Gao Wu: Oh no! Young Master Zhen is a cultivator!

The dragon lizard, in pain, swung its massive tail.

A bone tail, carrying immense force, lashed out at the sword formation.

Bang!

The sword formation trembled violently, and several Golden Core cultivators coughed up blood and staggered.

"Hold on!"

Lu Wangchuan stood in mid-air with his hands behind his back, but did not make a move.

His gaze swept back and forth between the dragon lizard and the sword formation, as if he were waiting for something.

Wan Chongqiu stood on the outer edge of the sword formation, also not entering the formation.

His triangular eyes narrowed slightly, and he glanced at Lin Ran from time to time.

The skeletal dragon lizard launched another attack, spewing a dark red beam of light from its mouth.

The beam of light swept across the sword formation, striking three Golden Core cultivators head-on. Their protective spiritual light shattered instantly, and they were blasted away, collapsing to the ground severely injured.

"Scatter! Scatter!"

The sword formation was forced to change, and everyone dodged.

Just then, Wan Chongqiu suddenly raised his hand and released a burst of spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy was extremely concealed, skimming along the ground and accurately striking a bone plate on the side of the dragon lizard.

The bone plates shattered under the force, drawing the dragon lizard's attention in that direction.

Looking in that direction, you can see where Lin Ran is.

The dragon lizard's vertical pupils locked onto Lin Ran, and its massive mouth opened, unleashing a beam of dark red light.

call out!

The beam of light shot through the air at an extreme speed.

Lin Ran slightly turned his body, and the beam of light grazed the hem of his clothes, landing on the rock wall behind him, melting a charred hole several meters deep.

"That was close." Lin Ran patted the dust off his clothes, speaking casually.

Wan Chongqiu frowned slightly, and his triangular eyes narrowed even more.

Seeing that its first attack had missed, the dragon lizard unleashed another beam of light.

Lin Ran lightly touched the ground with his toes, his figure as elusive as a falling leaf, beams of light passing by his side one after another, none of them hitting him.

Unable to contain himself, Wan Chongqiu secretly unleashed another burst of spiritual energy, striking the bony plate on the dragon lizard's tail.

Enraged, the dragon lizard swept its massive tail, whipping up a shower of pebbles as it hurtled towards Lin Ran.

Lin Ran's figure rose higher, and the pebbles whistled past his feet, all falling into the air.

"Elder Wan, your aim isn't very good," Lin Ran said from mid-air, his tone slightly teasing.

Wan Chongqiu's expression remained unchanged: "Young friend, you misunderstand. I am focused on fighting the enemy."

"Is that so?" Lin Ran smiled, not exposing him.

On the other side of the battlefield, Lu Wangchuan finally made his move.

He raised his hand and pointed, and a golden light shot out from his fingertip.

call out!

A golden light pierced the sky, precisely striking the bone armor in the center of the dragon lizard's head.

Click!

The bone armor shattered, exposing dark red flesh and blood.

The dragon lizard let out a mournful roar, its massive body tumbling violently.

"continue!"

Lu Wangchuan unleashed several more golden beams, precisely striking the shattered bone armor on the dragon lizard's head, causing the wound to widen further.

The dragon lizard's roar grew weaker and weaker, and its massive body began to sway precariously.

"Victory is in sight!" A Nascent Soul elder exclaimed with delight, "Give it your all!"

The sword formation unleashed its power once more, with eight giant sword beams striking down simultaneously.

boom!

The dragon lizard's head was cleaved in half by the sword light, and blood gushed out like rain.

"good!"

The crowd cheered in unison.

Just when everyone thought victory was assured, the dragon lizard's remains suddenly swelled violently.

Dark red light surged wildly from the gaps in its bone armor, like gunpowder being ignited.

"Not good!" A Nascent Soul elder's expression changed drastically: "It's going to self-destruct!"

"Retreat now!"

But it was too late.

boom!

The skeletal dragon lizard's body suddenly exploded, and dark red energy shockwaves swept out in all directions.

The bone fragments shot out like flying knives, each one carrying the violent spiritual power of a ninth-tier ferocious beast.

The sword formation was hit head-on, and its eight corners shattered simultaneously. The eight Nascent Soul cultivators were struck directly by the shockwave, their protective spiritual light completely shattered, and they were sent flying backward, spitting out blood.

Dozens of Golden Core cultivators were utterly powerless to resist, swept away by the shockwave, their bones shattered, their meridians severed, and they all fell to the ground.

The hill was half-flattened by the bomb, with rubble flying everywhere and smoke and dust obscuring the sun.

The ground within a radius of several miles was completely cracked, with cracks reaching several feet deep.

Lu Wangchuan stood in mid-air, his protective aura remaining perfectly still, blocking all impacts.

When the smoke cleared, the hillside was a mess.

Dozens of Golden Core cultivators lay sprawled on the ground, some unconscious, others barely able to support themselves, their bodies covered in blood.

The Nascent Soul cultivators were in no better shape; their faces were pale, their breathing was disordered, and they sat cross-legged on the spot to regulate their breathing.

Wan Chongqiu climbed out of the pile of rubble, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his triangular eyes filled with gloom.

Lu Wangchuan slowly descended, landing in the middle of the crowd.

He glanced around at the heavily injured cultivators scattered on the ground, his gaze indifferent.

A Nascent Soul elder raised his head, his voice weak: "We beg Elder Lu to protect us."

Lu Wangchuan did not answer.

He raised his hand and formed a hand seal, and a blood-red spiritual energy screen spread out from his palm, enveloping the entire area.

After the light curtain landed, dense array patterns appeared on the ground, trapping everyone inside.

"This is... a blood sacrifice formation!" Wan Chongqiu's pupils shrank, and he abruptly stood up: "Lu Wangchuan! What are you trying to do?"

Lu Wangchuan finally spoke, his voice calm: "My time is coming to an end. If I cannot break through again, I will die and my cultivation will dissipate."

His gaze swept over the crowd: "I am not content with thousands of years of arduous cultivation."

"You..." Wan Chongqiu's expression changed drastically: "You want to sacrifice your fellow disciples?"

"Hahahaha... As long as you offer up all your spiritual power, essence, and life force here, you can lend me a hand."

Lu Wangchuan said calmly, "Once I break through to the Void Refinement stage, I will detonate the spiritual veins of this realm and open the entrance to the upper realm, at which point I can naturally ascend to heaven."

"You've gone mad!" a Nascent Soul elder roared. "Sacrificing fellow disciples in blood is an outrage against all reason!"

"Heavenly justice?" Lu Wangchuan chuckled lightly. "Would heavenly justice allow me to live?"

"You planned all of this from the very beginning?" Wan Chongqiu gritted his teeth.

"The skeletal dragon lizard is violent and it is common for it to self-destruct before it dies."

Lu Wangchuan said casually, "If it hadn't self-destructed, I might have had to put in a lot more effort. Fortunately, things are still under control."

"Outrageous!" A Golden Core cultivator struggled to raise his head, his eyes bloodshot. "I've been with the sect for thirty years, risking my life for it, and you want to use me as a sacrifice?"

Some people struggled to break out of the array, but were bounced back by the array's light and fell heavily to the ground.

Some people slumped to the ground, their expressions blank, as if they had resigned themselves to their fate.

Someone started cursing at Lu Wangchuan, unleashing every vicious word they could think of.

"Lu Wangchuan! You'll die a horrible death!"

"Even if I die, I'll drag you down with me!"

"You heartless, inhuman beast!"

"Heaven will not let you get away with this!"

Various curses and jeers rose and fell.

Lu Wangchuan remained unmoved, ignoring the curses.

He raised his hand to activate the formation, beginning to draw upon everyone's spiritual energy and blood.

Pop, pop, pop.

A round of applause suddenly broke out.

Lu Wangchuan frowned slightly and turned to look.

Lin Ran stood at the edge of the array pattern, clapping his hands slowly and deliberately.

"What a clever scheme!"

"You're alright?"

Lu Wangchuan glanced at him: "Now that you've escaped, instead of thinking about how to protect yourself, you insist on coming here to die. You're truly incredibly foolish!"

"If we didn't get involved, how could we witness such a spectacular show?" Lin Ran said casually.

Just as the skeletal dragon lizard was about to self-destruct, he immediately used a teleportation technique to avoid the explosion.

I came out hoping to find a bargain, but I ended up witnessing a real show.

"act recklessly."

Lu Wangchuan raised his hand and waved it, and a golden blade formed from spiritual energy shot out, aiming straight for Lin Ran's throat.

Lin Ran remained still and waved his hand.

Clang!

The sharp blade was firmly blocked in front of him, unable to advance even an inch further.

Lu Wangchuan's pupils suddenly contracted.

"How is that possible? You're not at the Golden Core stage!"

"Oops, I've been seen through." Lin Ran loosened his grip, and the sharp blade shattered into countless tiny fragments. "How embarrassing."

Now that things had come to this, he no longer concealed himself, and his aura was suddenly released.

He withstood the pressure of the Nascent Soul stage with only the early Nascent Soul realm.

The air hummed under the pressure of the two forces, and the pebbles on the ground were shaken off.