Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Dark clouds were densely packed, as lightning flashed and thunder roared.

A funnel-shaped Spiritual Energy Vortex reached from the ground to the sky, with violent winds, sand and stones flying about, casting the sky into a deep darkness.

It continued for eight days, then the Spiritual Energy Vortex came to a halt.

"One, two, three... ten breaths."

Jiang Ding, concealed, silently counted the time in his heart, and a hint of killing intent gradually surfaced in his eyes, "Very good, the dark clouds are still there, his Dao Heart can indeed be considered as resilient, and his Mana foundation is also up to standard."

The swathes of dark clouds sizzled, with endless Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi converging towards them, the lightning growing increasingly intense, a dazzling spectacle to behold.

Within several tens of kilometers, all beasts lay prostrate, shivering, each strand of fur standing on end.

The heavenly pressure continued to gather.

"There's a sliver of hope!"

Cultivator Baimei's breath quickened, he leapt into the air and swiftly arrived near Huoyan Peak, his awe-inspiring presence spreading out, deterring any who harbored thoughts of chaos.

"Elder brother."

Zhou Sanyan came to his side, with a hint of emotion, "My nephew has always had an extreme and narrow-minded character, not as generous and open-hearted as your disciple, yet he managed to overcome the Internal Demon Tribulation."

"The ways of Heaven are unpredictable, beyond fathoming."

Two enormous presences arrived in an instant.

"To witness two Foundation Establishment phenomena in one day, your Sect truly has no shortage of talents; such a sight fills me with envy."

With a smile in her voice, the Chiyan Fox King appeared, her step gentle and swaying, causing waves that involuntarily drew one's gaze, sticking to her firmly.

"This is what I despise the most about the Human Race."

King Kong Que's eyes shone brightly, surrounded by five-colored lights, and sent a message to the fox king beside him, his voice cold, "In just two hundred years, his talent is nothing special, yet he can challenge the third-order bottleneck, and it cannot be said that he has no hope."

"Those of my race, however, would take much longer, and only those with the most outstanding bloodline talents could possibly do so."

The Chiyan Fox King nodded slightly.

"The King jests," Cultivator Baimei chuckled, "My two disciples merely have a one in a million chance, nothing compared to the Demon Race's astonishing bloodline talents, long lifespans, and innate divine abilities, the likelihood of their advancing to become great demons far exceeds that of any disciple in my Sect."

Amid the pleasantries,

The Qiyu Sect's Big Array quietly activated, ready to unleash a heaven-shattering strike at any moment.

"We should also be wary of the Jinlingshan Mountain direction."

Zhou Sanyan communicated telepathically in a hushed tone.

Cultivator Baimei nodded.

Several hours later.

The Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi rising and falling within the dark clouds had reached a limit, the electrical energy sizzling densely, as a terrifying Heavenly Might emerged, causing all the Golden Core cultivators and great demons to hold their breath, daring not to release even a wisp of their aura.

"Come at me!"

Under the thunder, Zhou Kunlong's eyes were blood-red, fearless, roaring, "He can't kill me, I will surely kill him, and you as well, old Heaven!"

Crack!

A bolt of lightning descended,

Splitting everything apart, shattering a Supreme Magic Tool shield, and then obliterating a Top-grade Treasure Bead flashing with flame-like light, striking him directly, his flesh and bones breaking apart, charred black.

Faintly, the sound of a frail crack could be heard.

The dark clouds dispersed.

All was silent.

"He's not dead."

"False Dan!"

Jiang Ding, within a ten-kilometer range, quietly sensed with his Sword Intent, a flash of light in his eyes.

"False Dan – a phenomenon of an imperfect Foundation Establishment, with a lifespan of four hundred years and a bleak cultivation path, much stronger than a Foundation-building cultivator yet weaker than a Golden Pill Monk."

"It often occurs during the process of forming a lower-quality Golden Pill, when the Golden Pill is flawed, and the Mana cannot fully transform, thus proving unable to draw forth the changes in the Divine Soul and the body."

Moving through the air unseen, he re-entered the Qiyu Sect Formation Method and returned to Jinlingshan Mountain, putting away Armor-25.

"Could this really happen?"

Jiang Ding connected to the Jinlingshan Mountain Formation with his Divine Sense, murmuring to himself.

...

After a long while,

The figure on the ground started to move; charred skin fell off to reveal new, tender skin, and then a pair of blood-red pupils appeared, with a cold, piercing gaze, he spoke deliberately, "You youngsters, did you ever foresee this day?"

"Cultivating for two hundred years, I now release all the anger in my heart in one go!"

"Kill!"

Zhou Kunlong laughed wildly as he transformed into a blazing escape light, flying straight toward Jinlingshan Mountain without concealing the killing intent in his heart.

"Stop right there!"

Two stern shouts arose simultaneously, and two escape lights blocked his path.

It was the two Qiyu Golden Core cultivators.

"Brother Kunlong!"

Zhou Sanyan bellowed angrily, "The sect's rules must not be violated. I protected you before, and now I protect this junior brother."

"Do you understand this principle?"

As a Golden Pill cultivator, he understood the value of power and immediately switched to addressing each other as peers, earnestly trying to persuade him.

In terms of personal affection, although the two shared some, it had not reached the level of intimacy between master and disciple or parent and child where one would still regard the other as a junior after Foundation Establishment.

Cultivator Baimei said nothing, but the faint pressure emanating from him made his stance clear.

"What an interesting drama."

King Kong Que watched the scene with interest, feeling less wary in his heart.

"The Human Race is like this, with infighting and killing that are extremely cruel. Unlike our Demon Race, which orders its ranks by bloodline, with clear and orderly respect. Otherwise, our race would be in peril."

The Chiyan Fox King transmitted her light laughter.

"Uncle Yan!"

"Brother Li!"

Zhou Kunlong, with bloodshot eyes and a cry like a wail, said, "Do you know that this young one destroyed the magic tool I had been refining for many years? Just a bit more, just a bit more and I could have condensed a real low-grade Golden Pill!"

"Two hundred years of lifespan, my path to the Golden Pill gone!"

"If I do not kill this scourge, I swear I am not human!"

The thick killing intent and resentment spread in all directions and could not be washed away even if the waters of the five lakes and four seas were poured over them.

Zhou Kunlong's eyebrows furrowed.

Cultivator Baimei's expression remained unchanged.

Between brothers, even without divine sense or eye contact, they already understood each other's thoughts on who would play the good cop and the bad cop.

"Brother Zhou,"

Cultivator Baimei spoke slowly, his terrifying late-stage Golden Pill pressure spreading bit by bit, "Do you intend to kill the last disciple of my master, Immortal Jinlian, within our sect for no reason?"

"Brother Li... Supreme Elder!"

Zhou Kunlong felt a tremor in his heart, and the blood-red in his eyes quickly faded as reason returned. He remembered the formidable name that had been ringing in his ears since birth and etched into his Divine Soul.

Supreme Elder of the Qiyu Sect!

He immediately understood,

Even among Golden Pill cultivators, there are enormous differences!

The gap between a False Dan Cultivator and a Post-Golden Core Cultivator is even greater than the gap between a Foundation-building Peak Cultivator and a Golden Pill Monk.

Not to mention that he had no artifacts of his own, and it would not be much more difficult to suppress and kill him here than it would be to slay a foundation-building cultivator.

"Brother, I dare not."

Zhou Kunlong no longer dared to continue his madness, speaking solemnly, "When my brother was facing tribulation, the Internal Demon entered his mind; there are some remnants left over. Do not blame me, brother, I have great respect for that young one from Jinlingshan Mountain."

Cultivator Baimei's eyebrows furrowed but then relaxed.

"It's good that Brother Zhou has thought it through. After all, we are from the same sect; what sort of deep hatred could there be? Now that you've joined the Golden Pill, let the fortunes and events of the past dissipate like smoke and clouds."

"What my brother says is true."

Zhou Kunlong, having calmed down over this period, respectfully said, "I have just passed the tribulation and need to go into seclusion for a while. I will come to bother my brother another day."

With that, he turned and left.

The Chiyan Fox King and King Kong Que watched his retreating figure, their gazes flickering.

...

"He didn't come?"

"No sneak attack either."

Jiang Ding sighed.

He knew that even if he took the initiative to strike, he would be stopped by the Qiyu Supreme Elders, whose instinct was to maintain the order of the sect, and any violation by either side would provoke retaliation and obstruction.