Chapter 577 - 382: Rebirth of the Alliance, Song Ling’Er’s Long Journey

Chapter 577: Chapter 382: Rebirth of the Alliance, Song Ling’Er’s Long Journey

Jian Yi, Alina, Master Jie Nian, Song Ling’Er, and the others were, of course, first in line.

Wu Liangchen unreservedly taught them his insights on the Foundation Establishment Realm, as well as some adaptable methods from his own cultivation technique.

Underground base. A specially made Cultivation Chamber.

Jian Yi sat cross-legged. Though his eyes were blind, the Sword Intent surrounding him grew ever more condensed and pure. Under Wu Liangchen’s guidance, he fused his own Sword Dao with his newfound cultivation insights, and the bottleneck quietly began to loosen.

Suddenly, his aura surged violently, and a sharp presence far beyond his previous realm erupted from him.

Early-stage Qi Refining!

Jian Yi had successfully broken through, becoming the first expert by Wu Liangchen’s side to step into the Qi Refining Realm.

Following close behind, Master Jie Nian also successfully broke through, relying on his profound Buddhist Dharma cultivation and his comprehension of the methods Wu Liangchen had taught. A faint Buddhist light flickered around his body, and his aura was both serene and powerful.

Alina’s Magic was already uncanny, and after receiving Wu Liangchen’s guidance on the use of Spiritual Power, she became even more formidable. Although her Magic hadn’t immediately broken through to the fifth level, her actual combat strength was on a completely different plane, and she could faintly touch the threshold of the Qi Refining Realm.

The root of Song Ling’Er’s Magic lay in shooting. Her marksmanship was already superb, and under Wu Liangchen’s guidance, she began to try infusing her bullets with Spiritual Power. Every shot she fired now carried a trace of heart-stopping, destructive aura, and their power increased explosively.

However, the most surprising of all was Tian Yushi.

This woman, who usually seemed somewhat cold and withdrawn, experienced an eruption of her latent, terrifying talent like a volcano just one day after receiving Wu Liangchen’s guidance.

The auras of several different types of Magic within her intertwined and fused. Not only did they not conflict, but they actually formed a strange balance, allowing her to break through the barrier in one fell swoop and soar directly to the Mid-stage of Qi Refining!

Even Wu Liangchen was taken aback by such terrifying progress.

’It seems the affliction that came with her fractured mind has, on the contrary, become a unique advantage in her cultivation, allowing her to perceive and absorb Spiritual Qi far better than an ordinary person.’

The cultivation of martial arts and Magic talents proceeded in an orderly fashion, and the development of technological weapons had not stopped either.

The Starfire Organization’s research and development department, led by Alina and researchers from the former Dome Corporation, worked day and night.

Thanks to the integration of the Alliance’s resources and some of the ahead-of-their-time ideas provided by Wu Liangchen, various high-powered weapons were being continuously manufactured.

Tactical nuclear warheads in particular had their yield and stability further improved, all while ensuring safety.

One after another, these superweapons, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen, were secretly transported to preset positions, waiting only for the Cultivators of the Celestial Profound Sect to descend and receive an unforgettable surprise.

The entire Alliance operated like a high-speed war machine. Everyone contributed their strength for the coming, unknown crisis. The atmosphere was tense yet orderly, filled with a soaring fighting spirit.

One day, Wu Liangchen called Song Ling’Er to see him alone.

"Ling’Er, there’s something I need to discuss with you." Wu Liangchen’s tone was very calm, but Song Ling’Er could detect something unusual in it.

"What is it?" Song Ling’Er asked immediately.

"I want you to leave the Alliance, take a ship overseas, and go to a city called Huangpu Guard," Wu Liangchen said seriously, looking into Song Ling’Er’s eyes.

"There are some people there who are very important to me. I want you to protect them."

"Erya, my sister Wu Mengchan, a friend named Yang Lian’Er, and also Third Brother Xie..." Wu Liangchen briefly explained their situations.

After he finished, Song Ling’Er was silent for a long time. Then she raised her head, her face full of stubbornness, and said,

"I don’t want to go. I want to stay here and face the coming battle with you."

Wu Liangchen shook his head gently. "Ling’Er, this is a more important mission. Those people are extremely important to me, and I need someone completely trustworthy to protect them. And here, besides you, I can’t think of anyone more suitable."

As he spoke, he took a handwritten letter from a drawer and handed it to Song Ling’Er. "This is a letter for Erya. Please deliver it for me."

The rims of Song Ling’Er’s eyes were a little red, but she ultimately nodded.

"Go and pack. You’ll set off in a few days. I will arrange for a ship and personnel," Wu Liangchen said, his tone returning to its usual calmness.

Song Ling’Er left.

Wu Liangchen walked to the window, gazed at the distant sky, and sighed softly.

The reason he was sending Song Ling’Er away was twofold: first, he genuinely wanted her to deliver the letter and report that he was safe, and second, he didn’t want her to be embroiled in the coming battle, where life and death were uncertain.

As the one who had started all this, Wu Liangchen had to bear the corresponding responsibility. Song Ling’Er, on the other hand, had just been a starving girl from the slums. These grudges had nothing to do with her; there was no need for her to risk her life alongside him.

「Three days later.」

The first light of dawn was breaking, and the Qing Province docks were shrouded in a hazy mist.

The sea breeze, carrying a salty, fishy smell, blew across the few scattered figures on the docks.

Dressed in black, Wu Liangchen stood silently by the pier, his gaze fixed on a medium-sized merchant ship about to set sail nearby. The Tian family was indeed reliable. This was no ordinary passenger ship, but a specially arranged merchant vessel. The crew were all trusted confidants of the Tian family, and the route had been meticulously planned to ensure Song Ling’Er’s safety on her journey to the greatest extent possible.

Song Ling’Er stood by the ship’s railing, dressed in practical attire with her long hair tied back, looking valiant and heroic. But at this moment, her eyes were clouded with moisture. She pressed her lips together tightly, as if wanting to say something, but the words were snatched away by the sea breeze before they could be spoken.

A thousand unspoken words were ultimately condensed into a single, deep glance.

Wu Liangchen didn’t say much, only giving a slight nod.

Some feelings need not be spoken to be understood by both.

He knew of the reluctance and worry in Song Ling’Er’s heart, and he also understood her determination to stay, but his own resolve did not waver in the slightest.

"WHOOO—"

The long, drawn-out sound of the ship’s horn shattered the tranquility of the docks. The merchant vessel slowly pulled away from the shore, cutting a white wake across the water as it gradually sailed into the morning mist in the distance.

Song Ling’Er’s figure at the railing grew smaller and smaller. She never looked back, but her slightly trembling shoulders betrayed her feelings. Not until the ship had completely blended into the mist where the sea met the sky, becoming impossible to see clearly, did she finally let hot tears stream from her eyes, scattering into the cold sea wind.

At the same time, Wu Liangchen, still on the docks, slowly turned around.

’With Song Ling’Er sent away, a weight was lifted from my mind. Now, it’s time to go all out.’

The Alliance. Zhongjing City. Deep within the underground base.

This place was once the central hub of the Spirit Cutting Array. Although the array was now shattered, the lingering Spiritual Qi accumulated over hundreds of years, along with the natural convergence of Spiritual Qi from the earth’s veins, made the concentration of Spiritual Qi here a hundred times greater than in the outside world.

It was as if visible motes of Spiritual Qi floated in the air, and with every breath, wisps of pure energy flowed into the body.

Wu Liangchen sat cross-legged atop a massive slab of blue-green stone. This stone was one of the foundation stones of the original Spirit Cutting Array. After being scoured by Spiritual Qi for hundreds of years, it had become smooth and warm to the touch, faintly emitting a strange fluctuation.

His eyes were slightly closed, his consciousness sinking into the sea of qi in his Dantian.

His Qi and Blood circulated on their own, and the pores all over his body opened up like countless tiny vortexes, frantically devouring the dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi around him. As soon as this Spiritual Qi entered his body, it was rapidly refined, compressed, and purified by his tyrannical Primordial True Qi, transforming into the purest form of energy that continuously filled his meridians and Dantian.

His Cultivation at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, the Five-Story Building, was already as stable as a mountain. But Wu Liangchen’s goal was far beyond that.

Core Formation!

Only by stepping into the Core Formation Stage could he be considered to have truly mastered the basics of cultivation and have the confidence to face the Cultivators from the Kunxu Realm head-on.

Tang Yuchu, who was only at Late-stage Foundation Establishment, had already been that difficult to deal with. If not for his powerful physical body and special Cultivation Technique, he would have likely been defeated. And as for Master Qingxuan, who had merely extended a palm from across a great distance, his strength was even more unfathomable—he had to be at least in the Core Formation Stage.

Time was incredibly precious to him. Before the Celestial Profound Sect descended again, he had to raise his strength to a level sufficient to handle any and all contingencies.

The underground base fell into a deathly silence. Only the faint hissing of micro-cyclones formed by the high-speed flow of Spiritual Qi around Wu Liangchen, and the steady, powerful beat of his heart, echoed in the empty space.