Chapter 571: The Might of Core Formation, the Celestial Profound Sect (Part 2)

Tang Yuchu was furious, but there was nothing she could do.

Her most proficient magical artifact, the Soul Suppressing Bell, was damaged and its power severely diminished. And in close-quarters combat, she was no match for this physically monstrous native.

“Damn it!”

A look of grim determination and resentment flashed in Tang Yuchu’s eyes. She whipped out a crystal-clear jade pendant carved with intricate cloud patterns from her robes and crushed it in her hand.

“BZZZZMM——!”

The moment the Jade Pendant shattered, a brilliant pillar of light shot skyward, plunging directly into the fading Teleportation Array.

In the next instant, the already dim Teleportation Array erupted with a light far more intense than ever before. The entire subterranean space was washed in a blinding, ghastly white brilliance!

A terrifying aura, far surpassing the Foundation Establishment Stage and as vast as an abyssal ocean, suddenly surged from the other side of the Teleportation Array.

In the face of this aura, both Tang Yuchu’s Late-stage Foundation Establishment and Wu Liangchen’s Mid-stage Foundation Establishment seemed utterly insignificant—like a firefly compared to the brilliant moon.

“This is… the Core Formation Stage!”

Wu Liangchen’s heart pounded in shock.

After gaining a rudimentary understanding of the *Devouring Spirit True Understanding*, his knowledge and insight had grown. He could clearly sense that the owner of this aura was at least in the Core Formation Realm.

At the same time, the terrifying aura flared. A moment later, a giant hand, formed entirely of azure light and looking as if carved from blue-green jade, slowly emerged from the dazzling Teleportation Array.

The instant the hand appeared, it carried an absolute, world-crushing authority as it swatted lightly toward Wu Liangchen.

The seemingly casual swat contained world-shattering power!

Wu Liangchen felt an irresistible, terrifying pressure bearing down on him, as if the very sky were collapsing. With a furious roar, he unleashed all the True Qi in his body, striking out with both fists to meet the giant, jade-like palm.

“BOOM—!”

With an earth-shattering boom, Wu Liangchen’s body was sent flying backward like a cannonball. He slammed hard into the alloy wall behind him, leaving a deep, man-shaped indentation in the solid metal.

Wu Liangchen felt as if his organs had been violently rearranged. A coppery taste filled his throat, and he couldn’t stop himself from spitting out a mouthful of blood.

After blasting Wu Liangchen back with a single move, the jade-like palm didn’t press the attack. Instead, it gently scooped up Tang Yuchu and the unconscious Chen Guan from the floor, then retracted back into the Teleportation Array.

The brilliance receded rapidly. Within a few short breaths, the blinding light vanished completely.

There was no longer any trace of Tang Yuchu or Chen Guan.

Even the Teleportation Array itself, unable to withstand the aftershocks of the Core Formation Stage expert’s cross-world strike, let out an overburdened groan. Its light abruptly vanished, and the array shattered completely.

The entire subterranean space fell into a dead silence once more.

In the command room, Old Ghost, Song Ling’Er, and the others stared at each other. The joy had barely registered on their faces before this sudden turn of events left them dumbfounded, their hearts filled with both the relief of having survived and a deep apprehension toward the unknown powerhouse.

Wu Liangchen struggled to pull himself from the indentation in the wall. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes cold as he stared at the ruined remains of the Teleportation Array.

He knew this was far from over.

The enemy’s true body had clearly been unable to cross over because their power exceeded the Teleportation Array’s limits. Even so, a single palm strike from another world had been enough to grievously injure him and shatter the array.

He could only imagine that next time, they would be better prepared. They might even repair this passage or build a more stable one to invade again.

But there was no fear in Wu Liangchen’s eyes. Instead, a blazing fighting spirit ignited within them.

He would meet every threat head-on.

They would need time to prepare for another invasion. That time was his opportunity to build his own strength and catch up.

‘If I can also break through to the Core Formation Stage,’ he thought, ‘then what do I have to fear, even if they bring an entire army?’

‘The only thing that matters is getting stronger, and fast!’

Wu Liangchen took a deep breath, calming his roiling Qi and Blood. He scanned the faces of the others and asked in a low voice, “Is everyone all right?”

They all shook their heads, showing they were unharmed.

Wu Liangchen finally relaxed, then turned to face the massive Spirit Cutting Array, which was siphoning the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi from this world like a leech.

Besides improving his own strength, he couldn’t neglect everyone else’s. To facilitate rapid improvement for all, the most direct and effective solution was to restore the concentration of Spiritual Qi in this world.

And to do that, he had to destroy the Spirit Cutting Array first.

However, Wu Liangchen could sense the vast amount of Spiritual Qi that had pooled beneath the array over centuries of forced extraction. Destroying it recklessly would likely trigger a massive Spiritual Qi explosion, one that could level the entire underground base and everything for a hundred miles around.

‘I’ll need a long-term plan to dismantle it safely.’

With that in mind, Wu Liangchen set those thoughts aside for the moment and began to deal with the aftermath.

「Meanwhile, in a distant and unknown world, on a majestic Immortal Mountain floating above a sea of clouds.」

Within the palace on the mountain’s peak, the Spiritual Qi was so dense it was almost tangible. Immortal cranes flew in flocks, and auspicious energies swirled in the air.

Tang Yuchu and Chen Guan appeared in a sorry state in the center of the grand hall. Chen Guan was completely unconscious, his breathing so faint it seemed it could stop at any moment.

Tang Yuchu’s face was pale, a trace of blood still at the corner of her lips. She forced her weakened body upright and bowed to a green-robed elder sitting cross-legged on the high seat. “Disciple Tang Yuchu pays her respects to Master Qingxuan.”

The green-robed elder slowly opened his eyes. Galaxies seemed to swirl in his pupils as a vast, majestic aura emanated from him. He was none other than Master Qingxuan of the Celestial Profound Sect, the Core Formation Stage Cultivator who had just intervened from across worlds to save Tang Yuchu and her companion.

“Rise,” Master Qingxuan’s voice was placid. His gaze fell upon Tang Yuchu, and he paused for a moment. “You are injured? Was there someone in that minor world capable of harming you?”

Tang Yuchu’s face paled further. A flash of shame, indignation, and resentment crossed her eyes before she recounted every detail of her mission, describing the part about Wu Liangchen with particular thoroughness.

“This disciple was incompetent. I not only failed to complete the sect’s mission, but I also damaged the Soul Suppressing Bell and was nearly captured by that native. I await your punishment, Master Qingxuan,” Tang Yuchu said, her head bowed and her voice trembling.

Master Qingxuan listened in silence, his expression as placid as an undisturbed well. Only when Tang Yuchu described how Wu Liangchen, with a mere Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation, had withstood her Soul Suppressing Bell and fought her to a standstill did his eyebrow twitch slightly.

“You say that native is cultivating our sect’s *Devouring Spirit True Understanding*, and has already reached the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment?” Master Qingxuan’s voice held a note of surprise.

“It’s absolutely true!” Tang Yuchu affirmed. “The Spiritual Power fluctuations from his body were pure and dense, but his foundation is without a doubt the *Devouring Spirit True Understanding*! And his physical body is unbelievably powerful. My Soul Suppressing Bell…”

As she spoke, she took out a small, palm-sized bronze bell. Its body was covered in cracks, its spiritual glow dim.

When Master Qingxuan saw the cracks on the Soul Suppressing Bell, even his legendary composure faltered, and his pupils constricted. He beckoned the bell into his hand, his fingertip gently tracing one of the fissures as he sent a stream of pure Spiritual Power into it.

After a moment, he spoke slowly, his voice tinged with disbelief. “Such domineering fist strength, such pure Spiritual Power… to damage a high-grade Magical Artifact like the Soul Suppressing Bell to this degree. Could it be that the *Devouring Spirit True Understanding* isn’t as flawed as the legends claim?”

Tang Yuchu gave a bitter smile. “I don’t know why, either. The *Devouring Spirit True Understanding* that Wu Liangchen cultivates seems completely different from what is described in the sect’s records. Not only are there no signs of him succumbing to madness, but his Spiritual Power is also noble and righteous, and its might is simply astonishing.”

Master Qingxuan fell silent for a moment. He returned the Soul Suppressing Bell to Tang Yuchu, then flicked his finger. Two soft, green lights flew out, entering the bodies of Tang Yuchu and the unconscious Chen Guan. Tang Yuchu felt a warm current surge through her, and her injuries instantly felt seventy to eighty percent healed. Chen Guan also began to stir, slowly regaining consciousness.

“This is no small matter,” Master Qingxuan mused. “The *Devouring Spirit True Understanding* is a wondrous technique from our Celestial Profound Sect’s early history. It was later shelved because its drawbacks were too great and its Cultivation too perilous. If someone has truly managed to improve it and cultivate it to this level, then that person must either be a peerless genius or be in possession of a unique treasure.”

As he said this, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.

“Take Chen Guan and go rest for now. This matter is of the utmost importance. I must report it to the Sect Leader and the Supreme Elders at once.”