Translator: CinderTL
"Superior Dao Artifact, Dharma Manifestation Armament..."
Li Chunjun knew the Wu Ji Sect had poured considerable effort into capturing him.
But...
If they thought his entire combat strength relied solely on the Scarlet Sky Sword and the Dharma Manifestation Armament, they were gravely mistaken.
"Dozens or even hundreds of Void Refining cultivators are converging from all directions to intercept me? Perfect!"
Li Chunjun watched the Myriad Realms Compass closing in, now enhanced by the Dharma Manifestation Armament. He unleashed his mental power, causing the sword qi storm to accelerate dramatically.
In the next instant, a sword light cleaved through the Star Abyss, its razor-sharp edge tearing through the Void. It burst free from the Myriad Realms Compass's grasp, appearing not far from Lan Jing and the others.
Transcending the Void!
Li Chunjun had activated the second form of his Void Storm Dharma Aspect—or rather, its second dao technique. He transcended the Void, moving faster than the Myriad Realms Compass could react, and broke free from the Superior Dao Artifact's lockdown, which had been further empowered by the Dharma Manifestation Armament.
"Give me the coordinates of the Void Refining cultivators on the periphery! They want to trap us like fish in a barrel? I'll turn the tables and use the 'Surround the Point to Reinforce the Reinforcements' tactic!"
Li Chunjun's Divine Sense surged.
He was no stranger to this tactic.
Back in the Azure Star Minor Realm, when he was surrounded by Core Formation cultivators from powers like the Chiyang Sword Sect, he had used this method to swiftly hunt down Core Formation cultivators, level up, and gradually surpass new thresholds in strength.
Now, his opponents had changed from Core Formation to Void Refining cultivators, but...
They were still sentient beings!
And as sentient beings, they were bound to share the common flaws of their kind!
He had understood this long ago, even before breaking out of the Profound Yellow Vast Land. Whether it was Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Void Refining, or Dharma Manifestation, the only difference was in their strength; fundamentally, they were all the same.
Just as a billionaire had once been a commoner.
Even emperors and kings, with their lofty positions and immense power, were not divinely appointed.
They were all...
just people.
"Surround the Point to Reinforce the Reinforcements?"
Lan Jing was slightly taken aback.
But Li Chunjun had escaped the Myriad Realms Compass—that was already a stroke of luck.
She dared not hope for him to pull off the tactic he had described.
Nevertheless, she quickly transmitted the coordinates to him.
Li Chunjun "glanced" at the coordinates and immediately issued his command: "Zhuo Long and his six companions excel at defense and encirclement, but they are not skilled at breaking through fortified positions or formations. You must hold them back!"
As he spoke, his figure moved like a streak of light, bypassing the six Void Refining cultivators.
"Supreme Elder Li..." Lan Jing began to say, but before she could finish, a brilliant Seven-Colored Rainbow Light erupted from Li Chunjun's body. His form, riding the Void Bridge, shot directly toward the nearest coordinate point.
This sight caused the remaining Void Refining cultivators to frown slightly.
"Why did he just leave? 'Encircle and reinforce'? It's not that easy! There are dozens, even hundreds, of Void Refining cultivators rushing here from all directions!"
"Could Supreme Elder Li have sensed the situation was turning sour and decided to flee first?"
Doubts and suspicions flickered through the Heart-Mind of the Void Refining cultivators.
"Enough!" Lan Jing quickly intervened. "The Myriad Realms Compass, which Zhuo Long and his companions have been planning for ages, couldn't even trap him. Supreme Elder Li has already proven his strength with his accomplishments! As long as he doesn't have to face more than a handful of Void Refining cultivators at once, he should be able to move freely, whether advancing or retreating!"
Seeing Zhuo Long and his group of six preparing to use the Void Bridge to pursue, Lan Jing quickly said, "Follow Supreme Elder Li's orders! Stop Zhuo Long and his group, buying him time to set up an ambush and pick them off one by one!"
As she spoke, she intercepted Zhuo Long first. With a flash of cold light from her hand, all energy flow within a radius of several thousand miles centered on Zhuo Long seemed to grind to a halt.
Even the Void Law Mysteries essential for casting the Void Bridge became difficult to activate.
This was her innate dao technique: absolute zero!
Seeing Lan Jing take action, the other five Void Refining cultivators, though harboring doubts and slightly weaker than Zhuo Long's group, had no choice but to brace themselves and charge forward.
They could ignore the life and death of Li Chunjun, the Supreme Elder who had been parachuted into the Council of Elders, but they couldn't stand idly by while Lan Jing faced danger, especially since they were capable of holding off Zhuo Long's group for a while.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
A four-person squad from the Wu Ji Sect, the closest to Zhuo Long and his group, was charging toward them at top speed!
Their strength was slightly inferior to Zhuo Long's, but they were still composed of two top-tier Void Refining cultivators and two seasoned Void Refining veterans.
Such a lineup could even hold its own against a peak-tier Void Refining cultivator like Luo Yao.
"This Major Merit can't be Zhuo Long's alone!"
"Li Chunjun is rumored to possess a great opportunity! Though the information is unconfirmed, even his Superior Dao Artifacts and Dharma Manifestation Armaments alone could provide us with the resources to forge at least a Superior Dharma Manifestation. And that's not even mentioning the rumor that he seized seven Profound Yellow Dao Fruits in the Profound Yellow Vast Land!"
"I'd say it's at least ninety percent true. Otherwise, why would the Heavenly Palace go to such lengths to cooperate with us in capturing Li Chunjun?"
"The talk of opportunities is vague, but seven Profound Yellow Dao Fruits are worth at least two hundred billion Spirit Crystals! If I could have all that wealth, I wouldn't just forge a Superior Dharma Manifestation—I could even create a Top-Tier Dharma Manifestation!"
The four Void Refining cultivators seemed frantic, as if fearing they'd be too late and Li Chunjun would be surrounded and killed by Zhuo Long's group of six.
After all, they knew that to deal with Li Chunjun, the Wu Ji Sect and the Heavenly Palace had sent a new wave of reinforcements into the Star Abyss, many of whom carried valuable treasures.
These treasures could elevate their already top-tier combat strength by an entire level.
As the four Void Refining cultivators were speeding through the Star Abyss, a Seven-Colored Rainbow Light suddenly pierced through the void.
"Void Bridge?"
The four instantly recognized the origin of this common dao technique.
"Are others coming to join us? Or is it the Profound Yellow Sect trying to intercept?"
Their thoughts raced.
But fueled by their absolute confidence in the Wu Ji Sect, they didn't interrupt the Void Bridge's transmission.
And it was this very action...
That sealed their last chance to escape the scene in time.
The rainbow light dissipated, revealing Li Chunjun's figure.
The moment they saw his face, the four Void Refining cultivators' pupils contracted sharply.
"Li Chunjun!?"
"What were Zhuo Long and the others doing? How could they have failed to trap this brat!"
"Stop wasting time! Hold him off! Immediately send a distress signal to our sect members nearby! We absolutely cannot let him break through our encirclement! We anticipated his possible escape when we set up this trap. Though our forces are dispersed, they are layered in depth. If we can hold him off for just a moment, reinforcements will arrive soon!"
"Defend!"
The four Void Refining cultivators weren't arrogant enough to believe they could defeat Li Chunjun, a formidable Void Refining cultivator with an astonishing record.
Their Heart-Minds shaken, they immediately assumed a defensive posture!
Li Chunjun wasted no time.
A sword qi storm erupted!
Myriad sword lights, defying the constraints of the Star Abyss's unique environment, surged forward like a raging tide, engulfing the four Void Refining cultivators in an instant.
Despite relying on each other and defending with all their might, unleashing powerful dao techniques one after another, they were overwhelmed by the relentless barrage of sword qi. Their dao techniques and Dao Artifacts were swiftly shattered.
The ceaseless sword qi storm then swept over their bodies, tearing them to shreds in a flash.
The entire process took only a few breaths.
After annihilating the four Void Refining cultivators, Li Chunjun beckoned, and the Scarlet Sky Sword, carrying fragments of damaged Dao Artifacts, flew into his hand.
Though these Dao Artifacts were severely damaged, they still retained some value.
He anticipated acquiring many more such fragments in the future, possibly even finding complementary materials to repair some of them.
Even if he couldn't repair them, the sheer quantity would still amount to a substantial income.
Having collected the remnants of the Dao Artifacts, Li Chunjun sheathed the Scarlet Sky Sword within his body. His Life Level 37 cultivation provided a profound foundation, allowing the sword to rapidly recover its condition.
His Void Refinement Realm cultivation meant he no longer relied on the Scarlet Sky Sword's sharpness. He could effortlessly execute the Void Bridge dao technique.
When casting this technique, he pushed the mysteries of his Void Dao Physique to their limit. Under such circumstances, Void Refining cultivators with insufficient Mind Realm cultivation would struggle to sense any warning.
As a result, when he reappeared in a starry sky and locked onto another team of three Void Refining cultivators, they showed no intention of fleeing. Instead, they charged forward to meet him.
The outcome was...
Naturally, there was no suspense.
Within a few breaths, the battle ended.
Li Chunjun cast Void Bridge again, teleporting to the next coordinate.
Due to the time lag, the Void Refining cultivators at this location had already moved some distance.
Li Chunjun didn't mind. He spent a few minutes catching up.
This team consisted of six Void Refining cultivators.
While their numbers matched Zhuo Long's team, their quality, equipment, and coordination were still far inferior.
Though the process took some time, the six Void Refining cultivators ultimately fell before the sword qi storm, their lives extinguished.
The time spent in this battle allowed the six Void Refining cultivators to send out information.
The teams that had been "closing the net" to trap their prey realized the danger and began to consolidate their forces nearby.
However, this process clearly required time.
Li Chunjun might lack combat experience in other areas, but he had some experience with the "surround and reinforce" tactic.
Furthermore, he maintained constant contact with Lan Jing and the Void Refining cultivators stationed outside the Profound Yellow Sect, striving to track the movements of the Wu Ji Sect and Heavenly Palace Void Refining cultivators.
He didn't need to know the exact location of every team. Knowing the location of three or five nearby teams would suffice. He could then rush over at lightning speed and strike them with overwhelming force.
For him, time was now the most crucial factor.
He needed to accumulate enough experience before the Void Refining cultivators of the two sects could fully consolidate their forces.
Under this brazen, unrestrained, high-mobility assault, by the time the Wu Ji Sect and Heavenly Palace Void Refining cultivators had barely managed to form teams of ten or more, three more teams had fallen under his sword.
In just half an hour, the Wu Ji Sect had lost nineteen Void Refining cultivators, while the Heavenly Palace had lost seven!
The disciples guarding the Everlasting Flame Halls of the Wu Ji Sect and Heavenly Palace watched in horror as the life lamps of their sect members quickly extinguished. Their faces turned pale as they immediately relayed the news to the resident Elders, who then passed it on to the sect's high-ranking officials.
The news sent shockwaves through the Wu Ji Sect and Heavenly Palace, both Council-level Powers.
(End of the Chapter)
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