CHAPTER 200: FIEND BREAKS THE SEAL

The three young juniors were no longer the only ones squatting on the wall near the front gate of the fake Ziyan Temple. Since it gave a clear view of the situation down the mountain, several Daoist masters had also withdrawn from the edge of the great array and joined them.

The grand protection array was still somewhat incomplete. Once activated, it would only deactivate once the primal qi in the Qi-Nurturing Stones was fully depleted, which would take at least half a day.

Right now, the corrupt cultivators who had been surrounding the array had already scattered like birds and beasts. Unable to leave, the Daoist masters couldn't pursue them.

The authorities had truly opened the eyes of the Daoist masters, allowing them to witness the power and intensity of modern weaponry and military up close. Carpet bombing by bombers, followed by three whole minutes of precision strikes from long-range rocket artillery, had killed or wounded over a third of the corrupt cultivators.

Those who had survived the bombardment had either lost their artifacts or exhausted too much of their primal qi. Moreover, before they could flee down the mountain, over a hundred orthodox cultivators suddenly burst in from the side like tigers breaking free from a cage. They further scattered the demoralized corrupt cultivators, who were following the Yin-Yang All Creation Sect's order to retreat and preserve their strength.

Right after, black dots appeared once more in the southeastern direction. Rather than bombs, elite Special Warfare Unit members paradropped and surrounded the entire mountain using their rapid mobility.

Though long-range bombardment had ceased, the corrupt cultivators were now surrounded. Nevertheless, the corrupt cultivators from the Yin-Yang All Creation Sect still believed the situation was not that severe. They had their ultimate external support—the ancient devil.

Most of the casualties from the heavy bombardment were insignificant cannon fodder who had simply been holding back the authorities' forces while the yang sect master unsealed the ancient devil. Once the ancient devil emerged, the authorities would naturally concentrate on killing it.

Everyone could imagine that when the ancient devil broke free of the seal, it would be at its weakest. The authorities would surely spare no cost to eliminate it.

Whatever happened afterward had nothing to do with them. They only had to escape during the chaos.

Huai Jing sighed faintly. "I wonder if Daoist Master Fei Yu can stop them."

A middle-aged Daoist master looked anxiously to the southeast. In a low tone, he answered, "It doesn't matter if we don't kill these corrupt cultivators. What's important now is stopping them from unsealing the ancient devil!"

"Maybe the authorities are planning to let the ancient devil out so they can destroy it," another Daoist master muttered. "After all, the ancient devil is deep inside the mountain, and modern precision instruments stop working when they get close to the seal. Maybe forcing it out is the easiest way to kill it."

"Impossible. The authorities wouldn't joke around with something like this. Otherwise, they would've started bombing that side earlier."

"Huh?" Squatting on the wall, Shi Qianzhang rubbed a spot on his hip as he asked in confusion, "Why is it getting windy?"

Windy?

The nearby Daoist masters then felt wind blowing from northwest to southeast, which didn't make sense. After all, they were inside the grand protection array.

Another Daoist master shouted, "Everyone, look past the array!"

Now on the alert, the Daoist masters began observing the changes in the strong, transparent array wall outside. Although nothing was visible to the naked eye, with spiritual consciousness, they detected some unknown force drawing away the primal qi forming the array.

Streams of primal qi emerged from the mountaintop where the fake Ziyan Temple stood. They shot outward from various parts of the array and converged in midair, forming a flowing current that surged southeast.

Shi Qianzhang looked up and noticed that even the black smoke above their heads was starting to drift in the same direction. Though it moved slowly, it was certainly shifting.

The Daoist masters in the area had low cultivation realms, and their spiritual consciousness could not extend very far. A high-level cultivator with divine sense would have noticed that the primal qi of heaven and earth—along with the essence of the sun, moon, and stars within a three-hundred-li radius—was converging at the original Devil-Sealing Well.

Immediately catching on, a Daoist master whispered, "Has the ancient devil already broken the seal?"

"The array has been breached!" another Daoist master interjected.

"Hunt down all the corrupt bastards in the area first!" roared an elder from the Shu Sword Sect. "We're too far to help with the situation over there anyway, and the Hua Republic isn't lacking in atomic bombs! There's no reason to fear a devil!"

The Daoist masters were roused. Without further hesitation, they charged forward.

"The bombers aren't coming back, right?" Shi Qianzhang asked weakly.

Beside him, Liu Yunzhi had already pulled out a yellow talisman. Calmly, he replied, "If you're scared, you can just stay here."

"Let's go!" Huai Jing grabbed his devil-subduing staff and ran forward with the Daoist masters. He made sure to turn his head and shout, "We are off to kill corrupt cultivators. You get a bunch of gold coins for each one! You two have weak foundations, so stay sneaky and don't be reckless!"

Shi Qianzhang rolled his eyes but still trailed after them reluctantly. He had originally planned to stay behind and "protect"[1] the ordinary people.

The Daoist masters' assault from the mountain further narrowed the corrupt cultivators' escape routes. However, before the righteous cultivators and Special Warfare Unit could gain any offensive momentum, the wind blowing southeast across the mountain began to wail and howl.

The wind grew fiercer. It felt as though a giant beast was inhaling the primal qi of heaven and earth.

The abnormal flow of primal qi inevitably distracted the Golden Core Realm cultivators fighting in the air near the fake Ziyan Temple. Meanwhile, the elite corrupt cultivators grew more confident and composed as they fended off the righteous Daoist elders.

Though desperate to head southeast, the Daoist elders failed to make any progress due to the corrupt cultivators blocking their path.

Several righteous Golden Core Realm cultivators had already arrived and were nearing the Ziyan Temple. Even if they reached it now, though, what could they do? The ancient devil was clearly already absorbing primal qi to restore its strength.

An ancient devil capable of stirring the flow of primal qi from a hundred li away. Just how powerful could such a being be? Was an ancient fiendish devil about to ravage their peaceful land?

Though the Daoist elders were worried, they were already thinking of ways to eliminate the devil as they fought. They also knew that the Hua Republic had made many preparations. All they could do now was trust the government's capabilities and resolve.

***

In the military base at the foot of the mountain, all eyes were fixed on the main screen.

The video feed was shaking violently, captured by a drone that had luckily gotten stuck in the branch of a tall tree. The sudden gusts had destroyed all the other drones when they approached the Ziyan Temple.

The footage showed the Ziyan Temple, which had almost completely collapsed. In the rear courtyard, a massive tornado had risen, swirling with debris, dust, shattered beams, and tiles.

In less than ten seconds or so, the rear courtyard had caved in, and strong winds had started blowing in from all directions. Half a minute later, a huge grayish-white tornado appeared above the Ziyan Temple. The base of the tornado plunged into the gaping hole in the ground, forming a funnel that frantically drew in primal qi from three hundred li in all directions.

They could also somewhat make out two Golden Core Realm instructors and two corrupt elders still fighting outside the tornado's perimeter. It wasn't that the elders refused to retreat, nor that the instructors were too aggressive and wanted to die with the Fire and Wood Elders.

The four were simply already struggling against the pull of the tornado. The techniques they unleashed were already being severely distorted mid-execution, and even their enchanted power seemed on the verge of bursting out and being sucked into the whirlwind.

Nevertheless, they all had their own reasons for staying.

Anyone who'd look closely at the battle would immediately notice that their roles had reversed. The Fire and Wood Elders were now trying to charge into the courtyard, where the wind was strongest, while the two instructors blocked them at every turn.

The two Special Warfare Unit instructors were also forced into this. Since Wang Sheng was still fighting fiercely in the courtyard below, they couldn't just leave him behind.

***

Two minutes earlier.

By the time the ground in the rear courtyard collapsed, Rufeng had already given the order to retreat. Ignoring it, Wang Sheng leaped over the bottomless pit and switched to riding his flying sword. His celestial-grade flying sword and Spiritless alternated in a fierce assault.

Having long noticed the sharpness of the celestial-grade flying sword, Rufeng summoned a lotus flower in his palm again. Wang Sheng swung his left hand across, guiding the sword away from the range of the Buddhist light. He wouldn't fall for the same technique twice.

The primal qi of heaven and earth rushed into the deep pit below, making Rufeng laugh loudly. He knew that the ancient devil had broken free of the seal and was now rapidly recovering.

They had achieved their goal. With no reason to linger, he was all the more intent on leaving.

Wang Sheng naturally caught on to Rufeng's plan.

Unable to catch up with Rufeng through sword-controlling techniques alone, he used his Sword-Controlling Art as best as he could. His celestial-grade flying sword kept accelerating in his pursuit of the monk.

Unfortunately, Wang Sheng was far less agile in the air than on the ground. Barely able to keep up with Rufeng's evasive movements, he couldn't find any chance to launch sword strikes.

In the air?

Wang Sheng suddenly had an idea. With a calm expression, he continued his offensive with the celestial-grade flying sword. Dodging all the attacks, Rufeng was about to fly out of the Ziyan Temple with ease when Wang Sheng let go of Spiritless and flung it straight at Rufeng's face.

As Rufeng turned his attention to Spiritless, Wang Sheng thrust the sword finger he had made with his left hand several times forward. The celestial-grade flying sword appeared beneath Rufeng and slammed into the alms bowl at his feet, catching him off guard.

The celestial-grade flying sword did not disappoint. The instant it collided with the artifact, the alms bowl cracked.

Wang Sheng moved his sword finger swiftly. With a chaotic clatter, the celestial-grade flying sword churned violently inside the bowl. The bowl only held for half a moment before shattering completely. Losing his footing, Rufeng fell temporarily.

Having been waiting for this opportunity for far too long, Wang Sheng naturally made sure not to let it slip. After retrieving Spiritless with sword-controlling techniques, he used the Seven-Star Footwork to its limit. He then unleashed the Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation and enveloped Rufeng with it.

As if the ancient devil were aiding Wang Sheng, the suction force from the pit suddenly intensified. Rufeng had just unleashed his Buddhist arts, and the seated Buddha behind him had only just appeared, when the fierce pull from the pit tore the Buddha's phantasm apart. Drawing upon the primal qi of heaven and earth at this place had become impossible!

Wang Sheng's eyes lit up. Ignoring the sudden gust, he charged straight at Rufeng.

1. intended quotation marks here for the joke ☜