Indeed, the Ring of Light lived up to its reputation as a treasure bestowed by the Immortal Dynasty.
The power of light it contained was formidable. Ziyang, wielding his Crescent-Moon Blade, slashed several times but failed to truly shake Ma Qian.
Although Ma Qian was protected by the Ring of Light, he was still seriously injured, and his spirit was utterly shattered by Ziyang's killing intent. He was afraid, truly afraid, fleeing desperately without regard for anything else.
"Beast! Leave your life here!"
Ziyang raised his Crescent-Moon Blade high with both hands, roaring violently. Bloodfiend Aura began to burn upon the blade, and simultaneously, the Chixiao Dragon-Elephant coiled around the Crescent-Moon Blade, roaring as it spiraled!
A roar—a dragon's cry shook the heavens, a wrathful elephant subdued the earth! The Bloodfiend Crescent-Moon would sever all under heaven!
This single slash was utterly savage!
Mixed with the killing intent Ziyang had tempered through countless bloodbaths, it enveloped the area. Ma Qian was so terrified he plummeted from mid-air, just as the Bloodfiend Crescent-Moon Slash arrived!
Whoosh—faster than words can tell!
A figure flashed past instantly—an elder. The moment the elder appeared, billowing smoke surged around him like a beacon fire. As he pressed his palms together, the rolling smoke instantly transformed into a thousand-fold mountain range. With a *bang*, it firmly clamped Ziyang's Bloodfiend Crescent-Moon Slash between two fingers.
Boom!
The savage power of the Bloodfiend Crescent-Moon Slash erupted. The thousand-fold mountain range instantly disintegrated! Bang! Bang! Bang!
After a series of explosions, the elder's face paled. He grunted and took a step back.
Roar!—The Chixiao Dragon-Elephant coiling around the Crescent-Moon Blade let out an angry roar, swinging its dragon-elephant head and opening its bloody maw to swallow the elder.
The elder's expression turned to shock, a flicker of fear flashing in his eyes. Sensing his spirit was being intimidated, he dared not delay. With a *whoosh*, he flashed away, leaping into mid-air. Staring at Ziyang, he spoke word by word, his throat tight: "Bloodfiend Aura, Dragon-Elephant Spirit, Chixiao People... truly living up to your reputation. This old man admires you! Admires you!"
In mid-air, a group of several dozen people had arrived riding the wind, unnoticed until now.
There were ten young men and over twenty elders.
Seeing these people, the sect heads and elders of the various major sects present immediately revealed expressions of joy, for these were precisely the long-awaited reinforcements from the Nine Flowers Alliance. Moreover, they had sent ten Upper Kings and the twenty-four Great Virtue Daozuns.
According to rumors, the twenty-four Great Virtue Daozuns of the Nine Flowers Alliance were all Nascent Soul Daozuns who had cultivated for thousands of years. Each had unfathomable cultivation and had comprehended their own divine abilities, especially the leading white-robed elder who looked like an immortal sage and held a Buddhist whisk.
Others might not know, but the sect heads of the major sects were aware. This white-robed elder was named Daozun Bai Xuan, hailed as the foremost among the twenty-four Great Daozuns and also the Grand Elder of the Nine Flowers Alliance. It was said he had already survived five Longevity Tribulations and one Transformation Tribulation.
Longevity Tribulations were just that, but Transformation Tribulations were different—they were calamities belonging to the Nascent Soul.
Any cultivator who formed a Nascent Soul and achieved the Daozun stage would, when the time came, face their first Transformation Tribulation.
Failure meant the Nascent Soul would gradually wither.
Surviving it allowed the Nascent Soul to advance a layer further, beginning its first evolution.
The terrifying power of a Nascent Soul that had survived a Transformation Tribulation was absolutely unimaginable to ordinary people.
However, what delighted the sect heads and elders even more was the leading young man.
His name was Jing Yun.
He was the first of the Twelve Upper Kings and also the eldest disciple of Alliance Chief Hua Xiong of the Nine Flowers Alliance.
As was widely known, the Twelve Upper Kings of the Nine Flowers Alliance were all heaven-defying prodigies of the Present Era, each possessing great fortune, various innate treasure physiques, and acquired legacies. It was said each of their Great Natural Order Color Spirits surpassed the ninth layer, reaching the transcendent level.
Among the Twelve Upper Kings, Jing Yun stood as the foremost paragon.
Rumor had it he alone possessed eight or nine different types of innate and acquired fortunes.
As for what these fortunes were, no one knew. It was only known that his Great Natural Order Color Spirit was of the Six Realms, Twelve Layers.
What did Six Realms, Twelve Layers mean?
It meant that on his cultivation path—Foundation, True Body, Purple Mansion, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Primordial Spirit—each realm had a twelve-layer Great Natural Order Color Spirit. In other words, his body contained a full seventy-two layers of Color Spirit, and moreover, seventy-two layers of transcendent Color Spirit. This could already be called a Minor Perfection Great Natural Order Color Spirit. Its ferocious power was absolutely unimaginable.
Based solely on the imposing might of his seventy-two-layer transcendent Minor Perfection Great Natural Order Color Spirit, without even needing to act, he could directly crush old Nascent Soul monsters.
And that was just the Great Natural Order Color Spirit. One must remember Jing Yun possessed eight or nine different fortunes.
Exactly how terrifying his strength was, no one knew.
There were only rumors that ordinary Nascent Soul Daozuns could not shake him in the slightest.
"Great Young Master!"
Upon seeing Jing Yun, Ma Qian, ignoring the pain of his injuries, immediately flew over.
Ziyang did not pursue. Having followed Lord Chixiao in countless campaigns north and south in the past, his combat experience was extremely rich. He clearly knew when to strike without hesitation and when absolutely not to act rashly, lest he throw his life away for nothing.
He was not afraid of death.
But he absolutely would not allow himself to die without any value.
In mid-air, Jing Yun did not look at Ma Qian but instead gazed lightly at Ziyang and the other eleven Chixiao People below, saying softly, "Hall Master Ma, do you remember what I instructed before coming?"
Ma Qian seemed very afraid of Jing Yun, not even daring to raise his head, replying, "The Great Young Master instructed that... without your command, we absolutely must not take action..."
"Since you knew, why did you not heed my words?"
"This subordinate... merely..."
Beside him, Daozun Bai Xuan shook his head. "Hall Master Ma, the Alliance Chief just bestowed the Seed of Light upon you not long ago. You've only nurtured it for a few days, haven't even refined it, yet you dared to lead people against the Chixiao People... If you had refined it slightly, possessing the protection of the Ring of Light, you wouldn't have been injured like this. If the Alliance Chief finds out, I'm afraid he will be very disappointed in you."
"Great Young Master, Grand Elder, it wasn't this subordinate's recklessness! That old thing Ziyang suddenly attacked! This subordinate was momentarily careless, that's why... I beg the Great Young Master and Grand Elder for forgiveness!"
Daozun Bai Xuan paid him no further mind. Instead, he looked at the hundreds of corpses on the ground belonging to the Thunder-Cloud and Lightning-Cloud Branch Halls. His expression showed some emotion, and a complex light flashed in his eyes. Closing them, it was as if he had returned to that chaotic period of the Ancient Era...
"Bloodfiend Aura, Dragon-Elephant Spirit, solemn killing intent... Chixiao People. I have long heard of the fame of the Chixiao People. Seeing them today, they indeed live up to their reputation."
Jing Yun also said with a smile. He seemed somewhat inscrutable, especially the faint, elusive smile at the corner of his mouth, which made people very uncomfortable. Standing in mid-air, he looked at the Great Zang Dragon-Elephant Heaven-Earth Array enveloping the garden. Beside him, Bai Xuan and the other twenty-four Great Virtue Daozuns also stared at the array, their expressions changing repeatedly. Clearly, they all recognized the Great Zang Dragon-Elephant Heaven-Earth Array and knew its power.
"Whether it's mere reputation or not, go back and ask your Immortal Dynasty masters, and you'll know," Ziyang said coldly.
Ziyang and the other eleven Chixiao People had killed many people from the Immortal Dynasty in the past. They were all too familiar with the 'scent' of Immortal Dynasty people, and everyone present bore that scent.