“Hehe, even if Brother Tang is willing to back down, we won’t stop until we get the Spirit Stones. Besides, the information about the Spirit Stones was obtained by me personally through soul-searching the cultivator who discovered them. Don’t even think of bluffing your way out!” The fat man sneered, his flabby flesh trembling with each word.
“So, it was you who ambushed Protector Li!” The gaunt elder was momentarily stunned before erupting in fury. With a flick of his hand, the blue mirror in his grasp unleashed several thick beams of light, striking directly at the enemy.
“What’s this? Fellow Daoist Tang no longer denies the matter of the Spirit Stones?” The fat man mocked, tapping the bowl before him. Instantly, the treasure spewed forth a vast expanse of yellow mist, absorbing all the incoming beams of light.
“Even if it’s true, so what? Who doesn’t know that top-grade Spirit Stones possess miraculous effects for breaking through bottlenecks? Why would we hand them over to you demonic cultivators? And with you attacking our peak so recklessly, aren’t you afraid the Star Palace will swoop in and reap the rewards?” The gaunt elder’s anger subsided as he quickly regained his composure.
“Star Palace? Do you think our sea clan is only targeting your Anti-Star Alliance? Let me tell you the truth—this time, our sea clan has mobilized all its elites. Not only must we obtain the top-grade Spirit Stones, but we’ll also reclaim all the spiritual mines on this island. The outer sea has always been our domain. For you human cultivators to think of dividing the island’s Spirit Stones is nothing but a pipe dream! Before, we were merely biding our time, waiting for our forces to gather!” The fat man raised his thick neck, his expression turning sinister.
At these words, Elder Tang’s face drastically changed.
As if to confirm the fat man’s claims, a distant roar echoed from the horizon beyond the stone peak. Soon, another wave of blue demonic mist rolled in, teeming with countless shadowy figures of demonic beasts.
“Hahaha! It seems the humans from Star Palace have been dealt with! Concentrating our forces to eliminate one side first was indeed the right move. Now, you have no chance of escape!” The fat man burst into maniacal laughter. The bowl before him erupted with radiant light, releasing a torrent of yellow mist that enveloped the elder below. Simultaneously, the two golden rings on his arms shot out, transforming into layers of illusions as they struck downward.
With reinforcements imminent, the demonic cultivator intensified his assault, determined not to let his opponent slip away.
The gaunt elder was both shocked and enraged, but for the moment, he couldn’t shake off his adversary.
The same was true for the other battlefields. All the transformed demonic beasts unleashed frenzied attacks without regard for their energy, filling the air with dazzling lights and thunderous booms.
The Anti-Star Alliance’s Nascent Soul cultivators found it impossible to break free and flee quickly.
Meanwhile, the second wave of demonic mist arrived in the blink of an eye, revealing the grotesque forms of the demonic beasts within.
Even the dullest among the Anti-Star Alliance now realized the dire situation. Someone shouted, “Retreat!”
Instantly, the low-level cultivators scattered in all directions, while the Nascent Soul elders in the air sought their own escape routes. Some fought defensively while retreating toward the edges of the stone peak; others launched desperate attacks, hoping to repel their foes and flee; still others, confident in their secret escape techniques, calmly engaged their opponents while scanning their surroundings.
Down below, Han Li’s initial intention to flee vanished the moment he heard the words “top-grade Spirit Stones.”
Though he had never seen a legendary top-grade Spirit Stone with his own eyes, he was well aware of its rumored miraculous effects from countless ancient texts.
Not only were these stones essential for setting up several legendary ancient formations in the human realm, but their ability to aid in breaking through cultivation bottlenecks made them irresistible to all cultivators. This benefit applied from Core Formation to Deity Transformation, though its efficacy diminished at higher stages. Even so, for cultivators in the current human realm, top-grade Spirit Stones remained an unattainable treasure.
Now that one had been mined here, it was no wonder the Anti-Star Alliance had consolidated its forces, and the demonic beasts had launched a long-distance assault, targeting both factions on the island. They likely suspected that if one top-grade Spirit Stone had appeared, there might be more.
Han Li took a deep breath, quickly piecing together the situation.
Faced with such a rare treasure, he had no intention of letting it slip away. A faint, unnameable fire flickered in his calm, clear eyes.
But the question remained—who currently held the top-grade Spirit Stone?
Logically, such a treasure would be entrusted to the highest-ranking and most authoritative figure—the gaunt elder. However, the elder might have employed a diversion tactic, secretly passing it to an inconspicuous low-level cultivator to smuggle out amidst the chaos.
Under these circumstances, even with his formidable abilities, Han Li couldn’t possibly capture every Anti-Star Alliance member with demonic cultivators watching closely.
Han Li’s brow furrowed briefly before smoothing out again.
The transformed demonic beasts were no less cunning than human cultivators. They had likely already considered this issue. Even if he didn’t intervene, the attacking beasts wouldn’t let any Anti-Star Alliance member escape. Once the Spirit Stone surfaced, he could simply seize it. Given his power, who among these demons and cultivators could stop him?
Having made up his mind, Han Li remained hidden in front of the pavilion, coldly observing the aerial battle.
As expected, two to three hundred demonic beasts of various shapes surged from the approaching mist, riding on multicolored demonic energy as they pursued the fleeing low-level cultivators.
Most were at the third or fourth level, but over a dozen were fifth-level or higher. Each cultivator was chased by several beasts of similar strength.
With such numbers, escape from the island seemed nearly impossible.
Meanwhile, the blue demonic mist reached the stone peak, merging with the existing fog. An overwhelming demonic aura erupted, and a golden flame shot forth.
In a flash of light, a demonic cultivator clad in golden armor appeared midair.
This creature had the head of a flood dragon and the body of a man, gripping a golden spear wreathed in silver lightning. The spear itself seemed alive with a slender electric serpent coiling around it, clearly no ordinary treasure. His golden armor, composed of countless scales, bore faint, shimmering runes, exuding an eerie demonic aura.
As soon as he appeared, his draconic eyes emitted piercing light, and an immense spiritual sense enveloped the entire stone peak.
The Nascent Soul cultivators still locked in combat below felt their hearts sink.
“Golden Flood Dragon King? Impossible! How dare you break the agreement and intervene personally?” The gaunt elder paled instantly, his voice trembling with disbelief.
This flood dragon demonic cultivator was a fully matured tenth-level beast.
“Why shouldn’t I intervene? For your human race to expect me to uphold the agreement, you must first prove yourselves worthy! It’s been three thousand years since your kind produced a Deity Transformation cultivator. And now, with top-grade Spirit Stones at stake, the old agreement is void!” The flood dragon’s voice was icy, his expression unreadable.
At that moment, two more demonic cultivators emerged from the mist—one with fiery red hair and jagged teeth, the other clad in black robes with a blue face and towering stature, looking somewhat familiar.
“Hmm? Isn’t that the turtle demon who was with the Poison Flood Dragon back then?” Hidden below, Han Li was startled by the golden flood dragon’s appearance, but the sight of the black-robed, blue-faced demon gave him pause. A look of recognition flashed across his face, followed by a grimace as he recalled Feng Xi, who had once hunted him relentlessly.
His expression darkened as he scanned the mist, but no other demons emerged.
Han Li frowned but refrained from recklessly probing with his spiritual sense or using his spiritual eyes.
After all, the spiritual sense of a tenth-level beast was formidable. While he could barely avoid detection under its sweep, actively releasing his own spiritual sense would undoubtedly expose him.
But with the “Golden Flood Dragon King” here, the Anti-Star Alliance’s fate seemed sealed. And if that turtle demon was allied with him, did that mean this flood dragon was connected to the Poison Flood Dragon from back then?
Han Li’s thoughts turned cold.
At the flood dragon’s words, panic spread among the cultivators on the stone peak. The gaunt elder in the air felt his heart plummet.
But as a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, he wasn’t about to surrender. With a shrill cry, the blue flying sword weaving through the demonic mist suddenly blazed with blinding white light before exploding with a deafening roar.
This ancient treasure’s self-destruction, forcibly triggered by Elder Tang, unleashed power beyond imagination. A colossal silver-white sphere of light erupted above the stone peak, dispersing the blue mist exhaled by the fat man and obliterating the golden rings’ phantom strikes.
The fat man recoiled in shock, desperately activating his bowl to shield himself with a curtain of yellow light as he retreated.
Seizing the opportunity, the gaunt elder flipped his hand, producing a purple silk handkerchief. Without hesitation, he tossed it forward.
The handkerchief transformed into a purple glow, enveloping him before shooting skyward as a violet streak.
In the blink of an eye, it had traversed over twenty zhang.
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