Cough, cough, cough!

Lin Bufan knelt in a pool of blood, coughing incessantly, utterly weakened. Not far from him lay the Emerald Rainbow Sword, snapped into three pieces.

Gao Cuo remained hidden in the shadows, his face also ashen and grim.

The Sword Elder’s voice reached him: “You consumed the Demonic Celestial Pill, gaining strength beyond your limit. The effects are fading; you must find a place to meditate quickly, or you will fall into extreme weakness, possibly damaging your Nascent Soul and lowering your cultivation.”

Gao Cuo inhaled deeply, Lin Bufan’s image reflected in his right eye. “This person is so skilled at healing. If I had a formidable offensive weapon, I could surely take his head!”

“One last desperate struggle!”

Divine Technique – Errant Shadow Kill!

In the next instant, in Lin Bufan’s vision, the world swam, forming countless shadows.

Tree shadows, cloud shadows, mountain shadows, and even Lin Bufan’s own shadow intertwined, converging to overwhelm him.

Lin Bufan gritted his teeth, sitting cross-legged on the ground, forcing himself to form seals.

His Nascent Soul was dim, squeezing out the last remnants of his magic power, condensing it into countless emerald lights, forming a protective armor.

“Not enough!”

Lin Bufan had clashed with Gao Cuo for a long time, knowing the power of the enemy’s techniques. He immediately took out a seed from his storage ring.

The seed was planted directly into his abdomen, taking root and sprouting within his flesh and blood, quickly growing into vines.

Crimson and green vines reinforced the emerald light armor, making it one with his being.

Crimson Vines, Green Armor!

Overlapping shadows intertwined, grinding incessantly against the armor, emitting a sizzling sound.

The armor was being shredded into countless fragments, but with the surging emerald light, it was rapidly regenerating.

A stalemate was formed.

“This fellow only cares about defending himself. Even if I leave this battlefield, I won’t be able to trouble him further.” Gao Cuo secretly gnashed his teeth. His own magic power was also running low, so he could only persist.

He gambled that Lin Bufan’s remaining magic power was less than his.

If Lin Bufan lost the gamble, he would die tragically on the spot.

If he lost the gamble, he could still retreat with ease.

However, just as this life-and-death struggle was about to reach its conclusion, a crimson arc streaked across the sky.

The crimson arc suddenly paused, and with a light sound, descended.

“This place is strange!” A figure gradually became clear within the crimson arc. It was a female cultivator, stout and imposing, tall and large, wearing a large, red court dress.

Gao Cuo immediately recognized her: “Fairy Crimson Sleeve? This is bad.”

In the next moment, Fairy Crimson Sleeve directly unleashed a technique, striking the unremarkable valley below.

Gao Cuo was already at the end of his strength. If his power were normal, he could still rely on illusions to conceal himself, but at this moment, he was powerless. He could only watch as his illusion was shattered, revealing the true appearance of this battlefield.

The Sword Elder sighed deeply: “I didn’t expect Crimson Sleeve to see through your illusion. Not simple! Her main cultivation is the Giant Strength Mountain Moving Art. This technique shouldn’t have such power. She must have a great treasure on her.”

Gao Cuo gritted his teeth, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He took one last look at Lin Bufan: “Retreat!”

His movement immediately alerted Fairy Crimson Sleeve, who looked towards Gao Cuo’s direction with suspicion.

“Hmm?”

In the next moment, techniques rained down like a storm, covering the area.

Gao Cuo immediately activated a talisman, adding speed to his escape technique. His speed surged, and in an instant, he flew towards the horizon.

Fairy Crimson Sleeve saw his speed and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

She didn’t pursue him, landing in front of Lin Bufan.

Lin Bufan still wanted to resist, but he was forcefully seized by Fairy Crimson Sleeve and captured alive on the spot.

“Hold on.”

“Immortal Master, I have countless riches. Can you spare my life? I can repay you with wealth.”

Unexpectedly, Fairy Crimson Sleeve smiled and sent a spiritual message: “Lin Bufan?”

Lin Bufan was slightly startled.

In the next moment, he was knocked unconscious by Fairy Crimson Sleeve.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself in a natural cave.

Heavy footsteps echoed, and then the massive Fairy Crimson Sleeve, carrying a bowl of porridge, walked around the corner of the cave, entering Lin Bufan’s view.

“Drink this bowl of porridge, and your injuries will recover quickly,” Fairy Crimson Sleeve said.

She was large and sturdy, but her voice was very soft.

Lin Bufan looked at the spiritual porridge, unsure of Fairy Crimson Sleeve’s intentions. As he pondered, another cultivator entered his sight.

Seeing the newcomer, Lin Bufan was overjoyed: “Divine Constable Zhu!”

The newcomer was none other than Zhu Xuanji.

Zhu Xuanji nodded and smiled at Lin Bufan: “Sect Master Lin has kept me searching.”

Lin Bufan immediately relaxed, knowing he had been rescued by Zhu Xuanji.

He said with lingering fear: “I encountered a master. His illusion technique was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, extremely formidable.”

He briefly recounted his battle.

Basically, throughout the battle, Lin Bufan was in a very passive situation. Gao Cuo’s Separate Form, Errant Shadow had caused Lin Bufan great hardship. Several times, his flying sword even shot towards himself.

“I am ashamed!”

“This person almost forced me into a deathly state, yet I don’t even know his appearance, whether he is male or female.”

Lin Bufan sighed deeply, took the spiritual porridge offered by Fairy Crimson Sleeve, and took a small sip.

Fairy Crimson Sleeve said: “The Battle of Thousand Peaks Forest has attracted too many cultivators. It’s not strange to have a few individual masters. Sect Master Lin’s survival from a great calamity will surely bring future blessings.”

Zhu Xuanji couldn’t help but show a solemn expression: “To be able to force Sect Master Lin to this extent, this person’s methods are indeed formidable. He is indeed a master among Nascent Soul cultivators.”

“However, he kept himself deeply hidden from beginning to end, which perhaps indicates he has another identity.”

“If not one of the upright individuals outside the Thousand Peaks Forest, then he is someone within the Thousand Peaks Forest.”

“Let’s not concern ourselves with him for now.”

“Sect Master Lin, recover quickly. We have more urgent matters to attend to!”

Lin Bufan, while gulping down the spiritual porridge, looked at Zhu Xuanji in confusion.

Zhu Xuanji said: “The Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts have gone to ambush the Three Generals Camp. They want to capture Ning Zhuo alive.”

Lin Bufan’s face immediately paled: “The Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts are strong experts among Nascent Soul cultivators, with widespread reputation. The combat strength of a single one of them far surpasses the mysterious strong enemy who forced me into such a state.”

“Even if Ning Zhuo is strong, he only has the combat strength of the Core Formation level. How can he withstand the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts?”

Zhu Xuanji: “Therefore, we must rush to reinforce him as quickly as possible.”

Lin Bufan hesitated, looking at Zhu Xuanji and Fairy Crimson Sleeve: “Just the three of us?”

Thousand Vine Talisman Heavenly Corridor.

Ning Zhuo’s mechanical army targeted the left path, pushing forward relentlessly.

Ning Zhuo disregarded casualties and added battle formations. Wherever his mechanical army went, it was like a bamboo splitting!

The Three Generals Camp moved on the mountain, slowly following the corridor.

Each time Ning Zhuo conquered a section of the corridor from within and gained control, the talisman leaves outside the corridor lost their reaction and their defensive capabilities were nullified.

Therefore, the Three Generals Camp only followed, with Generals Liu, Guan, and Zhang on high alert, ready to reinforce Ning Zhuo at any time.

When they attacked the Ten Li Burning Forest, they encountered an unexpected problem, the Divine King of the Fire Crown Divine Cedar.

According to their estimation, a similar situation might exist in this Thousand Vine Talisman Heavenly Corridor.

However, as Ning Zhuo’s mechanical army pushed forward all the way to the end, they did not encounter any divine kings.

The cultivators remaining in the corridor, apart from the initial clash, offered very little resistance, often scattering at once.

There were even many who knelt down on the spot and surrendered directly.

“Currently, the resistance encountered is very low.”

“Our decision was correct. Deliberately staying and resting in the Ten Li Burning Forest for a few days was to let this news spread.”

“Strongholds like the Ten Li Burning Forest and the Thousand Vine Talisman Heavenly Corridor are not typical forces; they are primarily focused on cultivating resources.

Therefore, many cultivators would immediately withdraw after hearing the news.”

“We must still be cautious, in case it is the enemy’s tactic of underestimating us. We can only relax once the entire Heavenly Corridor is occupied by us.”

“That’s right. The Thousand Vine Talisman Heavenly Corridor might also have a divine king secretly cultivated by the Ginseng Root Dragon King!”

The four of them, Liu, Guan, Zhang, and Ning, maintained close communication through magical artifacts.

Just then, an anomaly occurred.

Behind Ning Zhuo, a pale blue ice mist suddenly emerged.

From the mist, a white bone claw extended, striking like lightning towards Ning Zhuo’s back.

At this moment, Ning Zhuo, as if having eyes in the back of his head, rolled forward directly, avoiding the bone claw.

His spiritual consciousness was spread everywhere, covering the entire mechanical army, so he could naturally see behind him. However, even if his spiritual consciousness could detect it, his own ability would not be enough to evade it.

Just a moment ago, the mechanical ring in Ning Zhuo’s hand gave him a strong warning, making him extremely vigilant.

This was the main reason he could avoid the sneak attack.

However, Ning Zhuo, who had dodged the first blow, was still in danger.

He had just rolled three steps away when ice mist also appeared on his left and right sides. Two white bone skeletons emerged from the ice mist.

All three skeletons emitted the aura of the Core Formation level, launching a siege on Ning Zhuo.

In a critical situation, Ning Zhuo desperately dodged, while summoning mechanical fists and feet to serve as emergency shields.

The reinforcement of the Valiant Warrior’s Return Technique had already raised his combat strength to the Core Formation level.

The close combat skills he diligently practiced at the Myriad Medicine Sect allowed him to dodge most of the attacks. He relied on mechanical fists and feet to fill the gaps in his defense against the remaining surprise attacks.

Bang, bang, bang.

These mechanical fists and feet were not of high grade; Ning Zhuo had made them while he was at the Myriad Medicine Sect.

After a few rounds, they were all destroyed, scattered on the ground in pieces.

The inner walls of the entire Thousand Vine Talisman Heavenly Corridor were also covered with claw marks, and most of them were transparent.

These attacking skeleton assassins had contained, ruthless, and insidious attacks. The corridor’s material, which was at the Core Formation level, was easily torn apart.

Suddenly, the three white bones paused in place, straightening their arms, their palms facing Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo’s heart leaped, and he immediately felt something was wrong.

In the next moment, countless frost gathered together, producing an unusually intense ice explosion.

This section of the corridor was directly shattered by the enormous ice within.

But in the next moment, green light burst forth within the ice, and towering trees grew out wildly.

The canopies of the trees became dense, like giant umbrellas, completely covering this section of the corridor.

Thick vines, like giant pythons, struck out in all directions, causing the white bone skeletons to constantly dart up and down amidst the dust and tremors.

Ning Zhuo hid deep within the tree canopy, holding onto the trunk, panting heavily.

The recent surprise attack had left him exhausted, and only now did he recover his breath.

If those bone claws had truly hit Ning Zhuo’s body, based on his defensive methods, his fate would basically be the same as the inner wall of the corridor.

“Attacking me with three Core Formation level white bone skeletons? Which cultivator in the corridor hates me so much?”

Under the cover of the tree canopy, he finally had a chance to look into the distance and examine these skeletons closely.

He saw that their heads were inverted triangle-shaped like a mantis, with three spiral ice horns arranged horizontally on their foreheads, and ice-blue ghost fires burning in their eye sockets.

They were hunched over, with backward blades on their thirty-six vertebrae, long limbs, ice spines at the joints, and pointed ice blades for fingers and toes.

Their rib cages shone with ice light, and the shadows of defensive talismans flickered from time to time.

Their tailbones extended to the ground, forming a long bone whip. The bone whip was covered with barbs. During the recent sneak attack, Ning Zhuo was almost struck by the whip several times.

Ning Zhuo’s pupils slightly relaxed. Connecting this to the knowledge in his belly, he immediately identified the identities of these assassins—Snow Bone Rakshasa!

Identifying their identities was only a matter of an instant.

Ning Zhuo immediately saw flames erupting at the edge of his vision.

He turned his head and found that the entire Three Generals Camp was engulfed in a sea of fire.

This sea of fire was not normal; the flames were yellow-green and emitted piercing screams when they burned.

Ning Zhuo didn’t need to combine this with the knowledge in his belly this time; he recognized the source of the sea of fire at a glance.

Divine Technique – Netherworld Fire Inferno!

He had personally experienced the power of this technique.

It was the technique used by Qi Bai when he fought with Ning Zhuo in the Fire Persimmon Immortal City back then.

Therefore, Ning Zhuo had a deep impression of it and recognized it at a glance.

“Could it be that people from the Soul Devouring Sect have arrived?”

“Such fire indicates at least a cultivator at the Nascent Soul level.”

“Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts!”

Ning Zhuo’s heart immediately froze.

Since the great battle, the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts, due to their participation and the use of the Ghost Gate Pass, were immediately known to the armies of the two states.

Ning Zhuo naturally knew about this military intelligence, and it felt like a heavy stone had been placed in his heart.

“The Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts are strong experts among Nascent Soul cultivators, renowned throughout the states. Even if I combine forces with the Three Generals, we won’t be their match!”

Ning Zhuo himself, with the help of the mechanical army, could leverage combat strength at the Core Formation level.

The Three Generals Camp, when fighting with full effort, could battle beings at the Nascent Soul level. However, this combat strength was specifically between Ma Feitui and Tu Ming.

And the combat strength of any single one of the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts was widely recognized as stronger than Tu Ming.

Tu Ming mastered the divine ability Myriad Serpent Poison Flow and was a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

The Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts were both True Monarchs, and each of them mastered more than one divine ability!

“Be careful, the newcomers are likely the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts!” Ning Zhuo urgently communicated with Liu, Guan, and Zhang.

As soon as he finished communicating, he abruptly looked up and saw a meteor crashing down from the sky.

The white ice meteor brought with it howling strong winds, pressing down fiercely.

Ning Zhuo spurred his magic power, coordinating the wood element technique Pine Wave Emerald Tide, launching a counterattack.

The sound of pine waves surged, and the emerald light surged forward like a giant wave, rushing towards the white ice meteor. However, it was like waves crashing against a reef; the latter was difficult to shake, only reducing its momentum by thirty percent.

Ning Zhuo immediately used the Tree Realm Descent again. The ground rose high, and countless trees and vines broke through the earth. The towering trees continuously grew taller, forming a wall-like protection.

Wood Element – Bamboo Joint Green Toughness!

Ning Zhuo added another layer of protection to the giant trees.

This was a technique that Linghu Jiu had once used. With his profound wood element realm, Ning Zhuo had gained insight after seeing it once.

Now, he had completely replicated it.