Cultivation: Immunity to Negative Effects

"Is that so?"

"That’s good, then!"

Everyone was a little surprised, but they didn’t doubt it. Their sympathy for the Cyan Cloud Sect and that Senior Brother Ning also lessened considerably.

They even felt a bit jealous that the Cyan Cloud Sect had so many talented people.

"Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s begin. First, let’s all share our most powerful abilities to make teamwork easier later on."

At this moment, the two newcomers also signed the Spirit Contract. Then, a middle-aged male cultivator with a steady demeanor spoke.

"Senior Brother Wen makes a good point. I’m a Water Cultivator. My best Secret Technique is the Water Dragon Technique, and I also have a Celestial Grade magical artifact, the Flying Divine Claw..."

"An Earth Element Cultivator, skilled in Escape Techniques..."

The cultivators nodded one after another and immediately began introducing themselves.

Of course, they certainly wouldn’t reveal their trump cards or hidden techniques.

For example, the Foundation Establishment Peak Cultivator who possessed puppets never revealed that aspect of his strength.

However, Zhang Chi knew that person was among the group and had already figured out who it was.

That person was, in fact, Senior Brother Wen.

This Senior Brother Wen appeared gentle, friendly, and composed on the surface, but he was actually the one hiding the most.

But unfortunately for him, Zhang Chi’s Divine Soul was comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator, so he had long ago noticed that the other man’s Divine Soul had the same fluctuations as those puppets.

Furthermore, Senior Brother Wen had already recalled his puppets and hidden them deep in the nearby desert. This might have fooled the other cultivators, but it couldn’t escape Zhang Chi’s powerful Divine Thought.

Additionally, when Zhang Chi had first appeared and claimed that he was merely skilled in Body Refining Cultivation, this Senior Brother Wen’s reaction had been the most fake. He had looked surprised on the surface, but in reality, his emotions barely fluctuated.

And with his powerful Divine Soul, Zhang Chi could easily perceive these details; he was absolutely certain he wasn’t mistaken.

By now, the group had quickly finished their introductions. Zhang Chi also stated his situation: he had powerful Body Refining strength, plus he had mastered several Perfect Fire Element Middle Grade Techniques.

As for Magical Artifacts, Zhang Chi mentioned throwing Bone Spears. With a wave of his hand, he produced eighteen white Bone Spears, each one an Upper Grade Peak Magical Artifact.

In reality, he had casually Refined these when he was bored, and these Bone Spears were perfectly suited for powerful Body Refining experts to use.

With these Bone Spears, he now had a ranged attack option, at least on the surface. He no longer had to worry about the "leader" of the group, Senior Brother Wen, assigning him to be a meat shield.

After all, the Fake Core Demon Beast was bound to be ferocious. Even though he was a Body Refining Cultivator, getting close would almost certainly be a death sentence.

And since Senior Brother Wen was the sinister individual who used puppets to block paths and launch sneak attacks, if Zhang Chi didn’t prepare, the man might very well set him up to be harmed.

Strictly speaking, such an arrangement wouldn’t even violate the terms of the Spirit Contract.

"Alright, let’s begin!"

The next moment, the group immediately sprang into action.

They first set up a special Array on the spot called the Five Elements Sword Array, which was provided by the cultivator from the Divine Sword Sect.

The main Array Deployment Tools for this formation were different from ordinary Arrays. Aside from a Five Elements Sword Array Map, it required twenty-five Top Grade Magical Artifact Flying Swords—a truly extravagant display.

Of course, even though the Divine Sword Sect cultivator possessed this Array Map and the Flying Swords, he normally couldn’t deploy such a Sword Array at will because his Divine Thought and Spiritual Power couldn’t support it.

Under normal circumstances, he could use five Flying Swords with the Array Map at most.

The Sword Array created that way was powerful, but it was nothing compared to one using twenty-five Flying Swords.

Of course, the only reason they could now deploy the twenty-five-Flying-Sword array was because of the other cultivators present lending their support.

Once the Sword Array was complete, the group’s confidence soared. A young cultivator in yellow robes then took a deep breath and flew towards the Oasis alone. He stopped before getting too close and began to form hand seals.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Immediately, a large number of rocks appeared in the sky, whistling down towards the edge of the Oasis.

ROAR!

A sudden roar erupted from the Oasis, and a red Demon Beast—a giant scorpion over thirty zhang long—shot out like a bolt of lightning.

The giant scorpion radiated a suffocating, tyrannical pressure. Its carapace gleamed with a metallic luster, and its surface was wreathed in flames that strangely didn’t ignite the surrounding vegetation.

The giant scorpion opened its mouth and spat a blast of scorching crimson flame, instantly incinerating the rocks to ash.

Then, it spat another stream of fire at the yellow-robed cultivator.

Just as the yellow-robed cultivator was about to be hit, his entire body seemed to melt away and vanish on the spot. He had used the Earth Escape Technique to flee frantically beneath the desert sand.

The giant scorpion roared and gave chase relentlessly. Not only was it incredibly fast, but it also used its long tail during the pursuit, stabbing deep into the ground with lightning speed as if it were one of its Blades.

The yellow-robed cultivator’s Escape Technique was superb, allowing him to dodge with great agility. Behind him, giant sand figures over ten zhang tall rose from the desert to act as a defense.

But these sand figures were no match for it; the giant scorpion ignored them and effortlessly smashed them to pieces.

PUFF!

Then, the yellow-robed cultivator was struck by the scorpion’s tail, forcing him to reappear as he wretchedly coughed up blood.

Fortunately, he was prepared. He had many Defense Talismans on his body and had fully activated his defensive Magical Artifact.

Otherwise, that single blow would have been fatal.

But even though he wasn’t dead, the Talismans and his Defensive Magical Artifact were pierced through and completely destroyed by that one strike.

At the same time, the yellow-robed cultivator seemed to have lost his ability to fight. The giant scorpion struck again with its long tail, aiming for a vicious kill.

However, in the nick of time, a silver Flying Claw suddenly appeared, grabbed the yellow-robed cultivator, and yanked him into the distance.

This pull allowed him to evade the strike by a hair’s breadth.

BOOM!

A sonic boom rang out at the same time as a white Bone Spear shot toward the giant scorpion’s head like a lightning bolt.

The giant scorpion had intended to continue its attack on the yellow-robed cultivator, but seeing this, it immediately met the white Bone Spear with its tail.

BANG!

But the moment they collided, the Bone Spear suddenly exploded, causing the giant scorpion to roar in fury.

The next instant, more Bone Spears flew in from the distance, one after another. They were just as swift and would explode on contact.

For a moment, the giant scorpion’s advance was halted.

But after one volley, the giant scorpion was largely unharmed. Its Protective Demonic Power hadn’t even been truly broken, and its body was completely without a scratch.

Nevertheless, the giant scorpion was successfully enraged and immediately charged in the direction the Bone Spears had come from.

There stood a tall sand dune, and atop it was a tall, imposing, masked cultivator holding a Bone Spear—evidently Zhang Chi.

It turned out his Bone Spears could not only be thrown but could also explode, which made them far more destructive.

It was just an incredibly extravagant way to use them.

After all, an Upper Grade magical artifact cost at least two or three thousand Spirit Stones, to say nothing of an Upper Grade Peak Magical Artifact.

In this one volley, Zhang Chi had used up twelve Bone Spears, the equivalent of tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

Fortunately, Zhang Chi himself was an Artifact Refiner and could greatly reduce the cost. Moreover, this attack was certain to yield an even greater reward, so the expenditure was acceptable.

"Nice!"

The other cultivators, who were using Secret Techniques to hide in the sand, couldn’t help but cheer silently at the sight.

They had originally felt that Zhang Chi was somewhat unqualified as a teammate.

Zhang Chi’s Bone Spears, in particular, were merely Upper Grade magical artifacts, which seemed a bit shabby compared to their own equipment.

After all, they all had Top Grade Magical Artifacts, and many even had so-called Celestial Grade magical artifacts.

When Zhang Chi had previously offered to help draw its fire, they had been a little worried and had even prepared to intervene and save the situation.

But now, their eyes lit up, and they couldn’t help but see Zhang Chi in a new light.

They clearly hadn’t expected the Bone Spears to explode, nor had they expected Zhang Chi to be so willing to sacrifice them, detonating them without a moment’s hesitation.

And now, the Demon Beast closed the distance in the blink of an eye, yet Zhang Chi stood firm, unmoving.

"Now!"

The next instant, just as the Demon Beast was about to attack, the lurking cultivators suddenly revealed themselves and shouted in unison.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

At the same time, twenty-five Top Grade Flying Swords and a scroll-like Array Map appeared in the sky.

A multitude of dazzling, sharp Sword Lights quickly linked together, forming a profound and powerful Sword Array that trapped the giant scorpion within.

ROAR!

The giant scorpion roared in fury, finally realizing it had fallen into a trap.

It continuously spat fire and attacked with its tail and its claws and fangs, but for the moment, it was completely unable to break free.

Phew!

Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, Zhang Chi included.

Apparently, though he had appeared calm, he had actually been very nervous.

’If it weren’t for this Sword Array, once the giant scorpion got close, my only options would have been to use the Blood Escape Technique or my Ancient Treasure Wood Carving.’

’This Sword Array is pretty good. I should get a set for myself when I have the chance. Besides, I’m not just an Array Master; I also have a powerful Divine Thought and a decent Sword Control Technique. I should be able to control multiple Flying Swords at once to set up an array!’

Zhang Chi watched the Sword Array, his heart stirring with temptation.

At the same time, he rubbed his slightly sore shoulder, then picked up his remaining Bone Spears and began to throw them continuously.

This time, however, he seemed to be slacking off, as he didn’t make the remaining Bone Spears explode.

The others didn’t pay it any mind, assuming he was exhausted and unwilling to sacrifice his remaining Bone Spears.

More importantly, his task of luring the beast was already complete.

Right now, five Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators were channeling power into the Flying Swords, five swords each. The Foundation Establishment Peak cultivator from the Divine Sword Sect was focused solely on controlling the Array Map.

The two Female Cultivators were standing outside the array, holding two Talisman Treasures and pouring all their Magical Power into them.

One of them was the person who had used the silver Flying Claw to save the yellow-robed cultivator at the critical moment.

The yellow-robed cultivator, meanwhile, swallowed a handful of Healing Elixirs. Only then did he regain some mobility. He walked over to Zhang Chi and plopped down beside him.

This was the top of the sand dune, a high vantage point with a clear view of the entire battle.

"Junior Brother, thank you for before," the yellow-robed cultivator said weakly.

The two were not from the same sect, but they were both cultivators from top-tier Immortal Sects, so addressing each other as senior and junior brother was normal.

"You’re too kind. It was that Senior Sister who saved you. And even without me, someone else would have stepped in," Zhang Chi said humbly.

"It’s not the same. She did indeed save me, but without you, that giant scorpion would have chased me relentlessly. And while others might have acted, in the end, you were the one who actually did," the yellow-robed cultivator said, shaking his head.

"Alright."

Zhang Chi felt it wasn’t worth mentioning.

After all, they were just dividing the labor and cooperating.

But since the other man insisted, he couldn’t be bothered to be polite about it any longer.

"By the way, be careful of that Senior Brother Wen. Also, don’t let him know I warned you, and don’t let him know you’re on guard against him." The yellow-robed cultivator didn’t speak again, but he had actually sent this message privately via voice transmission.

"Understood. Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother."

Zhang Chi was startled for a moment, then replied with his own voice transmission.

"Mm."

The yellow-robed senior brother nodded. Seeing that Zhang Chi wasn’t in the mood to talk, he fell completely silent and began to watch the battle intently.

Zhang Chi did the same. He soon discovered that even though the Sword Array was extremely destructive, it could only temporarily suppress the giant scorpion, inflicting only superficial wounds. It was unable to truly kill it.

In fact, under the giant scorpion’s frenzied counterattack, the Sword Array was already showing signs of collapsing.

Sweat beaded on the foreheads of the six Foundation Establishment Peak cultivators, and they all looked to be under immense strain.