Mortal: I have a Spirit Gathering Cauldron

The Golden Dragon of the Southern Heavenly Dynasty within the formation nodded slightly.

Without further hesitation, Huang Long turned his puppets and magical artifacts around and attacked Elder Hu.

The giant tiger puppet roared and pounced on Old Hu, followed closely by dozens of wolf-shaped puppets, which densely covered the Gobi Desert.

His goal was clear: first, to destroy the formation and release the three people inside.

Inside the formation, Su Mei and Tie Xiong watched the sudden change unfold in the blink of an eye, momentarily stunned and unable to react.

The two looked at each other and saw the joy of surviving a disaster in each other's eyes.

"Master, the formation is about to collapse!" Su Mei's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Jin Nantian did not answer.

His right hand reached into his storage bag and slowly took out something.

It was a small, golden sword.

It was only about three inches long, and its entire body was golden and shiny. The blade was covered with fine runes, each of which emitted a faint spiritual light.

As soon as the small sword appeared, everyone present felt an invisible pressure. That pressure did not come from spiritual power, but from a higher level of power.

magic weapon.

Magical treasures can only truly unleash their power at the Core Formation stage. However, those who possess magical treasures at the Foundation Establishment stage are extremely rare in the entire Tiannan cultivation world.

Old Hu's pupils contracted sharply, and a look of shock appeared on his withered face.

"A magic weapon! You actually have a magic weapon!"

Jin Nantian held the small golden sword and looked calmly at Old Hu.

"Old ghost, you won't last much longer." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority. "Hurry up and release the formation, or I might spare your life."

Mr. Hu did not answer.

He lowered his head and glanced at the array plate in his hand.

Old Hu took a deep breath and poured all the remaining spiritual energy in his body into the array plate.

The array plate lit up again.

It was not a dim, extinguished light, but a blazing, dazzling white light.

The dark red light shield contracted sharply under the infusion of spiritual power, then expanded again, becoming thicker and more stable than before, protecting him.

At the edge of the formation, the four array flags emitted a buzzing tremor, and the runes on the flags flowed wildly, as if they were alive.

Huanglong's puppets were bounced away by the light shield, and several wolf-shaped puppets crashed into the light shield, their parts scattered all over the ground by the recoil.

Old Hu's body was trembling slightly.

His hair was turning white at a visible rate. His originally gray hair turned snow-white in just a few breaths, and the wrinkles on his face deepened, as if etched by a knife.

Jin Nantian frowned slightly as he watched this scene.

"Blind loyalty," he said slowly, his tone devoid of anger, only containing an indescribable complexity, "You're actually burning through your lifespan."

Old Hu raised his head, looked at Jin Nantian outside the formation, and grinned.

A relieved smile appeared on that withered face.

"Hehe, I don't understand all those big principles." His voice was hoarse and intermittent, but every word was spoken clearly. "I only know that after the old cult leader picked me up, he gave me food, taught me how to cultivate immortality, and turned me from a beggar who was about to starve to death into an immortal cultivator."

"I, Lao Hu, will repay him with my life."

Jin Nantian remained silent for a moment.

"Everyone has their own ambitions." His voice was soft. "In that case, go die."

He gripped the small golden sword with both hands, slowly channeling spiritual energy into it.

The runes on the small sword lit up, one after another, like lamps being lit.

Golden light emanated from the small sword, growing brighter and more intense, illuminating the entire Gobi Desert as if it were daytime.

The invisible pressure grew heavier and heavier, making it difficult for everyone present to breathe.

Huang Long stopped his attack, took a few steps back, and his face turned pale. Su Mei and Tie Xiong also retreated behind Jin Nantian, raising their spiritual energy shields to resist the oppressive force.

A dozen or so breaths passed.

Jin Nantian's hands were trembling slightly.

The spiritual energy required to activate a magic weapon far exceeds the capacity of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even though he was already a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator and a pseudo-Core Formation expert, it was still a huge burden for him.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his face was slightly pale, but he did not stop.

The spiritual energy is still being injected.

The golden sword's radiance reached its peak, like a small sun suspended over the Gobi Desert.

Jin Nantian raised his head, his gaze piercing through the dark red light shield and landing on Old Hu.

"go."

The small golden sword flew out of his hand.

It wasn't the graceful arc of a flying sword, but a straight, devastating golden light. Wherever the golden light passed, the air was torn apart, emitting a sharp, explosive sound. The aftershocks of the sword energy plowed a deep trench into the ground, sending sand and dust flying.

The golden sword light collided with the dark red array light shield.

No sound.

In that instant, the world seemed to fall silent.

Gold and dark red intertwined, like two giant pythons writhing and tearing at each other. The light shield trembled violently, the array flags groaned under the strain, the ground shook, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.

Take a breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

"boom--"

The array's protective barrier shattered.

Like a mirror struck by a heavy hammer, cracks spread outwards from the point of impact, and then the entire light shield collapsed with a deafening roar. The fragments transformed into countless sparks of light, drifting in the air like fireflies before gradually fading away.

All four battle flags exploded simultaneously, the fragments of which were scattered by the wind and disappeared into the night.

The array plate in Old Hu's hand also shattered. Cracks spread from the center outwards, then turned into a handful of dust, falling softly from between his fingers.

The golden sword light, its momentum undiminished, charged towards Elder Hu.

Old Hu watched the golden light getting closer and closer, but he didn't dodge.

He no longer had the strength to dodge. His spiritual energy was exhausted, his lifespan was about to burn out, and the wound in his back was still bleeding. His body was like an oil lamp about to go out.

He looked at the golden light, a slight smile of relief appearing on his lips.

"Old Master, Old Hu has come to keep you company."

The golden sword light pierced through his body.

Where the golden light passed, everything was annihilated, everything was reduced to the smallest speck of dust.

Old Hu has disappeared.

It was as if he had never existed.

Only the dark red bloodstains on the ground proved that he had fought, burned, and sacrificed here.

Jin Nantian stretched out his hand, and the small golden sword flew back into his palm. He put the sword back into his storage bag, his body swaying slightly, as if he couldn't stand steadily.

Su Mei quickly stepped forward to support him, asking with concern, "Master, are you alright?"

Jin Nantian waved his hand, took a deep breath, and steadied himself.

"It's alright. Activating the magic weapon now, even with only 30-40% of its power, is still too much of a strain." His voice was a little hoarse, but his tone remained calm. "I'm fine. Let's go after Lin Xingjian first. He can't have gone far."

Su Mei, Tie Xiong, and Huang Long responded in unison.

Tie Xiong retrieved the Crimson Flame Axe and took out a flying boat magic artifact from his storage bag. Su Mei helped Jin Nantian step onto it.

The flying boat took off, transformed into a streak of light, and disappeared into the night.

Silence returned to the Gobi Desert.

While Lin Xingjian was running away, Lin Feng took advantage of the cover from the battle's fluctuations and used his Wind-Escape Shuttle to give chase.