From the fake emperor to the concubine

"Listen up, Zheng family!" Mo Qianjue shouted coldly, his voice echoing through the valley like thunder. "Hand over the 'Star Chart' you possess, and offer up thirty percent of the spiritual vein's output, and my Taixu Sect will let bygones be bygones. Otherwise, today is the day your Zheng family is wiped out!"

Standing before the mountain gate, Zheng Hongzhi sneered, "Mo Qianjue, your Taixu Sect has never given up its wicked intentions, coveting my Zheng family for a long time. Don't even think about succeeding today!"

"Stubborn fools!" A fierce glint flashed in Mo Qianjue's eyes. "Since you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me for being ruthless! Disciples, listen to my command: break the formation!"

At a command, the disciples of the Taixu Sect unleashed their magical treasures. Various colored lights shot into the sky, and countless attacks rained down on the Nine Luminaries Mountain-Protecting Array.

Boom boom boom——

A series of explosions rang out, and the light barrier of the Nine Luminaries Mountain Protection Array trembled violently, but it did not break. This array was meticulously prepared by Zheng Yi and had extremely strong defensive capabilities.

"Hmph, you do have some skill." Mo Qianjue sneered. "Keep attacking! I refuse to believe we can't break through this tortoise shell!"

The disciples of the Taixu Sect intensified their attacks. Among them were dozens of Nascent Soul stage cultivators who joined forces to unleash a combined attack formation, multiplying its power. Cracks began to appear in the light barrier of the great formation, and it teetered on the brink of collapse.

On the Zheng family's side, Zheng Hongzhi calmly commanded: "Everyone, prepare! The moment the great formation shatters, launch a counterattack! Remember the combined attack formation the patriarch taught you!"

"Yes!" the disciples replied in unison.

After another fierce attack, the Nine Luminaries Mountain Protection Formation finally succumbed and shattered. The disciples of the Taixu Sect cheered and surged towards the mountain gate like a tidal wave.

"Now! Five Elements Sealing Heaven Formation, activate!" Zheng Hongzhi shouted.

The Zheng family disciples, who were already prepared, immediately sprang into action. They formed groups of five and arranged themselves according to the combined attack formation taught by Zheng Yi. The five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth intertwined in the air, forming huge spiritual energy cages that trapped the Taixu Sect disciples who were charging at the forefront.

"What?!" the trapped Taixu Sect disciples exclaimed in surprise. They tried to break free, but found that the spiritual energy cage was extremely sturdy, and the five elements interacted and countered each other, making the restraints tighter the more they struggled.

"Don't panic!" shouted an elder from the Taixu Sect. "This is just a trick; join forces to break it!"

But no sooner had he finished speaking than the Zheng family launched their counterattack.

"Mystic Ice Arrow Rain!" A clear, delicate shout rang out; it was Zheng Qingyue.

Her figure moved swiftly, her hands forming hand seals. Suddenly, countless ice arrows condensed in the sky, each radiating a chilling aura. During this time, she had diligently cultivated the Profound Ice Technique given to her by Zheng Yi, and with some guidance, her strength had greatly improved, breaking through from the late Foundation Establishment stage to the early Golden Core stage.

Whoosh whoosh—

Ice arrows rained down like a storm, striking the Taixu Sect disciples trapped by the Five Elements Sealing Heaven Formation. The disciples panicked and hastily summoned their magical treasures to defend themselves. But there were simply too many ice arrows, and each one was incredibly powerful.

Puff puff--

Several Taixu Sect disciples with lower cultivation levels were hit by ice arrows, their bodies instantly frozen into ice sculptures, and then shattered into pieces.

"Good!" The Zheng family disciples were greatly encouraged.

"My turn!" Zheng Haoran laughed loudly and leaped into the air. He cultivated the Blazing Sun True Explanation, and fire-attribute spiritual power surged within his body. He formed hand seals, and raging flames erupted around him.

"The Fiery Dragon Emerges from the Sea!"

A giant dragon formed from flames flew from his hand, over ten zhang long and incredibly lifelike. The fire dragon roared and pounced on the crowd of Taixu Sect members, causing the temperature to rise sharply wherever it passed, even distorting the air itself.

"Stop it!" The cultivators of the Taixu Sect hurriedly cast water-attribute spells in an attempt to subdue the fire dragon.

However, Zheng Haoran's Blazing Sun True Understanding was of extremely high grade, and the flames he condensed contained the power of supreme Yang, which ordinary water-based spells could not extinguish. The fire dragon rushed into the crowd, and several disciples were immediately burned to ashes.

"Wind and Thunder Sword Formation!" Zheng Yunfei also made his move.

He cultivated the Wind and Thunder Sword Manual, specializing in swordsmanship. He summoned his natal flying sword, its blade wreathed in cyan wind blades and purple lightning. With a change of hand seals, the flying sword instantly multiplied into dozens, forming a sword formation.

The sword formation activated, emitting a sharp, piercing sound. Countless sword energies crisscrossed, completely enveloping an area. Several disciples of the Taixu Sect were unable to dodge in time and were sliced ​​into pieces by the sword energy, not even having time to scream.

In a short time, the Taixu Sect lost more than twenty disciples, while the Zheng family only suffered minor injuries.

Mo Qianjue's face turned ashen: "What's going on? When did these juniors of the Zheng family become so strong?"

He remembered that half a year ago, the younger generation of the Zheng family were all in the Foundation Establishment stage and were not worth mentioning. But now, not only has their cultivation greatly increased, but they have also mastered exquisite combined attack formations and powerful cultivation techniques.

"Elder, the Zheng family must have obtained some fortuitous opportunity!" said an elder beside him. "Not only did their cultivation break through, but they also upgraded their cultivation techniques to a higher level. Those three young men are cultivating at least Earth-rank techniques!"

A glint of greed flashed in Mo Qianjue's eyes: "Earth-rank cultivation techniques? It seems the Zheng family's foundation is deeper than we imagined. Good, then I can't let them go! With these techniques, the strength of my Taixu Sect will surely rise to a new level!"

He raised his hand and waved: "Elders above the Nascent Soul stage, follow me and attack! The rest of you, continue attacking, don't give them a chance to breathe!"

When more than a dozen Nascent Soul stage cultivators from the Taixu Sect attacked simultaneously, their aura instantly changed. They unleashed wide-range attack spells or summoned powerful magic treasures, raining down on the Zheng family.

Seeing this, Zheng Hongzhi immediately gave the order: "All disciples below the Golden Core stage, retreat to the second line of defense! Elders at the Nascent Soul stage, follow me to meet the enemy!"

Although the Zheng family's overall strength is not as great as the Taixu Sect, it is not without Nascent Soul stage cultivators. Besides Elders Zheng Hongzhi and Zheng Bowen, who are at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, there are three other elders at the early-Nascent Soul stage. However, in terms of numbers, they are far inferior to the Taixu Sect.

The Nascent Soul stage cultivators from both sides clashed in mid-air. Various spells and supernatural abilities collided, erupting with blinding light and deafening roars. Rocks crumbled, trees collapsed, and the entire mountain gate trembled.

Zheng Hongzhi faced off against a mid-stage Nascent Soul elder from the Taixu Sect. He was a master of formations, constantly setting up trapping and killing formations to keep his opponent constantly on the defensive. However, the Taixu Sect elder was no pushover either, cultivating lightning-attribute techniques with extremely powerful attacks. For a time, the two were evenly matched.

Zheng Bowen, on the other hand, was simultaneously facing two elders of the Taixu Sect who were at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Although his cultivation was slightly higher, he was still struggling against two opponents. However, having managed family affairs for many years and possessing rich combat experience, he did not suffer a defeat for the time being.

The other three elders of the Zheng family, all at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, faced off against cultivators of the same level from the Taixu Sect. The battle was intense, but overall, the Zheng family was at a disadvantage.

On the ground, the fight continues among the younger generation.

Zheng Haoran, Zheng Qingyue, and Zheng Yunfei worked together seamlessly, forming a small Three Talents Formation. The three attributes of fire, ice, and wind/thunder complemented each other, multiplying their power. Although they were only at the early stage of the Golden Core realm, their combined strength allowed them to contend with disciples of the Taixu Sect who were at the late Golden Core stage or even the early Nascent Soul stage.

“These three juniors are a bit troublesome,” a mid-Nascent Soul elder from the Taixu Sect frowned. “I’ll go deal with them.” He flashed forward, about to pounce on Zheng Haoran and the other two. But just then, a sword light suddenly struck, forcing him back.

“Your opponent is me,” a late-stage Nascent Soul elder from the Zheng family said coldly, blocking his way.

The two sides clashed again.

In the council hall, Zheng Yi quietly observed everything. His divine sense covered the entire battlefield, and he saw the actions of everyone present.

"Excellent." He nodded with satisfaction. "These children have certainly lived up to my expectations. Especially Haoran, Qingyue, and Yunfei; their application of techniques and their teamwork in combat are both outstanding. Given time, they will surely achieve great things."

He then looked at the disciples who were using the Five Elements Sealing Heaven Formation: "Your combined attack formation is quite good. Although you're still a bit rusty, it's already commendable that it's effective in actual combat."

Just as Zheng Yi was observing the battle situation, the situation on the battlefield changed again.

Seeing that he couldn't break through after a long attack, Mo Qianjue finally lost patience. He unleashed a powerful aura, displaying his full cultivation at the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

"Get out of my way!" he roared, forming a hand seal. "The ultimate technique of the Taixu Sect—Thunderous Might!"

Suddenly, dark clouds filled the sky, and countless purple bolts of lightning rolled within them. With a change in Mo Qianjue's hand gestures, dozens of bolts of lightning as thick as bowls crashed down, their target the core building of the Zheng family.

This move is one of the Taixu Sect's signature techniques, possessing astonishing power. When used at full strength by a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, it is enough to level a small mountain.

"Not good!" Zheng Hongzhi's expression changed drastically. "Stop him!"

But it was too late. The lightning bolts were too fast; they would strike in the blink of an eye. Once they hit, most of the Zheng family's buildings would be destroyed, and countless disciples and clansmen inside would be killed or injured.

At this critical moment, a transparent barrier suddenly appeared above the Zheng family's residence. The barrier, like an inverted bowl, enveloped the entire Zheng family's mountain gate.

Boom boom boom——

Lightning struck the barrier, unleashing blinding light. But the barrier remained unmoved, blocking all the lightning.

"What?!" Mo Qianjue's eyes widened in shock. "What kind of defense is this?"

He could sense that the barrier contained an extremely mysterious power, which was something that ordinary defensive formations could not achieve.

"Mo Qianjue, you've gone too far." A calm voice rang out, though not loud, it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

Zheng Yi's figure appeared in mid-air. He stood on the air, without any fluctuations of spiritual energy around him, looking just like an ordinary person. But everyone felt an invisible pressure emanating from him, making people involuntarily want to kneel down.

"It's the patriarch!" the Zheng family disciples cheered.

"The patriarch is back!"

"With the head of the family here, we're guaranteed to win!"

Mo Qianjue stared intently at Zheng Yi, a look of apprehension in his eyes: "Zheng Yi...you've broken through to a higher level?"

He could sense that Zheng Yi before him was completely different from the Zheng Yi of six months ago. That imposing aura, that unfathomable presence, was clearly...
"The Integration Realm!" Mo Qianjue exclaimed in disbelief, "You actually broke through to the Integration Realm? How is this possible?"

These words shocked everyone present. Neither the Taixu Sect nor the Zheng family could believe their ears.

Integration Realm? That's a legendary realm! In the entire cultivation world, there are only a handful of cultivators at the Integration Realm, and each one of them is a powerful and influential figure.

The disciples of the Taixu Sect turned pale. They never expected that the Zheng family would have a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator in charge. This was a huge problem.

Zheng Yi looked calmly at Mo Qianjue: "I originally didn't want to bother with your Taixu Sect, but you've gone too far, repeatedly provoking us. Today, I'll settle this score."

Mo Qianjue felt a pang of panic, but he remained defiant: "Zheng Yi, so what if you've broken through to the Integration Realm? My Taixu Sect isn't one to be trifled with! Our Sect Leader is still in the sect; he's at the peak of the late-stage Nascent Soul Realm, only one step away from the Integration Realm!"

"Really?" Zheng Yi smiled. "Then let him come. Perfect, I'd also like to see the demeanor of the Taixu Sect's leader."

He raised his hand and waved it, and an invisible force spread out. The cultivators on both sides who were fighting suddenly found that their bodies were uncontrollably separated, and they retreated back to their respective camps.

This move demonstrates the ability to manipulate space, something only cultivators at the Integration Realm can do.

Mo Qianjue gritted his teeth, took out a jade talisman from his robes, infused it with spiritual power, and crushed it. This was an emergency communication talisman of the Taixu Sect, used only in life-or-death situations.

The jade talisman transformed into a streak of light and flew towards the direction of the Taixu Sect.

"Sect Leader, the Zheng family has a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator! Please come to their aid immediately!" Mo Qianjue's voice entered the jade talisman.

After doing all this, Mo Qianjue looked at Zheng Yi and gritted his teeth, saying, "Zheng Yi, you just wait. Our sect leader will be here soon, and then you'll know how formidable the Taixu Sect is!"

Zheng Yi shrugged: "No problem, I'll wait. It'll give your Zheng family members a rest."

He turned to the Zheng family members: "Everyone, you've all worked hard. You can watch the rest of the battle from the sidelines. Let me show you the strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator."

Zheng Hongzhi and the others bowed respectfully: "Yes, Master."

Excitement gleamed in the eyes of Zheng Haoran, Zheng Qingyue, and Zheng Yunfei. Although they had heard that their patriarch had broken through to the Integration Realm, they had never seen him in action. Today, they finally had the chance to witness it.

The disciples of the Taixu Sect were filled with dread. Faced with a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, they couldn't even muster the thought of resistance. If their sect leader hadn't been there, they would have already fled.

Time passed by minute by minute.

About fifteen minutes later, a dazzling golden light suddenly appeared on the distant horizon. The golden light moved extremely fast, arriving in the blink of an eye.

The golden light dissipated, revealing an elderly man dressed in a golden Daoist robe. The old man had white hair but a youthful face, possessing an air of otherworldly grace and radiating a powerful aura. He was none other than Xiao Tianxing, the sect leader of the Taixu Sect. (End of Chapter)