Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

”What are your thoughts?”

Jiang Dingfei looked down from the sky, his gaze falling on the two people below, and asked.

A heavy pressure settled on their bodies, causing their breathing to hitch, and their mana to pause momentarily.

”Uncle-Master’s swordsmanship is profound. I concede,”

Lei Linghe said with bitterness, bowing with clasped hands before taking his leave.

Although he still had the strength to fight, he could not summon any will to do so; he was but a soulless shell.

”You little brat!”

”Had it not been for you, my path would have been boundlessly bright,”

Zhou Kunlong’s eyes brimmed with blood-red resentment and intense unwillingness. ”Why did you have to appear and steal my great opportunity?”

”Kill!”

He roared, as mana surged from his Elixir Field, pushing it to the extreme, not hesitating to destroy the Top-Grade Flame Mountain Magic Tool in his hand.

The Little Mountain swelled to the size of seven or eight Zhang in an instant!

Flames, hot and wild, spread outwards with countless fierce fire serpents, lifted in his hand, muscles bulging with strength, all converging to a single point, and smashing towards the youth in blue clothes in the sky.

The mana flames of a Foundation-Building Peak practitioner merged with pure physical strength.

Even the sect leader, Lei Linghe, changed color at this.

”Your trump card... you’ve cultivated both physical strength and foundation-building to the Peak?”

Jiang Ding said indifferently.

Both Foundation-Building Peaks combined,

even if four or five Foundation-Building Peak Cultivators were to gang up on him, they wouldn’t necessarily be able to handle him. Without himself, Zhou Kunlong should have been the rightful owner of this Golden Core.

Clang!

An Azure Flying Sword, concealing most of its radiance, slowly emerged from between his eyebrows. The sound of the sword being unsheathed resonated, spreading in all directions.

Irresistibly imprinting itself into the Divine Souls of all who witnessed it.

”This sword...”

Princess Chiyuan and General Moyu felt a chill throughout their bodies.

They vaguely remembered that compared to the Demon Race, which relied on their innate bloodline talents, the Human Race was most adept at utilizing external objects.

Swish!

The Azure Sword-light pierced right through the Supreme Magic Tool of Little Flame Mountain.

The Little Flame Mountain, standing seven or eight Zhang tall with its fierce, roaring fire serpents and deep red color, strong enough to melt gold and iron, now froze momentarily in the sky.

A faint Azure trace appeared in the middle of Little Flame Mountain, quickly widening, then splitting into two halves, which exploded with a bang. Two fist-sized pieces of the mountain-shaped Magic Tool fell, the smooth cross section showing web-like fissures that had penetrated to the deepest part of the Magic Tool.

”Puh!”

With his long-cherished Supreme Magic Tool destroyed, Zhou Kunlong spurted blood, his mana and Divine Soul in continuous shock.

”I am not reconciled!”

His eyes wide with fury, he tried to do something, but an Azure Flying Sword, translucent as jade and a foot long, rested against his forehead, paralyzing all movement.

”Not reconciled to what?”

Jiang Ding floated down in front of him, carefully looking at his head and those bloodshot, resentful eyes, and asked softly.

Indeed a fine head.

It’s just a pity, it cannot.

Both Qiyu Golden Core masters were quite discerning in their dealings, giving what should be given and offering the needed support. It would not be right to break the rules in front of everyone, allowing those from other races to look down upon them.

”Not reconciled...”

Zhou Kunlong’s raging words halted as his life force burst out and his Divine Soul turned ice-cold and grim, unable to utter another word.

”Take care of yourself.”

Jiang Ding patted his shoulder.

A thread of the imitated Taiyin Sword Intent, disguised as the Sword Intent of Destruction, landed on his shoulder, extremely discreet, causing no notice from anyone, the Golden Core masters included.

```

It’s not a big deal, it’s just positioning.

In terms of concealment, Taiyin Sword Intent indeed has expertise, but it is inferior to the Sword Intent of Destruction.

Having retrieved the Taiqing Flying Sword from the opponent’s forehead, Jiang Ding withdrew the mana within his body, not even bothering to deploy a shield, and casually walked past the other party.

’Opportunity!’

’Law cultivators are as fragile as paper at such close range. All it takes is killing him, and I would become the most promising Golden Core hopeful in the sect. The ancestor surely won’t blame me!’

A thought wildly surged within Zhou Kunlong’s sea of consciousness, forming a clear chain by automatically ignoring all the disadvantages on that chain, choosing the possibilities most favorable to him, and becoming a straw on the Immortal Path.

A look of cruelty and determination surfaced in his eyes as he watched the defenseless figure walking ahead of him.

Every muscle silently tensed within his body, and the power of a brute dragon gathered, his knees imperceptibly bending, his claws flashing with a molten glow.

”Interesting.”

King Kong Que and King Chiyan watched the scene with great interest.

”Foolish boy!”

Zhou Sanyan sighed, and Divine Consciousness scanned over, falling into the ears of Zhou Kunlong, causing his body to stiffen and his movement to halt: ”The hatred in your heart is too strong, he has the intent to kill you. From now on, try to go out as little as possible.”

”In fact, why harbor such hatred?”

”The law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest, the strongest is revered— this has always been the fate of us cultivators. Haven’t you also eliminated sect rivals in struggles for power before? Why can’t you see through it now that it’s your turn?”

”Ancestor Master!”

Zhou Kunlong’s eyes reddened with regained sanity, and he actually began sobbing loudly on the spot, with his snot running and tears dropping, oblivious to the gazes of others, disregarding his face of more than two hundred years.

No one laughed at him either.

The many Foundation-building cultivators felt an empathetic pang and their eyes stung, sharing similar emotions.

In this life,

the hope for Golden Core was no more.

The last glimmer of hope for the Immortal Path was extinguished here; who wouldn’t wish to cry their heart out, unconcerned with how others might look?

”Kunlong, your path has not yet come to an end.”

Such a display actually stirred a trace of softness in Zhou Sanyan, vaguely recalling the sight of a fat little boy being born more than two hundred years ago.

At that time, his parents were Foundation-building cultivators within the sect, comparatively young, with whom he had some acquaintance for a time.

”Half-success is also success. You’re not young anymore. Find an opportunity and prepare for your Foundation Establishment.”

Zhou Sanyan sighed, ”I will give you another type of auxiliary spirit material for Foundation Establishment, which can add a slight possibility of success. Combined with what you already have, that will be a six out of ten chance. In these two hundred years, you must have collected one or two types of spirit materials for Foundation Establishment. That would make it seven or eight out of ten chances.”

”Let it be so. Struggle with all your might, for we cultivators spend our lives contending with the heavens.”

”I once did so, and now it’s your turn.”

”Thank you, Uncle Yan!”

Zhou Kunlong wiped away his tears and knelt on the ground, expressing his gratitude.

Spirit materials for Foundation Establishment are scarce even for Golden Pill Monks and are meant to be saved for future generations, collected over countless years and immensely precious.

...

”Nine Apertures Golden Fruit.”

After speaking to the two Golden Core cultivators, Jiang Dingfei flew back to Jinlingshan Mountain and sat cross-legged, taking out a fist-sized, golden glistening fruit and carefully examined it, scanning it alternately with Divine Sense and Sword Intent.

The whole body golden yellow, with nine apertures, Diamond Indestructible.

”Not bad, it’s the same as the Nine Apertures Golden Core Fruit recorded in the Xianmen Library.”

”I owe the Qiyu Ancestor a big favor.”

”It’s not about selling my life; I naturally have a much higher probability of Foundation Establishment than others. My life is not worth this; if I have the capability in the future, I must at least ensure the lineage of Qiyu Sect remains unbroken for three thousand years.”

After a long while, Jiang Ding confirmed it, joy apparent on his brows.

”Taking it raw would be a tremendous waste, almost no different from primitive people consuming raw meat and blood. It’s best to refine it into a pill.”

”Not to mention better effects, one can also get several more.”

Jiang Ding talked to himself as his figure disappeared from sight.