Chapter 451: Unlucky Wang Changhao

Upon the death of the woman in the golden skirt, the large blue sword regained its freedom. Wang Qingshan made a sword gesture, and the Azure Lotus Mother-Child Sword flew towards him, hovering before him. Its blade was stained with some blood. He took out a white cloth and carefully wiped the bloodstains from the sword, then rinsed it with clean water, wiped it again, and finally recalled it into his body.

Wang Qingshan put away his flying sword and puppet beasts. He quickly approached the bodies of the two Hundred Flowers Sect disciples, collecting their belongings, especially the golden lotus mirror. Wang Qingshan then walked towards a cave. He intended to take time to refine the golden lotus mirror; having this magical artifact would give him an extra advantage in battle.

In a certain dense black forest, Wang Ruyan sat cross-legged on the ground with a phoenix-tail zither before her. Her slender fingers moved swiftly across the strings. Beside her stood a giant yellow tortoise, which had over a dozen faint white marks on its shell. A small blue umbrella was held above Wang Ruyan's head, and a large expanse of blue light enveloped her. Behind Wang Ruyan, two massive black mantises lay dead in pools of blood. Opposite Wang Ruyan were a man and a woman, both with their eyes tightly shut and expressions of pain on their faces. Several large craters dotted the ground nearby, with steam rising from within them, and two large trees were engulfed in raging flames.

As time passed, the zither's melody grew more melancholic and sorrowful, as if recounting a tragic tale. A thin layer of sweat seeped from Wang Ruyan's forehead, and her complexion became slightly pale. Her eyes sharpened with a cold glint, and her slender fingers rapidly swept across the strings, unleashing over a dozen giant wind blades, several meters long, that shot forth. With two swift 'thuds,' the heads of the man and woman were severed by the massive wind blades. They fell to the ground, unmistakably dead, their blood staining the earth.

Wang Ruyan let out a long sigh of relief and murmured to herself, "It's been a long time since I played a tune; this 'Soul-Losing Melody' feels a bit rusty." She stood up, performed a hand seal, and the phoenix-tail zither transformed into a streak of green light that flew into her mouth and vanished. This life-bound artifact was personally refined for her by Wang Changsheng. She had kept it in her Dantian for over a decade, nurturing it, and this was her first time using it. Wang Ruyan stood up, collected the bodies of the two black mantises, searched the two cultivators for their belongings, and then set their bodies on fire. After resting for a while in the dense forest and recovering most of her spiritual power, she began walking into the distance. The bi-pupil mouse she had tamed had already died at the mouth of a demonic beast, so she could only wander around and try her luck.

Truth be told, the Wang family's foundation was too shallow; they lacked experience in exploring secret realms and immortal caves. Disciples from immortal cultivation sects, however, seemed to have ways of gathering together. If she could reunite with Wang Qingshan and the other two, her survival rate would be higher, and her gains would likely be greater.

At the foot of a certain towering peak, three men and one woman were engaged in an intense battle. One of them was Wang Changhao. Wang Changhao was secretly cursing his bad luck. He hadn't expected to encounter three disciples from the Seven-Colors Sect—two at Foundation Establishment third-layer and one at Foundation Establishment fifth-layer. Relying on five second-tier puppet beasts, Wang Changhao barely managed to fend off their attacks. Several glittering artifacts struck his protective spiritual shield, producing muffled thuds like beans being fried.

"Fellow Daoists," Wang Changhao said in a deep voice, intending to make peace, "there's no need for us to fight to the death without cause! I haven't obstructed you in any way!"

"Everything in the Golden Sun Sect ruins belongs to us cultivators from Tang State," a tall, thin middle-aged man sneered. "There's no share for you cultivators from Wei State. You can only blame your bad luck for running into us."

Wang Changhao's heart sank. Knowing the situation was dire, he pulled out two black spheres, hurled them towards the middle-aged man, and shouted, "Take these two Heavenly Thunder Orbs!"

"Oh no, Heavenly Thunder Orbs! Dodge!" Upon hearing the words "Heavenly Thunder Orbs," the middle-aged man's face drastically changed. He quickly conjured a red shield to block in front of him. With two muffled 'pops,' the black spheres shattered, releasing a large cloud of thick black smoke that surged towards the three Seven-Colors Sect disciples. They dared not inhale the black smoke, fearing it was poisonous, and quickly cast protective shields upon themselves. Seizing this opportunity, Wang Changhao unleashed several Great Fireball talismans, which transformed into giant fireballs and hurtled towards the three.

"Boom!" A tremendous roar echoed, and flames billowed. Two breaths later, the flames dissipated, and Wang Changhao was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn it, we were tricked!" The middle-aged man cursed, his face filled with resentment.

Just then, a rapid, high-pitched whistle rang out. The middle-aged man's face lit up with joy. He quickly pulled out a communication disk from his robe, cast a spell upon it, and a man's voice suddenly spoke: "Li Qian, where are you? How many people are with you?"

"Senior Brother Chen, I have three people here."

"I'll send a signal talisman; converge with me immediately. The inheritance of the Golden Sun Sect is the most important thing; put everything else aside for now." The man's voice was calm but held an undeniable tone.

"Yes, Senior Brother Chen."

Soon after, a dazzling red light appeared in the sky, forming a giant fireball visible from a great distance. "Let's go, regroup with Senior Brother Chen." The middle-aged man summoned a red flying boat and, with his companions, flew towards the giant fireball.

Similar scenes unfolded in various locations as leaders from different sects sent out signals to gather their disciples. Within the Golden Sun Sect ruins, the more Foundation Establishment cultivators there were, the higher the chances of survival. Naturally, the individual gains for each person would be reduced.

From a low earth mound, Wang Qingshan gazed up at the sky, where a massive tiger-shaped pattern had appeared. Soon after, several streaks of light appeared in the sky, flying towards the tiger pattern. Wang Qingshan understood that cultivators from various sects were gathering their fellow disciples. With at least twenty Foundation Establishment cultivators per sect, he had no desire to run into them. A blue light glowed beneath his feet, and he transformed into a wisp of clear wind, dashing in the opposite direction.

In a certain dense forest, Wang Changhao's face was pale as he darted through the trees like an afterimage. Hundreds of azure demonic wolves relentlessly pursued him, several hundred feet behind. Wang Changhao was so frustrated he wanted to curse. His luck was truly terrible; he had just used a Fire Escape Talisman to evade one danger, only to run into a pack of demonic wolves, five of which were second-tier.

"Awooo!" The wolf king let out a howl and spat out a giant wind blade, which shot directly towards Wang Changhao. Simultaneously, the other azure demonic wolves followed suit, unleashing blue wind blades to attack Wang Changhao. Hearing the whistling sound of the wind blades tearing through the air, Wang Changhao's heart sank. He quickly threw several Earth Wall talismans behind him, which transformed into multiple yellow earthen walls, over ten meters high, blocking his pursuers.