Chapter 43: Seizing the Spirit Mine, Golden Core Ninth Layer, Breaking the Formation!

For a long time, under the efforts of you and your disciple, the Heavenly Lightning power gradually dispersed.

Your Heavenly Lightning Body-Refining Art thus reached the third layer, and your physical body was already comparable to the Nascent Soul stage!

The Heavenly Dao sent down a golden light that enveloped Shangguan Lan's entire body. A Golden Core slightly inferior to yours emerged from within her.

Perhaps because of your help, Shangguan Lan's Golden Core bore only three Heavenly Lightning Marks.

Instead, your Golden Core had gained two more Heavenly Lightning Marks, now reaching seven!

"Master, turn around. No—you're not allowed to peek!" Shangguan Lan said shyly the moment she landed.

Only after Shangguan Lan finished dressing did you turn around, looking at her with a smile.

"Golden Core second layer cultivation, and the Heavenly Lightning Body-Refining Art has also reached the second layer. Not bad!" you praised Shangguan Lan.

"Hmph, of course." Shangguan Lan said proudly. Then, for some unknown reason, her face burned and she no longer dared look at you.

She muttered under her breath, "Bad Master! You saw everything. You must have done it on purpose!"

After returning to the sect, Qingyunzi told you that the great battle was about to begin, and to make your preparations.

You, who had been worrying about lacking resources for cultivation, set your sights on the Cloud Mist Sect's mid-grade spirit mine!

A week later, you brought Shangguan Lan and headed straight for the Cloud Mist Sect's mid-grade spirit mine!

A day later, you arrived at the mid-grade spirit mine, your Nascent Soul stage divine sense enveloping the entire mine.

Very quickly, you understood the defensive forces within the mine. Two Golden Core seventh layer cultivators, twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators, and over a hundred Qi Refinement cultivators and miners.

With a raise of your hand, you slaughtered every cultivator of the Cloud Mist Sect! Only one Golden Core seventh layer cultivator was left, to give Shangguan Lan some practice.

Shangguan Lan, who had only recently broken through to the Golden Core stage, needed a battle to adapt to her Golden Core cultivation.

The moment the fight began, Shangguan Lan seemed to become a different person. The baleful qi within her body surged out, and at this moment she was like a Female Rakshasa returned from hell!

Spirit sword in hand, every move and stance aimed straight for the opponent's vital points!

You sat directly above the spirit mine, fully circulating the Boundless Longevity Art. A powerful suction force emanated from your body, and all the spiritual power within the mine rushed toward you.

A vast amount of spiritual qi converged into a river, flowing from the mine toward you.

Beside you, Shangguan Lan was still fighting the Golden Core seventh layer cultivator, growing braver the more she fought.

The Cloud Mist Sect's Golden Core cultivator, affected by the massive fluctuations from your cultivation, was caught off guard and heavily wounded by Shangguan Lan!

Bolstered by the mid-grade spirit mine, your cultivation climbed steadily, slowly advancing toward Golden Core eighth layer.

After finishing off her opponent, Shangguan Lan stayed by your side to guard you.

With Shangguan Lan's current cultivation, as long as she did not encounter a Nascent Soul stage cultivator, she could fight anyone!

A day later, the Body-Refining Sect's Elder led his disciples over, wanting to seize the mine.

Shangguan Lan struck with one sword, and the Body-Refining Sect Elder was forced to give up.

Afterward, the other two great sects also sent Golden Core Elders one after another, but in the end all were repelled by Shangguan Lan.

A week later, your cultivation finally broke through, reaching Golden Core eighth layer!

Below, the mid-grade spirit mine, under your absorption, collapsed with a boom!

The mid-grade spirit mine had directly become a useless mine!

"You've worked hard." You rubbed Shangguan Lan's head and said, "Let's go."

"Mm hm!" Shangguan Lan nodded.

You took out the map Qingyunzi had given you and headed for the next mid-grade spirit mine.

A day later, you looked at the mid-grade spirit mine that the Body-Refining Sect had beaten you to, secretly feeling it was a pity.

Now that the Four Great Sects had joined forces, you did not want to cause the Soul-Refining Sect to be targeted because of you.

After all, Qingyunzi had treated you quite well, and you did not want to bring trouble upon him.

Just as you turned to leave, Shangguan Lan spoke up. "Master, it was them. When you were cultivating, they came to snatch our spirit mine."

"Oh?" You paused mid-step, and suddenly no longer felt like leaving.

With one step, you brought Shangguan Lan to the air above the spirit mine, your Golden Core eighth layer cultivation erupting in full.

Below, the Body-Refining Sect cultivators were crushed by your immense pressure, unable to breathe.

"Three breaths. Those who do not flee, die!"

The Body-Refining Sect Elder had just wanted to step forward and argue, but after seeing Shangguan Lan beside you, he instantly shut his mouth.

Knowing he was in the wrong, the Body-Refining Sect Elder led his disciples away.

You took out a formation plate and directly set up a formation over the entire spirit mine, to secure your cultivation.

A week later, the mid-grade spirit vein beneath you collapsed, the spiritual qi within completely absorbed by the two of you.

Your cultivation thereby rose to Golden Core ninth layer!

One step further, and that would be the Nascent Soul stage!

"Fellow Daoist Wuji, come quickly to the Cloud Mist Sect. We attack in three days!" The Elder token in your storage bag buzzed, Qingyunzi's message arriving.

You rubbed Shangguan Lan's head and said, "Let's return to the sect. You don't need to follow me anymore."

"No. This disciple is also at the Golden Core stage now. I won't hold Master back." Shangguan Lan shook her head, unwilling to leave.

Helpless, you had no choice but to bring Shangguan Lan along to the Cloud Mist Sect.

Three days later, at the outskirts of the Cloud Mist Sect, the powerhouses of the Four Great Sects gathered.

"Do you truly intend to hunt us all down like this?!!!" Within the Cloud Mist Sect, the new Sect Master roared in fury.

"Fellow Daoist, at this point, saying anything is futile."

"You might as well surrender early. At least your lives will be spared!" Qingyunzi said loudly.

"Heh, surrender? I'm afraid we'd die even faster then!" The Cloud Mist Sect's new Sect Master said disdainfully. In the world of cultivation, there was only ever hunting down and killing to the last. There was no such thing as surrendering and being spared.

"Stubborn and unrepentant. Then we can only ask you to go to your deaths!"

"Disciples of the Four Sects, hear the order, attack!!!"

The Cloud Mist Sect's grand protective formation activated, resisting the assault of the Four Great Sects.

You observed the Cloud Mist Sect's grand protective formation, and discovered it was actually a fourth-rank grand formation!

This discovery surprised you somewhat. You had thought there was at most a third-rank Formation Master here.

A fourth-rank defensive formation could completely resist the attacks of Nascent Soul stage cultivators. Without a Spirit Transformation stage powerhouse from the Four Great Sects acting, it would be difficult to break in a short time.

"Fellow Daoist Wuji, do you have any way to break the formation quickly?" Qingyunzi transmitted to you. Delaying too long on the grand protective formation would affect morale.

"If Fellow Daoist can quickly break this formation, the Four Great Sects will surely have generous gifts in return!" As if afraid you would not act, Qingyunzi dangled a lure.

"Ahem, I do. Have them stop." You, who originally did not want to act, instantly became interested.

"You can't even break a grand formation, and you talk of annihilating a sect? The Four Great Sects really are laughable!" Seeing the Four Great Sects suddenly stop, though he did not know the reason, it did not stop the Cloud Mist Sect Master from mocking them.

With such a disparity in strength, the Cloud Mist Sect seemed able only to talk big...

With one step, you arrived above the formation, and aimed a punch at several weak points in the fourth-rank grand protective formation!

And there it was. The fourth-rank grand protective formation that had seemed indestructible was in an instant shattered, crumbling apart.

The Cloud Mist Sect was exposed before the Four Great Sects.

"How could that be!" The Cloud Mist Sect's Elders all went mad. A fourth-rank formation, broken by you with a casual move?

Behind you, in the Body-Refining Sect's camp, the Sect Master Ouyang Xiu looked at your back, his eyes filled with uncertainty and shock.