Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 73 Black Flame's First Battle
Sensing the chaos within the group, Zhu Lianfeng shouted sternly, "Don't panic! This is just an illusion array, used to isolate sight and sound; it's harmless!"

"Boom!" Before the words were even finished, the ground erupted in flames and thunder roared.

It's the same old friend, the formation that killed Lingyun Sect during the grand ceremony, the Xuanjin Thunderfire Netherworld Formation!
Who said there was no harm! In an instant, screams rang out one after another, and many people ran out in a panic, creating chaos.

Actually, the damage isn't that high. It mainly relies on the local subterranean fire, but the subterranean fire on Danxia Mountain isn't as strong as the one in the secret realm. It's manageable for the five people from the Lingyun Sect, but there are hundreds of people here, all with high cultivation levels. If they're calm enough, they can easily suppress the formation like a tickle.

Unfortunately, no matter how Zhu Lianfeng shouted, no one heard him. In the Ghost Prison Illusion Array, it was impossible to organize effective cooperation. The heavenly thunder and earthly fire made the situation even more chaotic, and the team fell apart in an instant.

Just as they were desperately searching for a solution, a cold sword light pierced through the darkness, cut through the ghost prison, and headed straight for the spiritual platform.

The blue eyes and white hair behind the sword light were like an unpredictable force in this ghostly prison, constantly snatching away souls.

Zhu Lianfeng, a third-grade Daoist cultivator, decisively summoned his magic weapon, a small golden cauldron, which he hurled at Dugu Qingli, shouting, "Break!"

This golden dou can corrupt the opponent's spiritual energy. If one is suddenly confronted with such a chaotic spiritual energy, the attack will collapse completely, making it extremely useful.

Zhu Lianfeng was horrified to discover that the golden cauldron's light could not shake the opponent in the slightest, like an ancient glacier that had remained unchanged for millennia.

"Clang!" The ice sword deflected the golden goblet. In the end, the opponent was a third-rank expert. Dugu Qingli's body swayed slightly, and she breathed her last before falling to the ground.

But just as the ice sword and the golden goblet clashed, Zhu Lianfeng was struck by the recoil when a burst of purple light suddenly appeared on the other side. An incomparably violent sword aura swept past, as if the energy of mountains and rivers had condensed into a giant dragon, roaring across the heavens, and domineeringly and unreasonably charging towards his flank.

Zhu Lianfeng conjured a qi shield spell to block it, but the qi shield shattered, and he was thrown back more than ten feet. Then, an ice sword was at his neck, and ice crystals surrounded him.

Icy Prison and Frosty Mist!

Fortunately, the most typical characteristic of the top three ranks is that they are not just levitating, but can actually fly!

Zhu Lianfeng soared into the air, dodging the series of attacks. His heart was filled with extreme gravity. These two fourth-grade sword cultivators were incredibly strong...

Each of them individually might not be a match for me, but together they are extremely difficult to deal with, far from the easy crushing of a low-level opponent that I imagined. This is also their home turf; who knows what other unexpected events or sneak attacks might occur? I might even end up losing to these two women!

If someone could lend a hand, things would be much easier...

Zhu Lianfeng was fending off two swords, one blue and one purple, when he glanced down in the midst of his busy work.

The people brought by the Incense Burning Pavilion had scattered and fled, running around in all directions, and then one by one they fell into the array that the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect had prepared in advance, like catching fish.

After all, being in the Array of Reincarnation and Judgment, no one could see them... The only one who could see them was Chang Qing, the third-grade alchemist leading the team.

What is Chang Qing doing? A dignified third-rank official, hasn't he played any role at all?

Zhu Lianfeng scanned back and forth, finally finding Chang Qing amidst the chaos, and nearly vomited blood in frustration.

Chang Qing sat cross-legged on the ground, chanting incantations, seemingly trying to break the formation.

This alchemist has spent his entire life holed up in front of the alchemy furnace; his combat instincts are utterly baffling. His initial reaction of breaking the formation wouldn't be wrong, but the situation has changed. The opposing sect leader has personally intervened, and you, as the only one who can see the situation and help, are still stuck trying to break the formation!
Zhu Lianfeng was furious: "Elder, the situation is already in complete chaos. Even if you break the formation now, you can't salvage the situation! The only way to turn things around is to come and lend me a hand. Once we capture Shen Tang, everything will be settled!"

This moment of distraction almost resulted in Shen Tang striking him squarely. Fortunately, Shen Tang was in a wheelchair and unable to pursue him easily, otherwise he might have been injured.

Chang Qing then seemed to wake from a dream, and quickly lit a talisman, sending a fierce fire dragon rushing straight towards Shen Tang.

Although choosing such a wide-range spell at this time was not very appropriate, Zhu Lianfeng was at least slightly relieved, as long as he could help!

With a "whoosh," a figure flashed by, and the fire dragon struck the figure squarely, burning him so badly that he screamed in agony before crashing heavily to the ground and rolling around howling in pain.

Chang Qing was shocked: "Cao Qiang, it's you!"

The third-grade Fire Dragon Talisman was completely devoured by its own protector.

Cao Qiang, enraged by the consumption of the third-grade fire dragon, writhed on the ground in agony, utterly powerless to recover. From the darkness, the sound of a wheelchair rang out, and a young Taoist boy pushed Lu Xingzhou into Chang Qing's presence: "As expected of the Grand Elder of the Incense Burning Pavilion, third-grade talismans are like they're free..."

"Lu Xingzhou!" Chang Qing roared in fury, "You cripple and child, how dare you provoke me!"

Even if a master alchemist is incapable of fighting, they shouldn't be humiliated like this by being several levels above them!

Even Zhu Lianfeng, who was dealing with the combined attack from Shen Tang and Dugu Qingli, felt that Lu Xingzhou was being far too arrogant and reckless...

Without a word, Chang Qing took out another third-grade talisman. The talisman had just been lit when it suddenly stopped, as if about to go out, but stubbornly continued to burn. It was Lu Xingzhou who had produced a jade pendant.

The Huo family's forbidden magic jade disrupted the spiritual energy in the field, rendering all the lower three-grade magic spells ineffective, while the middle three-grade spells were somewhat affected in power. The upper three-grade spells, of course, were unaffected, only experiencing a momentary lapse.

Chang Qing's heart skipped a beat: "The Huo family's forbidden magic jade... you really are from the Huo family..."

Before he finished speaking, the young Taoist priest moved like a ghost and suddenly appeared in front of Chang Qing, throwing a punch into him.

A momentary lag in spells is no problem for experienced fighters, but Chang Qing lost his prediction. Faced with A Nuo's attack, he didn't even know whether to continue activating the talisman or switch to a protective one.

Ultimately, the desire to protect himself prevailed, and Chang Qing quickly switched to a Mirror Light Talisman to block in front of him.

Lu Xingzhou waved his white banner, and ten thousand ghosts emerged, attacking Chang Qing. Chang Qing didn't even know what use the Mirror Light Talisman he had just used was, as a thousand vengeful spirits bypassed the mirror light and wrapped around his limbs.

Ah Nuo didn't hit him at all. Instead, she stepped on the ground, causing the object to bounce back. The flatbread instantly transformed into a manhole cover, which flew straight towards Zhu Lianfeng's back like a frisbee.

Lu Xingzhou's white banners split into two groups. One of them, a black flame with a grinning ghost face, silently burned towards Zhu Lianfeng's feet.

Zhu Lianfeng: "???"

He discovered that, despite having a third-grade alchemist assisting him, he inexplicably found himself surrounded and attacked by four people.

With no time to think, Zhu Lianfeng's Taoist robe billowed out, and with a "bang," the iron disc flying disc behind him bounced away. A bronze mirror expanded in the wind, barely managing to block Shen Tang's flying sword.

At the same time, Dugu Qingli's sword came from above. This was the most disgusting. Shen Tang's flying sword was only powerful, but this stinky white-haired man's sword was not only fierce and ruthless, but the cold wind and icy chill it brought could always slow down a person's movements and even disrupt their blood circulation. Zhu Lianfeng decided to deal with this stinky white-haired man first. His trump card, a jade ruyi, suddenly flew out and crashed heavily into the tip of Dugu Qingli's sword.

As for the black flames burning below, they couldn't even sense any temperature. Lu Xingzhou was just a low-grade Dao cultivator; what powerful abilities could he possibly possess?
Zhu Lianfeng completely ignored it. As a dignified third-grade Dao cultivator, he could easily disperse this useless black fire with a mere fluctuation of his magical power.

"Bang!" Dugu Qingli groaned as she was thrown back by the powerful magic weapon. At the same time, Anuo and Shen Tang were also knocked back.

Zhu Lianfeng, who seemed to be taking on four opponents with great might, didn't even have time to feel smug for half a second before he suddenly let out a deafening scream.

The indifferent black flames were not dispersed by his casual shake; they silently penetrated his magical shield, instantly turning his shoes and feet to ashes.

Zhu Lianfeng didn't even have the thought of figuring out what that thing was; he only had one thought in his mind: run!
If you don't run now, you'll never have to run again!
With a "whoosh," Zhu Lianfeng stumbled and flew away, his movements erratic.

Shen Tang, Dugu Qingli, and A Nuo seemed to have known this outcome all along. They didn't even glance at Zhu Lianfeng, and the next moment all their attacks turned to Chang Qing.

From Lu Xingzhou releasing vengeful spirits to entangle Chang Qing, to simultaneously sending out black flames to burn Zhu Lianfeng, to Zhu Lianfeng's desperate escape after fighting four opponents, the entire process happened in the blink of an eye.

If it were a cultivator with rich combat experience, they could react quickly enough in the blink of an eye, but unfortunately, Chang Qing wasn't. He had just dealt with the entangled vengeful spirits when the situation drastically changed; the attacks of the four were now landing on him…

Shen Qi, who was guarding Zhang Shaoyou and the others in the courtyard, smiled slightly: "Do you want me to let you out now?"

Zhang Shaoyou remained silent.

Shen Qi said calmly, "There's no point in wavering and being indecisive... You'll only end up as a marginal figure. If you really want a place in the new sect, you'll need to pledge your loyalty."

Zhang Shaoyou took a deep breath: "I understand."

Shen Qi didn't need to release the sword formation. Zhang Shaoyou slapped his sword sheath, and a sword light, like a shooting star chasing the moon, vanished in an instant in the direction Zhu Lianfeng had fled.

Almost simultaneously, the effects of the Luntai Judgment Array disappeared, and the people of Fenxiang Tower found that they could see again. A burst of sword light appeared in the sky, and everyone, including Chang Qing, looked up in shock to see the familiar Youlong Sword of the Second Protector Zhang Shaoyou pierce through a hundred miles and penetrate the heart of the First Protector Zhu Lianfeng, who was fleeing in the distance.

The echoes of screams resounded from the horizon, and a legless corpse pierced by sword energy crashed to the center of Xiazhou City.

Sheng Yuanyao, who was feeling uneasy in the Demon Suppression Division, heard a heavy thud and rushed out to see what was happening. She was stunned.

Isn't this Zhu Lianfeng, the First Protector of the Incense Burning Pavilion and a dignified third-rank Daoist cultivator?
How did you die here?
Where are his feet?

On Danxia Mountain, Chang Qing shouted hoarsely, "Zhang Shaoyou! I knew you people were ungrateful wretches!"

Zhang Shaoyou jumped over the courtyard wall and punched Chang Qing in the face: "Fuck you! I've figured it out. If you hadn't sent us to the sword formation and we had all gone together, the Heavenly Sword Sect wouldn't have been a match for us at all! What Luntai Judgment, what Earth Fire Thunder Formation? If we were all in the formation, it wouldn't have been effective at all. It would have been broken in the blink of an eye! Now you have to bear the consequences yourself. Even if the Incense Burning Pavilion is wiped out tomorrow, it will be because of idiots like you. I'm done serving you!"

Chang Qing was already struggling to defend himself against the onslaught of the adulterous couple, so how could he possibly withstand Zhang Shaoyou's sudden punch? He was sent flying, spitting out blood.

(End of this chapter)