Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

"ROAR!"

Another furious roar echoed. From the surrounding darkness, dozens more Magical Beasts surged forward. There were fewer this time, but everyone’s expression grew grim.

The three young Sword Sect masters from the Jingwu Family hadn’t made a move, simply standing by with calm expressions as if watching a show. Even when the Li Family slaughtered the men from the Gou Family, they had watched with cold indifference, showing no intention of mediating or helping either side.

But upon hearing this latest wave of roars, the three’s faces changed in unison. They exchanged a glance, then looked up into the endless void above. The leading young man barked, "Let’s go!"

With that, the three of them ascended, not a hint of hesitation in their movements. It was clear the young leader had a boundless future ahead of him. He knew when to act and when to fold, never one to get bogged down. Staying behind might have yielded some benefits, because the power of their family was so great that neither the Qin Family nor any other family or sect would dare to defy them. No matter what treasures were discovered here, as long as the three of them were present, they were guaranteed a share.

But now, danger lurked on all sides. Everyone could feel the endless killing intent in the air. Even the weakest disciple from the Gu Family found the atmosphere increasingly grim and terrifying. If he could fly, he would have fled long ago instead of remaining here, his heart in agony.

The departure of the three young men made the four Sword Sect powerhouses from the Tianshan Sun Family lose their nerve to stay. They exchanged a look, then shot up into the air and away.

Those who remained were all set on the treasures here. They threw all their strength into resisting the Magical Beasts, and no one chose to leave. The beasts were powerful, but so many Sword Emperor Powerhouses were not to be trifled with.

Even a Tier Seven Magical Beast wouldn’t last long against so many Sword Emperors before being hacked to pieces.

This was perhaps the largest joint Magical Beast hunt involving High-tier Martial Artists in history. Ordinarily, no family would dispatch so many Sword Emperors to hunt Magical Beasts unless they were Tier Seven, Tier Eight, or higher. To do otherwise... would be an insult to the dignity of a Sword Emperor Powerhouse!

Song Mingyue watched as the powerhouses of the Li Family annihilated all the members of the Gou Family in one fell swoop, and she was bursting with joy. It was simple: the Dragon Valley Gou Family’s greatest enemy should have been Ling Xiao. It was Ling Xiao’s subordinate, Tiger, who had torn Gou You in half with his bare hands. That grisly method of killing was unforgettable to anyone who had witnessed it. Moreover, Ling Xiao had also taken a precious sword from Gou You, which was now with Ye Zi. In terms of quality, it was nearly on par with the Demon Blood Sword!

’I can’t believe the Li Family has taken on this grudge,’ Song Mingyue thought. ’From now on, the Dragon Valley Gou Family and the Western Li Family will likely be locked in a death feud! That’s one less major enemy for Ling Xiao. How could I not be happy?’

As Song Mingyue pondered this, her gaze shifted to the group from the Yanzhao Yu Family. ’They only have one Middle-Tier Sword Emperor, and the rest are all at the Sword Sect level,’ she mused. ’Why don’t some Magical Beasts show up and eat them all? That way, my husband would have one less enemy family to worry about! Oh, right, and the Zhe Family, too!’

Just then, the three young Sword Sect masters from the Jingwu Family and the four from the Tianshan Sun Family, who had just flown up, descended again at extreme speed. Someone even shouted, "Get back! Something heavy is falling!"

In truth, they didn’t need the warning. The Sword Emperors in the chaotic battle had already sensed it and scrambled out of the way. Then they saw countless massive boulders... CRASHING down! In just a moment, the entire cave entrance was sealed shut.

"BOOM... BOOM... BOOM!" The sound of compacting continued from above. No one knew where so many boulders had come from, but they had completely sealed the entrance. Countless Golden Statues and Magic Beast Crystal Cores were buried inside, now completely irretrievable.

The Gu Family disciple, who had been dragged away by Ling Xiao, was still in shock and muttered to himself, "Damn, is this meteor shower also part of the Mechanical Skill? It’s incredible, simply incredible! I actually got to witness such a legendary Mechanical Skill today! Haha, from now on, I’ll be the most outstanding Mechanical Master of the Gu Family’s younger generation!"

Ling Xiao, however, paid no attention to the Gu Family disciple. He had only pulled him away to prevent him from being crushed to death. At that moment, Ling Xiao was positioned directly beneath where the giant net had been!

SWOOSH! The giant net unfurled once more, casting itself down upon the few people below!

A cold smile touched Ling Xiao’s lips. He took out the Urgently Cold Treasure Cauldron, sent it upward, and roared in his mind, ’Grow!’

The Urgently Cold Treasure Cauldron suddenly expanded, growing to be dozens of meters wide! It completely enveloped the giant net. The cauldron’s mouth then sealed, and with a flick of Ling Xiao’s hand signs, the Urgently Cold Treasure Cauldron shrank rapidly and was stored back in his ring.

At the same time, because Ling Xiao had refined it several times, the Urgently Cold Treasure Cauldron was connected to his mind. The moment it happened, Ling Xiao felt a heavy blow to his heart, as if someone had smashed it with a sledgehammer. His face turned pale, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood!

The instant he captured the net, Ling Xiao had unleashed a powerful Spiritual Barrier, isolating the area several dozen meters around him. He had pushed his "Steel-Forged Will" to its absolute limit, so no one realized that the giant net, capable of easily killing a Sword Emperor, had just been collected by someone.

Ling Xiao had just overdrawn his Spiritual Power, not expecting the net to continue struggling so fiercely even after being taken into the Urgently Cold Cauldron, striking back at him like that.

Beside him, Song Mingyue and Shangguan Yutong sensed something was wrong with Ling Xiao. In the darkness, they couldn’t tell what had happened. With her level of strength, Song Mingyue could only vaguely make out the general scene. She had seen the cauldron suddenly grow immense and the giant net vanish, leaving her astonished. She quickly took an Elixir from her robes, ready to give it to Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao, his eyes a little dim, waved his hand and gave a bitter smile. ’Looks like this net... is quite difficult to subdue. It has a spirit? Hmph, even if it has a spirit, I’ll just erase it!’

This net was different from the Demon Blood Red Lotus Sword. While the Demon Blood Sword also had a spirit, it had willingly acknowledged him as its master. When a Spiritual Artifact acknowledges a master, it is different from a person surrendering. A person can betray their new master, but a Spiritual Artifact will never serve another unless its owner dies, or it is taken by someone far more powerful who can forcibly erase the original owner’s Divine Sense and refine it for themselves.

Blood trickled from the corner of Ling Xiao’s mouth. He wiped it away with his hand as the Golden Core inside him rapidly repaired his injuries. Meanwhile, the giant net thrashed wildly within the Urgently Cold Cauldron, continuously inflicting new wounds inside Ling Xiao’s body.

And so it went: healing, damage... then healing, then damage again! The one hundred and eight acupoints in Ling Xiao’s body were already exceptionally clear, but under the net’s relentless assault, his meridians were unintentionally widened even further.

The benefit of a Golden Core was that as long as a single breath remained, there was a chance to live. Even if one’s heart was shattered, it could be reformed in a short time!

That was why some described the Golden Core Stage with the term "Golden Core Path"—to a certain extent, one possessed an immortal and indestructible body!

Right there, Ling Xiao fell into a strange state of cultivation. His six senses were active, but he could not speak or move. Song Mingyue and Shangguan Yutong noticed something was amiss and stood guard beside him with their swords drawn.

The Urgently Cold Cauldron, long since refined by Ling Xiao, had also developed a faint spirit of its own. Seeing its master injured, it grew furious. The cauldron began to spin wildly inside Ling Xiao’s ring. At the same time, the Demon Blood Sword, also in the ring, erupted with a powerful aura. A magnificent white light, threaded with wisps of red, enveloped the Urgently Cold Cauldron, and the body of the sword pressed down hard upon it.

The two magical artifacts had joined forces to suppress the giant net!

Ling Xiao finally felt much better. He took Song Mingyue and Shangguan Yutong by the hand and plunged straight into the depths of the darkness. The Gu Family disciple froze for a moment, then shouted, "Wait for me! Don’t leave me behind!"

In the other direction, a massive tide of Puppet Magical Beasts was surging toward them. Even the Sword Emperor Powerhouses’ faces changed as they cursed and fled in disarray.

A single Tier Seven Magical Beast is no match for a Sword Emperor, but what about a thousand of them? (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, supporting the author and official reading!)