Rumble---
The lava from the mountains replaced the clouds floating in the sky as thunder rolled between the mountains and the earth. The light of the spiritual energies clashing lit up hundreds of miles of wilderness, alternating light and darkness.
On the only piece of flat ground left below, Hu Tianyue stood in front of Feng Yu Die and the two sisters, using her energy and magic talismans to protect them from the aftermath of the confrontation above. Her frown was very deep.
Such a sudden earthly veins surge was rare, like once in hundreds of years, but she did not have the energy to think about why the timing of this particular earthly veins surge was so coincidental, just like a help from the Heavens.
When Elder Tianxing encountered the surge of earthly veins, his strength was even close to that of a cultivator in the early stage of Deification . Logically speaking, it should be easy for him to kill that crazy kid.
But the truth was that Yun Kunwu was using extremely ingenious methods of converging spirits to successfully offset the heavenly and earthly spiritual energy commanded by Elder Tianxing every time. After dozens of collisions, he suffered only a few minor injuries.
Yun Kunwu's sword skills, the spiritual power condensed in his body, and his experience in fighting were all incredibly powerful.
If pushing the boundaries to deal with the enemy was a feat of a genius, Yun Kunwu would undoubtedly stand out in a group of geniuses.
Boom---
Hu Tianyue waved the huge gourd in her hand to block the effects of the fight in the sky above and then turned her head sideways to look at Feng Yu Die, who was now ducking behind her, with a helpless expression.
---Heavenly Spiritual Root, Holy Emperor's bloodline, Spring Spirit...
She had been thinking before that this girl, with so many natural endowments, was the most enviable youngster in the world today, but compared with Yun Kunwu, she was still a world behind.
"You three little ones, don't be afraid. Condense your energy to protect your body. Even eggshells are better than nothing."
"Ah... okay."
"Tsk..."
Yun Yiyi, seeming a little panicked, quickly used her spiritual power to protect her body as Hu Tianyue told them. Yun Jiujiu, on the other hand, watched the scene of the fight that was breaking the sky and felt frustrated. She smacked her tongue and released her spiritual power to form a shield around her as well.
Only Feng Yu Die still stood there, not moving at all. Even as the wind whipped her silver hair around, her golden eyes were fixed on the thunder and fire caused by the battle between Yun Kunwu and Tianxing above without even blinking.
Both Xiao Tian and Master Taixu had always told her when she was a child that, compared with cultivators of the same level, she would definitely be unrivaled and invincible. Those with a higher cultivation level than her were simply born decades or even hundreds of years earlier than her, so she didn't have to feel inferior to them.
But now, watching Yun Kunwu fight that Elder Tianxing, she couldn't help but wonder: if they had the same level of cultivation now, could she defeat Yun Kunwu?
Although she didn't want to admit it, the truth was, she couldn't.
Killing a Core Formation cultivator with her Foundation Building stage body was nothing compared to how easily Yun Kunwu used his early-stage Nascent Soul body to deal with a powerful cultivator approaching the stage of Deification .
Thunder---
The sound of energy exploding was deafening, and a wave of air hit them. Even Hu Tianyue almost couldn't stand still.
"Tsk... This doesn't give me a chance to go up at all." She smacked her tongue slightly, and seeing Feng Yu Die behind her still standing in the same place, she quickly shouted, "Miss Feng!! Miss Feng!!! Why are you standing there?! Hurry up! Protect your body!!"
"Ah, yes..."
Feng Yu Die came to her senses and quickly opened a spiritual shield. When she turned around, she found that Xiao Tian's figure, which had been floating beside her, was gradually becoming transparent.
"..."
Xiao Tian was oblivious to that. Sitting on her shoulder, her tiny golden eyes rapidly scanned left to right the contents of the Heavenly Dao Scroll in her hand.
"It's not... not this... not...This is it!!"
Seeming to have found something, she turned her head and said, "Yu Die, tell the Yun sisters to use their blood to activate the earth energy here. This Thousand Sword Pool has the Earth Astral Formation left by the late Immortal Yun Jian. It can change one's body and shape, and shift the five elements of the earth. It can be done with the blood of the Yun family."
"The cultivator named Tianxing is at a disadvantage. You can't interfere in their fight, but you can help from the sideline and manipulate the five elements in this place to Tianxing's advantage. The right time, the right place, and the right people must align. Now that the favored person is Yun Kunwu, you must help Tianxing get the right time and place. Understand?!"
And just as Xiao Tian finished saying this, her body suddenly floated up uncontrollably from Feng Yu Die's shoulder.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey! What's going on?!''
At the same time, the Heavenly Dao Scroll also suddenly left her hand and floated upward.
Seeing this, Feng Yu Die's eyes widened and she no longer cared about the other people around her. She quickly reached out to grab her. "Xiao Tian?!"
However, her hand simply passed through Xiao Tian, and in front of her eyes, Xiao Tian's figure became a little more ethereal, as if she would disappear the next moment.
Xiao Tian swayed her body in mid-air, desperately trying to drill downwards, but it was as if a huge suction was pulling her, and she couldn't resist at all.
After a short hesitation, she hastily used her sword finger to pull the Heavenly Dao Scroll back into her hand forcefully and then opened it to the first page.
However, when she saw the content on the first page, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Where the name of the owner of the Heavenly Dao Scroll was originally written, part of the three words "Feng Yu Die" had disappeared, leaving only "Die", while the rest was replaced by "Yun Kun".
"The scroll is changing its owner?"
Xiao Tian exclaimed, turning her head to look at Yun Kunwu, who was laughing as he fought Elder Tianxing in the sky.
The Heavenly Dao Scroll had always been supported by the Holy Emperor. Yun Kunwu was definitely not a descendant of the Holy Emperor, but if the name had changed, it meant that he had been recognized by the Heavenly Dao Scroll . In other words, the Scroll abandoned Feng Yu Die and switched to that guy.
"No, no, no, no!!!"
Xiao Tian anxiously shook her head and looked up at Yun Kunwu. When she saw him staring straight at her with a sneer, she immediately understood.
This was not because the Heavenly Dao Scroll recognized him, but because he went against the will of Heaven and forcibly snatched the scroll from Feng Yu Die.
How could this person be so defiant of Heaven's will?
Wasn't he afraid of an Immortal Thunderbolt destroying his soul?
Thunderbolt---
Thunder rumbled in the sky as if a True Immortal was angry. It was so shocking that even Tianxing's expression froze, and he squinted his eyes, looking up at the sky. "This is..."
The battered Yun Kunwu watched as Tianxing stopped, and despite looking a little disheveled, his expression remained as calm as before. "Looks like I accidentally made the True Immortals angry, heh... I guess that little one is some kind of heavenly thingie?"
"..."
Elder Tianxing did not reply. He glanced at Hu Tianyue below and once again mobilized the spirit of heaven and earth, charging to Yun Kunwu.
"Old man Tianxing, at your age, aren't you afraid of your body falling apart?"
"Evil creature!!!"
Boom---
... ...
At the same time, Xiao Tian, who was flying in the air, racked her brains and shouted downward, "Feng Yu Die! Quickly do as I told you and leave me for now! I know what to do!"
Feng Yu Die frowned slightly and immediately summoned her sword from the storage bag, stood up, and conveyed what Xiao Tian had said earlier to Yun Yiyi and Yun Jiujiu. "Jiujiu, this Thousand Sword Pool has an Earth Astral Formation left here by the late Immortal Yun Jian, which can change the form of the land and shift the five elements."
"What the fuck?!" Yun Jiujiu, who didn't understand, frowned. "Why the hell are you sitting down to condense your energy and protect your body?! Stand up, and let's fight..."
But Yun Yiyi immediately understood what she meant. Although she didn't know why Feng Yu Die knew that there was an Earth Astral Formation here, it wasn't the time to think about it right now. "Second sister! Help me control the Formation!"
"Ah?"
"Don't worry. Just follow my lead!"
Seeing this, Hu Tianyue, who was in the front protecting the three, did not intervene, but ordered, "Miss Feng! Sit down! Tsk..."
Halfway through her words, Hu Tianyue's voice was suddenly cut off. She glanced sideways, then quickly swung her sword vertically.
Ding---
Zhuang Yan, who was hiding nearby, waited for the right moment before suddenly flashing forward, sending Hu Tianyue flying from between the three of them with a blow from his magic tool.
"Damn you, Zhuang!"
"Elder Hu, didn't you tell me not to run away last time? Heh..."
Zhuang Yan, who only had one hand left, closed in on Hu Tianyue, yet his face remained calm as if he had concluded that the advantage was on his and Yun Kunwu's side.
Hu Tianyue had to block him, but she was worried about Yun Yiyi and the others. Without her, the fallout from the fight between the two men above would be enough to kill the three girls, and it seemed that this was what Zhuang Yan had come for.
But at this time, Feng Yu Die recalled what Ye Anping had said before. She pointed her finger between her eyebrows and said, "Old dragon, come out and help!!"
A golden aura engulfed her body, spreading in all directions, and a golden dragon manifested itself around her. Using its claws and body as a shield, the dragon curled into a huge golden mound, protecting the three people below within its body.
Yun Jiujiu was startled. "What the...?"
Feng Yu Die glanced back with a smile. "I said I can protect you! You guys continue!!"
With that, she looked up again at Xiao Tian who kept floating away upward, and she couldn't help but curse, "Young Master Ye!! What the hell are you doing? You should have expected it to be like this, right?! If this continues..."
These words fell on the ears of Yun Yiyi, who was standing aside. Although she was puzzled, she said nothing. She just reminded Yun Jiujiu, "Second sister, don't get distracted! Continue converging elements!!"
"Tsk... what the hell is going on!!!"
... ...
Meanwhile, Xiao Tian, who was already in the middle of the battle between Elder Tianxing and Yun Kunwu, could only watch helplessly as she and the Heavenly Dao Scroll flew toward Yun Kunwu, unable to do anything.
"I am the spirit of the artifact!! I don't agree!!!"
She made a sword finger and used her own particular spirit laws to forcefully break away from Yun Kunwu's control but with little success.
Since the Heaven-defying cause and effect could snatch the Heavenly Dao Scroll , it must be something she couldn't resist.
Xiao Tian bit her lip and looked down at the golden dragon that had come out to protect Feng Yu Die. In her heart, she even entertained the idea of destroying her own soul essence.
No matter what, the Scroll could not be allowed to fall into Yun Kunwu's hands. Once it fell into his hands, it would all be over.
But at this moment, one person came to her mind:
---Ye Anping.
He was also someone who could see her. When it came to heavenly destiny, he didn't lose to Feng Yu Die. And if Yun Kunwu could snatch the scroll, what about Ye Anping?
Could he snatch it back from Yun Kunwu?
What if Ye Anping's destiny was above Yun Kunwu's?
It was true that cultivators were divided into superior and inferior by their aptitudes. According to common sense, the destiny of a cultivator with heavenly spiritual roots would inevitably be greater than that of a cultivator with dual spiritual roots.
However, Ye Anping was the only cultivator in millions of years who only had a dual-spiritual root, yet he could also see the Heavenly Dao .
The destiny of a cultivator with dual spiritual roots should be above that of a cultivator with a heavenly spiritual root but with his body entrapped in a sword...
Speaking of this, the most powerful cultivators would probably just think of it as nonsense, but...
Xiao Tian took a deep breath, used her spiritual energy to amplify her voice, and shouted a hundred miles in all directions, "Master Ye!!! Stop it!! Now is not the time for you to play cool!!"
At the same time, she frowned and followed the Heavenly Dao Scroll that was still flying toward Yun Kunwu, then stared at the name on the first page.
"Whew..."
The next moment, a cold exhalation came into Xiao Tian's ears.
The aftermath of the initially vigorous fight seemed to have died down at this point, and the name "Yun Kunwu" on the first page of the Heavenly Dao Scroll turned into floating ash and scattered.
In its place appeared the name Xiao Tian was thinking about -- Ye Anping.
She laughed through her tears, feeling relieved. "Ye kid! I knew that you also have a heavenly destiny! Why don't you admit it?!"
In the next instant.
Boom---
A golden sword light flashed for hundreds of miles as if cutting through day and night and severed several mountain peaks in two.
Yun Kunwu, who was still at ease at first, seemed distracted for a moment and was directly struck in the chest by the golden sword light, then crashed heavily into the forest below.
He crashed just like a meteorite, stirring up winds and waves that rolled away the mountain rocks and left a huge volcano-like crater in the forest.
"Cough--"
He sat up hurriedly and looked up in disbelief at the little golden figure in the sky. He no longer held back his spiritual energy and roared viciously toward the sky.
"Who are you?!!!"
The soaring evil energy was like a dark nightmare, instantly coating the sky above the forbidden area with a layer of black mist.
Yun Kunwu's expression gradually turned ferocious. He felt that someone whose heavenly destiny far exceeded his own was hiding somewhere nearby and had not appeared from the beginning until now.
That was not someone with a higher level of cultivation than him, but someone who seemed to be able to defeat him in every situation, someone who could make him truly feel the taste of defeat.
He raised his pitch-black spirit sword and violently swung it at random.
The black sword light scattered in all directions, and wherever it swept, it was like yellow sand crossed some border and turned into dust.
"Come out!! Don't hide in the shadows, come out and fight with me!!! Ahahahaha -- come out, hey... unknown Senior! Or rather unknown Junior!!!"
The evil roar of a madman spread all over the place.
Hearing this, Zhuang Yan, who was fighting Hu Tianyue, couldn't help but look at him with worry. He knew that this was probably because the demonic pill had not been fully refined, and after he had withstood Tianxing's repeated all-out attacks, there were already signs of fragmentation. "No, the demonic pill can't hold on anymore... Tsk... Kunwu!! Calm down, don't get emotional!!"
"Zhuang Yan!!! How dare you look away? Eat my gourd!!"
Hu Tianyue took the opportunity to smash her wine gourd on his head, knocking Zhuang Yan straight into the ground.
Floating in mid-air with a tired face, Elder Tianxing looked at the black sword light dispersing in all directions without any sense, and he narrowed his eyes. It seemed that Yun Kunwu's mind was no longer focused on him but on someone unknown.
In fact, from the moment the earthly veins surged, Tianxing had a vague feeling that someone was secretly helping him.
If not, the timing of this earthly vein surge was really too coincidental.
"Hoo..." He let out a breath. "Whoever you are, thank you for your help."
Then, he made a sword finger with his hand, and the Yin Yang Spirit Sword pointed upward, causing the underground lava to surge up toward the sky, condensing into a fire beast that looked like a golden phoenix.
After noticing the heat that seemed to be scorching the mountains and forests, Yun Kunwu finally came to his senses and turned his attention from the unknown cultivator back to Elder Tianxing. "Eh?! Is this the rare artifact, the Earth Phoenix True Treasure ? This will cost you hundreds of years of cultivation, right? Old man Tianxing, are you really willing to give it up?"
"I have no chance to reach the Deification stage, so it's useless to stack so much cultivation. Why not use it today to get rid of you, the evil obstacle of the Yun family?! Back then, the Patriarch did not kill you because you are his own flesh and blood, but I will right this wrong of his today!!!"
"Ha... Then, bring it on!!" Yun Kunwu's eyes were determined as he waved his spirit sword to the side. "If you lose so much cultivation, it will take hundreds of years to recover. But if I'd lost this amount, it would only take me a few years to recover it. This is quite a bargain."
"You're too noisy!!"
The fire was raging to the sky, the earth was trembling, and the spiritual veins of earth scattered and crumbled, sweeping across the sky for hundreds of miles.
Inside the dragon's body, Yun Yiyi and Yun Jiujiu, who had finished condensing their energy, cut their wrists and spilled their blood on the ground.
"Jiujiu!! Converge the earth veins to assist Elder Tianxing."
"I know!!"
Two spiritual lights soared from the east and west, gathering on Tianxing's body, and he immediately channeled these two spiritual forces into his own true treasure.
Yun Kunwu widened his eyes slightly, and with his palms united, he pushed his spiritual sword toward the Earth Phoenix , blocking Elder Tianxing's true treasure in mid-air.
The two people's spiritual powers intertwined and collided, once again illuminating the entire mountain forest.
Everyone's vision was obscured by a burst of white light.
After the white light passed, the wind and the earth calmed and the spiritual energy waves ceased, leaving only the devastated mountain peaks and the proud golden dragon curled up on the top of a cliff.
Feng Yu Die checked the situation outside through the dragon's body. After a while, she breathed a sigh of relief, raised her eyebrows, and asked, "It's over?"
"Yu Die!!!" Xiao Tian flew down from the sky at full speed, grabbed Feng Yu Die's face, and asked, "Yun Kunwu escaped! Are you alright?"
Feng Yu Die nodded, then took a few steps forward, looked at the lifeless forest below the cliff, and bit her lips.
"Yeah..."