced again and collided in mid-air with the wooden shields summoned by Wang Hong and the others.
The high-grade Spiritual Weapons wielded by the Foundation Building cultivators proved no match for the Tier-One Magical Art of the weakest Golden Core cultivator. The first wooden shield shattered instantly, and the second barely held for a moment before breaking as well. Only the third one managed to hold its ground.
As they clashed in the air, the third wooden shield began to show cracks, and the giant log, constructed from Magical Arts, also dimmed.
Meanwhile, Wang Hong and the others' Binding Spirit Ropes had already reached Old Man's side.
Seeing thirteen Binding Spirit Ropes closing in, Old Man summoned a Spiritual Weapon, the Flying Sword. It emitted a blue light and danced in the air, repeatedly striking at the Binding Spirit Ropes.
In the air, there was a flash of blue light, thirteen long shadows, and the two sides tangled in mid-air, resembling a heroic figure in green robes battling thirteen serpentine dragons.
For a moment, Old Man, armed only with a Spiritual Weapon Flying Sword, was evenly matched against the thirteen Binding Spirit Ropes. The Binding Spirit Ropes couldn't get any closer.
Even Old Man was slightly gaining the upper hand. Sword marks of various sizes had already appeared on the Binding Spirit Ropes, indicating that they wouldn't hold for much longer.
While controlling the Flying Sword, Old Man conjured another giant log, sending it hurtling towards the Flying Boat.
Seeing this, Wang Hong changed tactics once again. He ordered everyone's Binding Spirit Ropes to entangle with the giant log rather than confronting it head-on, applying lateral force to continuously alter its course.
At the same time, Wang Hong released all fifteen thousand of his Poisonous Bees, swarming towards Old Man in a dense black cloud.
The Poisonous Bees hesitated and refused to approach when they sensed the immense pressure emanating from Old Man.
Through the Bee Queen, Wang Hong issued a command, forcing the swarm of Poisonous Bees to charge at Old Man once again.
In the world of the bee swarm, they functioned like a highly structured kingdom, each with its own role and responsibilities. The Bee Queen was their sole ruler, and they would unhesitatingly execute her commands, even if it meant giving their lives.
As more than ten thousand Poisonous Bees converged on Old Man, his Flying Sword could no longer defend against them as effectively as before.
Old Man's expression changed slightly, but he soon regained his composure. He knew that breaking through his protective shield with these Spirit Bees would not be a quick task.
One by one, Poisonous Bees fearlessly struck Old Man's defensive Light Shield, creating a cacophony of rapid, rhythmic buzzing.
Each Poisonous Bee possessed the strength of a Tier-One Demonic Beast, with hundreds of pounds of power. Over ten thousand Poisonous Bees relentlessly assaulted the Light Shield, rapidly depleting Old Man's Spiritual Power.
Old Man realized that these Spirit Bees were extraordinary. Fearing that his shield wouldn't hold for much longer, he summoned another Spiritual Weapon, adding an additional layer of defense around him.
Though this significantly increased his Spiritual Power consumption, he didn't believe that a group of mere junior cultivators could outlast him.
On the other side, although Old Man's giant log was affected by the Binding Spirit Ropes and had lost some power and speed, he still relentlessly charged toward the Flying Boat under Old Man's control.
The others were fully occupied controlling the Binding Spirit Ropes and had no time to assist, leaving Wang Hong to face it alone.
This time, instead of using a shield-type Spiritual Weapon, Wang Hong employed several Tier-Two Talismans.
While others might hesitate to use their precious Tier-Two Talismans except in critical moments, Wang Hong had no such reservations. Over the years, he had grown all the materials for Tier-Two Talismans, the Seven Star Grass, in his Space and accumulated a vast supply. He hadn't sold a single one and kept them all on his person.
The talismans he activated transformed into various forms—some into earthen walls, others into golden Light Screens, and still others into wooden shields, all placed in front of the giant log.
With a deafening explosion, a burst of flames erupted in the air. After the flames dissipated, the giant log disappeared from view.
However, as soon as the giant log vanished, Old Man cast his spell once again, summoning another segment of a giant log. His Flying Sword also joined in the attack this time.
He wanted to see how many Tier-Two Talismans the Flying Boat still had to spare.
To his surprise, when the giant log approached the Flying Boat, the opponents threw out another large batch of Tier-Two Talismans, halting the giant log's advance.
Both sides remained deadlocked in this manner, waiting to see who would give in first.
After a short while, the Foundation Building cultivators on Wang Hong's side had replenished their Spiritual Power twice using Spirit Wine. They primarily specialized in Body Refining, and their Spiritual Power wasn't very deep, nor were they skilled in long-distance control of Spiritual Weapons.
With the cooperation of the Flying Sword, Old Man's Giant Log Art broke through Wang Hong's defenses several times, slamming into the Flying Boat's defensive shield, causing it to waver and dim in its spiritual light.
Old Man, too, was getting increasingly anxious. He had encountered and plundered many caravans before, but he had never faced such a stubborn one.
Moreover, he now felt some obstruction in the flow of his Spiritual Power, causing his limbs to stiffen and become less agile.
He speculated that it might be the side effect of that flower he had encountered earlier.
Furthermore, his Spiritual Power was running dangerously low. He couldn't believe that he, a Golden Core cultivator, would exhaust his Spiritual Power in a battle against a group of Foundation Building juniors.
Little did he know that he had fallen victim to three different poisons administered by Wang Hong.
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