Chapter 441: The Situation Reverses

"Fairy, do you mean to say this man rose straight from the initial stage of Body Integration to the half-step Tribulation Transcendence stage?" Lu Yang asked in astonishment, utterly bewildered by the revelation.

The half-step Tribulation Transcendence stage was not a distinct realm of cultivation, but rather a testament to combat prowess—a title bestowed upon cultivators whose battle power surpassed the ordinary Body Integration stage but had not yet reached the actual Tribulation Transcendence stage.

"Did I not tell you before? This is a method of cultivation meant to temper the soul, dividing one's incarnation into thousands to experience life, contemplate the mortal world, and ultimately reintegrate into the main body, thereby returning to the peak or even ascending to a higher level."

"This person's cultivation technique seems quite similar to that of Shopkeeper Shi."

It took Lu Yang a moment to realize that the Immortal Fairy was referring to Deputy Cult Leader Shi of the Nine Nether Sect.

"Is he a member of the Nine Nether Sect?"

"More than that. Going by the law that higher cultivation dictates higher status, he is likely a figure akin to the Cult Leader himself."

Lu Yang was caught between suspicion and alarm, but mostly he felt utterly perplexed.

"Is the Nine Nether Sect really so impoverished that even their Cult Leader has to personally work a day job?"

The man in the white paper hat sighed deeply: "All my incarnations have returned, and none of those identities can be used anymore. How many spirit stones will I have to compensate for this time?"

"It cannot be helped. Who told you ancient cultivators to bear a grudge against us?"

The only reason he worked so hard to earn money was the constant dread that the sect members might discover they were burdened with a colossal loan—a loan that had been used to construct the Nine Nether Sect and pay out regular stipends.

Never mind that he was now at the half-step Tribulation Transcendence stage; even if he achieved full Tribulation Transcendence in the future, he might not survive if the truth were exposed.

He had to work diligently while he was still alive to fill this financial abyss.

The more he earned, the greater his chances of survival.

Just as Deputy Cult Leader Shi viewed the barbecue shop as his life-saving straw, the man in the white paper hat felt exactly the same way.

"Who are you!" Wu Youdao barked in demand.

In front of the righteous factions, the man in the white paper hat naturally could not reveal his ties to the Nine Nether Sect.

He could only respond with a cold sneer.

In the eyes of the onlookers, this sneer only added to his shroud of mystery, though the identity of the Nine Nether Sect's Cult Leader was indeed mysterious enough on its own.

"Words are useless. Cultivators of the Great Yu, let us settle our old enmities and new grudges all at once!"

The man in the white paper hat knew well that loquacity bred error; without another word, he charged straight at Wu Youdao.

"What audacity, to dare initiate an attack against Us!"

"Avici Hell—The Great Millstone!"

A colossal mountain of ice materialized above Wu Youdao's head, spanning half the size of Hanshui City; it resembled absolute ice untouched for ten thousand ages, bitterly cold to the point of verging on absolute zero!

Raging flames ignited beneath Wu Youdao's feet, boundless and vast like a prairie fire, yet infinitely fiercer and more violent than any ordinary blaze!

The ice mountain and the raging fire acted like a millstone, leaving Wu Youdao trapped in the dead center, unable to move a muscle.

"Heh, you dare face Us with nothing but such trivial parlor tricks?"

"Count me in as well!" Qiu Jin'an struck, his hands swiftly weaving incantation gestures to unleash a five-elements spell.

The chilling intensity of the absolute ice escalated to another level, threatening to congeal even space and time, while the raging flames became cloaked in a layer of blackness—this was the Netherworld Ghost Fire, specialized in scorching the soul.

Wu Youdao's expression shifted drastically; the combined strike of these two was enough to threaten his very life!

Crack—Crack—

The sound of bones grinding echoed through the air as the blood of a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator flowed, immune to freezing or burning, trickling out from the edges of the millstone.

"Universe within the Palm!"

Wu Youdao bellowed in fury, delivering a wrathful strike that stacked the weight of multiple minor worlds together, shattering the Avici Hell's Great Millstone to pieces!

"Form the Three Talents Array!"

Qiu Jin'an commanded, the appearance of the man in the white paper hat having bolstered his confidence.

"I control the power of the five elements; I shall occupy the Position of Heaven!"

"You have manifested the Avici Hell; you shall occupy the Position of Earth!"

"Lord Lyu, you are the Provincial Governor, the parent official of the people; you shall occupy the Position of Man!"

The Three Talents Array was renowned far and wide, having originated in ancient times, but opportunities to successfully deploy it were rare due to its extremely harsh requirements regarding destiny and cultivation.

The three men wasted no words, taking their stances at the positions of Heaven, Earth, and Man according to their respective destinies.

The moment the Three Talents Array was formed, the trio instantly felt as though they had merged into a singular entity, their strength leaping to a higher bound and their souls becoming immensely fortified!

"Threefold Daluo Force!"

Wu Youdao threw a punch, his fist print flashing with light that cracked the very fabric of space wherever it passed, sealing off all avenues of escape.

The fist advanced from afar, striking the man in the white paper hat square in the abdomen; the threefold force rippled through the trio—he bore the first wave of force, Qiu Jin'an absorbed the second, and the most devastating third wave was taken by Governor Lyu, minimizing the punch's impact to the greatest extent!

With the amplification of the Three Talents Array, the power of the State Fortune circulated with greater speed, instantly restoring the three to peak condition as if they had never sustained the blow!

"Kill!"

Guiding the Three Talents Array, the three unleashed their most powerful techniques, clashing once more in a chaotic frenzy with Wu Youdao.

The bodies of all four were blown apart multiple times only to heal repeatedly; injuries that would be fatal to low-tier cultivators were trivial to them, costing nothing more than a portion of their spiritual energy.

"Hah... Hah..."

Wu Youdao panted heavily; in the exchange just now, the number of times his body had been destroyed exceeded theirs, draining a massive amount of his spiritual energy that even medicinal pills could not readily replenish.

He wished to disengage from the battlefield, but surrounded by the three, he could not break through the barricade.

"Damnation!"

"Five-Colored Divine Light!"

"Mortar and Pestle Hell!"

"Mountain-Suppressing Guard!"

The three unleashed their ultimate killing moves; the five-colored dragon and tiger aura dissolved, unable to take shape, as Wu Youdao took the three strikes head-on, his body left tattered and slow to regenerate.

Witnessing this scene, the citizens of Hanshui City clapped and cheered, the gloom that had shrouded their hearts since Wu Youdao's sudden arrival gradually dispersing.

"Stop watching the show and come out to help!" Wu Youdao roared in fury.

An old, sinister voice echoed through the air as a faltering old man leaning on a walking stick abruptly materialized on the battlefield.

"Your Majesty, this hardly seems like your style. To think you would actually call for help?"

"Canglei, this is not a cry for help, it is Our command!" Wu Youdao glared furiously at the elder.

"It amounts to the same thing," the elder named Canglei chuckled, revealing a mouth with barely any teeth left.

"Canglei... Could it be Venerable Canglei!" Governor Lyu murmured, looking toward Qiu Jin'an and the man in the white paper hat in astonishment for confirmation, only to find the same shock reflected in their eyes.

The trio had all heard of Venerable Canglei's grand reputation, and their hearts sank; this was a formidable master of the initial Tribulation Transcendence stage who excelled in lightning arts.

Yet another cultivator of the Tribulation Transcendence stage.

Fighting a single Tribulation Transcendence cultivator had been an arduous ordeal, let alone facing two of them.

"Hehe, you three had best surrender without a fight; our objective is merely the power of the State Fortune," Venerable Canglei chuckled, his voice raspy and grating on the ears, the lightning runes upon his walking stick flashing ominously, as if a single word of defiance from Governor Lyu would summon down a tempest of thunder.

Qiu Jin'an and the other two remained silent, and for a moment, the battlefield fell into a bizarre, eerie silence.

Crack—

Suddenly a crack of thunder rang out, ripping through the silence.

Venerable Pale Lightning blanked for a moment; he had not even made his move yet.

Governor Lu's eyes lit up as he looked toward the sound of the thunder: "It is Sect Master Lu, he is about to break through to the Tribulation Transmutation Stage!"

The Corpse Refiner Sect.

Elder Gai spat upon the haphazardly strewn corpses of the Shamanic Corpse Sect.

"Pah, what rubbish. To think this is the level they use to test us, completely oblivious to moving with the times."

"You... this is not the Art of Corpse Refining..." The sole remaining living member of the Shamanic Corpse Sect raised a trembling hand toward Elder Gai, his life-fire guttering out.

He could not believe the scene that had just unfolded; he was clearly still alive, yet his body had been refined by Elder Gai, turning him into a literal living corpse completely stripped of his own volition.

Beyond that, there were all manner of strange and eerie techniques.

Before the four elders led by Elder Gai, the ancient corpse-refining arts that the Shamanic Corpse Sect so proudly boasted of could not gain the slightest advantage.

"How is this not the Art of Corpse Refining? This was personally improved for us by the Central Dao Sect!" Elder Gai puffed out his chest, brimming with pride.

"Everyone, meditate and recover. We head into the city to help in a moment," Elder Gai called out to the group, for the recent battle had taken a heavy toll on their reserves.

Crack—

Heavenly thunder boomed directly overhead, leaving the four elders looking up in astonishment.

Elder Gai was the first to realize, a sudden joy striking his heart.

"The Sect Master is about to break through!"

(End of Chapter)