Arc 16: Tai Gu Desert | Chapter 309: Yun Lies Battle

Arc 16: Tai Gu Desert | Chapter 309: Yun Lie's Battle

The seven demon cultivators were finally wiped out. Xu Ziqing breathed a sigh of relief, retrieved the demonic vines, and with a sweep of his sleeve, restored the hall to its original state.

At this moment, he noticed the furnace slaves that had been cast aside earlier.

As expected, those cultivators who had been exploited through dual cultivation would pass away the moment their restraints were removed.

Unwilling to give up, Xu Ziqing carefully examined their life force, only to find that these cultivators had long been drained and had no chance of recovery. Fortunately, there were still survivors—specifically, two boys around twelve or thirteen years old.

The two boys were naked, huddled in a corner, trembling.

Xu Ziqing quickly walked over, removed his outer robe, and draped it over them. “I...” He found himself at a loss for words, unsure of how to speak without hurting them.

The two boys were exquisitely delicate, with smooth, pale skin and finely crafted features. Once grown, they would undoubtedly become outstanding individuals. How pitiful it was that at such a young age, they had encountered such misfortune...

Fortunately, their vitality seemed strong, suggesting they had only been recently captured and had narrowly escaped a worse fate.

One robe was not enough for both, so Xu Ziqing took a clean garment from one of the demon cultivators’ corpses and handed it to them before turning his back.

After a short while, he heard a timid voice behind him, “S-Senior, we’re ready...”

Xu Ziqing turned around and saw the two boys had dressed, though the clothes were too large, making them clumsy and awkward.

Fear was still evident in their expressions as if they hadn’t yet fully recovered from their terror.

After thinking for a moment, Xu Ziqing asked, “Which sect do you two belong to?”

The boys looked very similar, clearly a pair of twins, and they had good aptitude, both possessing dual spiritual roots. At such a young age, they had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, which meant they must have been highly cherished by their sect.

Since they were still alive, Xu Ziqing couldn’t just leave them; he would have to take them back to their sect.

Seeing Xu Ziqing’s gentle demeanor, the two boys seemed to relax slightly and replied, “We are the direct descendants of our family and have just reached Foundation Establishment. The other day, our parents were sending us to the mountains to join a sect when we were captured...”

Xu Ziqing understood immediately.

No wonder. With their excellent aptitude, they would likely have been accepted into the inner sect of a major sect after reaching Foundation Establishment. Unfortunately, they were intercepted by demon cultivators before they could join. As for their parents, they had likely perished already.

Xu Ziqing sighed and asked, “Do you still have any family?”

The boys shook their heads and said, “We are the only ones left in the direct line. The collateral branches have probably already seized power, so we have no home to return to.”

Xu Ziqing frowned. This made the situation tricky. He would have to take them back to his sect and let the sect decide their fate. Just as he was about to explain, the cave suddenly shook violently.

In the next instant, a powerful force blasted through, causing half of the cave to collapse, revealing the sky outside.

Xu Ziqing reacted immediately, scooping up the brothers and moving several meters away in an instant, as light as a breeze.

The corpses of the fallen cultivators couldn’t be retrieved in time and were buried under a mass of rocks.

The two boys were terrified, clinging tightly to Xu Ziqing’s arms and trembling.

Before Xu Ziqing could comfort them, he felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down, as if the deep ocean were crushing him from all sides, nearly suffocating him. He quickly channeled his true essence and looked up at the sky.

There, three figures stood in the air. One stood on sword intent, facing the other two. The tension between them was palpable, like a drawn sword ready to strike.

Xu Ziqing’s pupils contracted suddenly—it was his senior brother, facing two cultivators at the half-step Nascent Soul stage!

A wave of concern washed over him. Though his senior brother was powerful enough to fight several late-stage Golden Core cultivators, the half-step Nascent Soul stage was a different realm entirely.

The difference between the Nascent Soul and Golden Core stages was vast. A half-step Nascent Soul cultivator had already stepped into that realm, possessing some of the powers of a true Nascent Soul ancestor. A mere peak Golden Core cultivator was no match for them.

Indeed, the forces of yin and yang could only pull against each other.

Below, Xu Ziqing protected the two young boys, retreating rapidly by dozens of meters.

The power of the black banners was overwhelming, exuding waves of demonic energy and raging ghost flames. If one were to be accidentally touched by it, the result would likely be nothing but being devoured and corroded.

Xu Ziqing, being only at the Core Formation stage, could not withstand it.

However, Yun Lie remained unfazed. He opened his mouth and spat out a small sword.

This sword was less than the length of a forearm, and its blade was incredibly thin, yet exceedingly sharp. A terrifying cold emanated from it, as if even without contact, it could harm anyone.

Before Yun Lie had even activated the sword, its sword aura was already radiating out.

Even though Xu Ziqing was far away, he still felt the killing intent slashing across his face, and his entire body felt as though it had been submerged in ice-cold water, with bone-piercing frostiness.

Something’s wrong! Retreat quickly! In his shock, Xu Ziqing stepped back even further, only stopping once the chilling sensation had faded.

This small sword was too terrifying. It was as if it was formed from pure killing intent, capable of freezing and cutting down all things.

The two demonic cultivators across from him exchanged a glance, their expressions now grave.

“A life-bound sword!”

Given that they had both reached the half-step Nascent Soul stage, they had experienced many battles and were not like those demonic cultivators who had only advanced through absorbing others’ essence.

Though they had seen many life-bound treasures before, none had ever given them such a dangerous feeling as this small sword did today.

What exactly was this life-bound sword forged from?

As doubt crept into their hearts, a trace of greed flashed in their eyes.

In an instant, the black energy around the banners intensified, as though it would soon swallow all the sword intent.

Yun Lie pointed with two fingers, and the small sword shot forward, piercing through the air—

“Whoosh!”

With just a soft sound, the demonic and ghostly energies dissolved as soon as they encountered the small sword, like snow melting under the morning sun.

With the evil energy dissipated, the black banners’ form changed, revealing their pitch-black surface, eerie and strange.

But the small sword did not stop. It pressed forward, stabbing directly into the banner.

With a “puff,” the tightly bound black banner was pierced through, and its imposing aura was completely destroyed.

The two demonic cultivators were both shocked and furious. Ever since they began their cultivation journey, they had faced hardships but always managed to escape danger. Yet here, they had suffered such a huge loss to a young junior.

The black banners had been meticulously refined by them and were highly treasured. Now, they had been destroyed in the blink of an eye, leaving them unwilling to accept it. However, they had also realized that this young sword cultivator was not someone who could be easily eliminated. After exchanging a look, the two demonic cultivators gritted their teeth and sliced open the centers of their foreheads.

In the next instant, a burst of radiant light appeared from the center of their foreheads, and an ethereal yet powerful force emerged above their heads!

Xu Ziqing couldn’t help but cry out, “That’s... the prototype of a Small Universe!”

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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