Cultivation Begins From The Desert-Chapter 676 - 660: Divine Techniques Great Success! [Subscribe Requested]
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The Blood River surged, demonic might rampant.
Under the attack of the Tier Three High-grade Array "Blood River Killing Array," formed by five Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators and dozens of Qi Cultivation Demon Cultivators, Zhouyang and the other two cultivators who came to support Xiao Bufan were immediately forced to retreat continuously, fleeing in all directions, not daring to face the battle directly.
The "Seven-Colored Cloud Smoke" in the sky had long since dissipated, and it had been two to three moments since Zhouyang and the others had come to support, yet during this entire period, no one else arrived.
And in this short time of two to three moments, Zhouyang had already lost a Tier Three Lower-Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact, and his own magical power, due to the earlier full-force defense against enemy attacks, had dropped to less than sixty percent.
With the battle reaching this point, he no longer held much hope for victory in his heart.
Now he only wished that Xiao Bufan would give the command to retreat so he could straightforwardly use the "Blood Escape Technique" to flee the battlefield.
Unfortunately, he didn't know that ever since they came to support, Xiao Bufan had extinguished the idea of retreating.
For Xiao Bufan, as long as he could entangle with Xue Mo Ya and hold on until the sect's reinforcements arrived, he could decisively determine the victory.
Therefore, even though he saw Zhouyang and the others in grave danger, he had no intention of ordering a retreat, only continuously encouraging the three with words, making various promises to have them persist.
However, by now, Zhouyang and the others had long seen through Xiao Bufan's intentions and treated his motivational words as mere wind in the ears, nobody truly cared.
If they were to die, even if Xiao Bufan later fulfilled his promises and passed the compensation on to their relatives and friends, it would have nothing to do with them. Those who managed to cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Stage were no fools.
"Fellow Daoists, this won't do any good if we continue like this. The opponents have formed an array that can attack and defend. Even if we three can hold on against them, the first to fall will certainly be us. We have to break their array before we exhaust our power!"
Zhouyang, with the lowest magical cultivation, knew that continuing to drag things out would certainly leave him unable to hold out first. So when his magical power was consumed to less than half, he could no longer hold back and privately discussed a strategy with Yue Mountain and Yan Yunfei.
Hearing this, Yan Yunfei immediately replied, "We know that too, but their array is complete, and none of us are Array Masters. Our cultivation and strength are not enough to break the array by force; how can we break it?"
Zhouyang had anticipated this question from the two and immediately said, "I have a secret technique that can interfere with one's divine sense, but to perform this technique, it requires someone's protection for a full moment. If you two can protect me for one moment, I can use the secret technique to interfere with the array master. By then, their array will definitely show a flaw, and you two can seize the opportunity to destroy their array!"
The secret technique he mentioned was, of course, the "Godslaying Needle," a spiritual sense attack secret technique.
However, to keep it a secret and not let others know the true nature of the "Godslaying Needle," he intentionally spoke vaguely without revealing specific details.
Yue Mountain and Yan Yunfei were also seasoned cultivators with extensive experience. Naturally, they heard the loopholes in his words but wisely chose not to ask more questions.
In the Cultivation Realm, inquiring about another's secret techniques or ultimate moves is considered taboo, even among old friends, let alone with acquaintances recently met an hour before.
Therefore, after a slight hesitation, they exchanged glances and nodded heavily, "Since Fellow Daoist Zhou has this confidence, we two will accompany you, putting our lives on the line. It all depends on Fellow Daoist's skill now!"
"I will not disappoint you two!"
Zhouyang's face lit up with joy and solemnly assured them.
After the three had made their plan, Yue Mountain and Yan Yunfei immediately descended on their flying swords to Zhouyang's side, each employing their techniques to form layers of protection to safeguard Zhouyang in the middle.
As for Zhouyang himself, he straightforwardly expanded the "Soul Suppressing Bell" into a three-zhang giant bell to cover himself inside, then closed his eyes tightly and focused all his divine sense to perform the "Godslaying Needle" secret technique.
Originally, if the "Godslaying Needle" secret technique were mastered, it could form a divine sense needle inside like his cultivation technique's innate divine technique, the "Qianyang Celestial Sword," ready to be used quickly when needed.
But Zhouyang didn't manage to bring this secret technique to entry-level!
Without mastering the secret technique, let alone attacking people with it directly, even now, with meticulous preparation for the casting, there was still a fifty percent chance of failure.
Of course, he certainly wouldn't reveal this situation to Yue Mountain and Yan Yunfei.
Now he had no other choice but to gamble on this one attempt. If he won the gamble, the battle could continue. If he lost it, he could only escape with the Blood Escape Technique!
The Yellow Sand Sect required its cultivators to go to the aid after seeing the "Seven-Colored Cloud Smoke," but there was no hard rule forcing them to fight to the death.
Earlier in the battle, he saw Yue Mountain and Yan Yunfei recording the battle scenes with a Tier Two Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact "Memory Pearl," offered five hundred spirit stones to purchase one of the extras from Yan Yunfei's stock. Now the Memory Pearl recording his battle scene was still in his storage bag.
With this, even if he fled and the Yellow Sand Sect pursued the matter, they would at most investigate him alone, not implicating the entire Zhou Family.
And just as Zhouyang confined himself within the Bronze Giant Bell, preparing the "Godslaying Needle" secret technique, the demonic cultivators forming the "Blood River Killing Array" saw the three of them giving up on guerrilla tactics to switch to holding a strong defense, and guessed they were preparing something major, thus made their attacks even more ferocious.
However, by now, the Qi Cultivation Stage demon cultivators forming the "Blood River Killing Array" were nearly exhausted of their magic power, weakening the array's power significantly.
Under the all-out defense of Yue Mountain and Yan Yunfei, they indeed held on for one full moment, without allowing any attack to land on the Bronze Giant Bell protecting Zhouyang.
As soon as the moment was over, without needing the two who were about to give in to remind him, the Bronze Giant Bell sheltering Zhouyang suddenly ascended into the sky.
The seated Zhouyang, who had been preparing for a quarter of an hour, suddenly opened his eyes. An almost invisible Divine Sense Needle shot out from the center of his brow, piercing through the blood-colored protective shield formed by the "Blood River Killing Array" within the blink of an eye, directly embedding into the Sea of Consciousness of the Fifth-Layer Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator leading the array.
Ah!
A scream echoed out as the demon cultivator leading the array threw the Array Banner from his hand, clutching his head with both hands, rolling on the ground in agony.
This "Blood River Killing Array" was primarily set by him. Now that he had discarded the Array Banner, although the array did not collapse entirely, its power was greatly reduced, revealing countless flaws.
Yue Mountain and Yan Yunfei, who had long been waiting, wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. They immediately rallied their remaining strength, each summoning their cherished Spirit Talismans and Magical Artifacts to strike the array.
Rumble!
With a series of booming sounds, the "Blood River Killing Array" was officially broken.
With the array shattered, apart from the four Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators who managed to protect themselves with artifacts and escape unscathed, dozens of Qi Cultivation Stage Demon Cultivators, whose magical power was nearly depleted, along with the Fifth-Layer Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivator writhing on the ground, were all killed by the backlash on the spot.
"Great, well done!"
In the sky, Xiao Bufan, watching these events unfold, joyfully called out in excitement.
Looking at the opposite side, Blood Demon Cliff's face darkened, the ugly blood spots on his face wriggled like blood-colored leeches, trembling with fury.
"Useless, a bunch of useless fools! You can't even handle three juniors. What's the point of me keeping all of you?"
He roared in frustration, his eyes flashing coldly. Instantly, blood-red demon flames ignited on the bodies of the four Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators who had narrowly escaped death.
Ah! Ah!
The air filled with screams as the four Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators, engulfed in blood-red demon flames, howled in pain, crying and begging for mercy: "Spare us, Patriarch! Spare us! We were wrong! We won't dare again! Please, withdraw your divine powers!"
"Hmph! Do you think you can fool Old Ancestor with those petty tricks? Do you think I won't dare to kill you?"
With a sinister expression, Blood Demon Cliff looked at the four Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators upon whom he had placed the "Soul-Burning Blood Curse", his eyes as cold as ice.
Raised in the Blood Slaughter Demon Sect, what scheming hadn't he seen? How could he not see their hidden intentions to conserve strength?
These mere Foundation Establishment cultivators dared to play such petty tricks before a Purple Mansion Cultivator - it was laughable!
After disciplining the four with the sect's secret techniques, he withdrew his magic, coldly demanding: "I'll grant you one more chance. Go and kill those three immediately. Fail at that, and you four need not return!"
"Thank you for your mercy, Patriarch! Thank you for your mercy!"
Seeing the torturous blood flames recede, the several Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators were overjoyed, quickly kneeling and kowtowing in gratitude.
Originally, while they suffered the punishment of the "Soul-Burning Blood Curse", it had been the perfect time for Zhouyang and his companions to act. Unfortunately, Zhouyang, having just exhausted much of his Divine Sense to form the Divine Sense Needle for the attack, along with Yue Mountain and Yan Yunfei, who had expended everything to attack, were now too exhausted to continue fighting.
Moreover, who could guarantee that the four screaming Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators weren't feigning to lure them closer?
The deviousness of demon cultivators was known throughout the Cultivation Realm. In such life-and-death battles, who would believe the enemy would cripple themselves, waiting to be slaughtered?
Thus, when the blood flames vanished from the four Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators, their bodies glowing red as if employing a secret technique to boost potential, Zhouyang and his companions' faces changed drastically as they each fled in different directions.
As they fled, Yan Yunfei and Yue Mountain didn't forget to shout:
"Elder Xiao, we've completed the task you entrusted to us. From now on, please forgive us for being unable to help further!"
"Forgive me, Junior Martial Uncle Xiao. My magical power is insufficient to assist further. I must retreat first!"
Zhouyang was feeling very much aggrieved, extremely aggrieved!
Clearly it was three of them fleeing in different directions, so why were two demon cultivators chasing him, while only one pursued Yue Mountain and Yan Yunfei?
Is it because he looks young, appears to have the lowest cultivation, and seems the easiest to bully?
These guys, do they really think he's a pushover?
Zhouyang, with his face full of rage, eyed the two relentlessly pursuing demon cultivators behind him and felt an overwhelming urge to kill!
He had fled not because he lacked the capability to fight back, but because he didn't want to reveal that he had mastered the "Qianyang True Flame", especially not in front of a Purple Mansion demon like Blood Demon Cliff.
"Qianyang True Flame", being most rigid and yang, was one of the divine techniques that countered demon cultivators, making it a sworn enemy that all demon cultivators wished to eradicate quickly.
If Blood Demon Cliff, this old Purple Mansion demon, discovered that he possessed the "Qianyang True Flame", he would probably abandon Xiao Bufan to target Zhouyang instead.
But now, seeing the two Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators after trailing him for dozens of miles, still in hot pursuit, he could no longer suppress his killing intent.
He landed swiftly as the sword light beneath his feet descended, then with a flick of his sleeve, he summoned the "Soul Suppressing Bell" to hover above and protect himself, his gaze coldly fixed on the two pursuers behind him as he waited.
"Hey, kid, you seem to know your limits, realizing you can't escape right?"
"We'll give you a chance to end your life by cutting your own throat, or else when we make our move, it won't just be a simple death!"
The two Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators landed after Zhouyang, speaking in a coordinated manner, their faces filled with exhilaration.
Zhouyang and his companions caused them to be punished by Blood Mo Luo with the "Soul-Burning Blood Curse." They couldn't help but desire to eat their flesh and drink their blood to compensate for the loss of their Primordial Qi.
"Done talking? If so, you can die now!"
Zhouyang's face was icy cold as he addressed them, exhaling lightly. He raised his hand, channeling magical power into the "Soul Suppressing Bell" that hovered above, making it spin swiftly and fly towards the two demon cultivators.
"How dare you!"
The two demon cultivators were incensed by Zhouyang's attitude. After exchanging a glance, one released a Blood-Dripping Bone Spear aiming to pierce through the incoming bronze ancient bell, while the other took out a dark red Skull Spiritual Artifact from his Storage Bag, biting his tongue to spray blood onto the skull.
Jie Jie Jie——
At an unknown oasis.
Xiao Bufan's face changed when he saw Zhouyang and the other two Foundation Establishment cultivators fleeing the battlefield, a flash of anger crossed his eyes.
However, he soon remembered that the Yellow Sand Sect mandated that disciples and vassal cultivators must rescue those who send out the "Seven-Colored Cloud Smoke," but only if the sender is in a life-threatening situation.
If the cultivator who sent the "Seven-Colored Cloud Smoke" is already dead, or if they have escaped danger, the sect typically does not hold rescuers accountable thereafter.
Before fleeing, Zhouyang and his companions followed his orders and broke the enemies' "Blood River Killing Array," even luring some Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators away, thereby exceeding the rescue mission requirements.
These details were all recorded by the three using a Memory Pearl, and they could withstand investigation through the "Heart Inquiry Skill."
If he were to blame them for fleeing and consider holding them accountable later, it might backfire and damage his long-standing good reputation.
Although he was a Purple Mansion Cultivator, he couldn't do as he pleased within the Yellow Sand Sect. Zhouyang's background was a bit unfamiliar to him, but both Yue Mountain and the Yan Family of Fire Fox Ridge had deep ties within the Yellow Sand Sect, making them difficult for him to unjustly deal with.
"Ga ga ga, Xiao Bufan, the helpers you called have fled; it seems they also know you are doomed today and cannot be rescued!"
The expression change on Xiao Bufan's face, though brief, was caught by Blood Mo Luo, who immediately took the chance to mock and sneer.
Since the beginning of their battle, Blood Mo Luo, having a cultivation level twofold higher than Xiao Bufan, held a significant advantage, leaving Xiao Bufan defenseless.
Unfortunately, after Xiao Bufan abandoned all offensive tactics and chose to defend, even with his considerable advantage in cultivation, Blood Mo Luo struggled to break Xiao Bufan's "Azure Dragon Cauldron" defense, forcing him to resort to a battle of attrition to deplete Xiao Bufan's magical power.
However, the formidable magical power of a Purple Mansion Cultivator allows for prolonged battle durations, making short-term victory unlikely, especially without assistance.
Seeing Zhouyang and his companions flee chased by his demonic offspring, Blood Mo Luo intended to make an issue of it to weaken Xiao Bufan's resolve.
Nonetheless, Xiao Bufan's mental cultivation, having reached the Purple Mansion Stage, was not lacking, easily recognizing Blood Mo Luo's intent.
He merely watched Blood Mo Luo's monologue with a cold sneer, not even bothering to respond.
Blood Mo Luo's verbal attacks failed, and seeing Xiao Bufan dare to sneer despite his disadvantage, enraged him further, ironically making him more upset.
Demon Dao Practitioners pursue shortcuts in cultivation, emphasizing speed over cultivating the mind. Combining this with the painful processes and morally reprehensible demonic arts, their prolonged cultivation distorts their personalities, making them unpredictable.
Even small matters could trigger their twisted, sensitive nerves, leading them to actions incomprehensible to normal people.
This was precisely the case with Blood Mo Luo, who was infuriated by Xiao Bufan, whom he saw as a weaker opponent.
"Wah wah wah, I'm furious! Once I break your cauldron's defense, I'll cook you alive in it!"
He roared, his face twisted with anger, eyes shining with the malevolent gleam of a malicious spirit, exuding killing intent frenziedly.
As he continued shouting, his expression changed suddenly, sensing a loss of connection with two underlings he had marked with the "Soul-Burning Blood Curse."
This loss indicated either intervention by a Golden Core Stage Cultivator capable of lifting the curse or that the two were dead.
Knowing his subordinates had been pursuing the enemy, Blood Mo Luo didn't need to guess the cause. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
"Useless, utterly useless! They couldn't even handle a First-Layer Foundation Establishment kid; death is too kind for them!"
He cursed angrily, so furious he wanted to kill someone.
Upon hearing him say that, Xiao Bufan pondered for a moment and understood what had happened. Then he couldn't help but laugh: "Haha, evil demon cultivators deserve to die! You, a demon, dare to act recklessly in our Boundless Sea of Sand Cultivation Realm? I wonder if you're prepared to be buried here?"
Blood Demon Cliff was infuriated upon hearing his laughter, spitting an old phlegm at Xiao Bufan angrily and shouted: "Bah, those stinking Daoists of the Profound Sun Immortal Sect couldn't kill me! And you desert bumpkins want to kill me? What a fool's dream!"
"You..."
Xiao Bufan felt both ashamed and furious, not expecting Blood Demon Cliff, a dignified Purple Mansion Cultivator, to act as crudely as an old man cursing in the streets. His entire body shook with rage, and he struggled to speak clearly.
Seeing this, Blood Demon Cliff felt a sense of satisfaction from venting his anger and couldn't help but laugh: "Haha, what about me? If you disagree, spit at me too!"
"Evil demon cultivators, neither knowing etiquette nor shame, and ignorant of human morals. If I, Xiao, were to engage in a war of words with such an inhumane beast, how would I differ from an animal?"
Xiao Bufan's chest heaved, but after taking a deep breath to quell his fury, his demeanor normalized upon looking at Blood Demon Cliff and he said no more.
Seeing this, a malevolent glint flashed in Blood Demon Cliff's eyes. He knew that nothing he said could shake Xiao Bufan's resolve, so he saw no point in continuing.
The two of them continued fighting for nearly half an hour before the two Foundation Establishment demon cultivators chasing Yue Mountain and Yan Yunfei returned empty-handed.
Blood Demon Cliff was naturally infuriated upon seeing this.
By then, more than an hour had passed since Xiao Bufan had been ambushed. In such a long time, the Foundation Establishment cultivators who received his communication flying sword must have already covered a significant distance.
Although Blood Demon Cliff was reluctant to admit it, he knew the ambush on Xiao Bufan had failed.
If he continued with Xiao Bufan, when the reinforcements from the Yellow Sand Sect arrived, he'd be the one in trouble.
So, after hesitating for a moment, he reluctantly sent a message for his two subordinates at the Foundation Establishment stage to leave, while he stayed behind to hold Xiao Bufan off.
"Trying to escape? Do you think I will let traitors like you get away?"
Seeing the two Foundation Establishment demon cultivators preparing to flee, Xiao Bufan immediately understood Blood Demon Cliff's plan. A fierce expression flashed across his face as he smacked his storage bag and activated two Tier Three puppets to pursue the demon cultivators.
It turned out he had been holding onto a trump card, which explained why he dared to hold his position against Blood Demon Cliff and the Blood River Killing Array until reinforcements arrived.
The puppets carried by Xiao Bufan, a Purple Mansion Stage cultivator, were naturally extraordinary. Although the two puppets he took out were only Tier Three, they were genuine Tier Three Top Grade puppets, and they were flying puppets modeled after avian demon beasts.
These two Tier Three Top Grade flying puppets were crafted to resemble eagle-like demon beasts. They flew as fast as any late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator and wielded several powerful attack magics. Even a Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivator would need quite an effort to deal with such a puppet, let alone the two early-stage Foundation Establishment demon cultivators whose magical power had diminished to a third of their peak.
Almost immediately after Xiao Bufan released the puppet flying eagles, the two demon cultivators paled and stopped fleeing, shouting "Ancestor, save us."
Blood Demon Cliff certainly wouldn't let his last two subordinates be killed right in front of him. He quickly launched two beams of bloody light to block the puppet eagles, then coldly snorted: "Hmph, you think only you have puppets? Watch my skills!"
With that, he pulled a pitch-black bag from his waist and shook it, releasing four Blood Evil Demon Corpses with Foundation Establishment stage aura.
After releasing four Blood Evil Demon Corpses, he took out two corpse control talismans and threw them to the two demon cultivators, saying: "Follow these four demon corpses and get out of here. I'd like to see who can stop you today!"
"Thank you, Ancestor!"
The two demon cultivators were overjoyed and hastily grabbed the corpse control talismans to direct the four Blood Evil Demon Corpses to guard them as they fled. With four living shields to protect them, the puppet flying eagles would struggle to capture them.
Strangely, although knowing the puppet flying eagles were unlikely to kill the two Foundation Establishment demon cultivators guarded by the four Blood Evil Demon Corpses, Xiao Bufan did not retract them but instead commanded them to pursue the targets relentlessly.
Before long, the two demon cultivators fled, accompanied by the demon corpses and puppet flying eagles, leaving no trace behind.
About one or two minutes later, estimating that the two Foundation Establishment demon cultivators had fled far enough, Blood Demon Cliff finally stopped entangling with Xiao Bufan and quickly gathered his magical artifacts to escape in the opposite direction.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Having waited for this moment, Xiao Bufan naturally refused to let Blood Demon Cliff escape so easily and promptly rallied to chase after him.
However, his cultivation was much inferior to Blood Mo Luo and he wasn't as skilled in speed as Zhang Yunpeng, so catching up to Blood Demon Cliff who was hell-bent on escaping was unlikely!
Meanwhile, Zhouyang, after killing the two demon cultivators pursuing him and leaving the scene, flew out of the oasis, only settling into an underground chamber within an unnoticed sand dune for a temporary rest.
Yet, he had just recovered less than thirty percent of his magical power when he suddenly sensed the unique demonic Qi and the howls of demon corpses, characteristic of demon cultivators.
This discovery led him to mistakenly believe that his location had been exposed and he was under attack, prompting him to quickly escape from the underground chamber to face the enemy.
But upon reaching the surface and assessing the situation, he was immediately stunned.
Not far away in the desert sea, two demon cultivators were desperately fleeing under the protection of four Blood Evil Demon Corpses. In the skies above them, two puppet flying eagles with wingspans of seven to eight meters were relentlessly pursuing them, incessantly launching attacks.
