I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals

Chapter 450: Intimidating the Central Region, Dominating the Seven Nations

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”Are you two satisfied with this outcome?”

The Heavenly Pivot Tower, located deep within the territory of the Bishan Sect, had been struck by a terrifying explosion. The blastʼs devastating force extended to the surrounding areas.

Not only did the stationed Core Formation cultivators and the array masters perish on the spot, but wails and screams echoed across dozens of li, with countless casualties and injuries.

Staring at the blazing flames and the chaos engulfing the sect’s entrance, Jade Water Fairy clenched her silver teeth, a trace of regret stirring in her heart.

Just moments ago, driven by personal vengeance, she had launched an attack, which led to such a disastrous outcome.

The sect’s soul lamp hadn’t gone out, her junior nephew Su Can was likely still alive. She could have simply intercepted and questioned the intruder.

Jade Water Fairy had relied on being within sect grounds, protected by the mid-grade fourth-rank grand formation. Besides seeking revenge, she also intended to stand up for Senior Brother Cyanwood by capturing the intruder who had infiltrated the sect.

Who could have expected that Lan Changʼan had already made preparations, he detonated the formationʼs core, crippling the entire array.

Leaving behind only a cold remark, Lan Changʼan fled toward the outskirts of Bishan Sect.
At that moment, chaos reigned inside the sect. Many cultivators, assuming that the three Grand Elders were having an internal conflict, chose to stay out of it and did not unite against the threat.

“Your Excellency thinks you can just walk away after bringing disaster to the Bishan Sect?!”

Senior Brother Chen roared, his eyes blazing with fury.

He knew his junior sister had acted impulsively and shouldn’t have made a move, defying the instructions of the Seven Star Temple Master.

Junior Sister Tian had always been someone who loved and hated fiercely, he hadn’t managed to stop her just now.

But now that things had escalated and the Bishan Sect had suffered heavy losses, there was no room to turn back.

If they allowed the intruder to escape, where would their prestige lie?

Even if the man was as strong as a leader of the demonic sect, they had to fight him today.

“Junior Sister Tian, this man is unfathomably powerful, don’t engage him in a death match. We just need to hold him off until reinforcements from the Ten Xuan Sects arrive.”

Though Senior Brother Chen appeared furious, his voice transmission to his junior sister was exceptionally calm and composed.

Boom crack sizzle!

Lan Changʼan had just escaped less than ten li when violent thunder and blazing lightning serpents fell from the sky, forming a massive net. The threat it posed was only slightly weaker than an attack from a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

At the same time, deep within the Bishan Sect’s gates, a mysterious pulling force, faint but persistent, began to act as though a giant magnet was drawing at him, restricting his escape speed.

The sect’s protective formation spanned a vast area. As long as Lan Changʼan remained within it, he would continue to face suppression and attacks.

And this was a weakened fourth-rank formation, its power significantly diminished due to the lack of support from formation masters and elite sect members.

It was precisely because of this that Lan Changʼan had found the previously hiding True Monarch Cyanwood of the Bishan Sect so troublesome to deal with, unable to come up with a good counter-strategy.

…

”You donʼt know whatʼs good for you! I gave you a chance, and you failed to treasure it...”

Lan Changʼanʼs expression darkened, and he no longer focused solely on fleeing.

Swish!

His figure, clad in green robes, flickered, blooming with vibrant emerald light, then instantly split into three.

Three identical figures in green robes appeared, flickering between illusion and reality as they dispersed in different directions.

From afar, Senior Brother Chen, who was controlling the formation flags, saw this and his expression shifted. Even after casting a spiritual eye technique, he couldn’t distinguish the real from the fake.

All three green-robed figures exuded the aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator with wood-elemental power. Their movement was lightning-fast and just as agile as a mid-stage Nascent Soul expert.

Unable to discern the truth, Senior Brother Chen had no choice but to expand the scope of the formation’s attack, trying to engulf all three.

As a result, the power and density of the attack were clearly weakened.

A thunderous barrage of lightning and fire swept down, only to completely miss its targets.

“Something’s wrong! My senses are distorted... this isn’t an ordinary illusion technique!”

Senior Brother Chen’s heart chilled as dread crept in.

The three wood-elemental clones moved with uncanny, shifting precision. Deep illusionary magic was at play, distorting the perception of both Nascent Soul cultivators from the Bishan Sect.

Even their spiritual senses were deceived.

What they perceived as Lan Changʼan’s location was wildly inaccurate, he seemed to be in one place a moment ago, only to appear several li away the next.

With the spiritual sense of a cultivator nearing late-stage Nascent Soul, Lan Changʼan’s Illusory Wood Doppelgänger Art had reached an unprecedented height.

Jade Water Fairy, wielding her water pearl and green sword treasure, unleashed a vicious barrage but all her attacks fell through empty air.

“Junior Sister Tian is too caught up in her emotions…”

One of the green-robed figures suddenly turned from illusion to solid form and closed the distance with Jade Water Fairy in a flash.

At the same moment, a thick, charred, and strange wooden stake, crackling with terrifying blue lightning, appeared above her head.

“Junior Sister, watch out!”

Senior Brother Chen shouted a warning, certain that this was Lan Changʼan’s true body.

Just as he was about to move to assist her, the other two Illusory Wood Doppelgängers glowed with emerald light and charged him at high speed.

Boom! Boom!

The two clones, shockingly, each contained thirty percent of Lan Changʼan’s true power. They unleashed two cyan beams of spiritual force, momentarily disrupting the flag-wielding Senior Brother Chen.

He spat out a wave of green flame light, instantly incinerating the two clones.

At the same moment, the remaining green-robed man formed a hand seal. His cold, ghostly eyes flashed as dreadful soul force surged in the void.

Soul-Piercing Thorn!

A formless, gray-blue spiritual spike, invisible to the naked eye and exuding a chilling, bone-deep aura, shot straight into Jade Water Fairy’s Nascent Soul.

“Ahh…”

She groaned in agony, her face instantly pale, drenched in cold sweat.

Her graceful figure trembled, nearly plummeting from the air.

Inside her, the Nascent Soul had been pierced with a shocking wound by the Soul-Piercing Thorn.

The searing pain, attacking directly from within her soul, nearly caused her to black out from the trauma and confusion.

Soul-Piercing Thorn was a pure divine soul technique, with various versions known among high-ranking cultivators in the cultivation world.

Lan Changʼan’s version came from the Thousand Machines Divine Transformation Art, an extremely refined method.

Though he had only reached the minor mastery level, under the reinforcement of his powerful spiritual sense, its effectiveness rivaled soul arts used by demonic sect leaders.

While less destructive than the Barbed Arrow, it had the advantage of not requiring external magical treasure.

The technique was mentally draining, and its power largely depended on the cultivator’s spiritual sense.

As Jade Water Fairyʼs soul was injured and her mind briefly thrown into chaos, Lan Changʼan pointed a finger, and the Thunderwood Stake above him surged with a coiling blue bolt of thunder, like a world-ending lightning dragon, striking down on her.

“Stop—!”

From the distance, Senior Brother Chen shouted in fury, having just destroyed the two clones.

In his haste, he hurled a greenstone flying spear, which transformed into a streak of light, ripping through the air toward Lan Changʼan.

He hoped to use the threat of injury to stop Lan Changʼan’s killing strike.

But Lan Changʼan remained unmoved. He directed the Thunderwood Stake to unleash its full force, it struck Jade Water Fairy with precision.

Buzz!

The bracelet on her wrist automatically activated, radiating a crystal-blue light that flowed over her body, forming a fourth-rank magical defense.

However, the Thunderwood Stake, brimming with the destructive power of tribulation lightning, tore through the water-blue glow with brute force.

“Ahhh—!”

Her scream, torn from the depths of agony, echoed with heart-rending pain.

In the blink of an eye, the serene and delicate beauty of Jade Water Fairy’s face was charred black.

The blackened hue spread from her head to her neck, quickly consuming her upper body, smoke rising into the air.

“Senior Brother, save me—!”

Half of her body scorched, Jade Water Fairy burst forth with a glow of azure waterlight and plummeted toward the sect gate below.

“Junior Sister Tian!”

Senior Brother Chen’s face twisted in grief, his eyes cold and resolute. The greenstone flying spear he controlled struck Lan Changʼan.

But Lan Changʼan had long since prepared a protective barrier. A cyan spiritual light enveloped him, blocking the hastily thrown spear.

Almost simultaneously, the thunderfire force of the fourth-rank grand formation, intensified by Senior Brother Chen’s fury, poured down in full.

Lan Changʼan’s protective barrier shattered instantly.

Buzz!

Beneath his robes, the Dragon Scale Armor activated, releasing a solid layer of dragon-scale light that covered his body.

Unlike True Monarch Cyanwood’s hasty use of it back in the day, this time, the Dragon Scale Armor displayed its full defensive capabilities, withstanding the bombardment of the fourth-rank formation.

Lan Changʼan’s quasi-fourth-rank physique merely felt a tingling numbness, as if being scraped lightly.

Senior Brother Chen’s eyes widened, a sense of helplessness washing over him.

The green-robed man before him, his aura, techniques, and treasures, were exactly like Junior Brother Cyanwood’s.

He couldn’t help but wonder… could this man actually be Cyanwood himself?

Bang!

Jade Water Fairy’s half-charred body crashed into the mountain below, only her slender white legs protruding from the dirt, unmoving.

With both her Nascent Soul and physical body severely wounded, she slipped into unconsciousness, losing all ability to fight.

Lan Changʼan summoned a weathered ancient mirror, aiming it at her, ready to deliver the final blow.

“Fellow Daoist, please have mercy!”

Senior Brother Chenʼs voice rang out urgently. He drew upon the formationʼs power to form a net of lightning and fire, shielding the gravely wounded Jade Water Fairy.

Lan Changʼan activated the ancient mirror, releasing a dazzling Northern Polar Light, which struck the protective light curtain of the grand formation.

Already weakened, and with Senior Brother Chen diverting even more energy to defend his junior sister, the formation’s weakness was laid bare.

Crack!

The Northern Polar Light, imbued with barrier-breaking power, struck a dim and vulnerable part of the formation.

Within just two breaths, a tear opened in the curtain.

“This bastard…”

Senior Brother Chen, torn between protecting his sister and countering the escape, could only watch helplessly as the green-robed figure broke through and vanished into the distance.

He couldn’t even pursue.

As Lan Changʼan departed, his hand held the scorched, water-blue bracelet taken from Jade Water Fairy.

…

“From this day forth, I, Cyanwood, owe Bishan Sect nothing and our ties are severed!”

Soaring into the skies above Bishan Sect, Lan Changʼan’s furious roar echoed across the mountain range.

Senior Brother Chenʼs face darkened, his lips quivering.

Just awakened and discovering the disfigurement of her face, Jade Water Fairy was struck by those words. Rage surged through her, and she fainted once again.

Many of the sect cultivators looked on in shock, some showing signs of thoughtful hesitation.

“Hurry! Protect the Grand Elder!”

“The True Monarch is injured! All elders form up, we must drive out the sect traitor!”

Now that the three Grand Elders’ clash had ended with a clear victor, those hesitant high-ranking cultivators immediately took action.

Lan Changʼan stowed away the azure bracelet and fully activated his escape light, departing swiftly from the scene.

The Bishan Sect was located deep within the Central Region, not a place to linger.

The Ten Great Sects of the Xuan Gate shared emergency communication methods. If word spread and righteous Nascent Soul cultivators arrived to encircle him, escape would become exponentially more difficult.

Lan Changʼan had refrained from killing Jade Water Fairy, not because he lacked the means, but because he didn’t intend to go too far.

To slay a righteous Nascent Soul cultivator would be a declaration of war against the Ten Xuan Sects.

In the land of Great Qing, it would be truly unwise to make enemies with both the righteous sects and the demonic path at the same time.

Truth be told, the two Nascent Soul cultivators of the Bishan Sect had neither personal grudges nor real stakes against him.

What he had just done, disguising himself as True Monarch Cyanwood and gravely injuring Jade Water Fairy’s Nascent Soul and physical body, was more a calculated show of force.

“Jade Water Fairy’s soul was gravely wounded, and her body devastated by the annihilating thunder force of the Thunderwood Stake, her cultivation base is bound to be shaken.”

Lan Changʼan knew that with her innate water-type Dao Body, such a wound would severely hinder her future advancement.

Unless a cultivator of the Evergreen Technique sacrificed their own lifespan to save her or that famed medical sage, the Medicine King arrived in time, recovery would be unlikely.

However, according to Lan Changʼan’s information, the Medicine King had vanished after the Central Region exchange gathering, whereabouts unknown.

As for Senior Brother Chen, he had long lost the chance of advancing beyond the early Nascent Soul stage.

Thus, for the next few centuries at least, Bishan Sect posed no real threat to Lan Changʼan.

If Cyanwood were to return to the Central Region someday and lend aid, Jade Water Fairy might even become the bait.

...

“Whoʼs there?”

Roughly two hundred li from the Bishan Sect, Lan Changʼan abruptly sensed a probing spiritual sense.

This spiritual sense was stronger than that of an average mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator and extraordinarily cautious.

Only because Lan Changʼan’s current spiritual sense rivaled that of a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator could he even perceive it.

“Fellow Daoist Cyanwood, what happened within your sect to cause such a commotion?”

From a distant forested hill, a brawny man clad in a golden-patterned python robe emerged.

It was none other than Dragon Subduing True Monarch, whom Lan Changʼan had briefly encountered at the Nascent Soul exchange gathering.

“Why is Fellow Daoist Xianglong near Bishan Sect?”

Lan Changʼan frowned and countered coldly.

Even if Xianglong had received a distress signal, there was no way he could have arrived so quickly.

Something wasn’t adding up.

“I was on my way to pay respects at the Seven Stars Temple and happened to pass nearby. Your sect’s disturbance caught my attention, so I came to take a look,” Xianglong coughed lightly, explaining in a calm and unhurried tone.

Within the Ten Great Sects, the Seven Stars Temple was relatively close to Bishan Sect and held special status. It wasnʼt unusual for cultivators to visit.

The explanation was plausible.

Lan Changʼan couldn’t be bothered to argue. He cast him a cold glance and said flatly:

“This is Bishan Sect’s internal affair. It does not concern you.”

With that, he resumed flight, rising ever higher into the Nine Fiery Heavens.

Feeling the cold gaze of ”True Monarch Cyanwood,” Xianglong suddenly felt a chill ripple through him.

Within his beast pouch, his spirit beasts began trembling instinctively, sensing danger.

“Strange…”

Though he did not obstruct the other, Xianglong felt something was off.

Very few knew that he had a private connection with Cyanwood.

That fourth-rank peng bird Cyanwood once raised had originally come from one of Dragon-Tiger Mountain’s spirit beast shops. After a bit of trading involving rare beast feed and spirit herbs, it was eventually nurtured to maturity.

But today, Cyanwood’s unfamiliar coldness felt unsettling.

“Something’s not right. Could there be a major internal upheaval within the Bishan Sect that forced Cyanwood to break away?”

“Could this… be related to that old man in the straw raincoat with the surname Jing…”

Xianglongʼs eyes flickered with calculation.

Meanwhile, as Lan Changʼan passed him mid-air, a glint of cold light flashed in his eyes after a bit of deduction.

So it was him.

Back during the Nascent Soul exchange gathering, the one secretly reaching out to him, the one pulling the strings behind the scenes, was none other than Dragon Subduing True Monarch.

Had Lan Changʼan accepted their “cooperation” and gone to the small grove outside Five Spirit City as agreed, he would have walked into a deadly ambush.

Xianglong would not have appeared at first. Instead, he would’ve conspired with two demonic Nascent Soul cultivators to ambush Jade Water Fairy on the road.

Regardless of success, Xianglong would emerge last to eliminate the wealthy Jing-surnamed elder in the straw cloak.

Jade Water Fairy, after being taken out, would conveniently become the scapegoat pinned on that same elder who had openly leered at her and teased her during the exchange gathering, making him the perfect suspect.

“These so-called righteous cultivators of the orthodox sects... few of them are worth a damn. Their hearts are truly filthy.”

Lan Changʼan couldn’t help shaking his head, his view of the Ten Xuan Sects dipping even further.

He sighed inwardly:

In this murky and chaotic cultivation world, his lawful and kind-hearted self was truly a rare beacon of purity.

...

Within half a day, the ravaged Bishan Sect welcomed over a dozen righteous Nascent Soul cultivators, including several rarely seen mid-stage Nascent Souls from other regions.

The most revered among them was an elderly Daoist in a dark robe clutching a horsetail whisk, Master Mi, his aged eyes nearly blind and clouded.

This was the price he had paid for years of stargazing cultivation and peering into the secrets of heaven, sacrificing vision to lessen the backlash of fate and preserve his lifespan.

“Fellow Daoist Chen, you suspect this incident involves Lan Changqing. Do you have any definitive proof?”

Master Mi’s voice was hoarse and weathered, neither affirming nor denying.

“This…”

Senior Brother Chen opened his mouth, but he couldn’t produce any compelling evidence.

The ”green-robed man’s” cultivation techniques, divine abilities, and magic treasures were all those of True Monarch Cyanwood.

Even the soul arts and wood-based movement techniques matched, but the manʼs power far surpassed Cyanwood.

“If you have no solid proof and are merely speculating, it’s best not to spread such claims. Evergreen True Monarch earned great merit on the Demonic battlefield and is famed across the Great Qing. Should these doubts be utilized by the Demonic Sect, the consequences would be grave…”

Master Mi’s tone was mild, but carried a veiled warning.

Senior Brother Chen’s face turned ashen; he remained silent and bitter.

Back then, he and his junior sister had ignored Master Mi’s advice and tried to stop that man, only to suffer the consequences.

Lan Changqing was no ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator, he was a newly risen giant of Great Qing, and a figure of towering influence even among the Ten Great Sects.

Without irrefutable proof, who would dare oppose him?

Moreover, no Nascent Soul cultivator of the Bishan Sect had perished, hardly a calamity worth shaking the heavens.

“Master Mi speaks true. The one who infiltrated Bishan Sect and impersonated True Monarch Cyanwood so seamlessly… only the Unseen Gate Master could possess such ability.”

“Most likely, it was the Unseen Gate’s master!”

“Back then, more than one of our sect’s Nascent Souls were assassinated by him, each disguised as someone they trusted.”

“I propose we place pressure on the Unseen Gate of the Demonic Path and demand an explanation!”

As the Nascent Soul elders conferred, none voiced suspicion of Lan Changqing.

Instead, the Unseen Gate Master became the target of collective condemnation.

True Monarch Lingyu and Dragon Subduing True Monarch exchanged glances, each harboring private thoughts but choosing silence.

Both recalled the coarsely dressed elder who had appeared at the exchange gathering.

Could the Unseen Gate’s master have evolved his disguise technique even further, perhaps completing the legendary faceless mask?

As for Lan Changqing, the two knew little.

But it was clear that Master Mi was intentionally shielding him.

By dusk, the three regional titans, Master of Seven Stars Temple, True Monarch Lingyu, and Dragon Subduing True Monarch departed the Bishan Sect together.

“Master Mi, is Lan Changqing’s power truly as formidable as the rumors claim? Some say even the Grand Elder of Beast King Valley once suffered under his hand.” True Monarch Lingyu asked casually.

Lan Changqing’s reputation stemmed largely from the eastern battlefield against the Demonic Path.

But among the upper echelons of the Ten Great Sects, few had seen him in action, and no mid-stage Nascent Soul had fought him directly.

The Master of Seven Stars Temple replied, “Lan Changqing’s true strength likely far exceeds the rumors.”

“What?”

Lingyu and Jianglong’s faces changed subtly.

They had not expected such high praise from the Seven Stars Temple Master.

”Far exceeds the rumors”?

That would place Lan Changqing on par with the top cultivators of both righteous and demonic paths, standing above all in Great Qing’s cultivation world.

…

The upheaval at Bishan Sect stirred no great waves in central Great Qing.

Some claimed it was tied to the Unseen Gate Master.

Others whispered of inner strife, saying two Bishan elders had tried to probe Cyanwood’s secrets while he was weakened, sparking a chaotic farce.

As for the “True Monarch Cyanwood” who stormed out of the sect, his whereabouts became the subject of great speculation.

It wasn’t long before new tales of him surfaced, not from the central region, but from beyond.

...

Two months later.

At the edge of the Demonic Path battlefield of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, deep in Great Qingʼs Eastern Region.

A streak of green light tore through the skies above the Nine Fiery Heavens.

“Oh? So the Seven Kingdoms Alliance’s war against the demonic sects has resumed...”

A green-robed man, sleeves fluttering, wore an expression of calm ease.

This time, as he returned to the Eastern Region and once more passed through the battlefield of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, there was no need for stealth.

His sealed cultivation had been restored. The Evergreen Dao Fruit would no longer react to nearby presences.

Without concealing his aura, the nascent soul light of Lan Changʼan naturally drew the attention of demonic cultivators.

“Who trespasses in our sacred territory?!”

A layered, illusory voice echoed from all directions.

Lan Changʼan felt as if he had been surrounded by multiple Nascent Soul cultivators.

“So, it’s a friend from the Illusion Demon Palace? Whatʼs wrong with this True Monarch passing through this land?”

He spoke nonchalantly.

The territory below had once belonged to the Seven Kingdoms Alliance, but now lay in the hands of the Illusion Demon Palace and Blood Spirit Sect.

“It’s you… True Monarch Cyanwood?!”

From dozens of li away, a peculiar man emerged from the clouds, with violet eyes, ancient robes, with a golden ring on each ear.

“Since you recognize me, why haven’t you stepped aside yet?” Lan Changʼan’s tone turned impatient.

“True Monarch Cyanwood! Do not push your arrogance too far!”

True Monarch Zihuan bristled with fury, feeling utterly humiliated.

They were both early Nascent Soul cultivators, yet the other’s haughty attitude treated him like a mere mutt blocking the road.

This was the sacred territory of the demonic path. Even if Cyanwood’s strength rivaled a mid-stage Nascent Soul, Zihuan needed only to stall him briefly, reinforcements would surely come.

Zheng—Weng—

The golden rings on Zihuan’s ears began to hum and tremble, sending out eerie golden ripples interwoven with invasive, alien demonic tones. The magic sound spread rapidly through the area.

The moment Lan Changʼan entered its range, his vision swam.

In the next instant, he found himself in a blazing world of violet flame, screeching metal sounds gnawed at the mind, golden lava churned around him, and massive stones of flame crystal rained down from above.

“Mere child’s play!”

Now at the peak of his powers, Lan Changʼan’s spiritual sense rivaled that of a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator. With one thunderous shout, the illusionary realm shattered apart.

Pu!

Zihuan suffered a heavy backlash, his face turned pale as blood spilled from his lips.

He stared in disbelief, utterly shaken.

He had cultivated the Grand Illusory Demon Manual for centuries, his spiritual sense bordering mid-stage Nascent Soul. Augmented by magical treasures, his illusion domain had been destroyed… by a single shout?

The Cyanwood of the past never possessed such terrifying might.

“It seems I’ll have to kill a few demonic bastards before I can cross this land in peace.”

Lan Changʼan snorted coldly. Without giving Zihuan a moment’s respite, he swept his sleeve and twelve Azure Profound Swords burst into the air.

Each blade stretched ten zhang long, glowing with verdant brilliance, weaving sharp Azure Profound sword aura like spring silkworms spinning an intricate web.

“Not good! The Azure Profound Sword Formation!”

Zihuan’s expression changed drastically. This was Cyanwood’s famed killing formation, known to have slain multiple Nascent Souls of the sacred sects.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Zihuan performed his Illusion Demon Movement Art, instantly splitting into over a dozen mirage figures. Dense fog and illusory light burst forth, masking his true form and confounding spiritual senses.

Yet the Azure Profound swords locked onto his presence with deadly precision, like maggots clinging to the bone.

The phantom images were torn apart in an instant.

Before he realized it, Zihuan had already been encircled by the twelve swords, the array was complete.

“True Monarch Cyanwood! Mercy, please I didn’t know any better!”

Despair etched across his face, Zihuan cried out for his life.

Within the array, countless streaks of Azure Profound sword aura danced, glimmering with the essence of ancient wood, an endless cycle of life and death. The assault only grew fiercer.

Pch! Crack!

Zihuan’s protective shield began to fracture, soon ground to fragments by the relentless assault.

Moments later, the protective barrier around his body collapsed under the barrage, his form riddled with bloody wounds, his physical body nearing total collapse.

With Lan Changʼan’s overwhelming spiritual sense reinforcing it, the Azure Profound Sword Formation had grown faster and more fluid than ever.

Even sixteen swords weren’t necessary, twelve alone could slaughter a veteran early-stage Nascent Soul.

Boom!

As expected, Zihuan self-detonated his physical form, allowing his Nascent Soul to flee.

But just as the spirit body escaped through a gap in the array, a beam of polar light struck down with pinpoint precision, wounding the Nascent Soul and trapping it in the ghost spider net.

The green-robed man flickered into view, retrieving a jade box and sealing the captive soul within the net.

With a wave of his sleeve, he collected the fallen cultivator’s treasures and storage rings.

“The Illusion Demon Palace has gone too far, daring to ambush this True Monarch!”

Still fuming, the green-robed man gathered his spoils and continued striding openly across the battlefield skies of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.