Chapter 589: Chapter 584 Heaven’s Punishment, Earth’s Annihilation Asura War Formation

“Hmph!”

A chilly snort emanated from beneath the black robe, causing the nearby villagers who had just been relieved to be saved to shiver violently.

They looked towards the black-robed figure with terror, a figure that had appeared suddenly like a ghost.

Although they couldn’t see the face under the robe, everyone instinctively felt that whatever lay beneath was a terrifying presence.

Many villagers trembled and, with shaky legs, began to step backwards, instinctively wanting to distance themselves from the black-robed person, as if this individual was a relentless Fierce Ghost that had crawled out of the Nine Nether Hell to claim their souls!

The black-robed person paid no attention to these mortals, who were utterly devoid of mana; instead, he simply swept his icy gaze over the lingering traces of holy light at the scene, scanning the horizon to glimpse a giant beast spreading its wings in flight.

“Could it be…”

As he watched the soaring beast that was about to vanish from his line of sight, the black-robed figure’s heart stirred, and in a flash, he transformed into a murky black smoke, chasing after the trail of holy light with lightning speed, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

“Whew…”

Upon witnessing the departure of the black-robed person, who instilled deep-seated fear in their hearts, the villagers finally let out a sigh of relief.

However, before their hearts could fully settle, they heard a series of soft thuds as a dozen dark shadows suddenly shot out from under the ground, circling quickly amongst the crowd. Shrill screams echoed briefly before these shadows raced off after the black-robed person, leaving behind only desiccated corpses in their wake.

The life force and blood of these villagers had been plundered in the blink of an eye by those dark shadows!

…

Qin Feng stood on the back of the White Dragon, allowing the harsh winds of the high altitude to buffet his body, whipping his garments and hair wildly. For a moment, he felt a liberating ease of mind and almost wished to let out a long howl to vent the tumultuous emotions within.

Reflecting on the past, when he had first begun his cultivation journey, he had needed the Old Family Master to guide them from the Qin Family to the Sect, which had required a Tower Ship for transport. Although he had once contemplated the day he might command beasts to soar through the Nine Heavens, he had never imagined it would come so swiftly!

Initially, he believed that forming a Golden Core within one hundred years would already be quite remarkable, given that only the ancestral founder of the Qin Family who lived hundreds of years ago and left behind bloodline and inheritance was a Golden Core Realm Cultivator.

Yet, not even half a century had passed, and he had already cultivated to the peak of the Purple Mansion Realm, a mere step away from becoming a Dharma Image Cultivator, and his status and position had risen to heights he never dared dream of before.

After all, he was a Small Cultivator who had come from a rural Cultivator Family, with limited horizons and knowledge. He once thought that being at the Golden Core Realm was incredibly formidable, but now he realized he didn’t even take Cultivators in the Purple Mansion Realm seriously anymore.

With his current strength and realm, he could easily defeat ordinary Purple Mansion cultivators. Except for core true inheritors from top-level sects, such as Fang Chengqian from the Spring and Autumn Academy, few could withstand him for long.

Qin Feng could imagine how the medium and small families around Tieling County would envy the fortune of the Qin Family as they witnessed his rapid rise.

The news of his becoming the Master of Qi Luck had already spread throughout the entire Southern Domain, thanks to the Sect’s promotion!

In fact, it wasn’t just him; the fame of all the Masters of Qi Luck who had seized spots in the trial had spread throughout the entire Cultivation World, with the Beast Taming Sect being particularly diligent in their publicity efforts.

Since it was impossible to keep the fact of becoming a Master of Qi Luck a secret, the Beast Taming Sect decided to advertise broadly, successfully branding Qin Feng and Li Miao Zhen as figureheads of the Sect. In the Southern Domain’s Cultivation World, their names had become almost universally known, overshadowing even other Sects’ true inheritors.

Indeed, this strategy was correct; not only did it benefit the Beast Taming Sect’s business tremendously, but daily, many Cultivators flocked to the Sect’s territory. This, in turn, boosted various industries’ activities and even prompted many Cultivator Families to take pride in sending their talented descendants to the Sect.

Unless they were from a family within the Beast Taming Sect’s area of influence, it wasn’t easy for other families to send their progeny there.

To prevent accidents, the Beast Taming Sect would thoroughly screen, even tracing the roots of these Cultivator Families. They also assessed whether the talents of these families’ descendants were genuinely exceptional, and any falsely created geniuses bolstered by Spiritual Medicine would still be turned away.

Despite this, an increasing number of families were prepared to send their descendants to the Beast Taming Sect, especially those of direct lineage.

These families were shrewd indeed. Although the current strength of the Beast Taming Sect might not be much stronger than other Major Sects, it undoubtedly had greater potential.

Especially Qin Feng and Li Miao Zhen, the two Masters of Qi Luck; once they matured, they would become Immortal Golden Immortals.

Four Golden Immortals in a single Sect was already the limit for Major Sects. With the burgeoning fortunes of the Beast Taming Sect at its peak, who could say they wouldn’t become a Super Sect?

So these families sending their heirs were not merely because they believed the Beast Taming Sect’s Cultivation Methods were superior or resources more abundant, or that Cultivation would be smoother.

What they really valued was the Sect’s future!

By forming ties with a future Super Force, they could indeirectly gain protection. This would not only reduce a lot of troubles but also help leverage the Sect’s influence to garner benefits for their own families.

Even top-tier families from a million miles away were now willing to send their descendants, which spoke volumes about the benefits that Qin Feng and Li Miao Zhen’s fame had brought to the Sect.

The attitude of the medium and small families around Tieling County towards the Qin Family of Qifeng Mountain could easily be surmised as becoming even more intimate and, entertainingly enough, obsequious.

The Qin Family, after all, had become worth their currying favor!

As Qin Feng contemplated how to handle the enthusiastic relatives and the swarming medium and small families upon his return to the Qin Family, he suddenly felt a tightening in his spirit, a sense of danger surfacing.

With a swift turn of his head, whoosh, a shadow flashed by just in front of his nose.

“Someone’s ambush!”

Before he could finish the thought, he heard a series of whooshing sounds by his ear, followed by several black threads piercing the air right in front of him. He barely dodged in time–if not, he would have been perforated like a sieve.

“Who the hell is sneaking around in the shadows!”

Qin Feng turned his head, looking around as he roared, but a trace of gravity flashed across his face.

The person who had silently attacked him was so formidable that he had managed to get close without leaving the slightest trace, especially with such an attack method, silently and nearly too quick for him to dodge.

It was only because of him; had it been an average cultivator of the Purple Mansion Realm, they would likely have fallen to the first strike.

Although Qin Feng had been distracted earlier, it was only when the attack was nearly upon him that his powerful Divine Sense detected it, which showed how fearsome the hidden assailant was!

“Heh-heh-heh-heh…”

A deep, hoarse laugh came from all directions, the elusive sound making it hard to pinpoint the exact location: “Youngster, judging by your appearance, you must be a cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect!”

Then, without waiting for Qin Feng to respond, the voice continued on its own: “That’s right, in the entire cultivation world, besides the Beast Taming Sect that has a few light giant dragons from otherworlds, others really don’t have such Spiritual Beast mounts. A few years ago, a Sect offered a sky-high price but the Beast Taming Sect wasn’t willing to sell. Nowadays, no cultivator outside the Beast Taming Sect could possibly own such Spiritual Beasts!”

Qin Feng’s ears twitched, his eyes sharp and clear, as he deployed the Yin Yang Ghost Eye and suddenly looked towards a certain direction in the void: “Caught you, do you think you can hide in the depths of the void and deceive me?”

As he spoke, he used the Azure Dragon’s Probe Claw, tearing through the void and revealing a figure within.

In addition to his Yin Yang Ghost Eye, which could see through life, death, and yin yang, he was also adept in the Space Law. Techniques for hiding in voids might deceive others but were hardly sufficient in front of him.

Bang!

The shadow raised a fist and struck out, repelling Qin Feng’s dragon claw hand, and although the figure also shook, it quickly stabilized.

“Who goes there, daring to launch a stealth attack… Eh?”

Qin Feng’s words were cut off, as he suddenly uttered a surprised sound, looking hesitantly at the shadow: “A puppet?”

“Heh heh, youngster, you do have some insight, but if you think you can find me with just that, you’re far from close enough!”

The figure Qin Feng had pulled from the void spoke these words, its mouth moving.

Qin Feng looked around, not paying much attention to the puppet before him.

After just a few glances, Qin Feng’s expression had turned very ugly.

Because in the void around him, he had found thirteen abnormalities in space, and hidden within them were figures.

What was more critical was that under the scrutiny of his Yin Yang Ghost Eye Great Divine Power, all thirteen figures had no signs of life or trace of a soul, indicating that these beings, which appeared fleshy on the outside, had long been refined into puppets.

“Could it be… a cultivator of the Heavenly Corpse Sect? Or a master of the Demon Path with a Heart Demon inheritence, or some other Evil Cultivator who excels at refining Corpse Puppets and harbors a grudge against the Beast Taming Sect?”

Qin Feng was at a loss about the origins of the assailant, but since the person had attacked him in secret and used such strange methods, there was no doubt that it was a Demon Cultivator, a remnant of the Demon Path.

Even if the attacker wasn’t originally a Demon Cultivator, by attacking him and practicing such toxic techniques, they would be treated as one!

As it was a remnant Demon Cultivator, Qin Feng was not about to show any courtesy. With a mere thought, the White Dragon opened its mouth and spewed a scorching Dragon Breath towards the first shadow Qin Feng had caught.

Qin Feng felt a foreboding from the positioning of the thirteen puppet shadows around him. It seemed like some sort of War Formation. To avoid falling into the enemy’s trap, he decided to strike first, hopefully destroying one of the puppets, and prevent the one hiding in the shadows from forming a formation.

“Youngster, you do have some vision, but do you really think you can break my Heavenly Punishment Earthly Destruction Shura Formation with just your little tricks? It’s a pipe dream! Just give up your life obediently and let me refine you into a Corpse Puppet!”

As the voice spoke, the other puppets silently revealed themselves, each shooting out black threads that formed a net, seemingly preparing to entangle Qin Feng within.

“Roar…”

The White Dragon roared, a layer of Holy Light Protective Shield appearing around it, enveloping both itself and Qin Feng, as it sprayed out scorching Dragon Breaths, casting Dragon Language Magic, and launched a counter-attack against the enemy.

Its strength had surged since ascending to a Super Demon Beast and it was feeling arrogantly confident. It had thought that with its power, it could easily beat these elusive adversaries into a routed mess.

However, upon engagement, it realized how sorely mistaken it was; each puppet had combat power not inferior to its own!

So, in just a moment, the Holy Light Protective Shield around the White Dragon became precarious and on the brink of collapse!

The Dragon roared continuously, unwilling to be defeated in this battle, but the combat power of the thirteen Corpse Puppets was too strong, and what’s more, under the manipulation of that hidden presence, they had formed an array and laid down a Killing Array, boosting their combat power.

War Formations are precisely the means to overpower the strong with the weak, and even if the White Dragon could fight them one-on-one, it might not be superior to these Corpse Puppets. Under these circumstances, how could it win?