Chapter 207 (1)

Qiao Mu felt the familiar pain as the red flames surrounded his body. This was the Etching Bones Li Fire that Qiao Mu had experienced before. This was a special symbol created by a powerful cultivator from Immortal Gate, designed to use martial artists as opponents. It used internal strength and flesh as fuel, even burning bones to ashes. Even a first-ranked martial artist in spiritual refining couldn’t withstand it head-on. They could only rely on their spiritual refining intuition to avoid it in advance or cut off the limbs engulfed by the Etching Bones Li Fire to prevent the whole body from igniting. Dao Ni was obviously cunning. He had prepared a trap near himself in advance, composed of dozens of Etching Bone Li Fire Talisman. It was a prepared trap. Qiao Mu was pressed for time and every second counted, so he ignored his intuition and accidentally stepped into the fire array. In an instant, the flames spread throughout his body, turning him into a burning man. Dao Ni was startled by the sudden change. He turned back and looked in surprise while holding the bottle of medicine. "I have ignited again… but it’s not important." Ignoring the roaring flames around him, Qiao Mu’s entire body suddenly unleashed a burst of inner strength. He wanted to take advantage of the moment and break through the sea of fire. Just as the surging inner strength flowed out of his body, it immediately ignited the Etching Bones Li Fire, burning even more intensely than Qiao Mu had expected. He couldn’t temporarily suppress the flames, not even as much as before. Inner strength and the Etching Bones Li Fire of the immortal path were like water and fire. Although a sufficient amount of inner strength couldn’t extinguish the fire, it could temporarily suppress the flames. However, this time, Dao Ni had prepared a lot of fire symbols, which unexpectedly turned Qiao Mu’s entire body of inner strength into fuel. Qiao Mu could barely open his eyes now. Surrounding him was a raging sea of fire, with the spreading Etching Bones Li Fire scorching his eyes. His tears evaporated as soon as they flowed out. He tightly closed his eyes, only able to hear the howling wind beside his ears. "Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method!" Qiao Mu once again unleashed the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method. Within his limbs and bones, a new force emerged. Hundreds of years worth of inner strength flowed out again, bringing forth a thick stream of blood amidst the blazing fire. With a sudden burst, the flames that were swirling around him temporarily subsided and retreated a little. Meanwhile, Qiao Mu bent his knees slightly, preparing to unleash his power and break free from this sea of fire. He took a heavy step forward, but at this moment, the ground beneath his feet suddenly sank, causing him to not only lose the opportunity to break free, but also become trapped in a patch of quicksand, unable to escape. The raging flames engulfed his figure, and the more he struggled, the deeper he sank in the quicksand. "Luckily, I am not a martial artist but a cultivator," a voice came from afar. This voice belonged to Dao Ni, a disciple from the Great Dao Sect. Dao Ni had lived for a long time. Though he appeared middle-aged, his actual age was over a hundred. He had been a martial artist centuries ago. His martial talent was ordinary, only reaching the 6th rank in his cultivation. He relied more on wit than superior martial skills to win. This habit persisted even after he joined the Immortal Gate, up until now. As he watched Qiao Mu being gradually swallowed by the quicksand and surrounded by flames, he couldn’t help but feel relieved. No matter how good a martial artist’s lightness skills are, what does it matter if they can’t fly over rooftops, walk on walls, and leave no footprints in the snow? Without a wall to borrow force from, how can one fly over rooftops? Without any snow under their feet, how can they leave no footprints? Even if one has immense strength, they will still struggle to perform in a place where there is no support to be found. This quicksand sea is actually a trap he set up in advance… Since Dao Shun had a similar experience before, how could Dao Ni not be cautious of an ordinary martial artist approaching? In fact, his cultivation in the immortal way is similar to Dao Shun’s, both in the early stages of Foundation Building, but he has just a tiny bit more spirit stone and a tiny bit more cunning. However, the figure burning in the whirlpool of quicksand didn’t fall down. As Dao Ni’s voice came through, the distorted face burning inside the flames slightly turned and looked towards the source of the sound. The distance between both sides is about twenty meters. When a martial artist releases their internal strength outside of their body, it quickly weakens and generally can only be effective within a range of ten meters. Even though Qiao Mu also practices martial arts, he has been cultivating for over a hundred years and can temporarily unleash powerful skills that are equivalent to more than five or six hundred years, using the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method. He has an immense amount of internal strength, and even if it diminishes, he is not comparable to an ordinary martial artist. "Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method: Shattered Illusion Finger!" Amidst the blaze, his qi and blood surged throughout his body, giving it his last burst of strength. He pointed his finger towards the sound, reaching it from afar. A fierce red force from his fingertip shot out like a fleeting blood-colored arrow, breaking through a distance of twenty meters in an instant. The bloody aura faded slightly, but his finger still penetrated Dao Ni’s forehead. The force from his finger pierced through Dao Ni’s forehead, sending his entire body soaring in the air with tremendous impact, and then… transforming into a thin sheet of paper, slowly drifting down to the nearby sandy ground. "It’s not a real person?" Qiao Mu could no longer see anything, but he could vaguely sense that what he struck was not a real person. The surrounding flames and flowing sand also didn’t stop. Searᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Gradually losing his breath, Qiao Mu began to lose consciousness, his body gradually disappearing within the flames and being gradually swallowed up by the swirling quicksand beneath his feet. Once his figure completely disappeared, after a while, a rainbow light flickered and landed in this barren land. "Luckily, I outperformed him," Dao Ni had a somewhat frightened expression on his face. The villain understood the reason behind talking too much and dying. When he was young and still a martial artist in the world, he heard similar stories from storytellers. Therefore, the paper man who spoke out was just another trap. It enticed Qiao Mu to unleash his last burst of strength when he lost his sight and senses. The paper man and the spell array were all prepared in advance. His true form had been hiding in the air all along. "This mortal named Joe is indeed extraordinary. He made Senior Dao Zhen see him in a different light, just as expected." Dao Ni landed and casually picked up a Qi-restoring pill from the medicinal bottle to replenish his rapidly consumed mana. First, he used the paper man to impersonate himself and set up an illusion formation to conceal his figure. Then, he arranged two formations, quicksand and fire runes, in the surroundings. Finally, he summoned three hundred bean generals and continuously took Qi-restoring pills to make up for the quickly depleted mana. Going back and forth several times, each step was costly; it could be said that it was an invincible fortress built with spirit stones. Dao Ni was surprised to see that his backup plan was actually put to use. The tricks he used on the immortal cultivators he usually targeted were generally not easily fooled. "There’s no time to waste, I need to contact the sect immediately and inform them of these matters," said Dao Ni, who was always cautious. After confirming that the enemy was dead, he immediately took out two messages. Dao Xu’s message was originally intended for Dao Ni to use as a means of seeking help. If things got out of control, he could seek help in a timely manner, and a deacon from the sect would soon come to assist. Dao Ni had already won the battle and was not in danger, but he still took out two messages. One to inform Dao Xu and one to inform Dao Zhen. Dao Ni usually kept Dao Xu informed, but he also secretly had contact with Dao Zhen. His talent in cultivation was not particularly good, not as promising as the other elders’ children, so he had to be a bit more cunning than others. Nothing else, be prepared to avoid trouble, just seeking for the word "stability" only. But when he finished doing this, he suddenly felt something and looked down at the sand table beneath his feet. ……………… A moment ago. On the sandy battlefield in front of the lonely city. Qiao Ruosen’s figure was torn apart by more than a dozen giant soldiers, blood splattered on the yellow sand, and he died. Qiao Ruosen was the sharpest spearhead in this lonely army, but when the spearhead was broken, there were still over two hundred bean generals left, indicating that the situation had gone. However, the more than three hundred old soldiers didn’t stop, but instead bravely led the way. The total number of old soldiers was a little over three hundred, already slightly more than the number of bean generals. But as the two armies collided head-on, casualties quickly occurred on the side of the old soldiers. They haven’t yet figured out how to overcome the tough and resilient bean general, so engaging in battle would be like hitting a rock with an egg. Although the veteran soldiers didn’t retreat, they all knew deep down that the situation was already lost. Qiao Ruosen couldn’t stop them, and they couldn’t be stopped either. Their lives were nearing their end, just like the lonely city that had stood in the desert for forty years approaching its doomsday. Captain Hai, covered in blood, raised his sword and let out a long roar: "My dear comrades, today please join me on the journey to the underworld." "We are soldiers of Great Yan, we can die but we cannot bow down. If we were to kneel, would Great Yan still exist?" The veteran soldiers behind him also raised their swords high and fought fiercely, drenched in blood. Up on the city gate tower, Storyteller Clairvoyance let out a faint sigh. The purpose of Tide Listening Building is to only listen to the tide and not interfere with worldly affairs. He, Clairvoyance, had already become one of the pillars of the building, but after living a stable life, he unexpectedly had the urge to venture into this Hundred-mile Desert. This is his first time getting involved in the great tide of the world, but who would have thought that under this attempt, he would risk his own life. The rules of Tide Listening Building should not be easily broken, even if he is Clairvoyance, a person with extraordinary abilities. While he sighed, a middle-aged man with white hair dressed in green robes walked slowly behind him. He was not affected by the somber atmosphere, with only a hint of confusion on his face. "Storyteller, tell me, are their deaths worth it? You are good at talking, aren’t you?" Earth Sword Immortal asked slowly. "Since you came from Jiu Province, you naturally know how chaotic it is outside, both in Jiu Province and Great Yan." Although Earth Sword Immortal had also been trapped in the city for thirty years, Lu Yanbei was his brother. Although Lu Yanbei kept silent about the experienced veterans in the city, he informed Earth Sword Immortal about the situation in Jiu Province. "The remaining soldiers of Great Yan who are loyal to the Great Yan Imperial Court have already decayed and fallen." Earth Sword Immortal said calmly. "The veterans said that if they kneel, there will be no more Great Yan… but what if Great Yan had already knelt?" "Is this considered a kind of foolish loyalty?" "In the past, many officials and generals of the Great Yan Imperial Court pursued the goal of leaving their names in history." "Even in death, can their names be remembered in history?"