Chapter 1671: Escape

After ten breaths, the spiritual light and white mist dispersed, revealing the five figures of Golden Moon Sword Sovereign and his companions. True Monarch Skyfire was barely clothed and utterly pale, while the other four Soul Transformation cultivators were also in a dire state. Their faces were ashen, and they all bore significant injuries.

The self-detonation of the Sun and Moon Dual Saints, combined with two Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasures and two regular Spirit Treasures, unleashed an overwhelming force that even defensive spirit treasures could not withstand.

Since their advancement to the Soul Transformation stage, they had never suffered such a devastating blow. However, it's worth noting that apart from True Monarch Skyfire, the other four Soul Transformation cultivators had not experienced true life-and-death combat since reaching their current stage. With the Tianlan Sect unifying the Tianlan Realm, their engagements with other cultivators were mere sparring matches; self-detonating even a regular spirit treasure, let alone a Heaven-Reaching one, was unheard of. Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, let alone a cultivator.

"We should first return to Golden Sand Island. We must eliminate them, especially the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple. Their potential threat is immense; if they are allowed to grow, they will undoubtedly become a formidable menace."

True Monarch Skyfire's gaze was cold and grim. After this battle, his vital energy was severely depleted; he would require at least a century to fully recover. In their current state, forcibly pursuing them would be dangerous. If the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple were to self-detonate again, their injuries would be far worse. Their primary concern, however, was not their potential further injuries, but the safety of Golden Sand Island. It was the only spatial passage in the Tianlan Realm leading to the Dongli Realm, and if it were destroyed, all their previous efforts would be for naught.

"The Azure Lotus Immortal Couple cannot be allowed to live. I will pursue them; they must be eliminated."

Golden Moon Sword Sovereign's face was grim with killing intent. He possessed a defensive Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure, and his flying swords were a complete set of spirit treasures, making his injuries the lightest among them. With those words, a vast expanse of golden sword light surged from beneath Golden Moon Sword Sovereign, transforming into a golden rainbow that pierced through the air and sped away.

Fairy Yunhua also intended to pursue, but True Monarch Skyfire stopped her. "Junior Sister Situ, don't go. You have too little experience in life-and-death combat. It's better you return with me to defend Golden Sand Island. Let Junior Brother Qin go!"

Fairy Yunhua was a key cultivation target of the Tianlan Sect, and her relatively limited combat experience meant she could not be risked.

"No need," Golden Moon Sword Sovereign's voice echoed from the sky. "It's just two late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators; I can handle them. Junior Brother Qin, you go after that Soul Transformation cultivator. He used a Heaven-Reaching Spirit Treasure in combat, so his magic power consumption should be considerable. You just need to hold him off for a while. Once I've dealt with the Azure Lotus Immortal Couple, I'll immediately join you."

True Monarch Sky Demon pondered for a moment, then agreed. He transformed into a black cloud and pursued in the direction where Fu Wen had fled.

"Senior Brother Lu, I'll go assist Senior Brother Qin!" said Fairy Yunhua. "We can certainly hold him off. You two return to Golden Sand Island and use the communication array to inform Senior Brother Shangguan about the situation here." Having said this, Fairy Yunhua transformed into a blue rainbow and sped away in pursuit.

True Monarch Skyfire frowned but said nothing, then flew towards Golden Sand Island with Fairy Hongyue.

Three hundred *li* away, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan transformed into a blue rainbow and sped through the air. They were employing secret escape techniques, granting them exceptional speed, but they were well aware that if a Soul Transformation cultivator was determined to pursue them, it would only be a matter of time before they were caught. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan each had a jade slip pressed against their foreheads, as they examined the captured slips to find an escape route.

"Found it, my husband," Wang Ruyan said in a deep voice. "We need to flee southeast. Three million *li* from here is the Myriad Thunder Sea, one of the three most perilous regions in the Tianlan Realm." According to Venerable Ganli's account, the Myriad Thunder Sea was one of the Tianlan Realm's three most perilous regions, a place even Soul Transformation cultivators dared not venture into recklessly. Being pursued by such powerful figures, their only option to evade capture was to flee into the Myriad Thunder Sea—a truly desperate measure.

"Oh no, he's catching up!" Wang Changsheng frowned as his spiritual sense detected a powerful aura rapidly approaching them, drawing closer with exceptional speed.

A brilliant blue light surged from Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's bodies as they plunged into the ocean. Enveloped by the blue light screen, they rapidly descended.

As they descended three thousand *zhang*, a golden rainbow streaked across the sky. It was a colossal sword, over a hundred *zhang* long, shimmering with golden light and composed of eighteen spirit-treasure-grade flying swords. Emitting a sharp hum, it slashed towards the direction where Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan had fled. Before the colossal sword even landed, the void ripped with an ear-splitting sound, vibrating and distorting as if the entire space was on the verge of collapse. The powerful airflow caused the seawater to recoil and split, raising colossal waves thousands of *zhang* high. A chasm several *li* long appeared on the sea surface. With world-destroying might, the colossal sword slashed down along the chasm.

*Boom!*

Wherever the colossal sword passed, the seawater parted, revealing a crack over ten *zhang* wide. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan stood on a flat seabed, their expressions tense. A yellow light flew out from Wang Changsheng's sleeve, landing on the seabed. It was the Two-Eyed Rat. The Two-Eyed Rat let out a strange squeal, its body radiating dazzling spiritual light that enveloped both Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

A deafening roar reverberated from above, and Wang Changsheng's expression changed drastically. He flicked his sleeve, and a gleaming golden metal sphere flew out. After a mechanical whir, the sphere transformed into a golden armored guard shimmering with golden light—a fourth-tier puppet beast. Wang Ruyan conjured the Five Elements Talisman Soldier, imbuing it with a magic incantation. The moment it appeared, it gestured with its hands in the void, causing specks of blue light to emerge and form a massive blue water curtain, enveloping both Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

The Two-Eyed Rat's body erupted with yellow light, and it burrowed into the ground. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, enveloped in the same yellow light, followed closely behind.

The golden great sword struck the fourth-tier puppet beast, which instantly shattered into pieces as if made of paper. The Five Elements Talisman Soldier was no exception; early-stage Nascent Soul puppet beasts and talisman soldiers simply couldn't withstand an attack from a set of spirit-treasure-grade flying swords. The golden great sword slashed at the blue water curtain, which shattered instantly.

*Boom!*

With a deafening boom, the seabed was split in half, creating a massive fissure. However, at that very moment, specks of yellow light illuminated the area near the seabed, coalescing into a robust young man in a yellow robe. His body was covered in countless yellow runes—it was the Five Elements Talisman Soldier. The Five Elements Talisman Soldier was not so easily destroyed, as it was proficient in Five Elements spells.

The golden great sword's spiritual light surged, and its hum intensified. Tens of thousands of golden sword *qi* swept out, shooting in all directions. The Five Elements Talisman Soldier was pierced through by the dense golden sword *qi*, transforming into specks of spiritual light and vanishing.

In less than a moment, a dazzling blue light shone within the seawater, and a robust young man in a blue robe appeared—it was the Five Elements Talisman Soldier. The Five Elements Talisman Soldier extended its hands, grabbing at the void on both sides of the seawater. Thick blue water ropes flew out, coiling around the golden great sword. The golden great sword's spiritual light surged, and it split into a hundred smaller swords, shooting in all directions. It once again pierced through the Five Elements Talisman Soldier's body, pulverizing a large section of the seabed and sending dust flying everywhere. The dust blurred, suddenly transforming into a young man in a yellow robe, though the runes on his body were now dim.

The fourth-tier puppet beast was destroyed in a single blow, yet the Five Elements Talisman Soldier, despite being destroyed multiple times, still persisted. The golden great sword transformed into eighteen gleaming golden flying swords, completely encircling the Five Elements Talisman Soldier. A golden light flashed, and countless thin golden sword threads shot out, piercing through the Five Elements Talisman Soldier's body. The Talisman Soldier's form spontaneously combusted, turning into ashes. This time, the Five Elements Talisman Soldier was utterly destroyed.

Three breaths later, Golden Moon Sword Sovereign caught up, his brows tightly furrowed. The Azure Lotus Immortal Couple escaping beneath the seabed was unexpected. The unique underwater terrain significantly interfered with spiritual sense. As a cultivator with a Gold-attribute Heavenly Spirit Root, he could not employ Earth Escape Art. He patted his spirit beast pouch, and a yellow light shot out, revealing a massive yellow python with a fleshy crest on its head. This was a fourth-tier mid-grade Armored Dragon Beast, highly proficient in earth-attribute spells. The Armored Dragon Beast emitted a strange hiss, and a vast expanse of yellow light surged from its body. Golden Moon Sword Sovereign leaped onto its back, and with a powerful sweep of its tail, the beast burrowed into the seabed. Golden Moon Sword Sovereign commanded the eighteen golden flying swords to clear the path ahead, maintaining a very fast pace.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan frowned tightly as their spiritual sense detected Golden Moon Sword Sovereign rapidly closing in on them. They exchanged glances and nodded to each other. Each flipped their hand, pulling out two shimmering silver talismans whose surfaces were covered with mysterious, rice-grain-sized runes.