Master Qingmu didn’t hesitate for a second. His Daoist Robe billowed as he instantly transformed into a withered tree, blocking the entrance to the array.

THUD! THUD!

First came the pair of White Bone Poison Fire Hammers. With two muffled thuds, Master Qingmu’s back caved in, bending at an unnatural angle.

Then, the Black Lotus fell upon him, instantly blanketing his entire body. It ignited the Demon Fire within his heart, burning away his True Essence Cultivation.

Master Qingmu fell, and the array’s entrance sealed shut behind him. The Three Thousand Six Hundred Rings Water Smoke Array was once again operational.

"Damn it! Those were two cultivators from the Five Elements Sect. What are they doing here?"

The ghostly flames in White Bone True Man’s eyes flickered rapidly. His twin hammers landed beside him, spinning nonstop.

"The Qingfeng Sect has been entrenched in the Black Mountain Range for a millennium; it’s hardly surprising they’ve discovered a few hidden paths. Speaking of which, your sects from Liang Country used to fear that Tier Four Cyan Simurgh, treating Black Mountain as forbidden ground. No one dared set foot in it to establish a sect, which made things quite convenient for the Qingfeng Sect’s founding ancestor, an outsider cultivator."

Jiang Yuhua maintained his air of detached calm, unperturbed by gains or losses. The appearance of the Five Elements Sect cultivators and their successful breach of the array didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest. Instead, with a flourish of his wide sleeves, he began to reminisce about ancient history.

"Setting aside the Core Formation Cultivator we both struck—his fate is unknown—the other one who fled inside was severely injured by me. However, if he takes the appropriate Spirit Pills for a quick recovery, he should already be able to wield thirty to forty percent of his True Essence. With him operating the array, I fear it will be difficult for us to break through. I wonder what you plan to do next, True Man?"

"Whether we continue besieging this place or turn our attention elsewhere, I will follow your lead."

"Let’s try for two more days. Brother Jiang, please don’t hold back. That man’s injuries haven’t healed, and if he has to divide his focus to control the array, his condition might worsen."

White Bone True Man pondered for a moment, unwilling to give up on the situation before him.

They had been just one step away from breaching Feiyue Lake, only for another complication to arise.

He would be filled with regret if he didn’t give it another try.

"Since you’ve given the order, True Man, I will certainly do my best."

A Black Lotus platform rose from behind Jiang Yuhua’s head, releasing a torrent of Demonic Qi. Each Black Lotus was the color of thick ink, a condensation of the purest evil.

White Bone True Man subconsciously retreated several steps. The ghostly flames in his eye sockets flickered as all sorts of evil thoughts, stirred by the Black Lotus, arose in his mind, making it difficult for him to maintain his composure.

’What a terrifying Demon Skill!’

White Bone True Man circulated his True Essence to steady his mind, then turned away, not daring to face the Black Lotus platform directly.

’This man’s Cultivation Technique is practically divine; he must come from a Nascent Soul Major Sect to possess such a heritage. Why would he travel thousands of miles to Liang Country, only to place himself under the command of Blood God True Man?’

Unable to puzzle it out, White Bone True Man decided not to dwell on it. In any case, it was the Blood Demon Sect’s business.

His pair of White Bone Poison Fire Hammers once again transformed into two White Bone Demons, which brandished their weapons and charged the Grand Array.

He himself also unleashed a streak of White Bone Sword Light, which transformed into a chilling beam that continuously wore down and sundered the water curtain.

This was his Tier Three Flying Sword, the White Bone Cold Light Sword.

This sword was not one White Bone True Man had refined himself. He had poured all of his resources into that pair of White Bone Poison Fire Hammers. Since they were a pair, their refining and upgrading costs were double that of a normal Magical Treasure, leaving him with no fortune to even dream of a Tier Three Flying Sword.

The White Bone Cold Light Sword had been refined by a Ghost Spirit Sect Leader several generations prior, using the spine of a Tier Four Shapeshifting Great Demon as the primary material.

In life, that Great Demon had been renowned for its Divine Power. A swing of the White Bone Cold Light Sword was similarly overwhelming, striking the Three Thousand six hundred Rings Water Smoke Array with enough force to shake the very earth and kick up enormous waves in the lake.

The blade also carried a trace of the Tier Four Shapeshifting Great Demon’s lingering resentment, sealed within the sword, where it would never dissipate.

When used in battle, anyone whose Divine Sense had not reached the level of the Late-Stage Core Formation Realm would be affected.

The greater the disparity in power, the more severe the effect, as the might of the Tier Four Great Demon would intimidate them and slow their reactions.

...

"Take me to the array’s core!"

Master Hei Shui caught the falling Master Qingmu, circulating his True Essence to protect the man’s heart meridian. For the first time, a look of anxiety crossed his face.

"Junior Martial Uncle, please follow me."

Bai Zichen glanced over worriedly. Master Qingmu’s face was ashen, and the blood he coughed up was mixed with splinters of wood. His entire body was a wreck.

Suppressing the pain in his chest, he rode his Sword Light at top speed, landing on the Lake Heart Island.

Aside from Zhou Suqing, nearly all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the island had gathered there.

Bai Zichen had no time for pleasantries. He pushed open the doors to the hall and, after a few turns, arrived at the array’s core.

Senior Sister Zhou Suqing was completely focused on the Array Plate, with Su Li standing guard beside her.

"Senior Sister Zhou, Junior Brother Su, these are Junior Martial Uncle Hei Shui and Junior Martial Uncle Qingmu of the Five Elements Sect..."

Bai Zichen began the introductions, his heart heavy as he saw Master Qingmu’s life force slowly fading, the exposed parts of his withered-wood form truly beginning to die.

"You continue to operate the Grand Array. I will support you by providing True Essence..."

Master Hei Shui’s figure flickered, and he was already seated before the Array Plate, but one of his hands never left Master Qingmu’s chest.

"How are Junior Martial Uncle Qingmu’s injuries? Are there any elixirs that might help? I can go search the storehouse to see if we have any..."

"Senior Brother has already transformed, absorbing the damage with his incomplete Withered Wood True Body. Ordinary medicines are useless... The White Bone Poison Fire Hammer severely wounded his physical body, its poison fire invaded him, and then the Black Lotus ignited a Demon Fire that is burning away his True Essence."

Master Hei Shui’s words were laced with exhaustion and grief, but his other hand was already on the Array Plate, pouring a ceaseless stream of True Essence into it.

"Now, it all depends on whether Senior Brother’s Withered Wood True Body can reawaken. If it can, he might just survive..."

Bai Zichen fell silent and left the room.

He was not skilled in arrays and couldn’t help, so it was best to leave the space inside to Master Hei Shui and Zhou Suqing.

"Senior Brother Bai, it’s a good thing you brought those seniors from the Five Elements Sect! Otherwise, the Tier Three Grand Array would have collapsed..." Su Li said, catching up from behind. "You fought a great battle with the Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators, and Master Qingmu was grievously injured?"

Bai Zichen nodded slightly and briefly recounted how they had entered the array. "Our sect owes a great debt for this... Junior Martial Uncle Hei Shui is severely injured, and Junior Martial Uncle Qingmu could die. The Five Elements Sect has been dragged this far into our troubles."

"’To share a single body and a single fate, to be branches of the same tree’—these are not just empty words. Junior Brother Su, the Five Elements Sect has done its part. Now, it’s up to us."

Bai Zichen’s gaze was distant as he strode away.

"Senior Brother Bai, where are you going? Aren’t you going to wait here?"

Bai Zichen paused, his voice firm and powerful. "To heal. To cultivate. With Master Hei Shui and Senior Sister Zhou here, the array is safe. The Ghost Spirit Sect cultivators will have no choice but to retreat in a few days at most."

"My presence here is useless. I’d rather focus on my cultivation so I can one day avenge what has happened."

Su Li let out a long sigh. In the face of a Core Formation True Man, even a prodigy like Senior Brother Bai was fragile, someone who could be snuffed out with a flick of a finger. The feeling of powerlessness was profound.

「White Jade Tower」

Bai Zichen took out a Hundred Herbs Life Pill. After he swallowed it, a cool, gentle medicinal power spread through him.

Thanks to the powerful physique granted by his Five Crystal Glaze Body, his fractured sternum had already healed by twenty percent. Stimulated by the pill’s power, the bone began to mend rapidly.

By the next morning, the pain had subsided. In a few more days, his injuries would be completely healed.

’I still underestimated the power of Core Formation Cultivators. The title of True Man must signify a fundamental difference from the previous realms... I thought I could save my own skin with a Tier Three Talisman and the Glazed Fire Divine Body, but now it seems that would be difficult.’

Bai Zichen recalled the White Bone Sword Light. At the time, a mysterious force seemed to pull at him, slowing his thoughts and preventing him from successfully self-destructing his Glazed Body.

Although the outcome was fortunate—he had blocked the attack relying solely on a Tier Three Withered Wood Substitute Death Talisman, saving him the time it would have taken to re-cultivate his Glazed Body—he had failed to execute his own plan, and a mistake had occurred.

’That Flying Sword was strange; it must have affected my Divine Sense for that to happen. Otherwise, no matter how fast a Tier Three Flying Sword is, it could never be faster than a single thought...’

Possessing a mysterious Spirit Body and having never faced a single bottleneck in his cultivation, Bai Zichen had developed a somewhat detached and superior mindset after reaching Foundation Establishment.

Even knowing he was a remnant of the Fish Dragon Sect, with a horde of enemies in the Outer Sea that included even a Tier Four Shapeshifting Great Demon Dragon Lord, he had not been overly worried.

At most, he felt a sense of urgency, but never true panic or desperation.

He believed that with enough time, once he became a Core Formation Cultivator, he could sweep through the Ghost Spirit Sect, slaughter the Black Mountain Demon Beasts, and bring great glory to his sect.

As for the Ten Thousand Stars Islands, led by the Youlong Sect, and the Transformed Great Demon, they were countless thousands of miles away on the other side of the Black Mountain Range, with no clear suspect to pursue.

By the time they found clues and locked onto their target, he might have already become a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Even though the Dragon Monarch was one of the most powerful Transformed Great Demons, as long as he stayed away from the Outer Sea, what could the Dragon Monarch do to him?

But these several years of bloody sect warfare, the deaths of his fellow sect members, Ancestor Yang detonating his own Golden Core, the seniors from a brother sect sacrificing their bodies to block the enemy...

All of this forced Bai Zichen to discard his superior, detached mindset and embrace caution once more.

’Cultivation is the foundation of everything. If I were at Foundation Establishment Perfection, I could at least hold my own for a few exchanges against a Core Formation Cultivator instead of being utterly powerless...’

Having come to this realization, Bai Zichen felt the fog in his mind clear, and the path forward became sharper.

He swallowed an Earth Flame Spirit Pill. Magical Power surged through his body, churning restlessly as he operated the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture. The faint roar of a dragon seemed to echo from within him.

He seemed to have forgotten that three Core Formation Demon Cultivators were still lingering outside Feiyue Lake, attacking without pause.

He forgot about the brutal war raging between the two sects, and the countless Qingfeng Sect disciples who had died since it began.

Droplets of Spiritual Liquid formed in his Dantian’s Qi Sea, bringing him one step closer to the Peak of Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment.

「Five days later.」

Bai Zichen stepped out of his Quiet Chamber to find Su Li had been waiting outside the tower for a long time. He deactivated the wards and let him in.

"Senior Brother Bai, I can’t believe you actually entered secluded cultivation at a time like this. I’m truly impressed..."

Su Li had come by three times over the past few days, but each time he was told that Senior Brother Bai was cultivating.

"With Core Formation True Men at our door, our only real defense is the Tier Three Grand Array. My presence or absence makes no difference. Once you realize that, why wouldn’t one be able to meditate? But tell me, have the Ghost Spirit Sect’s Demon Cultivators withdrawn?"

Bai Zichen had just finished cultivating. His mind was clear and his cultivation had advanced. His half-lidded eyes glinted with an inscrutable light.

"How did you know, Senior Brother Bai?" Su Li asked with a start. "The three Core Formation Demon Cultivators just left this morning. Some of their Foundation Establishment Cultivators are still lingering, though. They haven’t all withdrawn..."

He had just heard the news from Zhou Suqing, and the other Elders had yet to be informed.

"Since they couldn’t breach Feiyue Lake, continuing the assault would just be a waste of time—unless the Blood Demon Sect could send more Core Formation Guest Elders as reinforcements."

Bai Zichen wasn’t surprised. He was more concerned about something else. "Has Junior Martial Uncle Qingmu woken up?"

"That’s the second reason I came to find you, Senior Brother Bai. Master Qingmu woke up last night... His aura is extremely faint, but at least his life is no longer in danger."

Su Li’s expression was joyful at first, but it quickly fell.

"Master Hei Shui said that Master Qingmu’s Withered Wood True Body was destroyed, severing his path of cultivation. Even if he recovers, he’ll be stuck at the Early-Stage of Core Formation for the rest of his life, with no hope for further advancement."

"As long as his life is safe, that’s what matters."

Bai Zichen felt a great weight lift from his heart. He said in a low, firm voice, "Junior Martial Uncle Qingmu was injured for the sake of our sect. If his foundation was truly damaged and his path forward has been affected, then I will search to the ends of the earth to find a Spirit Pill that can heal his hidden wounds."