Chapter 564: Covering the Sky with a Single Hand

Qing Dong’s teeth chattered violently as he shivered from head to toe; never before had he encountered such a terrifying entity, whose mere presence stifled the air around them, leaving him too frightened to even draw a breath.

Furthermore, the figure had effortlessly seen through his identity, reducing him to nothing more than a mere ant.

"To disturb my secluded cultivation, you truly possess immense audacity!"

Meng Jingzhou widened his tiger-like eyes, exuding a natural, formidable majesty that caused the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to instantly freeze!

Horrified, Qing Dong felt his own spiritual power solidify—a terrifying manifestation unique to Foundation Establishment masters who could forge spiritual energy into an absolute bedrock!

Just how on earth did the Qiangchong Tribe manage to secure such a powerful backer!

"How utterly bothersome."

Another colossus stirred, his voice laced with lethargy and his expression chillingly indifferent; he resembled a sword on the verge of being unsheathed, where a mere fraction of its blade exposed a blinding glare that forced everyone to shield their eyes.

If Meng Jingzhou’s presence had caused the spiritual energy to congeal, then Lu Yang’s arrival infused that frozen atmosphere with a deadly, piercing aura of slaughter!

Yet... yet another Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Despair washed over Qing Dong so intensely that he wished for death; had he known the Qiangchong Tribe was connected to two Foundation Establishment masters, he would never have dared come here to force a marriage.

To put the Foundation Establishment stage into perspective, the lord of this five-mile domain was an old mountain goat, to whom both the Qiangchong and Jiangchong tribes had to offer annual tributes just to beg for peace.

That very mountain goat was a mighty expert of the Foundation Establishment realm!

Meng Jingzhou extended a single hand, looming like a colossal mountain as it pressed down toward the Jiangchong Tribe.

Seeing this, Qing Dong resisted desperately, invoking a secret technique of the Jiangchong Tribe to revert to his true form, temporarily boosting his combat strength from the early fourth layer of Qi Refinement to its late stage!

"If you kill me, Lord Goat will never let you get away with this!"

"How noisy. What Lord Goat? Even if it shows up in person, I shall suppress it all the same." Unmoved by the name Qing Dong invoked, Meng Jingzhou continued to lower his massive hand, crushing the space beneath it.

Realizing his threat was futile, Qing Dong could only scramble frantically for survival: "Whirlwind Sky Shatterer!"

Spinning madly, he transformed into a drilling miniature cyclone that kicked up a gale of azure astral wind, shredding the surrounding vegetation into absolute oblivion—a single technique that no one in the Qiangchong Tribe could ever hope to withstand.

With bloodshot eyes, Qing Dong roared as he charged directly into the descending hand.

Regrettably, in the face of absolute might, all techniques proved utterly futile; the massive hand possessed an unyielding power, rendering the impact of the Whirlwind Sky Shatterer completely harmless against its palm.

Confronted by Qing Dong’s assault, Meng Jingzhou’s eyes remained entirely untroubled as he calmly uttered a single word.

"Suppress."

The Whirlwind Sky Shatterer shattered harmlessly, and the resulting backlash sent Qing Dong crashing to the ground; watching the massive hand loom closer in utter despair, he acutely felt the profound abyss that separated him from the Foundation Establishment realm.

A mighty Foundation Establishment expert could indeed blot out the heavens with a single hand.

Meng Jingzhou’s hand halted a mere fraction of an inch above Qing Dong’s head before he composedly withdrew it, standing with his hands behind his back while utilizing a spell to conjure a gentle breeze that rustled his hair and robes.

"For me to crush you is as effortless as squashing a bug; doing so would only soil my hands."

"You disrupted my peaceful cultivation, so consider this a mere lesson; should there be a next time, you shall atone with your life."

"Yes, yes, of course."

The mighty senior was benevolent enough to spare him from slaughter, and having narrowly escaped death, Qing Dong dared not utter a single word of dissent.

The Qiangchong clan chief watched the scene unfold in dumbfounded shock; never in his wildest dreams did he imagine these two were great Foundation Establishment cultivators, and that a minor tribe like theirs could be fortunate enough to forge a bond with them—if word of this spread, who would ever dare provoke them again?

Chishui gazed at Meng Jingzhou’s towering figure with profound admiration, recognizing this as the true embodiment of a powerful warrior in his heart.

Without such power, how could he ever hope to protect the one he loved most?

His mind was made up; once this matter concluded, he would temporarily leave the tribe to venture into the wider world, vowing to cultivate until he reached the very same heights as Meng Jingzhou!

"Which fellow Daoist presides over such noise within my domain, even attempting to unleash a slaughter here? Surely, this is crossing the line?"

An ancient voice echoed from the distance, sending a violent shiver down the spines of both the Qiangchong clan chief and Qing Dong simultaneously.

It was the voice of the old mountain goat, whom the two of them had only ever had the privilege of glimpsing from afar during its longevity banquets.

Those permitted to sit alongside the old mountain goat were peerless experts of the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Refinement, among whom were geniuses holding a genuine chance of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

A probability as high as one in ten!

An old mountain goat with sleek, smooth fur emerged from the mountain forest; upon seeing it, members of both tribes fell to their knees in unison, while the old goat ignored the weak insectoids entirely to fix its gaze upon Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

Only cultivators of a comparable rank possessed the right to speak with it.

It had been in the midst of cultivation when it sensed a terrifying streak of sword qi flashing across the southern border of its territory, signaling the clear intrusion of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Much like the beasts deep within the dense forests, the demonic beasts of the Demon Realm possessed an incredibly fierce sense of territoriality; an uninvited arrival without a proper explanation could readily be construed as a declaration of war.

Three great cultivators stood tall upon the earth, while the insectoids below looked up at these entities who far surpassed them in both stature and cultivation realm, their hearts filled with profound awe.

"Humph."

Lu Yang let out a cold snort.

"I thought some magnificent being had arrived, yet it is nothing more than a beast of the Foundation Establishment stage; what if I choose to slaughter it, and what if I do not?"

Even the slight hum from Lu Yang’s nose carried strands of sharp sword qi, causing the old mountain goat to shudder violently.

"This immense pressure... you are Core Formation grandmasters!"

The old mountain goat cried out in sheer panic; though others remained oblivious, it could distinctly perceive the aura emanating from Lu Yang—a pressure as deep as an abyss and as vast as the ocean, completely incomparable to its own minor Foundation Establishment strength!

Furthermore, Meng Jingzhou, standing right beside Lu Yang, exuded an aura that was not a single fraction weaker.

"What? They are Core Formation grandmasters?!"

The Qiangchong clan chief’s expression shifted dramatically, so overwhelmed with sudden ecstasy that he nearly fainted.

What virtues or merits did he possess to be worthy of speaking with esteemed Core Formation sovereigns, let alone conversing freely through the entire night?

What a monumental honor to bring glory to his ancestors.

"The Core Formation stage!!!"

Qing Dong’s legs shook uncontrollably as he recalled the scene from moments ago; he had originally assumed Meng Jingzhou spared him partly out of respect for Lord Goat, but it was now clear that Lord Goat amounted to absolutely nothing in their presence.

He had truly reclaimed his life from the jaws of death.

"Your esteemed arrivals honor my humble domain, please forgive my lack of a proper welcome; won't you join me at my residence for a brief respite?" The old mountain goat instantly donned a sycophantic smile, undergoing a complete reversal in attitude as it extended a warm invitation.

The old mountain goat had been fortunate enough to encounter three or four Core Formation cultivators before, yet those individuals paled so drastically in comparison to these two that they seemed like mud next to the clouds.

Could it be that these two were grandmasters of the mid-Core Formation stage?

If so, it was all the more critical to cultivate good relations with them.

Even if a close bond could not be forged, it was essential to leave a favorable impression.

Lu Yang nodded inwardly; he had remarked the previous evening that flaunting one's might before mere insects was pointless, and that they absolutely needed a Foundation Establishment cultivator to properly appreciate the performance.

He had intentionally released that strand of sword qi moments ago for the precise purpose of luring the old mountain goat over.

The plan had proceeded flawlessly.

"There is no need for a visit; the two of us have enjoyed our interactions with the Qiangchong Tribe, and our stay here last night was quite pleasant."

The old mountain goat nodded fervently: "I, too, find the Qiangchong Tribe exceptional; though they belong to the insect race, their perseverance is astonishing and their future holds immense promise. I have long wished to invite the young talents of the Qiangchong Tribe to my estate, yet never found the right opportunity."

How could the old mountain goat fail to understand that this was a tacit command to afford its protection to the Qiangchong Tribe?

"It is good that you understand; you may leave now." Meng Jingzhou dismissed the creature with a wave of his hand, sending the old mountain goat away completely overjoyed.

The Zombie Bug Tribe also seized the chance to flee this perilous place, fearing the two might recall the prior events, change their minds, and slaughter them anyway.

"Alright, it is time for the two of us to depart as well," Lu Yang said with a lazy stretch, having spent the night at the Hydro-Bug Tribe and witnessed many novelties.

"Please wait, you two. I have something to present to you."

The Hydro-Bug Chief gritted his teeth and made his choice; his tribe had stumbled upon this treasure by chance, yet with their meager strength, they could never guard it, and it would only invite execution.

Rather than suffer that fate, it was better to bestow it upon these two saviors.

The warriors of the Hydro-Bug Tribe dug a token out from the earth and carried it over.

The token was ancient and unadorned, its surface still clinging to uncleaned soil, instantly recognizable as a fine antique of great age.

"This is..." Lu Yang hesitated slightly, thinking to himself that good deeds truly brought good returns, for this token seemed far from ordinary.

The Hydro-Bug Chief dismissed the surrounding crowd, looked up earnestly at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, and spoke solemnly:

"We discovered this by chance while digging the foundation to establish our tribe; it is said that holding this token can unlock the treasury of a half-step Nascent Soul stage patriarch!"

Even for two great Golden Core stage masters, the treasury of a half-step Nascent Soul stage patriarch should surely stir their hearts, right?

Lu Yang: "..."

Meng Jingzhou: "..."

(End of chapter)