Chapter 3182: Escape

At that moment, a deafening clap of thunder resonated from high above, shaking the heavens and earth. The previously clear sky suddenly turned overcast. A massive thundercloud hovered high above, flashing with lightning and rumbling with thunder, as hundreds of thick silver lightning bolts descended, striking towards Wang Yangsheng and Liu Yushuang.

They reacted quickly, and golden and silver spiritual lights flared from their bodies, merging into a single golden-and-silver light barrier that enveloped them both. Liu Yushuang quickly formed a hand seal, and a silver-glowing shield began to rapidly orbit them. Hundreds of silver lightning bolts struck either the silver shield or the golden-and-silver light barrier, producing dull thuds.

A blinding burst of silver lightning illuminated the area, revealing a tall young woman in a silver dress who materialized out of thin air, her expression icy. Her body was enveloped by countless silver electric arcs, making her resemble a thunder god. In her right hand, she clutched a silver-glowing lightning spear, wreathed in crackling energy, radiating an aura of world-shattering power.

This was Liu Yao, a late-stage Void Refinement cultivator and Yang Yan's Dao companion. At the time of the incident, Liu Yao had been away on business and wasn't with Yang Yan. Upon receiving the news, she rushed back immediately, but to her dismay, she was still too late.

The silver lightning spear in Liu Yao's hand surged with power as she thrust it towards Wang Yangsheng and Liu Yushuang. Simultaneously, the thundercloud churned violently, and a massive silver lightning pillar descended from the sky, striking the golden-and-silver light barrier. The golden-and-silver light barrier shattered. The silver lightning spear then lunged towards Wang Yangsheng, who swung his golden staff to meet it. With a dull clang, sparks flew, and a powerful shockwave erupted.

The silver lightning spear unleashed countless silver electric arcs, engulfing Wang Yangsheng and Liu Yushuang. Liu Yao opened her mouth, and a thick three-colored lightning arrow shot forth, vanishing into the storm of light. A man's pained cry followed. A golden streak of light and a silver streak of light shot out from the lightning, soaring towards the sky with exceptional speed.

"You killed my fellow disciple; do you truly believe you can escape?" an incredibly cold male voice came from the horizon.

No sooner had the words faded than the void vibrated and warped. Countless crimson flames erupted, and a massive, reddish, sky-reaching palm materialized. The very air around it twisted and deformed, seemingly unable to withstand the intense heat, as the palm descended upon the golden and silver streaks of light. Before the colossal palm even fully descended, thick, long cracks appeared in the void, which seemed on the verge of collapse. Wang Yangsheng and Liu Yushuang found it difficult to breathe as an astonishing heatwave washed over them.

A layer of silver aura emanated from Liu Yushuang's body, causing large amounts of white ice shards to appear in the nearby void. The temperature plummeted instantly, as if they had plunged into an ice cellar. The silver aura collided with the colossal palm, and the palm's descent slowed. Wang Yangsheng swung his golden staff, shattering the colossal palm. Countless crimson flames splattered, falling to the ground and forming massive fire pits, turning an area of several miles into a sea of scarlet fire.

Rumbling thunder came from high above, and another thick silver lightning pillar descended from the sky, engulfing their figures. A red light glowed, revealing a reddish miniature mountain peak. After the miniature mountain peak flared with blinding red light, its size dramatically increased, transforming into a thousand-zhang-tall red giant peak that descended upon them. Even before the red giant peak landed, ripples spread through the void, and a powerful gravitational force enveloped the area.

The lightning dispersed, revealing Wang Yangsheng and Liu Yushuang, whose faces were slightly pale. Wang Yangsheng swung his golden staff to meet it. With a dull clang, the red giant peak shook slightly.

"Suppress!"

As a thunderous male roar echoed through the sky, the red giant peak's spiritual light intensified, spewing out a torrent of scarlet flames as it slammed downwards. With a deafening crash, the earth shook, and more than half of the red giant peak sank into the ground. The earth tore open, and dust billowed.

Dozens of miles away, two spiritual lights flickered in the void, revealing Wang Yangsheng and Liu Yushuang. They had used a substitute talisman, narrowly escaping death. Spiritual light surged from their bodies, and their auras merged into a single, massive Tai Chi pattern, which then shot towards the distant sky with extraordinary speed.

Countless crimson flames flared, and a burly, sword-browed, star-eyed young man in red robes appeared. A terrifying spiritual pressure emanated from him. This was Yang Hao, a cultivator at the Grand Completion of the Void Refinement stage, a key talent nurtured by the Cold Flame Sect and a top candidate to become their next Integration stage cultivator. He had only recently reached the Grand Completion of the Void Refinement stage, making it unsuitable for him to immediately enter seclusion to break through to the Integration stage. He was out on business when he encountered a distressed fellow disciple and, upon learning the full story, rushed over without delay.

"Senior Brother Yang, I will chase them. You all must enter the Nine Swords Pagoda and obtain the Nine Swords True Monarch's legacy," Liu Yao said gravely. She was determined to avenge her husband's murder. After saying this, Liu Yao's body surged with lightning, and she vanished from her spot.

A white flying boat approached from afar. Shortly after, it stopped, revealing four men and one woman standing on its deck, including Su Qingheng, Liu Chuanting, and Wang Mengshan.

"Junior Brother Su, quickly use the Nine Swords Token to open the entrance. Fellow Daoist Wang, Fellow Daoist Sun, Fellow Daoist Liu, you go assist Junior Sister Liu in eliminating the Wang family's Void Refinement cultivators," Yang Hao instructed. As Wang Mengshan and his two companions were outsiders, it was more appropriate for them to pursue the Wang family cultivators. As for the Nine Swords Pagoda, Yang Hao and his two companions would enter to break the restrictions; their combined strength would be sufficient.

Su Qingheng nodded. He had recently obtained a Nine Swords Token, which now came in handy. His opportunity had arrived. Su Qingheng took out the Nine Swords Token, opened the entrance, and the three of them entered the Nine Swords Pagoda, while Wang Mengshan and his two companions went after Wang Yangsheng and Liu Yushuang.

Across a stretch of undulating verdant mountains, a golden-and-silver light barrier rapidly streaked across the sky, moving very fast. A deafening clap of thunder reverberated from high above, and another massive silver lightning pillar descended, striking the golden-and-silver light barrier. Two disheveled figures plummeted from the sky, landing heavily on the ground.

Wang Yangsheng and Liu Yushuang's faces were pale, and their auras were weak. Wang Yangsheng, in particular, had multiple horrifying gashes on his body, bleeding profusely. A dazzling silver lightning ball lit up, and Liu Yao appeared, her face full of killing intent.

"You think you can outrun me? You killed my husband; today marks your end." Liu Yao's expression turned cold, and she formed a hand seal. Thunder boomed loudly, and thousands of silver lightning bolts streaked across the sky, heading straight for Wang Yangsheng and Liu Yushuang.

Just then, countless thick green vines erupted from the ground. These vines intertwined, forming a massive green net that materialized and enveloped them. The dense silver lightning tore through the green net, but there were simply too many green vines. They endlessly regenerated, firmly protecting Wang Yangsheng and Liu Yushuang. A burst of green light shone, revealing a red-lipped, white-toothed young man in green robes, with bright, piercing eyes. It was Wang Mousen.

He was currently a mid-stage Void Refinement cultivator and one of the Wang family's few sixth-tier alchemists. He possessed considerable combat experience, having sparred with other Void Refinement cultivators in addition to exchanging alchemy knowledge with fellow alchemists. The Wang family possessed numerous outstanding Void Refinement cultivators, meaning Wang Mousen was not typically required to lead the charge. However, Wang Mengbin, Wang Qingfeng, and others had left the Xuanling Continent, while Wang Jiye, Wang Zongque, and others were with Wang Changsheng at the Xuanqing Sect, refining cross-realm treasure ships. Of course, the Wang family still had many powerful Void Refinement cultivators, such as Wang Qinglong, Wang Yuanjiang, Wang Yuanwei, Wang Lihe, and Wang Huayue. However, they were stationed at different outposts. It just so happened that Wang Mousen was passing through this area, received the news, and rushed over without delay.