Chapter 41: The Mysterious Old Man

“Madman, go on with your madness alone, I won’t accompany you!”
At this moment, the Sect Master of the Six Paths Sect was desperate; no one would willingly wait for death in such a situation.
He struck out with all his might, no longer aiming at Yang Zhengfeng, but instead frantically bombarding the ever-shrinking grand formation that enclosed the world. He sought a chance for survival, desperately trying to break open a gap and escape from this place.
Boom!
Waves of power rippled out again and again.
A sharp laugh echoed as Yang Zhengfeng threw his head back. He too was impacted, for he had become one with the formation itself.
Under the assault of a formidable expert at the seventh tier of the Divine Demon Realm, he could hardly remain unscathed.
Yet the formation absorbed much of the attack, and could not be broken so easily.
If he could not be killed quickly, he would bury everyone here along with him.
“They’ve all gone mad!”
The Sect Master of the Six Paths Sect was beginning to panic.
He had never imagined Yang Zhengfeng would go this far. Normally, when a sect master dies, hope is not extinguished; elders, hidden assets, perhaps the sect could one day rise again.
Most sect masters would never choose mutual destruction like this.
Of course, they didn’t have the choices Yang Zhengfeng did…
And typically, as the head of a sect, one would never drag everyone down. After all, even disciples of Idle Cloud Sect were trapped within…
But Yang Zhengfeng seemed determined to sacrifice all.
“Lin Qian, die!”
Yang Zhengfeng no longer looked at the Sect Master of the Six Paths Sect. Now, fused with the formation, he was everywhere at once, his gaze fixed on Lin Qian, Li Zhenyu, and Jiang Ning!
The three of them were searching for a way out of the formation.
Six Paths Sect disciples chased after them, but Jiang Ning’s speed was astonishing, his body like a rainbow streaking ahead, leaving his pursuers far behind. There was no point in hiding his strength now; survival was all that mattered.
Boom!
Suddenly, a figure emerged from within the formation—it was Yang Zhengfeng!
Being one with the formation, he could manifest anywhere. With a sweep of his palm, a giant hand crashed toward Lin Qian!
“This old lunatic really wants to kill!”
Jiang Ning’s pupils contracted, his vigilance reaching its peak.
His inherited secret arts and bloodline powers surged within him. At the slightest sign of danger, he was ready to act.
“He’s trying to kill!”
The Idle Cloud Sect disciples did not know what was happening with Lin Qian.
They were sunk in despair and bitter at Jiang Ning, but now they saw Yang Zhengfeng slap at Lin Qian, only for her figure to dissipate!
Moments later, a graceful silhouette appeared behind them. The image in Yang Zhengfeng’s palm showed no blood, fading slowly away.
“An afterimage? No, your technique is finally taking shape.”
Yang Zhengfeng stared at Lin Qian, murderous intent flickering in his eyes.
“You killed my son. Now die!”
At that moment, the Sect Master of the Six Paths Sect struck the formation again. Yang Zhengfeng was about to pursue Lin Qian, but suddenly faltered, spitting blood.
In a flash, Jiang Ning and Li Zhenyu fled with Lin Qian.
Ahead, Li Zhenyu wore a carefree smile.
“Miss Lin, you’re unharmed—worthy of being the number one genius of Idle Cloud Sect. One day, perhaps we can admire the flowers and moon together, dine by candlelight… Wait, what the—!”
A surge of deathly energy burst from the ground behind him, not touching flesh but instantly reducing his clothes to dust.
Half his backside was exposed to the world.
“I—”
Li Zhenyu nearly cursed aloud, but caught himself when he saw Lin Qian’s silhouette pause ahead.
He almost lost his composure as a refined young master, hurriedly gathering his spiritual energy to form new garments.
Despite the urgent situation, Jiang Ning nearly burst out laughing at the sight.
“Daoist Li, you’re a bit drafty back there.”
Li Zhenyu shot him a glare, but had no time to retort. Yang Zhengfeng had appeared behind Jiang Ning without warning, another palm strike descending!
Merged with the formation, even if nothing else, Yang Zhengfeng was a powerhouse of the Divine Demon Realm. Jiang Ning could not withstand such a blow!
“You again, old monster!”
Jiang Ning gritted his teeth. This was an external incarnation, omnipresent, able to pursue them at will—but he refused to believe every avatar could be so strong!
Clearly, he was mistaken.
The gap in cultivation was too great; even as his bloodline powers roared and the force of devouring gathered in his palm, he could not resist!
Just then, the old man in hemp robes appeared once again.
Bang!
Jiang Ning was kicked aside, flung out of the center of the spiritual clash.
Boom!
“Hahaha, Idle Cloud Sect, if you’re doomed today, there’s no need to rush to kill each other, is there?”
The old man in hemp robes laughed heartily.
Jiang Ning did not know why the old man had saved him, but he was not foolish enough to linger.
He fled immediately, extending his spiritual senses and divine awareness, caring little if he was discovered—right now, escape was all that mattered.
Survival above all.
“I’ve found it!”
His celestial spirit body embraced all things; though his range of perception was not as vast as a Divine Demon expert, he could keenly sense the faint gap in the formation—now shrouded in deathly energy. Had he not known Erhuang’s escape route from Idle Cloud Sect, relying on a faint thread of bloodline resonance and his spiritual body’s powers, he might never have found it.
“Erhuang is far away, but he’s done me a great favor!”
Jiang Ning did not hesitate, racing straight for the breach.
Li Zhenyu and Lin Qian hurried after him.
“Fellow Daoist! Shall we join forces to break through?”
The Sect Master of the Six Paths Sect was still assaulting the formation, draining Yang Zhengfeng’s strength, but the encirclement was shrinking ever more rapidly.
Even if he managed to escape through the gap, all the disciples of the Six Paths Sect would perish here.
He could not accept that. He wanted to shatter the formation and save his sect’s seedlings.
“Just what I was thinking!”
The old man in hemp robes laughed and joined in!
He unleashed a Daoist technique embodying his own path, conjuring his life-bound spiritual artifact—a bronze furnace, wreathed in spiritual light and encircled by a golden crow, wondrous to behold.
He knew they must break the formation quickly, or disaster would follow!
Yang Zhengfeng’s face was icy.
At this moment, the elders of Idle Cloud Sect recovered their clarity and acted as well!
This was a fight for survival; there was no holding back. A sect master could be disobeyed—especially one who would bury the entire sect, disciples and all!
Boom! Boom!
Explosions echoed, the ground threatening to split open, the sky to collapse, space itself quaking.
Yang Zhengfeng could no longer pursue Jiang Ning and the others; if he lost focus and the formation was breached, he would die instantly!
“We’re here!”
By now, Jiang Ning and his companions had reached the breach. Though deathly energy cloaked it, they could pass through.
“My secret art should let us through!”
Even so, Jiang Ning felt uncertain—one touch from that deadly energy would turn them to dust.
Just then, his gaze flickered: atop a distant mountain peak stood an old man!
He watched as heaven and earth shifted, deathly energy surging, but the peak beneath the old man’s feet remained unmoved, like a lone boat in a raging sea—steady and unshakeable. He gazed over the whole realm.
“It’s that mysterious old man who tends the herbal garden!”