The stop of Immortal Venerable Yujian did not bring any relief to the people of Wanshan Sect. They knew that once he recovered to his peak state and attacked again, no one in Wanshan Sect would be able to stop him.
Days passed one by one. Outside Wanshan Sect, the cultivators of Juling Hall remained at ease, appearing quite relaxed. However, the atmosphere within Wanshan Sect was heavy, and the disciples were in low spirits. They were unwilling to wait for death within the sect, but the vast disparity in strength left them without even the qualification to fight back.
"I wonder how Fellow Daoist Zhang Fan's cultivation is progressing?" Immortal Venerable Dongji asked Lin Haotian.
Lin Haotian shook his head and remained silent.
Seeing this, Immortal Venerable Dongji could only sigh helplessly. He knew very well in his heart that even if Zhang Fan had reached the perfect state of rules, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm was not an easy task. It could take as little as three to five months, or as long as several years.
It had only been forty-three days since Zhang Fan officially went into seclusion. To break through to the Nascent Soul realm in such a short period was akin to a fool's dream.
"Sect Master, if there's truly no other way, why not hand them over? After all, Qin Hao only said he wanted revenge for his brother. What does it have to do with us?"
"Although it's quite ungracious, the lives of tens of thousands of disciples in Wanshan Sect are at stake. Compared to that, what is reputation and face worth?" an elder at the half-step Nascent Soul realm secretly transmitted to Immortal Venerable Dongji.
"Foolish!" Immortal Venerable Dongji cursed him angrily, displaying a look of disappointment. "Do you actually believe what Qin Hao said?"
"In the past hundred years, how has the relationship between our Wanshan Sect and Juling Hall been? Do you still not know? This time, Qin Yun spent a huge price to invite Immortal Venerable Yujian. Do you really think that if we hand over Fellow Daoist Zhang Fan and his companions, Wanshan Sect will be safe and sound? What an idiot!"
The elder at the half-step Nascent Soul realm was stunned on the spot. Under the pressure of death, he had indeed lost his mind somewhat. After Immortal Venerable Dongji’s words, he suddenly understood.
Seeing that he had gained some awareness, Immortal Venerable Dongji's gloomy expression slowly relaxed. He then asked, "Do you really believe that our Wanshan Sect is doomed?"
"Is there still hope?" The half-step Nascent Soul elder was invigorated by this, and quickly asked.
Immortal Venerable Dongji said coldly, "Do you think Fellow Daoist Zhang Fan is just a cultivator at the Core Formation stage?"
"Isn't he? Although his path rules are complete, he hasn't cultivated a primordial spirit yet, so he's naturally a Core Formation cultivator." The elder's eyes held a trace of doubt as he stated the obvious.
Immortal Venerable Dongji shook his head and shouted, "Foolish!"
"Do you know what it means to have complete path rules? As far as I know, even in the central star domain, such an existence is extremely rare, with one such peerless figure appearing perhaps once in tens of thousands of years. Do you believe him when he says he has no background?"
"To achieve complete path rules at the Core Formation stage, to have a monstrous cultivator like Southern Venerable willingly become his disciple, to impart an eighth-grade divine ability to a disciple – without an earth-shattering background, who would believe such a person?"
It was precisely because of these reasons that even when facing a desperate situation, Immortal Venerable Dongji had never given up. This might be a crisis, but it could also be an opportunity.
...
After seven days of seclusion, Immortal Venerable Yujian had recovered his primordial spirit and magical power to their peak state. When he emerged, a suffocating, invisible pressure enveloped the people of Wanshan Sect, filling them with trepidation.
"Dongji, you wasted seven days, which has made me very unhappy. Once I break through your sect's defenses, Wanshan Sect will surely be bathed in blood," Immortal Venerable Yujian's killing intent was undisguised, his narrow eyes filled with coldness.
"You, Yujian, a mere brute! I have no enmity with you, yet you wish to annihilate me completely. Since that is the case, bring it on! Even if I, Dongji, die, I will not let you have an easy time!" Immortal Venerable Dongji finally stopped holding back and responded defiantly.
"Haha, good!" Yujian laughed angrily upon hearing this. "I hope when I break through your sect's defenses and stand before you, you can still be this defiant!"
As Immortal Venerable Yujian finished speaking and was about to unleash his divine abilities, he noticed something was amiss. The spiritual energy within a radius of several thousand miles suddenly became turbulent, converging unceasingly towards Wanshan Sect. Immortal Venerable Dongji was also stunned by this turn of events, and then his gaze fell towards the direction of the Golden Light Immortal Mansion.
Even with his composure, his heart couldn't help but tremble violently. He saw that the boundless spiritual energy was like a tornado, forming a massive pillar of energy that concentrated above the Golden Light Immortal Mansion. Zhang Fan's tall figure strode out from the Golden Light Immortal Mansion. With a wave of his hand, a blood-red bronze ancient sword appeared in his grasp.
"Sun, moon, sky, descend into my sword!" Zhang Fan held the sword with one hand, and as a clear voice rang out, the boundless spiritual energy poured down like a waterfall, incessantly flowing into the blood-red iron sword, which then erupted with dazzling brilliance.
In an instant, dark clouds roiled across the sky, and purple and black lightning flickered within them. The entire Wanshan Continent seemed to dim under the cover of these clouds. A suppressive aura enveloped the continent, as if the end of the world had arrived.
"He succeeded?" The people within Wanshan Sect were filled with excitement. Looking at the figure stepping into the sky, standing above Wanshan Sect like a celestial being, they all felt a sense of peace.
"Is that the Zhang Fan you spoke of? The peerless genius who cultivated path rules to perfection at the Core Formation stage?" Immortal Venerable Yujian asked, looking at the figure hovering in the air.
"It is, but I didn't expect him to break through to the Nascent Soul realm in such a short time. Senior Brother Yujian, is there any way to interrupt his tribulation?" Although Qin Yun knew that cultivators' tribulations were protected by the Heavenly Dao and difficult to interfere with, he still asked with some reluctance.
"Unless one sacrifices their life for another. If you charge into his tribulation area, the Heavenly Tribulation's power will naturally increase dramatically, making his chance of successfully transcending the tribulation almost zero. Otherwise, with our strength, other methods are useless." Immortal Venerable Yujian shook his head.
"He had already achieved complete path rules at the Core Formation stage. Once he successfully transcends the tribulation, his strength will be comparable to the peak of the Primordial Soul stage. Senior Brother Yujian, do you have confidence in facing him?" Although Qin Yun had great confidence in Immortal Venerable Yujian's strength, they were facing someone who had cultivated path rules to perfection, and he couldn't help but worry, hence this question.
"Cultivators who can achieve complete path rules are indeed extremely monstrous. I have only heard of them in legends. After transcending the Nascent Soul tribulation, their magical power will be no less than that of a peak Primordial Soul stage cultivator."
"However, he is after all a beginner at the Nascent Soul stage. Both his physical body and his divine abilities and laws will require time to be honed. In terms of talent, I may be far inferior to him, but in terms of strength, I have absolute confidence," Immortal Venerable Yujian said, looking at Zhang Fan in the sky without any trace of panic.
At this moment, his attention was entirely focused on Zhang Fan. He was even feeling a sense of excitement, even anticipating Zhang Fan's successful tribulation. If he could defeat this peerless figure who only existed in legends, his own fame, Immortal Venerable Yujian's, would echo throughout the entire Boundless Star Domain.
...