Chapter 1042: Seize

Chapter 1042: Seize

Heavenly lightning descended, flashing blindingly across the cavern. The divine lightning struck straight at Venerable Ye.

Venerable Ye had been caught completely off guard. After unleashing his saber strike that cowed the crowd, he had never imagined that anyone would dare ambush him at such a moment.

There could not possibly be another Spiritual Infant grandmaster within this realm, yet someone had the audacity to snatch food from the tiger’s jaws.

Qin Sang had chosen his timing with precision. It was the exact instant when Venerable Ye had exhausted his strength in the saber strike and was still enduring the suppression of the hidden realm, before he could gather new power. The lightning struck him at his weakest point.

Such a lightning art could only be a top-tier Dao Technique, a handed-down secret in any sect. In the entire immortal cultivation world, something of this caliber could never be obscure. Yet even with all his vast knowledge, Venerable Ye had never heard of it.

The

Lightning Control Technique

carried power that surpassed the limits of any Core Formation Realm cultivator. Venerable Ye dared not underestimate it, for he could even sense a trace of mortal danger.

Rumble!

The secret chamber trembled violently.

The earth spirits surrounding Venerable Ye were instantly shattered, his figure engulfed by the raging thunderbolts, leaving only blinding arcs of lightning in sight.

Seeing this, the cultivators were struck dumb, unable to believe their eyes. For a moment, they doubted that this was truly the trial realm, as if they had entered the wrong place entirely. How could opponents beyond the realm’s limit appear one after another?

While Venerable Ye was caught off guard by the

Lightning Control Technique

, the cultivators were overwhelmed by the sudden turns of fate and the succession of mysterious powers. None knew how to react.

Then, a gray shadow darted out from among the army of earth spirits. Before everyone’s eyes, it shot straight into the sealed area.

Swish!

A ghostly hand reached out and snatched at the Soul-Cleansing Liquid.

The figure had clearly been waiting for this opportunity. The movements were smooth and practiced, and in the blink of an eye, all four bottles of Soul-Cleansing Liquid were seized. The shadow then leapt back with incredible speed.

"Stop him!" Venerable Ye’s furious roar thundered out from within the lightning.

The one who had taken the Soul-Cleansing Liquid was Bai. He and Qin Sang had acted separately, hiding in the shadows to wait for the perfect moment. Their coordination was seamless. Qin Sang was to ambush Venerable Ye, and while Venerable Ye was distracted, Bai would seize the Soul-Cleansing Liquid.

Blood Bat and the others had been gravely wounded and were in no condition to join the fight.

The rest of the cultivators, their morale shattered and their leaders incapacitated, dared not interfere. For the moment, no one stepped forward to contest them.

Clutching the bottles, Bai immediately turned and sprinted toward Qin Sang’s position. Hearing Venerable Ye’s thunderous shout echo behind him, his heart tensed.

Qin Sang’s caution had been justified. These old monsters were far from simple. Even with his cultivation restricted, the

Lightning Control Technique

alone could not possibly kill Venerable Ye.

Venerable Ye’s bellow pierced through the thunder, shaking the entire cavern. The long-bearded elder and his companions instantly understood that the command had been directed at them.

Moments earlier, when Venerable Ye had crippled Blood Bat and the others with a single strike and effortlessly broken the seal to seize the Soul-Cleansing Liquid, they had been overjoyed, envisioning countless rewards.

But when the

Lightning Control Technique

descended and Venerable Ye was swallowed by lightning, seemingly powerless and his fate uncertain, their hearts plunged into despair.

Standing behind Venerable Ye, they could clearly sense the terrifying might of the

Lightning Control Technique.

With his cultivation suppressed and his body injured, Venerable Ye had already expended his strength in that one saber strike. How could he possibly withstand such power?

If Venerable Ye...

They dared not finish the thought.

Just then, hearing his voice again, the long-bearded elder and his companions finally let out a collective sigh of relief. "Master is unharmed!"

"Stop him!" Joy turned swiftly into fury.

Not only had their master been ambushed, but their precious Soul-Cleansing Liquid had also been stolen.

The four of them had long prepared a flag array to support Venerable Ye’s retreat from the cavern. It was now put to use against Bai.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The flags unfurled with a sharp whistle.

Brilliant lights flared, and clouds of auspicious mist drifted from the spiritual flags. The array was mysterious and imposing, its power formidable.

"Put down the Soul-Cleansing Liquid!" the long-bearded elder roared, his beard bristling with rage. But suddenly, he felt that the spiritual array stagnated.

His eyes swept around and fell upon Su Nu. She was clutching one of the spiritual flags, her face filled with fear and sorrow as she stared blankly toward Venerable Ye’s direction, motionless.

"Junior Sister!" the long-bearded elder shouted.

Su Nu jolted as if awakening from a trance. Meeting the elder’s gaze, her eyes flickered with confusion before she blushed with shame and hurriedly tried to control the flag.

The more flustered she became, the more mistakes she made. The long-bearded elder sighed heavily. Su Nu had clearly been frightened by the earlier scene, believing that Venerable Ye had fallen.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The three of them had all traveled the world for years and were seasoned in danger. In a crisis, they could adapt instantly.

But Su Nu had spent her entire life cultivating within the Dongji Alliance, sheltered by both the alliance leader and Venerable Ye. She had never faced true peril, nor had anyone ever dared provoke her.

The price of such protection was a lack of combat experience. Despite her high cultivation, she likely fought worse than a newly advanced Core Formation cultivator. In critical moments, she simply did not know what to do.

Because of Su Nu’s faltering control, the flag array became riddled with flaws. The long-bearded elder and the other two, being decisive by nature, knew she was unreliable. They immediately abandoned the array and instead activated their astras, surrounding Bai from three directions.

Seeing this, Bai sneered coldly. He swung his arm, and a surge of corpse qi burst forth, hurling one of the bottles of Soul-Cleansing Liquid violently through the air.

Whoosh!

All eyes turned in unison.

A stir rippled through the cultivators in that direction. When the snipe and the clam fought, the fisherman profited, and a few daring souls were already preparing to strike.

The Soul-Cleansing Liquid shimmered faintly like fireflies, about to fly away right under the trio’s noses.

Although the long-bearded elder and the others knew it was a diversion, their focus still wavered. The charming woman could no longer hold back; she flicked her sleeve, releasing a ribbon of light that whipped toward the Soul-Cleansing Liquid.

Bang!

Bai did not slow in the slightest. Corpse qi boiled over his body as he charged forward by force.

Screech!

The cry of a celestial crane pierced the air behind him. A gust of fierce wind swept in, making the burly man’s back turn cold with dread. He spun around instinctively and swung his saber in a sharp counterstrike.

Clang! Clang!

Bai clashed head-on with the long-bearded elder.

The white crane, cunning as ever, flapped its wings in advance and dodged aside. Knowing it was no match for the burly man, it never confronted him directly; merely drawing his attention was enough.

In that fleeting instant, another figure flashed out. It was Qin Sang.

Having cast the

Lightning Control Technique

, most of his spiritual power had already been drained. The task of seizing the treasure had fallen to Bai. Now, after swallowing several spirit pills, Qin Sang rushed forward to provide cover.

The white crane and Bai swooped toward him at the same time. A flicker later, one slipped into the Corpse Puppet Pouch, while the other transformed into the Primordial Unity Ring and clasped around Qin Sang’s wrist.

Before the elders could encircle him, Qin Sang’s body erupted with three-colored evasion light.

The shadow of a Jiao, the wings of a phoenix, and dazzling sword light intertwined brilliantly across the void.

"Crap! Stop him!" The long-bearded elder felt a surge of dread and his face changed drastically.

The burly man reacted even faster, slashing out a saber strike. The saber light gleamed brightly, faintly carrying the same grace as Venerable Ye’s saber light, proof that he had inherited genuine teachings.

Unfortunately, they were still too slow. Qin Sang’s evasion technique dashed their hopes entirely. In an instant, he broke through their encirclement and left them far behind.

"Seeking death!" Venerable Ye’s roar thundered through the cavern. Qin Sang felt his blood surge and churn violently, his heart filled with alarm.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the heavenly lightning that had struck Venerable Ye beginning to crack apart, bit by bit!