## Chapter 373: Nascent Soul Slaughter (Part 1)
Several days later, the two entered the territory of the Da Yu Kingdom and traversed through the Nine-Star Sky.
Lu Chang’an, having gained much from his recent experiences, was in high spirits. With the beautiful fairy by his side, he enjoyed the scenery and her graceful appearance.
Suddenly, Lu Chang’an’s eyelids twitched, and he instinctively used his divination techniques. The power of fortune-telling enveloped him, capturing changes in fate. The originally normal signs of good and bad fortune showed a trace of blood-stained, ominous signs of slaughter.
“Sister Jiang, something’s wrong!”
Lu Chang’an, his expression serious, sensed his surroundings and loudly alerted her.
The Purple Haze True Monarch, not doubting his words, instantly enveloped a wider range with her Nascent Soul early-stage divine sense, checking the situation within a hundred miles.
She quickly discovered something amiss.
On the edge of her divine sense, countless black dots surged like a black tide, surrounding and blocking their path back to the Cloud Haze Sect.
“Black Scorpion Swarm!”
Purple Haze Fairy’s pretty face subtly changed as she recognized the origin of the black tide.
She immediately activated her protective aura, a piece of hazy purple haze enveloping Lu Chang’an as well. She then pushed her遁光 (遁光 – Dun Guang, a technique used by cultivators to travel at high speeds) to its limit, attempting to break through the swarm’s entanglement.
The swarm was extremely fast. In Lu Chang’an’s perception, countless grotesque poisonous insects, resembling poisonous scorpions with wings, filled the sky.
Purple Haze True Monarch’s eyes gleamed like cold stars. Her palace skirt danced as her white arm slowly rose, her Nascent Soul power brewing in an instant.
Boom!
A purple霞法力 (霞法力 – Xia Fa Li, a type of powerful energy used by cultivators) light ring, as vast as clouds, emanated from Jiang Ziyan, sweeping across ten miles,震死 (震死 – Zhen Si, to kill with force) a large number of Black Scorpion Insects. Black blood mist filled the void, the bloody stench causing dizziness and nausea.
The purple霞光柱 (霞光柱 – Xia Guang Zhu, a beam of powerful energy) soared into the sky. The surging Nascent Soul power stirred the wind and clouds, making Lu Chang’an, who was nearby, sway and feel oppressed.
Years of companionship had almost made him forget that this dignified and elegant, beautiful and charming Sister Jiang was a Nascent Soul True Monarch standing at the pinnacle of the cultivation world.
That earth-shattering strike just now would have been enough to destroy a medium-sized city within a few miles and kill most 結丹 (结丹 – Jie Dan, a stage of cultivation) cultivators.
However, that full-powered strike from an early-stage Nascent Soul did not achieve the expected effect.
The buzzing of countless insects, after a brief silence, resumed with an even more ferocious and piercing sound.
Whoosh whoosh –
The swarms of black insects, after pausing for only a breath or two, quickly returned, dyeing the sky a pale ink color, like a doomsday disaster, shocking to behold!
“Nascent Soul-level Insect Control! Earth-grade Bloodline Black Scorpion Insects…”
Lu Chang’an carefully observed, realizing that Purple Haze True Monarch’s previous strike had only killed a small number of Black Scorpion Insects nearby.
Many of the Black Scorpion Insects, after becoming dizzy and bleeding, devoured the corpses of their fallen brethren, becoming even more fierce as they charged forward.
These Black Scorpion Insects had tough shells, impervious to blades and spears, and had strong resistance to法力 (法力 – Fa Li, the energy used by cultivators) attacks.
More importantly, the Nascent Soul-level Insect Control术 (术 – Shu, art, technique) bestowed upon these insects the supernatural powers of a Nascent Soul cultivator, greatly increasing their lethality and vitality!
“Junior Brother Xiang, come with me and break through the swarm. The Great Snake Mountain has set an ambush here, and there’s likely more than one Nascent Soul cultivator involved.”
Purple Haze True Monarch’s tone was firm as she urgently transmitted her message.
“Alright!”
Lu Chang’an activated the邪道秘术 (邪道秘术 – Xie Dao Mi Shu, evil path secret techniques) “Myriad Withered Vine Hand,” his arm suddenly expanding, extending withered yellow vines that transformed into a giant vine hand, dozens of feet long.
Boom!
Where the withered yellow vine hand passed, large swathes of Black Scorpion Insects fell, some having their vital energy sucked dry and instantly dying.
Compared to puppets and magic treasures, this邪道秘术 (Xie Dao Mi Shu – Evil Path Secret Technique) was more effective and thorough in killing the swarm.
The two worked together, breaking through a gap in the swarm.
“桀桀, you’re not slow to react!”
A crimson-black遁光 (遁光 – Dun Guang, a technique used by cultivators to travel at high speeds), like a ferocious black dragon baring its fangs and claws, emerged from the gap in the swarm, behind which stood a withered, snake-patterned elder clad in a black cloak.
“Crimson Snake True Monarch, you dare attack within the territory of the Da Yu Kingdom!”
Purple Haze True Monarch’s voice was cold, her silver teeth lightly biting her lips as she pinched her fingers, summoning a magic treasure.
Swish!
From the slender waist of her elegant palace skirt, a seven-foot-long purple ribbon flew out, expanding to nearly a hundred feet in the wind, like a cloud-turning and rain-making celestial silk, circling around Lu Chang’an and the two of them.
This magic treasure shattered the nearby swarm, protecting the two as they broke through from the other side.
“Tsk tsk, Purple Haze Fairy’s法力 (法力 – Fa Li, the energy used by cultivators) is approaching the peak of the early-stage Nascent Soul, stronger than what the outside world expected.”
“However, since this old man has made his move today, using a fourth-rank divination treasure to delay the Imperial family’s perception, I naturally intend to make it a swift and decisive battle. At the very least, I’ll take your two hides.”
Crimson Snake True Monarch’s black robe billowed in the wind, black blood light flowing from his sleeves, revealing a rustic, foul-smelling inkstone.
Gurgling~
Black blood light from the inkstone treasure bloomed, sending out three black blood-colored liquid dragon serpents, twenty to thirty feet long, lifelike, ferocious and terrifying, crashing towards Purple Haze Fairy and Lu Chang’an.
The hundred-foot-long purple ribbon protecting the two collided with the three black blood dragon serpents, a breathtaking sight.
Bang bang bang!
With each collision, the size and brilliance of both sides dimmed slightly, seemingly evenly matched.
However, as the hundred-foot-long purple ribbon shrunk in size, it became tainted with a foul bloody stench, becoming dirty and impure. The spirit light it emitted flickered, its power continuously weakening, and it also became clumsy in its circling motions.
“That ‘Black Blood Inkstone’ has the effect of a corrupting magic treasure, and the black blood dragon serpents within it can continuously regenerate…”
Lu Chang’an realized things were bad. He saw Jiang Ziyan, her stunning face alternating between red and white, breathing heavily, and the magic treasure she was controlling was no longer as flexible and smooth as before.
Both being early-stage Nascent Soul, their strengths were evident.
Lu Chang’an knew that Sister Jiang wouldn’t be able to hold her own against Crimson Snake True Monarch in a one-on-one fight.
…
Lu Chang’an was about to make a move to share the pressure, but suddenly he felt a sensation and looked towards the direction above his head.
The Black Scorpion Insect Swarm above them suddenly dissipated, the barrier to his divine sense perception lifting somewhat, revealing a massive, tower-shaped shadow.
Boom!
Instantly, an ancient, mountain-like gravitational pressure descended from the sky, crushing down on Lu Chang’an and Jiang Ziyan.
It was a grayish-green pagoda, completely resembling a small mountain, casting a circle of grayish-green light with flickering golden spots, covering the two of them.
Within the grayish-green light, they felt like they were carrying a mountain of ten thousand pounds on their backs, making every step arduous and their法力 (法力 – Fa Li, the energy used by cultivators) sluggish.
“Sealing Treasure!”
Lu Chang’an, somewhat prepared, secretly activated his peak third-rank body cultivation technique, adding a layer of丹力 (丹力 – Dan Li, a type of powerful energy used by cultivators) protection to his body, and also held a near-fourth-rank protective talisman.
However, the most significant power of the pagoda treasure was being applied to the Nascent Soul-stage Purple Haze True Monarch.
Lu Chang’an’s body cultivation characteristics gave him stronger resistance to this kind of suppression, so he was not greatly threatened, only experiencing fluctuations in his blood and法力 (法力 – Fa Li, the energy used by cultivators) and a slight slowing of his movements.
“Pagoda True Monarch! It was indeed you who attacked Senior Brother back then…”
Jiang Ziyan, simultaneously dealing with the two Nascent Soul magic treasures, let out a sharp cry, her tone filled with grief. Her graceful and beautiful figure swayed.
Pfft!
Purple Haze True Monarch’s delicate face turned pale, and a trace of blood seeped from between her tightly clenched lips, indicating that she had already sustained some internal injuries.
“Sister Jiang!”
Lu Chang’an let out a low cry, stretching out his arm and holding the graceful and beautiful Purple Haze Fairy. In his urgency, he forgot about etiquette and didn’t even have time to feel the wonderful softness of her lotus waist.
Leaning against Lu Chang’an, Purple Haze True Monarch stabilized her figure, her black hair cascading down, her fragrance wafting around him. This prevented her from looking too disheveled, and she felt a sense of inexplicable security from the solid and firm support behind her.
“Junior Brother Xiang…”
Purple Haze Fairy, struggling to hold on, was sweating profusely. Her transmitted voice carried a hint of reluctance:
“Being ambushed like this, I’m afraid Sister will have to abandon this body to preserve her life.”
Her body, with its celestial spirit root, was perfect and flawless, her figure and beauty beyond compare. If not for a dire situation, she wouldn’t want to give it up so easily.
“Fortunately, they’re mainly targeting Sister. Later, Sister will use a secret technique regardless of the cost to create an opportunity for you. Whether you live or die depends on your own fate.”
Abandon her body?
Hearing these words, Lu Chang’an was stunned.
He couldn’t help but look at the peerless Purple Haze Fairy leaning in his arms. This was too decisive, wasn’t it?
To abandon such a perfect celestial spirit root body, Lu Chang’an felt sorry for Jiang Ziyan.
A Nascent Soul leaving its body, whether through夺舍 (夺舍 – Duo She, soul possession) or rebuilding a physical body, would ultimately find that the newly acquired body was not as compatible as the original, making it difficult to improve their cultivation further.
If that happened, the Great Snake Mountain would have achieved its goal, and they could also take advantage of the situation to capture the remaining Lu Chang’an, threatening the Earth Rock Monarch.
“Sister Jiang, has the situation really reached this point? If we hold on for a while, alerting other Nascent Soul cultivators within the territory of the Da Yu Kingdom, the crisis can be lifted.”
Lu Chang’an summoned a top-grade magic treasure to confront the massive pagoda above, slightly alleviating the pressure, and quickly transmitted his voice to stop her.
“Hold on for a while? You and I have already fallen into their trap, how easy do you think it is? Unless…”
Purple Haze Fairy, seeing the bald, blue-robed youth who was doing his best to help her share the pressure, felt a warm feeling in her heart.
A fleeting, unrealistic thought crossed her mind, and she unconsciously blurted out a solution:
“Unless, Junior Brother Xiang can restrain the slightly weaker ‘Pagoda True Monarch.’ He is a散修 (散修 – San Xiu, a cultivator who doesn’t belong to any sect) and his offensive power is average among early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators.”
“Well… restrain him? Junior Brother is willing to try!”
Lu Chang’an, having merged with the second incarnation of the Nine Seal Pagoda, had a significant increase in his divine sense perception. He confirmed that there were only two Nascent Soul cultivators around, and he felt slightly relieved, taking the initiative to volunteer.
The main reason he stepped forward now wasn’t because he felt sorry for the body that Purple Haze Fairy was about to abandon.
The key was that if Purple Haze Fairy left her Nascent Soul to escape, he would be left alone, a mere 結丹 (结丹 – Jie Dan, a stage of cultivation) cultivator.
At that time,
Wouldn’t he be facing two Nascent Soul monsters all by himself?
If he found himself in that situation, Lu Chang’an would truly feel troubled.
(End of Chapter)
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