The evening wind suddenly rose.
The night sky ahead suddenly twisted, Spiritual Pressure crushing down, forcibly bringing the speeding Spiritual Ship to a halt.
The protective Array of the ship let out a wail, golden light flashing violently.
"All hands, prepare for battle!"
Zhao Li’s expression changed; he summoned his Magical Treasure and hurriedly transmitted a message for all disciples on the ship to be on guard.
Only to see, in the void a hundred zhang ahead, a figure was standing there at some unknown time.
That person was tightly wrapped from head to toe in dense black mist; even his figure’s outline could not be seen clearly, let alone his face.
But that oppressive might was no illusion... this person was at least Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer!
"Jie jie jie..."
He let out a weird laugh, his tone frivolous,
"This old man has been in seclusion for many years and happens to lack a shockingly gifted little girl as a disciple. Watching your trip to the Grotto Heaven, that girl’s body bears Spiritual Fire, truly an excellent choice. As for the rest of you, this old man will be magnanimous and spare your lives."
As the man in black mist said this, his hands did not stop for a moment from pounding against the Spiritual Ship’s Array.
After all, the status of this group within Lingyin Sect was extraordinary; the Spiritual Ship allocated by the sect was naturally a top-grade Magical Treasure, enough to block an ordinary Late Period Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Even though the cultivation of the black-mist man before them was profound, he would still find it hard to break the Array in a short time.
"A rat who hides his head and shows his tail!"
Zhiwei gave a cold snort; the Great Derivation Wind Thunder Sword Intent soared into the sky; even facing a Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer, she showed no fear at all.
Jin’er and Qing Jun also stood guard at their master’s side,
Though they were still tender in years, they had already been through many trials; facing this formidable enemy now, they still did not lose their composure.
Qing Jun set her little face in a stern line: "You pitch-black fellow, if you hand over the treasure, Qing Jun can still leave you a path to live!"
"Puchi..."
The man in black mist couldn’t help laughing, his voice growing ever more sinister and terrifying,
"Brat still wet behind the ears, already at death’s door and you still dare to wag your sharp little tongue! This old man wants to see how long this tortoise shell can protect you!"
As he finished speaking, the black mist roiled, and a pitch-black giant palm that blotted out the sky slapped toward the Spiritual Ship’s Array; cracks spread across the light curtain, which looked on the verge of collapse.
Cold sweat streamed down Zhao Li’s forehead. Just as he was about to risk his life in battle, he saw Chen Ye reach out and press a hand on his shoulder: "Do not be impatient."
"Instructor Chen, this is at least Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer... it may even be a Fake Pill Cultivator, like that Lord of Hunyuan City."
Zhao Li was puzzled. In his view, the most correct choice at this moment should be for him and Instructor Chen to step forward and block this man in black mist, then let the other disciples use the Spiritual Ship to flee for their lives.
Otherwise, the outcome would be that the entire group would be buried here.
That black-mist Cultivator said he only wanted Junior Sister Lin Jin.
But putting aside whether Instructor Chen would agree, the words of this kind of Tribulation Cultivator absolutely could not be trusted.
Zhao Li said anxiously, "Instructor! This is no time to cling to life in fear of death. On this ship, only you and I can barely hold him off; we must, while the Spiritual Ship is still intact, join forces to block this man!"
Cling to life in fear of death?
Hm...
This Zhao Li was truly someone unafraid of death, whereas he himself indeed did not wish to die, and therefore had long since made thorough preparations.
"What are you anxious for."
Chen Ye did not get angry; he watched that mass of black mist with narrowed, smiling eyes,
"I already said, the one who ought to come has arrived."
"Wh... what?"
Zhao Li was full of confusion. Could it be that the person Instructor Chen mentioned earlier was not this black-mist Cultivator?
Just as the man in black mist gave a cold snort and was about to completely crush the light curtain of the Spiritual Ship—
"Boom——!!!"
High above the Ninth Heaven, a peal of thunder suddenly exploded.
Dazzling lightning fell like the Milky Way pouring down from the heavens!
The sea of clouds within a radius of ten li was instantly evaporated by this vast might.
The true might of a Golden Core!
"Where did this blind wild dog come from, that it even dares to block a flying ship of Lingyin Sect?"
The void rippled outward like water.
A woman in a plain Taoist Robe stepped slowly out of the void.
Her expression was utterly calm, without a ripple; she merely cast a cold glance at the black-mist Cultivator.
"A... Golden Core True Man?!"
The figure within the black mist was scared out of his wits.
He had not expected that Lingyin Sect’s Golden Core True Man would not only personally come to receive them, but arrive so quickly!
Without any hesitation, the figure in the black mist forcibly pulled back the Spiritual Power pounding on the Array, braving the cost of his meridians’ flow reversing and being damaged, and turned into a streak of blood light, attempting to flee.
He absolutely could not expose his identity!
Once a Golden Core True Man of Lingyin Sect left a trace of his origin aura, that thin paper screen would be completely pierced through.
"Since you’ve come, at least leave a lesson behind before you go."
The Fourth Elder’s expression remained composed; she lifted her right hand and pressed down through the air.
"Boom!"
In the night sky, nine bolts of lightning were drawn down from the heights of heaven, sealing off all routes of retreat around the black-mist Cultivator, forming a prison of thunder that covered that streak of blood light.
Immediately after, a sky-supporting giant hand condensed from pure Spiritual Power lightly slapped down on the blood light.
"Pff—!"
The black-mist Cultivator coughed blood in midair, the black mist surrounding his figure collapsing over a large area, and he staggered in the sky.
But he did not dare look back; using the momentum of that palm, he burned his origin madly and vanished into the vast night in the blink of an eye.
The Fourth Elder stood silently in the void, looking in the direction in which he had fled, her brows slightly furrowed; she did not pursue any further.
She had always acted steady and mindful of the bigger picture.
That man in black mist must have some other great expert’s backup on him; otherwise, under her single palm, he would have had absolutely no hope of survival.
If she advanced to kill him, she indeed could have captured and slain this person.
But if someone took the opportunity to strike at the Lingyin Cultivators on the Spiritual Ship...
Furthermore.
In the Fourth Elder’s eyes, this black-mist Cultivator was no more than a Fake Pill Cultivator with no future, whereas among the disciples on this Spiritual Ship, there were several seedlings for the Golden Core; she absolutely could not, over something small, lose something great and commit a grievous mistake.
Withdrawing her Golden Core pressure, the Fourth Elder’s figure flickered slightly and she landed steadily on the deck of the flying ship.
And at her side, at some unknown point, a pretty girl had appeared.
The girl wore an exquisite brocade long dress of cloud patterns; she was not tall, petite and delicate, with charming features and bright eyes.