Austen moved with incredible speed. He glanced back and, seeing the mysterious youth hadn't pursued, believed he had given up. A hint of relief flickered across his tense face.
Suddenly…
"Heavens, why is it dark?"
Austen looked up, puzzled, only to witness a scene that sent a chill down his spine.
A colossal square seal hovered above his head, descending with irresistible force to crush him.
Gripping his White Jade Holy Spear with both hands, Austen spun it and thrust fiercely at the seal.
Zhang Fan had now condensed his Nascent Core, and the demonic energy within was so potent it rivaled that of a typical late-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivator. With his full effort, he could finally unleash the full might of the Mountain River Seal.
The power of a high-grade spiritual treasure, fully unleashed, was far beyond the capabilities of the already heavily injured Austen to resist. His spear thrust offered no impediment to the Mountain River Seal.
With a roar of utter unwillingness from Austen, the Mountain River Seal descended mercilessly, smashing into the ground and creating a vast, perfectly square crater.
Zhang Fan, with Xue Jing, landed before the Mountain River Seal. Zhang Fan casually gestured, and the enormous seal shrunk to palm size, returning to his hand.
In the crater below, Austen lay on the ground, his pristine white robes stained with dust and blood, his breath weak and his demeanor thoroughly disheveled.
"Austen, with your meager abilities, you dared to contend with my master for the opportunity left by Master Zi Wu Tian Xian? Truly ignorant of your own limitations."
Xue Jing, witnessing Austen's pathetic state, felt a surge of satisfaction.
"Your master?"
Austen looked at Zhang Fan in disbelief. He knew how arrogant Xue Jing, that cold-blooded brute, was; as his opponent, Austen was well aware of it.
He had once exploited Xue Jing's pride to injure him through a scheme, but he never imagined Xue Jing would willingly submit to this mysterious youth.
"If I am not mistaken, you should have already inscribed the Six Paths Golden Core Dao Patterns. On this planet, apart from the Zi Wu Yuan Fruit, which can enhance the quality of a Golden Core, there is likely only the accompanying flower of the Zi Wu Yuan Fruit."
Zhang Fan gazed down at Austen from his superior position, his face calm.
"Cough... cough... You even know about the accompanying flower of the Zi Wu Yuan Fruit. It seems your origins are far from ordinary. No wonder even that brute Xue Jing would submit to you."
Austen coughed up a mouthful of blood, his apprehension towards this mysterious youth growing.
The accompanying flower of the Zi Wu Yuan Fruit was something he had obtained on the periphery of the treasure land. After consuming and refining it, he discovered that one of his Golden Core Dao Patterns had increased, and his cultivation had even broken through to the mid-stage Golden Core realm. Only then did he dare to believe he had stumbled upon the treasure left by Master Zi Wu Tian Xian.
Otherwise, how could this planet, with its sparse spiritual energy and barren resources, possibly nurture such heavenly treasures?
He then began searching that area, eventually finding the immortal manor left by Master Zi Wu Tian Xian. Austen was overjoyed, preparing to break open the manor's door and seize the Zi Wu Yuan Fruit. If successful, he would achieve a first-grade Golden Core, a dream for countless Golden Core cultivators.
However, when he actually made his move, he discovered that the immortal manor's door was protected by a defensive formation.
No matter what method he employed, he could not break the formation. This made him realize that the opportunity had not yet arrived for it to be opened, and with his strength, he could not force his way through.
Thus, Austen returned to the Church to go into seclusion, aiming to maximize his strength, then go to the Blood Clan to eliminate Xue Jing, and finally await the opening of the treasure land.
He never expected that before he could travel to the Blood Clan, Xue Jing would come to him, bringing a mysterious youth of even greater strength, who had reduced him to this state.
This dramatic turn of fortune made Austen feel utterly exasperated.
A first-grade Golden Core was within his grasp, yet he was now on the verge of death. This filled Austen with an unyielding sense of injustice.
"Tell me where the treasure land left by Zi Wu is. I can grant you a quick death." Zhang Fan's eyes seemed to swirl with countless stars, causing Austen's gaze to gradually blur.
In a flash, Austen's eyes regained clarity. He met Zhang Fan's gaze, a hint of mockery in his eyes, and sneered, "Your methods are indeed remarkable, subtly invading my soul. Unfortunately, your divine sense is too weak. You can never control me!"
Seeing this, Zhang Fan could only sigh. Although his divine sense had been rapidly growing alongside his realm, now comparable to a Golden Core cultivator, Austen was also a Golden Core cultivator. Moreover, he hailed from the Myriad Domain Starry Sky and practiced methods for cultivating divine sense. Even in his current injured state, Zhang Fan could not control him.
"If you wish to know the location of the treasure land left by Master Zi Wu Tian Xian, you will have to search for it yourselves. You should know that with Master Zi Wu Tian Xian's abilities, he could easily isolate divine sense probes. This planet may not be large, but to find this treasure land will take you hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years!"
Austen, facing Zhang Fan's predatory gaze, was unfazed. Instead, he laughed madly. His current predicament was entirely due to this mysterious youth, who had severed his path to immortality. If there was anything that could cause this mysterious youth discomfort, he would find satisfaction in it.
"Finally, allow me to give you a grand gift!"
Austen suddenly stood up, holding his White Jade Holy Spear, infusing it with all his Golden Core demonic energy!
"Go!"
Austen hurled the White Jade Holy Spear towards the sky!
"Stop!"
Xue Jing, witnessing Austen's action, instantly understood his intention. He tried to stop Austen, but it was too late.
The White Jade Holy Spear transformed into a streak of light, soaring skyward like a meteor. Its speed far surpassed the limits achievable by a Golden Core cultivator, as the speed of a magic treasure was in no way comparable to that of a cultivator.
Everyone looked up at the White Jade Holy Spear. In less than a single breath, it disappeared into the white clouds, its speed unabated...
Piercing the atmosphere and entering space, the White Jade Holy Spear detonated.
In the starry expanse, a blinding white holy light erupted, illuminating half the planet.
The self-detonation of a mid-grade spiritual treasure produced an impact far exceeding the power of humanity's ultimate technological weapon, the nuclear bomb. It generated a powerful wave that propagated outwards in all directions.
The White Jade Holy Spear was Austen's Natal Divine Weapon. Its explosion dealt him another heavy blow. Already injured, he was now closer to death due to the backlash.
However, Austen felt no sorrow, only a sense of exhilaration!
A manic grin spread across his face, his breathing growing fainter until it finally disappeared completely...
Thus, the arbiter of the Church, who had established its reign on Earth for a thousand years, met his end.
"Master, he..." Austen's insane act left Xue Jing frozen in place, unsure of what to do.
"I understand. He used the self-detonation of the spiritual treasure, its residual blast wave serving as a beacon for those Golden Core cultivators searching for the treasure land in the Milky Way. It won't be long before Earth is discovered, and then..."
Zhang Fan did not finish his sentence, but Xue Jing fully comprehended what would happen next.
Although he and Zhang Fan were the most powerful beings on Earth, once the Golden Core cultivators from the Wu Shan Star Domain descended upon Earth, their strength would be insignificant.
After all, among the Golden Core cultivators searching for the treasure land were a large number of second-grade Golden Core cultivators, and even some who had reached the peak of the second-grade Golden Core. With their current strength, they would be utterly incapable of resisting.
...