CHAPTER 537: 277, BURN 500 YEARS OF LIFESPAN AND HELP YOU WITH THE STRENGTH OF ONE ARM_2

Thunder Spirit Liquid...

This time, it has consumed almost sixty percent of my Thunder Spirit Liquid.

Xu Xing continuously refined the Thunder Spirit Liquid stored in the Inner Dragon Pond using the Mother-Child Twinning. Seeing it gradually deplete, a pained look couldn’t help but cross his face.

Thunder Spirit Liquid is a reward bestowed by heaven and earth upon cultivators after they overcome a Tribulation Crossing.

Last time, after his Nascent Soul Tribulation, he had faced the legendary Little Three Calamities, and thus obtained far more Thunder Spirit Liquid than ordinary cultivators.

Moreover, he possessed the Taoist Fruits, allowing him to achieve Eternal Proof with a single verification. Thus, he didn’t need to rely heavily on Thunder Spirit Liquid to recover from the injuries inflicted by the Heavenly Thunder. That was how he had accumulated so much of it.

If used well, Thunder Spirit Liquid could grant an extra life.

This must be a quick battle...

Thirteen Dao Lords against me and seven Dao Lords... If this becomes a prolonged war, the Butian Sect will definitely lose...

Xu Xing gritted his teeth and, in one go, burned another ten percent of his Thunder Spirit Liquid. He then continued to channel power into the Tide Feather Sword, hoping to break the array technique in a single, decisive strike.

...

...

We are bullying the Younger Generation, oppressing the weaker with our superior numbers, so we are already in the wrong, tarnishing our reputation...

Now that Xu Xing is forcing us to set up this backup array to delay and fight for victory, we have utterly lost all face.

Within the Vermilion Bird Avatar, Daoist Gouli and several other Dao Lords took advantage of a lull—while the Butian Sect cultivators were adjusting their breathing—to begin a Divine Sense Communication.

After the Flying Feather Immortal Palace revolution, their Sect’s standing was already precarious. Now, they were besieging Xu Xing, who aimed to support the state, a task they undertook with even greater reluctance.

If everything had gone smoothly, there wouldn’t have been so many complaints.

But unexpectedly, they failed in the initial battle, and the Tide Feather Sword, the Sect’s prized artifact, was snatched away by Xu Xing during the fight.

They had lost the advantage.

And they had lost their legitimacy.

Perhaps... we should follow the Butian Sect? Xu Xing has just established his sect, and the Dao Lords under him are a motley crew. He is in dire need of assistance from Dao Lords like us, who hail from the Master and Disciple Lineage...

Daoist Gouli hesitated for a moment, then tentatively posed the question to several of his close friends.

Abandoning the dark and joining the light!

There are no benefits in following a power on the verge of collapse.

Although the decline of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace is a matter of millennia, a very long time and not something to happen in an instant, the Butian Sect’s rise is happening right before our eyes...

Instead of enduring the slights from the Aristocratic Families, why not join Xu Xing? We could use our background to gain his attention and be entrusted with important tasks.

"Gouli?"

"Are you insane? Join the Butian Sect? And submit to Xu Xing, that Younger Generation?"

Hearing this, the few Dao Lords were instantly aghast, questioning him sharply.

Although Daoist Gouli’s words were reasonable, betraying the Sect was a serious matter. Even if tempted, they dared not easily reveal their intentions.

Joining the Butian Sect could very well cost them their lives if they weren’t careful.

Although their reputation within the Flying Feather Immortal Palace was poor and their actions were constantly thwarted by the Family Line, with their level of Cultivation, they were not treated too harshly.

After the internal chaos, their political status had diminished.

However, regarding Cultivation Resources, the Flying Feather Immortal Palace had never shortchanged or withheld anything from them.

On the contrary, because they held strategic value, their treatment was actually much better than that of Dao Lords from Aristocratic Families who were previously their peers.

Let’s wait and see...

Everyone knows why Elder Zhongtai brought the Tide Feather Sword out of the Sect this time.

As long as Xu Xing can pass Martial Uncle Shi’s test, we will have a choice.

At this moment, Jueming Daoist, who was acquainted with Daoist Gouli, pondered for a moment before saying this.

"Excellent!"

"Excellent!"

"..."

With Daoist Gouli and Jueming Daoist taking the lead and bearing the pressure, the remaining Dao Lords quickly conferred via Divine Sense, nodding in agreement.

...

...

Above the Heavenly Vault, with the aid of the Butian Sect’s six Dao Lords, Xu Xing once again clashed with the Vermilion Bird Avatar, which was formed by thirteen Dao Lords from the Flying Feather Immortal Palace.

The atmospheric phenomena within a thousand-li radius kept changing due to their mutual attacks, as if a doomsday calamity had arrived.

However, even though Xu Xing had seized the Tide Feather Sword using the Xuan Yellow One Qi Controlling Crane Hand and had the Immortal Sword’s aid, the Dao Lords from the Higher Teachings were no pushovers.

With the coordination of their fellow Sect members in the battle formation, although Xu Xing gained the upper hand in every exchange, after half a day of fierce fighting, the Vermilion Bird Avatar only appeared slightly weakened, showing no substantial damage.

"The thirteen Dao Lords are drawing upon the ambient energies of heaven and earth through the Large Array, their Magic Power is ceaseless!" Cui Tong said anxiously, glancing at Xu Xing, whose expression remained calm, all while raising a sleeve to unleash a Divine Power against the Vermilion Bird Avatar. "Daoist Xu, what should we do now? If we delay any longer, our offensive will stop, and our Magic Power will be exhausted. That will be the opportune moment for Zhongtai Dao Monarch and the others to strike..."

Attempting to actively break the array was highly unfavorable for the Butian Sect. Firstly, they were outnumbered in terms of Dao Lords. Secondly, while the array technique restricted them, it served as a source of Magic Power replenishment for the Flying Feather Immortal Palace.

"Actually, there is a plan," Cui Tong said, taking a deep breath, his face resolute as he continued solemnly, not waiting for Xu Xing’s reply. "Before Daoist Xu went into seclusion, we had already decided that if breaking the array proved unfavorable, we would each burn five hundred years of our Lifespan to assist Daoist Xu. This way, we would at least preserve our friendship with Daoist Xu and the title of Daoist friends..."

Having witnessed Xu Xing use the Tide Feather Sword, a Half-Immortal Artifact, for several consecutive attacks, Cui Tong believed Xu Xing must also be nearing Magic Power exhaustion. If they didn’t act decisively now, the Butian Sect would lose its final opportunity to break the array.

Five hundred years of Lifespan.

For them, it wasn’t an insignificant amount, yet not overly substantial either.

After all, Nascent Soul Daoist Lords possessed a Lifespan of five thousand years.

However, having cultivated to their Realm, they were mostly around two or three thousand years old. Sacrificing a fifth or a sixth of their remaining Lifespan was an extremely heavy price.

This...

Xu Xing was startled upon hearing this.

He hadn’t anticipated that Cui Tong, Buxu Zi, and the others would be willing to go to such lengths for him.

Of course, he also understood that a large part of why they made this decision was because he had dragged them into this mess. They were forced into a desperate situation and compelled to wade through these troubled waters...

Rather than suffer defeat and lose everything, it was better to burn five hundred years of Lifespan now to aid him. Then, after defeating the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, they could expect greater rewards.

But—

Actions should be judged by their outcomes, not their intentions.

Cui Tong, Buxu Zi, Greedy Wolf Dao Monarch, and the others were all respected Dao Lords. If they chose to defect to the Flying Feather Immortal Palace at this moment, the Flying Feather Immortal Palace, despite the possibility of settling scores later, would certainly not, at this time, isolate itself from the Righteous Path by bearing the infamy of killing those who surrendered.

"There’s no need."

"I... have my own way."

Xu Xing looked earnestly at Cui Tong, Buxu Zi, Greedy Wolf Dao Monarch, and the others, then shook his head, choosing to refuse.

He understood that if they burned five hundred years of Lifespan, these individuals would have invested a significant sunk cost into the Butian Sect and himself, making future betrayal less likely...

Yet, Cultivation was also about cultivating one’s heart.

Interests could be negotiated, but debts of gratitude were hard to repay.

He didn’t want to owe Cui Tong and the others too much, lest he be constrained by it in the future.

"I have my own way to break the array!"

Xu Xing waved his hand at the various Dao Lords of the Butian Sect, signaling them to stand down.

Then, he let out a soft cry, his pupils gleaming with a purple light, and a colossal Dharma Phase began to manifest on his person.

It was his Golden Crow Avatar, facing the Vermilion Bird Avatar of the Flying Feather Immortal Palace from a distance in mutual opposition.

"A Golden Crow?"

"A three-legged Golden Crow?"

"Those golden flames earlier, I thought they bore some resemblance to the legendary Sun True Fire. I didn’t expect it to be real..."

"Everyone says that Master Xu possesses the "Human Emperor Body," but looking at it now, Master Xu’s true constitution must be the legendary Golden Crow Immortal Body. No wonder his Cultivation has progressed so rapidly."

Upon seeing this Golden Crow Avatar, the various sect cultivators made numerous speculations about Xu Xing’s constitution, unanimously concluding that he possessed the Golden Crow Immortal Body.

Divine Powers and Spells manifesting Golden Crow phenomena were not uncommon in the Cultivation World. However, a Golden Crow Avatar like the one Xu Xing held as a trump card was exceptionally rare.

Dharma Phases are exclusive to the Nascent Soul Stage.

To manifest a Dharma Phase prematurely at the Nascent Soul stage, one either had to rely on array techniques—like the Vermilion Bird Avatar condensed by Zhongtai Dao Monarch and his peers—or possess an extraordinary physical constitution.

But Xu Xing can’t necessarily break the array with just this Golden Crow Avatar... Cui Tong and the others thought, their brows tightly furrowed.

There was also a hierarchy among Dharma Phases.

Although the Golden Crow Avatar Xu Xing condensed didn’t seem significantly different in size from the Vermilion Bird Avatar...

But it’s clear the Golden Crow Avatar’s power can’t compare to the Vermilion Bird Avatar; after all, the latter is condensed from the might of the Large Array and thirteen Dao Lords.