Chapter 1529: Eight Scenic Views (4k)

**The Mortal Realm**

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The group swiftly flew out from the small island, intercepting along the way. They arrived at an open expanse of sea, suspended themselves in mid-air, and began their preparations.

The purple-robed elder reached to his waist, retrieving a palm-sized jade tablet. The tablet was milky white, with a smooth surface and flawless interior. It bore no patterns or inscriptions, appearing quite ordinary. Silently, the jade tablet floated from the elder's palm and hovered before him.

Then, the elder's purple robe subtly billowed, suffused with a violet glow. Intricate, mysterious lightning patterns emerged, as if the robe itself was woven from pure lightning threads. Distant thunder rumbled.

Suddenly, violet lightning surged frantically towards the elder's right arm. The elder pointed two fingers swiftly at the jade tablet. Between his fingers, the violet lightning condensed into an intensely brilliant point of light. Then, using his hand as a brush and the violet lightning as ink, he rapidly drew a complex rune with flowing strokes. Within the small rune, clouds and thunder echoed each other, and constellations were arrayed, transforming endlessly.

"Swish!"

The rune merged into the jade tablet. In an instant, the jade tablet glowed with intense violet light, losing its former ordinary appearance. It resembled a Thunder Jade born of heaven and earth, absorbing endless violet lightning and containing terrifying dormant power.

At the same time, the others spread out around the elder, taking their positions and each drawing an identical golden sword. The golden swords were only a palm's length, forged from dark gold. They were clearly from the same sect, performing identical starting sword techniques and wielding the same sword art.

"Sword Arise!"

As soon as their sword techniques were complete, everyone shouted in unison. Infused with sword energy, the golden swords rang out sharply. Suddenly, their blades turned, their tips pointing remotely at the central violet lightning jade tablet. The sword blades vibrated slightly with a peculiar rhythm.

At that moment, the purple-robed elder had appeared above the jade tablet, hovering cross-legged and murmuring incantations. Immediately, sword energy and violet lightning resonated with each other. Two distinctly different powers combined with unusual harmony, forming a spiritual array that governed the surroundings. This was precisely one of the famous grand formations of the Central Plains Daoist Sect – the Sword Jade Thunder Sound Formation!

For now, the spiritual array lay dormant. The golden swords had vanished into the void at some point, and the others disappeared along with them, concealing themselves with the formation, ready to strike. In the void, only the purple-robed elder and the violet lightning jade tablet beneath him remained. Violet light flowed, at times transforming into a sphere of lightning, at other times reverting to the jade tablet's shape, but its fluctuations were suppressed to a minimum.

However, the elder's attention was not on the violet lightning jade tablet. His right arm gathered violet lightning, while his left hand rested flat on his knee, palm facing upwards. At some point, a golden bead had appeared in it, engraved with Buddhist Vajra patterns.

With all preparations complete, the purple-robed elder heard a thunderous roar from deep within the storm. The sound was faint and distant. They knew very little about these fierce beasts. Even with all the sect's masters present, controlling two top-tier grand formations, and having prepared a retreat path, they dared not relax in the slightest. This was the first time the purple-robed elder had heard such a strange roar, indicating it was a new fierce beast they hadn't encountered before, making them even more cautious.

The roar gradually approached; the fierce beast was drawn by the bait. Unexpectedly, the purple-robed elder soon felt something was amiss. The fierce beast seemed to have changed direction mid-way, and its roar became increasingly indistinct.

The others also noticed the anomaly. The long-bearded Daoist materialized from the void, gazing into the distance. A thought flashed in his mind, and he said, "Although we racked our brains to find this bait, its appeal to fierce beasts is truly limited. Its effect is certainly not as good as fresh blood essence or Nascent Soul... There might be a Nascent Soul cultivator nearby! We've finally waited for a fierce beast, and if that person leads it close to the barrier and scares it away, wouldn't all our efforts be in vain? The higher the cultivation realm, the stronger the attraction for fierce beasts. Let one of us go and draw the fierce beast back."

"A passing fellow Daoist?" The purple-robed elder's expression shifted slightly, and he was about to rise.

The long-bearded Daoist's figure flickered, blocking the elder. "I'll go. Only Senior Brother can command the formation's core. Though my cultivation is not as profound as Senior Brother's, I have delved deeper into several evasion techniques."

The purple-robed elder mused for a moment. "Very well, Junior Brother, be careful. This isn't a top secret matter; simply scare that person away. Hunting the beast is paramount."

The long-bearded Daoist nodded slightly, transforming into a streak of azure light and shooting through the air. The golden sword he wielded was then attended to by a nearby person, who divided their attention.

At this time, Qin Sang was fleeing towards the Central Plains with all his might. The fierce beast sensed something it greatly loathed ahead. Its instinct made it reluctant to approach, yet due to hunger, it was unwilling to abandon the blood essence before it. The fierce beast was insane by nature, not considering gains or losses, driven purely by instinct. The closer it got to the Central Plains, the more restless and hesitant the fierce beast became.

From its roar, Qin Sang could discern clues, further confirming his previous deduction. The cultivation world's barrier had the effect of repelling fierce beasts! No wonder there were no reports of fierce beasts attacking the Northern Sea. Without the barrier's protection, even if humanity could adapt to the storm zone, they would likely have long ago perished in the beasts' bellies. He didn't need to risk his life to escape. Even with the Moon-Gazing Rhinoceros Horn in hand, being caught in a hurricane was extremely dangerous. It seemed that approaching the barrier would scare the fierce beast away.

Qin Sang felt a little relieved, but he didn't truly relax, constantly monitoring the fierce beast's movements. Just as Qin Sang expected, as he drew closer to the Central Plains, the fierce beast's roars grew more anxious, and its movements became peculiar. Its speed was erratic, two instincts clashing within it.

Just then, thunderous explosions erupted from behind. The fierce beast let out an unprecedented, bloodcurdling shriek. The roar drowned out the storm, as if a heavenly lightning bolt had struck directly above Qin Sang's head. Immediately after, Qin Sang felt a powerful energy surge behind him, materializing from nothing and rapidly building up at an astonishing speed. In an instant, the chaotic and extreme spiritual energy of heaven and earth was actually stirred.

At this moment, the fierce beast was still some distance away, but Qin Sang's perception was very clear: the fierce beast had indeed activated the spiritual energy of heaven and earth! This was a divine ability exclusive to Soul Transformation cultivators. Upon breaking through to Soul Transformation, cultivators could initially manipulate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This was a true metamorphosis, a step closer to the Heavenly Dao. With a single thought, they could summon wind and rain, comparable to deities. The legendary 'land deities' or 'earth immortals' referred to Soul Transformation cultivators. Even though Nascent Soul cultivators possessed powerful divine abilities, they were still far from that level.

"A Soul Transformation fierce beast!" Although Qin Sang had suspected this earlier, he was still shocked by the change in heavenly phenomena. It turned out that manipulating the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was not merely a simple hallmark of Soul Transformation cultivators. When the fierce beast attacked, the anomaly in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth seemed to invoke a hint of divine power. Even from such a distance, Qin Sang still felt an impending catastrophe, as if there was no place for him to hide in this world. This feeling wasn't extremely pronounced, far from being truly repelled or suppressed by heaven and earth, but the inexplicable pressure was absolutely real.

Soul Transformation cultivators had not yet fully mastered their abilities; they could only mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, not truly control it. What they could utilize was merely the surface. Of course, compared to Nascent Soul cultivators, it was an absolute world of difference. Even Grand Nascent Soul cultivators, possessing top-tier divine abilities and magical artifacts, would naturally feel inferior when facing a Soul Transformation cultivator if they lacked means to resist the pressure. They would develop the illusion of confronting heaven and earth, becoming intimidated before even fighting. This was the gap in cultivation realms! This fierce beast could be considered the most powerful enemy Qin Sang had ever encountered in his life! The Seven Kills Hall Devil Lord's original cultivation realm was certainly higher than the fierce beast's, but Qin Sang was not qualified to face the Devil Lord directly. Although the Devil Lord's split soul was powerful, overpowering many cultivators and barely being defeated by Qingzhu's life-for-life sacrifice, Qin Sang did not feel this current sensation when he attacked, indicating it did not exceed the Nascent Soul stage.

Previously, Qin Sang had tried to overestimate the fierce beast as much as possible, but now it seemed he had been too optimistic. If not for the cultivation world's barrier causing the fierce beast to lose its footing, he might have had no choice but to blindly jump into whatever dangerous place could help him escape.

"Swoosh!"

A dense aura of blood surged from deep within the storm. The threat Qin Sang perceived originated from this. The surrounding world was dyed blood-red by the blood aura, and below, it transformed into a sea of blood, with blood waves rising and falling. The fierce beast, entirely crimson, floated and sank within this blood sea. Its full form could not be seen. On the exposed parts of the fierce beast's body were four bloody holes, which turned out to be four gigantic eyes. They were irregularly arranged, and without exception, stared intently in the direction Qin Sang was fleeing, filled with madness and greed. Its skin was very smooth, devoid of scales. Thick, viscous blood seemed to constantly seep from its sticky skin, emitting an extremely foul odor and an eerie sensation.

The conflict between its two instincts had driven the fierce beast to desperation. Amidst its furious roar, the fierce beast's speed surged, plowing an abyssal trench. Then, its four gigantic eyes simultaneously shot out blood-colored light rays, forming a single pillar of light that burst forth ahead! Instantly, a crimson corridor of light appeared in the storm zone, piercing through the void and connecting the fierce beast to Qin Sang. However, the blood-light thinned considerably towards its end.

The threat drew near. Qin Sang sensed it, abruptly turned his head, and was met with crimson everywhere. A foul, nauseating stench assailed him. Even across such a long distance, the blood-light's momentum was still astonishing. Qin Sang glanced back hastily, activating his evasion technique to its maximum. However, the blood-light seemed intelligent, pursuing him relentlessly like a festering wound, and at a speed faster than his own. In a flash, the blood-light surged like a monstrous tide and roared like thunder. Although Qin Sang, transformed into lightning, was fast, after passing through storm after storm, he still couldn't avoid the fate of being engulfed by the blood-light.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a figure appeared before Qin Sang. His external incarnation appeared just in time, and the secret art it had prepared was unleashed. Cold air shot into the void behind Qin Sang, condensing into a mass that instantly transformed into a thick ice mirror. With a loud 'bang', blood-light and cold light intertwined, and an explosion reverberated. Both Qin Sang and his incarnation shuddered simultaneously, then a look of joy appeared on their faces. The blood-light's power was not as terrifying as it appeared; it was likely weakened by the storm and already at the end of its might. Of course, the residual power of a Soul Transformation fierce beast's attack was not to be underestimated, and the ice mirror ultimately shattered.

Qin Sang had already activated his Ruyi Treasure Orb, forming a protective aura. A tremendous roar was heard as the golden light of the protective aura erupted, colliding with the malevolent light. A great sun of blood and gold exploded, and Qin Sang's body, like an arrow shot from a bow, was smashed towards the sea by an immense force. Though seemingly in a sorry state, Qin Sang was actually unharmed. He hadn't even used his demonic flame or the Solar Divine Tree, suggesting the blood-light was more show than substance.

Unexpectedly, before Qin Sang could rejoice, a sudden change occurred. The blood-light, which was already showing signs of dissipating, suddenly formed a vortex out of thin air, with Qin Sang at its center. Qin Sang's expression froze. The fierce beast actually had a hidden trick, knowing how to use deception to hide its true killing blow. Little did he know, although the fierce beast was insane by nature, its instincts would drive it to make correct choices. Perhaps it had accidentally used such a sneak attack before and successfully killed enemies, imprinting it in its instincts.

"Swoosh!"

The crimson vortex rapidly formed. Space itself seemed to twist slightly, threatening to grind Qin Sang within into a bloody pulp. The sudden change left him trapped in the vortex, but Qin Sang dared not use the Solar Divine Tree to blast an escape route, as he would also be affected. He remained calm in the face of danger, because his previous judgment was correct: the storm's heavenly secrets were chaotic, and the fierce beast's attack from such a distance wasn't powerful enough to leave him no choice but to wait for death.

A fiery lotus spun out from Qin Sang's glabella, merging with the demonic flame in the devil banner. After years of refinement, the 'Fire Seed Golden Lotus' art had advanced significantly, allowing Qin Sang to control more demonic flame through the lotus. At the same time, the incarnation took over the main body's Golden Submergence Sword, unleashing a hundred-zhang sword energy. The Demonic Flame Fire Dragon plunged into the vortex. Its body, composed of flames, instantly twisted, seemingly on the verge of being torn apart by the crimson vortex. Fortunately, demonic flame was inherently formless; even if torn apart, it could reform, allowing it to charge into the vortex without apprehension. The incarnation deliberately acted half a beat slower, its sword energy closely following the demonic flame, cutting into the opening the demonic flame had torn. With the main body and the incarnation working together, Qin Sang exerted his full strength, unleashing divine abilities one after another, desperately resisting the vortex's suction and pushing outwards. The fierce beast sensed its blood essence was about to escape its grasp and roared repeatedly in fury.

At this moment, the long-bearded Daoist was hurrying towards this direction, following the roars. "Eh? That person was caught by the fierce beast?" The long-bearded Daoist's expression subtly shifted when he heard the anomaly in the fierce beast's roar. He sped up a bit, but his aura remained suppressed to the lowest level.

Rapidly approaching the battlefield, the long-bearded Daoist finally saw the streak of blood-light spanning the storm. Although he still couldn't clearly see both parties, he could feel the blood-light's power, and he tutted, "Indeed, it's another Soul Transformation fierce beast. This fellow Daoist's cultivation hasn't even reached the late stage; I'm afraid their chances are grim..."

Stopping at a distance, the long-bearded Daoist leisurely waited for a while. Then he heard the fierce beast's exasperated roars, let out a soft 'oh?', and chuckled, "It seems they escaped; they've got some skills! But we can't let the fierce beast get any closer to the cultivation world, lest it gets startled and flees. Otherwise, I would definitely let you contend with it for a bit and test its divine abilities."

Gently stroking his long beard, the long-bearded Daoist raised his hand, drawing a rune in mid-air. He then pointed a finger, and the spiritual talisman transformed into a sword, shooting towards the end of the blood-light. At the same time, the long-bearded Daoist intentionally approached the fierce beast and released his aura. The fierce beast's roar was filled with surprise. It sensed new blood essence, even more tempting than the previous one, and further away from the aura it disliked and feared. Without hesitation, the fierce beast immediately abandoned Qin Sang and turned to pounce on the long-bearded Daoist. The long-bearded Daoist dared not get too close to the fierce beast and turned to leave.

Qin Sang, along with his incarnation, burst out of the vortex. Just as he was about to continue fleeing, he discovered the fierce beast had actually turned around and left, secretly puzzled. He hadn't expected the fierce beast to give up so easily.

Just then, a streak of azure light flew over. "A sword talisman! Someone is nearby!" Qin Sang's pupils constricted, startled inwardly, and he immediately recalled his demonic flame. The sword talisman hovered in mid-air, shimmering with azure light. An unquestionable voice emanated from it.

"This is the Eight Scenery Daoist Temple. Irrelevant individuals, quickly disperse! Do not say you were not warned!"