飘零影音

Arc 15: Heavenly Secret Realm | Chapter 274: Seizing Inheritance

Xu Ziqing stood by the white jade pond but did not reach out to touch them.

Yet, in his heart, he was certain that these lotus flowers were indeed calling to him, urging him to continue forward in this place of inheritance. It wasn’t the so-called ancient inheritance that attracted him here, but rather a faint, almost imperceptible call that clearly conveyed a summons from the depths of the sea.

But what could this pair of entwined lotus flowers want from him?

Upon closer inspection of the lotus flowers, he was puzzled and couldn’t help but feel some suspicion… and a hint of caution.

While Xu Ziqing was hesitating, a sudden disturbance came from behind.

A powerful force rapidly approached, almost instantaneously reaching Xu Ziqing’s rear!

Just as Xu Ziqing was about to turn around to confront the threat, a hand reached out from the side and unleashed a sword aura, dispersing the force!

It was Yun Lie who had acted.

Xu Ziqing furrowed his brow. Who was attacking from behind?

He turned to look and saw several successive attacks coming at high speed. The deep blue energy balls were filled with killing intent, each aimed precisely at the vulnerable spots on his body, as if trying to kill him outright!

If Xu Ziqing were alone, even with his quick reflexes, it would be difficult to defend completely.

The attacker was none other than the remaining Golden Core cultivator.

This person had been hesitating over the Li Chen Pill moments ago, but now he had come here and turned against Xu Ziqing.

Before Xu Ziqing could think further, he spat out a burst of blue light to collide with one of the energy balls, creating a loud explosion. Yun Lie’s sweeping motion shredded the remaining blue energy balls, leaving no trace.

Naturally, Xu Ziqing was very displeased to be nearly injured by this sneak attack, and anger flashed in his eyes.

However, the Golden Core cultivator showed no remorse. Instead, he snorted coldly and said, “Junior, don’t snatch the chance that’s meant for me. Be careful, or you might choke on it!”

Despite his harsh words, his expression was not arrogant but rather filled with fear.

With his own strength, he had no problem dealing with Xu Ziqing, but once faced with Yun Lie, all his power seemed to disappear without a trace.

Understanding this, Xu Ziqing knew why the cultivator was acting this way.

The Golden Core cultivator must have struggled to overcome his inner obstacles and chosen to seek the inheritance. Upon reaching the end, he saw a young man in green standing by the white jade pond, seemingly about to touch something, with several others protecting him… At that moment, he must have believed that Xu Ziqing had found the inheritance and was about to receive it, leading to his furious attack without regard.

Knowing this, Xu Ziqing could only smile wryly.

It’s not that he had no interest in the inheritance of Luofu Zhenren, but he was already determined to practice the “Ten Thousand Woods Great Heart Planting Technique” and could not possibly switch to the “Luofu True Scripture.” Thus, even if he did obtain the inheritance, it would only be to verify it and not to fully accept it.

But given the current situation, even if he spoke the truth, this reddened-eyed Golden Core cultivator might not believe him.

And now… it seemed that a confrontation was inevitable.

Xu Ziqing’s mind sharpened, and he immediately began to circulate his cultivation technique.

Although he had his senior brother’s protection, this Golden Core cultivator was only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm. If he released Rongjin, he could surely overcome the opponent by leaps and bounds. However, with so many people present, he did not wish to expose the Demon Vines prematurely. He preferred to engage directly and gain some experience in combat—opportunities to fight against other Golden Core cultivators were rare for him.

Xu Ziqing traced a finger over his forehead, and a brilliant blue needle appeared between his fingers. He flicked it, and it formed the shape of a grand 360 Celestial Formation around him. The array’s light flickered like stars, subtly building up a powerful force.

This was a “Fake Star Formation,” a variant of the ancient “360 Celestial Star Formation,” and it’s also a sub-array within a formation. Once formed, it would allow the formation to operate according to the celestial trajectories, gradually accumulating a fake star power within the formation. Although not as potent as real celestial power, it could significantly boost the formation’s effectiveness in a short time.

Before Xu Ziqing could split the Qingyun Needle into thousands, he had already gained some insight.

The Qingyun Needle was a prototype of his power derived from the Dao of Wood. To perfect it, more understanding was needed.

It already encompassed the principles of the Ten Thousand Trees’ cycle of life and death, but plants could also change according to the sun, moon, and stars. This was also part of his understanding and could be incorporated.

Therefore, Xu Ziqing found this formation in some ancient texts and applied it to his Qingyun Needle, setting the number of divisions to 360. Once activated, it would remain unchanged.

Over time, the Qingyun Needle could absorb the principles of star movements, harmonizing with the Dao of Wood and compensating for its deficiencies.

As he prepared to battle the Golden Core cultivator, Xu Ziqing intended to test this array, and as a result, his clothes and long hair began to flutter, and he stood within the Celestial Array, his entire being seemingly guided by star forces, creating an indescribable sense of mystery.

This action immediately caused the Golden Core cultivator’s expression to darken.

It must be said, this highlighted the vast difference between disciples of major sects and those from ordinary sects or wandering cultivators.

Within the Wuling Immortal Sect, countless ancient texts were stored, and with enough merit points, many secret records were available. Unlike outsiders, who might endure countless hardships and still not obtain a suitable technique… The disparity was immense and hard to describe.

Seeing such a refined array, a hint of envy flashed in the Golden Core cultivator’s eyes.

Normally, his steadfast Dao heart wouldn’t waver just because of this. He had achieved his current success despite numerous dangers. However, he has made many sacrifices today, abandoning many precious items he could not even imagine on ordinary days. Gradually, this led to psychological obstacles, and the matter of the Li Chen Pill truly planted a seed of inner demons in him.

When this Golden Core cultivator believed Xu Ziqing was about to obtain the inheritance and acted with lethal intent, it was influenced by his inner demons. Seeing such a mysterious array used effortlessly by a mere Core Formation Realm cultivator only exacerbated his negative emotions.

This is the difficulty of cultivating immortality.

The Golden Core cultivator wielded a pair of silver hooks and his figure immediately became elusive.

The footwork he used was unfamiliar to Xu Ziqing, and as he moved left and right, only a myriad of phantom images could be seen, making it hard to discern his true form.

The silver hooks, originally very thin, now transformed into gleaming silver lights, darting about in all directions.

Previously, Xu Ziqing had used the Qingyun Needle to form an array that surrounded the Golden Core cultivator. Now, as the cultivator moved, the sounds of metal clashing became extremely pleasant, like rain on banana leaves, continuous and unending.

Even with Xu Ziqing’s current vision, he could not discern the cultivator’s movements. He could only painstakingly distinguish the differences in the sounds and perceive the impacts on the Qingyun Needle to infer the cultivator’s movement trajectory.

After a while, as the array still had some power, the Golden Core cultivator found himself temporarily trapped. Focused on the inheritance, he could not tolerate prolonged waste of time or others gaining an advantage. He threw out a talisman, which expanded in the wind into a giant stone several yards high, crashing down from above!

“Boom——”

With a deafening roar, the 360 Celestial Formation was shattered, and Xu Ziqing was thrown back by the force, causing a sharp pain in his chest.

Indeed, the difference between a Golden Core cultivator and a Core Formation Realm cultivator was immense. Xu Ziqing knew that while Rongjin could protect him, he would be unable to overcome the gap in realms with other abilities.

Regaining his composure, Xu Ziqing quickly retreated several meters, ensuring the Golden Core cultivator could not close in on him.

The Golden Core cultivator’s eyes still burned with killing intent, unwilling to let Xu Ziqing go. At this moment, he had forgotten that Yun Lie and the other Core Formation Realm cultivators were nearby. He saw the young man in green as the biggest obstacle to obtaining the inheritance and was determined to eliminate him quickly.

Xu Ziqing realized he had become a target. Seeing the dark light flickering in the Golden Core cultivator’s eyes, he understood that the cultivator had fallen prey to his inner demons. Unless he received a severe shock to awaken him, it would be nearly impossible for him to recover. Such a shock would require a higher realm, and among the people present, even his senior brother, who could fight beyond his level, was merely at the early Golden Core stage. Even if he wanted to awaken the cultivator due to their shared path, it would be impossible.

Thus, Xu Ziqing had no choice but to set aside his concerns.

Ultimately, this cultivator’s malevolent intent led to this outcome. Although Xu Ziqing did not wish to repay hatred with hatred, he was not inclined to waste too much effort trying to “repay kindness with kindness.”

At this moment, the Golden Core cultivator was about to attack again when a loud noise suddenly came from another direction, followed by an intensifying sound of battle.

Xu Ziqing was startled and sensed an aura very similar to that of the Luofu Zhenren approaching.

“Could it be the inheritance?” Geng Zheng and Shen Yinglan, who had been paying close attention, immediately flew toward the source of the noise, expressing their astonishment.

As soon as they spoke, they regretted it, realizing they had spoken impulsively. However, in the next moment, their regret vanished.

Inside the side hall, a translucent crystal the size of a fist floated and swayed in mid-air. Behind it was an invisible small beast, several feet long, floating on clouds, with its mouth wide open, carrying the crystal and heading toward them.

The shape of the small beast was nearly imperceptible, with only its mouth and nose vaguely visible. Its ferocious aura, combined with the rich spiritual energy of the crystal, stood out prominently.

Behind it, several people rushed over quickly, led by a pair of master and servant, with three or four other Core Formation Realm cultivators following. They seemed to be trying their luck, not daring to confront the pair of leading figures directly.

The lazy young man reached out, and an invisible force seemed to sweep toward the small beast.

Suddenly, a Core Formation Realm cultivator shouted, “The inheritance is in the beast’s mouth! Quickly stop it!”

Upon hearing this, the Golden Core cultivator, who had been entangled with Xu Ziqing, immediately leaped and charged toward the master and servant!

The lazy young man, who was about to catch the small beast, raised his eyebrow at the scene, lifted his hand, and struck.

In an instant, the Golden Core cultivator’s dantian caved in, completely pierced through, and even his painstakingly cultivated Golden Core turned to dust!

This Golden Core cultivator, being only at the early stage, was effortlessly killed on the spot!

Such ruthlessness was truly terrifying!

Xu Ziqing was also shocked. Although the Golden Core cultivator had acted first, anyone with discernment could see he was controlled by his inner demons.

But the lazy young man’s actions were merciless and extremely brutal!

At that moment, the aura emitted by the lazy young man seemed to overlap with a figure Xu Ziqing had once remembered, someone who looked down on all the experts.

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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