Breakthrough in Battle

Breakthrough in Battle

"SUN QING!" The anguished cries of Xia Sheng and Zai Qiu echoed through the air, their faces drained of color in shock.

Sun Qing had been more than just a junior apprentice brother to them; he was like a beloved blood sibling. With exceptional talent, he would have undoubtedly achieved greatness within their Core Faction. His untimely death had shattered their close-knit brotherhood.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE HIM?" Zai Qiu's voice crackled with murderous intent as he glared at Quinn and Qin Wentian. They had the chance to save Sun Qing but had chosen to rescue Fan Miaoyu instead.

Qin Wentian furrowed his brow. When danger had struck, Zai Qiu had ordered them to endure it. Fan Miaoyu had acted to ease their plight. In the heat of the moment, faced with the simultaneous peril of Sun Qing and Fan Miaoyu, he had made the split-second decision to save the latter.

"I regret Sun Qing's death, but in that moment, we had no time for rational deliberation—only instinctual action," Quinn responded calmly, showing no sign of anger. Zai Qiu's face grew even darker, but before he could reply, a deadly outburst of energy erupted.

The sword light from the buried immortal condensed into a blazing sphere, enveloping the entire area. It unleashed a torrent of sword qi, causing deafening sounds as the ancient tombs crumbled. From each tomb, a primordial aura surged forth.

"ZAI QIU!" Xia Sheng's voice trembled with dread, his expression twisted in anguish. The immortals had emerged from the crumbled tombs, their eyes vacant before quickly filling with fiery rage.

"It's over..." A pallor swept over the group as terror gripped their hearts. Facing a single buried immortal had been daunting enough, and now the crumbling tombs had unleashed many of them. How could they possibly hope to withstand this onslaught?

"RUN!" Panic coursed through the survivors, their sole thought to flee.

"Disperse in all directions! Don't be caught together!" Xia Sheng's orders resounded as the Royal Sacred Region's experts scattered, bolting towards different paths.

Qin Wentian, Siko, Quinn, Wu Teng, and Fan Miaoyu dashed towards the passageway, joining many others who had the same idea. The howling wind pushed them forward as they aimed to exit this treacherous space.

In the sky, a figure materialized at the entrance to the passageway, draped in emerald robes, exuding an ancient and ferocious aura. The escape route was blocked.

"Siko, change direction!" Quick thinking compelled Siko to veer away, recognizing that these buried immortals were terrifyingly powerful. Attacking them head-on would likely result in their deaths. With the entrance blocked, the path ahead would lead to their doom.

"There are too many of them. Splitting up increases our chances of survival," Quinn whispered. Qin Wentian nodded, his voice soft. "Take care."

"Be safe," Wu Teng added his voice to the somber chorus. They each chose a different route and vanished into the wilderness, hoping to elude the encroaching threat.

The Fiend Transformation Art surged within Qin Wentian, his form shifting into a magnificent golden-winged roc. With a single graceful curve, he soared through the skies, propelling himself at staggering speeds, leaving behind a golden streak of lightning.

Amidst this breathtaking display, an observant figure below caught sight of the speeding bolt of lightning. A peculiar glint sparkled in the figure's eyes as a pair of wings sprouted from his back. Without hesitation, he took off in pursuit of Qin Wentian, his velocity rivaling the swiftness of lightning.

Qin Wentian's speed was unparalleled, but this pursuer outpaced him effortlessly. Their aerial race covered vast distances in the blink of an eye. Qin Wentian's awareness tingled, alerting him to the presence following him. Frowning deeply, he continued to race forward. After a duration, he came to a halt, reverting to his human form.

Turning around, he confronted the figure tailing him, a man garbed in eerie gray attire. Floating mid-air, the stranger bore a vacant look, his eyes locked onto Qin Wentian.

"Senior," Qin Wentian greeted, but the only response was the flapping of the stranger's wings. A gray shadow shot forth, prompting Qin Wentian to unleash his formidable Star-Seizing Palm Imprint. With a casual wave, the stranger conjured a celestial bird that thwarted the imprint, sending Qin Wentian reeling backward, blood trickling from his mouth. His aura flickered as he struggled to rise.

The stranger approached, lowering his head to gaze at Qin Wentian, his voice akin to a rumbling demon. His visage, an eerie lightning bolt, sent shivers down the spine.

"Who are you? Who am I?" the stranger questioned. His countenance, while eerie, exuded a disconcerting authority that seemed capable of piercing the depths of one's soul.

"I am Qin Wentian, but I don't know who you are, Senior," Qin Wentian replied, his fear palpable. The stranger's power was overwhelming.

"Why have you come here? Why is my cultivation sealed?" The stranger's robes fluttered as a bewildered glint flickered in his eyes.

"This place appears to be a burial ground for immortals, within an immortal palace," Qin Wentian ventured.

"Burial immortals, burial immortals…" The stranger muttered, his head throbbing with pain. He stared at the heavens, his voice rising. "Burial Immortal? Why does that name sound so familiar? Who is the Burial Immortal, and why did he entomb me?"

His voice grew louder, the wind howling in response as his demonic aura sharpened. Wings flapped, and he ascended into the sky, vanishing like lightning. His departure was marked by a trail of baleful energy.

Qin Wentian, drenched in sweat, watched him go. Those buried immortals, sealed beneath tombs for countless years, were understandably furious upon their release. Compared to them, the so-called unrivaled Heavenly Dipper experts of the Royal Sacred Region were utterly inconsequential.

After taking a medicinal pill, Qin Wentian pressed on. The landscape was dotted with ancient tombs, and he approached a Sword Tomb, an immortal sword hovering above it, radiating a palpable sword-might. Qin Wentian closed his eyes, attuning himself to the immortal aura. When he finally arose, he continued his journey, occasionally pausing at other tombs to meditate on the lingering immortal energies.

Over a month passed since he entered this realm. The desolation stretched endlessly, and the ominous warnings he had heard seemed increasingly accurate. Buried immortals, in the millions, resting beneath the earth. Was the purpose truly to select a successor?

What level of talent would one require to inherit this immortal palace?

And the voice that had boomed that day, who was its enigmatic source?

In the hushed realm of the burial ground, Qin Wentian felt an unsettling gaze upon him. His senses tingled, and he called out sternly, "Step into the light."

As his voice reverberated through the solemn silence, a figure materialized behind one of the immortal tombs. It was none other than Tu Leng, leader of the Violet Thunder Faction.

Tu Leng approached Qin Wentian with a measured stride, his eyes gleaming with a cold glint. The atmosphere thickened with danger as he drew nearer.

"Brother Wentian, fancy meeting you here," Tu Leng greeted with a deceptive smile, his tone carrying an air of familiarity.

Qin Wentian replied coolly, "What brings you here, Tu Leng?"

"I've heard that you possess a plethora of techniques, including potent immortal arts. In this perilous place, danger lurks at every turn. Brother Wentian, your life is at risk. How about you share your techniques with me?" Tu Leng's laughter held a sinister edge as he closed the distance between them.

Qin Wentian rose to his feet upon Tu Leng's arrival, his voice devoid of emotion. "Is that so? How about I share them with you right now?"

With those words, a surge of power coursed through Qin Wentian's veins, his countenance transforming into a fearsome visage. A radiant astral light enveloped him, emanating a demonic aura.

"Very well, I'll gladly accept," Tu Leng responded, his body engulfed in crimson lightning, exuding an aura of destructive might.

BOOM!

Tu Leng unleashed a powerful palm strike, sending crimson lightning bolts hurtling toward Qin Wentian. The relentless assault felt like an impending blood-soaked catastrophe, causing Qin Wentian's blood to boil and his body to grow numb from the electric charge, threatening to paralyze him.

In an instant, Qin Wentian darted away with astonishing speed.

"Why the rush to leave, Brother Qin?" Tu Leng taunted, relentlessly pursuing him. With each step, he exerted an overwhelming pressure that bore down on Qin Wentian. Tu Leng had mastered four kinds of true intent, making him a formidable adversary.

"You can't escape," Tu Leng declared. He closed in on Qin Wentian, intensifying the torrent of blood-colored lightning bolts that battered his target, magnifying the numbing effect.

Suddenly, a towering sword qi emanated from Qin Wentian, saturating the surroundings. Tu Leng furrowed his brow, witnessing Qin Wentian abruptly changing course and charging straight at him. Each stride generated a potent aura of annihilation that sent shivers down Tu Leng's spine.

Tu Leng's countenance shifted as he stomped through the air, unleashing his powerful true intent of Great Earth in an attempt to crush Qin Wentian. The two combatants hurtled toward each other.

"True intent of Sword? You've actually comprehended three kinds of true intent," Tu Leng remarked, his blood-colored lightning eclipsing the sun, crackling with ferocity.

"DIE!" Tu Leng roared, sending forth his barrage of blood-colored lightning. Qin Wentian, too, unleashed a resounding battle cry, his humming sword and its dazzling light converging to tear through Tu Leng's defenses.

The two clashed in a cataclysmic collision that reverberated with thunderous force.

The air crackled with tension as divine energy coalesced into sword-type inscriptions on Qin Wentian's palms. His body expanded, tearing through his clothing, while a luminescent astral armor enveloped him. With a mighty roar, multiple incarnations of himself materialized, their swords slashing down with immense force.

Tu Leng, too, grew in size, his body engulfed in lightning. Each strike he delivered carried destructive power that left Qin Wentian feeling as if his very blood circulation had been stifled. Numbness coursed through his body, intensifying with each passing moment.

"What an astonishing attack," Qin Wentian thought, the arteries in his body seemingly on the brink of bursting from the overwhelming destructive energy. Yet, his demonic bloodline surged violently, conjuring the spectral image of an ancient primordial demon king behind him, amplifying his aura.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!

In the throes of close combat, Qin Wentian unleashed all the stored divine energy within him, fighting with his back to the river. Their auras fluctuated wildly, and blood trickled from the corners of Qin Wentian's mouth.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!" Tu Leng's voice echoed coldly as he unleashed a torrent of lightning, intent on obliterating Qin Wentian. Blood continued to flow from Qin Wentian's mouth, but his eyes gleamed with a fiendish light. He fixed his gaze on Tu Leng and uttered, "Thank you for this battle."

As his voice faded, an overwhelming surge of demonic energy engulfed the area, shaking heaven and earth. A crimson radiance bathed the space as Tu Leng's expression twisted with dread. He retreated hastily.

Qin Wentian had comprehended four kinds of true intent, including the Mandate of Demons. His aura continued to ascend.

"Where are you going?" a spectral voice resonated. Tu Leng turned, locking eyes with a figure he had never seen before. Terror gripped his heart as he involuntarily trembled. Was this a buried immortal?

In this realm, anyone unfamiliar was easily mistaken for a buried immortal. But this figure was different.