Inside a sealed chamber, a green stone altar stood roughly ten feet tall, surrounded by over a dozen formation flags of various colors that composed a temporary array, glowing faintly with spiritual light.
Upon the altar sat a jade-green round bowl resembling an array plate. Wisps of green qi rose from it, and within the haze, a vaguely outlined infant figure could be seen sitting cross-legged, inhaling and exhaling clouds of mist, as though cultivating some technique.
In each corner of the sealed chamber, a white-haired elder sat cross-legged, gripping a jade-green command flag. All the flags were aimed at the round bowl in the center, and from their tips streamed slender wisps of green mist that drifted slowly toward it.
This eerie scene unfolded like a painted scroll, utterly silent.
After an indeterminate stretch of time, fatigue showed on all four elders' faces. Meanwhile, the infant figure in the green mist had, over this period, become noticeably more distinct.
"Let us stop here for today. I truly owe my three fellow Daoists a great debt. In a few more days, Junior Brother Gui should be able to recover on his own. I am endlessly grateful." A red-haired elder seated in the northwest corner of the chamber stowed his command flag, rose to his feet, and cupped his fists in thanks to the other three.
"Heh heh! Brother Hui, there's no need to be so formal. We have been close friends with Immortal Master Gui for a long time. Doing what little we can for him is only natural." The three elders also put away their flags. Among them, a smooth-faced, beardless elder hurriedly returned the salute.
"Regardless, this kindness — my Junior Brother and I will keep it firmly in our hearts," the elder who had stood first said with deep sincerity, glancing at the infant who remained seated in cultivation.
"Ha ha, why so courteous, fellow Daoist!" Another elder smiled as he spoke.
"Ah, that reminds me — the four of us have been in this sealed chamber helping Immortal Master Gui repair his Nascent Soul body all this time, and we haven't heard whether that outsider has been found or not. It's truly hard to believe that someone in this world can command tens of thousands of Gold Devouring Beetles — it's simply inconceivable. We all know well how difficult it is to breed Gold Devouring Beetles. I arrived late and didn't take part in the battle to corner that outsider. Was that person truly so terrifying? Three Nascent Soul-level Immortal Masters fell?" The red-haired elder's expression grew somber as he asked gravely.
At his words, the other three elders exchanged glances, and a look of lingering fear surfaced on each face.
"That person cannot be described as merely terrifying. Besides commanding the Gold Devouring Beetles, he could also unleash a type of purple flame and release golden lightning. The first group of Immortal Masters who intercepted him — in the span of a single exchange, two were wounded and one killed. It was mostly due to those two techniques. The golden lightning could trap a cultivator's Nascent Soul, while the purple flame could annihilate it effortlessly. Even the Immortal Masters who came afterward and were on their guard — two more still perished, unable to withstand it." The smooth-faced elder let out a heavy sigh.
"Moreover, that outsider's magical treasures were formidable as well. He wielded a set of peculiar flying swords in gold and cyan — a full sixty or seventy of them, each razor-sharp. Several fellow Daoists' treasures were cleaved in two upon contact with those swords. Even stranger, a pair of wing-like treasures on his back allowed him to execute Lightning Escape without any incantation at all. It was simply impossible to track his movements. Brother Hui, don't laugh — at the time, six or seven of us at roughly our level had the fellow surrounded at once, and yet he fought us to a sweat-drenched stalemate, leaving every one of us in mortal danger. We were even considering a temporary retreat. Fortunately, Grand Immortal Master Hu arrived in time and struck from hiding with the 'Great Five Elements Capturing Hand,' catching him off guard and dealing him a grave wound. But even after being gravely injured, the outsider transformed into a blood shadow in an instant and burst through the encirclement, vanishing without a trace. None of us could locate him even with our spiritual sense. It was only when the Grand Immortal Master stated that the fellow was already hundreds of li away that we learned his whereabouts — but it was too late to pursue." A slightly plump elder explained even as he recalled the events, a trace of horror still lingering on his face.
"So this outsider is that powerful? Could he be some renowned peak-level cultivator from a great sect in the Great Jin? No wonder Junior Brother Gui, even with the 'Six Souls Soul-Splitting Technique,' ended up in such a state." The red-haired elder's face darkened as he finished listening.
"Brother Hui, don't worry. You know well how powerful the Great Five Elements Capturing Hand is. Even if the fellow escaped, that blow must have damaged more than half his cultivation. He should pose no further threat now! Besides, the Holy Maiden is currently escorting guests from the Great Jin to the nearby Tianlan Holy Temple to preside over the Spirit Awakening ceremony. If that person truly is a cultivator from the Great Jin, those guests should be familiar with such unusual powers. Once we know his background, dealing with him will be straightforward. And even if he truly belongs to some major sect of the Great Jin, having killed so many of our high-ranking Immortal Masters, the Grand Immortal Masters won't let the matter rest easily. What's more, we absolutely must get to the bottom of how he managed to cultivate so many Gold Devouring Beetles." The smooth-faced elder spoke through gritted teeth.
It seemed this one had also suffered a considerable loss when clashing with Han Li.
"Let us hope so. Still, it's fortunate those Gold Devouring Beetles of his were all immature forms. Otherwise, he wouldn't need any special techniques at all — simply releasing those tens of thousands of beetles would force even all four Grand Immortal Masters to retreat." The red-haired elder murmured.
The other elders exchanged glances upon hearing this and could only smile bitterly.
They, as Immortal Masters of the Tuyou tribe, knew all too well how formidable mature Gold Devouring Beetles were.
Just as the group was lost in their somber reflections, something unexpected occurred.
The infant sitting cross-legged in the green mist suddenly let out a piercing shriek of agony. It immediately clutched its head with both hands and began rolling about, its expression one of unbearable torment. Its body flickered and wavered, gradually beginning to dissipate.
"This is bad — fellow Daoists, act quickly!" The red-haired elder cried out in alarm.
The other three elders, recognizing the severity of the situation, hastily raised their command flags once more. With a surge of incantation energy, four streams of green mist sprayed back toward the center of the chamber.
Thick green mist promptly enveloped the thrashing infant, continuously mending its disintegrating Nascent Soul body.
Time passed moment by moment. Under the full efforts of the four elders, the cries from within the mist gradually subsided. After a while, the infant finally managed to steady itself in a seated position and began drawing in the surrounding green mist with all its strength.
After an indeterminate period, a thin, intermittent voice drifted faintly from within the mist.