Chapter 564: The Crescent Blade

"Arriving only after reaching the Core Formation stage, you are more cautious than I had imagined."

Just as Chen Mobai was wondering if he had used too much force and should slightly rein in the power of his Golden Flame, Granny Ming suddenly uttered words that made his expression subtly change.

As expected, seizing Xuan'er was a move to target me.

Realizing this, a murderous aura appeared between Chen Mobai's brows, and golden flames surged forth. However, he ultimately controlled himself, refraining from instantly reducing the old woman before him to ashes.

"Hand over Xuan'er, and I can spare your life.""You, alone?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Ming scoffed. Then, a sacred radiance shimmered around her, like a moon suspended in the night sky amidst darkness, radiating a feminine, icy chill that blocked the encroaching golden flames.

"Oh!"

In that instant, the aura displayed by the old woman completely surpassed the Foundation Establishment stage.

Moreover, it intensified, showing no sign of stopping. After blocking the golden flames, the exceedingly feminine bright light continued to expand, quickly encompassing half the summit of Mount Guiyuan.

In fact, if Chen Mobai hadn't brought out a second ball of Golden Flame, he might not have been able to withstand her encroachment and would have been suppressed instead.

"Who are you?"

By this point, Chen Mobai had sensed that his opponent's cultivation level was far above his own. Such a figure could not possibly exist in the Eastern Wasteland!

"You are not qualified to know my identity. Your disciple is very suitable for cultivating my sect's techniques and has already become my apprentice. If you don't want the Divine Wood Sect to collapse, it would be best to pretend you never had this disciple."

As Granny Ming spoke, she raised the wooden staff in her hand and stamped it on the ground.

With a thud!

The Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror, which had been suppressing the spiritual veins of Mount Guiyuan, instantly emitted a brilliant Profound Yang Divine Light, then abruptly dimmed, trembling as it retreated into Chen Mobai's sleeve.

Chen Mobai had long since refined the Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror into his life-bound artifact. With his Pure Yang spiritual power, it could exert power comparable to a peak third-tier artifact. Yet, in that instant of contact, it was overwhelmed.

Had he not sensed trouble with his 'Inch-Square Scroll' in that moment of confrontation and promptly released its suppression to retreat, his divine sense would likely have been wounded due to their interconnectedness.

This artifact!?

Chen Mobai's expression turned grim as he looked at the unassuming wooden staff. As his Void-Piercing Spiritual Eyes activated, he saw a pure white, crescent-shaped blade concealed within it. The fierce, sacred spiritual power caused his eyes to sting.

"I have been in seclusion here for a long time. I cannot afford to expose myself for the sake of a young one like you."

At this moment, Granny Ming spoke again. A crack appeared in the wooden staff in her hand, and a sliver of bright light, sharp as a blade and cold as frost, pierced Chen Mobai's glabella in the blink of an eye, splitting him into two.

However, Granny Ming frowned slightly, a sharp glint flickering in her aged, cloudy eyes as her divine sense extended, covering every inch of the mountaintop's void.

Chen Mobai, split in two by her bright light, had already transformed into a fiery phantom, scattering like fireworks into emptiness. "Here!"

Granny Ming suddenly looked up, seeing a figure slowly emerge within a five-colored cloud.

The bright light, like a crescent moon, struck again, tearing apart the clouds and the figure, creating a clear void extending infinitely high.

"Good speed. Is that the Earth-Leaving Flame Light Escape?"

As Granny Ming spoke, her gaze shifted to the other side of the sky, where Chen Mobai's unharmed figure stepped out from golden flames.

"Oh, someone actually recognized my escape technique. Who exactly are you?"

Chen Mobai was greatly surprised, knowing that he had acquired this escape technique from the Divine Tree Secret Realm, and only he knew of it.

"The Golden Flame, perfected from Qingyang Fire, coupled with your unrestrained use of fire escape techniques without any damage to your body, suggests you have an innate Fire Spirit Body. These factors combined make your Earth-Leaving Flame Light Escape excessively fast."

Granny Ming, however, did not answer his question, instead saying something that made Chen Mobai's expression grow even graver.

The 'Earth-Leaving Flame Light Escape,' as an ancient fire escape secret art of the Everlasting Life Sect, had its power determined not only by the cultivator's realm but also by the refined True Fire and the strength of the physical body.

Although Chen Mobai had only just formed his Core, his Golden Flame was at the peak of Qingyang Fire, and his physical body, due to his Fire Spirit Body, had never experienced the feeling of being unable to withstand something.

This meant that his fire escape secret art had already reached perfection at the first stage of Core Formation.

Because the 'Earth-Leaving Flame Light Escape' consumed a constant amount of spiritual power with each activation, he could perform it twenty times consecutively with his current Pure Yang spiritual power.

"You are indeed worthy of being called the top genius of the Eastern Wasteland in a thousand years. How about this: I'll give you a chance to join my sect. It would be like returning to your true lineage, and perhaps in the future, you could even rekindle your master-disciple relationship with your little apprentice."

As Granny Ming spoke, she gently stepped towards Chen Mobai, who was in mid-air.

A vast and surging spiritual power emanated from her, transforming into sacred and luminous moonlight, like a full moon rising from the earth and enveloping Chen Mobai.

Zzzzt!

The void opened, and a purple electric light rippled out, transforming into a falling heavenly lightning bolt that struck Granny Ming's protective spiritual light, unleashing a violent shockwave.

With a crack!

The surface of the wooden staff cracked inch by inch, finally revealing the pure white crescent-shaped blade hidden within.

The lightning emitted by the Violet Lightning Sword was cut apart, but Granny Ming's upward-surging form was involuntarily knocked back down onto the mountaintop.

"This sword?"

Although Granny Ming had heard of Chen Mobai's feat of slaying Nan Xuanjing with his sword, she hadn't witnessed it herself and assumed it was merely an ordinary fourth-tier sword artifact.

After all, for a figure like Nan Xuanjing, one strike would be enough for her. Little did she know that upon testing it today, she found something was amiss.

Soothing the slight tremor of the Moon Blossom Blade, she looked at the long-hilted sword artifact that slowly descended from the void opening and was grasped by Chen Mobai's hand.

"I'll ask you one last time: Who exactly are you? And where is Xuan'er?"

After summoning the Violet Lightning Sword, Chen Mobai was already in an all-out state. Golden lines emerged in his left pupil, faintly outlining his opponent's general form.

His opponent's displayed cultivation realm was much higher than his own, at least late-stage Core Formation, possibly even complete Core Formation.

She appeared to cultivate a Yin-cold spiritual power that countered his Pure Yang cultivation technique, and she possessed a peculiar crescent-bladed artifact, also fourth-tier, which clearly perfectly matched her cultivation method. He wondered if it was her life-bound artifact.

He needed to test her with another move from the Violet Lightning Sword!

During the fight, Chen Mobai's essence, qi, and spirit reached their most extraordinary resonance. His focus, observation skills, and perceptiveness all reached their peak in this life, perfectly entering the egoless state of the Inch-Square Scroll.

With a thought, the Violet Lightning Sword, whose price had been agreed upon, erupted in dazzling, piercing light. Flames flickered!

Chen Mobai's figure suddenly vanished from his spot, having used the Earth-Leaving Flame Light Escape to surge before Granny Ming. A streak of purple light shot from his right hand, slashing towards his opponent's neck.

With a clang!

The pure white Moon Blossom Blade flew out, blocking the Violet Lightning Sword by a hair's breadth! The two fourth-tier artifacts erupted with terrifying power, shaking the earth and mountains! Amidst a thunderous roar!

Mount Guiyuan suddenly split open, with a deep fissure spreading across its body, centered on the spot where Granny Ming stood.

The entire mountain could not withstand the aftermath of their clash and began to crack and tremble.

At this moment, Granny Ming's skin suddenly melted like wax, and the crescent-shaped blade trembled violently, then abruptly burst forth with immense, terrifying power, sweeping Chen Mobai, who held the Violet Lightning Sword, aside.

"You young one, if you're so eager to die, then don't blame me!"

As she spoke, Granny Ming's entire body seemed unable to bear the immense spiritual power within. After melting, another ghostly, slender, silver-grey female figure emerged, which then flowed into the crescent-shaped blade.

After receiving the full infusion of essence, qi, and spirit, the fourth-tier artifact began to emit an even more terrifying, chilling light than before.

Even if Chen Mobai fully activated the Violet Lightning Sword, it likely wouldn't possess such power. Danger!

Cannot be matched by force!

Must retreat!

The Inch-Square Scroll began issuing constant, urgent warnings, urging Chen Mobai not to fight to the death with this opponent, and that fleeing was the best option.

However, after seeing his opponent's true form, Chen Mobai neither dodged nor retreated. With a calm expression, he raised the Violet Lightning Sword in his hand, pouring most of his spiritual power into the weapon.

The crescent blade and the long-hilted sword clashed once more!

Boom!

At this moment, the third-tier array that had enveloped Mount Guiyuan could no longer contain the terrifying aura of their clash. After being completely torn apart, the mountain body split open with two more fissures.

"Die..."

With all essence, qi, and spirit infused, the crescent blade unleashed its full power. In contrast, the Violet Lightning Sword, limited by Chen Mobai's cultivation, was suppressed.

Watching the sword artifact being pushed back inch by inch, the Violet Lightning Sword's spirit grew restless, intending to unleash its inherent power. However, Chen Mobai waved his left sleeve.

The Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror, which he had recalled, flew out. A wisp of pure white flame shot from its surface and landed on the crescent blade.

"It's useless. My spiritual power is mixed with Moon Essence spiritual energy and is not restrained by your Golden Flame. Your methods against other ghost cultivators are utterly useless against me... Ah... What is this..."

Granny Ming's ghostly shadow, initially brimming with confidence within the artifact, believed the Golden Flame couldn't possibly break through her spiritual light shield. But as the Pure Yang Fire descended, her spiritual power melted away like ice and snow dropped into boiling water.

Streaks of pure white flame landed on the crescent blade. Though unable to melt the artifact, they spread like stains, continuously infecting and permeating it.

As the first wisp of Pure Yang Fire permeated, upon contact with the ghostly qi, it was like adding fuel to a fire, igniting the evil and Yin-demonic characteristics to their extreme.

Amidst agonizing screams, the crescent blade, which had been radiating immense power as if to cleave through all creation, began to tremble and wail incessantly.

"Mercy..."

Chen Mobai's gaze remained unwavering as he further amplified his Pure Yang spiritual power. The Pure Yang Fire surging from the Six Yang Divine Fire Mirror's surface intensified, cascading like a pure white waterfall of flames, enveloping the entire crescent blade.

Amidst even more piercing screams, wisps of silver-grey smoke began to evaporate. The female figure, whose form and features were almost clear and had pervaded the crescent blade, started to shrink continuously, gradually reducing to less than half its original size, seemingly on the verge of being completely refined and vanished by the Pure Yang Fire.

"Don't you... want to... save your... disciple...?"

At the critical juncture of life and death, she transmitted this message with her last shred of divine sense.

Chen Mobai's previously cold gaze wavered. The golden lines that had fully formed in his left eye slowly dissipated, and human emotions one by one returned.

However, to ensure his opponent had no power to resist, Chen Mobai unleashed a final burst of Pure Yang Fire, refining her until she was only one-tenth of her original size before stopping.

"Come out of this fourth-tier artifact."

But Chen Mobai was still uneasy, for he had personally experienced the power of this crescent blade. Even if his opponent was now barely clinging to life, he still wanted to extract her from it.

"I was severely wounded by you and am extremely weak. If I leave the Moon Blossom Blade, a single breath of the external Yang wind would scatter my soul..."

Words of plea emerged from the crescent blade. Chen Mobai frowned and retrieved the storage bag near Granny Ming's previously melted body.

"You ghost cultivators carry items that can nourish souls. Open it and take one yourself."

By this point, Granny Ming had been thoroughly terrified by the Pure Yang Fire. Without any hesitation, she used her remaining divine sense to open the storage bag.

Indeed, there was a section of fourth-tier Soul Nourishing Wood inside.

After transferring Granny Ming's soul light to the Soul Nourishing Wood, Chen Mobai opened his Core Formation Domain and sent both the Violet Lightning Sword and the crescent blade inside.

This way, it was foolproof.

However, at this moment, he sensed the aura of several Foundation Establishment cultivators approaching.

Looking around, Chen Mobai also noticed that the grand array covering Mount Guiyuan had completely collapsed during their recent exchange, and even the mountain body had split open, with its spiritual veins beginning to show signs of dissipating.

The cultivators of the Guiyuan Sect at the foot of the mountain had already scattered and fled when the commotion began.

"The grand array I set up here was merely to conceal the vast aura of my cultivation practice. Against the Saint Son's world-shaking sword art, it was truly vulnerable..."

Granny Ming's divine sense transmission seemed to be an attempt to curry favor, to avoid being conveniently refined by Chen Mobai's Pure Yang Fire once he obtained information about Luo Yixuan and found her no longer useful.

"Then let's discuss this elsewhere."

Given Chen Mobai's cultivation, while he didn't care about Foundation Establishment cultivators, this was still within the territory of the Five Elements Sect. Before deciding to go to war with Zhou Ye, he still needed to be somewhat mindful of his feelings.

A quarter of an hour later, Rong Chi, the Five Elements Sect's Foundation Establishment cultivator closest to Mount Guiyuan, flew to the scene.

Upon seeing Mount Guiyuan split down the middle and the two terrifying spiritual powers still lingering on the summit, his face uncontrollably registered shock.

Some people died, but not completely...

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