Staying in the sect, controlling beasts and cultivating immortals

Several powerful spiritual senses, like invisible chains, instantly wrapped around Yu Changsheng and the others who had just been thrown out of the spatial rift in a sorry state.

The air seemed to freeze, and even the deathly dust of the Soul-Devouring Sand Sea seemed to stop drifting under this pressure.

On the left sand dune, a three-headed, ferocious bone vulture with a wingspan of nearly twenty feet hovered. Its entire body was composed of huge bones that were as black as ink and gleamed with a metallic luster, and its empty eye sockets flickered with eerie green soul fire.

On the back of the bone vulture, four cultivators clad in bone armor of the same color and holding bone spears or staffs stood solemnly. The leader's bone armor was engraved with intricate dark gold patterns, and his aura had clearly reached the peak of the late stage of the Void Refinement Realm—the iconic force of Bone Prison City, the Black Wind Bone Vulture Cavalry.

To the right, at a slightly greater distance but with no less oppressive presence, stood six cultivators dressed in scarlet outfits and wearing masks with menacing fangs.

They were surrounded by a thick, bloody aura, as if they had just stepped out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, and twisted, blood-red runes could be seen writhing on their exposed skin.

The two leading figures possessed a deep and unfathomable aura, both being at the late stage of the Void Refinement realm. Their sleeves were embroidered with the emblem of dripping blood fangs—the elite of the Blood Slaughter Hall, the Blood Fang Guards.

Caught between two pressures, with no way to retreat! Chen Xueqing's face paled slightly, and the aura of the Pure Lotus flowed autonomously around her body as she desperately resisted the suffocating feeling brought on by the dual pressure.

The dark gold patterns on Wang Cheng's Chaotic Bone Arm shimmered with light. He let out a low roar, his domineering blood power instinctively boiling. His muscles bulged, and he forcefully stomped a deep pit in the sand beneath his feet. His eyes burned with fighting spirit, showing no fear whatsoever.

Mo Heng's Myriad Transformations Returning to the Void Furnace hovered above his head. Although the cracks in the furnace had been repaired in the previous stone chamber, the fire in the furnace was now flickering and rapidly assessing the current situation.

Ling Wuying's figure flickered between reality and illusion, trying to find a weak point in the encirclement. Gui Yinzi, on the other hand, silently released several Yin Sha puppets with weak auras, which scattered like grains of sand into the surrounding sand, serving as both a warning and a backup plan.

"Hmph, it carries the scent of Star Origin Mine and Star Dao Pattern Stone, as well as the resentful mark left by that old ghost Hei Sha... It's as conspicuous as a bright lamp in the dark night."

The Black Wind Cavalry leader of Bone Prison City spoke in a dry, hoarse voice, as if bones were grinding together: “Surrender and hand over all your Star Treasures, and perhaps I can spare your whole corpses to be refined into battle puppets in my Bone Prison.”

"What a joke!" A burly red-haired man, the leader of the Blood Fang Guards, sneered, his voice like muffled thunder. "In the territory of the Blood Slaughter Hall, the prey is naturally ours to deal with!"
"You scum from Bone Prison City, get lost! This is none of your business! The Star Essence on these few weaklings will be perfect for Lord Blood Butcher to refine a batch of great medicine!"

His greedy gaze swept over Yu Changsheng and the others, lingering longest on Yu Changsheng, whose aura was unstable but whose Dao of Star Extinction was faintly visible, and on Mo Heng, who held a fragment of a star core.

The two forces clashed head-on, their powerful auras colliding and causing the surrounding air to hiss under immense pressure. The deathly silence of the Soul-Devouring Sand Sea seemed to be briefly broken, forming a dangerous zone of turbulent energy.

Caught in the middle, Yu Changsheng and his group experienced a slight reduction in pressure, but their situation became even more perilous—they would be the first to suffer if either side made a move.

Yu Changsheng remained calm, his peak Void Refinement cultivation, which had become much more stable after fusing with the Heavenly Star Jade Marrow, slowly circulating within him as he desperately suppressed the last trace of agitation in the Chaos Emperor Blood and the Star Extinction Dao Law, which were not yet fully harmonized. His gaze was like lightning, instantly seizing the opportunity presented by the two major forces' unwillingness to yield to each other.

"Mo Heng!" Yu Changsheng sent out his divine thoughts in a flash.

"Yes, young master! Three miles behind the Bloodfang Guards, there are abnormal ripples in the spatial energy, resembling a small crystal cluster forest that can serve as a temporary barrier! However, the energy is extremely unstable, and there is a risk of crystal explosion!"

Mo Heng responded almost instantly, utilizing the deductive ability of the Myriad Transformations Returning to the Void Furnace to its fullest extent.

"Alright! Guiyinzi, detonate the Yin Sha puppet closest to the Blood Fang Guards, target—the left flank of the Bone Vulture! Wang Cheng, prepare for the Blood Overlord Charge, target the Crystal Cluster Forest! Xue Qing, Qinglian, protect everyone's minds and isolate them from the Blood Sha's erosion! Wuying, follow me to cover the rear!"

Yu Changsheng's instructions were swift and decisive, like a sudden storm.

"Yes, sir!" everyone responded in unison, without the slightest hesitation.

A glint of light flashed in Guiyinzi's eyes as he activated his divine sense.

boom!
Less than ten feet from the edge of the Blood Fang Guard array, an inconspicuous Yin Sha puppet suddenly self-destructed. The power was not great, but it was extremely insidious. The moment it exploded, it released a dense black-green putrid Yin Sha aura, forming a small area of ​​poisonous miasma, which accurately rushed towards the wing bone connection of the bone vulture on the left!
This attack couldn't fundamentally damage the Bone Vulture, but it was enough to enrage it and briefly disrupt its vision.

"Scum of Bone Prison City! How dare you launch a sneak attack?!"

The red-haired leader of the Bloodfang Guard was already hostile to Bone Prison City. Upon seeing the location and attributes of Yin Sha's self-destruction, he subconsciously assumed that Bone Prison City couldn't hold back and made the first move, trying to interfere with their capture of their prey.

He roared, and the giant axe in his hand, formed from blood-red light, slashed fiercely at the Black Wind Cavalry Guard closest to him with a piercing shriek that tore through the air!

"The Blood Slaughter Hall's mad dogs!" The leader of Bone Prison City was also enraged by the sudden "sneak attack" and the roar of the Blood Fang Guards. In particular, seeing the Yin Sha aura of the self-destruction confirmed the Blood Slaughter Hall's idea of ​​"framing" him.

With a wave of his bone staff, a pale white bone prison instantly rose beneath the red-haired leader's feet. At the same time, he commanded the bone vultures to spew ghostly flames with bone-corroding power, aimed directly at the Bloodfang Guard formation!

A great battle erupted instantly! Two forces that were already wary of each other and full of malice collided like two barrels of ignited gunpowder, thanks to Gui Yinzi's perfectly timed "ignition"!
Bloodlust clashed with bone spears, ghostly flames intertwined with crimson blade energy, and roars and howls echoed across the desert.

"Now! Let's go!" Yu Changsheng shouted.

Wang Cheng charged forward like a cannonball, his chaotic bone arm in front, his entire body enveloped in a layer of condensed, almost tangible dark gold blood-red aura. Like an ancient ferocious beast plowing through the earth, he charged furiously toward the crystal cluster forest indicated by Mo Heng! Wherever he passed, the violent force shattered the sand dunes that blocked his path, creating a raging trail. Chen Xueqing's azure lotus beneath her feet shone brightly, a solid azure light barrier enveloping Yu Changsheng, Mo Heng, and Gui Yinzi, isolating them from the chaotic energy and pervasive bloody aura that eroded their minds. Mo Heng followed closely behind Wang Cheng, wisps of the aura of returning to nothingness descending from his furnace, smoothing the spatial fluctuations that had become even more chaotic due to Wang Cheng's charge. Ling Wuying's figure completely blended into the shadows, darting along the flank of the group. His newly acquired shadow dagger, infused with the cold iron of the Lonely Star, gleamed with a deadly cold light, ready to kill any stragglers or unfortunate souls swept away by the aftershocks of the battle.

Yu Changsheng remained at the rear, his sword, the Sword of Annihilation, still sheathed, but the fluctuation of the Dao of Annihilation on its hilt suddenly became clear and dangerous. His cold gaze swept over the two major forces engaged in the melee behind him, as well as a few cultivators from Bone Prison City or Blood Slaughter Hall who were trying to bypass the battlefield to pursue him.

"Silent Sword Domain - So Close Yet So Far!" Yu Changsheng pointed his fingers like a sword and slashed through the air.

An invisible sword intent domain, imbued with the true meaning of the annihilation of stars, instantly spread out from him, enveloping a large area behind him. This was not a direct attack, but a powerful distortion and delay of spatial perception.

Those enemies who rushed into the area, no matter how fast they were, felt as if the distance between themselves and their target, Yu Changsheng, was infinitely stretched. They were so close, yet it felt like they were separated by thousands of mountains and rivers. Their movements became stuck in the mud, their attacks missed or deviated, and they futilely spun around in place or collided with each other, buying the team precious few breaths of time.

Taking advantage of the chaos and the time Yu Changsheng bought, Wang Cheng, like a savage beast, forcefully broke through the chaotic energy field and sand dunes, and was the first to rush into the crystal cluster forest that shimmered with an eerie blue light!

This crystal forest is composed of countless sharp, jagged crystal pillars, each tens of meters tall. The pillars are a deep blue color, and there seems to be a viscous liquid flowing inside them, emitting strong corrosive energy fluctuations and chaotic spatial ripples. Just as Mo Heng had predicted, the energy here is extremely unstable, and the crystal pillars themselves are exceptionally hard.

"Be careful! The crystal pillar contains highly toxic corrosive energy. Touching it or violently vibrating it may trigger a chain reaction of crystal explosions!" Mo Heng warned the moment he rushed in, while the furnace shone even brighter, attempting to stabilize the surrounding space.

However, their intrusion and the energy surge unleashed by their pursuers became the final straw that broke the camel's back. Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several massive crystal pillars near the edge were affected by the violent energy and suddenly exploded! Dark blue, highly corrosive crystal fragments shot out like a torrential rain, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound that tore through space! At the same time, the chaotic energy contained within the crystal pillars was detonated, forming small energy storms that swept outwards.

"Azure Lotus Ten Thousand Leaves Barrier!" Chen Xueqing shouted, and the Pure Azure Lotus spun rapidly, with countless emerald green lotus leaf phantoms emerging layer upon layer, forming a tough barrier around the crowd.

Hissing sounds echoed as dense corrosive crystals struck the lotus leaf barrier, producing a teeth-grinding noise. Smoke billowed out, the barrier shook violently, and Chen Xueqing's face paled even more.

Wang Cheng roared, his chaotic bone arm swung like a windmill, violently smashing the incoming crystal chips and energy turbulence. Ling Wuying's agility was pushed to its limits within the narrow gaps between the crystal pillars, narrowly avoiding the fatal crystal explosion core. Gui Yinzi, meanwhile, controlled his Yin Sha puppets to actively rush towards some unstable crystal pillars, triggering small-scale explosions in advance to clear a path for the team, although he himself suffered heavy losses of puppets.

Yu Changsheng was the last to step into the Crystal Cluster Forest, and the Annihilation Sword was finally drawn half an inch from its sheath!

A condensed, hazy gray sword aura silently slashed out, not at a physical target, but towards the core of a region behind them where a large-scale chain reaction of crystal explosions was about to occur.

The annihilating essence contained within the sword energy was like the coldest frost, instantly "freezing" the raging energy core of that area, forcibly interrupting the impending destructive energy, and clearing away a huge threat from behind for the team.

But the road ahead is fraught with danger. Crystal explosions occur one after another, and chaotic energy turbulence and corroding of crystal chips are everywhere.

The pursuers did not give up. The Black Wind Cavalry of Bone Prison City rode bone vultures and circled above the Crystal Forest, looking for an opening to swoop down and attack. They would occasionally drop bone-corroding spears or spew ghostly flames. Although weakened by the terrain of the Crystal Forest and the chaotic energy, they still posed a great threat.

The Blood Fang Guards were even more frenzied. They seemed to have cultivated some kind of blood escape technique, transforming into streaks of blood shadows that darted between the crystal pillars, fearlessly approaching and attempting to corrupt the Azure Lotus Barrier with their bloodthirsty power.

"This won't do! The barrier won't last much longer!" A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of Chen Xueqing's mouth. Maintaining the Azure Lotus Ten Thousand Leaf Barrier was extremely taxing, especially under such a high-intensity energy impact.

Yu Changsheng's gaze swept around, and the conflicting power within his body, which he had been forcibly suppressing, began to stir again under the stimulation of the continuous high-intensity battle and the chaotic energy outside.

The domineering blaze of the Chaos Emperor's Blood and the icy stillness of the Starry Annihilation Dao were like two giant dragons writhing and tearing at his meridians, bringing excruciating pain. However, amidst this pain and chaos, the Returning Void Star Orbit Compass deep within his sea of ​​consciousness lit up once more, transmitting an even more profound and mysterious intent.

"Chaos is the furnace... Annihilation is the fuel..." A flash of inspiration struck Yu Changsheng, and the "Desolate Furnace" technique he had comprehended in the stone chamber resurfaced. "The more violent and chaotic the external energy, the greater the opportunity for tempering? Put yourself in a desperate situation... and then you will be reborn?"

Just then, a sharp screech rang out.
A black wind bone vulture broke free from the Blood Fang Guard's entanglement and, taking advantage of the moment when Chen Xueqing's barrier was about to collapse due to a wave of dense crystal explosions, suddenly swooped down!

The guards on the back of the bone vulture had their eyes blazing with ghostly fire, and the bone spears in their hands gathered a pale light, carrying the power to pierce through the void, and went straight for the core of the team—Chen Xueqing, who was struggling to maintain the barrier and whose aura was weak!
"Sister Xueqing!" Wang Cheng roared, trying to turn around to help, but was tightly entangled by two blood-red figures.

Ling Wuying instantly appeared diagonally in front of Chen Xueqing, his shadow dagger parrying the bone spear, but the power contained in the bone spear far exceeded his limit as a beginner in the Void Refinement stage!

clang!
With a loud bang, Ling Wuying was struck as if by a heavy blow, spitting blood and flying backward. The Shadow Dagger almost slipped from his hand, and his parry only caused the bone spear to deflect slightly, still carrying a terrifying aura of death as it pierced towards Chen Xueqing!
A close call!
Chen Xueqing felt a deadly threat, the shadow of death looming over her. She subconsciously poured all her spiritual power into the green lotus, attempting a final resistance, a resolute glint in her eyes.

Just as the tip of the pale bone spear was about to touch the azure lotus light barrier—

A figure appeared in front of Chen Xueqing with a speed that surpassed everyone's reaction time!
It's Yu Changsheng!

Instead of using the Annihilation Sword to block, he extended his left hand, fingers spread wide. In his palm, the dark golden light of the Chaos Emperor's Blood and the silver-blue star patterns of the Star Annihilation Dao Law intertwined and spun wildly, forming a miniature, extremely unstable vortex! A terrifying suction force, seemingly capable of devouring and melting all things, suddenly erupted!
puff!

The pale white bone spear, powerful enough to pierce mountains, was actually caught by Yu Changsheng with his bare hands!

The bone-corroding power contained in the spear tip, along with the ghostly flames of the underworld, violently assaulted Yu Changsheng's palm, producing a piercing sizzling sound. His left sleeve instantly turned to ash, his arm skin cracked, blood gushed out, and even the white bone was visible! (End of Chapter)