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The cultivators of the Yuhua Sect looked up as if they'd glimpsed salvation, shouting in unison, "Look! The Core Elders are here!"
In the Yuhua Sect, Core Elders were like immovable mountains — the unshakable foundation upon which the sect stood, revered by countless disciples.
And now, to suppress the Xuantian Sect and flaunt their dominance as the premier immortal sect of the Eastern Domain, eighteen Core Elders had arrived in person.
"We welcome you, Venerables."
Even the ordinarily lofty Unity Stage Elders bowed deeply, cupping their hands with visible awe in their eyes.
Though they shared the same title of 'Elder,' their statuses were worlds apart. The Core Elders stood at the very summit of the sect's hierarchy.
At that moment, when those eighteen formidable figures descended, the entire Arid Province fell silent.
Birds and beasts alike shuddered, seized by an inexplicable terror.
At Mysterious Peak, Xu Yonian and the others paled, stunned. "V-Venerables?!"
Outside the sect, Great Ascension cultivators were called 'Venerables,' a title symbolizing absolute authority. A single Great Ascension cultivator could live for fifty thousand years — ancient monsters in other sects.
To compare a Unity Stage cultivator to a Great Ascension cultivator was like comparing a firefly to a blazing sun.
Who could have imagined that the Yuhua Sect would deploy eighteen Great Ascension cultivators for this battle? What kind of terrifying foundation was this?
No wonder they'd reigned as the Eastern Domain's strongest immortal sect for countless years, with an unshakable legacy.
While others trembled in fear, Ye Junlin's eyes sparkled.
Compared to battling half-step Great Ascension cultivators, facing genuine Great Ascension experts was far more tempting.
Ye Junlin silently applauded the Yuhua Sect's generosity in offering up such a feast of experience points.
"You useless trash! You've shamed the Yuhua Sect!" bellowed a white-haired old man with a gnome-like stature, his face contorted with fury.
His voice rumbled like heavenly thunder, making the cultivators below feel dizzy.
"A great army from the Eastern Domain's most powerful immortal sect nearly lost to a little brat. If we hadn't arrived personally, would you have let the entire cultivation world laugh at you?"
The one speaking now was a silver-haired elder in golden robes, wielding a serpent-headed staff. Her gaze turned venomous as it landed on Hong Qianye, unable to suppress her envy.
Damn it — he's even more handsome than I was in my prime…
Hong Qianye's eyes turned frigid. "Who the hell are you calling an old hag? Dare to mouth off in front of me?!"
"What did you say?!" The silver-haired elder's expression twisted in fury, her voice spiking in pitch.
It was a blatant insult!
"Golden Serpent Elder, there's no need to waste time with a dying man," a broad-shouldered, middle-aged man said coldly, his voice brimming with condescension.
These three were among the most powerful Core Elders — their cultivation and status second to none.
"And you think you can kill me?" Hong Qianye sneered. "What a joke."
He had once hacked his way out of sieges formed by immortals — how could he be rattled by this trivial situation?
"Hmph. That Ye Junlin sure has some nerve, leaving a disciple to face us. Does he really look down on the Yuhua Sect?" another Core Elder said icily.
"In that case, let's kill this disciple of his first! I wonder if he'll shed a tear for her inside his coward's hole," a different elder jeered meaningfully.
"Get lost!"
"I have nothing to do with him!" Hong Qianye barked, his tone sharp as a blade.
The Core Elders froze, then sneered.
"Heh, some master-disciple bond that is! Who wants to capture him for me? I'll ruin that pretty face and rip out his tongue!" The Golden Serpent Elder grinned cruelly.
"I'll do it!" a Core Elder volunteered eagerly, releasing a surge of spiritual power.
Boom!
A giant hand of blue light manifested in the sky, stretching across thousands of miles as it descended with suffocating force.
This was an early-stage Great Ascension cultivator trying to crush Hong Qianye outright.
Whoosh!
Hong Qianye smirked, flicking his sleeves.
Countless purple flames erupted skyward, colliding with the massive hand and shattering it to pieces.
Rumble!
Starlight fell like rain.
"Huh?!"
The Core Elder stiffened, his expression twisting in shock.
How could this be? Wasn't he just a Unity Stage cultivator?
"Elder Wu, allow me!" another Core Elder charged forward, unleashing the Golden Obsidian Punch.
Countless golden fist shadows roared forth like a torrent.
"Just you?" Hong Qianye gathered his qi, slamming a palm upward. Fire-infused prints blotted out the sky, their heat warping the air.
Boom!
A violent clash of spiritual force shook the heavens and earth. The golden fist shadows faltered and faded.
"That demon actually blocked a Venerable's attack?!"
The battlefield erupted in commotion.
"Did you sense that? He's half-step Great Ascension!" the gnome elder narrowed his eyes.
"For someone at half-step Great Ascension to resist a Great Ascension expert's strike… such talent is unheard of in this backwater," the burly man said, his expression heavy.
"Damn it! We can't let him live! Attack!!" The Golden Serpent Elder screeched.
Knowing their prestige would suffer if they delayed, the other Core Elders immediately surged forward, their auras flooding the void.
The pressure was suffocating!
"Let's see how strong you really are!"
Hong Qianye stood his ground, crimson robes fluttering. With a wave of his hand, dozens of fire dragons roared into the sky.
As they collided, the sun and moon dimmed, and the mountains trembled.
"Great Monument Palm!"
"Shatter Sky Finger!"
"Star Snatch Hand!"
"Dragon Subduing Technique!"
"Soul-Destroying Seal!"
One after another, divine abilities burst forth from the Core Elders, their killing intent skyrocketing.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The fire dragons coiled and hissed, battling fiercely, but they were slowly whittled down by the overwhelming force of the Great Ascension cultivators.
Nine early-stage and six mid-stage Great Ascension experts — a lineup strong enough to slaughter anyone.
Hong Qianye's gaze grew colder. Circulating his spiritual power, the crimson flames around him abruptly darkened, turning pitch black.
A strange, ominous aura spread.
These were Demonic Extinction Flames — capable of devouring anything!
"Kill!"
The elders gritted their teeth, unleashing their ultimate techniques.
"Hmph!" Hong Qianye spread his arms, long hair whipping about like a storm. The black flames surged forward, devouring every spell thrown at him.
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
The violent energy fluctuations made everyone's hearts pound.
"What?!"
Fifteen Core Elders turned pale, their expressions twisting.
"To fend off fifteen Venerables alone? Is that even possible for a half-step Great Ascension cultivator?" the burly man muttered in disbelief.
"This talent… I've never seen anything like it," the gnome elder said solemnly.
"Are you blind? That's clearly a demonic technique! We must destroy this devil now or face endless disaster!" the Golden Serpent Elder shrieked.
She traced a series of complex runes in the air with her serpent-headed staff.
Boom!
A serpent-shaped beam of light shattered the void, crashing into the black flames.
"Attack!"
The other two Core Elders followed suit, unleashing their own powerful divine abilities.
The pressure instantly multiplied.
"Damn it…" Hong Qianye gritted his teeth, beads of sweat forming. Though the Demonic Extinction Flames devoured endlessly, his spiritual power couldn't keep up.
Once depleted, his combat ability would plummet.
This wasn't looking good.
"Damn you, Ye Junlin! If you'd handed over that treasure sooner, I wouldn't be in this mess!" Hong Qianye cursed inwardly.
Who could have guessed the Yuhua Sect would go so far as to deploy eighteen Great Ascension experts for a minor sect in a barren province?
It was like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken.
"Break for me!"
A furious roar split the skies.
The burly man erupted in brilliant white light, condensing it into his fist before launching it outward.
The shockwave screamed through the air.
An intermediate-grade Venerable Divine Ability — Dominating Heaven Fist!
Boom!
A red figure shot down from the heavens, crashing heavily onto Mysterious Peak.
Rumble.
A mushroom cloud of dust rose as the entire mountain range quaked.
"Cough… cough…" Bloodied and dirt-covered, Hong Qianye struggled to his feet.
"Senior brother Hong!" Bai Xiaoxi called out in alarm.
Ye Junlin, still nibbling on a grilled Orléans wing, shook his head with a sigh. "Dear disciple, didn't you say you could hold them off? Why are you getting beaten like a stray dog now?"
"I'm so disappointed in you."
Hearing this, Hong Qianye's face darkened, fury burning in his chest.
"You damn bastard… still mocking me?! At least I'll be able to retreat in one piece, while you stay here and rot!"
With that, Hong Qianye prepared to activate a secret escape technique.
After all — the Yuhua Sect's main target was him.
As for these worthless ants… they could die alongside this scoundrel!
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Man, this Novel is getting little to no views. I might as well just drop it.