Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery
Chapter 540 - 525: Cunning and Potent

"I am Chen He of the Qiyu Sect from the Nine Heavens Relics of Yue Country," he said.

The voice, weathered with time, sighed, "Now, with a thick face, I would like to ask a favor of you, young friend, to save Han. That boy is quite decent, and it would be a shame for him to die."

After speaking, a flicker of his Divine Sense transmitted a scene—the current state of the Formation Method where the Herbal Magical Fruit was located, and the changes in the surrounding formations after the Herbal Magical Fruit had been taken away years ago.

"Elder Chen He..."

Jiang Ding remained silent.

After a moment's thought, he extracted a memory from over a hundred years ago, when he was a youth. His Sea of Consciousness fluctuated for a moment as he emitted a breath of simulated essence.

This breath was old and heavy, with the overbearing fierceness of thunder.

It was an essence simulated from the text recorded on a memory slab from his past, which now greatly differed from the essence of this person.

While a favor could be granted, it had to be to the elder himself.

His descendants or Inheritance Disciples might also suffice.

"As I understand it, tens of thousands of years is a rather long time, isn't it?"

Jiang Ding asked.

"Young friend's discernment is flawless."

The voice, filled with a weary smile, said, "The Chen He of those days... I do not know under what circumstances, but somehow, I don't even know if I can consider myself Daoist Chen He, or just a fragment of a remaining soul that turned into something like a vengeful spirit."

"Perhaps I am not the same person."

He admitted frankly.

Although he had a fondness for Han, and his own physical body's fate was tied to the latter, if something was beyond his capabilities, he would naturally leave without guilt in his heart.

"Is that so?"

Jiang Ding pondered again.

Well then,

a minor affair, right or wrong, wouldn't make much difference.

"Elder, do you truly wish to save him?"

"They're just some Golden Pill Monks."

Jiang Ding asked once more.

He was very grateful to the elder from the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Sect, who helped him immensely by providing what was needed to save his mother when he was young and destitute.

Such gratitude was naturally not endless.

After this favor was done, it wouldn't mean an end to their kindness. With mutual regard, they could continue to interact as ordinary friends.

But in the future, he might help in times of difficulty or he might not, just as today's decision lay within his mood—no longer bound by a definite answer.

"Some Golden Pill Monks..."

The old voice chuckled bitterly.

He knew this was a great waste.

It was extremely rare to bestow favors upon such a prodigy of the Sword Dao, often only when the other was weak and vulnerable.

A favor, as time passed, became even more precious.

If one took a gamble, it might be worth a whole world in a few thousand years.

However, if one couldn't get past the present, with no hope of reclaiming a physical body, no future wealth would be of use.

"Please, young friend, help me this once."

"Okay."

Jiang Ding nodded. At the peak of his Golden Pill power, he unleashed his full mana and tore through space towards the original location.

...

On the battlefield,

Han Lin was enclosed by layers of formations, reduced to skin and bones, his energy so weak that it was nearly extinguished. Even the Ten Thousand Soul Banner that always protected him was knocked down by the Bronze Ge, falling to the ground and dimming in spiritual light.

"He really has no more tricks up his sleeve?"

"Well, surviving the pursuit of the Six Dao Saint is already quite commendable."

The ruddy-faced elder and the beautiful woman exchanged glances, each unleashing their mana, wielding the black coffin and the Bronze Ge Treasure towards the young man's body. Most of their attention, however, was on their own kin nearby.

"Just die!"

The ruddy-faced elder shouted, but then suddenly paused.

He saw that the young man in front of him relaxed his expression, showing no more despair or unease; his whole body loosened up.

He even started to meditate in place, hurriedly trying to restore his crumbling body and soul, ignoring his surroundings.

"Ah, this time I've taken a big loss. Han, you must become a great expert in the future..."

An aged voice tirelessly murmured in the Sea of Consciousness, sighing heavily.

"Playing tricks and posing as gods!"

The ruddy-faced old man and the beautiful woman sneered, their mana surged, and the speed of the Bronze Ge and black coffin increased even more.

They had lived for hundreds of years, what kind of person and what kind of battle had they not experienced? How could these petty tricks distract them?

Just as the black coffin and the Bronze Ge were about to smash the young man's body into a pulp.

An Azure Flying Sword appeared.

It slashed towards the two top-grade treasures,

an ordinary Basic Sword Control Skill's Sword Strike.

The foot-long blade, in front of the column-like Bronze Ge and black coffin treasure, seemed tiny as dust, almost negligible.

Boom!

A violent explosion.

The two top-grade treasures, each already refined with sixty-some Earth Evil Prohibitions, almost to the fullness of Earth Evil, were struck as if by lightning and sent flying, their spiritual light flickering unstably.

That tiny flying sword contained an unimaginable colossal force.

It was the mountain, the others were but dust.

"Who is it?!"

The two Golden Pill Peak cultivators were as if struck by lightning, their faces deathly pale, vomiting a mouthful of bright red blood in mid-air, their aura drastically decreased.

Looking again at the treasures,

The black coffin treasure, refined to nearly the ultimate potential of a treasure.

But now, there was a sword mark on the body of the coffin, with strands of the Sword Intent of Destruction seeping in along the mark, rampantly destroying everything within, forcing them to suppress it with a substantial amount of Divine Sense and mana, to delay the complete collapse of their Life Treasure.

They could only delay, not prevent!

This Sword Intent, even if not in its complete state, was too malicious.

"A Sword Cultivator?!"

"Sword Intent!"

Shivers ran through the ruddy-faced old man's body, as he recalled some terrifying memory, drawn by the aura of the Sword Intent, his gaze shifted toward a certain place.

The space was hazy, and as the Sword Intent erupted, a young man in green robes appeared in the sky, his eyes full of dissatisfaction, calculating something.

'This body is too weak, it cannot bear the full Sword Intent.'

'Nor can the flying sword.'

"This mana is not from a cultivator of the Great Sun Sword Sect!"

"Who are you?"

In such a short time, the ruddy-faced old man had already reacted, angrily saying, "This is Hei Clan territory, our ancestor is meditating quietly in the Immortal City. Have you considered the consequences of attacking a member of the Hei Clan's direct lineage?"

Without any further orders, the beautiful woman secretly sent out a call for help from the Hei Clan, using various methods to ensure it couldn't be intercepted.

For over two hundred years, they had lived through wars, their cooperation with each other was incredibly tacit.

Both were absolutely certain that upon receiving the call for help, the Beast Spirit Immortal City must send a large force to their aid, and if they just held out for some time, any Golden Pill would surely be blasted to death!

"Your combat prowess is not bad."

Jiang Ding did not answer their accusation but complimented instead.

While healing, Han Lin couldn't help but open his eyes and expand his Divine Sense.

"If you hand over this person and leave now, everything can still..."

The ruddy-faced old man was berating something, but his eyes showed terror.

A chill at his throat,

a line of blood appeared.

Then, two heads rolled to the ground as blood spurted skyward.

The figure of the young man in green robes collapsed and disappeared.

At the same time, another figure appeared beside the two, collecting a flying sword, taking the blood and corpses, and casting a spell to erase traces.

Han Lin felt a chill run down his spine.

He saw it clearly: a Sword-light concealed within the blade, seizing the moment when the two were focused on what was in front of them, the Sword-light broke through the barrier, circling around the necks of the two Golden Pill Peak cultivators. Before their Life Treasures could react, their heads fell to the ground.

"Han, learn something."

An old voice praised, "Being strong is one thing, but being so cunning is another."

"That's how those who seek immortality should be."

"The senior's teachings are correct."

Han Lin deeply agreed and silently took it to heart.