As Wang Long closed in on Jun Laoye, his longsword suddenly blazed with even greater brilliance. "Brat, die!" "Heavenly Lightning Second Form: Azure Lightning Eye!" Jun Laoye and the lightning giant shouted in unison. "Command!" Wang Long faltered at the roar. "Hm?" He quickened his thrust, sword light driving straight for Jun Laoye. Jun Laoye opened his eyes just as the blade neared. "Did you really think I'd be that reckless? Thanks for giving me time to prepare. Now, witness the true Heavenly Lightning Second Form." The eye in the sky snapped shut, then burst open wider than before. Its pupil shrank sharply, manifesting at the lightning giant's forehead. Jun Laoye slapped his palms against the ground, springing into the air to evade Wang Long's sword. Wang Long plunged straight into the lightning giant's waiting palm. The giant's hand clenched tight, trapping him completely. Wang Long thrashed within its grip, slashing wildly. "This power is nearly at the Qi Condensation Realm! Who are you? The Serene Void Academy shouldn't have someone like you!" Jun Laoye landed atop the giant's head, pointing at his foe. "I am Jun Laoye of the Serene Void Academy. But it's too late for you to know that." A two-zhang-long spear shot out from the giant's forehead, its immense force piercing Wang Long's right shoulder and nailing him against the cliffside. "Heh, as expected of a great clan's heir," Fang Yuan glanced at Jun Wudi and chuckled softly. "Your nephew plays much better than you. At only the first level of Qi Regulation, he can already unleash power on par with the Qi Condensation Realm. He's toying with Wang Long in the palm of his hand." Jun Wudi shook his head with a faint smile, silently watching Jun Laoye. Wang Long shattered the lightning spear in his shoulder with a palm strike, spitting blood as he dropped to the ground. "Your technique may be powerful, but you can't sustain it forever." He wiped the blood from his mouth. "This time, you die. In raw strength and defense, you're no match for me." Jun Laoye snorted. "Sometimes, being too strong isn't a blessing." He drew the Earth-Shattering Spear from his back. "Like now. You have no idea who you're facing." The lightning giant behind him mirrored the motion, drawing its own thunder spear. One thrust, one stab, and one strike. With those three moves, Jun Laoye managed to force Wang Long back. Meanwhile, on the steps of the mountain gate, Song Ping finally fell under the combined assault of six opponents, sent flying by a spear strike. Seizing the chance, the spear-wielding cultivator leapt into the air, charging at Jun Laoye from behind. "Senior Martial Brother Wang, we're here!" Wang Long shouted as he struggled against Jun Laoye's spear. "Wang Wu, bring the brothers quickly! This brat is too strange! We'll have to surround him together!" "Heh, like I said before, if you want to break through, you'll have to get past me first." Song Ping pressed a palm to the ground, springing up as his spear erupted into a massive Frost Dragon. "Ice Dragon Bloodburst!" In that instant, his bloodline talent awakened. A dark-blue formation lit up on his abdomen, and a Frost Wyrmling flew forth. Song Ping roared, "Twin Dragons Bloodburst!" Blood surged from his wounds, merging with the two Frost Dragons overhead. The dragons, one large and one small, absorbed it, growing flesh and blood before spiraling down toward the mountain steps. "That's bloodline talent! Song Ping, since when do you have that?!" Wang Long's eyes widened in alarm. "Kill him quickly! If his bloodline fully awakens, we're finished!" "Brothers, cut him down first!" The five men ignored the incoming dragons and rushed straight at Song Ping. "Too late. Twin Dragons Explosion!" Seeing the five charging at him, Song Ping detonated the dragons, unleashing a surge of icy energy. The large dragon shattered into spears that stabbed into the ground, etching a glowing formation. The smaller dragon burst apart mid-air, transforming into countless frost blades. The blades shredded through the five. Three of them, with weaker cultivation, were heavily wounded. But after the outburst, Song Ping's breath weakened sharply, and the power of his frost blades waned. The two less-injured men exchanged a glance. "Yan Zhi, he's faltering. Push through and break his divine ability!" They raised their blades and charged. Song Ping forced more spirit qi into his weapon. "Only two left... just hold on a little longer!" However, his frost blades vanished, and his spear's light dimmed. "Ah... seems I still can't take on so many at once." With a weary sigh, Song Ping tightened his grip on his spear, bracing himself for a last stand. "Song Ping, die!" Yan Zhi's blade gleamed with golden spirit qi. "Once I slay you, the Serene Void's chief disciple, the Scripture Hall will be mine to enter at will!" Facing their charge, Song Ping cast a glance at Lu Chen before lifting his spear with grim resolve. Yan Zhi and his partner pressed in from both sides, their strikes relentless. One attacked from the front, while the other attacked from behind. Blow after blow struck Song Ping, but none of them were fatal. It was as if they were cats toying with their prey. "Yan Zhi! Someone's coming over from above! Stop wasting time and finish him!" Wang Long's face tightened at the commotion. "Kill him now and come help me!" "Understood, Senior Martial Brother Wang!" Yan Zhi lifted his gaze, spotting figures rushing through the trees. "Feng Xiang, rescue the other three. Once I finish this one, the seven of us will crush Jun Laoye together." Feng Xiang responded, "Alright!" Yan Zhi poured spirit qi into his broadsword and thrust it at Song Ping. "Brat, die!" The strike of a level-three Qi Condensation Realm cultivator tore through Song Ping's defenses as easily as paper, the force sweeping him off balance. Yan Zhi yanked his broadsword free, then kicked Song Ping flying. "Feng Xiang, let's go." Song Ping crashed down beside Jun Laoye. He looked back weakly. "Lu Chen, are the chains of your obsession still not calmed? I can't last much longer." Nantian Yijian stood with his sword at the ready, scanning the surroundings. "Boss said he still needs half an hour." Jun Laoye wiped the blood from his mouth and hurled Song Ping to the back. "Little Jian, take Brother Song back to rest. I can still hold back these seven for now." "Wan'er, I'm going to help Little Jun," Nantian Yijian carefully set Song Ping beside Lu Chen. "He can't handle seven of them on his own." Sensing the battle outside, Lu Chen sent a voice transmission to Nantian Yijian. "Little Jian, be careful. Don't charge in recklessly. I only need ten more minutes, then the chains in my heart will vanish." "I understand. Talking big is what I'm best at," Nantian Yijian replied, then raised his sword and charged forward. "Scoundrels, your grandpa's here!" "Wind Dragon, protect them. I can still hold on." As Lu Chen spoke, the Hunyuan Greatsword embedded itself on Wind Dragon's forehead, causing Wind Dragon's energy to violently spike. Nantian Yijian rushed to Jun Laoye's side, his sword splitting into three blades that hovered before him. "Little Jun, I'll cover your back." "Good! Let's go, brother," Jun Laoye gripped his spear and laughed heartily. "They're only at the Qi Condensation Realm. Little Lu could already slay one on his own, the two of us mustn't fall behind!" With both hands on his spear, Jun Laoye lunged forward. "Army-Breaking Spear Attack! Kill!" His attacks no longer held the graceful elegance of before, but in their desperate ferocity, the spear's edge grew even sharper. "Little Jun, leave the three heavily wounded ones to me. They're only at the high levels of the Qi Regulation Realm. With injuries like that, I can manage." Sitting cross-legged, Nantian Yijian sent his three flying swords soaring into the air. While besieging the wounded trio, they also darted to harass the remaining four. On one side stood cultivators with a superior cultivation level but riddled with grievous injuries. On the other side, fighters of a lower realm unleashed high-grade techniques in a reckless, do-or-die struggle, with Wind Dragon protecting their rear. For a time, the battle was even. "The time's almost up, Little Jian! Move aside!" Jun Laoye roared, charging straight into the seven with a lightning giant at his side. Standing amidst his enemies, Jun Laoye spun back and drove his spear into the lightning giant's abdomen. "Lightning Shock Sutra! Explode!" Lightning surged into his divine spear. Three breaths later, the energy at the spear tip burst forth. The seven cultivators failed to escape in time and were blasted away. At his call, Nantian Yijian poured out the last of his spirit qi and launched his swords. Three crisp strikes rang out. The three heavily wounded cultivators were pierced through the waist and fell unconscious. The flying swords flew back. Nantian Yijian, drained of his strength, collapsed and was carried off by Wind Dragon. Resting against Wind Dragon, Nantian Yijian spoke with a heavy voice, "Four left. Boss still needs three minutes to recover. What do we do now?" "Twelve more," Wind Dragon murmured, eyes fixed on the stairway above where footsteps thundered closer, "each stronger than the third level of Qi Condensation Realm." "Let me handle it," Nantian Wan'er stepped forward, eyes fixed on the figures on the stairway. "I'm already at the Qi Regulation Realm. I should be able to keep them occupied for a while." Wind Dragon roared behind them. "No chance. More are coming from below as well." A gust swept past. It was the same group Lu Chen had spared earlier. Nantian Yijian cursed at the ten figures charged toward them. "Despicable rats! Boss showed them mercy, and now they come striking at us while we're weak. This time, I won't let them off." Official source is novel-fire.ɴet He tried to rise, but a mouthful of blood forced him back down. "I'll handle the ten. Lu-gege said that there is nothing more hateful than repaying kindness with betrayal." Nantian Wan'er drew her Dragon-Slaying Sword and surged forward with her Flutter Willow Art. Wind Dragon reminded, "The ones above are here." From his angle, Nantian Yijian could clearly see the cliffside movement. Eight cultivators leapt down. Counting the four still fighting Jun Laoye, there were twelve in total. The eight landed on the platform, shouting. "Song Ping, hand over the treasures you found! And where's Lu Chen? Tell him to crawl out!" "If you want Little Lu, you'll have to get through me first." Despite his injuries, Jun Laoye skewered Wang Wu with a thrust before retreating to Nantian Yijian's side. "Little Jian, can you still play the guqin?" "The guqin? Of course! But why? I can't fight, and my music carries no spirit qi." "Heh, the music alone will do." Jun Laoye dropped his Earth-Shattering Spear and gripped his divine spear with one hand. "I never told you its name, did I?" Jun Laoye ignored Nantian Yijian and continued, "My spear is called Heavenly Dao, yes, it's named after the Heavenly Dao of heaven and earth. "A hundred years ago, my Second Uncle stood alone at Deer Ridge in the Western Mountain. One man and one spear, against the Twelve Gods. "My courage may not match his, but today, here in the Heavenly Mandate Hall, I will replicate his legacy—one man, one spear, against twelve dogs!"