Chapter 699: Sword Embryo Upgraded, Adoptive Father (Three chapters, 9,500 words, requesting monthly tickets)

Chapter 699: Sword Embryo Upgrade, Godfather (Three Chapters+, 9500+ Words—Please Vote for Moon Tickets!)

“Shouldn’t it be us who’s running away?”

Hearing Zhang Yu’s words, Liu Jin True Monarch thought inwardly, “Truly… such a crude and lowbrow attempt at mockery.”

Liu Jin True Monarch let out a cold laugh. “Zhang Yu, hearing such childish provocation actually puts my mind at ease.”

“For in this very moment, I understand clearly—you lack not only strength, but also any real combat skill.”

Yet upon hearing these words, Zhang Yu smiled faintly within his heart: “Good. With attitudes like yours, you won’t flee easily before my reinforcements arrive in full.”

As they spoke, Liu Jin True Monarch had already released his Nascent Soul—a corpulent old man with a swollen belly.

“In battles between Nascent Soul cultivators,” Liu Jin True Monarch knew well, “it is the Nascent Soul itself that fights.”

The cultivation techniques empowered by the Nascent Soul were invariably those the cultivator had mastered most thoroughly—chosen since the moment they broke through to the Golden Core stage and began forging their Extraordinary Meridians. These were the arts refined day after day, year after year, through countless cycles of practice, polishing, and deep comprehension—the very essence of their power, honed through relentless reinforcement to become their ultimate weapon in battle.

All other constructs—spiritual armaments, talismans, auxiliary techniques—were merely supports orbiting this core.

By releasing his Nascent Soul immediately, Liu Jin True Monarch signaled his intent to fight with everything he had.

His bloated Nascent Soul let out a wail and instantly activated the military-grade technique of the Finance Department at Netherworld University—*The Scripture of Burning the Dao to Borrow Life*.

An invisible flame erupted from Liu Jin’s Nascent Soul, blazing fiercely.

For Liu Jin, who had long since ascended past Golden Core into Nascent Soul, this military-grade scripture was the very foundation of his cultivation—begun during his Foundation Establishment days at university, the art upon which he’d staked his survival ever since.

He still remembered the day he first obtained this technique—how ecstatic he’d been, how brimming with hope for the future.

Back then, not every Finance Department student was wealthy.

Nor was Liu Jin himself rich; he’d survived only through loans, selling everything he had to afford tuition and cultivation resources.

*The Scripture of Burning the Dao to Borrow Life* had been the perfect match for him then—a technique that could consume every hard-earned drop of spiritual energy, every ounce of physical strength, every shred of Dao-heart refinement, converting them all into explosive bursts of power over short durations.

It was through this very method—burning, rebuilding, burning again—that Liu Jin had cycled through nearly seven complete reconstructions during his early to late Foundation Establishment phase. Each time, the temporary surges granted by combustion propelled him to victory—he’d won four major competitions, secured guaranteed graduate admission, and finally became a master’s candidate in the Finance Department of Netherworld University.

Back then, he’d sworn to himself: no more reconstructions, no more menial labor—he would become the richest man alive…

Now, as the invisible flames roared across his Nascent Soul, his stats plummeted rapidly.

His spiritual energy dropped from its peak of 100,000 down to 90,000… 80,000… 75,000…

His physical strength fell from its apex of level 40 to 39, then 38…

Even his Dao-heart crumbled from level 40 to 39.

Yet as his cultivation regressed, his Nascent Soul underwent a dramatic transformation—shifting from a pot-bellied elder into a lean, muscular middle-aged man.

At that moment, shouts erupted from the surrounding corridors.

With the building’s signal jammed, cultivators using study rooms had begun emerging to investigate. Some noticed the commotion—but none could see Liu Jin’s burning Nascent Soul.

Security guards arrived, one of them opening his mouth to say, “Sir, please—”

“Get lost.”

Liu Jin uttered a single word. His Nascent Soul, now in its middle-aged form, flicked a finger—and several guards exploded instantly into clouds of crimson mist.

Onlookers froze in terror, scrambling back into their study rooms and slamming doors shut.

Watching the guards he’d crushed so effortlessly, Liu Jin was reminded of his former self—the struggling student once mocked as “the retake beggar” and “the desperate failure” in the Finance Department.

Meanwhile, dazzling radiance erupted from Zhang Yu’s *Grand Void Cloud Treasury*. Tianri Huangshen burst forth, trailing torrents of golden flame and searing heat as it charged toward Liu Jin.

At level 31, Tianri Huangshen possessed the might to scorch mountains and boil seas—capable of erecting skyscrapers single-handedly. If Zhang Yu wished, he could obliterate the entire study building with it and rebuild it anew.

But facing this overwhelming assault, Liu Jin merely willed his Nascent Soul forward to meet it head-on.

Boom!

Tianri Huangshen collided violently with Liu Jin’s Nascent Soul.

Blazing fire engulfed the Nascent Soul completely.

Though Zhang Yu tried to contain the blast, the surrounding floors and ceilings still began melting under the spillover heat.

Yet amidst this inferno, Liu Jin’s Nascent Soul let out a guttural roar—bursting through the flames and shattering the sea of fire with punch after punch.

Flames surged again and again—only to be pulverized each time by three swift strikes and two decisive kicks.

In the next instant, the Nascent Soul seized Tianri Huangshen by the head.

Liu Jin thought grimly: “In this world, either others exploit me—or I exploit them.”

His gaze swept over the blood mist of the guards, passed over the roaring Tianri Huangshen, and settled firmly on Zhang Yu.

“Today, I’ve infiltrated behind enemy lines and come to fight to the death—so that I’ll never have to fight desperately again! I refuse to be exploited any longer—I will exploit everyone!”

With a furious bellow, Liu Jin pushed *The Scripture of Burning the Dao to Borrow Life* to its absolute limit. As his cultivation burned away violently, his Nascent Soul transformed once more—from middle-aged into the vigor of youth.

Bang!

With a thunderous explosion, the Nascent Soul tore Tianri Huangshen apart, reducing it to scattered sparks that dissipated into the air.

“Pathetic.”

“Zhang Yu—surrender to me.”

Liu Jin reached out, eyes gleaming with excitement, anticipation, and joy. Inwardly, he roared: “If I achieve this great feat today—I’ll repay my resurrection debt! Clear my overdue wages! Pay the spirit-child’s upbringing fees! Everything can be turned around!”

Whoosh!

Infused with Liu Jin’s will, his youthful Nascent Soul let out a savage howl and charged straight at Zhang Yu.

In a flash, it appeared before Zhang Yu, its hand lashing out to seize him.

Zhang Yu’s expression remained icy. He grasped the incoming *Taihao Sacred Law Flying Sword* and swung it in a single, clean arc toward the Nascent Soul.

Bang!

The level-31 flying sword shattered instantly under the Nascent Soul’s strike—so utterly helpless against Liu Jin’s fully unleashed, cultivation-burning power.

But Zhang Yu didn’t stop. With his other hand, he caught another incoming *Taihao Sacred Law Flying Sword* and slashed again.

Bang! Bang! Bang…

A rapid series of detonations rang out as Zhang Yu hurled one flying sword after another at the Nascent Soul.

Each collision ended the same way: swords shattered, and Zhang Yu suffered wounds.

Every impact transmitted the Nascent Soul’s devastating force through the blade into Zhang Yu’s body—tearing open fresh gashes across his flesh, spraying clouds of blood into the air.

After shattering twelve swords in succession, the Nascent Soul’s palm was already hovering just above Zhang Yu’s crown.

“It’s over…”

Just as Liu Jin thought this, the blood-drenched Zhang Yu thrust a fist forward—his knuckles crashing hard against the Nascent Soul’s palm.

Having endured twelve consecutive impacts, Zhang Yu was confident his Nascent Soul-level body-refining art, *Formless Free Body*, could now withstand the enemy’s full-force strike.

Boom!

The ground beneath his feet shattered with a deafening crash, the entire floor instantly ripped open by a gaping hole, leaving the structure trembling on the verge of collapse.

Amidst the violent tremors, cultivators who had just been hiding in their rooms screamed in panic. They tried to leap out the windows to escape, only to find the whole building sealed off—now they could do nothing but burst through doors and flee.

Liu Jin True Lord paid no heed to the chaos around him. His eyes remained fixed on Zhang Yu, who floated midair, his wounds slowly knitting back together. Liu Jin’s heart surged with astonishment: “This fellow… actually took my Nascent Soul strike head-on?”

He knew full well this wasn’t an ordinary Nascent Soul attack. It was one amplified by the *Burning Dao Life-Loan Scripture*—a strike fueled by burning spiritual power, burning Dao-heart, burning physical strength, layered with countless enhancements.

“Could he really have just broken through to Nascent Soul not long ago?”

“No wonder he’s so confident… Zhang Yu, your arrogance does have some basis.”

Liu Jin had to admit—Zhang Yu’s performance had shocked him deeply.

Yet at the same time, relief stirred within him: “If I’d come alone this time, you might truly have escaped me.”

“But fortunately… fortunately Xiang Shen was cautious enough to summon all three of us. Only then could we claim this grand gift.”

At that very moment, Zhang Yu saw two other Nascent Soul cultivators—one above, one below—already smashing through floors, hurtling toward him at blinding speed.

To these Nascent Soul experts, the entire skyscraper was like a child’s toy; a single charge or impact tore holes through its frame as easily as paper. Had they not deliberately restrained their destruction to avoid drawing outside attention, they could have reduced the whole building to rubble the instant battle began.

Simultaneously, Liu Jin’s warning voice reached his companions: “Be careful—this brat’s body-refining art is clearly defensive and adaptive. Don’t get entangled. Aim to subdue him in one strike.”

Hearing this, Tai Hao True Lord thought coolly to himself, “I never intended to use a second move anyway.”

Meanwhile, Huan Qie True Lord had already struck first.

A flicker of light shimmered across her form—and her Nascent Soul emerged from her body.

It appeared as conjoined twins, exquisitely androgynous, their backs fused together, emitting endless peals of laughter.

“Zhang Yu, look at me.”

In Zhang Yu’s eyes, those conjoined infants had transformed into the image of Bai Zhenzhen, radiating an almost unbearable allure.

Immediately, he felt his spiritual power draining away at terrifying speed.

Frowning sharply, Zhang Yu struggled to rein in his qi, tightening it around his body—but it was as if he’d become a punctured balloon. His spiritual energy leaked out like air, impossible to contain.

Huan Qie True Lord gave a soft laugh and sent a mental message to her allies: “He’s already fallen under my *Sutra of Shared Bliss*. His spiritual power will be gone soon.”

“And of course, if you keep fighting him, it’ll drain even faster.”

The military-grade technique of Harmony Joy University—the *Sutra of Shared Bliss*—allowed its user to appear in the eyes of others as the very image they most admired, most desired. It stirred their emotions, turning them into willing lovers.

The lower one’s cultivation, the weaker one’s Dao-heart, the more sentimental and loyal one was—the less resistance one had against this sutra.

At its worst, once someone became Huan Qie’s lover, she could transfer her injuries, even her debts, onto them.

Even without becoming a lover—if one merely felt admiration for the image before them—they would still have their spiritual power drawn out, accelerating its depletion.

And admiration, aesthetic appreciation—these were products of one’s own mind. Unless one brainwashed oneself or spent years reshaping one’s perceptions, such instincts couldn’t be easily altered.

For Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen’s form was simply beautiful, simply perfect—exactly what he admired.

This judgment had nothing to do with the current situation; it was a near-instinctive reaction rooted deep in his sense of beauty. And now, under Huan Qie’s influence, it caused his spiritual power to bleed away uncontrollably.

“This guy…” Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes at Huan Qie, thinking inwardly, “Was this a lucky guess—or did he pinpoint my greatest weakness right now… my lack of spiritual power?”

Meanwhile, Tai Hao True Lord watched it all unfold and merely murmured, “Unnecessary.”

In his view, both Liu Jin and Huan Qie’s successive attacks were superfluous.

To capture Zhang Yu, one move from him alone would suffice. The others should focus on securing the area, protecting the building, preventing premature interference from reinforcements.

He, Tai Hao True Lord, was the true enforcer of this mission—the one tasked with suppressing any unforeseen chaos.

Wherever Tai Hao passed, fleeing figures exploded into crimson mist.

Amid screams of terror, study room occupants were crushed by invisible force, splattering walls, floors, and ceilings with blood.

What shattered them was none other than Tai Hao’s Nascent Soul.

It resembled an infant—but from its belly trailed a long umbilical cord, tethered to a coffin.

Which technique should he use to subdue Zhang Yu fastest? This was a question Tai Hao had pondered carefully during preparation.

Practitioner of the *Mystic Scripture of Shifting Ancestral Lineage*, Tai Hao had buried and venerated countless cultivators, inheriting ability after ability from them.

Among this vast arsenal, he swiftly selected the perfect choice for the moment.

Power—he needed overwhelming, brutal force to crush and seize Zhang Yu by sheer violence.

*Hellish Self-Dissolution Art*! A technique that unleashed catastrophic destruction through self-explosion—a last-resort method in ancient times.

In the modern era, especially with Hell University supplying ample backup bodies, it had become standard equipment for the wealthy.

But Tai Hao was different. His version drew not from his own body, but from the ancestral corpses he commanded.

“Ancestors above, grant me your blessing—let me crush this foe and succeed today.”

Far away, in some distant graveyard, a coffin detonated violently. The corpse within crumbled to dust, erupting in dense crimson light that blasted the entire tomb into the sky.

At that instant, Tai Hao’s Nascent Soul trembled. Crimson energy surged from the coffin through the umbilical cord, flooding into the infantile soul-body.

In the next heartbeat, the Nascent Soul thrust out a hand—scarlet-glowing, swelling grotesquely—until it loomed over Zhang Yu like a descending sky.

This strike carried the ancestors’ final sacrifice—their posthumous offering of everything they had left. In raw power, it rivaled the peak of Nascent Soul mastery.

Under Tai Hao’s blow, pressure thickened like solid matter, crushing every molecule of air in the space.

The entire dimension seemed frozen by the sheer force, helpless as the Nascent Soul’s palm descended with inexorable slowness.

At the same moment, Liu Jin’s Nascent Soul also lashed out—a palm strike that had burned away his middle-aged form, refining him into youthful vigor, channeling the full might of the *Burning Dao Life-Loan Scripture*. Together, they flanked Zhang Yu from left and right.

Watching this, Tai Hao frowned inwardly: “Unnecessary…”

With a thunderous roar, Zhang Yu plummeted like a falling star, smashed downward by the twin forces.

Crash! Crash! Crash! Floor after floor ruptured beneath him.

He was driven straight through thirteen levels by Liu Jin and Tai Hao, crashing finally into the basement.

Above, Bai Zhenzhen clenched her teeth, fists tight, sword qi flickering within her—every instinct screaming to charge down after him.

But remembering Zhang Yu’s orders, she forced herself to stay hidden, eyes locked on the jagged hole leading into the underground darkness.

At that same moment, the three True Lords pursued without hesitation.

Tai Hao sent a mental command: “When I strike next, don’t interfere.”

Liu Jin frowned, about to protest—when Tai Hao added, “Liu Jin, haven’t you realized yet?”

Liu Jin hesitated, confused—until Tai Hao waved a hand, and a gale swept away the lingering shockwaves.

There, revealed in the crater below, floated Zhang Yu.

Slammed through floor after floor by their combined assault, he’d finally stopped upon striking the building’s spatial barrier at its foundation.

Blood drenched his body—but his posture remained unbent. He lifted his gaze, meeting theirs from below.

Liu Jin’s heart jolted: “After taking our combined strike… he still has strength to fight?”

Tai Hao’s voice cut coldly through the air: “This brat… aside from his horrifyingly resilient body, he’s also a master of redirecting force. Just now, he used your power against mine.”

“Had he not done that, I would’ve defeated him already.”

“So from here on… I’ll handle him alone.”

Facing the Nascent Soul charging at blinding speed, Zhang Yu drew a deep breath, feeling the frenzied growth within him—the Azure Lotus Sword Embryo, now bursting with impatience.

“Has it finally been completed… the Azure Lotus Sword Embryo?”

Just moments ago, after Zhang Yu finished nourishing his body with the final cultivation technique, the Azure Lotus Sword Embryo had ascended from level two to level three, entering a new phase of transformation.

In Zhang Yu’s perception, this metamorphosis was utterly unlike any before—because he could clearly sense that his own Feather Spirit Root and Bai Zhenzhen’s True Spirit Root were diverging along entirely separate paths during this evolution.

“After being tempered in different environments, shaped by distinct directions of growth and adaptation… have our Spirit Roots truly split apart forever?”

Once the transformation of their Spirit Roots began, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had each reclaimed their original roots, quietly observing every subtle shift within them.

And just now, during the heat of battle, Zhang Yu’s nearly matured Feather Spirit Root seemed to have been jolted by the violence—it accelerated abruptly, completing its final transformation.

Under Zhang Yu’s influence, this Feather Spirit Root—constantly battered, yet steadily enhancing his defenses, fortifying his physique, and amplifying the effects of countless Chain Diagram techniques—now felt as though it had woven itself into every fiber of his being.

Zhang Yu could feel it: any strike landing upon his body would have a portion of its energy absorbed by the Feather Spirit Root, immediately channeled into healing his wounds.

At that very instant, Grand Sovereign Taihao unleashed his second strike.

With a thunderous explosion, Zhang Yu stood unmoving atop the spatial barrier at the base of the tower, taking the full force of the blow head-on—without flinching, without dodging.

“This strike… is weaker than the last.”

A flicker of joy crossed Zhang Yu’s face. He sensed that part of the impact had already been siphoned by his Feather Spirit Root, converted into threads of vitality that merged with his body’s innate regenerative power, accelerating his recovery.

Three more consecutive strikes followed—but Zhang Yu found each one growing feebler, while his own injuries healed faster still, the situation easing with every blow.

Above him, Grand Sovereign Taihao grew increasingly astonished, then bewildered.

He could feel his attacks losing efficacy—Zhang Yu seemed to grow livelier, stronger, with every hit he took.

Beneath the strange gazes of Grand Sovereign Liujin and Grand Sovereign Huanqie nearby, Taihao clenched his teeth.

Grand Sovereign Huanqie murmured, “It’s already been a full two minutes since we engaged. We must act swiftly.”

All four combatants were Nascent Soul cultivators—every motion executed at terrifying speed. Though the flurry of clashes appeared dizzying, barely any time had truly passed.

Hearing his comrade’s warning, Taihao knew he could delay no longer.

“I never imagined I’d need to resort to this move against a mere junior who’s only just entered the Nascent Soul realm.”

With a sigh, Taihao ceased his assault without hesitation.

He recalled his Nascent Soul, then drew three incense sticks from his sleeve.

With a soft puff of breath, the incense ignited spontaneously, emitting an eerie green glow.

Gazing down at Zhang Yu, Taihao spoke slowly: “Zhang Yu, today in our duel, you stand alone against three of us. Your cultivation is nothing short of brilliant—truly awe-inspiring. I, Taihao, humbly beg to take you as my sworn father, and shall offer incense and reverence day and night…”

As he spoke, both Taihao and his Nascent Soul knelt before Zhang Yu in perfect unison—no hesitation, no pause. The motion was fluid, practiced thousands upon thousands of times, imbued with genuine piety and solemnity.

Even though the man before him had been his enemy moments ago, Taihao’s expression betrayed not a trace of discomfort.

To him, the *Supreme Scripture of Shifting Lineage and Changing Ancestry* was not merely powerful—it was supremely practical, profoundly advanced.

This scripture embodied a revolutionary philosophy: to shatter all outdated social bonds and forge new relationships better suited to the path of immortality—a philosophy far ahead of its time.

He remembered how, years ago, when he first cultivated this method, countless voices condemned it, ridiculing its very principles.

“Many said I was wrong—that this scripture was wrong. But I knew… I was right.”

“I envy the first person who invented marriage, built a family, founded a clan. In an age with no concept of marriage, he created a brand-new social bond—the most advanced of his time—a relationship that ultimately reshaped human history.”

“And in his day, surely his ideas were mocked by the ignorant masses.”

“He was like me—reviled, suppressed, insulted by those hidebound traditionalists…”

“But new relationships, new ideas… will always supplant the old.”

Faced with Kunxu’s decay and the elders’ corruption, Taihao believed without doubt that the *Supreme Scripture of Shifting Lineage and Changing Ancestry*—and the school of thought it represented—was the true path forward: a vision capable of forging a freer, brighter Kunxu.

“The future will be a world where one may freely choose ancestors, reshape kinship as needed, and evolve human relationships at will.”

He envisioned a realm of exponential growth—a world where all humanity belonged to one great family, where ancestral power and generational wisdom converged, and where every resource was allocated with perfect efficiency.

Thus, to swiftly subdue Zhang Yu before him, Taihao would kneel without shame.

Convinced of his ideological superiority, he bore no inner conflict in calling Zhang Yu “father.”

Normally, the *Supreme Scripture* required the target to be buried first—it was a rite meant for the dead.

If performed upon a living person without their full, willing consent, Taihao would suffer violent backlash.

Yet even then, the target would still be forcibly bound as his sworn father.

With the first bow, Taihao could steal the other’s fortune; with the second, a portion of their cultivation; with the third, a share of their lifespan…

However, until Zhang Yu’s death, Taihao could neither use this scripture again nor draw upon any other ancestor’s power. Worse, he would endure severe cultivation backlash, hindering his progress.

But for the sake of swiftly crushing Zhang Yu—for infiltrating the magnetic poles, shifting the tide of battle, securing dominance over Floors 2 through 5, and advancing his own destiny—Taihao was willing to bear it all.

“Zhang Yu,” he intoned, knees sinking lower, “become my sworn father. Lend me everything you are—to fulfill me, to fulfill the new Kunxu.”

The moment Taihao’s knees began to touch the ground, Zhang Yu’s mind screamed alarm—an unprecedented wave of danger crashing over him.

This dread struck harder, sharper, than even Kuang Tianqing’s forced cultivation attempt years ago.

Motionless until now, Zhang Yu instantly blurred aside, evading Taihao’s prostration and shooting laterally like lightning.

“This bastard…”

Even as he dodged, understanding flashed through his mind.

Back during the Ten Great Leagues, as a competitor, Zhang Yu had studied the military-grade techniques of every academy.

He’d heard of the *Supreme Scripture of Shifting Lineage and Changing Ancestry*—though he’d never faced someone who practiced it.

Now, seeing Taihao kneel and feeling that surging sense of peril, he recognized the cursed art at once.

“This guy… is utterly vicious.”

As Zhang Yu dodged, Taihao’s knees pivoted seamlessly—he seemed able to lock onto Zhang Yu no matter where he fled.

Grand Sovereign Liujin and Grand Sovereign Huanqie struck simultaneously, hemming Zhang Yu in, shrinking his escape routes.

“No good…” Zhang Yu realized instantly. “At this rate, I won’t evade it.”

Knowing evasion alone would fail, he steeled his resolve.

“Then let you taste another layer… of the power I’ve forged through over a year of bitter cultivation.”

With a single palm thrust into empty air, the entire battlefield warped violently.

*Palm Within Which Lies Kunlun*—activated!

The most basic application of this Celestial Sect technique was to magnify or shrink objects by distorting space.

But Zhang Yu knew it held far deeper potential.

By unevenly stretching and compressing space—expanding some regions while contracting others—he could twist vast areas into impossible configurations.

If space were a sheet of paper, Zhang Yu now crumpled, twisted, and folded it at will, producing surreal effects.

At this very moment, as he unleashed *Palm Within Which Lies Kunlun*, Grand Sovereign Liujin’s body warped like a reflection in a funhouse mirror—stretched thin as a noodle, yanked instantly before Taihao’s kneeling form.

Staring at Taihao bowing toward him, Liujin’s scalp prickled with horror. He roared, “Stop!”

Seeing Liujin suddenly appear before him—remembering his crushing debts, his burned-away cultivation—Taihao jolted in shock. His knees snapped straight, and he leapt upright at once.

Then both turned in unison toward Zhang Yu and barked, “Palm of Kunlun?”

Grand Sovereign Taihao fixed his gaze upon Zhang Yu, astonishment rippling through his heart: “Palm of Kunlun… not the beginner’s version. To manipulate space to this degree—he must have reached at least the Nascent Soul stage in mastering Palm of Kunlun.”

Even as he pondered this, Grand Sovereign Taihao suddenly slid sideways and once again knelt toward Zhang Yu.

Simultaneously, he sent a telepathic message to his two companions: “Attack him from different directions with everything you’ve got!”

Grand Sovereign Huanqie flickered through the air, already circling behind Zhang Yu, and declared, “He’s only just broken into Nascent Soul—his spiritual power can’t be deep. He’s already lost much of it to me earlier; he won’t be able to sustain Palm of Kunlun for long.”

Zhang Yu snorted coldly and kept activating Palm of Kunlun. Once more, their positions and orientations shifted abruptly.

In an instant, the three Nascent Soul experts launched a relentless barrage of attacks against Zhang Yu.

Grand Sovereign Liujin’s Nascent Soul had somehow transformed into the form of an infant, its every punch and kick unleashing overwhelming, crushing force.

Grand Sovereign Huanqie’s Nascent Soul let out a string of long, mocking laughs, taking on the likeness of Bai Zhenzhen, constantly siphoning away Zhang Yu’s spiritual energy.

But it was Grand Sovereign Taihao whom Zhang Yu regarded as the gravest threat—each of his prostrations sent shivers down Zhang Yu’s spine and set off alarm bells in the minds of the other two Nascent Souls, who feared being caught in the crossfire.

Yet under the combined assault of these three Nascent Soul masters, Zhang Yu, wielding Palm of Kunlun, stood like an immovable mountain towering between heaven and earth—no storm, however fierce, could bring him down.

Ordinary attacks were deflected by his body and his practiced skill of redirecting force.

Taihao’s prostrations were continually evaded through Zhang Yu’s shifting spatial manipulations.

Moreover, due to the constant warping and twisting of space, the three Nascent Souls’ attacks frequently interfered with one another, causing mutual disruption.

“No good…” Grand Sovereign Taihao rapidly assessed the situation in his mind. “This fellow… is too hard to kill. Ordinary methods won’t subdue him quickly.”

“And with multiple attackers, he keeps turning our own force against us, distorting space… the more of us there are, the worse it gets—our powers tangle and hinder each other. It’d be better if just one fought him alone.”

“Either we drain his spiritual power until he can no longer resist… or…”

Grand Sovereign Taihao raised his voice: “Liujin, withdraw and erect spatial barriers to compress his space.”

“His Palm of Kunlun surely can’t break through those barriers.”

“Huanqie, stand guard nearby—don’t act rashly.”

Though all three Sovereigns had cultivated the Celestial Sect’s technique, *The Three Realms, Ten Directions, Great Void Absolute Barrier*, time had been short, and none had advanced far in its mastery. Normally, they used it only as support, never directly in combat.

But now, under Taihao’s command, Grand Sovereign Liujin immediately withdrew from the fray and began casting *The Three Realms, Ten Directions, Great Void Absolute Barrier*, gradually sealing space from the outside inward, slowly shrinking Zhang Yu’s battlefield.

As the intensity of their battle escalated further and their strikes grew increasingly reckless, the entire building began to crumble around them.

At the same time, more and more figures gathered outside the spatial barrier, and reinforcements from all directions converged upon the site.

Feeling this, Grand Sovereign Taihao clenched his teeth. He’d never imagined that what was meant to be a simple capture of a Golden Core cultivator would run into Zhang Yu—and even less that, despite their three-on-one assault, Zhang Yu would still be standing.

Grand Sovereign Liujin urged anxiously, “We can’t hold on any longer! If we keep dragging this out, the whole building will be surrounded. We need to retreat!”

A flicker of unwillingness flashed in Taihao’s eyes, and hesitation crept into his heart.

“Should we press on? Zhang Yu is nearly sealed in completely—his spiritual power must be running low…”

“But if we stay much longer, what if we can’t escape?”

After a brief moment of indecision, Taihao resolved to withdraw.

“Zhang Yu… we’ll let you go this time. Next time…”

As he spoke, the bodies of the three Nascent Soul Sovereigns began slowly passing through the ground-level spatial barrier, intending to slip away beneath it.

They could traverse these barriers swiftly—but the elite cultivators from the Ten Great Academies gathering outside certainly could not.

But just then, Zhang Yu spoke: “So you’re finally running?”

To Taihao’s surprise, Zhang Yu reached into the pocket of his Tai Xu Cloud Storage and pulled something out.

As the object steadily expanded, Zhang Yu said calmly, “I told you long ago—it’s you who should be running.”

“Now it’s too late.”

In the next moment, as Zhang Yu held aloft the rapidly enlarging Boundary-Shattering Spike, the eyes of all three Sovereigns widened in shock.

With a sharp crack, Zhang Yu drove the spike into the spatial barrier, tearing open a massive hole.

One… five… ten…

Wave after wave of Nascent Soul pressure flooded in from outside, crashing down upon the three Sovereigns.

Taihao’s heart sank like a stone. Recalling the course of the battle, a sudden realization dawned on him: “This man… had a way out all along. He deliberately prolonged the fight, drawing us deeper—”

“All just to trap us here for good.”

(End of Chapter)