novelraw Chapter 76 : Not Bad, Pretty Difficult to Learn
Chapter 76 : Not Bad, Pretty Difficult to Learn
Chapter 76: Not Bad, Pretty Difficult to Learn
High in the sky—
amid the dimly lit mountain peaks, dozens of streaks of light surrounded from every direction. Techniques intertwined like a giant net, suppressing the struggling figure of Cui Gao of the Five Turbid Path until he was forced steadily backward, his defeat becoming increasingly obvious.
Suddenly—
the torrent formed by the fusion of the five seals slowly came to a halt. It seemed as though the five treasure seals had completed some kind of summoning before scattering apart once more.
Among them, the four seals linked to the Canglan Mountain grand formation and the Five Elements Dojo transformed into streams of light and shot deep into the Five Elements Dojo.
Cui Xuan, Perfected Water Mirror, and the others all saw this.
A massive burden was lifted from their hearts.
Killing Cui Gao, the leader of the Five Turbid Path, was certainly important and ranked as their highest priority.
But the importance of the Five Elements Treasure Seals was self-evident.
Combined with the Five Elements Dojo and the mountain-protecting grand formation, they formed a nearly impregnable defensive force.
If Cui Xuan had not deliberately allowed Cui Yinqiu to alter the formation diagram in order to lure the Fire Element Treasure Seal back to the mountain—
the Five Turbid Path would never have been able to breach the mountain gates in the first place.
Only...
while the mantis stalked the cicada, the oriole waited behind.
None of them had imagined that there was still a hidden mastermind within the sect itself!
Cui Xuan gazed at the unrepaired crack in the heavens and the lingering power of Dao Tribulation above.
Even as a Seventh Realm cultivator, he could not suppress the deep dread within his heart.
That hidden hand had used the Five Elements Treasure Seals to break through the Heavenly Dao...
Just what was its purpose?
“My treasure seal!”
Cui Gao’s shrill scream suddenly erupted.
Out of the corner of their eyes, they saw that the Fire Element Treasure Seal, which had separated from the others, did not return to Cui Gao’s hand.
Instead, it shot off in the opposite direction, dragging a trail of light behind it as though swaying its hips while leaving.
Cui Gao let out a hysterical roar.
Immense Spiritual Essence erupted from his body as flames instantly spread and expanded.
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a five-clawed fire dragon composed entirely of magma, filling the entire sky within the mountain-protecting grand formation.
At a glance, it even looked large enough to coil around the Five Elements Dojo several times over!
Cui Xuan, Perfected Water Mirror, and the others immediately braced themselves.
Yet a streak of divine light swept past.
The charging five-clawed fire dragon dissolved into an illusory phantom before even reaching them, scattering away like drifting sand.
The real Cui Gao, covered in blood, moved like lightning.
In the blink of an eye, he teleported to the edge of the formation.
Without slowing down in the slightest, he slammed directly into the previous breach in the grand formation—
and actually broke through it.
It was only because Canglan Mountain had intentionally allowed the formation to sustain damage, combined with Fang Chang temporarily seizing control of it and drastically weakening its defenses, that Cui Gao was able to escape successfully.
Cui Gao staggered briefly in midair.
Then he transformed into thick black smoke and vanished into the night without once looking back.
Cui Xuan, sect master of Canglan Mountain, reacted the fastest.
He transformed into a streak of light and prepared to pursue.
“Sect Master! The Fire Element Treasure Seal is no longer on Cui Gao’s person! Do not pursue a desperate enemy!”
Perfected Water Mirror hurriedly shouted.
Those words struck at the critical point.
The leader of the Five Turbid Path possessing a treasure seal of Canglan Mountain was a threat so great that some even claimed it could overturn the orthodox order itself.
Now the Five Turbid Path still had a leader.
But it no longer possessed the symbolic and overwhelmingly powerful treasure seal.
“......”
Cui Xuan stopped in midair.
He looked toward the distant direction in which Cui Gao had fled.
Then suddenly spat out a huge mouthful of blood.
His aura rapidly weakened.
“Sect Master!”
“Sect Master!”
The top cultivators of the Cui Family quickly gathered around him.
Yet Cui Xuan raised a hand to stop them.
His face was pale.
“My lifespan is nearly exhausted, and these injuries cannot be healed. I originally intended to reclaim the treasure seal for the mountain gate before death, ensuring that Canglan Mountain could endure another thousand years... yet I never expected...”
He looked down toward the chaos within the mountain gates and the countless dead and wounded disciples, then shook his head painfully.
“I am already practically a dead man. You may place all blame for this scheme upon me...”
“I alone will bear this infamy...”
Perfected Yue Xi hesitated.
“And the hidden hand that tampered with the formation diagram...?”
“Search.”
Cui Xuan took a breath before continuing.
“But do not search openly. If word spreads that the grand formation was altered while under the control of our Cui Family...”
...
...
Half the palace had collapsed.
Burned earth spread everywhere amid shattered ruins.
Cui Jianghan lay beside a giant boulder, the sword wound on his chest so deep that bone could be seen. Lei Zhuo knelt on one knee nearby, his clothing completely destroyed, one arm hanging unnaturally while blackened scorch patterns covered his skin.
Not far away, two cultivators of the Five Turbid Path had already fallen—one with his head crushed apart, the other pierced through the chest.
Cheng Hua knelt on one knee upon the ground.
The wounds on her left shoulder and abdomen were deep enough to expose bone. Blood had soaked through the cloth around her waist, and bloody foam spilled from the corner of her lips with every breath.
The only person still standing before her—
was Cui Yinqiu, completely unharmed.
Cheng Hua trembled as she turned back to glance behind her.
In the distance, her junior sister had been knocked unconscious by the aftermath of the battle and lay collapsed on the ground with blood covering her face.
Yet seeing that her chest still rose and fell with breath, Cheng Hua finally sighed in relief.
“It’s over.”
Cui Yinqiu stood straight as a pine tree, sword in hand.
As she watched Cui Gao escape by smashing through the breach in the mountain-protecting formation, an expression of “just as expected” appeared on her face.
“I warned Great-Grandfather before. A direct assault on Canglan Mountain was never a good choice.”
“But he refused to listen to me.”
“He was far too obsessed with the Five Elements Treasure Seals.”
Cheng Hua slowly rose to her feet despite her trembling knees. Blood immediately slid down from her forehead, staining half her face red.
Yet her hand remained perfectly steady upon her sword.
The color in her face grew even paler.
“Evil sects and deviant paths lacking orthodox legitimacy always believe they can replace the rightful order. In the end, they are nothing more than jumping clowns.”
Cui Yinqiu’s expression remained calm as she nodded.
“Well said. Nothing more than jumping clowns.”
“You included.”
Cui Yinqiu neither denied nor affirmed it, merely letting out a soft laugh.
“I don’t mind telling you this much. The cultivators from the Blood Demon Path wanted intelligence regarding your mountain-protecting grand formation. Although I could not see everything, what I knew was already useful enough. I had long since prepared my own route of escape.”
The smell of burning ash drifted through the air.
Cui Yinqiu’s robes fluttered violently as she twirled her sword in a circle.
“To be honest, among all the disciples participating in the Direct Disciple Trial, the ones I originally most looked forward to fighting were you and Cui Wenxi... It’s just a pity that one of you became crippled while the other lost her cultivation.”
She shook her head, appearing somewhat lonely.
“I was never particularly interested in fighting you.”
Cheng Hua spoke bluntly, her expression emotionless.
“Hehe... someone like you never places anyone in your eyes. You probably don’t even remember me anymore...”
“I remember now.”
Cui Yinqiu raised her head, surprise appearing in her eyes.
Cheng Hua looked at her while the image of Fang Chang using the sword strike Ice Release surfaced in her mind.
——‘With your talent, this sword can slay a Fourth Realm cultivator.’
The aura around her slowly yet steadily began to rise.
She spoke calmly.
“A sword with only superficial appearance. Flashy, empty techniques without even the slightest sincerity.”
Cheng Hua’s expression remained utterly still, her gaze reflecting Cui Yinqiu’s figure like a blade itself.
“Worthless.”
She paused briefly before her clear gaze settled upon Cui Yinqiu’s face.
“If I had not been crippled, you would not have been my opponent either.”
By the time those words fell—
the aura surrounding Cheng Hua had already silently climbed to its peak. Her robes fluttered without wind, while invisible Sword Intent made her entire being resemble a blade unsheathed from its scabbard.
Cui Yinqiu’s face grew increasingly dark.
She sneered coldly.
“And yet right now, you are still merely a Second Realm cultivator. Neither you nor that junior sister of yours will escape death at my hands.”
She suddenly moved.
But she had underestimated her opponent.
Driven by the desire to toy with Cheng Hua, whose Dao Heart was clear and detached from worldly desire,
she had openly appeared before her.
She swung her sword.
And at the exact same moment—
Cheng Hua’s sword swung as well.
——Ice Release.
The two swords never collided.
They crossed paths in midair.
The sharp golden radiance and the plain, seemingly ordinary cold sword-light reflected against each other.
Cui Yinqiu’s expression changed violently.
She watched as the golden radiance from her slash extinguished in an instant. The cold light bypassed both her sword and her protective aura, directly severing through her heart aperture!
She stumbled backward several steps before tremblingly lowering her gaze toward the enormous sword wound on her chest...
Her clothing showed no damage whatsoever.
Her protective aura had not broken either.
Then where had this sword wound come from?!
The Fairy before her gave the answer.
Cheng Hua looked at the sword in her own hand and murmured softly:
“Ice... Release.”
The next moment—
the cold light arrived once more.
“Wait—”
Cui Yinqiu could no longer maintain her composure. Terror instantly widened her eyes.
Crack!
Her protective aura shattered explosively from the inside out.
A thin line of blood tore across Cui Yinqiu’s throat. Before she could finish speaking, shock froze upon her face as she collapsed limply onto the ground like a puppet with severed strings.
All strength drained from Cheng Hua’s body. Her face turned pale like golden paper.
Yet just as she was about to collapse—
a hand caught and supported her, carrying a familiar icy chill.
Fang Chang’s face appeared before her.
Smiling beautifully.
“That swordsmanship was quite well done.”
Some emotion surged within Cheng Hua’s chest.
She stared fixedly at Fang Chang’s face before suppressing it beneath her Dao Heart.
Her expression remained emotionless.
“Not bad. Pretty difficult to learn. It actually took me two whole hours.”