Chapter 234: The Dark Cultivators of Da Li


    "**Moo!**" Brother Ox’s expression grew furious. The iing group was clearly not here for peaceful discussions.


    Chen Xun’s eyes shed with lightning as he assessed the situation. Three were at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, two at early Nascent Soul, and the rest at Golden Core. This was a powerful force—strong enough to establish a sect and dominate in ces like Qian Country.


    “Brother Xun... what do we do? Run?” Xiao Chi trembled in fear, hiding behind Chen Xun. The five small boats out on the stormy sea, shrouded in the heavy rain, only made the scene more eerie.


    This ind seemed far from simple—there might be treasure here. Otherwise, why would it be absent from the sea charts?


    Xiao Chi had never faced such strong opponents, and those people didn''t even look fully human.


    “Xiao Chi, stay behind us,” Chen Xun said calmly, still seated in his chair. He nced at Brother Ox. “Brother Ox, these are true dark cultivators from Da Li. Truly formidable.”


    Brother Ox nodded heavily, his breathing in hot snorts. His body began to glow with the radiant chains of the Five Elements, barely containing the terrifying power within.


    Xiao Chi’s fear intensified as it noticed the surrounding spiritual energy bing strange, its own power sluggish. It looked at Brother Ox in horror. Brother Ox was bathed in brilliance, but this was not spiritual energy!


    The five boats on the ocean suddenly came to a halt as they neared the shore, sensing something amiss."Leader, this man, and his two spirit beasts are all at the Golden Core stage, no doubt about it," said one of the dark cultivators in a sinister tone. His hands were already encased in a ghostly white energy. “That tree doesn’t look like it’s from Da Li.”


    “He''s not as simple as he appears. Prepare the array,” the elderly woman leading them said, her eyes locking onto Chen Xun. “Leave no survivors.”


    “Yes.”


    “Yes.”


    …


    The five boats’ ck-robed figures shot into the sky, their pale energy streams quickly linking together. In no time, a massive surge of white energy formed in front of them.


    "**ck Yin Annihtion Spirit Array!**" the group shouted in unison, and the air seemed to shatter with the explosive surge of power. They formed a massive blood-red array beneath them, using themselves as the array’s core, knowing that its destruction meant certain death.


    Deathly energy coiled and surged, converging into a massive ck sphere in the sky, causing ripples of darkness to spread across the sea.


    Without warning, they all gestured forward, sending countless ghostly des shooting out from the ck sphere.


    **Shing! Shing! Shing!**


    The sea began to hiss and steam under the onught, and even the torrential rain evaporated in the heat of the attack. These spectral des moved so fast and with such deadly intent that they aimed to kill their target in an instant, giving no room for a Golden Core-level opponent to react.


    **Moo!!**


    In the storm’s fury, Brother Ox let out a roar, stepping into the air and unleashing a bellowing call. His Five Elemental gs shot out from his Nascent Soul, and the radiant power of the Five Elements erupted beneath him.


    A massive barrier of light surrounded Chen Xun, Xiao Chi, and their ship as waves surged higher, crashing violently.


    **Boom!**


    In the instant that the ghostly des struck, the two forces collided with a deafening impact. The sh created shockwaves that reverberated across the sky, causing an explosion of water and three dim, flickering lights at the center of the battlefield.


    Three Nascent Soul-stage dark cultivators shot towards Brother Ox, their eyes cold as they unleashed their weapons and sealed off three directions. Not a word was spoken.


    Brother Ox nced at Chen Xun, who gave a slight nod.


    "**Moo!!**" Brother Ox became a blur of motion, a shimmering figure in the air as heunched into battle. Explosions of spiritual energy followed his every move. Xiao Chi’s senses could no longer keep up—this level ofbat was terrifying beyond belief!


    "Brother Xun… just how powerful are you and Brother Ox…?" Xiao Chi was wide-eyed, its entire body numb with shock. It had never seen them fight seriously before, and these ck-robed figures were clearly not to be trifled with.


    "Don’t worry," Chen Xun said coolly, his gaze locking onto the two Nascent Soul dark cultivators still standing on their boat.


    They nced at each other, brows furrowing. How could that ox-beast possibly be at the Nascent Soul stage and evenly matched against three Nascent Soul cultivators? Why hadn’t they noticed earlier?


    “Attack—dy could be fatal. The ox-beast is protecting that man.”


    “Understood.”


    The two cultivators'' eyes shed with a ghostly light as they vanished from the boat in an instant, reappearing with deadly precision. Each raised a long, shadowy de infused with the power to destroy the soul itself—a terrifying Soul-Extinguishing weapon.


    **Shing! Shing!**


    The winds howled as massive waves crashed against the shore. The two cultivators lunged at Chen Xun, closing the distance in the blink of an eye, their Soul-Extinguishing des cutting through the air with deadly precision.


    "**Brother Xun!!**" Xiao Chi let out a desperate scream, realizing how fast the attack was. Its spiritual sense was blocked; it couldn’t even react in time.


    "**Die!**" The two dark cultivators grinned malevolently, now so close that they could see every detail of Chen Xun’s face.


    Chen Xun remained seated calmly, a protective barrier shimmering around him.


    **Boom!**


    A deafening gust of wind exploded outward as the two dark cultivators’ faces contorted in shock. Their Soul-Extinguishing des had failed to even scratch the barrier, and the man hadn’t been affected by the soul-destroying energy.


    Chen Xun’s eyes narrowed as he took in the two, their features twisted and unnatural—neither human nor ghost.


    The two dark cultivators retreated swiftly, terror filling their eyes. Their attack had failed, and the man stood untouched. What kind of monster were they facing?


    “Who are you?!”


    “No need for questions. Either you ascend today, or I make a run for it.”


    Chen Xun rose slowly, his robes billowing in the wind as his overwhelming presence began to rise. “Attacking me and my brothers the moment we meet? How very disrespectful.”


    Xiao Chi trembled as it was forced to back away by the sheer weight of Chen Xun’s presence. It still didn’t know who these two powerful figures were. The kind of might theymanded was beyond anything it had ever imagined.


    “Summon the Ghost Infant!” the old woman’s voice turned vicious. This battle was not going to end peacefully.


    “Understood.”


    The other dark cultivator nodded grimly. They had clearly underestimated their opponent, but it was toote to turn back now.


    **Wooooo! Wooooo! Wooooo!**


    The two dark cultivators shed their hands together, calling forth a torrent of ghostly mes as their Nascent Soul power erupted. A massive ghostly infant formed behind them, still draped in dark robes, but its skull was covered in ayer of long hair.


    The ghost infant opened its arms wide, forming a massive hand of ghostly mes that began to descend upon Chen Xun.


    With a cold snort, Chen Xun’s entire being red with radiant light, the power of the Five Elements surging like a tidal wave.


    Behind him, his Nascent Soul burst into existence, towering over the ghost infant. The once-mighty infant now seemed tiny inparison, its dark energy recoiling in fear as it was absorbed into its own body.


    Chen Xun’s Nascent Soul punched forward, shattering the ghostly infant’s massive hand with a single blow.