I Shall Be Everlasting In the World of Immortals
Chapter 439: Shocking the Eastern Region, Beast King Valley Routed

Chapter 439: Shocking the Eastern Region, Beast King Valley Routed

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Above the clouds, Beast King Valley’s Grand Elder calmly suppressed the combined efforts of Zhang Tianfeng and Xia Wenyue.

His serene gaze met that of Sect Master Meng from afar. With a subtle exchange of looks, Sect Master Meng nodded solemnly and secretly transmitted an order.

Puff!

The Grand Elder withdrew his gaze, and a small blood hole opened in his outstretched palm. From within it wriggled out a thumb-sized, plump, tender-white mysterious silkworm.

Unlike ordinary silkworms, this one had two peculiar antennae on its head.

At the same time, in the Grand Elder's other hand, a blood-colored pill emitting a strange odor appeared.

The tender-white mysterious Heavenly Silkworm sniffed the pill, hesitated slightly, then opened its mouth and swallowed the blood pill whole before burrowing back into the Grand Elder’s body.

Similar scenes unfolded across various corners of the demonic battlefield.

Those high-level beast tamers took out blood-colored pills of different grades, feeding them to their third-rank and above spirit pets and even fourth-rank Demon Kings.

Oom! Roar!

On Beast King Valley’s side, all high-level war beasts had their pupils turn blood-red, bursting forth with an overwhelming aura of bloodthirsty killing intent.

In an instant, the battle strength of all third-rank and above spirit beasts under Beast King Valley surged, each rising nearly a minor realm in power.

"Not good!"

The senior Nascent Soul cultivators of the Righteous Dao Alliance, including Chu Tianfeng, instantly sensed the shift in the situation.

The suddenly strengthened war beasts above third rank had a clear and devastating impact on the battlefield below.

"Ahhhh—!"

Many Core Formation cultivators of the Righteous Dao Alliance were caught off-guard. At best, they were heavily pressured and forced back step by step; at worst, they were wounded or even killed on the spot.

Several massive fourth-rank Demon Kings erupted with bloodthirsty fury, becoming even more destructive, causing heavy casualties among the cultivators maintaining the "Hunter King Formation," making the formation itself totter on the brink of collapse.

If not for the support of the Heaven-Shaking Drum provided by Ten Xuan Sects, which suppressed the Beast King Valley's war beasts' combat strength, this sudden explosion of power would have been even more disastrous.

"Beast King Valley actually refined so many 'Blood Fiend Beast God Pills'! Moreover, the side effects seem to have been reduced, the war beasts have retained much more of their intelligence!"

Several senior cultivators overseeing battlefield command gasped sharply.

The Blood Fiend Beast God Pill had appeared before in previous Demonic wars.

However, it had always been considered a niche item, with significant side effects on spirit beasts and its refinement required the blood essence of many high-tier demon beasts and extremely rare materials.

In the past, even Beast King Valley’s high-ranking cultivators had only used them occasionally.

But today, the Blood Fiend Beast God Pills had appeared in large quantities, enough for numerous third-rank and above war beasts to consume at once, it was a development far beyond expectations.

Such a mass production of Blood Fiend Beast God Pills must have cost an enormous price, depleting much of Beast King Valley’s foundation.

At the same time, it showed Beast King Valley’s resolution, today’s grand battle was meant to settle the outcome once and for all.

...

Outside the city battlefield.

Zhao Tan’er, who had arrived as reinforcements, had her once spotless green robe stained with blood, several parts torn.

Her opponent was a red-haired man, a late Core Formation cultivator, who had a third-rank spirit bird.

Originally, Zhao Tan'er could barely hold her ground, but after her opponent’s spirit pet had its strength suddenly boosted, she was forced into a dangerous retreat, barely managing to defend herself.

"Hahaha! Fairy Zhao, why struggle in vain? This Immortal pities beauty and tender flesh. If Fairy Zhao is willing to kneel and surrender..."

The red-haired man laughed wildly after gaining the upper hand, launching a psychological attack with mocking words.

Zhao Tan’er’s delicate face turned slightly pale; she gritted her teeth to hold on, but deep in her eyes, a trace of worry surfaced.

She wasn’t overly concerned for her own safety, she had life-preserving means at her disposal.

"Uncle Lan... where are you now? Have you been injured?"

Previously, at the frontline stronghold, Zhao Tan'er had seen Lan Chang'an, Fairy Xia, and Lord Earthrock battling Beast King Valley’s Grand Elder.

Later, True Monarch Cyanwood had attempted an interception.

By the time she rushed to the frontline battlefield, all she saw was Beast King Valley’s Grand Elder having arrived to reinforce the frontal battlefield.

"Uncle Lan… Did you leave the Righteous Dao Alliance and flee far from this region of the cultivation world ravaged by the Demonic faction?"

Zhao Tan’er whispered in her heart, believing that Uncle Lan wouldn’t foolishly fight strong enemies head-on, he would surely find an opportunity to slip away.

Boom—!

An earth-shattering explosion rang out, accompanied by the cracking of the city walls.

The central immortal city was now under assault by two fourth-rank Demon Kings radiating a towering bloodthirsty aura.

The fourth-rank grand formation was torn open, and a section of the city wall was struck by a Demon King’s massive claws, shattering on a large scale.

The fourth-rank grand formation released streaks of thunder upon the Demon Kings, but the blood-fiend aura shielded much of the impact, leaving only scorched marks.

"Hold them off!"

"Protect the Heaven-Shaking Drum!"

The situation was critical, if the immortal city housing the Heaven-Shaking Drum was conquered, the entire frontline of the Righteous Dao Alliance would collapse.

The impact was not limited to the ground battlefield, even the Nascent Soul battlefield above the clouds had begun tilting.

...

The two quasi-fourth-rank demon beasts, after consuming the Blood Fiend Beast God Pills had their combat power surge, essentially reaching the threshold of true fourth-rank demon kings.

Among them, one bloodthirsty and berserk giant crab turned into a blurred afterimage, charging straight at the Sect Master of the Xuan Yin Sect, Liang Shaotian.

Liang Shaotian, with his head full of white hair, wore the master’s robe of the Xuan Yin Sect, surrounded by deep, frigid black demonic flames, his gaze profound and detached.

Seeing the berserk giant crab whose might rivaled that of a fourth-rank beast, Liang Shaotian’s expression couldn’t help but change.

"Sect Master Liang! You suppressed me so hard before. Now it’s your turn to have a taste of suffering."

His opponent, a burly man clad in a purple python-embroidered robe, was none other than "True Monarch Guo," a Nascent Soul cultivator from one of Beast King Valley’s affiliated forces who had appeared during the previous battle at Yuanliu Immortal City.

True Monarch Guo grinned savagely, his eyes full of malice, as his Nascent Soul mana burst forth.

Bang!

The enormous purple-gold dragon-carved stick in his hand swept out a flurry of purple dragon shadows, smashing apart the Black Dipper Demonic Flame surrounding Liang Shaotian.

Facing two opponents alone, Liang Shaotian’s expression grew heavy.

He had no choice but to recall the Black Dipper Demonic Flame protecting him, instead, he drove a mottled ancient sword shrouded in demonic qi to block the berserk crab’s close-quarter assault.

Although suppressed, Liang Shaotian could still hold out for a while.

Meanwhile, the other berserk quasi-fourth-rank beast charged at Golden Moon True Monarch of the Proud Moon Palace.

Already besieged by the overwhelming swarm of "flying locusts," True Monarch Golden Moon had been struggling against the Nascent Soul old woman from Beast King Valley’s camp.

"Alliance Leader Chu! I can’t hold on much longer,,,"

Now beset by two enemies, True Monarch Golden Moon was on the verge of collapse. She burned her blood essence without hesitation, sacrificing her vitality to summon her innate true fire, burning away swaths of the flying locusts.

Even so, the berserk quasi-fourth-rank beast’s rampaging assault caused her figure to stagger, her complexion turning bloodless, her appearance battered and disheveled.

Tsshh!

A bloody claw wound tore through her once-glorious golden robe, slicing her snowy white skin, so deep that the bone was visible.

Yet none of the Nascent Soul cultivators on their side could spare a hand to assist her, each was struggling against their own powerful foes, under immense pressure.

"Turtle Lan..."

True Monarch Golden Moon’s phoenix eyes grew icy, tinged with blood-red veins, and her heart swelled with resentment toward Lan Changqing.

Before the battle, Lan Chang'an had promised to pin down a mid-stage Nascent Soul from Beast King Valley.

If he had really done so, even with the unforeseen changes, their side wouldn't have fallen into such a desperate situation.

The threat was not limited to the two berserk quasi-fourth-rank beasts.

Beast King Valley’s Grand Elder, after feeding his innate Heavenly Silkworm with the Blood Fiend Beast God Pill, had seen his mana and magical abilities grow by thirty percent.

"Having paid such a heavy price, it’s time to end this battle."

The Grand Elder muttered softly, his calm pupils reflecting a bizarre blood light.

The spiritual pressure of a peak mid-stage Nascent Soul erupted to its limit, oppressing all other Nascent Soul True Monarchs on the battlefield.

Above his head, the mana cloud ring spanning two li was now tinged entirely with blood-colored evil aura.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The Grand Elder spread his arms wide. Dozens of blood-colored, semi-transparent crystalline silk threads emanated from him, flickering dangerously as they shuttled through the void, strange and unpredictable.

"Fairy Xia, be careful!"

Zhang Tianfeng’s face darkened. Controlling his magical treasure, he moved to block most of the blood-colored crystalline silks.

Ding, ding, ding—

The enlarged golden sword magical treasure guarding him was struck repeatedly, its spiritual light rapidly dimming.

Yet, despite his defense the protective shield around him was pierced by two crystalline silk threads, leaving gaping holes.

Zhang Tianfeng’s heart chilled. His robe was torn, and where the silk brushed his body, a layer of metallic luster quickly coated the spot as sparks flew by.

If not for the remnant spiritual treasure he carried having consciousness and instinctively protecting him, he might have been severely injured.

Around Fairy Xia, snowflakes whirled. Seven-fold Ice Crystal Lotuses spun protectively, blooming with azure light as they flexibly blocked the incoming crystalline silk threads.

However, the Grand Elder’s boosted mana and divine powers made those blood-stained crystalline silks nearly overpower the defense of the Ice Crystal Lotuses.

Boom!

The giant compass treasure floating above Zhang Tianfeng and Xia Wenyue’s heads, the one which had condensed an invisible spatial vortex, suddenly unleashed a massive fan-shaped ripple, containing a terrifying force field that swept across their area.

Bang! Bang!

Zhang Tianfeng and Xia Wenyue were blasted backward, their protective light shields shattered.

Fairy Xia groaned softly, her snowy, peerlessly beautiful face instantly turning pale, with blood seeping from the corner of her lips.

The surrounding Ice Crystal Lotuses dimmed, trembling violently, almost falling apart.

Whoosh!

A stealthy, ghost-like gray-white silk thread emerged from the void, wrapping itself tightly around Fairy Xia’s delicate ankle.

"Not good!"

Fairy Xia’s heart rang with alarm.

An eerie numbness spread from her ankle, her mana circulation seemingly vanishing into a void.

She quickly coated her leg with a layer of frost, resisting the further invasion of the gray-white silk.

Zhang Tianfeng, seeing this, flicked a flashing metallic dart from within his sleeve, aiming at the gray-white silk entwining Fairy Xia’s ankle.

But the silk was so tough it simply deflected the dart away!

Failing to break it, Zhang Tianfeng’s expression turned grim.

Fairy Xia grew increasingly anxious. She unleashed bursts of mana and numerous attacks, but nothing could sever the gray-white silk.

Her snowy, ethereal body, surrounded by fluttering snowflakes, was gradually being bound tighter by more strands of gray-white silk, and she was being slowly dragged toward the Grand Elder.

"Hehe! Once I capture this woman alive, even if Lan Changqing breaks through Cyanwood True Monarch’s ambush, he’ll be shackled and restrained!"

The Grand Elder smiled coldly.

Despite fighting two against one, he was still able to simultaneously suppress Zhang Tianfeng and manipulate the gray-white silk to drag Fairy Xia toward him.

However, the Grand Elder's smile only lasted for a few breaths before his face suddenly froze.

He felt a strange sensation and furrowed his brows, looking toward a certain direction.

Almost simultaneously, Sect Master Meng and Chu Tianfeng who were locked in battle also reacted.

They turned their gazes toward the same direction.

...

A few hundred li away.

A black-winged light streaked through the sky, surrounded by vast black winds and radiant light, rushing toward the demonic battlefield at a terrifying speed comparable to a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

"Such fast flying speed!"

"That's—!"

The Nascent Soul True Monarchs battling above the clouds successively sensed the rapidly approaching aura of the incoming light.

As that streak of light entered their spiritual sense perception range, beneath a pair of massive black wings, a figure in white robes outlined by a pale cyan wood-element mana came into view, handsome, tall, and imposing.

"That brat, how could he be... here!"

"Black Heaven Wings in Lan Changqing's hands, it can actually unleash such escape speed, even slightly surpassing the former True Monarch Black Feather!"

The Nascent Soul cultivators on the Demonic faction side were filled with alarm and uncertainty.

"Good! True Monarch Lan has finally arrived!"

On the Righteous Dao Alliance side, Chu Tianfeng, the first to confirm his identity couldn't help but breathe a deep sigh of relief, his expression filled with joy.

Lan Chang'an hadn't gone back on his word after all.

This Demonic war had been meticulously planned by Chu Tianfeng and Lan Chang'an for a long time, and Lan had promised him that he wouldn't run away this time.

On the Beast King Valley side, though some Nascent Soul cultivators were surprised, they were not overly worried.

Lan Chang'an was merely an early-stage Nascent Soul. Even if he joined the battle, at best, he might salvage part of the disadvantage, but he could not overturn the entire situation of the demonic battlefield.

Only the Grand Elder, who had remained composed until now, suddenly wore an unprecedentedly grave expression, caught off-guard.

"True Monarch Cyanwood really proved unreliable! He couldn't even delay Lan Changqing for a quarter of an hour, utterly useless!"

The Grand Elder cursed inwardly. Even with his profound mental fortitude, he was a bit furious.

He hadn't expected Cyanwood to kill or even severely injure Lan Chang'an, just preventing him from reaching the main battlefield, even delaying him for half an hour, would have been enough!

But even this "simple" expectation had become a luxury?

True Monarch Cyanwood, who back in the day had escaped pursuit by two mid-stage Nascent Souls, was somehow unable to stop Lan Chang'an?

The Grand Elder tried to divine the situation but was blocked by dense heavenly secrets and mist, unable to unravel the truth quickly.

Whoosh—

Lan Chang'an slowed his black wings' speed as he emerged from behind the three frontline strongholds, soaring above the immortal city where the Heaven-Shaking Drum was stationed.

"True Monarch Lan has arrived!"

The high-level Core Formation cultivators and many armies stationed near the central immortal city were greatly encouraged.

Lan Chang'an steadied himself, gazing into the distant skies at the Nascent Soul battlefield.

His eyes locked onto the Grand Elder of Beast King Valley.

The Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Robe on the Grand Elder’s body flickered faintly, the torn parts seemed concealed, and the prior injuries appeared to have mostly healed.

"Haha! The Grand Elder, after being struck by my Withering Divine Light, has actually recovered so quickly? That natal Heavenly Silkworm of his is truly wondrous, and so enviable!"

Lan Chang'an laughed loudly, his power-imbued voice reverberating across the demonic battlefield, clearly reaching the ears of the Nascent Soul True Monarchs above the clouds.

At these words, the Nascent Soul cultivators on both sides, enemy and ally were shaken, many revealing looks of disbelief.

"Earlier in the battle, Lan Changqing wounded the Grand Elder?"

On the Demonic faction side, the Nascent Soul cultivators were filled with suspicion and uncertainty, they instinctively glanced toward the Grand Elder, whose expression had darkened.

"Lan Changqing injured a demonic sect leader, the Grand Elder of Beast King Valley? Impossible!"

"Evergreen True Monarch must be bluffing to boost morale."

Most of the Righteous Dao Alliance's Nascent Soul cultivators did not fully believe it, thinking Lan Chang'an was using a ruse.

Unexpectedly, the Grand Elder did not deny it publicly, instead, he wore a somber expression, like facing a mortal enemy.

"Everyone, Lan Changqing's unexpected arrival is due to a failure of planning on the part of this Elder."

The Grand Elder silently transmitted his voice, offering little explanation, but issuing a command to all the Demonic faction Nascent Souls present:

"Today’s decisive battle, victory may no longer be possible. Prepare to retreat in an orderly manner."

"What... retreat?"

The Demonic faction Nascent Souls of Beast King Valley, who had been holding the obvious advantage, were shocked, unwilling to accept it.

Sect Master Meng and other Nascent Soul cultivators exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with realization.

From the Grand Elder’s reaction, it seemed the rumor of Lan Chang'an wounding him was true.

In just a few moments of silent communication, the morale and aggressiveness of the Demonic faction Nascent Souls visibly decreased.

The Nascent Soul cultivators of the Righteous Dao Alliance, keenly sensitive, immediately noticed the reduced pressure on them.

And given that the Grand Elder hadn't denied it, a stunning truth shook the hearts of the Righteous Dao Alliance’s leadership.

Even without knowing the full details of the prior duel, the fact that Lan Chang'an had wounded a peak mid-stage Nascent Soul demonic leader, such ability was enough to shift the entire balance of the Demonic war.

"Everyone hold the line! Beast King Valley seems to be preparing to retreat!"

Chu Tianfeng, noticing the anomaly among Sect Master Meng and the others, repressed his surging excitement and transmitted the message to the senior cultivators of the Alliance.

The surprise Lan Chang'an brought was simply too immense.

Originally, the hope had merely been for Lan Changqing to not run away again, to be able to pin down a single mid-stage Nascent Soul—but now, with just his timely arrival, Lan had changed the entire outcome of the Demonic war, forcing Beast King Valley’s leader to abandon the decisive battle and prepare for retreat.

It was foreseeable that after this Demonic war, the name "Evergreen True Monarch" would resound throughout the Eastern Region, and spread across the entire Great Qing cultivation world!

...

At the same time that the top figures of the Demonic faction above the clouds made their decision, Lan Chang'an, who had just arrived at the frontline stronghold, had already launched his first strike.

Boom!

In front of the immortal city, a massive fourth-rank Demon King, as large as a mountain, froze in place. Its vitality and lifespan withered away in an instant, and it collapsed into the rolling dust.

Above the lifeless body of the fallen Demon King, Evergreen True Monarch descended gracefully, his wide sleeves billowing, his expression calm and detached.

Compared to the enormous Demon King’s corpse, his figure appeared tiny like an ant, his silver-streaked hair fluttering lightly in the wind, exuding an air of having traversed countless ages, with a timeless, distant bearing.

Yet, in the eyes of the countless cultivators present, that figure seemed towering and unfathomable.

On Beast King Valley’s side, the cultivators, war beasts, and spirit pets alike showed visible fear, trembling and shivering.

Just a moment earlier, the war machine of Beast King Valley, a fourth-rank Demon King enhanced by bloodthirsty fury, had been annihilated by Evergreen True Monarch with a single, distant finger strike.

Amidst the dust kicked up by the Demon King’s collapse, cultivators from both camps stood stunned, their hearts racing and their breathing halted.

Around them, the fierce battle and killing momentarily fell into dead silence.

"Boiling oil atop raging fire, barely ten years of remaining lifespan."

Lan Chang'an gazed thoughtfully at the blood-fiend aura shrouding the high-tier demon beasts and fourth-rank Demon Kings.

Those who consumed the Blood Fiend Beast God Pills had their strength temporarily boosted but at the cost of burning their life essence and drastically reducing their lifespan.

Thus, the fourth-rank Demon King he had just slain had even less lifespan than the ones he had faced previously.

With his Withering Divine Light, he didn't even need to exert full force, it was truly a death with the flick of a finger.

"Uncle Lan..."

Zhao Tan'er looked up at the familiar elder figure descending from the sky, her bright eyes brimming with joy, and she couldn't help but whisper softly.

"Evergreen True Monarch!"

Across from her, the once-arrogant red-haired man, seeing the fourth-rank Demon King slain in an instant, revealed a look of terror, his voice trembling.

Lan Chang'an had no time to exchange words with Zhao Tan'er.

With a casual flick of his sleeve, Whoosh—

A feathered flying needle silently shot forth, catching the red-haired man mid-fight completely off guard.

His protective light shield shattered instantly.

The flying needle pierced through his chest, crushing his organs and heart veins, leaving a trail of poisoned blood spurting forth.

The late-stage Core Formation red-haired man froze, his face twisted with terror, despair, hatred, and unwillingness, feeling his life force draining away rapidly.

"A dignified True Monarch... actually ambushed a..."

Before Zhao Tan'er struck the final blow, the red-haired man roared his last in death.

Lan Chang'an calmly retrieved his feathered needle treasure, and without pausing, he immediately rushed toward the three remaining fourth-rank Demon Kings elsewhere on the demonic battlefield.

The remaining fourth-rank Demon Kings all had less than ten years of lifespan, the least among them only had five or six years left.

Since they could all be exterminated with a snap of his fingers, it wouldn't take much time.

As long as these massive war machines were destroyed, regardless of the overall outcome of the battle, Beast King Valley would suffer catastrophic losses, crippling their ability to launch another counterattack in the near future.

...

Above the clouds.

The Demonic faction True Monarchs of Beast King Valley, seeing Lan Chang'an annihilate a fourth-rank Demon King with a mere flick of his finger and travel with speed comparable to a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator— At this moment, they truly understood Lan Chang'an's ability to dominate the Demonic war.

In terms of strategic impact, he surpassed even the three mid-stage Nascent Soul powerhouses present.

No wonder the Grand Elder had personally acted against him earlier, and now had so decisively issued the order to retreat.

"Lan Chang'an! To exterminate my sect’s Demon Kings, you would even abandon your own woman without a second thought?"

Seeing Lan Chang'an continue to slaughter the remaining fourth-rank Demon Kings, the Grand Elder became enraged and shouted coldly.

He had already bound Fairy Xia’s legs with gray-white silken threads, leaving her no option other than escaping with her Nascent Soul spirit body.

The Grand Elder had thought that by threatening Fairy Xia’s life, Lan Chang'an would immediately come to her rescue.

Unexpectedly, after arriving, Lan Chang'an didn't even spare Fairy Xia a glance, completely ignoring her situation and single-mindedly exterminating Beast King Valley’s fourth-rank Demon Kings.

Such ruthless cold-heartedness left the high-level cultivators of both camps secretly tongue-tied.

Fairy Xia's face turned deathly pale, her legs were tightly bound by the gray-white silken threads, and she could only muster about seventy percent of her mana.

Her frosty, graceful silhouette, clad in her icy palace dress, was continuously dragged toward the Grand Elder, while more and more blood-colored crystalline silks shimmered and flashed around her.

The rotating Ice Lotus Treasures around her could no longer withstand the assault.

Zhang Tianfeng helped block most of the attacks for her, using various methods, including burning with his natal true fire, yet none of them were effective.

The gray-white silks binding Fairy Xia came from the Grand Elder’s natal Heavenly Silkworm and their numbers were only increasing.

However, Fairy Xia did not blame anyone, she firmly believed that her husband had his own plans and would not truly abandon her.

She carefully remembered the instructions from the jade slip her husband had given her, after returning to the frontline battlefield, she should trust only Zhang Tieshan, and no one else.

Thus far, Zhang Tieshan had indeed been protecting her thoroughly during the battles.

"Sigh."

Zhang Tianfeng let out a sigh, watching Lan Chang'an casually slay yet another fourth-rank Demon King on the battlefield below, rampaging unhindered.

He understood Lan Chang'an’s intention, wiping out all the fourth-rank Demon Kings held great strategic significance.

Even if it made him expose his true hidden card.

Now seeing that Fairy Xia’s control over her mana was waning, and she could no longer prevent being captured, Zhang Tianfeng no longer hesitated.

A dark, broken metallic rod appeared floating in his palm.

Buzz—

As he injected his mana, the surface of the black metal rod revealed profound Dao patterns subtly resonating with the laws of heaven and earth, and faint crimson arcs of electricity crackled around it.

"Huh? This is..."

The moment the rod was activated, the Grand Elder’s heart jumped.

Several nearby treasures, the golden giant sword, the Ice Crystal Flying Lotus, and the mysterious compass, all inexplicably quivered slightly.

In a flash, the black metal rod swept out, casting a faint black arc of lightning, which engulfed the surrounding void filled with crystalline silks, shattering them inch by inch like a cracked mirror, creating a scene of broken, tragic beauty.

The gray-white silk binding Fairy Xia’s legs was touched lightly by the black metal rod and instantly disintegrated into powder.

Miraculously, Fairy Xia was unharmed, only her icy palace skirt was torn apart, revealing her flawless, jade-like long legs.

Had it been someone like Jing Wufeng with his Sky-Cleaving Axe instead, even if it could have freed her, it would not have guaranteed that Fairy Xia’s legs remained unscathed.

"… A damaged spiritual treasure!"

A glint of astonishment and a trace of greed flashed in the Grand Elder’s eyes.

In today’s Heaven Honoured Continent, true spiritual treasures had basically become legendary relics.

Since ancient times, due to changes in the world environment, there has been a severe shortage of fifth-rank artifact refiners and fifth-rank materials, causing true spiritual treasures to almost disappear.

In theory, real spiritual treasures still circulating in the world would only become fewer and fewer until they vanished altogether.

After enduring endless wars and the erosion of time, even Deity Transformation Heavenly Lords might not possess a complete spiritual treasure.

Most surviving pieces were fragments or pseudo-spiritual treasures.

"The Liang Kingdom's cultivation world, it's truly filled with hidden dragons and crouching tigers."

The Grand Elder sighed softly, suppressing his greed, and abandoned the idea of capturing Fairy Xia.

He quickly recalled the compass treasure that had been floating above Zhang Tianfeng and Fairy Xia, to avoid having it damaged by Zhang Tieshan’s spiritual treasure.

After Zhang Tianfeng successfully rescued Fairy Xia, he too didn't press the attack, instead, he swiftly stored away the broken metal rod.

The Grand Elder gave him a long, deep look, his eyes filled with apprehension, giving up on any unrealistic notions of snatching the treasure.

Zhang Tieshan’s broken spiritual treasure might have originated from a fallen true spiritual treasure, possessing a surviving artifact spirit.

Unlike pseudo-spiritual treasures, which consumed terrifying amounts of mana and spiritual sense even for mid-stage Nascent Souls to operate—true spiritual treasures, if acknowledged by the artifact spirit or cultivated with proper techniques, could be wielded with greater ease, with much less mana consumption, even by early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.

With such a trump card, Zhang Tieshan could resist some of the giants in mid Nascent Soul stage, at least able to hold out for a time.

...

"Cover the retreat!"

The Grand Elder, after retrieving his treasures, decisively abandoned Zhang Tianfeng and Fairy Xia.

Turning into a stream of white cloud light, he shielded the Demonic faction Nascent Soul cultivators as they retreated together.

With mid-stage Nascent Soul escape speed, Zhang Tianfeng could only watch helplessly.

Even though he possessed means to threaten mid-stage Nascent Souls, whether to fight or flee was still up to the other side, they held the initiative.

Fairy Xia, her face pale, needed time to regulate her breathing and restore her mana, and thus could not immediately pursue the Grand Elder either.

Below, the battlefield was already showing clear signs of collapse among the Demonic faction forces.

Lan Chang'an, after consecutively exterminating three fourth-rank Demon Kings, had casually slaughtered several late-stage Core Formation cultivators who tried to block him, sending Beast King Valley’s morale plummeting into terror and despair.

The final remaining fourth-rank Demon King was taken away by a Beast King Valley Nascent Soul cultivator, too fast for Lan Chang'an to strike it down.

"Alliance Leader Chu! Beast King Valley’s army is in full retreat, now is the perfect time to pursue and expand our victory!"

Having completed his strategic task, Lan Chang'an activated his Black Heaven Wings once again, soaring at incredible speed to the Nascent Soul battlefield above the clouds.

Beast King Valley’s Grand Elder and Sect Master, in order to cover the retreat of the other Demonic Nascent Souls and elite cultivators below, could not unleash their full escape speed.

This presented a perfect opportunity for the Righteous Dao Alliance to chase and maximize their gains.

"Good! Full army pursuit!"

"But everyone must stay alert for potential counterattacks and ambushes from the Demonic faction!"

Chu Tianfeng nodded, scanning the remaining Nascent Soul cultivators on their side, True Monarch Golden Moon, Liang Shaotian, Six Sun True Monarch, and others were all heavily injured and low on mana.

Of course, the Demonic faction Nascent Souls were not in much better shape either after such fierce fighting.

Lan Chang'an’s black wings vibrated behind him as he scanned the wounded and retreating Demonic Nascent Souls, preparing to pick a "soft persimmon" to become the final lucky sacrifice for fully lighting up the Nine Seal Stele’s fifth life.