Chapter 161: Chapter 117: Seizure_1
Translator: 549690339
In the firmament, amidst the billowing clouds, a streak of Escape Light darted through at immense speed.
It was a Tower Treasure Ship flying boat.
This supreme grade large Magic Artifact, now pushed its spiritual power output to the utmost limit, making the entire building ship sparkle with dazzling Spirit Light. Formations were fully activated, and its speed was so astonishing that the depletion of Spirit Stones was completely disregarded.
Within the flying boat, at the helm.
Zhou Mingyu sat upright upon a Green Jade lotus platform, drawing the vitality of the lotus to heal his wounds.
He had not changed his clothes, which were still stained with blood, especially at the chest, where a sword wound had nearly pierced through. Fresh blood continued to ooze out, soaking and staining his clothes red.
A middle-aged Cultivator at the early stage of Foundation Establishment stood by his side, looking at the dreadful state of his family’s ancestor with deep concern and anxiety, like an ant on a hot pot.
He could never have imagined that things would come to this, that Li Jianchen could have inflicted such grave injuries to his family’s ancestor.
If something happened to the ancestor, could he, a mere early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, shoulder the burden of the Zhou Family and Qingfeng Mountain?
Clearly, he could not!
This was why the ancestor decisively withdrew without daring to engage Li Jianchen in a fight to the death.
It was a fight he simply could not afford!
Li Jianchen practiced the Golden Core Sword Jue, and even if he only used an incomplete move that greatly diminished his life essence and reduced his lifespan, the power of the Golden Core Sword Jue was undeniable.
To fight him to the death, even if victorious, would come at a terrible cost, perhaps even leading to one’s own death, akin to both jade and stone being burned to ashes.
It didn’t matter if Li Jianchen lived or died, but as the Zhou Family ancestor, Zhou Mingyu could not afford to falter!
The foundation of Qingfeng Mountain had to be upheld by a Cultivator at the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
Otherwise, it would face a situation like White Dragon Island, being confined to its defenses, subject to oppression and attacks from all sides, struggling to maintain the market trade, and gradually spiraling into decline.
If the future generations proved incompetent and could not quickly nurture a cultivator to stabilize the situation at the late or mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, once the family’s potentiality was exhausted, they would not only have to relinquish Qingfeng Mountain, but they would also be driven to extinction by their enemies.
Therefore, Zhou Mingyu dared not gamble, nor did he dare linger outside. He immediately ordered the Zhou family members to power up the flying boat and return to Qingfeng Mountain as fast as possible, lest their enemies received the news and took the opportunity to ambush and kill them.
While the middle-aged Cultivator was full of worries.
“Hah!”
Above the lotus platform, as the Spirit Light converged, Zhou Mingyu, who had been regulating his breathing for a long time, finally exhaled a murky breath and opened his eyes.
“Ancestor!”
The middle-aged Cultivator hurried forward, “How is it?”
“Barely stabilized.”
Zhou Mingyu shook his head and lowered his gaze to the sword wound on his chest. Although the wound had clotted and no longer bled, he could still feel an extremely fierce energy within it.
“The Golden Core Sword Jue is indeed formidable!”
Zhou Mingyu sighed, and said in a low voice, “I underestimated that Li Jianchen!”
“Ancestor…!”
Hearing this, the middle-aged Cultivator grew even more anxious.
“Rest assured!”
Zhou Mingyu shook his head and comforted him, “Although the Golden Core Sword Jue is formidable, it requires the cultivation of a Golden Core to unleash its true power. Li Jianchen is only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, and even if he forcibly performed a move by sacrificing his life essence, it lacks the might of a Golden Core. Against others, it might kill, but against me… hmph, he still lacks the necessary skill!”
“The Ancestor’s might is awe-inspiring!”
Hearing this, the middle-aged Cultivator let out a sigh of relief and did not forget to offer a flattering remark.
“What might? It’s merely survival.”
Zhou Mingyu shook his head again and sighed, “Sword Cultivators truly live up to their name. My cultivation of the White Tiger Gengjin Jue has reached the Great Achievement Realm. The strength of my physical body is so greatly tempered that even at the peak of Foundation Establishment, it would be difficult to easily break through. Yet I was wounded so terribly by that one strike from Li Jianchen, I fled in embarrassment and lost all face!”
“The ancestors should not dwell on this.”
The middle-aged Cultivator quickly consoled, “That Li Jianchen put his life on the line for his strike, significantly diminishing his life essence. He fears not living long in this world. After his death, when we return to Dongting Lake, we must make the Li Family repay the blood debt with blood!”
Between the lines, there was no thought of seeking revenge directly against the adversary.
Zhou Mingyu nodded in agreement, “This man is resolute, not ordinary. Now that his life essence is greatly damaged, he has nothing to lose. We need not argue with such a man desperate to die. Let him be arrogant for a while!”
After saying this, as if to justify his own cowardice, he began to earnestly instruct.
“As Cultivators who seek longevity, such behavior might seem imposing, but it is actually forsaking the fundamental for the trivial, an act that fails to distinguish between what is important and what is not. You must not emulate him!”
“The Ancestor is wise.”
Seeing that the ancestor shared his perspective, the middle-aged Cultivator smiled and asked, “What about the Wang Family…”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Mingyu’s expression turned sorrowful, “Tian Ling’s death is truly a tragedy. After we return to Qingfeng Mountain, you will take some people to offer our condolences. Remember, do not let Yun’er and the others be bullied as widows and orphans!”
This statement made the middle-aged Cultivator’s eyes light up, and he nodded immediately, “Grandson understands, Ancestor, rest assured!”
“Hmm!”
Zhou Mingyu nodded, “Go down. I will regulate my breathing again. The flying boat must not slow down. We need to return home as soon as possible. Once the news spreads, those old ghosts will surely take action.”
“Yes!”
The middle-aged Cultivator nodded and respectfully left the room.
Zhou Mingyu also closed his eyes, preparing to circulate his energy again to nourish the severe injuries within his body.
But at that moment…
“Hmm?”
Zhou Mingyu opened his eyes, his brow slightly furrowed.
What is it?
He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but he felt an inexplicable unease, a whimsical foreboding. It was as if a great disaster loomed overhead.
Though he had not cultivated divination, at such a level of cultivation, he could sense the rhythm of heaven and earth, producing a faint premonition of warning—it was not unfounded or without reason.
“Could those old ghosts have already received the news?”
Zhou Mingyu’s brows were tightly knotted, filled with a sense of unease, yet there was nothing he could do.
Helpless, he could only close his eyes again, channel his cultivation to regulate his breath, and try his best to recover from his injuries.
Meanwhile…
Within the spirit land of Dongting Lake, inside a secret chamber.
In front of the Yin Altar, the curse had been completed; the body of the straw effigy harboring the curse was ready to be unleashed!
Xu Yang placed down his magic sword, picked up the straw effigy, and tucked it into his sleeve. He then activated the Earth Ghost Divine Seal within his sea of consciousness, transforming into a streak of golden light, and vanished into the void.
The Earth Deity Law, the art of teleportation!
By consuming the power of the spirit land, one could teleport between the spirit land and its connected regions.
Given the tier of the Dongting spirit land, one could teleport up to five hundred miles at a time.
It was a major means of saving one’s life.
Otherwise, Xu Yang would not have put on such an overt drama.
Even if the situation spiraled out of control, with Foundation Establishment completers or even Golden Core experts appearing, he could still use this method to escape and save his life.
Of course, his current use of this technique was not to flee for his life, but to pursue and kill.
Chasing after the Tower Treasure Ship to slay Zhou Mingyu and eliminate the last trouble!
Some things, if you choose to do them, you must see them through to the end.
Eliminate the roots to prevent future troubles!
As for why he didn’t just directly kill with a curse…
Xu Yang was not the kind of person to make a wedding dress for someone else.
Zhou Mingyu’s cultivation was in the late Foundation Establishment stage, and as the patriarch of a Foundation Establishment power holding sway over the Qingfeng Mountain Cultivation Market, his family was wealthy and affluent.
It would be too unfair to himself to go through the effort and expense of cursing him to death without collecting some spoils of war.
So…
With the divine seal driving the spell and the spirit land lending its power, he appeared five hundred miles away in an instant.
Xu Yang’s figure solidified, he threw out the Cumulated Thunder Cloud into the sky, which transformed into mist and rosy light, concealing his presence as he lay in wait.
Although the Zhou family’s Tower Treasure Ship was a supreme grade large magic artifact with astonishing escape speed, it couldn’t have flown hundreds of miles in such a short time.
Xu Yang locked onto the energy trail and teleported forth, positioning himself ahead.
The next step was to wait patiently, like lying in ambush for a hare.
Zhou Mingyu did not have to wait long before he saw a streak of Escape Light approaching rapidly from afar.
“Perfect timing!”
Xu Yang smiled, seated upon a cloud, he took out the straw effigy cursed with the spell just before and then produced two long nails.
The two long nails, one red and one black, displayed the alternating cycle of Yin and Yang.
They were the curse artifacts meant to pair with the Increase Life and Damage Fate Generals—the Increase Life and Damage Fate Yin-Yang nails!
Xu Yang held the straw effigy in one hand and the nails in the other. One nail pierced through the Heavenly Spirit from above, the other stabbed into the Huiyin point from below. Then, using his finger as a brush, he uttered the incantation, “Increase life decrease fate, Yin prospers Yang dies!”
“Go!!!”
With one flick of his finger, darkness fell upon the world, and in that instant, the white clouds turned into ominous Yang Clouds, foreboding and terrifying, signifying bad omens.
In the sinister atmosphere, two ghostly figures condensed behind Xu Yang—it was the towering form of two Ghost Generals.
One general had a ghastly green face with fierce tusks, wielding a steel trident.
The other had a fierce countenance with blood-red complexion and evil eyes, brandishing iron chains.
The two generals appeared and then transformed into streams of energy that entered the pierced straw effigy.
Instantly…
“Rumble!”
The foreboding clouds collided, and muted thunder rumbled, suffocating.
Inside the Tower Treasure Ship, Zhou Mingyu, who was channeling his cultivation to heal, opened his eyes once more, feeling irritation and restlessness, his Qi Blood boiling, with waves of unease.
It seemed that a grave disaster was about to befall him!
What’s happening?
Zhou Mingyu did not know, but instinctively, he took out several second-tier Spirit Talismans for protection from his Storage Bag. He also swallowed a second-tier pill to increase his Qi Blood and restore his vitality. Finally, he took out a Green Jade bead and consecrated it above his head, casting down a protective green light over himself.
All of them were his life-saving methods and family’s potentiality.
But even this could not ease the sense of unrest, which instead intensified and became more ominous!
“What’s happening?”
Zhou Mingyu frowned deeply, pondering internally.
Though he was injured, it wasn’t fatal. With all the precautions he had taken, even if some old enemies got the news and came to assassinate him while he was down, he was confident he could fend them off.
Why then this feeling of unease?
Could it be…
“Hiss!!!”
In the midst of his agitation and confusion, a sudden excruciating pain emanated from his mind.
No, not the mind, but rather the soul!
The soul was wracked with intense pain as if it were being cleaved in two or as if needles were penetrating his skull, running through him and causing severe agony.
“Ah!!!”
This soul-piercing searing pain, which even Zhou Mingyu, who had experienced a hundred years of trials and several life-and-death turns, couldn’t withstand, caused him to cry out in pain and fall from the lotus seat.