Chu Xuan did not immediately set foot on the Desolate Island. He knew that True Master Tiancang was not a spent force. This person was ruthless and cunning—he would not deplete his strength in battle.
Many other cultivators were likely trying to take advantage of the situation, hoping to pick up whatever spoils they could. Chu Xuan mixed in with the crowd, deliberately falling a few steps behind.
Sure enough, after the group of cultivators reached the island's edge, one of them hesitated for a moment before charging onto the island. The others followed suit immediately. Chu Xuan kept himself mixed in with the group, never taking the lead.
He wasn't concerned that True Master Tiancang could quickly recover by refining Nascent Souls or similar methods. Even if he used demonic techniques to devour Nascent Souls or Golden Cores, it would still take time for him to fully refine them. The years of cultivation a Nascent Soul cultivator had invested could not be eradicated in just a few moments.
When Chu Xuan and the other three reached the island, a faint smell of blood immediately assaulted their senses. The four exchanged glances, quickly forming an unspoken understanding, and began to surround the cave from four different directions.
However, Chu Xuan instantly realized that the faint blood odor was most likely deliberately released by True Master Tiancang himself. It was a trap, intended to reveal his position and lure in the greedy. His suspicion proved correct. The reckless pursuit of quick gain would only lead to death.
With this thought, Chu Xuan quietly took a step back, falling further behind the others.
"Cough cough… Whatever you want, I can give it to you. Magic treasures, talismans, pills, formations… even spiritual artifacts. I have them all. Though I may be a spent force, I can still take down one or two of you before I fall. Who among you can bear the consequences of death?"
A weak voice echoed from the cave, sounding as fragile as a candle's flame about to be extinguished by a breeze.
The three cultivators looked at each other. One of them called out, "Senior, we saw you were injured and came here to protect you. We've long had a grudge with the Moon Sect and Yellow Spring Island. We wish to offer our allegiance to you!"
Another cultivator spoke, "Senior, we brought healing pills for your wounds. Would you like to use them?"
As they spoke, the four began to split into separate directions, slowly closing in. One of them had already begun to set up a formation.
True Master Tiancang let out a weak chuckle. "I see, I see. It seems I've misjudged you. I've used a small mind to test your noble hearts."
With a sudden thump, the cultivator who had not set up the formation suddenly fell silent, disappearing without a trace.
The other two cultivators' hearts sank. They immediately retreated in alarm.
"Think you can run at this distance? Too late."
A faint laugh rang out, followed by a sudden flash of light. A spiritual artifact shot through the air—True Master Tiancang's cloak.
The cloak billowed in the wind, expanding rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it descended like a dark cloud, engulfing the two cultivators.
Within the black cloak, the two struggled violently, but it was as though they had sunk into a mire. The more they struggled, the deeper they sank, unable to free themselves. Soon, their breathing ceased altogether.
Chu Xuan, panic-stricken, spun around and ran. "Senior, please spare me! Please spare me!"
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True Master Tiancang furrowed his brow. This cultivator was still some distance from the cave, but he certainly didn't want to let go of such a juicy target—a body-refining cultivator. He immediately gathered his remaining Spiritual Qi, activating a teleportation technique to pursue.
As expected, the teleportation technique of a Deity Transformation cultivator far outpaced that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. In the blink of an eye, True Master Tiancang had caught up to Chu Xuan.
The distance between them was less than ten zhang.
True Master Tiancang waved his hand, preparing to unleash a spell.
However, Chu Xuan, in a fit of desperation, roared, "Why are you chasing me?! I'll fight you to the death!"
Instead of continuing to flee, he turned and charged directly at True Master Tiancang.
True Master Tiancang smiled faintly. A body-refining cultivator with thirty-something layers of body-refining dared to turn back and counterattack? He'd have better luck dreaming in his next life!
With a wave of his hand, a small cauldron radiating a soft green light appeared before him.
His spiritual artifacts were dwindling. Several had been damaged during the earlier battle with Moon True Master and the others, and he'd just used another one to devour those two Nascent Soul cultivators. Now, he was left with only his magic treasure.
Nevertheless, the small green cauldron was a top-tier defensive artifact. Against a body-refining cultivator of thirty-plus layers, it would be more than sufficient.
Chu Xuan clenched his fist. The strength from his entire body surged, gathering in his right arm. In an instant, his right arm swelled, expanding by more than twice its original size!
"Great Extinguishing Thunder Fist!"
With the fury of forty-two layers of body-refining, his immense power erupted without restraint! In a single strike, he shattered the green cauldron into two pieces! The force of his punch didn't waver, continuing its path straight for True Master Tiancang's throat.
True Master Tiancang's neck was already half-ruined, having been forcibly healed with pills earlier. Chu Xuan's overwhelming punch landed directly on the weakened area, aggravating his already grievous injuries.
With a sickening crack, True Master Tiancang's head shot up into the air! His face was frozen in disbelief and shock. A top-tier defensive magic treasure shattered by a body-refining cultivator?
This person wasn't a cultivator of thirty layers of body-refining. No—he was a cultivator with forty-one or more layers of body-refining!
True Master Tiancang instinctively separated his Nascent Soul, wrapping his primordial spirit within it, and turned to flee.
Although a Deity Transformation cultivator's soul was already on the verge of transforming into a primordial spirit, it had not yet fully completed the metamorphosis. It still required the protection of a Nascent Soul to leave the body and survive for long periods. Once a suitable vessel was found, the cultivator could seize it and be reborn.
However, two Ghost Kings had long since blocked his escape route.
"He Ze!" True Master Tiancang immediately summoned the Ghost King, He Ze.
He Ze had been injured in the earlier battle and was still healing within the Myriad Souls Banner. Yet, now, he had no choice but to fight to the death.
This Nascent Soul cultivator was no mere pretender—he had been hiding his true strength all along!
Now, True Master Tiancang could genuinely feel the chilling threat of death closing in.
As Chu Xuan rapidly approached, True Master Tiancang gritted his teeth and swiftly performed a spiritual sense secret technique. His remaining spiritual sense coalesced into two giant wolves, which surged toward Chu Xuan to rip him apart.
Though True Master Tiancang was a Deity Transformation cultivator, he did not have boundless resources across all fronts. His martial techniques, spells, spiritual artifacts, and ghost minions had all kept pace, but his soul and spiritual sense were lagging behind.
To cultivate effectively, one had to make choices—focusing on some aspects and letting others fall behind. If one sought to master everything, they would ultimately master nothing and waste precious time.
Furthermore, spiritual sense secret techniques were far rarer than Spiritual Qi-based spells and body-refining martial arts.
What True Master Tiancang used now was the Nascent Soul-level secret technique "Soul Painting Wolves." While it was somewhat lacking when facing a Deity Transformation cultivator, he believed it would be more than enough to deal with a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Given Chu Xuan's impressive body-refining abilities, True Master Tiancang assumed that his soul would not be too formidable. If he could seize the opportunity when Chu Xuan overextended himself, perhaps he could inflict heavy damage on his soul and even reverse the situation.
"Are you trying to challenge me with spiritual sense techniques?" Chu Xuan laughed coldly.
His spiritual sense coalesced into two giant hands, which reached out to grasp.
Sky-Tearing Cold Palm!
The giant hands clashed with the giant wolves. They fought for several rounds, each side evenly matched.
True Master Tiancang was stunned.
A Nascent Soul cultivator's spiritual sense was almost on par with that of a Deity Transformation cultivator?!