Chapter Seventy-Three: Foundation of the Dao Established

Upon hearing the dreadful news, Hong Jian felt her mind buzzing uncontrollably. In her memory, the three great Nascent Soul cultivators had always been amicable with one another. They had even joined forces to send a group of young disciples to the other side of the "Celestial Curtain." Since they had sent them away, surely they would also work together to bring them back. With this thought, Hong Jian surmised that Elder Jin must have been completely unguarded against Xing Wuyia. Otherwise, even if Xing Wuyia were stronger, Elder Jin would have at least had a chance to escape.

Jin Donglou was the most senior Nascent Soul cultivator on the continent, the pillar of Dan Cliff Sect. His death would have far-reaching consequences. Hong Jian quietly observed her grandmaster. Sun Yougong's face betrayed little sorrow or anger; his emotions were dominated by anxiety and impatience.

He had refrained from acting rashly earlier, and now, so overwhelmed with urgency, he had no time to mourn Elder Jin’s passing. He feared that Xing Wuyia would catch up, preventing the news from reaching the sect in time. Hong Jian quietly guessed at Sun Yougong’s thoughts, and a sudden wave of gratitude welled up in her heart: “Even at this moment, Grandmaster has not abandoned me.”

Staying on the island was certain death. Yet, at this critical juncture, Sun Yougong did not forget to bring her, burdensome as she was, along with him. This gesture shook Hong Jian far more than all his usual care and affection.

A flock of black birds with tails billowing blue smoke sped after them, streaking across the sky like meteors before crashing down in front of the two. At the same instant, a phantom figure appeared atop one of the birds, floating in the air—a blurred visage unmistakably belonging to Xing Wuyia.

His incarnation shouted sharply, “Fall!” and raised his hand, sending a beam of golden light toward them.

Sun Yougong, seeing the danger, maneuvered his flying artifact deftly to avoid the attack, rapidly forming a series of complex hand seals. With a fierce shout and glaring eyes, a surge of white energy burst forth from his palms, colliding with the golden light.

Hong Jian felt their flying artifact shake violently, as if it might shatter at any moment. The airflow was so intense she could not open her eyes. Xing Wuyia’s laughter rang out: “Let me collect Jin Donglou’s treasures first, then I’ll come play with you. Why run? You may escape the monk, but can you escape the temple?”

As he spoke, Sun Yougong managed to stabilize the situation. The phantom above the sea gradually faded, finally vanishing into thin air.

Sun Yougong breathed out, barely audible, but dared not slow his pace. He glanced at Hong Jian and was startled by what he saw.

He had been fully focused on Xing Wuyia’s attack, unable to spare attention for his young disciple. Hong Jian’s face was deathly pale, blood streaming from her nose and mouth, though she remained barely conscious in meditation. Her hands gripped tightly, veins bulging, clearly suffering severe injuries from the encounter.

There was no time for careful diagnosis. Sun Yougong hastily performed a healing water spell and pressed a pill into her mouth.

Hong Jian’s body trembled uncontrollably. The two doses of “Moonlight Pill” could not mend the immense damage to her spiritual consciousness. Had she not been cultivating that mysterious technique, her spiritual sense far surpassing her cultivation level, the clash between Xing Wuyia and Sun Yougong would have killed her instantly.

Sun Yougong looked at her with concern, then sped toward Dan Cliff Sect.

With Elder Jin fallen, his refined treasures would scatter across the land. A thousand years of accumulation—no wonder Xing Wuyia would not let it go. But how long would this delay him? If Xing Wuyia’s true form caught up, Sun Yougong knew he would be obliterated in an instant.

He had to deliver this dreadful news to his junior, Ling Xuzi. Whether the sect could muster the strength to resist Xing Wuyia was now Ling Xuzi’s burden as sect leader.

As he pondered, a sharp crack sounded from the southwest. Alert, he looked over to see an ice projectile shooting into the sky, bursting into silvery blossoms amid the red clouds—a dazzling sight.

This was a minor ice spell, a contact signal Ling Xuzi often used. Sun Yougong realized Ling Xuzi must have spotted him in his hurried flight. Without time for further thought—Ling Xuzi should have been at the sect overseeing the secret realm’s opening—Sun Yougong turned mid-air and flew toward him.

Ling Xuzi was traveling with three cultivators. From a distance, Sun Yougong recognized two—Yuan Bijian and Qi Tianbao of Talisman Sect, both at Nascent Soul stage. The third, a stranger at the Golden Core stage.

Talisman Sect? A sudden thought struck Sun Yougong, and he sent a warning via sound transmission: “Sect Master, be careful!”

Ling Xuzi had recently received a message from Elder Jin, saying that several disciples sent to the demonic realm had completed their mission and were returning. Ling Xuzi was needed to assist, and Dai Mingchi had sent disciples to escort him. Ling Xuzi, knowing Yuan Bijian and Qi Tianbao, had followed them without suspicion. Upon seeing his senior brother hurriedly fly past, he was surprised and signaled to stop him.

Unexpectedly, Sun Yougong warned him immediately. Ling Xuzi expanded his spiritual sense but detected nothing pursuing Sun Yougong, confused: “What’s wrong?”

Assessing the situation, Sun Yougong realized that as long as Xing Wuyia and Dai Mingchi did not appear, he and Ling Xuzi could handle the current threat. He quickly transmitted the grim news of Elder Jin’s demise.

Ling Xuzi was shocked, instantly recognizing the Talisman Sect disciples' escort as a trap. Had Sun Yougong and his young disciple not been nearby during Elder Jin’s misfortune, he would have walked right into the lion’s den.

That reckoning could wait. The urgent priority was to return to the sect, activate the protective array, and reveal Xing Wuyia and Talisman Sect’s conspiracy to the world. With this thought, he wasted no time, abandoning the three Talisman Sect cultivators and heading toward Sun Yougong.

Yuan Bijian moved to block him, and Qi Tianbao’s smile faded: “Seeing Master Sun so disheveled, I suppose he’s brought bad news for Sect Master Ling. We hadn’t planned to act, but now that things have changed, we’ll have to overstep ourselves and see the power of your cultivation.”

The masks were off. Ling Xuzi, still unsure what grievance Dan Cliff Sect had with the two Nascent Souls, saw these three as mere minions of Dai Mingchi and had no intention to waste words. He wondered, “Just the three of them—how dare they boast of detaining me and my senior brother?”

The unfamiliar Golden Core cultivator stepped forward, a flash of talisman light radiating from him, and a powerful aura surged forth. Nascent Soul—indeed, a perfected Nascent Soul master. He shed his disguise, standing there with a sharp, cutting presence, silent as he raised his palm toward Ling Xuzi.

Ling Xuzi was also at perfected Nascent Soul stage, cultivating top-tier techniques. Among all but the Nascent Soul elites, he feared none. He invoked his cultivation method, and the air chilled, white frost sweeping toward his foes.

Sun Yougong knew Yuan and Qi’s roots—one gold, one earth—and both at late Nascent Soul like himself. Neither alone could match Ling Xuzi. But seeing the hidden gold-root Nascent Soul strike, he felt uneasy. Hong Jian, gravely injured yet stubbornly enduring, was now affected by Ling Xuzi’s frost, her body rimed with ice, veins pulsing beneath pale skin. A thought flashed: “She’s showing signs of breakthrough—why now, of all times...?”

Qi Tianbao, despite his bravado, dared not neglect Ling Xuzi’s famed cultivation. He frantically cast spell after spell, walls of earth rising from the water to shield his group. Yuan Bijian launched a talisman, and he and the stranger struck with golden energy, which the talisman magnified in a brilliant glow.

Sun Yougong muttered “This is bad,” unable to spare further care for Hong Jian. He flung her far from the battle, shouting, “Run!” Whether she could truly escape, he could not manage. Retrieving his flying artifact, he poured all his strength into countering the talisman.

A blinding golden light illuminated the sunset-stained sea, as if a second sun rose from the waters.

Hong Jian’s body was immobilized, but her mind remained clear. As she was flung through the air, she felt a burning pain on her back, as though her flesh were scorched by the sun. She heard her grandmaster cry out in horror from afar, “Heart Sword!” Then, with a splash, she plunged into the cold ocean, sending up a spray, sinking beneath the surface.

The pain dulled gradually as the water cushioned her descent. She maintained her meditative posture, drifting with the tides.

A powerful energy, source unknown, surged wildly through her meridians, battering her consciousness and channels. Water essence was compressed layer upon layer, and her spiritual roots underwent a tremendous transformation, like a sapling suddenly growing into a towering tree, myriad roots intertwining swiftly with her veins.

Is this foundation establishment? It felt so different from her dream—so her previous experience was merely an illusion conjured by her inner demons?

Under these circumstances, she had broken through and begun foundation establishment. Hong Jian was at a loss for words to describe her feelings.

She held her breath and let herself drift. The process left her no time for anything else; time slipped by unmeasured. Suddenly, the uncontrollable energy within her vanished, and though her eyes were closed underwater, she felt as if a heavenly eye had opened—her surroundings became clear for a hundred yards. Her body felt light and invigorated. She stretched her arms underwater and suddenly shot upward, breaking the surface like a proud dragon.

In midair, Hong Jian shook water from her hair and robe. With her foundation established, what now? The sect master and grandmaster were still fighting—what was the outcome? The grandmaster’s terrified shout as he cast her from the battle still echoed in her ears.