A Lone Victory over Two Fifth-Floor Cultivators

As Chen Lingxi gazed at the surging spiritual energy deep within the river bend, his guesses became increasingly clear.

"Using a coffin as the array's core and rivers as its network... the scale of Emperor Daye's schemes is truly astounding... Is he also a cultivator from the Great World who has come to the Truth-Seeking Realm Cauldron-Seizing Realm?"

He silently pondered to himself, then frowned slightly. "But the imperial court has countless powerful figures, and I'm afraid there are at least a handful of them Mystic Entry Realm realm! With so many powerful individuals under their command, wouldn't it be as easy as taking candy from Cauldron Vessel to compete for the cauldron?"

"Or perhaps... he's under the control of Consort Chun?"

As he pondered, his Qi Observation technique once again focused on the giant coffin that had sunk to the bottom of the river.

The two streams of spiritual energy inside the coffin were still flowing gently, though faint, they had never ceased.

The person inside is not dead.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Lingxi decided to go check the river first.

"Let's check the cultivation levels of these two cultivators. If their cultivation is weaker than mine and Xi Mu's, then we'll rescue them."

"Why did the eunuch sink the cultivators to the bottom of the river? What is the purpose of this formation? These questions cannot be answered by mere speculation. If we can pry some information out of those two cultivators, perhaps we can glean some clues."

Without further hesitation, he changed into black clothes and a mask, then took a step forward, lightly touching the pebble beach with his toes, and his figure swept towards the center of the river bend like a wisp of smoke.

While in mid-air, he extended his right hand, his five fingers slightly spread. The Spirit Pool in his Qi Sea suddenly surged, and a powerful suction force emanated from his palm. This was the "Qi-Sea Vortex" of the Qi Circulation Fifth Floor.

The river water was stirred up by this suction force, and then the waters collided with each other, turning into whirlpools.

The whirlpool grew larger and larger until the water surged and churned.

Chen Lingxi jumped into the hollow of the whirlpool and dragged the giant coffin that had sunk to the bottom of the river onto the riverbank.

The coffin was covered with intricate array patterns, and now that it was out of the water, those patterns emitted a faint, subtle blue light, shimmering in the night.

Chen Lingxi stepped forward, placed his right palm on the coffin lid, and probed his spiritual energy into it.

"Although this sealing formation is exquisite, it is not particularly profound, and it is far inferior to the Clear-Mystery Pivot-Qi Formation."

After a moment's thought, he found the key point of the formation. He released his inner energy from his palm, and with a crisp "crack," the flowing blue light on the coffin lid shattered inch by inch and dissipated into the night wind.

He lifted the coffin lid.

A strong medicinal smell wafted towards us.

Chen Lingxi frowned slightly and looked down into the coffin.

Two people were lying in the coffin.

One man and one woman.

The woman was in her early twenties, with a slender waist that seemed to bend in the wind, a fair complexion with a slight bluish tinge, and an air of gentle grace that was hard to describe.

She wore a plain white dress with dark water stains, and her black hair was spread out below her, making her face appear even whiter.

The man was completely different.

He was extremely muscular, with broad shoulders and a back as thick as a wall; even lying there, he was more than a head taller than the woman.

He wasn't particularly handsome; he had thick eyebrows, large eyes, high cheekbones, and a square jaw, but his strength lay in his heroic bearing.

At this moment, his eyes were closed, but his breathing was extremely long, with his chest rising and falling.

Chen Lingxi's gaze fell on the two of them. Under the Qi-Observation Technique, the few strands of spiritual Qi in their meridians were still slowly circulating, weak but continuous.

However, the way this spiritual energy circulates is quite peculiar.

Ordinary cultivators' spiritual energy circulates continuously throughout their Qi Sea, forming its own cycle. However, these two can only circulate it weakly. Once too much energy is gathered, it will dissipate and cannot form a complete cycle.

"These two cultivators Qi Circulation Fifth Floor; they are the materials for setting up the formation."

Chen Lingxi was surprised and looked down at their chests, where she saw two talismans.

The talisman was only about an inch square, dark yellow in color, with intricate patterns drawn on it in some kind of dark red ink, and it was affixed directly to their chest acupoints.

The red patterns on the talisman were still glowing faintly, and with each flash, they dispersed the spiritual energy that had just gathered within the two individuals.

"A talisman that seals away spiritual energy," Chen Lingxi murmured to himself.

His gaze shifted from the two talismans and suddenly fell on the bottom of the coffin.

There was a compass at the bottom of the coffin.

The compass was about the size of a palm, cast entirely from some strange metal, and its surface was covered with intricate patterns, gleaming slightly.

Chen Lingxi recognized it at a glance as the exact same compass that the eunuch had used to set up the formation.

He reached out and picked up the compass, examining it in his palm for a few moments.

When the spiritual energy probed into it, it was discovered that the compass was engraved with dozens of extremely exquisite formations and hand seals, which were quite ingenious and mysterious.

Although it cannot compare to the profound Clear-Mystery Pivot-Qi Formation recorded on the bamboo slip, it is still a rather exquisite array-based magical Law Artifact.

"Not bad." He examined the compass from all angles, familiar with the formations, and knew that this was the key point of the formation. He then casually put it into his Hongdong Bag and turned his gaze back to the two people in the coffin.

He reached out and lifted the two men out of the coffin, one in each hand. After walking for a long time, he finally placed them on the riverbank.

The pebbles on the riverbank were soaked by the night dew, and the wind blew down from the river, carrying the scent of water plants and earth.

Chen Lingxi sat down cross-legged beside the two men, not in a hurry, but simply waiting quietly.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the burly man's finger twitched first.

His eyelids trembled slightly, and then he slowly opened his eyes.

Like a tiger that had been imprisoned for a long time, finally seeing the light of day again, the man opened his eyes, his gaze extremely sharp.

A lingering sense of unease remained in the depths of his eyes, yet he was already on high alert.

He saw Chen Lingxi sitting cross-legged beside him, and his body instinctively exerted force, causing his muscles to bulge like blocks of iron.

But then the talisman on his chest suddenly lit up, and an invisible force surged out from it, scattering the power he had just gathered.

He groaned, his burly body collapsing back onto the pebble beach, panting heavily.

Just then, the woman also woke up.

She opened her eyes, blinked, and a very faint mist rose in her eyes, which were like autumn water. Then she turned her head and saw the burly man beside her, the ghost mask on Chen Lingxi as he sat cross-legged not far away, and the huge coffin that was open on the riverbank.

Chen Lingxi and the other man observed each other's reactions but did not urge them. Instead, Chen Lingxi took out a water pouch from his Hongdong Bag and handed it to the man.

The man paused for a moment, then reached out to take the water bag.

He took the water pouch, but instead of drinking from it, he struggled to sit up and brought the pouch to the woman's lips, feeding her a few sips.

Chen Lingxi observed all of this without changing her expression, simply waiting quietly.

After another fifteen minutes or so, the breathing of the two men finally stabilized somewhat.

The burly man struggled to sit up, and the woman also gathered her disheveled black hair. The two looked at each other, then struggled to stand up at the same time and bowed deeply to Chen Lingxi.

"I am Jiang Xing, and this is Xu Qingru." The burly man's voice was deep and resonant. "We two were harmed by villains and sealed in a coffin. If it weren't for your rescue, we would probably have been trapped and died in that coffin."

I cannot express my gratitude enough. May I ask your esteemed name?

Chen Lingxi accepted the greeting, nodded slightly, and said, "I happened to be passing by this place and saw something unusual in this coffin, so I picked it up to take a look."

Xu Qingru raised her eyes, her gaze lingering on Chen Lingxi's ghostly face for a moment, before she suddenly bowed gracefully, her voice soft and weak. "Your kindness in saving my life is something I will never forget."

Chen Lingxi his hand, his gaze falling on the two talismans on their chests, and said, "Your spiritual energy is sealed?"

Jiang Xing and Xu Qingru they looked Chen Lingxi up and down.

Jiang Xing smiled somewhat awkwardly, "So you're one of us!"

He immediately gave a bitter laugh, looking down at the dark yellow talisman on his chest, a hint of hatred flashing in his eyes. "A villain's trick! This talisman has sealed our Qi Sea, preventing the flow of spiritual Qi. Our Qi Sea is like stagnant water, unable to be activated even slightly."

Xu Qingru bit her lip, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She was already beautiful, and now, with tears welling up in her eyes, she looked even more pitiful.

She raised her head, looking at Chen Lingxi, her voice pleading. "Brother Dao, we have been trapped for a long time, our spiritual energy sealed, and we are suffering terribly. I wonder if you... could use your spiritual energy to remove this talisman for us?"

As if fearing Chen Lingxi might be unwilling, she quickly added, "If you can help us, we would like to offer a Spirit Stone as a token of our gratitude."

Spirit Stone.

These two words touched Chen Lingxi's ears and stirred something within him.

He remained expressionless, his gaze sweeping over the two of them.

Jiang Xing clasped his hands in a fist and said, "We have nothing left on us, but we have some savings in our cave abode in Southern Lu Prefecture. We are willing to use these to ask you for help, fellow Daoist."

Chen Lingxi narrowed her eyes slightly.

Now that the coffin was no longer a concealment, his Qi Observation technique allowed him to clearly see through their Qi Sea.

"Both of you are at the Qi Circulation Fifth Floor..."

Not far away, Xi Mu lay in wait in the shadows.

"They won't cause any trouble. If they harbor ill intentions, they can take a look at what I've been building up over the years..."

Chen Lingxi scoffed inwardly, then nodded slightly. "Alright."

He stood up, walked to Jiang Xing, and extended his right hand, his index and middle fingers joined together like a sword, the tips of his fingers flashing with a bluish light.

He used the Azure Edge Method to condense that incomparably sharp spiritual energy into an extremely fine and minute form, like an invisible needle, and carefully River-Entering Form Xing's chest.

The dark red patterns on the talisman suddenly lit up, emitting a very faint hissing sound, as if it were putting up a stubborn resistance.

But the sharpness of the Azure Edge Method was so keen that in just a few breaths, the red light on the talisman was torn apart inch by inch by the azure light, and the talisman itself turned into a clump of fine ash, which was blown away by the night wind and disappeared without a trace.

As soon as the talisman was removed, Jiang Xing's body suddenly trembled.

The severed spiritual energy within his body surged wildly in his Qi Sea like water bursting its banks.

His aura surged at a visible speed, and in an instant, he regained some of the composure befitting a cultivator from a severely injured person who could barely sit up.

Chen Lingxi then used the same method to remove the talisman from Xu Qingru's chest.

A sliver of color finally returned to Xu Qingru's face. Her spiritual energy circulated around her, and her beautiful face appeared even more radiant and jade-like in the moonlight.

Their spiritual energy gradually increased, and they slowly recovered.

Jiang Xing stretched his muscles and bones, which cracked and popped throughout his body.

Xu Qingru then took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and carefully wiped the water stains and dirt off her face, behaving like a wealthy young lady.

The two Chen Lingxi again, this time with even greater formality than before.

Xu Qingru her gaze swept over Chen Lingxi, then she suddenly asked, "Brother Dao, may I ask where you come from?"

Chen Lingxi his eyes, relaxed his Concealed Edge Method, and revealed his cultivation level, saying only, "I come from a small clan, not worth mentioning, and am not some great immortal clan."

He deliberately relaxed his spiritual energy slightly, letting out a little of the energy from the Spirit Pool in his Qi Sea.

A faint glimmer of light flashed in Xu Qingru's eyes. She smiled, and her beautiful face became even more radiant and captivating.

She seemed to sense the fluctuations in Chen Lingxi's spiritual energy and knew Chen Lingxi's cultivation level.

A glint of light flashed in Jiang Xing's eyes.

The three sat down, and Jiang Xing and Xu Qingru circulated their spiritual energy until they recovered.

Suddenly, Xu Qingru burst into tears.

Chen Lingxi remained unmoved, only slightly frowning, and asked, "Why is Fellow Daoist Xu weeping?"

Xu Qingru she said, "Brother Dao... you don't know... Jiang Xing and I have our own unavoidable difficulties."

She raised her tearful eyes and looked at Chen Lingxi, her eyes filled with shame. " In the Qi-Less Realm, fortuitous opportunity are hard to find."

"I and my senior brother Jiang Xing from the Chutian Star Jiang Family have wasted many years in this Cave Heaven, yet we have never had the chance to Tower Ascension."

"Later, we had to sacrifice to the Taotie Urn Cauldron Artifact Fragment of a cauldron, to gain the Life-Swallowing Divine Ability and consume the vital energy of cultivators to aid our cultivation."

The Life-Swallowing Divine Ability allows one to consume the vital energy of cultivators.

These words reached Chen Lingxi's ears, but he remained seated, saying nothing more.

Xu Qingru continued speaking, her voice trembling with tears.

"Brother Dao is our savior, but we have been sealed in coffins by that villain [Yun Jiao] for several months. If it weren't for Brother Dao, we would surely be dead."

However... the Great Dao is all about contention! If we do not contend within this Cave Heaven, we will have no chance to seize the cauldron."

"Brother Dao... For this reason, we two have no choice but to take your life and devour your Qi."

I... I cried because I was so ashamed."

Chen Lingxi asked with some curiosity, "Fellow Daoist Xu seems to be a lady from a prominent family."

"However, fellow Daoist used magic amidst this crying, deliberately pairing frightening words with a mind-stealing spell to try and disturb my State of Mind. I don't see any shame in that."

Xu Qingru was taken aback, probably not expecting that Chen Lingxi had seen through her magic and seemed completely unaffected by the [Mind-Disturbing Method].

But then, at this very moment!

Jiang Xing, who was standing to the side, made a move in an instant!

Jiang Xing's burly body suddenly swelled up.

He was already more than a head taller than the average person, and now his body swelled up to ten feet tall, his muscles bulging like cast iron, stretching his soaked clothes until they were about to burst.

A very faint, subtle stone-like sheen rose from the surface of his skin, as if he were wearing an invisible layer of rock armor.

He took a step forward, and the pebbles beneath his feet shattered into pieces, leaving a deep crater several inches deep in the riverbed.

He was like a stone giant emerging from the mountains, carrying a terrifying aura capable of destroying cities and fortresses, heading straight for Chen Lingxi!

Xu Qingru remained kneeling on the ground, covering her face and weeping. A strand of her hair fell out and transformed into a sharp needle, piercing towards Chen Lingxi's brow!

Chen Lingxi her face without changing her expression.

Almost at the same instant Jiang Xing, he bent his knees and jumped up!

Pebbles flew up like rain beneath his feet, and he shot out diagonally like an arrow released from a bow. His Qi-Sea Vortex suddenly erupted, and a thick stream of air surged from beneath his feet, lifting his body up from the ground. He leaped more than ten feet and landed lightly on a small sand dune not far away.

He stood on the hill, a sword at his waist, looking down at the stone giant rampaging across the mountain path, a smile playing on his lips.

"It seems the cultivation world is quite cruel; outsiders cannot be trusted."

As he said this, his right hand was already on the hilt of the Gold-Slaughtering Saber at his waist.

The moment the blade was drawn from its sheath, the world was suddenly illuminated.

The pale gold patterns on the blade seemed to be ignited, with tiny, hair-like bolts of lightning shooting out from the patterns, hissing and winding along the blade.

After Thunder, comes Azure Edge Method.

After stepping into the Qi Circulation Fifth Floor, the power of the Azure Edge Method was no longer comparable to before. The azure light had transformed into a solid, sword-like blade several feet long, emanating from the blade!

Following the Azure Edge Method is the Purple True Treasure Aura.

Purple light burst forth from his mouth, clinging to the blade and intertwining with the thunder and azure light, condensing into a nearly tangible three-colored blade.

And he raised his other hand as well.

Jade-colored Qi and Blood erupted from the depths of his bones, pushing the power of the Mountain-Crushing Force to its limit, and alternately activating the Qi and Blood transport methods of the Sea-Calming Form Stance and the Jade-Severing Stance.

At the same time, the Spirit Pool in his Qi Sea surged like boiling water, and a mysterious golden aura rose from the Spirit Pool, merging with the spiritual energy, the sword intent, and every inch of his muscles and flesh.

With the blessing of the Mysterious Qi, the Dragon Roar Technique has reached the Subtle Insight level.

"Oh!"

He opened his mouth and let out a low exhale.

The shout seemed casual, but it was unusually deep and powerful, as if a true dragon coiled beneath the river was slowly awakening from a century-long slumber, letting out a low, dissatisfied roar!

The sound shook the air, creating visible ripples that spread wildly in all directions.

Jiang Xing's mountain-like figure, which had been charging up the hill, suddenly stopped at this shout!

For the first time, a hint of horror flashed across his eyes, which were usually filled with murderous intent.

This shout contained a power that made his entire spiritual energy tremble.

That level of power was far beyond what ordinary cultivators at the Qi Circulation Fifth Floor could achieve!

Then, he woke up.

He suddenly awoke with a start. "Such a rebuking technique... This technique, executed at the Qi Circulation Fifth Floor cultivation, possesses such Divine Might! It must have transcended the [Initial Realm] and advanced to the [Subtle Realm]!"

He wanted to back out.

However, his spiritual energy had already been momentarily stunned by the Dragon Roar Technique, so it was too late.

Chen Lingxi's knife has already struck!

At this moment, the three-colored blade of the Gold-Slaughtering Saber shone brightest, with purple, cyan, and gold intertwining and swirling, drawing a magnificent yet terrifying arc of light in the night.

The blade was incredibly fast; Jiang Xing didn't even have time to raise his petrified arms to block before it pierced his chest.

Moreover, the Azure Edge Method...

Both belong to the [Subtle Insight] realm!

With a sharp glint of the blade, Jiang Xing's stone armor was silently cleaved open!

The blade continued to advance, cutting through the skin, ribs, and into the internal organs.

Thunder exploded in the wound, burning flesh to charcoal.

The green light stirred within the meridians, shattering the spiritual energy into countless fragments.

The Purple True Treasure Aura was like an invisible sharp blade, piercing straight into his Qi Sea.

Jiang Xing trembled violently.

His eyes suddenly widened as he desperately channeled his spiritual energy, but Chen Lingxi's blade had already slashed down again from another direction.

The second blow was aimed at his neck!

With a flash of the blade, a fine head rolled off the neck, blood spurting out!

Its body collapsed with a crash, smashing onto the riverbank and sending up a spray of pebbles and water.

Xu Qingru's crying stopped abruptly, her spiritual energy already surging.

That head of long, black hair suddenly grew out as if it were alive!

Under the infusion of spiritual energy, each of Chen Lingxi's three thousand strands of black hair stretched taut like steel needles, and strangely grew longer, emitting an extremely sharp sound as it shot towards Chen Lingxi from all directions.

The force of the attack was so fierce, like a black storm raging from the ground, threatening to Chen Lingxi with holes.

At the same time, she opened her mouth, pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and her spiritual energy surged in her throat. A pale green light burst forth from between her lips and teeth.

The light was as thin as a chopstick, yet its speed was astonishing; it struck first despite being delayed, aiming directly at Chen Lingxi's brow.

Chen Lingxi didn't even frown.

His right hand remained on the hilt of the Gold-Slaughtering Saber, while his left hand rose and merely made a casual, half-hearted grasp forward.

The Qi-Sea Vortex erupted, and the numerous strands of spiritual qi paused slightly in the Void.

At the same time, a Spiritual Arrow pierced through the air and collided with the spiritual light that Xu Qingru had shot out, creating a loud booming sound!

Chen Lingxi took a step forward.

The Qi-Sea Vortex erupted once again, and at the same time, the thick Jade Qi Realm Qi and Blood surged into circulation!

He swept across more than ten zhang like an elongated shadow, closing in on Xu Qingru.

Xu Qingru's pupils contracted sharply; she wanted to retreat, but how could her reaction be as fast as Chen Lingxi's knife?

A flash of light.

The Azure Edge Method was activated once again.

The Sixth Form of the Evil-Slaying Saber Method: Fatal Strike!

The Gold-Slaughtering Saber lightly grazed her right arm, leaving a faint trace of blood.

Xu Qingru's entire right arm was severed at the shoulder, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

Xu Qingru her spiritual energy dissipated, and she fell backward, crashing heavily onto the pebbles on the riverbank. Blood gushed from her severed arm, staining the pebbles beneath her a dark red.

"This person has also cultivated Qi and Blood!" Xu Qingru heartbroken. "Subtle Realm Techniques, rich in spiritual Qi, and he has even cultivated a body of the Jade Qi Realm Qi and Blood!"

"We are both at the Qi Circulation Fifth Floor of the Spiritual Qi realm, yet we cannot defeat him!"

Chen Lingxi his sword and looked down at her.

However, some doubts remained in my mind.

"These two Qi Circulation Fifth Floor are rather weak."