Chapter 1857: Qu Shan Old Mother
“Pfft!”
The True Miao Little Daoist sitting on Zhang Ruochen’s shoulder couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Who is laughing?”
Shi Qing Shenzi’s gaze slanted over, coldly fixing on True Miao Little Daoist.
True Miao Little Daoist raised one hand and said apologetically, “Sorry… sorry… couldn’t help it…”
Countless gazes on the island converged on True Miao Little Daoist and Zhang Ruochen.
Shi Qing Shenzi’s tone was rather unfriendly. “Is it that funny?”
True Miao Little Daoist quickly shook his head, his expression turning serious. “Not funny at all. However, this humble Daoist thinks that if the ancient inscriptions of Luo Water couldn’t stop the Blood Bee Shura King, then an Eighth-Rank Formation certainly won’t be able to stop him either.”
The cultivators of Heavenly Beginning Civilization, upon seeing Zhang Ruochen, exchanged glances, silently wondering: “Who is that man who looks so much like Miao Han Sheng Wang? Could he be a cultivator from Heavenly Beginning Civilization? But why haven’t we seen him before?”
“Ignorant.”
An old man with white hair and deer antlers slowly stepped out from behind Shi Qing Shenzi, his voice hoarse. “Eighth-Rank Formations also have levels. A truly top-tier Eighth-Rank Formation, when fully activated, cannot be easily broken even by a Great Saint and can effortlessly suppress and kill a Dao Domain realm powerhouse.”
“Deer Elder.”
Shi Qing Shenzi stepped back three paces, supporting the deer-antlered white-haired old man, his wild aura diminishing somewhat.
Zhang Ruochen felt his Sacred Heart contract slightly, his spiritual power as if sealed. He thought to himself, “So strong. This old man’s spiritual power must have reached the Fifty-Ninth Rank. And it’s not just the early stage of Fifty-Ninth Rank.”
Deer Elder continued, “Although the ancient inscriptions of Luo Water are powerful, their coverage is too vast, inevitably leaving some loopholes. It’s not surprising that they couldn’t stop a true expert.”
“But the Eighth-Rank Formation I intend to set up only needs to cover the Nine Qu Heavenly Star.”
True Miao Little Daoist could also tell that the old fellow called “Deer Elder” was not to be trifled with, so he restrained himself a bit. “This humble Daoist has also studied formations for a few days, but I know that the more powerful a formation, the more time it takes to set up. By the time you finish setting up a formation covering the entire Nine Qu Heavenly Star, the Blood Bee Shura King will have already slaughtered all the cultivators on it.”
“It seems your attainments in formations are indeed lacking. Don’t you know that I have already refined all the formation plates needed for the setup in advance?” Deer Elder sneered.
Shi Qing Shenzi also showed a smug expression. “Fairy, the defensive formation set up by Deer Elder cannot be breached by any living being below the Great Saint level. As long as you agree to let us enter the Nine Qu Heavenly Star, the Eighth-Rank Defensive Formation can be completed in at most two days.”
Faced with a powerhouse like the Blood Bee Shura King, the Heavenly Beginning Fairy had to be cautious and did not immediately refuse Shi Qing Shenzi.
Even if she didn’t consider herself, she had to think about the safety of the many cultivators of Heavenly Beginning Civilization.
True Miao Little Daoist transmitted to Zhang Ruochen, “That so-called Shi Qing Shenzi has ulterior motives. If you let him into the Nine Qu Heavenly Star, he’ll pester your Heavenly Beginning Fairy every day. Why don’t you tell the fairy that you can set up a Space Maze Formation and a Time Formation, which are far more practical than any Eighth-Rank Defensive Formation?”
Zhang Ruochen shot True Miao Little Daoist a glare. “Do you know how much time it would take to set up a Space Maze Formation and a Time Formation covering the entire Nine Qu Heavenly Star?”
“How much time?”
“It might not even be finished in half a year,” Zhang Ruochen said.
“Uh…”
True Miao Little Daoist stroked the beard on his chin. “Don’t we still have seven Divine Throne Planets? Those seven Divine Throne Planets can become seven satellites of the Nine Qu Heavenly Star. Wouldn’t their defensive power surpass that of an Eighth-Rank Formation?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. “The seven Divine Throne Planets were personally refined by Divine Cliff Master. He surely knows the weaknesses of both the Divine Throne Planets and the Ninth-Rank Formation. I have to warn you: wherever Divine Cliff Master is, it’s best not to use them. If they get taken, we’d be at a huge loss.”
“Can’t do this, can’t do that. Are we just supposed to watch them steal the spotlight?” True Miao Little Daoist said reluctantly.
“We didn’t come here to steal the spotlight,” Zhang Ruochen said.
“Besides, with two experts like the Blood Bee Shura King and Divine Cliff Master watching covetously, letting Shi Qing Shenzi and his people station themselves on the Nine Qu Heavenly Star might not be a bad thing. Ideally, even more experts would come… Huh? Did I just call it?”
In the distance, where water and sky met, three sacred birds flew in, emitting purple, black, and white light.
The three sacred birds had magnificent feathers and powerful auras, quickly arriving near the island.
“Whoosh.”
The three sacred birds transformed into three figures, descending onto the island.
Seeing those three figures, a strange expression appeared on Zhang Ruochen’s face.
Because he recognized two of them: Black Phoenix and White Vermilion Bird.
Walking ahead of Black Phoenix and White Vermilion Bird was an old woman in her sixties, with neatly combed graying hair. Even without deliberately releasing her sacred might, the aura she exuded made the cultivators present tremble in fear.
“Why has this old demoness come?” Li Miaohan frowned deeply.
The old woman’s hearing was exceptionally sharp, and her eagle-like gaze locked onto Li Miaohan.
“Be careful,” the Heavenly Beginning Fairy said.
Zhang Ruochen also sensed the danger, swiftly moving to block Li Miaohan, and struck out with a palm.
“Bang.”
A needle as fine as a cow’s hair struck Zhang Ruochen’s palm.
It was well known that the finer a sacred artifact, the greater its penetrating power. However, its impact force was far inferior to that of a large sacred artifact.
Yet the impact force of this needle far exceeded Zhang Ruochen’s expectations, like a celestial meteorite crashing into his palm.
Zhang Ruochen was sent flying backward dozens of zhang before barely managing to neutralize the needle’s force.
He had assumed that such a powerful needle must be a high-grade sacred artifact. But the needle dissipated in his palm, turning into a wisp of purple mist.
“It wasn’t a material-form needle?”
Zhang Ruochen’s expression grew quite serious.
This old woman’s cultivation was terrifying!
A flicker of surprise passed through the old woman’s eyes, and she said coldly, “To be able to block my Immortal Eye Sting, your eyesight and reaction speed are decent. Among those present, your skill ranks in the top five!”
Hearing such high praise from the old woman, the cultivators present looked at Zhang Ruochen with a bit more awe.
“Since you blocked the Immortal Eye Sting, I’ll spare the little girl this time. Offend me again, and it’s death without mercy,” the old woman said icily.
Li Miaohan quickly flew to Zhang Ruochen’s side, lifting his arm to confirm he wasn’t injured, then breathed a slight sigh of relief.
“Thank you…”
Just as Li Miaohan was about to speak, Zhang Ruochen interrupted her with a smile. “As an older brother, isn’t it only right to protect my younger sister?”
Given the situation, only Zhang Ruochen, from his position, could have saved her.
Otherwise, Li Miaohan would either be dead or crippled.
Li Miaohan’s fair face flushed slightly.
Although she knew Zhang Ruochen was just maintaining his cover, a strange feeling stirred in her heart.
Zhang Ruochen transmitted, “Her cultivation is freakishly strong. Who in the world is she?”
Li Miaohan stared at the old woman’s receding figure and said solemnly, “Don’t you even know Qu Shan Old Mother?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head.
Li Miaohan said, “Qu Shan Old Mother was once a Great Saint from the Tai Bai Realm. Because she offended the Nether God Hall, a Nether God shattered her Immortal Sacred Body, took her Sacred Source, and crippled all her cultivation.”
“If her cultivation was crippled, how is she still so terrifying?” Zhang Ruochen asked, puzzled.
Li Miaohan said, “Although her cultivation was crippled, Qu Shan Old Mother’s physical body remained incredibly strong, far surpassing ordinary Saint Kings. Relying on that powerful body and her past cultivation experience, she managed to condense a new Sacred Source and reach her current realm. It’s said she might very well condense an Immortal Sacred Body again and become a Great Saint once more.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “That’s incredible, isn’t it?”
“Who says otherwise? Anyone else would have given up in despair long ago. Where would they find the perseverance to start over?” Li Miaohan sighed, then changed the subject. “But because of this, Qu Shan Old Mother’s personality changed drastically. She became extremely extreme, ruthless, and merciless. Offend her even slightly, and you might face death.”
Li Miaohan transmitted this part with her spiritual power, afraid of being heard by Qu Shan Old Mother again.
“With someone like Qu Shan Old Mother coming to the Nine Qu Heavenly Star, things are getting more and more interesting.”
Zhang Ruochen rubbed his chin, feeling that this storm was already beyond his control.
He could only hope that Murong Ye Feng would arrive soon to meet up with him.
“I want to enter the Nine Qu Heavenly Star to comprehend the Sacred Dao. Heavenly Maiden, you shouldn’t have any objections, should you?”
Qu Shan Old Mother’s presence was immense, overwhelming the Heavenly Beginning Fairy.
Before her, the Heavenly Beginning Fairy seemed like a little girl, all her sacred might dissolved into nothing.
The cultivators of Heavenly Beginning Civilization naturally wouldn’t agree.
If they let Qu Shan Old Mother enter the Nine Qu Heavenly Star to cultivate while blocking others, wouldn’t those cultivators cause an uproar?
The Butcher’s voice was deep and heavy. “The Nine Qu Heavenly Star is a relic left by the ancestors of Heavenly Beginning Civilization. How can outsiders be allowed in?”
“A relic of Heavenly Beginning Civilization’s ancestors? Hehe, I could just as easily say it’s a relic of Tai Bai Realm’s ancestors. The Awakened Divine Soil of Kunlun Realm is open to everyone. What right does Heavenly Beginning Civilization have to monopolize it?” Qu Shan Old Mother said coldly.
On the water’s surface.
A white jade sacred ship sailed over. The Fourteenth Prince of the Imperial Ancestor Divine Dynasty stood on the deck, raising his voice. “What Old Mother says is very true. This imperial prince thinks so too.”
“The Nine Qu Heavenly Star is located in Kunlun Realm. Cultivators from all realms have the right to board the star and seek opportunities. But Heavenly Beginning Civilization wants to monopolize this place—isn’t that too overbearing?”
As he spoke, the Fourteenth Prince, along with Nie Qingli and Bai Shang of Star Cloud Sect, stepped onto the island.
(Chapter End)