Chapter 139: Pulling into the Game

Dozens of miles away, pure white snow and shattered wood mixed with sand and soil filled the sky.

The terrifying force of the punch radiated for a hundred miles, causing many cultivators to feel it in their hearts and gaze in that direction with shock in their eyes.

After realizing that the location was the site of the killing formation, Qin Jiyue said in utter astonishment:

"Is that Eldest Sister?"

Was this shocking spectacle unleashed by Wen Rongxin?

Li Guanxuan smiled and said, "Never underestimate the fists of a martial artist."

Although Wen Rongxin had never displayed her might before, and merely threw punches every day in the courtyard at home without anyone feeling how much energy was actually contained within those fists—seemingly weightless and completely lacking in lethality...

Li Guanxuan knew very well in his heart that his wife, who always considered herself rather dull and struggled to learn anything, actually put in far more bitter and grueling effort than anyone else.

The power of that single punch was comparable to the full-strength strike of a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Moreover, it was equivalent to the combined full-strength strike of ten peak Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Qin Jiyue nodded blankly.

She had actually shared Song Zhiqiao's sentiment, believing that Eldest Sister had the lowest combat capability in the household.

Although she was a bone-forging martial artist and body cultivator, her combat power was probably only on par with the early Foundation Establishment stage.

After all, Wen Rongxin usually didn't show off her strength, nor did she practice any particularly formidable combat techniques; she simply threw punches every single day.

Yet who would have thought...

The punch her sister had just thrown could actually halt an entire herd of fierce beasts!

From this day onward, who in the immortal cultivation world would ever dare to look down upon martial artists?

Tushan Yuqing, dressed in red, slightly parted her lips, looking toward that direction with eyes full of shock.

Such terrifying might was actually unleashed by a martial artist?

Tushan Yuzhi also glanced in that direction, her mature and alluring eyes narrowing slightly as she softly said, "This female martial artist truly possesses some capability."

Sang Shaoxian turned his head to look and sneered, "It is merely the power of a single punch. Can she throw a second punch like that?"

Having once been a Great Perfection Nascent Soul cultivator, he still retained a discerning eye.

The strength gained from bitterly swinging and practicing punches was not considered all that impressive.

Being able to maintain the power of one's punches at a consistently balanced level—that was what truly required formidable skill.

Liu Xiaoxian was somewhat surprised. She knew that Wen Rongxin possessed considerable physical strength in her punches, but she had never expected it to reach such an astonishing degree.

"Although this entity's Nascent Soul is merely a remnant soul, his combat experience and various methods are extremely formidable. Furthermore, that beast core was at the Great Perfection Golden Core stage during its lifetime, allowing him to wield at least the power of the late Golden Core stage..."

Liu Xiaoxian secretly transmitted her voice to Li Guanxian, saying, "We can only drag this out; we cannot kill him right now. There are quite a few Zhenren present. Should they truly develop killing intent toward Chen Yinshan, the situation will become difficult to resolve."

"That is the only way..."

Li Guanxian sighed inwardly.

"Jiyue, go over to Rongxin's side. I am worried something might happen to her there," Liu Xiaoxian transmitted to Qin Jiyue.

Qin Jiyue nodded slightly, as she shared the exact same concern.

Her sister's punch had been far too explosive and might provoke a retaliatory counterattack from the beasts. If she did not go over to hold down the fort, danger could arise at any moment.

Qin Jiyue looked at Li Guanxian, who also nodded slightly, signaling her to go ahead.

However, he had to remain here.

Until Chen Yinshan successfully formed his Golden Core, he could not set his mind at ease.

"Li Guanxian, shall we cooperate? I can provide a mid-stage Golden Core expert to assist you."

At that moment, a voice reached Li Guanxian's ears.

Li Guanxian turned toward the sound and saw the red-robed fox demon woman with peak Foundation Establishment cultivation.

"What do you require?" Li Guanxian agreed on the spot.

In the current situation, having an additional Golden Core Zhenren join forces was undoubtedly a great thing.

"A premium-grade Golden Origin Pill."

Tushan Yuqing smiled and said, "Of course, you cannot produce a premium-grade Golden Origin Pill right now. However, if we kill Sang Shaoxian and retrieve his beast core, I must take that beast core away, because it belongs to my fox clan."

"No problem."

Li Guanxian consented.

He did not care about the beast core itself.

In the future, he would be able to refine premium-grade Golden Origin Pills anyway.

Right now, helping Chen Yinshan successfully form his Golden Core was the absolute top priority.

"My name is Tushan Yuqing, and that is my mother, Tushan Yuzhi, who possesses mid-stage Golden Core cultivation."

After introducing herself, Tushan Yuqing added, "My fox clan also has pseudo-core Zhenren present, but they cannot step into battle and can only protect us. If the situation undergoes a drastic change later on, when it is time to leave, we will depart and will never entangle ourselves here any longer. I hope you can understand."

"That is only natural."

Li Guanxian did not find anything inappropriate about this.

They were in a cooperative relationship. Once plunged into extreme danger, anyone would choose to leave rather than foolishly stay behind to court death.

Besides.

Tushan Yuqing's willingness to lend a helping hand at this moment was already a massive favor.

Sang Shaoxian withdrew his gaze, let it fall upon Liu Xiaoxian, and narrowed his eyes as he said, "I cannot drag this out with you any longer..."

Should Chen Yinshan successfully form his Golden Core and emerge to assist Liu Xiaoxian, the amount of beast core power he would have to expend would only increase.

He had to subdue Liu Xiaoxian right now, seal the mana within her body, and then seize her body!

With a flick of his finger, Sang Shaoxian radiated an intimidating aura, as if a single point could sever mountain ranges and reverse the flow of rivers.

Liu Xiaoxian formed hand seals with both hands, causing the heavens and earth to rumble in response.

In an instant, vines burst forth from the deep earth with horrifying momentum, charging wildly toward Sang Shaoxian with lethal intent.

As a Zhenren who had condensed a Purple Golden Core, Liu Xiaoxian had possessed the strength to slay mid-stage Golden Core experts even when she was only at the early Golden Core stage.

Even when facing ordinary late Golden Core cultivators, she commanded combat prowess that was by no means inferior.

"Insignificant tricks."

Sang Shaoxian slashed horizontally with a single finger, severing all the vines, and waved his sleeve to summon a towering wall of river water that surged toward them like a monstrous tidal wave.

Liu Xiaoxian remained silent, opening her right hand as a small mountain slowly rose, growing larger and larger until it transformed into a gigantic peak that blocked the impact of the rushing river.

When water came, earth blocked it.

At that exact moment, Tushan Yuzhi seized the opportunity. A flash of red light gleamed within her mature and alluring eyes, locking gazes directly with Sang Shaoxian.

In a fraction of a second, Sang Shaoxian's body trembled, falling into a momentary daze.

However, the Nascent Soul remnant soul quickly sensed that something was amiss. Clear light surged forth, dispelling the charm effect as he roared angrily:

"This deity will slaughter your entire fox clan lineage!"

During his lifetime, he had after all been a Great Perfection Nascent Soul expert. If not for his formidable spiritual sense, he would have likely been reduced to a puppet of the demon fox right then and there.

"Why is Fellow Daoist so enraged? Since you are already dead, you should simply find a place to be properly buried instead of coming out to wreak havoc."

Tushan Yuzhi wore an alluring smile, her innate charming arts flowing effortlessly; a moment of carelessness would cause anyone to sink deep into her illusions.

The next second, Tushan Yuzhi waved her hand, injecting her mana into the rushing river water.

The boundless river water transformed into piercing icicles that shot fiercely toward Sang Shaoxian!

Two Zhenren joining forces to jointly execute Sang Shaoxian!

The many cultivators drawn by the commotion, including several Zhenren, all wore looks of astonishment.

They all knew that Chen Yinshan was in secluded cultivation to form his Golden Core inside the restrictions left behind by the Nascent Soul fiend lord, but this was far from completely safe.

Once someone interfered from the outside, causing Chen Yinshan's state of mind to be disturbed, he could fail at any second, turning years of meticulous planning into nothingness.

"Two Zhenren protecting Chen Yinshan—if he manages to condense a Golden Core out of this, Sang Shaoxian is doomed to die."

"Does anyone know what sacred origin that Nascent Soul remnant soul inside Sang Shaoxian actually belongs to?"

"I'm quite curious myself. It is rumored to be a remnant soul from the Great Perfection Nascent Soul stage."

"The beast core is also Great Perfection Golden Core. If it weren't merely a remnant soul, it could probably unleash the power of the late Golden Core stage."

"..."

Several Zhenren discussed quietly in the vicinity, full of curiosity, yet none of them intended to make a move.

The current situation was deadlocked and ambiguous; acting rashly would only invite trouble onto themselves.

Those who had cultivated to the level of Zhenren naturally possessed that basic level of discernment.

As icicles, vines, and massive mountains suppressed him simultaneously, a hint of madness surged into Sang Shaoxian's eyes.

"Your Purple Golden Core—this deity is determined to have it!"

Sang Shaoxian roared, burning his Nascent Soul essence and spirit without caring in the least whether his Nascent Soul would suffer catastrophic damage.

All of this was completely insignificant compared to the Purple Golden Core!

With the Purple Golden Core, he would sooner or later return to his peak and even step into that coveted Deity Transformation realm!

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Numerous spells exploded before Sang Shaoxian. The ice and snow melted instantly, while shattered wood and stones danced wildly across the sky.

Sang Shaoxian pointed far into the distance with earth-shattering might, reducing the flying splinters and rocks into fine powder.

With a loud crash, Sang Shaoxian's index finger first burst into a mist of blood, followed by his entire right arm exploding completely!

His current physical body simply could not withstand such a terrifying and extreme spell!

Furthermore, the beast core within his body began to burn fiercely as well. To obtain the Purple Golden Core, the Nascent Soul remnant soul was willing to risk everything in a desperate struggle.

"This is bad!"

Liu Xiaoxian and Tushan Yuzhi had originally held the upper hand, but when they felt Sang Shaoxian's power surge to a level rivaling the late Golden Core stage, their expressions finally changed.

Daring not to hold anything back in the face of this heaven-shattering finger, they poured out the mana within their bodies to the extreme. Golden light blazed fiercely as spells and magical treasures soared into the sky together.

Even the two tier-3 puppets that Liu Xiaoxian had refined charged forward without a shred of hesitation.

However...

When that single finger descended, the two tier-3 puppets instantly disintegrated into dust.

All spells and magical treasures were utterly powerless to block that terrifying finger.

Liu Xiaoxian and Tushan Yuzhi trembled violently, coughing up mouthfuls of fresh blood as their bodies slammed heavily onto the ground.

Li Guanxian's expression changed drastically!

At this moment, the issue was no longer whether Chen Yinshan could successfully form his Golden Core; it was whether his master would be possessed by that Nascent Soul remnant soul!

In his extreme urgency, Li Guanxian whipped out his final two tier-3 wind-lightning talismans, alongside a dark domain talisman formation and a purple frost talisman formation.

Seventy-two flying swords swept forward in unison!

His mana puppet and two thunder-fire puppets charged ahead with fearless determination.

Sang Shaoxian, burning his essence spirit and the power of the beast core, looked like a raving madman consumed by endless greed and frenzy. Facing these talismans, puppets, and flying swords, he thrust out his left hand with savage ferocity!

A sound resembling a tsunami shook the firmament, causing the various watching Zhenren to retreat slightly.

"Late Golden Core combat prowess is truly terrifying."

"After this battle, regardless of who wins or loses, Sang Shaoxian will have zero hope left of ever forming a Golden Core."

"Heh, forget about forming a Golden Core; whether he can even survive is a question."

"Being tossed around like this by a Nascent Soul remnant soul has completely ruined Sang Shaoxian's physical body."

"..."

The Zhenren could not help but shake their heads and sigh.

It truly showed how little one cares when the body doesn't belong to oneself.

The Nascent Soul remnant soul was now entirely fixated on Liu Xiaoxian's Purple Golden Core and cared nothing about whether Sang Shaoxian would survive afterward.

Sang Shaoxian's left arm also burst into a cloud of blood. The three tier-3 puppets collapsed to the ground, plunging into the dark domain.

Snowflakes fluttered wildly as tens of thousands of sword qi frantically carved through Sang Shaoxian's physical body.

The Nascent Soul remnant soul roared incessantly: "Li Guanxian, you are courting death!"

He had been on the verge of succeeding!

If Li Guanxian had not intervened, he would have already possessed Liu Xiaoxian by now!

"You are the one courting death!"

Li Guanxian's voice echoed inside the dark domain, expressionless as he said, "A mere remnant soul dares to be this arrogant? Today, I will completely suppress and execute you!"

With a resounding boom, the sword formation descended!

Sword intent overflowing with death energy wreaked havoc inside the dark domain, leaving traces of sword qi everywhere.

Li Guanxian's face was pale; his mana and spiritual sense could not sustain this for long.

"Ugh, argh..."

At that moment, strange sounds escaped from Sang Shaoxian's throat.

"You must suppress and kill him right now! Sang Shaoxian's original consciousness is fighting for control of the body!"

Tushan Yuqing did not hesitate in the slightest, decisively rushing over to assist Li Guanxian. Her beautiful eyes were dyed a妖异 (demonic) blood-red, resembling two bloody moons in the darkness, as she helped suppress Sang Shaoxian's consciousness to seize control.

"Fool! If you come out, we will all die here!"

Sang Shaoxian issued an angry, low roar, his face twisted and distorted in extreme madness as he muttered:

"I... if I don't come out, I'm going to die!"

"You've merely lost two arms, what is there to worry about? This deity will find a way to restore your physical body!"

"...... I don't trust you."

"..."

Amidst this fierce struggle between the man and the soul, Li Guanxian unleashed a tier-3 treasured sword nurtured within his sword box, piercing straight through Sang Shaoxian's body with unstoppable force!

At that moment, knowing that emerging meant certain death, Sang Shaoxian decided to gamble everything instead.

The beast core and Nascent Soul essence spirit burned once more, and the immense Golden Core mana burst through the dark domain, instantly obliterating the sword qi and snowflakes.

Sang Shaoxian lowered his head to look at the gaping hole in his chest, then stared fixedly at Li Guanxian, speaking in an icy voice:

"Since you are so eager to die, this deity will send you on your way first!"

Having lost both arms, Sang Shaoxian lunged fiercely toward Li Guanxian. Surging, boundless mana transformed into a substantial sabre that slashed downward with ferocious might.

Liu Xiaoxian and Tushan Yuzhi had recovered slightly by then. Seeing this, they did not hesitate to step forward and block the mana sabre together, jointly knocking Sang Shaoxian flying backward.

The Nascent Soul remnant soul roared continuously, gnashing his teeth in fury.

He could have easily possessed Liu Xiaoxian had Li Guanxian not intervened at the critical moment, allowing him to break free from Sang Shaoxian's ruined vessel long ago!

"This deity possesses the secret to ascending to the Nascent Soul realm! Help me possess Liu Xiaoxian and slaughter them, and I am willing to share this secret!"

Sang Shaoxian said expressionlessly, "This is a monumental fortune and great destiny; even genuine Golden Core cultivators can condense a Nascent Soul!"

Upon hearing this, the six Zhenren watching the show instantly held their breaths.

Li Guanxian's expression altered drastically.

That damned Nascent Soul remnant soul was pulling the other Zhenren into the fray!

"How can we trust you?"

One of the Zhenren asked.

"One hundred years from now, the Myriad Origin Secret Realm of the Nine Heavens Academy will open once again. Inside lie masterless Nascent Souls; absorbing and refining just one allows one to step into the Nascent Soul realm!"

Sang Shaoxian sneered, "Only this deity knows how to acquire a masterless Nascent Soul!"

"..."

The eyes of the six Zhenren instantly turned blazing hot.