Chongming Xianzong

Chapter 449: Golden Core Battle
——Laoniushan

As the Grand Master Kang, Yuan Jin, and Ming Zhe rode the Kui Xing Shuttle, they could only catch a glimpse of the mountain's outline in the distance. They immediately noticed several dazzling spiritual energies emanating from the mountaintop, almost soaring into the sky. They were startled and wondered, "How many Golden Core cultivators have come from both families?"

The thought had barely formed when an old woman appeared in front of him, holding a dove-shaped cane and dressed in fine clothes.

"Greetings, Granny Liu," Kang Dabao leaped off the flying boat and came over to pay his respects.

"Hmm, Kang boy is here. Don't rush over. Earlier, an old geezer from the Liangyi Sect got really angry and almost killed Fellow Daoist Zheng." Since her battle with Fu Neng, Granny Fei Liu has become much more amiable than before. In the past, when would Sect Leader Kang receive such gentle advice?

However, the alchemist of the Zheng family in Yunwei was also unlucky. He had only been here for a few years, so how did he get injured again?
After a sigh, Kang Dabao gave up; he had no time to concern himself with other people's business. Coincidentally, what the old lady said was exactly what he wanted to hear, so the sect leader Kang immediately agreed, boarded the flying boat again, and took the helm, only to pry off a few mid-grade spirit stones from the trough.

Kui Xingsuo's speed visibly slowed down considerably, and it leisurely made its way to Laoniu Mountain.

Kang Dabao had no time to dwell on the past few years, having not visited this place of sorrow for so long. He simply noticed eight people standing facing each other on the mountaintop.

Below the mountain peak, there were nearly a thousand cultivators on each side, divided into two rather chaotic formations. They were obviously hastily assembled from various nearby families, with no discernible order or structure.

Therefore, although the two sides are clearly distinct, they do not give people a sense of unease or panic.

Even so, Kang Dabao was very careful and did not speak loudly. He simply walked quickly to the official in charge of the imperial guards under the banners of the state government and paid his respects.

"Junior Kang Dabao pays his respects to Sima!"

"Sect Leader Kang, you are too kind. It has been a long time. You have indeed made great progress day by day, which makes this old man feel inferior. Your future is limitless."

"Thank you for your praise, Sima. I wonder..." Kang Dabao looked towards the mountain peak, hesitating to speak, but the fake Sima shook his head and smiled, "It's a small matter. With you in charge, Senior Fei Tianqin is not here. Golden Core cultivators are so precious, there shouldn't be any fighting."

"But I heard from Granny Liu that even Senior Zheng almost met with disaster before?"

"That's true, but two of the fake cores from the Liangyi Sect were lost. I'm afraid she didn't tell you?"

"Oh," Kang Dabao suddenly realized. Gun Shilu laughed again and pointed to Ming Zhe behind the former, asking, "Your family certainly produces talented people. When did this young man establish his foundation? How come there's not a single sound?"

"It was a lucky success, but it's just a mere green leaf. I shouldn't bother Sima Qingxiu."

Gunshilu stroked his long beard and chuckled softly, "Ha, you're not afraid of disturbing my cultivation at all; you're just planning to make a fortune in silence."

The sect leader, Kang, gave an awkward smile and urged behind him, "Ming Zhe, why don't you come and pay your respects to Sima?"

"Junior Chongmingzong Mingzhe greets Sima!" As soon as Mingzhe bowed deeply, Gunshilu's eyes lit up. "Don't let Kang Dabao's rough appearance fool you, he's raised quite a few handsome men. Wait for Mingzhe?"

"Mingzhe? Sect Leader Kang, is this your Jiang San's disciple?" Gun Shilu paused in his movements and asked in a doubtful voice.

Ming Zhe, neither humble nor arrogant, replied, "Reporting to Sima, Master Jiang's given name is Qing, and he is indeed my teacher."

Gunshilu's gaze softened considerably, and he took out something to bestow upon the person: "Hmm, not bad. I have a few pills here that no one in my household can use; you may take them."

Ming Zhe was completely bewildered. He had never heard of a pill that could enhance cultivation and yet no one had the means to use it.

However, how could the Grand Master Kang and Ye Zhengwen not know that the former had taken advantage of Jiang Qing? Ye Zhengwen and Ming Zhe accepted the Gunshilu Pill and bowed to each other.

Gunshilu nodded slightly in return, then stopped talking to the two of them and turned to Kang Dabao, saying, "Go and rest well. If a fight breaks out, remember to come quickly and help me cut off one or two alchemists' heads, so that I can save enough dowry for Yuyao as soon as possible."

"Yes," Headmaster Kang replied respectfully, then turned his head and thought to himself, "This fake Sima doesn't seem to know that the Third Brother is going to be detained by the Fei family's Water Hall and they want to take him as their son-in-law?"

He and Ye Zhengwen exchanged a smile, but there was nothing they could do. They led Ming Zhe toward the Fei family's Ying Shan army.

Fei Bofeng and Fei Zhongyun, the two Golden Core cultivators, stood at the forefront, clad in sturdy armor and possessing striking good looks. Upon seeing the arrival of Sect Leader Kang, they showed no arrogance whatsoever.

No wonder they were arrogant at first but respectful later; it just goes to show that if you don't have a prestigious family background, you need to have strong abilities yourself.

Before the two could even exchange pleasantries, and before Kang Dabao had even finished half of his bow, he heard a rumbling sound overhead, and the spiritual atmosphere became extremely chaotic.

"Damn it, Gunshilu guessed wrong?!" Master Kang cursed inwardly, then quickly moved to join Ye Zhengwen and Ming Zhe.

"Not good!" Without a second thought, Fei Bofeng and Fei Zhongyun immediately turned back to their formation. The Yingshan soldiers moved about in a blur, and in the blink of an eye, they had formed their battle array.

The cultivators from both sides, who were facing each other, immediately tensed up. Gunshilu's expression turned solemn as he gripped the flagpole, which was emitting a chilling aura, as if molten iron was about to seep from his hand.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Fei Nanying, you've gone too far!!"

"Li Yun, you brat, if you don't tell me today, don't even think about taking back your Xiabo Mountain!"

The two sharp shouts from the mountaintop sounded like thunder, immediately signaling the start of battle for the cultivators in the arena.

Gunshilu frowned, took out the Judge's Pen, and the military officers behind him waved the banners, leaving afterimages. The golden energy emanating from the magical artifacts almost sliced ​​open the exposed flesh of the weaker cultivators on both sides.

Fei Bofeng and Fei Zhongyun's Yingshan Army were the first to move, but they looked down on the other cultivators of the same level and rushed towards the Golden Core battlefield on the mountain peak.

The leader of the opposing Liangyi Sect, a fake Danxian, was also sensible. Upon seeing this group, he knew that he could not stop them at all, so he hurriedly urged his own cultivators to make way, allowing Yingshan's army to reach the mountain peak and engage in battle with the upper cultivators.

At the same time, he was just as surprised as Gunshilu: "The two sides had a tacit understanding in the past, so why did they start fighting so hastily?"

Even the Golden Core cultivators above have already started fighting fiercely, so even if someone is confused, how could they not take action?
Originally, they wanted to straighten out their formation, but when they saw that scoundrel Gunshilu, he didn't care at all and rushed over with the judge's pen in hand. There was no time to straighten out their formation, so they had no choice but to rush over with the people behind them.

Kang Dabao sighed inwardly as he held the executioner's staff. This fake pill was indeed decisive. If he had been given a moment to prepare his troops based on his prestige, even if the number of troops on the state court side was slightly less after Yingshan Army left, the chances of winning would definitely be a notch higher.

"So be it, let it be chaotic!" Sect Leader Kang had no intention of helping Gun Shilu as he had promised earlier. At present, both sides did not have many troops, but there were quite a few Foundation Establishment and Pseudo Core cultivators like the three from Chongming Sect who had abandoned their disciples and rushed over first.

Ye Zhengwen's fighting skills were mediocre, and Ming Zhe was just about to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Kang Dabao was not at ease abandoning the two of them and went off to fight on his own.

Headmaster Kang didn't want to fight to the death here in a muddle, so he stayed in the back. When he saw someone he knew who was of the same level, he would swing his halberd to help them. If anyone was blind or had bloodlust and insisted on rushing forward, he would use the Eight Desolations Mountain Suppressor to take their life.

Even with this "no merit, no demerit" tactic, they managed to acquire fifteen or sixteen storage bags of varying ages and styles in just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Ye Zhengwen and Ming Zhe also made some gains, their magical artifacts covered in a fishy smell.

After a while of fighting, the battle between the two sides actually grew larger and larger. This was because more and more cultivators who had received the news earlier arrived to join the fight. As usual, there was no one to organize the battle, so the chaotic fighting continued.

Granny Fei, who had rushed over, spotted the Sect Leader Kang, who had just picked up a storage bag belonging to a mid-stage True Cultivator and was smugly pleased with himself. The old woman laughed angrily, then shouted, "Lazy brat, come and help me at once!"

Even amidst the deafening roar of a thousand cultivators fighting, the old woman's voice remained piercing. Kang Dabao had no choice but to ask Fei Enwen, who had come to help alongside Granny Fei, to look after Ye and Ming.

As soon as he landed on the clouds in front of the old woman, the Grand Master Kang heard her ask in a puzzled voice, "Didn't Nan Ying just say that he wouldn't fight the Liangyi Sect this time? How come they've suddenly started fighting?!"

Kang Dabao had no answer to this question, but fortunately, Granny Fei didn't press him. Instead, she turned her attention to the fiercely contested battlefield. Her eyesight was quite sharp; she spotted the most outstanding enemy alchemist with shaved hair at a glance.

The shaved-hair alchemist and the yellow-robed alchemist from the Liangyi Sect were the two most powerful cultivators on the opposing side, and they were currently locked in battle against the fake Sima. The latter looked unwell, clearly having failed to gain the upper hand.

"You wicked monks, be slaughtered!" The old woman roared with great force, her dove-shaped staff flying out like a black snake, knocking the tiger-headed club brought by the wicked monk alchemist far away. Even as it flew and spun, it seemed as if gold dust was falling.

With reinforcements arriving, Gun Jia Sima's pressure lessened considerably. He swung his judge's pen heavily, unleashing a swift, ink-black sword strike that nearly severed the yellow-robed alchemist who had just become somewhat smug. "Good lad, you even went out of your way to find Old Madam Fei to help me." With the formidable enemy temporarily averted, Gun Jia Sima's gaze towards Grand Master Kang held a newfound appreciation. Before the latter could respond, the shaved-hair alchemist unleashed his tiger-headed cudgel.

Tu Jiu's halberd barely blocked the tiger-headed staff, and the magic weapon was stripped of another layer of gold dust. Kang Dabao was forced to retreat several steps. The spiritual patterns on Tu Jiu's body trembled violently. Not only did the spiritual shoes under his feet tear open, but even the fresh footprints under his feet emitted steam.

After blocking the attack, Master Kang roughly estimated that he was stronger than Xue Wu, but far inferior to Yuan Buwen.

The moment this thought crossed his mind, he saw the wolf-patterned wrist guard hanging on the shaved head alchemist's wrist tremble, and his whole body seemed to grow taller all at once. His tiger-headed staff was even more merciless, and in just a few blows, it made the black snake transformed from Granny Fei's dove staff cry out in pain.

"She certainly picked a formidable opponent," Master Kang thought helplessly, only inwardly criticizing Granny Fei's judgment. Before picking up the butcher's weapon to fight, he first glanced towards the mountain peak. He had no time to examine the battle closely, but was simply pondering to himself:

"No matter how much we fight here, it's probably useless. Without a proper formation, who has the ability to withstand the magic cast by any Golden Core cultivator from the victorious side? It seems we're lacking a superior cultivator. If that's the case, I wonder if my Boyue can show his prowess this time?"

The wind whistled past his ears, forcing Kang Dabao to abandon his thoughts and hastily summon the Chess Immortal Disc to block a crimson lightning bolt from the shaved-hair alchemist. Knowing he could not afford to be distracted at this moment, he activated his movement technique to join forces with Granny Fei to fight the powerful enemy together.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A huge, solid palm print instantly formed, its aura extremely violent. This caused Li Yunshangxiu, the sect leader of the Liangyi Sect, to frown and dare not confront it head-on. He retreated several steps to avoid its sharp edge.

Only after presenting the square tablet did Li Yunshangxiu finally feel relieved. However, a hint of embarrassment appeared on his face. After all, he had been a Core Formation cultivator for over a century, had advanced to the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, and was temporarily serving as the local tyrant of the Liangyi Sect in the south of the mountain. Yet, he was being overshadowed by Fei Nanying, a junior who had only been a Core Formation cultivator for a little over ten years. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"This fellow truly lives up to his reputation as a direct descendant of a great master. His mastery of the 'Thirteen Immortal Guardian Ascending the Tower Technique' is indeed formidable!"

Of the seven Golden Core cultivators from the Liangyi Sect, four came on this trip. Besides the cultivator Li Yun, there were also three other cultivators: Wei Guze, Huang Siniang, and Mo Hegu.

After regaining his composure, Li Yunshang frowned even more deeply upon observing the battle situation.

In the distance, Wei Guze and Yang Baoshan, both at the mid-stage of cultivation, were locked in a fierce battle, with Wei Guze holding a slight advantage thanks to the strength of his sect. However, victory would likely require a long and arduous process.

Huang Si Niang's situation was fraught with danger. Although Wu Feng Shang Xiu, who had surrendered to the Yun Jiao Prefecture government, was not considered to be particularly skilled in combat and was far weaker than Huang Si Niang, the addition of a well-equipped battalion of Ying Shan soldiers made it difficult for Huang Si Niang to cope.

The situation was not optimistic for Mo Hegu either. He had only managed to form his Golden Core with great difficulty, and it had only been sixty years since he achieved it. Among those of the same level, his skills were not considered high. At most, he could only be slightly stronger than a rogue cultivator with a poor lineage like Wu Feng Shangxiu.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to hide their whereabouts so well, and would have been caught by Yue Lin, a junior, at Laoniu Mountain.

On the other hand, although Yuan Buwen and Yue Lin were both fake pill masters, one was highly skilled in halberd techniques and the other was experienced in swordsmanship. They could definitely be considered top figures among fake pill masters. After fighting Mo Hegu for a long time, they not only did not show any signs of weakness, but also suppressed the latter to the point that his face turned red and he could hardly fight back, which was also embarrassing!

"The key to breaking this deadlock lies with me!" Li Yunshang made up his mind, flipped his hands, and a green flame burst forth into his robes, illuminating the Yin-Yang Dust Diagram on his chest. This top-grade third-tier magic treasure did not belong to him personally, but was reserved for the use of the Yin-Yang Sect's leader.

Although not as powerful as the natal magic weapon of the same level, Li Yunshangxiu, who was equipped with the Two Elements Sect Master's token, did not need to worry about the spiritual power consumed by controlling the magic weapon, and it was very suitable for use.

A gray-white mist suddenly rose in front of Li Yunshang, and the Yin and Yang energies flowed easily, completely erasing the giant beast palm print that Fei Nanying had transformed into once again.

"Fellow Daoist Li's methods are mediocre!" Fei Nanying's cold snort was like a slap across Li Yun's face. The latter was inwardly ashamed and annoyed, but his face remained impassive. His hand gestures changed rapidly, so fast that even Fei Nanying, who was of the same level, could hardly discern a single claw. All that could be seen was that the surrounding spiritual energy was suddenly swept away by Li Yun, splitting into yin and yang energies and stirring them together. The yin and yang energies circulated rapidly, like a spinning wheel, as large as a millstone. As soon as they pounced out, they crushed all the remaining light and spiritual energy in front of them and covered the former.

His words were merely meant to sow discord among the enemy; Fei Nanying was not so arrogant as to look down on a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator. Seeing the gray-white millstone pressing down, he remained calm. The "Thirteen Immortal Guardian Ascending the Tower Technique" was not limited to the "Great Crocodile Pushing the Mountain" move; its movement techniques were equally extraordinary.

As Fei Nanying activated the "Azure Waves" technique, a large amount of water vapor suddenly appeared beneath his feet. Although he clearly saw himself in mid-air, he was actually walking on waves, a truly ghostly sight.

Li Yun's methods were indeed formidable, and even Fei Nanying found it difficult to come up with a suitable method to block them. However, thanks to her swift movements, she still managed to make the former use up all her strength in vain, and her brows finally relaxed.

"A member of a prestigious lineage, yet you dare not fight head-on? Aren't you ashamed?!"

Li Yun's provocation had little effect on Fei Nanying, who merely smirked and continued to dodge, refusing to confront him directly. Gradually, streaks of water remained in the void, lingering for a long time, and seemed to connect to form some kind of formation, echoing each other.

Li Yun, who was wielding the magic weapon, remained focused, but soon noticed the anomaly. The sect leader of the Two Elements Sect acted decisively, and the Yin-Yang Millstone immediately abandoned its pursuit of Fei Nanying. It rolled over the water mark in the air and instantly turned into water vapor that rose into the air and disappeared.

Fei Nanying wasn't surprised. Even though his pills were of high quality, he had only recently formed his own core. Li Yun, with his years of experience in forming cores, was quite capable of discerning his strategy, so it wasn't surprising at all.

It's a bit of a pity, though. If he had waited until the Cloud Dream Marsh Formation was fully set up, forcing Li Yun back would have been effortless.

"Fellow Daoist Li seems to have run out of tricks. If you would generously tell me the purpose of your trip, I will order my men to halt the fighting and escort you all out of the country. Wouldn't that be wonderful?!"

How could Li Yun possibly tell us that Mo Hegu had been sent by Pu Honggu of the Liangyi Sect to search for Peng Daoren in Yunjiao Prefecture?
He merely scoffed at the sound: "If you want war, then let's fight! You lackeys of the Celestial Dynasty, have you ever had a shred of integrity throughout history? Why bother making up stories to deceive people?!"

Despite having his thoughts exposed, Fei Nanying was not angry. Instead, he patiently dealt with Li Yun.

The two were locked in a stalemate, but Huang Si Niang was the first to falter. Wu Feng Shang Xiu's black arrow magic weapon was tightly wrapped by Huang Si Niang's red silk and was about to break in two, which terrified the latter so much that her face turned pale. Meanwhile, Ying Shan's army unleashed its power.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Fei Bofeng reorganized the military formation. As the command flag in his hand suddenly fell, rows of Xuanjia Dao soldiers with bright armor stepped out in the Heavenly Gang Step, their iron boots crushing the floating clouds with a series of fine crackling sounds.

Fei Bofeng and Fei Zhongyun, who were at the forefront, roared battle cries, and more than four hundred bronze halberds pointed diagonally at the sky. The murderous aura condensed at the tips of the halberds actually formed into a black dragon in mid-air, which seized the opportunity to kill.

Even though nearly 51% of the Yingshan soldiers have been killed or wounded in the battle so far, the remaining men show no sign of fear. Their faces remain ashen, devoid of joy or sorrow.

Huang Si Niang looked terrified. In the past, she had always heard about the Taoist soldiers kept by noble families, but she had never taken it seriously. Now that she had seen them for the first time, she realized that it was not just hearsay.

This dark dragon exuded a murderous aura. Even from ten feet away, it slammed into her face, causing gashes and blood to flow. How could she possibly maintain control of an already difficult situation?!

"Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Wei, I have to go now!!"

It wasn't a major event concerning the survival of the sect or the individual's path to immortality. If Fei Nanying hadn't been pushing too hard, this battle between the two sides at the Golden Core stage would have been difficult to even begin. Huang Si Niang was decisive; she wrapped herself in the black arrow magic weapon of Wu Feng Shang Xiu and drifted away.

Wu Feng Shangxiu naturally wanted to chase after his natal magic weapon, but Ying Shan Army regrouped at the sound of military orders and rushed towards Mohe Valley, the weakest point of the enemy.

Mo Hegu, who was at a disadvantage against the two fake Dan, turned pale with fright. How could he dare to accept the challenge? He summoned two talisman treasures to briefly block Yue and Yuan, and then left without even saying goodbye.

Even after enduring a sword and a halberd that left his back bruised and battered, he still didn't look back and fled desperately toward Tengwen Prefecture.

With the outcome decided, Wei Guze knew that Ying Shan's army would definitely come for him next. He exchanged a glance with Li Yun and then tacitly agreed with Yang Baoshan to stop fighting.

With the tide turning against them, Li Yun had no ability to turn the tide, but he dared to stay until the very end, which meant he had something to rely on.

He sighed, neither uttering harsh words nor cursing, but a hint of pain appeared on his face. When a stream of light appeared in his hand, the surrounding cultivators knew something was wrong.

The moment the purple talisman burned to ashes in Li Yun's palm, his entire body seemed to be torn apart and reassembled by invisible threads. All the cultivators saw was that the gale beneath Li Yun's feet had not yet subsided, yet he had already transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the clouds, leaving only a sharp whistling sound in their ears before he was no longer seen.

"A Thousand-Mile Instantaneous Talisman, you're really willing to use it!"

Golden Core cultivators are inherently difficult to kill, so Fei Nanying didn't show much regret on his face. He simply raised his hand and shouted, "The Liangyi Sect has broken the agreement between the two families and sent a Golden Core cultivator into the territory of the Five States. This is an act of disrespect to Lord Bo, a heinous crime that deserves death! Follow me to bring them to justice!"

His voice was like thunder, and his aura soared to the heavens.

No matter how fierce the battle was at the foot of the mountain, it was clear that the outcome between the Golden Core cultivators had already been decided. Now, the cultivators summoned by the Liangyi Sect had no will to fight. They had no formation to begin with, and now they wished they could just blast them apart.

Kang Dabao and Granny Fei were already gaining the upper hand in their battle against the shaved-hair alchemist, and now their momentum was unstoppable. The latter had to abandon his magic weapon in order to barely escape with his life from the combined attack of the two.

Master Kang knew that Fei Nanying's words about "raising an army to demand an explanation" were just to boost morale. If he really took this small force to Tengwen Prefecture, he would probably be pushed back halfway.

However, he also knew that searching for the remaining enemies at this time was a worthwhile and cost-effective thing, so he immediately grabbed his short halberd and rushed over first.

Meanwhile, the search in Chongming City, overseen by Duan Anle, had already begun.

(End of this chapter)