Chapter 144 Successfully Arriving at a Sense of Belonging
The swift blade, like a fierce gust of wind, pierced straight through the heavy, dark clouds, whistling as it rushed toward the gap between heaven and earth.
Shen Qingluo moved forward at full speed, weaving and dodging the alternating lightning strikes.
The longsword carrying four people moved at an astonishing speed! From afar, it looked as if thunder was relentlessly chasing an invisible object, striking down one ferocious electric shock after another along the Hongqi Sect's overlooking mountain range.
Even the thick, dense clouds that filled the entire sky seemed to be moved, slowly shifting in the direction of the swift thunder.
Such a scene was so striking that even the people of the county town near Hongqizong realized that this was no ordinary thundercloud phenomenon.
"Good heavens! What did Hong Qizong do to get struck by lightning so hard?"
"Don't make a fuss. This is how cultivators break through to higher realms. In the past, when the Daoist priests of Hongqi Sect advanced, there was also thunder."
Several old women slowly said, "We old sisters have lived for so long and have seen countless times that Master Hongqizong has advanced in his cultivation. None of them have ever been chased and struck like this. In the past, they were all struck at once. That was the true tribulation of lightning."
The other old women chimed in, "Yes, yes, it must have been struck by lightning!"
The elders of Hongqi Sect, including Fu Rong, also looked up at the thundercloud.
"Which disciple has broken through to a higher realm at this time?"
"Why aren't you staying in your residence after breaking through to the next realm? What are you doing running around everywhere! Don't you know that the sect's sword formation is temporarily disabled? Running around like this, how many buildings and halls of our sect have you destroyed!"
As they were talking, the steward disciple in charge of taking stock of the sect's disciples reported, "Elders, we have inquired with each of the disciples who are in the breakthrough stage, and they are all in their respective residences. It is not this group of disciples who broke through."
"What!" The elders' expressions changed.
Fu Rong's voice was cold: "Perhaps they are demonic cultivators who are on the run."
The elders who remained in the sect looked at Fu Rong: "Fu Rong, should we pursue them or not?!" Chong Jue was not in the sect, so Fu Rong was temporarily assuming the responsibilities of the sect leader. At this critical moment, she had to make the decision.
A resolute glint flashed in her eyes: "The most urgent task is to restart the sword formation. Once the sword formation is restarted, they will be doomed!"
The Hongqi Sect's protective sword formation embodies the most profound and mysterious sword intent left behind by the great masters of the Hongqi Sect throughout the ages. When the sword formation is activated, if an external enemy attacks a disciple of the sect, the sword formation will transform into ten thousand swords to strike the enemy's vital points.
Maintaining the sword formation consumes a tremendous amount of spiritual energy. The Hongqi Sect primarily relied on the overflowing spiritual energy from the Soul Devouring Array for its power supply, thus conserving a significant amount of spirit stone mines. Now that the Soul Devouring Array has been broken, the sword formation has lost its spiritual energy supply and is in a dormant state. Fu Rong has urgently allocated several spirit stone mines from the Hongqi Sect, but restarting the sword formation still requires the infusion of sword intent equivalent to that of a Nascent Soul stage expert.
The elders and top cultivators who remained in the sect, including Fu Yin, had not yet grasped the Dao and broken through to the next level, barely touching the edge of the Nascent Soul stage. Under such circumstances, if they insisted on restarting the sword formation, the elders who remained in the sect would need to concentrate fully and work together to awaken the dormant sword intent to activate the formation, and they must not be distracted even for a moment.
This means they cannot escape and pursue the demonic cultivators who have infiltrated the Hongqi Sect.
The other elders hesitated: "Fu Rong, are we just going to let the demonic cultivators come and go as they please?"
“This tribulation is unusual; the cultivators who break through to the next realm are not to be underestimated.” Fu Rong, unlike Chong Jue, still needed to provide a reasonable explanation to gain the complete trust of the other sect elders: “They will definitely be hindered by the heavenly lightning, and we still have time to restart the formation. If they fail to break through, they will only face certain death after the sword formation restarts.” Her expression darkened: “But if they succeed, with such cultivation, only the sword formation can continue to stop them until the sect leader returns.”
"If we can't make it in time..."
"At least we can stop other petty scoundrels who come after hearing the news. I believe you senior brothers and sisters are well aware of the risks involved." Fu Yin's voice was low and deep, revealing an undeniable authority.
She's right. The Hongqi Sect has maintained a tough stance for nearly a century, attracting the envy and resentment of many demons and monsters. If news of the sect's protective sword formation failing leaks out, the demons and monsters will likely swarm in.
The elders no longer objected. After ordering their respective disciples to continue the martial law and protect the inner and outer disciples, they drew their life swords and entered the formation together to stimulate the sword intent in the dormant state.
boom!
A deafening, terrifying thunderbolt tore through the clouds and hurtled toward its target!
Boom! A deafening roar shattered their eardrums, and a blinding white light instantly filled their vision, causing everyone's eyes to glaze over. The speeding longsword suddenly plummeted a thousand meters, and the intense feeling of weightlessness made the four people standing on it feel as if their hearts were about to leap out of their throats. However, even with the repeated sudden drops, the giant lightning continued its relentless pursuit, striking straight down relentlessly, its crackling electrical charge only millimeters away from their heads.
Shen Qingluo's clenched teeth made a soft clicking sound as she raced against the lightning strike. She was pushing herself to her maximum speed, but she still couldn't increase the distance between herself and the lightning.
Ji Mingran, Zhu Shibai, and Guan Wangzhen shouted in unison, "Qingluo!"
Chen Qingluo, who had been struggling to hold on, suddenly loosened her teeth: "Fine! I'll leave it to you!"
Boom! A powerful explosion rang out instantly.
The relentless lightning tribulation finally struck its target for the first time, as if punishing their escape. This lightning strike was earth-shattering, its immense power seemingly incorporating all the power of the lightning strikes they had previously dodged.
Dozens of sounds of shattering glass echoed in his mind. Ji Mingran's Vajra Formation was instantly shattered by lightning, and intense heat and pressure surged forth.
A hurricane suddenly arose, sweeping away most of the oppressive force, while another water dragon roared and lunged at the giant lightning. The hurricane and the water flow merged, and the high-pressure water cannon was about to fire, directly clashing with the lightning strike.
At the same time, the longsword seized the opportunity to descend another thousand meters, and then rushed forward, instantly creating a long distance between itself and Jing Lei.
The four members of Dingsheng Sect had a clear idea: while Hongqi Sect's sword formation was taking a break, they were determined to break out of the sword formation's range and cross Hongqi Sect's boundary. They could not afford to waste a single second because of the heavenly lightning!
Amidst the overlapping mountains, a line of the vast ocean is faintly visible.
"Is it over there?" Ji Mingran asked.
"Yes!" the three answered in unison.
With a direction in mind, things became much easier. Ji Mingran focused his mind, and dozens of teleportation arrays appeared one after another, spaced a hundred meters apart, blooming like lotus flowers all the way from beneath the longsword to a line of sea.
Zhu Shibai, positioned in front, moved his ten fingers rapidly, chanting complex incantations. The jade pendant of the Hongqi Sect disciple floated in front of him, emitting a fluorescent glow.
At the same time, ten speed-increasing talismans were affixed to the blade of the longsword. Chen Qinglu leaned forward, and the speed of the longsword increased several times.
In the blink of an eye, the azure ocean came into view.
A deep, ancient hum pierced through the thunder and suddenly resounded. Sword energy rose from the entire Hongqi Sect territory, and an invisible, expanding pressure spread to everyone's shoulders and hearts. The four of them immediately felt the sword intent appear behind them.
Hongqi Sect's sword formation has been restarted!
"Ouch! My back!" As Guan Wangzhen wailed, the long sword plunged into the teleportation array at the end. The four figures disappeared, and the dense rain of swords missed their target, smashing down the Hongqi jade pendant that had been thrown out.
Four figures appeared in the sky above the vast ocean.
At this moment, the weather on the sea suddenly changed. Dark clouds chased after the sea and came to the surface. The rumbling thunder rolling from the edge of the clouds made a sound even more terrifying than that on land.
"I can't go on." As Shen Qingluo spoke weakly, the long swords beneath the four people's feet instantly returned to their normal size, and the four people plummeted from the sky towards the ocean.
The sea appeared larger than before him, and Zhu Shibai calmly tossed out something the size of a palm.
The object fell into the sea. In the blink of an eye, ripples appeared on the calm sea, and a ship emerged from the waves.
Four currents rose up, catching the four falling people and gently placing them on the deck of the ship.
As soon as their feet touched the ground, the sails rose on their own without wind, and four currents returned to the sea surface, gathering at the stern to propel the ship forward.
The ship took over the baton and sped off at full speed!
Countless bolts of lightning struck down.
Shen Qingluo, who had been lifted up by Ji Mingran, took a deep breath, opened her eyes, spread her ten fingers, and drew her twin swords.
“I can.” She broke free and stood up, walking between Zhu Shibai and Guan Wangzhen, who were standing on either side of her.
Ji Mingran looked up at the three people standing in front of him and was slightly taken aback.
"Thanks."
Her voice was drowned out by the deafening thunder.
But the three people in front heard it.
Just before rushing towards the lightning strike, Zhu Shibai and Shen Qingluo glanced back at her with faint smiles.
Guan Wangzhen charged forward without looking back, shouting, "No need to thank me! Never forget to maintain formation!"
"Okay!" Ji Mingran smiled, his eyes crinkling with a faint light.
The Vajra Formation rises in layers.
***
The small boat swayed precariously amidst the terrifying waves until the four of them set foot on the Central Continent. Only then did the heavenly thunder finally cease, and the lightning reluctantly swished away with the dark clouds.
The four dark, charred figures had blank stares, and their ears were still ringing.
They had been struck by lightning day and night for half a month, and they felt as if their minds had been dazed by the thunder.
"Grandma, did you really advance to the Golden Core stage or get struck by lightning for doing something bad?" Guan Wangzhen brushed aside her hair, which was stained black with charcoal ash. "We three advanced to the Golden Core stage, and it only took half a night to be struck by lightning."
Ji Mingran stretched his muscles and bones, his limbs became strong and agile, and his vision was wide enough to see for miles. He looked inward at his dantian and saw a golden elixir with the faint outline of an infant appear. He then smiled with joy.
"I've reached the Golden Core stage."
Upon further introspection, the sun rises above the azure sea, radiating warmth. The horizon is slightly lower, but the waves are surging, no longer as dry as before.
"You struck me so hard." Ji Mingran thought for a moment and said seriously, "It's probably because I'm too powerful."
What others saw as shameless boasting was readily accepted by the three fellow disciples, who replied matter-of-factly, "Indeed."
Shen Qingluo's face showed pride: "Your progress is incredibly fast. Among all spiritual cultivators, only you are like this."
"We must also work hard to cultivate in the future, so as not to hold Grandma back." Zhu Shibai cast a purification spell on everyone: "Now we can go back to the sect to report the good news."
"They'll be overjoyed to welcome us." Guan Wangzhen's chin practically floated to the sky: "Our four disciples who participated in the Spiritual Cultivation Competition are back, not only bringing a bunch of treasures, but also advancing in their cultivation levels!"
He chuckled and said, "The old folks will be very happy. Next time you get into trouble, you can use this to plead for them."
The four of them laughed and joked with each other, gazing at the scenery they hadn't seen in a long time.
The jade pendant trembled, and Ji Mingran looked down at it.
It was a message from Yu Tianxing: "I'm fine, don't worry. I'll come find you once everything is settled."
A smile spread across Ji Mingran's lips as he looked up at the horizon with a joyful expression.
The forest is lush and green, with dense branches and leaves swaying in the gentle breeze, creating wave after wave of green.
A different kind of monster roared.
Familiar sights, familiar sounds.
A strange feeling suddenly arose in Ji Mingran's heart.
A sense of belonging.
This is Guancanglin, which belongs to the Dingsheng Zonglinfeng area.
"You're back!" Ji Mingran smiled. "We're back at the sect!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
