Chapter 66: Extreme Calamity! Extreme Calamity!

The pitch-black saber formed by the condensation of malevolent Qi struck the armor, failing to produce even the slightest sound of impact before being instantly shattered back into wisps of dark vapor.

In its place came two simultaneous screams of agony.

Gong Yunxuan and Yao Lian stared in blank astonishment at the unfolding scene.

Amidst the swirling black mist, a figure resembling an Asura walking straight out of hell stood tall. At the ends of his arms, which looked as though they were carved with coiling black dragons, were the wrists of two evil cultivators, held in an unyielding, death-grip.

Xiao Lin tilted his head slightly. The expression on his face, hidden beneath the armor, remained indiscernible; only his eyes flickered with a faint, crimson luminescence, carrying a hint of mockery.

"Fools. Who on earth ever told you..."

"That I was making a breakthrough right in the middle of battle?"

"This is impossible!" one of them cried out, nearly losing his voice in shock. "The aura just now was unmistakably that of someone leveling up!"

Beneath his mask, the corners of Xiao Lin’s mouth curved upward.

Go take it up with my system!

After a brief moment of stunned disbelief, the two cultivators prepared to sever their own arms to make their escape.

Even if it meant sacrificing a quarter of their primordial essence, as long as that core remained intact, they could still fight again!

Yet, to their horror, they abruptly realized they were no longer able to transform into dark vapor.

It was as if Xiao Lin had forcefully anchored their physical forms into ordinary flesh and blood.

At the same time, an aura fierce enough to make their very origins tremble swept outward from Xiao Lin. Combined with the terrifying visage of the Asura mask, it reawakened the primal fear buried deep within their souls.

"Spare—"

They managed to utter only a single syllable before a surge of righteous energy, exponentially more violent than before, flooded their bodies. It obliterated their malevolent source—which should have been capable of withstanding dozens of near-death experiences—turning it to dust in an instant.

Having eliminated the two evil cultivators, Xiao Lin raised a hand and channeled a strand of Asura righteous energy toward Gong Yunxuan. "I must ask Brother Yunxuan to head to the city's central lake and fill it in to create solid ground."

Gong Yunxuan, however, replied, "I cannot conjure soil out of thin air. Even if I create new land this way, it merely reduces the foothold in other places. It's like quenching thirst with poison."

"Just go. There is plenty of earth and rock there for Brother Yunxuan to use."

Gong Yunxuan gave a slight nod and hurried off toward the central lake.

Xiao Lin then turned to Yao Lian. Before he could speak, she voluntarily offered, "To the North, minor ominous omen."

"Let's move!"

The two of them soared into the air, hurtling straight toward the next battlefield.

Since the time it took him to dispatch those two evil cultivators hadn't even reached ten breaths, while other battlefronts were already losing ground, it was clearly not the time to put on airs.

Xiao Lin knew very well that as long as the plan proceeded smoothly, there would be plenty of opportunities to earn popularity points.

***

Gong Yunxuan rushed to the central lake, finally understanding what Xiao Lin meant by "enough earth and rock."

A small mountain situated right in the center of the lake featured a massive, gaping fissure running precisely at the level of the water's surface.

The entire mountain had been sliced straight through at this exact spot!

Gong Yunxuan raised his eyes. A figure clad in white robes hovered high above the heavens, continuing to swing her sword against the mountain. With every single stroke, her demeanor transcended the mortal realm, making her look like an immortal deity.

Yet with every swing she made, Gong Yunxuan could distinctly feel a bottomless crack tearing through the mountain's core.

Oddly enough, not a single pebble tumbled down, as if the mountain itself hadn't even realized it had been split in two!

Gong Yunxuan swallowed hard.

This entire mountain was the material he was supposed to use to fill the lake and create land.

Could this person... be Brother Xiao Lin's senior sister?

That would make her a direct disciple of the Sword Immortal Shen.

With such sword intent, no wonder...

Even Gong Yunxuan, who shared the same realm of cultivation, was this deeply shocked, let alone ordinary mortals. Dense crowds were already kneeling along the shore, layer upon layer, murmuring phrases about the "descent of immortals" with a piety as devout as if they were worshiping their own saviors.

To a certain extent, Gu Jianyao truly was their savior.

This was precisely why immortals and mortals belonged to different worlds, and why those above the Foundation Establishment stage were best advised not to interact with ordinary people.

Even the slightest display of power looked to them like a descending celestial being employing divine arts.

Once the number of people grew large enough, emotions like adoration, conviction, and respect would genuinely transform into faith.

Yet, looking across the entire cultivation world, there had never been a precedent of achieving enlightenment through faith.

While it might allow one to advance slightly faster in the early stages, once a cultivator broke through to the Golden Core stage, every minor bottleneck became an impassable chasm, far harder to break through than the major realms of ordinary cultivators.

Moreover, after being revered by mortals for so long, one could easily fall into the illusion of being an omnipotent existence, which would severely damage one's Dao heart.

The moment such a person encountered a peer and suffered a single defeat, the disparity of falling from the clouds would be enough to give birth to inner demons, ruining them beyond recovery.

Seeing this, Gong Yunxuan frowned slightly, banishing the distracting thoughts. A gentle ripple of spiritual energy descended, lifting the kneeling crowd back to their feet as his voice echoed across the area. "Do not kneel. Everyone, move closer to the center of the lake and leave some footing for those who come after."

With that, he channeled his earth-attribute power to pulverize a massive boulder into dust, transforming it into a small patch of land upon the lake's surface.

He didn't need to fill the entire lake; he only needed to form a crust capable of supporting people, otherwise, it would consume far too much mental energy.

At that moment, a voice transmission entered Gong Yunxuan's mind. It was from Gu Jianyao.

"How is my junior brother right now?"

"Brother Xiao Lin has broken through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and is currently rushing to other battl—"

Before Gong Yunxuan could finish his transmission, a sword Qi abruptly hurtled straight toward him.

***

That fierce and piercing sword intent was unlike anything he had ever felt from any of his peers. It felt as though he were no longer facing a swordsman, but rather a blade that had existed since the dawn of time, finally unsheathed!

Gong Yunxuan felt a chill run down his spine as the sword Qi grazed past his side.

How was he any different from the mountain rocks that hadn't even realized they had been cleaved?

If Gu Jianyao had wanted him dead, he would already be a corpse.

Panic genuinely crept into Gong Yunxuan's voice. "What is the meaning of this, fellow Daoist?"

Why was she inexplicably aiming at his blind spot...

Ah. Gu Jianyao's target was what stood behind him.

Gong Yunxuan spun around to see a figure slowly rising to her feet. Despite appearing to be an utterly ordinary woman, the voice she uttered was enchanting and seductive, melting one's very bones. "Hehe, you're quite sensitive. I wonder if you're just as sensitive in other ways..."

Though she possessed a naturally alluring physique, hearing it in Gong Yunxuan's ears brought no sense of temptation whatsoever. Instead, it inspired a dread far greater than the sword Qi he had faced from Gu Jianyao moments ago.

Even his spiritual sense had failed to detect the slightest anomaly of her presence...

Only a Golden Core cultivator could do this!

***

"Many thanks, young friend."

Beside a patch of dissipating dark mist, Wei Dao offered a slight bow to Xiao Lin, his face filled with deep emotion. "To think the young friend has been hiding his true strength all along. At such a tender age, you are already at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. It truly makes this old man ashamed of my inferiority..."

"Senior flatters me," Xiao Lin smiled and asked, "Though this junior does have a question, and I hope Senior can clear up my confusion."

"Speak your mind."

"Suppose that among the Five Elements Imperial Scriptures, four of the spiritual treasures are of identical quality, while only one is slightly inferior. What effect would that have?"

"Which one?"

"Wood."

Wei Dao pondered for a moment. "A deficiency in the wood element affects the health of mortals. For cultivators like us, over time, it will naturally impair longevity, the vitality of flesh and blood, and physical strength... all of which will be considerably diminished."

Xiao Lin gave a slight nod and was just about to speak when Yao Lian's anxious voice suddenly rang out.

"To the South, major ominous omen!"

Xiao Lin whipped his head around. What battlefield was there to the South? There was only the central lake. If this divination was true, it meant an unexpected variable outside his plan had appeared, and worse...

Gu Jianyao was in danger!