Translator: CinderTL
"Three to five years?" Wang Qiuyue shook her head slightly. "He cultivates a demonic path cultivation technique, making it far more difficult to open soul apertures than for orthodox cultivators. He must first thoroughly corrupt his acupoints to achieve the state of 'filth reaching enlightenment' before they can transform into soul apertures. Even with the Pure Origin Heavenly Dew, it's unlikely he can accomplish this in just three to five years..."
As she spoke, Wang Qiuyue's eyes suddenly lit up.
"He's already begun absorbing heaven and earth spiritual qi. Looks like things won't be so boring after all."
Bai Wei looked up at the cavern's dome, where a vortex of spiritual qi had appeared and was rapidly expanding.
Unlike Song Wen's previous absorption and leakage, this spiritual qi was being forcibly bound within his body, aiding in the cleansing of his acupoints.
As the vortex grew larger and spun faster, not only the spiritual qi within the cavern was affected, but the entire Lan Yuan Mountain, and even the heaven and earth spiritual qi beyond, began to converge toward it.
"Someone's arrived outside—probably members of the Jia Clan. I'll go handle it," Wang Qiuyue said.
"Remember, do not kill anyone," Bai Wei cautioned. "If too many members of the Jia Clan die, it will alert their higher-ups, who might even hire powerful cultivators to investigate. This would only spread the news of the Heaven and Earth Phenomenon further, potentially leading to a situation beyond our control."
Wang Qiuyue nodded and vanished beyond the barrier.
After several dozen breaths, she returned.
"Just a few golden core stage juniors," Wang Qiuyue reported. "I gravely wounded them and left them unconscious in a cave outside."
With the first wave of investigators dealt with, others soon followed. All were similarly wounded and imprisoned in the cave beyond the barrier.
As the number of captives grew, Wang Qiuyue was forced to expand the cave specifically to accommodate them.
Half a month later, the cave held over a hundred prisoners, ranging in cultivation from foundation establishment to Divine Transformation Stage. All were members of the Jia Clan.
Finally, a Void Refinement Stage cultivator arrived. But even this formidable opponent couldn't escape Wang Qiuyue's wrath and was gravely wounded.
After this, Lan Yuan Mountain fell silent, and the Jia Clan no longer sent people to harass it.
Two more years passed in the blink of an eye.
"In just over two years, Gou Jun's one hundred and eight primary acupoints have all transformed into soul apertures! This speed is simply too fast. Even among orthodox cultivators, few could achieve this in such a short time," Wang Qiuyue said, her voice tinged with disbelief as she gazed at Song Wen on the high platform.
"Whether it's the Spirit Jade Palace, the Myriad Swords Pavilion, or the Profound Sky Sect, they all emphasize a gradual approach to transforming acupoints into soul apertures. But Gou Jun is completely different. He's pushing forward with unstoppable momentum, which is likely related to the cultivation technique he cultivates."
As she spoke, Bai Wei's eyes flickered with a hint of anticipation.
"Next, he'll draw heaven and earth spiritual qi into his body to break through the bottleneck between Void Refinement and Body Integration. Then, he'll have succeeded. Gou Jun has consumed Pure Origin Heavenly Dew, so his spiritual power is pure and profound. And with the Heavenly Astral Body Integration Pill, I'm confident... he'll succeed."
Wang Qiuyue watched Song Wen voraciously absorbing heaven and earth spiritual qi and spoke softly.
"Indeed. It won't be long before we'll have to address him as 'fellow daoist.'"
Before the words had even faded, Wang Qiuyue's delicate brows furrowed.
"Someone's coming. It seems the Jia Clan has realized Gou Jun is on the verge of a breakthrough and intends to disrupt him."
"We've been cooped up in this cave hall for years. It's time we made our appearance. Let's see what kind of waves a mere Void Refinement cultivation family can stir up," Bai Wei said in a low voice.
The two women stepped out of the barrier and passed through a long tunnel, emerging from the foot of the mountain to hover in midair above the exit.
In the distance, a hundred miles away, seventeen figures stood suspended in the sky.
All seventeen cultivators were at the Divine Transformation Stage or higher. Among them were three Void Refinement Stage cultivators, including one at the mid-stage Body Integration Stage.
Bai Wei and Wang Qiuyue scanned the group. Aside from the mid-stage Body Integration elder, the other sixteen were all members of the Jia Clan.
Before Song Wen entered seclusion, he had entrusted them with a jade slip containing information on the Jia Clan's core disciples. It was through this that they recognized the sixteen figures as members of the Jia Clan.
"Over a hundred members of your Jia Clan have already fallen at my hands. They're still alive only because I don't want to slaughter them all. Leave now, or I'll wipe out your entire Jia Clan!" Wang Qiuyue commanded.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, why be so aggressive? This is the Jia Clan's Forbidden Zone. You two trespassed first. Shouldn't you be the ones retreating?" The speaker was the Late Body Integration Stage elder.
"Who are you? How do you know who we are?" Wang Qiuyue asked coldly.
"You two are the renowned Body Integration Stage cultivators from the Spirit Jade Palace. Who hasn't heard of you? As for me... I go by the name Xiang Rong the Wanderer. I'm just a rogue cultivator, so I doubt you've heard of me." The elder replied.
Wang Qiuyue frowned slightly. She had indeed never heard of this person.
"I don't care who you are. If you leave now, we'll leave each other alone, with no further conflict. I'll release the hundred-plus Jia Clan members I've captured afterward. But if you refuse..."
Wang Qiuyue's voice turned icy, and a chilling aura emanated from her.
"If you refuse, neither you, Xiang Rong, nor anyone from the Jia Clan will survive."
"Heh—"
Xiang Rong's voice carried a hint of disdain.
"You two are merely Early Body Integration Stage cultivators. This is the Jia Clan's Forbidden Zone, secretly protected by formations. If you start a fight, you might not come out on top. It's best if you leave now to avoid damaging our harmony."
Only a select few knew that Wang Qiuyue was actually a Late Body Integration Stage cultivator. She usually presented herself as being at the Early Body Integration Stage.
At that moment, a late-stage Void Refinement male cultivator emerged from behind Xiang Rong, stepping forward a few dozen meters. His tone was respectful as he spoke.
"Junior Jia Mingxuan greets the two seniors. The Jia Clan has no intention of offending you. However, this is the final resting place of our ancestor, Jia Hongyu. We implore the two seniors to show some consideration and not disturb his eternal slumber."
"Eternal slumber, my ass! Jia Hongyu is just feigning death," Wang Qiuyue scoffed.
"Qiu Yue, stop wasting time with them. If they refuse to leave and insist on courting their own demise, then let them have it," Bai Wei suddenly interjected.
She glanced at the high altitude, where Spiritual Qi was compressed like storm clouds before a tempest—thick, heavy, and majestic.
Within the Spiritual Qi, a vortex gradually formed, drawing in Spiritual Qi from all directions like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.
Clearly, Gou Jun was at a critical juncture in his breakthrough, leaving no room for error.
If Xiang Rong and the others caused any trouble, disrupting the flow of heaven and earth spiritual qi, it could very well interfere with Gou Jun's breakthrough.
"Since you two refuse to cooperate, we'll have to settle this with force. Attack!"
With Xiang Rong's roar, the sixteen members of the Jia Clan began forming seals.
Instantly, a ring of black light erupted from the ground, enveloping Lan Yuan Mountain and its surrounding hundred-mile radius.
(End of the Chapter)
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