Chapter 780: Chapter 436 Exploration_2
This blow was considerably weaker than Elder Jin Kai’s, but that was to be expected, since Elder Jin Kai’s cultivation was at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.
However, Ancestor Lu’s expression darkened. When he made his move, he had thought that, given Elder Jin Kai’s strength and the fact he only cleared a fifty-meter range of Third-grade Ghost Souls, perhaps Elder Jin Kai didn’t want to exert himself fully.
It was only when he attacked himself that he realized how severely this Grotto Heaven suppressed the power of a Nascent Soul Ancestor.
It was almost unimaginable that a Nascent Soul Ancestor’s strength could be suppressed. The rules of this Grotto Heaven must be terrifying indeed.
He too retreated back into the Nine Palace Formation, taking over the spot from Elder Zuo, who flew out of the formation allowing it to advance a further ten-plus meters.
Elder Zuo did not use his Dharma Manifestation, but instead wielded an offensive Secret Technique, turning Spiritual Power into flames that scorched towards the front.
Amidst the flames, the Third-grade Ghost Souls emitted piercing cries, yet he felt not a hint of joy. On the contrary, his face showed a look of embarrassment.
For his attack did not slay even a few Third-grade Ghost Souls, merely inflicting some damage to those within the attack range.
“Mr. Zuo, Ghost Souls can only be dealt maximal damage by using Dharma Manifestations!” Ancestor Lu called out as a reminder.
It couldn’t be blamed on Elder Zuo, who rarely came into contact with ghost souls and therefore lacked deep research on them, leading to this situation.
Elder Zuo had originally wanted to conserve some energy. The energy consumed in one use of a Dharma Manifestation was much greater than that of using an attack Secret Technique with his physical body.
The Nascent Soul is the essence of a Nascent Soul Ancestor, virtually comprising all of their Spirit, and the Nascent Soul is nearly equivalent to a spiritual body. When the Nascent Soul triggers the Dharma Manifestation, its attacks inherently carry the effect of assaulting spiritual entities.
“It was my mistake!” he solemnly apologized.
When he made his move again, this time he faithfully executed a portion of the Dharma Manifestation transformation technique, and with one palm strike, he eradicated all the Third-grade Ghost Souls within a twenty-plus meter radius.
He intentionally increased the force of his strike to make up for his error.
Following that, the rest of the Nascent Soul Ancestors made no further mistakes, each unleashing their Dharma Manifestations to attack, as the Nine Palace Formation steadily advanced.
Elder Sword was the last one to act. After leaping out of the Nine Palace Formation, he did not, like the other Nascent Soul Ancestors before him, display his Dharma Manifestation.
With a wave of his hand forward, his Fourth-grade Lifebound Flying Sword flew out.
The moment the Fourth-grade Lifebound Flying Sword appeared, an incredibly fierce Sword Intent surged forth from it.
The Fourth-grade Lifebound Flying Sword flew forward thirty-plus meters, slaying all the Third-grade Ghost Souls in its path with Sword Intent.
The Nascent Soul Ancestors revealed expressions of amazement, with even Elder Jin Kai nodding in approval.
Sword Cultivators were renowned as the supreme force in offense within the Cultivation World, and this reputation was indeed earned. Especially in situations demanding fierce attacks, the power a Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator could wield was comparable to the combined might of several Nascent Soul Ancestors.
“It’s a pity, if Sword Jian had been in the Nascent Soul Stage for longer, then perhaps he could have joined forces with me. Who knows, we might have been able to accelerate our progress,” Elder Jin Kai said, feeling regretful.
Elder Sword’s strike seemed to be only a bit more powerful than those of other Nascent Soul Early Stage Practitioners, but most importantly, he did not use a Dharma Manifestation, which meant his energy consumption was extremely low.
In this environment, where the number of enemies was unknown, reducing energy consumption was vital.
Elder Jin Kai’s regret was that Elder Sword’s foundation was just too shallow. Although his energy consumption was low, his reserves were minimal, only enough to keep up with the other Nascent Soul Early Stage Practitioners.
The other Nascent Soul Ancestors had cultivated for hundreds of years more than he had; their reserves were incomparable to his.
No matter how little energy his strike consumed, in terms of the percentage of total bodily energy, it held no great advantage over the other Early Stage Nascent Soul Elders.
“Senior Jin is too kind. I can only hope not to be the drag on everyone’s efforts,” Elder Sword said with a laugh, withdrawing his Lifebound Flying Sword and retreating back into the formation to take Elder Jin Kai’s place.
Having found a method, the Nascent Soul Ancestors cooperated with each other and steadily moved forward.
Their attack range was wide and their power was strong; they always managed to clear an area before a group of third-grade ghost souls could gather, allowing them to move forward.
Although the Nascent Soul Ancestors did not have Li Shiming’s Lifebound treasure, the IBMz15, to record maps, their perceptive abilities were incredibly strong, enabling them to maintain a straight course.
After covering several dozen miles, the energy inside each Nascent Soul Ancestor had hardly been depleted.
With nine rounds of rest for every attack, and despite the thinness of the Spiritual Energy in the environment, they carried Spiritual Objects that aided energy recovery, allowing them to keep replenishing their internal energy.
If this continued, they might actually be able to clear out all the ghost souls in this space.
“Senior Jin, who opened this Grotto Heaven? Why have we traveled so far without encountering them?” Ancestor Lu asked Elder Jin Kai.
Their cooperative defense against a common enemy had kept their relationships relatively harmonious, which is why Ancestor Lu asked this.
“You must be finding this quite amusing, it was You Xia who privately opened the Grotto Heaven!” Elder Jin Kai replied somberly, without concealing the truth.
He too was puzzled; even if Elder You Xia had entered the Grotto Heaven ahead of them, he should have left some presence within it.
Yet since entering the Grotto Heaven, he had not sensed Elder You Xia’s presence.
However, he did sense another familiar presence, that of the Taiqing Xuan Turtle.
Even though the Qingxuan Turtle Technique’s lineage had been lost, it hadn’t been very long, and no cultivator who had acquired the ‘Taiqing Xuan Turtle Technique’ could have possibly cultivated it to the Great Elder Level in such a short time.
The ‘Taiqing Xuan Turtle Technique’ was not a common Body Refining Technique, and even Great Elder Sun Ao, with his exceptional talent for Body Refinement, took hundreds of years to reach the Great Elder Level.
Moreover, Great Elder Sun Ao had achieved his breakthrough only by relying on numerous resources, and he hadn’t even fully achieved True Intent Manifestation.
“Could it be that Sun Ao didn’t fall? Did Sun Ao join forces with You Xia to fight for the resources within the Grotto Heaven? Did a conflict arise between You Xia and Sun Ao, leading to Sun Ao killing You Xia and entering the Grotto Heaven on his own?” A series of speculations rose in Elder Jin Kai’s mind.
But the biggest question remained: with Great Elder Sun Ao’s strength, it was impossible for him to survive in this space.
Body Refining Grand Elders did indeed have formidable defensive power, but they were not without weaknesses; for instance, third-grade ghost souls were the ultimate counter to Body Refining Grand Elders.
The attack of a third-grade ghost soul targeted the soul and spirit; in some respects, the soul and spirit of Body Refining Grand Elders were even weaker than those of other Great Elders in certain attributes.
Hearing that Elder You Xia had privately opened the Grotto Heaven, Ancestor Lu and the other Nascent Soul Ancestors exchanged glances and chose not to inquire further.
It was quite embarrassing for a traitor to emerge among their juniors.
“Be careful, prepare to join forces!” Elder Jin Kai suddenly sensed a powerful spiritual fluctuation and loudly alerted everyone.
The Nine Palace Formation they had formed was modified specifically to defend against spiritual attacks. Combined with the collective efforts of nine Nascent Soul Ancestors, their defense against spiritual attacks was incredibly strong. Even a group of third-grade ghost souls surrounding them could easily be withstood.
Whatever made Elder Jin Kai, who was at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage, so vigilant, it was certainly not third-grade ghost souls.
At that moment, Ancestor Ren Xun was the one attacking from outside the formation. He conjured a palm-shaped Dharma Manifestation and struck toward what lay ahead.
Yet the protective Spiritual Power Pattern on his body suddenly emitted a crisp sound. He jolted, vomited blood, and was blown backward.
Fortunately, he was just behind the Nine Palace Formation, and as he flew backward, Ancestor Ren Xun landed inside the formation.
“This is serious. My spirit has been wounded, and it will take three two-hours to recover!” Ancestor Ren Xun said, taking out a fourth-grade Spirit Pill from his spatial storage and popping it into his mouth before speaking to Elder Jin Kai.
“You rest inside the formation!” Elder Jin Kai first sought the opinions of the other Nascent Soul Ancestors from the Beishu Continent before nodding in agreement.
At such a critical moment, they couldn’t afford even the slightest mishap. He had sensed their adversary was a fourth-grade ghost soul. Even as a Nascent Soul Middle Stage practitioner, encountering such an existence was a major headache.
If it were not for so many Nascent Soul Ancestors forming the formation, the best course of action would be to immediately distance themselves from the fourth-grade ghost soul.