Chapter 187: A Formidable Immortal Foe, Taixuan Sect’s Peril

—

Zhang Bukui gripped a stone axe, his strikes relentless. His movements were fierce, and his footwork profound, leaving behind a trail of afterimages in the cave, as if multiple figures were practicing alongside him.

Since arriving at this mountain cave and obtaining the Heaven-Splitting Divine Axe, he had not set foot outside once.

By dedicating himself to training in the Heaven-Splitting Divine Axe, his vital energy had strengthened significantly, and he had now fully merged with the mysterious spirit beast core within him.

Unbeknownst to him, a tiny sparrow was perched on a distant rock, watching him intently.

Gu An, observing from afar, felt a sense of satisfaction.

This kid has some talent, at least.

At least he hadn’t wasted his guidance!

As he observed, Gu An also noticed something peculiar—Zhang Bukui’s bloodline was evolving.

However, this transformation wasn’t leading him toward becoming a Six-Headed Flood Dragon—it was something entirely different, a type of demonic aura he had never encountered before.

Suddenly, a thought struck him—the Dread Demon.

The Six-Headed Flood Dragon had reverted to its ancient form after consuming the Dread Demon’s true blood. Could Zhang Bukui also be undergoing a similar transformation?

Zhang Bukui was not truly alone in this world—he still had a mother.

However, Zhang Chunqiu had never revealed her identity, leaving Zhang Bukui unable to seek her out.

Could it be that Zhang Bukui’s mother had an extraordinary background?

Gu An pondered but felt no pressing need to investigate.

—

After a while, Zhang Bukui finally noticed Gu An.

“It’s you! Little Sparrow! You finally appeared!”

Zhang Bukui beamed with excitement but resisted the urge to rush forward, fearing he might startle the sparrow.

He asked curiously, “What is your connection to the senior of this cave dwelling?”

Gu An simply shook his tiny sparrow head without making a sound.

The Heavenly Nine Transformations from the Ten Thousand Forms and Essence Technique made things incredibly convenient—not only could he change his form, but he could also alter his aura. ŕ𝒶Ŋố𝔟ЕS̈

Zhang Bukui had no idea he was being tricked.

Seeing that the sparrow refused to speak, Zhang Bukui was not disappointed.

Instead, he enthusiastically began talking about his recent breakthroughs.

If it weren’t for this sparrow, he wouldn’t have received this opportunity. He might have even been devoured by demons by now.

Even if this sparrow had no intelligence or relation to this cave dwelling, he was still grateful.

Gu An listened patiently.

Zhang Bukui was full of vigor, his spirit now completely different from before.

Gu An saw in him the same aura as An Hao—the unmistakable presence of a true prodigy.

This suddenly reminded him—when they were younger, An Hao and Zhang Bukui had fought once.

That was the first time An Hao had ever lost after stepping into the cultivation world.

Gu An wondered if he still held onto that grudge.

After Zhang Bukui finished talking, Gu An opened his beak and spat out the spirit beast core of the Black Bane Demon Lord.

A spirit core nearly ten times the size of the tiny sparrow rolled onto the ground.

Zhang Bukui’s jaw dropped.

Before he could react, the sparrow flapped its wings and vanished into the depths of the cave.

Zhang Bukui stared at the spirit core, silent for a long time.

—

Spring had just arrived, yet the lands of the Three Dynasties remained shrouded in demonic mist and magic energy.

—

A steady flow of cultivators flew in and out of the mountain valley, all moving with urgency.

Under a great tree sat Xuantian Yi, his upper body bare, wrapped in bandages.

He held a white bone in his hand, carefully studying it.

Nearby, Ji Hantian approached and spoke solemnly:

“The Dao Tian Sect has divined that the Demon Ancestor is preparing to descend south. Are you ready?”

Xuantian Yi replied absentmindedly,

“Of course. Even if I can’t defeat him, there’s still the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.”

Ji Hantian frowned.

“What if the Demon Ancestor is stronger than the Sword Sovereign?”

“Then we all die together.” Xuantian Yi shrugged.

He waved the white bone in his hand, his eyes narrowing as he inspected its surface engravings.

“Don’t tell me you actually think this is a battle for the survival of the human race? Relax. Even if we perish, there are still human civilizations overseas.”

Ji Hantian rolled his eyes in frustration.

Unable to hold back, he pointed at the bone and asked,

“You’ve been staring at that thing for days. What’s so special about it?”

Xuantian Yi grinned.

“My magic is incredibly powerful. That Demon King was reduced to ashes, but only this bone remained. There must be something unusual about it. Perhaps there’s an even deeper mystery behind this Demonic Cataclysm.”

Just as Ji Hantian was about to retort—

A violent gust swept in from the north, howling through the valley.

The entire area was instantly gripped by a chilling aura.

Xuantian Yi stiffened, his brows furrowing as he turned his head.

“Such overwhelming demonic energy… Impossible…”

Ji Hantian’s face turned pale, his voice trembling.

Even as an Integration Stage cultivator, he felt deep dread—let alone the other cultivators in the valley.

“Such terrifying demonic energy… It feels like the sky is about to collapse…”

“Is it the Demon Emperor?”

“No… I’ve sensed the Demon Emperor’s presence before. This aura surpasses even his—it must be the Demon Ancestor!”

“So the legends were true… the Progenitor of Ten Thousand Demons…”

“What do we do?! How can we possibly fight something like this?!”

The valley’s cultivators, hardened by years of war, had fought alongside Grand Ascension cultivators on battlefields before.

Yet even they were struck with fear, overwhelmed by the sheer pressure of the demonic energy.

Xuantian Yi disappeared in an instant.

Ji Hantian turned and began organizing the Taixuan Sect disciples, preparing for war.

—

Far away, in the Third Medicine Valley of Taixuan Sect, Gu An stood up.

However, instead of looking north, he gazed up at the sky.

The skies were a brilliant blue, but the clouds were dispersing.

“Master, what’s wrong?”

Nearby, An Xin, who had been sorting seeds, turned to him.

Xiao Chuan and several other disciples also looked over.

Gu An spoke calmly:

“The clouds are dispersing.”

Everyone glanced upward.

Sure enough, the clouds were not vanishing—but shifting, like fragments of fabric being woven together.

The entire world had fallen into silence—even the insects had stopped chirping.

“Seven Star Spirit Realm…”

Gu An murmured to himself.

He could sense that a mysterious force had enveloped Taixuan Sect.

This power exceeded the Nirvana Stage—meaning most cultivators wouldn’t even notice it.

The Demon Ancestor was moving south.

But now, another Scattered Immortal was descending upon Taixuan Sect.

Was the Seven Star Spirit Realm targeting the Sword Sovereign?

Did they fear he might stop the Demon Ancestor?

Above him, the scattered clouds slowly formed an enormous array, drawing the attention of countless disciples.

Lu Lingjun appeared beside Gu An.

“Trouble’s coming. Don’t go running off.”

With that, she soared into the sky—joined by numerous Integration Stage cultivators.

Drawing her sword, she slashed at the sky, releasing a radiant arc of sword energy.

BOOM!

The cloud formation in the sky erupted with brilliant golden light, and an immense, boundless pressure descended upon Taixuan Sect.

Lu Lingjun, sensing the terrifying power, immediately halted her attack.

The other Integration Stage cultivators weren’t as fortunate. Unlike Lu Lingjun, they were completely immobilized, their bodies locked in place by the overwhelming pressure.

All of them stared at the sky in terror, their faces pale.

Each fragmented cloud within the formation began radiating golden light, weaving together intricate golden threads.

Soon, these threads formed golden runes, cascading downward like a divine decree.

The moment the golden light touched a disciple, they froze in place, unable to move.

—

An Xin’s eyes widened in horror, her face filled with despair.

—

At Heavenly Mending Platform, within the Outer Sect City, cultivators who had been comprehending the Dao of the Sword all stood motionless, their bodies trembling.

They stared at the sky in disbelief, unable to comprehend what they were witnessing.

“What… is that…?”

Beside the Heaven-Splitting Axe, Zuo Yijian lifted his head, his voice strained as he asked.

No one answered him.

The other cultivators stood in stunned silence, their gazes fixed upon the heavens as if they were witnessing the descent of a god.

But this god did not bring fortune—only despair.

—

Before countless gazes, the golden array expanded, revealing a vast, ethereal face within the formation.

The features were indistinct, lacking clear details—not even the gender could be discerned.

It was as if the will of heaven itself had manifested, overlooking all of Taixuan Sect, bringing immense pressure upon every disciple.

More and more people trembled violently, their knees giving out as they collapsed onto the ground.

It was as if an invisible hand was pressing down on their heads, forcing them to bow before the golden formation.

—

Atop a rooftop, Ji Xuanyu stood watching the sky, her brows tightly furrowed.

She did not recognize this formation, but her instincts told her that it was connected to the Seven Star Spirit Realm.

—

“Which senior has graced us with their presence? In these times of chaos, why do you suppress Taixuan Sect?”

A female voice rang out.

A black-robed woman appeared beside Lu Lingjun—it was none other than Supreme Elder Su Xin.

She had returned from overseas, but sustained severe injuries during last year’s battle against the demons, forcing her to recover within the sect.

Su Xin’s cultivation was only slightly higher than Lu Lingjun’s, both standing at the Profound Mind Realm.

Together, they could only slightly relieve the pressure of the golden formation.

—

The golden face within the formation gave no response.

It simply observed—as if searching for something.

Then, suddenly—

Golden light shot out from the array, transforming into countless golden beams.

These beams rushed toward the Outer Sect City, streaking across the sky like divine spears.

Under the gaze of countless disciples, the golden light converged, forming an enormous golden arm—

A hand of the heavens, radiating an unrivaled divine might.

—

The massive golden hand descended—heading straight for Heavenly Mending Platform!

Standing beside the Heaven-Splitting Axe, Zuo Yijian’s face turned deathly pale.

Even he was forced to kneel, unable to resist the immense pressure.

From his perspective, the golden hand blotted out the sky, as if the entire heavens were collapsing.

A wave of pure despair swept across the entire city.

—

BOOM!

The Heaven-Splitting Axe trembled violently, sending forth an immense surge of sword intent!

The golden hand suddenly stopped.

Then, a cold, indifferent voice echoed throughout Taixuan Sect:

“You have reached the Immortal Dao. Why do you hide among mortal sects?”

This voice was calm, yet supremely domineering.

Its words rang clear and absolute, shaking the hearts of all cultivators present.

“Immortal Dao…”

The realization struck them all at once.

They could only think of one person who fit this description.

The Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path!

The only one who could possibly be at the Immortal Dao Realm!

—

Like the others, Gu An was also pinned to the ground by the golden light.

But unlike them, he was not on his knees—he was squatting, his hands pressed to the ground, arms trembling under the pressure.

His head remained low, making it impossible to see his expression.

—

“Since you refuse to answer, then watch as this sect is reduced to dust.”

The cold voice rang out once more, like a god pronouncing judgment upon the mortals below.

The oppressive force intensified, and the very earth began to quake.

—

With his head lowered, Gu An’s gaze flickered toward Xiao Chuan, An Xin, and the others.

All he saw was despair in their eyes.

Everyone’s hearts were filled with fear, leaving them no room to even glance at those beside them.

Gu An let out a soft sigh.

“Why do people always seek their own demise?”

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