My Cultivation Has a Progress Bar

Chapter 350: Chapter 79: Each Has Their Own Means

The twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month. The Heaven-breaking Mountain Range.

This vast mountain range on the western edge of the Zhongzhou Continent stretched for over a thousand li, splitting the western region of Zhongzhou in two.

To the west of the mountain range lay the Demon Realm. Further west still was Zhongshan Country, the only nation that directly bordered it. Most cultivators in Zhongshan Country were Gold Cultivators, and the Gold Spirit was the greatest bane of the Demon Race’s bloodline.

Thus, rumors had long circulated in the Cultivation Realm that the Heaven-breaking Mountain Range was a Divine Power, manifested with immense Magical Power by an Earth Vein True Monarch, for the very purpose of imprisoning the Demon Race. Zhongshan Country and the Vajra Temple were said to be the Prison Guards watching over them.

As the ages passed, a great river named the Qingjiang formed in the northern Snowfield mountains. It flowed down and, over eons, carved its way through the Heaven-breaking Mountain Range, creating two subterranean passages that connected the Xia Dynasty with the Demon Realm.

Mianzhu County, on Shanwu Road, was famous for the Mian bamboo that grew near the Heaven-breaking Mountain Range. Any large lantern from across Zhongzhou that was more than two feet tall required the local Mian bamboo for its frame.

As a result, lantern-making workshops could be found on every street and in every alley of Mianzhu County. These workshops, in turn, spurred on the trade of soft paper and silk, making Mianzhu County the most prosperous county on Shanwu Road.

To the west of Mianzhu County, the Qingjiang flowed from the north, meandering slowly toward the magnificent Heaven-breaking Mountain Range. Both the Daoist Scripture Hall and the Inspectorate had set up checkpoints there to inspect all who passed.

During the twelfth lunar month, boat traffic was particularly heavy. Combined with the merchant caravans delivering large red lanterns, they clogged the road alongside the river, making it nearly impassable. This drew constant rebukes from the patrolling Government Soldiers.

At that moment, at the Daoist Scripture Hall checkpoint, a beam of azure light shot out from the top floor of a three-story pavilion. It swept continuously over the crowd below, as if searching for something.

Suddenly, a flicker of fire erupted from within the azure beam. This flare carried a bizarre, black substance within it.

It was the Samadhi True Flame, used by a cultivator of the Upper Dan Sect!

Rising with the flame were two brilliant signal flares from the Daoist Scripture Hall, both marked with five colors—the highest level of alert.

CLANG!

The resonant sound of metal striking metal echoed above the clouds. A gigantic cauldron, wreathed in Samadhi True Flame, had collided with a longsword. The powerful shockwave instantly cleared the clouds from the sky.

Simultaneously, the Daoist Scripture Hall checkpoint below activated its Defense Barrier. But at the very moment the barrier began to rise, three figures shot out from the depths of the Heaven-breaking Mountain Range. One of them transformed into a giant snake, over a hundred feet long.

ROAR!

A furious roar.

With this roar, the sky seemed to be swallowed by darkness. The Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth, incredibly active just a moment ago, was suddenly and utterly suppressed.

This was the innate spell of the Snake Demon race: the Spirit-Banning Technique!

If cast by a Giant Demon, this technique could even seal away all magic that relies on Spiritual Qi.

Although the Spirit-Banning Technique used here lacked the power of a Giant Demon, it still severed the flow of Spiritual Qi for a short time. Moreover, the effect was targeted. The once-majestic longsword was now no better than scrap metal, the array surrounding it being corroded by a dark energy.

Meanwhile, one of the two figures trailing the giant snake—a Tiger Demon wielding a spear—struck with lightning speed. He closed in on an Artifact Cultivator amid the opposing clouds, and the clang of weapons instantly filled the air.

A few moments later, as the effects of the Spirit-Banning Technique began to fade, the Snake Demon dove down, intending to corner the Artifact Cultivator with the Tiger Demon. At that critical moment, thunder and lightning erupted north of Mianzhu County. A black warhammer appeared, activating an array within the clouds that pulsed with arcs of lightning.

And following the lightning came a sweeping wave of Nether Qi!

It was the Nine Heavens Array, practiced by the Nine Tripods Sect. A middle-aged man in a plain blue Daoist robe stood at the array’s center. He had dark skin and a broad, prominent forehead, which now shimmered with a faint halo in the flashing lightning.

"Fellow Daoist Lu, I didn’t expect this to draw you out."

As he spoke, the last demon, who had yet to make a move, flickered and reappeared in front of the lightning. He had the appearance of an old man in a gray Daoist robe, indistinguishable from a human. He had white hair but a youthful complexion, and a snow-white beard covered most of his chest. He wore a jade coronet on his head, a style currently in vogue among Daoists.

However, he radiated pure demonic energy, and an exceptionally potent one at that. As the wildly expanding lightning and Nether Qi reached him, they were stopped by an invisible force, unable to advance another inch.

"So it’s Fellow Daoist Quan Cang. Are you trying to shield a fugitive wanted by the Daoist Scripture Hall?"

The middle-aged man at the center of the Nine Heavens Array dispelled the formation. Several Magical Artifacts gathered around him, fusing with his Primordial Spirit. He was an Artifact Cultivator who had reached the Primordial Spirit realm—the only one in the world. He was Lu Shan, Sect Leader of the Nine Heavens Sect and Pacification Envoy of the Shanwu Road Daoist Scripture Hall.

His opponent, Quan Cang, was also a famous great demon of the Demon Race, having transformed from a rat. He was a member of the Demon Realm’s Elder Council, with one foot already in the realm of Giant Demons.

"A fugitive? What fugitive? I’m merely out for a stroll with a friend."

As they conversed, two figures appeared at each of their sides. To Lu Shan’s left stood another Artifact Cultivator, while to his right was none other than Zi Luan. The Snake Demon and the Tiger Demon flanked Quan Cang.

As for the one who had used the giant cauldron at the start of the battle, he had already turned into a streak of light and vanished over the horizon.

That man was Yuan Hu.

After fleeing the battlefield, he plummeted downwards. The Third Realm aura that had been erupting from him vanished. Landing beside a pool of water, he immediately swallowed an Elixir and dove in.

「A dozen or so seconds later.」

Three Entering Cultivators landed beside the pool. They scanned their surroundings in confusion, then used their spiritual sense to probe the bottom of the pool. One of them dove directly into the water, while the other two flew off to search in different directions.

「A short while later.」

The three gathered again, looking dejected. After a brief discussion, they flew off at a low altitude in the direction of Shangning Road.

Then, at that exact moment, a faint HISS came from the surface of the pool, as if a stray spark had landed in the water. In the next instant, the pool began to boil.

BANG!

It was the sound of the water erupting. A figure shot out from the pool.

It was Yuan Hu!

But he had barely broken the surface when he was slammed down by an invisible barrier. Just as he was about to summon his giant cauldron and Samadhi True Flame, the entire surface of the pool was engulfed in a raging inferno.

Scorching steam shot up a hundred feet into the air, revealing a massive barrier that covered the entire pool. Hovering above the barrier was a Kun Cultivator, holding a pale purple sphere.

AHHH!

Yuan Hu’s body was engulfed by the great fire, his Spirit Body instantly turning charred black. His Primordial Spirit Consciousness attempted to summon the giant cauldron to counterattack. Simultaneously, he swallowed another Elixir, and the seared parts of his Spirit Body began to rapidly regenerate.

’We have to end this quickly!’

Appearing next to the Kun Cultivator was none other than Ruan Chunzi. When he pressed his palm against the surface of the barrier, his entire body turned into flames. The next moment, the temperature inside the barrier rose rapidly, and the flames turned directly into liquid magma, swallowing Yuan Hu before his terrified eyes.

The Kun Cultivator’s hand seals changed, and the barrier covering the pool rapidly contracted. The two then departed in the direction of True Yang Mountain, taking the still-struggling Yuan Hu with them.

And just as they left, another battle broke out back in the direction of Mianzhu County.