Chapter 499: Escaping Death
Thousand Peaks Forest.
A group of cultivators was climbing to the mountain summit.
The Golden Core cultivator leading them, Gao Cuo, could not help but glance back once again at Blue Sky Mountain behind him.
His deputy said with admiration, “Lord Gao, since we withdrew from Blue Sky Mountain, this is already the ninth time you’ve looked back.”
“This shows how deep your feelings for Blue Sky Mountain are!”
“You have only served here for half a year, yet you are already so attached to it. When news first arrived that enemy forces were pressing toward us, you were also the first to advocate holding the position.”
“Your courage and sense of responsibility are evident from this. Alas, we truly had poor judgment and underestimated you. Since you took over, we have repeatedly obeyed you outwardly while resisting you inwardly. That was truly wrong of us!”
Gao Cuo glanced at his deputy and sighed. “Abandoning Blue Sky Mountain… I believe this is a grave mistake made by those above us.”
“Unfortunately, although I am a Golden Core cultivator, I am not part of the upper ranks of Thousand Peaks Forest. There is nothing I can do.”
The deputy hesitated before speaking again. “Lord Gao, according to the orders from above, before leaving we were supposed to destroy all the Void Crystals at the bottom of the lake.”
“But in truth, you did not do so.”
“If those Void Crystals end up aiding the enemy, that would be a serious crime.”
Gao Cuo shook his head. “You can rest assured.”
“Before I took office, the previous mountain chief had already taken away all the Void Crystals that could be mined.”
“The ones remaining now have not yet fully formed. If they were excavated directly, they would instantly dissipate.”
“Did you not personally witness this before we left?”
The deputy and the others were convinced by his explanation and nodded repeatedly.
Gao Cuo stared toward the summit of Blue Sky Mountain, while inwardly asking, “Sword Elder, our disguise won’t be discovered, will it?”
The next moment, a sharp, aged voice sounded in his mind.
“Do not worry. The spell I taught you is extremely versatile.”
“Unless you encounter a few extremely rare talents or divine abilities, ordinary detection spells will almost never expose it.”
The old voice paused before continuing, “Even if someone does discover it, very few people can break through the barriers of the void. Excavating it would be exceedingly difficult.”
Gao Cuo nodded. “Good.”
“After all, that Void Crystal is no ordinary one. Hidden inside is an Evil God Bone. It was concealed so deeply that even the previous mountain chief did not notice it.”
“If you hadn’t reminded me, Sword Elder, I would have missed it as well.”
“Once this war settles down, we will retrieve it.”
Sword Elder agreed. “Exactly. That Evil God Bone itself is at the Nascent Soul level and is a rare material. The marrow of the Evil God Bone is even at the Soul Formation level and contains the principles of the void.”
“In the future, when you forge your life-bound flying sword, refine that marrow into it. Even if you are only at the Golden Core level, you will be able to briefly traverse the void with your physical body through the unity of man and sword.”
“Even most Nascent Soul cultivators cannot accomplish that!”
Gao Cuo sighed inwardly again. “Sigh… it’s all because of that Du Tiechuan. Of all places to attack, he had to send troops here.”
“And the Thousand Peaks Forest alliance actually ordered a withdrawal.”
Helpless, Gao Cuo shook his head, turned around, and continued forward.
Boom!
In the next moment, a dazzling strand of starlight descended from the sky like a thin thread, striking the summit of Blue Sky Mountain with perfect precision.
Gao Cuo was shocked. “That place is Blue Sky Pool!”
“Such an attack… has reached the Soul Formation level.”
“What exactly is going on?”
“What happened at Blue Sky Pool?!”
At that instant, Gao Cuo felt an indescribable emptiness in his heart, as if he had just lost something that was crucial to his entire life.
A stick of incense earlier.
Sun Ning and his companion had accidentally arrived at Blue Sky Pool.
Ning Zhuo could only see fragments of Void Crystals at the lake bottom, but Sun Lingtong discovered a rare fully formed cluster.
Even after receiving guidance, Ning Zhuo still could not see it.
They tried numerous detection methods, but none worked.
“How strange. Even though it’s right in front of me, I simply cannot detect it,” Ning Zhuo said with a sigh. “Boss, it seems this treasure is destined for you.”
“Is that so?” Sun Lingtong laughed casually, one hand behind his head.
“These spirit eyes of mine are best at observing treasures.”
“Since you can’t see it, I’ll dig it out.”
However, no matter what methods Sun Lingtong used—various spells, magical instruments, and more—everything passed through the surface of the fully formed Void Crystal as if through empty air.
It was as though the crystal cluster were nothing more than an illusion.
“How bizarre!” Sun Lingtong exclaimed in confusion. “Even my theft techniques don’t work. This Void Crystal cluster is extremely unusual. There must be something mysterious inside. Even my spirit eyes can’t see through it.”
“Damn it.”
Sun Lingtong grabbed his own hair.
For him, this feeling was unbearable.
The treasure was right in front of him, yet he simply could not obtain it.
Ning Zhuo also tried blindly for a while but achieved nothing.
“Let’s leave then. Staying here won’t help. This is enemy territory after all,” Ning Zhuo said calmly.
He tried to persuade Sun Lingtong. “Boss, since we already know this place, we can come back to mine it after we become stronger.”
“All the other fully formed Void Crystals have been mined out. You’re the only one who discovered the secret here. I can’t even sense anything unusual.”
“Most likely everyone else is still completely unaware.”
“When we return in the future, this crystal might still be here.”
Sun Lingtong sighed helplessly. “You’re not wrong.”
Ning Zhuo shrugged. “Even if you were wrong, we can’t just stand here forever. Let’s go.”
Sun Lingtong followed him reluctantly.
But in the next moment, a star appeared in broad daylight.
The Wanli Dragon coiled around Ning Zhuo’s waist suddenly lit up with a cluster of starlight.
The glow was not dazzling, but it immediately resonated with the starlight appearing in the bright sky.
Meanwhile, far away in Woodwheel Town.
Standing atop a ritual altar, Shuang Ling suddenly widened her eyes, her face filled with ferocity and excitement.
“Finally… finally I’ve found you!”
“Stone Dwelling Old Monster!!!”
“You dared take my things. I will make you die!”
Divine Ability Ritual — Starfall Heavenly Punishment.
The next moment, starlight condensed high in the sky like a droplet of water, then aimed directly at Ning Zhuo—who carried the Wanli Dragon—and fell downward.
A straight streak of light was drawn across the sky.
Ning Zhuo instantly felt an overwhelming sense of impending doom.
“Quick! Get inside the Wanli Dragon and escape through the void!” Sun Lingtong shouted in panic.
Ning Zhuo also intended to do that. But just as he moved, the Mechanical Ring on his finger suddenly tightened.
Warning!
Ning Zhuo immediately hesitated.
“Does this mean… even if I hide inside the Wanli Dragon and enter the void, this starlight can still kill me?”
In that instant, he had no confidence at all.
Seeing him hesitate, Sun Lingtong rushed forward, grabbed his arm, and tried to drag him into the Wanli Dragon.
But the next moment, Ning Zhuo sent a message through spiritual sense, explaining the ring’s warning and his suspicion.
Sun Lingtong froze.
On a distant mountain.
The cultivator squad that had previously been stationed at Blue Sky Mountain stared in shock at the falling starlight.
“What spell is that?”
“Who is attacking?!”
“Good thing we left early. Otherwise we would be the ones under attack!”
While shocked, they also felt fortunate.
Gao Cuo, however, felt a hollow unease in his heart. He immediately reported the feeling to Sword Elder.
“I want to go back and take a look!”
Sword Elder immediately rejected the idea.
“You must not!”
“The aura of this starlight is extremely restrained. You have greatly underestimated its power.”
“Even a hundred of you would not be able to withstand it.”
Gao Cuo’s heart skipped violently. “What?”
Sword Elder snorted. “Boy, you are still too young to see through it.”
“This attack carries the aura of the Dao. Though it is still a spell, it is clearly a divine ability ritual.”
“And more importantly, it contains an enormous amount of Liangzhu Kingdom’s national power!”
Gao Cuo’s expression changed drastically.
“What?!”
The range of military power only extends around the army itself.
But national power can exert its might across the entire territory of the kingdom.
In legal terms, Thousand Peaks Forest belonged to Liangzhu Kingdom.
Therefore, Liangzhu Kingdom’s national power could descend upon and ravage it!
At this moment, the threat of death enveloped Ning Zhuo.
Suddenly, Sun Lingtong released his grip and stopped caring about Ning Zhuo.
He immediately activated the Wanli Dragon and escaped into the void.
“Boss!” Ning Zhuo’s expression changed.
He knew Sun Lingtong intended to lure the attack away so that Ning Zhuo could escape.
However, although the Wanli Dragon left Ning Zhuo’s body, the starlight had already tainted him completely, causing streaks of star glow to scatter from his body.
“It’s useless.” In an instant, Sun Lingtong piloted the Wanli Dragon back.
His control was far superior to Ning Zhuo’s.
His face was pale as he transmitted through spiritual sense.
“Even after entering the void, the Wanli Dragon is still leaking starlight. It’s still locked on!”
“I have a terrifying feeling… this starlight can travel through the void as well!”
Even the void was not safe.
Ning Zhuo nearly forgot how to breathe.
Under immense pressure, his mind remained swift and calm like ice.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration appeared within his Sea of Consciousness.
He abruptly turned his head and looked toward the lake bottom of Blue Sky Pool.
More precisely, the location where the fully formed Void Crystal existed—the place only Sun Lingtong could see.
“Life… the only chance for survival!”
A powerful premonition rose in his heart.
And when he stepped toward the lake bottom, the Mechanical Ring on his finger suddenly stopped tightening and fell silent.
This tangible change instantly invigorated Ning Zhuo.
“Boss, let’s hide under that spot!” Ning Zhuo immediately entered the Wanli Dragon.
Their long-standing tacit understanding made Sun Lingtong follow the suggestion without hesitation.
They entered the lake bottom and hid beneath the Void Crystal cluster.
Almost at the same moment, the Starfall Heavenly Punishment struck the lake surface, piercing the water and reaching the lake bed.
The Void Crystal cluster collided with the descending star strike.
There was no explosion.
No blinding light.
No raging shockwave.
The star beam focused on the crystal surface, spreading into a spherical glow no brighter than a candle flame.
But Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo both turned pale.
Inside the Dragon Head Cabin, the alarms screamed wildly—sharper than ever before.
Only now, through the Wanli Dragon, could they perceive the terrifying power contained within the star beam.
“The power of water… this familiar aura… it’s Liangzhu Kingdom’s national power!” Ning Zhuo cried out.
His mouth went dry. His scalp tingled. His heart felt tightly gripped.
Crack… crack.
Their hearts skipped a beat as cracks began appearing across the crystal surface.
The fractures rapidly spread across the entire cluster.
If the crystal failed, their deaths would come instantly.
But the next moment, a bone appeared within the crystal.
A gray bone covered in vicious barbs radiated sinister power.
“That’s an Evil God Bone!” Sun Lingtong exclaimed.
“So that’s it! This must be the broken bone of a Void Evil God drifting through the void. One day it fell into Blue Sky Pool and became hidden inside this Void Crystal, causing these strange changes.”
Even Sun Lingtong’s talent could not normally perceive the bone.
But now, under pressure, the Evil God Bone revealed itself and unleashed tremendous power.
Layer upon layer of overlapping crystal shadows appeared around it, as if entire clusters of Void Crystals had suddenly multiplied.
Space began to violently distort.
“This is bad!” the two immediately controlled the Wanli Dragon to traverse the void.
Space fluctuations surged like a raging sea. Countless fragments of space slashed at the Wanli Dragon like a thousand blades.
The national power within the star strike exploded completely.
The starlight pierced through the layers of space and struck the Evil God Bone.
Countless rune-like symbols appeared on the bone, twisting like snakes and worms.
With only one glance, Ning Zhuo felt intense dizziness and quickly looked away.
But Sun Lingtong stared at them in fascination.
Although the Evil God Bone was mysterious, it was ultimately only a remnant bone.
More and more starlight penetrated it.
Crack.
A fissure opened in the bone.
Space twisted violently.
A dazzling marrow—like condensed starlight—flowed out from the crack.
The starlight suddenly flared with terrifying brilliance.
All the national power struck the marrow, but it was absorbed and dispersed by countless layers of space.
Only a few breaths passed, yet to Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo it felt like years.
All the Void Crystals were annihilated by the starlight.
The Evil God Bone melted like snow under sunlight.
Only the marrow remained, shining brilliantly like countless diamonds.
The Wanli Dragon was riddled with countless holes from the starlight.
Space continued to tremble violently. The two felt as if they were trapped in a tsunami.
The Wanli Dragon had become a broken ship on the verge of collapse.
If it broke apart, they would instantly be destroyed by the space turbulence or the starlight—without even a chance to scream.
The Mechanical Ring tightened to its limit, almost cutting into Ning Zhuo’s finger bones.
Sun Lingtong glanced back at Ning Zhuo and clenched his teeth.
“If I die it doesn’t matter… but Ning Zhuo cannot!”
“The marrow of a Void Evil God… this is my only chance.”
He had no confidence. He could only gamble.
Sun Lingtong stretched out his arm and activated a mark in his Sea of Consciousness.
The Empty Mark.
A miracle occurred.
Guided by the mark, the Evil God marrow suddenly shot into the Wanli Dragon and entered Sun Lingtong’s Sea of Consciousness, merging with the Empty Mark.
In an instant, Sun Lingtong’s eyes widened as if his head would explode.
The power of his theft techniques surged wildly.
With sudden inspiration, he used his theft technique to reinforce the entire Wanli Dragon and personally took control.
The Wanli Dragon seemed to come alive.
Within the chaotic void, it moved with incredible agility, swiftly escaping the starlight.
“B-Boss!” Ning Zhuo cried in shock and delight.
“You’re incredible!”
“How did you do it?!”
Sun Lingtong placed his hands on his hips and was about to burst into laughter.
But the moment he opened his mouth, a huge mouthful of blood sprayed out.
His eyes rolled back.
He collapsed unconscious on the spot.