Chapter 3095: All Parties' Schemes

True Monarch Jinhong and over twenty other cultivators stood atop a small hill in a vast grassland, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of lifeless Flying Bloodthirsty Ants on the ground.

They were currently engaging a colossal Rank 7 Flying Bloodthirsty Ant, which had a phantom image of a giant ant hovering above its head.

A massive cyan bell, shimmering with spiritual light, floated above the head of a slender old man in a cyan robe.

*Clang, clang, clang!* A series of resounding chimes rang out, reverberating for tens of thousands of miles around.

The Flying Bloodthirsty Ant's body trembled slightly as the void rippled. A large, misty cyan hand materialized out of thin air, swatting at the phantom ant.

Simultaneously, seven thick golden light beams shot forth, striking the phantom ant.

After a loud bang, the phantom ant dissipated, and the Flying Bloodthirsty Ant's body began to tremble violently.

A beautiful woman in a white dress, with striking features, chanted an incantation. The phantom woman above her head shot out a beam of white light, which struck the Flying Bloodthirsty Ant. The ant's body quickly froze, transforming into a colossal ice sculpture.

The old man in the cyan robe chanted an incantation, and the cyan bell surged with spiritual light before vanishing.

The next moment, the cyan bell reappeared directly above the Flying Bloodthirsty Ant and descended upon it.

The "clang, clang, clang" of the bell resonated, its runes flickered, and the cyan bell swayed slightly.

After a while, the old man in the cyan robe changed his incantation, and the cyan bell flew up. The Flying Bloodthirsty Ant was reduced to a pile of minced flesh. Just as a miniature blood ant emerged from its body, it was enveloped by a beam of cyan light and swept into a cyan jade bottle, disappearing from view.

"Finally, that's done," True Monarch Jinhong said with a smile. "To think we encountered so many Flying Bloodthirsty Ants. Thanks to Fellow Daoist Sun and Madam Bai, dealing with this group wouldn't have been so easy otherwise."

The Seven Luminaries Sect had suffered a setback: one Soul Fusion cultivator had died at the hands of a powerful enemy, and another was severely wounded. This forced True Monarch Jinhong to seek treasures in the Myriad Spirit Ruins with outsiders. Missing this opportunity would mean waiting over ten thousand years, and the Great Heavenly Tribulation would not grant him that much time.

"I hope what you said about that item is true, so our trip isn't in vain," the old man in the cyan robe urged. "Alright, let's get going quickly! Once we have it, we should leave immediately. I don't want to encounter any foreign Soul Fusion cultivators."

Sun Li, a mid-Soul Fusion stage cultivator and an unaffiliated cultivator by origin, was True Monarch Jinhong's friend.

"Fellow Daoist Sun is right," the young woman in the white dress agreed wholeheartedly. "We should reach our destination and obtain the item as soon as possible!"

Bai Shuang, an early Soul Fusion stage cultivator, was also True Monarch Jinhong's long-time friend.

They were invited by True Monarch Jinhong to enter the Myriad Spirit Ruins to seek treasures.

True Monarch Jinhong nodded, put away the corpse of the high-grade Flying Bloodthirsty Ant, burned the corpses of the other Flying Bloodthirsty Ants, and departed the area.

***

In a small valley surrounded by mountains on three sides, a deafening roar echoed from within. Thick bolts of cyan lightning struck down from high above, heading straight for the valley.

A golden light shot out from the valley—a golden four-sided beast carriage. Li Tianhe and over a dozen other Li family disciples stood inside, their eyes filled with terror.

Leading them was a purple-robed woman with delicate features, whose aura was several times stronger than Li Tianhe's.

This was Li Yunyao, a mid-Soul Fusion stage cultivator.

The Li family had dispatched three Soul Fusion cultivators to the Myriad Spirit Ruins this time for treasure hunting, aiming to hunt a Rank 7 Golden Thunder Tortoise to use its shell for artifact refining. It would be even better if the Golden Thunder Tortoise had a Lightning Absorption Pearl within its body.

They had encountered a high-grade Rank 7 demonic beast and triggered a restriction while fleeing. Fortunately, they possessed many defensive treasures; otherwise, they would have perished.

The golden beast carriage landed on the ground, and Li Yunyao and the others collectively let out a sigh of relief. Their suspended hearts finally settled.

"Our luck is really terrible!" Li Tianhe said with a frown. "To think we encountered a high-grade Rank 7 Fire Carp Beast."

"It's not so bad," Li Yunyao said with some relief. "The previous Grand Elder of the Seven Immortals Sect led a team into the Myriad Spirit Ruins for treasure hunting. He encountered a high-grade Rank 7 Azure-Winged Dove, was severely wounded, then encountered a mid-grade Rank 7 Six-Eyed Sand Spider, and perished. Only a few disciples managed to escape. Luck is also part of one's strength. Li Qinghuan once picked up the shed skin of a Rank 7 Flood Dragon, but such instances are extremely rare."

Ahead lay a red bamboo forest, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Li Tianhe and the others successively disembarked from the golden beast carriage, and Li Yunyao put it away.

Li Qingxue released hundreds of cyan beetles, letting them fly ahead to scout the path. Li Yunyao and the others followed behind, their faces filled with vigilance.

Before long, they disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest.

***

Half a month later, in an open area, Wang Qingshan and six others stood together. A small, shimmering cyan umbrella floated above their heads, casting down a large expanse of cyan radiance that enveloped all seven of them.

Two colossal red doves circled overhead. Both possessed two heads and a pair of golden talons beneath their bellies. These were two mid-grade Rank 7 Golden-clawed Flame Owls.

With a gentle flap of their wings, the void vibrated and distorted, spewing countless crimson flames which transformed into colossal fireballs that plummeted towards them.

Wang Qingshan and the others quickly cast spells to defend, shattering the descending crimson fireballs. The scattered flames landed on the ground, blasting out massive craters.

Wang Qingshan frowned. Rank 7 demonic birds were quite agile, and it wouldn't be easy for them to kill these two. They might also attract other demonic beasts or cultivators, so it would be better to avoid the conflict for now.

Wang Qingshan chanted a sword incantation, and the phantom greatblade above his head slashed towards the void. A sharp sword qi swept out, tearing open the void wherever it passed, revealing a thick, long rift.

Duan Tongtian vertical-slashed with the cyan long saber in his hand. A misty cyan saber qi shot forth, transforming into a misty cyan wind dragon that pounced towards the two Golden-clawed Flame Owls.

The golden small mirrors in Wang Qingfeng's and Dong Xueli's hands each shot out a thick golden lightning beam, heading straight for the two Golden-clawed Flame Owls.

With a gentle flap of their wings, they vanished from their spots, evading these attacks.

The ground began to shake violently. The earth within a hundred-mile radius turned to sand, and a strong gale arose, sending countless yellow grains of sand flying. Spinning around, a massive yellow sand curtain materialized out of thin air, encapsulating Wang Qingshan and the six others within it.

Dozens of miles away, the two Golden-clawed Flame Owls reappeared. Each spewed a beam of red light, striking the yellow sand curtain, which immediately burst open, and Wang Qingshan and the others vanished.

The two Golden-clawed Flame Owls gently flapped their wings, each releasing thousands of colossal crimson fireballs that slammed into the ground.

A deafening roar of explosions resounded, transforming the area within a hundred-mile radius into a sea of crimson flames. The ground was scorched black, and thick smoke billowed.

The two Golden-clawed Flame Owls vented their frustration but found nothing, so they had no choice but to leave.

A day later, the flames dispersed, and the void rippled, revealing a black hole about ten feet wide. Wang Qingshan and the six others flew out from it, landing on the ground.

Wang Huanyu had torn open a temporary space, allowing them to hide inside. This was how they managed to shake off the two Golden-clawed Flame Owls; otherwise, who knew how much more trouble they would have faced!