ISWI Chapter 309-310

Chapter 309: An Miaoli's Strength!

As the master of the array, An Miaoli could pass through it unhindered—a rare advantage for the besieged Divine Will Sect. She scanned the attackers and targeted an early-Nascent Soul cultivator from one of Heavenly Nether Sect's vassal sects. Bursting through the array, she unleashed a mystical technique in the instant she emerged.

The enemy, seeing An Miaoli leave the protective array, lit up with glee. Divine Will Sect's powerhouses had been thoroughly scouted, and An Miaoli, a recent Nascent Soul breakthrough, was deemed insignificant. Her daring exit was seen as suicidal.

Confident in crushing her and earning merit, he unleashed a killing move, his body surging like a ferocious beast cloaked in raging flames. He shattered her technique with a single palm, pressing forward with overwhelming momentum to suppress her.

An Miaoli remained calm. Her lips parted, and a phoenix cry pierced the heavens. Terrifying soundwaves, laced with star-like divine light, erupted. Caught off guard, the Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't dodge. Half his body was obliterated by the phoenix cry, leaving no trace of blood mist.

Panicked, he tried to flee with his remaining half, but it was too late. An Miaoli formed hand seals, summoning a divine furnace radiating an aura of annihilation and refinement. Locked onto by the furnace, the cultivator's fear intensified, but escape was impossible. The furnace enveloped him, and in a blink, he was silenced, as if refined into nothingness.

The surrounding Nascent Soul cultivators, poised to charge, froze in shock.

An Miaoli had no intention of fighting multiple foes. She prepared to retreat but glanced aside, frowning. The Ancestor, tasked with delaying a nearby enemy, was being thoroughly dominated. Other Nascent Souls were closing in, and Tian Mingzi, atop the skyship, opened his eyes, studying her with interest, exuding immense pressure.

Reluctant to reveal her full strength, An Miaoli sighed. Without her intervention, the Ancestor wouldn't make it back. The furnace that had just refined a Nascent Soul soared again, casting divine flames to block the Ancestor's foe. With a thought, she summoned her Wind-Thunder Wings. Once black, they had turned snow-white after her refinement, crackling with lightning and wind blades, exuding a holy aura. Paired with her, they made her seem even more immortal-like.

With the wings active, An Miaoli's speed was blinding. In an instant, she appeared behind the Ancestor, pulling him with a surge of mana. They darted toward the array just as countless spells rained down.

At the last moment, the late-Nascent Soul cultivator who had previously fought three-on-one arrived, unleashing a terrifying nether qi cage. Tornadoes swirled within, exuding extreme suction, while nether qi tendrils grasped at the Ancestor's body.

Under An Miaoli's forceful tug, the Ancestor was dragged into the array, narrowly escaping disaster.

The sudden turn of events stunned the besieging Nascent Soul cultivators. The old man was negligible, but this woman's combat power was terrifying—refining a Nascent Soul powerhouse in an instant? Such a feat was heart-stopping. The phoenix cry and divine furnace were overwhelmingly powerful, instilling fear. What kind of legacy was this?

A knowledgeable Heavenly Nether Sect elder spoke up. "That's the phoenix cry of the True Phoenix Treasure Technique! And that furnace—doesn't it resemble the legendary Cosmic Furnace of Eternal Cosmos True Immortal? Does she possess the Cosmic Furnace? Is she a descendant of the Jiang family?"

The words sparked intrigue. The lineage of Eternal Cosmos True Immortal was nearly extinct, and the Cosmic Furnace had vanished with them. If An Miaoli wielded it, it would drive countless cultivators mad with desire.

But another voice countered, "It's not the true Cosmic Furnace. If it were, a single wisp of its aura would kill us all. It's merely a phantom conjured by the Eternal Cosmos Sutra. Even so, it's terrifying. Could she have inherited the Eternal Cosmos Sutra?"

Eyes gleamed with anticipation and envy. The Eternal Cosmos Sutra was an immortal scripture—acquiring it would bring immense benefits.

Someone else shook their head. "It's not the complete scripture. A few years ago, Heavenly Evolution Holy Land auctioned fragments of the Eternal Cosmos Sutra's Golden Core chapter, one of which was sold in Divine Will City. She likely bought it and somehow comprehended a method to manifest the Cosmic Furnace phantom from a mere fragment. Her talent is astonishing. A late-Nascent Soul friend of mine bought a copy but gained nothing, claiming Heavenly Evolution Holy Land swindled him."

As Nascent Soul cultivators, their insights were sharp, and their guesses were close to the truth. Though not the full scripture, the revelation still shocked and envious them. No wonder she was so strong—her techniques stemmed from an immortal scripture.

Even the two mid-Nascent Soul cultivators grew cautious, no longer daring to attack too close to the array, determined to deny An Miaoli another ambush opportunity.

Back within the array, Divine Will Sect's elders gazed at An Miaoli with heightened reverence. The Ancestor, once again tainted by nether qi and turning green, was silent. An Miaoli conjured a divine flame, scorching him. The fire seemed to burn through bone and blood, causing the Nascent Soul Ancestor to grimace in pain. Yet its effect was remarkable, swiftly purging the nether poison. Highly effective, if excruciating.

"The Ancestor's injuries from the last battle haven't fully healed," An Miaoli said tactfully. "Please don't push yourself. I'll find another chance to strike."

The Ancestor seized the face-saving excuse. "Indeed. I'll focus on recovering. I'll have to trouble you, Miaoli."

The former Magic Peak Master, now Ancestor Liu, was completely overlooked. Liu sighed inwardly. Having just broken through to Nascent Soul and become an Ancestor, he should've been basking in authority and awe. Even if he couldn't beat other Nascent Souls, he was still leagues above Golden Core cultivators, deserving respect.

Yet, with Heavenly Nether Sect's invasion and their horde of Nascent Souls, he felt like a mere placeholder. Worse, despite his extended lifespan, Divine Will Sect's imminent fall meant he'd likely perish too. His breakthrough seemed pointless.

"As if I never broke through!"

...

In the days that followed, An Miaoli struck repeatedly. With the blazing speed of her Wind-Thunder Wings, the profound techniques of the Eternal Cosmos Sutra, and a trace of phoenix flame gleaned from the True Phoenix Treasure Technique, her combat power far exceeded expectations.

Chapter 310: The Holy Son Token Activates!

Despite the enemy's heightened vigilance, An Miaoli's strength surpassed their imagination. Seizing an opportunity, she slew another early-Nascent Soul elder from Heavenly Nether Sect and gravely wounded a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. Had the late-Nascent Soul powerhouse not intervened swiftly, she might have refined the latter as well.

Thereafter, the enemy grew even warier. As Nascent Soul cultivators, none were fools. The moment An Miaoli prepared to emerge, they ceased their spells and retreated a hundred miles, giving her no openings. The late-Nascent Soul cultivator from Heavenly Nether Sect stopped attacking directly, instead keeping a vigilant eye on her, ready to intercept.

An Miaoli's opportunities dried up, her fearsome display significantly slowed the enemy's progress in breaking the array. They had to divide their attention between assaulting the array and guarding against her ambushes, now down two Nascent Souls.

This extended the array's endurance beyond a month, rekindling hope within Divine Will Sect. If they could provoke Tian Mingzi into losing patience and attacking personally, they might unleash the Primordial Chaos Force to wound or even kill him. Without their Deity Transformation leader, the remaining Nascent Souls, leaderless, might hesitate to continue, especially with An Miaoli's deterrence.

Yet, hope was dashed. Tian Mingzi, atop the skyship, merely cast a cold, indifferent glance, silent as an aloof netherworld sovereign. Even the death of a second Heavenly Nether Sect Nascent Soul elder failed to stir him. He showed no intent to act, unconcerned about leaving his sect vulnerable or potential enemies uniting against him. His patience was unnerving.

The calmer he remained, the deeper Divine Will Sect's despair grew. Without harming the Deity Transformation cultivator, their fate was sealed: annihilation.

Twenty-odd days flashed by. The sect's array teetered on the brink, trembling violently under attacks. Cracks appeared in its materials, signaling it was nearing its limit. It would fall within days.

Panic gripped the disciples. Once proud members of a great sect, envied and confident, they now faced extinction alongside their sect—a bitter pill to swallow. Even the elders, staring death in the face, struggled to stay composed.

The Ancestor gnashed his teeth. "While we can still unleash the Primordial Chaos Force, let's give that old monster a shot!"

An Miaoli shook her head. "He's too far. A Deity Transformation cultivator has countless ways to dodge—it'd be hard to even graze him."

The Ancestor sighed. He didn't fear death; he feared not taking enemies with him. An Miaoli felt a pang of despair. Her recent breakthrough left her reliant on Ye Chen's gifted immortal scripture, allowing her to merely hold her own against a late-Nascent Soul cultivator. Against a Deity Transformation powerhouse? She could only smile bitterly.

The Ancestor, ever the radical, hatched a plan. "If we can't kill that Deity Transformation old ghost, let's take out a few Nascent Souls. We can't rest until we fire the Primordial Chaos Force. You draw out a few Nascent Souls, especially the late-stage one. At the last moment, use your Wind-Thunder Wings to escape, and I'll trigger the array to unleash the force, killing as many as we can. We may die, but we'll drag some down with us."

An Miaoli shook her head without hesitation. She wasn't afraid of death. If Ye Chen weren't in seclusion here, she'd back the Ancestor's plan—dying while inflicting maximum damage on the enemy would be a worthy trade. But her gaze drifted to Quiet Wonder Peak, to Ye Chen's seclusion site.

She wanted to wait, to buy more time until Ye Chen emerged. She didn't expect him to fight a Deity Transformation cultivator, but with his small world and enigmatic abilities, he could likely escape alive. If he could take An Yuyi with him, even better.

Without An Miaoli's support, the Ancestor sighed regretfully, following her gaze to Ye Chen's seclusion site. "Why's he taking so long? You formed a high-grade Immortal Soul in half a year. Even if he's forming a top-grade one, it should be about time!"

No one knew. Interrupting a major realm breakthrough was unthinkable—it would ruin the attempt. Besides, Ye Chen's seclusion site was fortified with a top-grade array, impervious to entry.

Time trickled by. Five more days passed, and the sect's array grew increasingly frail, on the verge of collapse. Heavenly Nether Sect's elders stayed miles away, bombarding from a distance, while the late-Nascent Soul elder vanished entirely. The Ancestor sighed—clearly, they were wary of the Primordial Chaos Force.

Gazing at the dimming, teetering array, he sighed again. Launching the Primordial Chaos Force was now impossible. The array could last half an hour at most. The Ancestor steeled himself to detonate his Nascent Soul, hoping to take at least one enemy with him. Ancestor Liu, meanwhile, withdrew into despair, feeling his death would be utterly stifling.

At that moment, the Ancestor and Ancestor Liu's faces changed drastically, their gazes shooting to the sky. The growing crowd of distant onlookers widened their eyes, holding their breath.

Tian Mingzi, who had sat silently at the prow of the skyship, stood up. His black hair whipped wildly in the wind, his robe billowing fiercely. Behind him loomed a colossal, indistinct figure of nether qi, like a true lord of the underworld gazing down on mortals. The mere sight of this phantom made hearts skip and legs tremble.

This was the hallmark of a Deity Transformation cultivator's most terrifying ability: Heavenly Law Manifestation. Even unactivated, its mere silhouette inspired dread. When fully unleashed, it could overturn mountains, sunder seas, and annihilate all.

Under countless awestruck gazes, Tian Mingzi regarded the array indifferently, calmly raising a hand. From nearly a hundred miles away, he clenched his fist toward Divine Will Sect. The heavens and earth around the sect seemed to compress. The array, which could have held for another half-hour, shattered with a deafening explosion. Entire mountain ranges collapsed in its wake.

It was as if doomsday had descended upon Divine Will Sect.

The distant onlookers felt their hearts stop. Was this the power of a Deity Transformation cultivator? A single move, and it was truly world-ending. Terrifying beyond words.

...

Within Divine Will Sect, on Quiet Wonder Peak, Ye Chen's cave abode was shielded by an array emanating a peculiar force, preserving the peak unscathed. Inside, Ye Chen remained in seclusion, his body resonating with thunderous sounds, signaling a profound transformation. His breakthrough was still ongoing.

Before him, a token etched with a yin-yang fish floated, rising and falling. The moment Divine Will Sect's gate array shattered, a surge of energy activated the token—the Holy Son token from Heavenly Evolution Holy Land. This was Ye Chen's contingency. If Heavenly Nether Sect attacked before his breakthrough, overwhelming Divine Will Sect and breaching the gate, the token would activate automatically.

As it did, a strange fluctuation rippled from Ye Chen's cave, reaching far into the distance...