"Heavenly Treasure?"
The Myriad Poisons Sect's sect master, Poison God, looked at Tian Buyi with a puzzled expression before shifting his gaze to Qiu Buping beside him, seemingly asking what Tian Buyi meant.
Qiu Buping merely shook his head blankly, indicating that he had no idea what Tian Buyi was talking about.
"You're slandering us!"
Qiu Buping had originally feared Tian Buyi and Shuiyue, the two Spirit Transformation Realm powerhouses. But with Poison God at his side, he immediately found courage in borrowed authority and berated them, "When did we ever steal any Heavenly Treasure from you? Do you righteous sects also enjoy fabricating accusations?"
He had been on Nine Yin Mountain for a long time and had never heard of any Heavenly Treasure. How could there be any talk of stealing one? Besides, how could someone in the Core Formation Realm like him possibly steal from, or dare to steal from, Spirit Transformation Realm powerhouses?
"Lord Poison God, these Qingyun Sect people are clearly fabricating charges to find an excuse to crusade against us. I have been on Nine Yin Mountain for a long time and never heard of any Heavenly Treasure. On the contrary, two of our disciples were secretly murdered by these righteous sect people. The killers are very likely hiding among them."
After angrily rebuking Tian Buyi, Qiu Buping hurriedly explained himself to Poison God.
Poison God frowned. He was somewhat confused as well. Tian Buyi spoke with such seriousness that he did not seem to be lying, as though they truly had stolen Qingyun Sect's Heavenly Treasure.
Yet the Ghost King had only sent him here to deal with the formation and ensure that Qingyun Sect did not learn of it. He had never mentioned that the Demonic Cult had seized any Heavenly Treasure from Nine Yin Mountain.
Which part had gone wrong?
"No?"
Tian Buyi sneered disdainfully and asked Qiu Buping, "Then why has your Demonic Cult sent so many people to Nine Yin Mountain with such fanfare? Don't tell me you came here for a spring outing?"
"We are—"
Qiu Buping could not stand Tian Buyi so earnestly pinning charges on them. He was nearly about to bring up the formation to explain himself, but quickly shut his mouth in embarrassment.
That was close!
He had nearly let it slip. If he revealed even the slightest information about the formation, Qingyun Sect would not even need to act—Poison God beside him would likely strike him with a poisoned palm and turn him straight into a puddle of blood.
"See? You can't explain it, can you? And you still claim you didn't steal our Heavenly Treasure?"
Seeing this, the Qingyun Sect members became even more convinced that the sword-path Heavenly Treasure had been stolen by these Demonic Cult people, and their anger rose another level.
Poison God silently stepped forward, frowning as he replied to Tian Buyi, "Believe it or not, I have never heard of any Heavenly Treasure descending upon Nine Yin Mountain, nor have I ordered anyone to seize one."
"You two Qingyun Sect Peak Lords may indeed be in the Spirit Transformation Realm, but am I not as well? Even if you join forces, you may not be my match."
Poison God instantly unleashed his formidable aura. The pressure made the air across the heavens and earth grow heavy, and those disciples with weaker Cultivation Levels felt their minds shaken with fear, blood unconsciously seeping from their noses.
Peak of the eighth stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm?!
Tian Buyi and Shuiyue immediately sensed Poison God's Cultivation Level. They had not seen the Myriad Poisons Sect's sect master for a long time, yet he had now reached the peak of the eighth stage of the Spirit Transformation Realm.
The two exchanged glances, each frowning.
At such a level of strength, every additional stage represented a qualitative leap.
Just as Poison God had said, Shuiyue and Tian Buyi were only at the sixth and seventh stages of the Spirit Transformation Realm. Neither had any chance of defeating Poison God one-on-one. Only by joining forces could they barely exchange a few moves with him, and even then the odds were even at best—or perhaps sixty-forty, with Poison God holding the advantage.
Just as the two considered how to resolve the matter properly, Poison God withdrew his pressure and softened his tone. "How about each side takes a step back? Our Holy Cult will withdraw from Nine Yin Mountain, and your Qingyun Sect need not pursue responsibility for our presence here any further."
"As for this so-called Heavenly Treasure, I do not yet understand what it means. Once I have figured it out, I will naturally give you an answer."
Poison God's attitude could not be called particularly sincere, but his words were reasonable. Tian Buyi and Shuiyue both tacitly accepted the proposal at the same time.
After all, once Spirit Transformation Realm cultivators began fighting, it would no longer be a minor dispute. The karmic entanglements involved would only grow greater and greater.
"Impossible! You stole our Heavenly Treasure and think this can simply be forgotten? If we let you leave, that treasure may never return to Qingyun Sect!"
While Tian Buyi and Shuiyue were considering it, a voice beside them spoke with righteous indignation.
"Old Poison Ghost, take my sword!"
A flash of white light followed. Sword qi suddenly swept out from beside Tian Buyi and shot fiercely toward Poison God, who hovered high in the air.
Everything happened in an instant. No one had expected such a turn of events.
"You seek death!"
Poison God's fury surged. It was one thing for Tian Buyi and Shuiyue to call him Old Poison Ghost, but a mere Qingyun Sect disciple in the Qi Refining Realm dared address him that way—and even dared attack him without warning.
What utter contempt!
Poison God casually raised a hand and easily dispersed the incoming sword qi. His furious eyes fixed on Lin Jingyu, who had spoken and attacked, as he struck out with a poisoned palm.
A gigantic black palm shadow appeared between heaven and earth, crushing down toward Lin Jingyu. In an instant, the sky darkened and the world changed color. The forests and mountains shattered in that very moment. Its might was unimaginably immense, nearly enough to swallow all of Nine Yin Mountain, leaving everyone stunned in shock.
Lin Jingyu's face twisted. Blood flowed from all seven of his facial openings as the enormous palm shadow bore down on him. Only then did he truly feel the terror of life and death.
It had been many years since he had seen a Spirit Transformation Realm powerhouse take action. To witness it again was terrifying beyond measure.
Tian Buyi and Shuiyue faced a great enemy. Their swords immediately left their sheaths as they unleashed their own sword techniques, breaking through the sword qi to resist the massive palm shadow.
A golden sword qi and a blue sword qi shot from their respective blades. The golden sword qi transformed into a dragon's shadow, releasing a heaven-shaking dragon roar as it tore through the air. The blue sword qi merged countless rays of blue light into one, forming a gigantic pillar of light like surging waves and a roaring tide, wondrous beyond compare.
"Boom!"
The enormous palm shadow collided with the two manifestations of sword qi, unleashing a world-shaking explosion. Even the ground beneath their feet began to tremble, as though Nine Yin Mountain itself was afraid.
The residual shockwave blasted the more than one hundred people present backward. Those with slightly greater strength used spiritual energy to resist, yet still staggered back more than ten paces before steadying themselves. The weaker ones were sent flying outright, crashing onto the ground with their insides ruptured and falling unconscious.
However, Shuiyue had set up a barrier for the Qingyun Sect members in advance, so they were largely unaffected by the shockwave. Still, their minds had been so shaken that they struggled to recover.
As for Lin Jingyu, the primary target of the palm shadow, he was already lying on the ground. He was awake, yet had lost all awareness. The bones and tendons throughout his body were nearly twisted out of shape, and he trembled uncontrollably. Thick wisps of black qi rose from within him, showing that Poison God's strike had driven poison qi into his body.
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