Chapter 76: Take Him Down!

Black Rock Island.

With a bubbling sound, Sanqian leapt from the pool, blowing bubbles through the mist conjured by the formation, calling out for Shen Lian.

In the midst of refining the Five Elements Mountain, Shen Lian paused, his eyes flickering open, a frown creasing his brow.

Someone had arrived!

Sanqian’s message conveyed that a terrifying cultivator had come to Black Rock Island.

“A Foundation Establishment cultivator?”

With a flick of his hand, Shen Lian stored the Five Elements Mountain within his dantian, not rushing into action.

Black Rock Island, though lacking in spiritual energy and not situated on the main trade route outside Black Whale Island, was occasionally visited by passing cultivators. Caution was always wise, but there was no need to frighten himself unnecessarily. After all, many cultivators had passed by over the past few years. Still, this was the first time he’d encountered a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Of course, it was not unusual for one to pass through Black Rock Island. Black Whale Island spanned three hundred miles, its terrain rugged, forests black and dense. Over the years, Black Horn Ant nests had proliferated in every corner, watching every inch of the island.

The chittering of ants could be heard among withered leaves and scattered stones, as ordinary Black Horn Ants scurried about searching for food. Shen Lian had deliberately left these ants unevolved; to a cultivator, unevolved insects were worthless, perhaps only serving as idle amusement, easily crushed with a flicker of magic. If anyone were truly bored enough to overturn every nest across the mountains, rooting out the ants for fun, Shen Lian would have to call such a person a fellow cultivator with too much time on his hands.

...

On the summit of a small hill in the island’s southeast, Pei Huoyu’s black robes fluttered in the wind as he held the ‘Seed of the Five Elements’ in his palms, excitement radiating from his face.

Heaven had not abandoned him.

If he could recover the Five Elements Mountain, he would have another chance to enter the Five Elements Immortal Palace and seize the opportunity for ascension. This was something he’d once overheard from the aged Ziyang.

Who among those who practice cultivation does not desire to become an immortal ancestor?

Yet Pei Huoyu’s expression froze. The fluctuations from the ‘Seed of the Five Elements’ ceased, and the aura of the Five Elements Mountain he’d sensed disappeared once more.

He surveyed the surrounding mountains and sea, rising into the air—within a thousand miles, only this island offered cover. The ‘Seed of the Five Elements’ surged most violently in this area; the man he sought must be here. The disappearance of the fluctuations likely meant the Five Elements Mountain had been absorbed into someone’s body, concealed by spiritual power.

Pei Huoyu’s figure darted through the mountains, his divine sense sweeping over every inch of the island. The nests of Black Horn Ants, wedged between stones, buried under earth, or hidden among grass and trees, appeared in his mind’s eye, but he paid them no heed. Black Horn Ants were common in the wild; without natural predators, they multiplied rapidly.

...

Within the sheltering cave, Shen Lian frowned slightly. The cultivator on the island was not a passing traveler—he was searching for something. Yet Black Rock Island was desolate, with nothing but stone and worthless black trees. What could he possibly want here, enough to merit a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s personal search?

After some thought, Shen Lian realized the island’s greatest asset was himself.

“Could it be a bandit cultivator?”

He couldn’t help but reflect—had the peace of the past three years made him careless, letting his wealth show and drawing attention? As a pill master at the Quiet Heart Pill Shop in the southern district of Black Whale City, he had some minor fame. Yet he’d long since stopped selling pills in large quantities, adopting a more discreet approach, blending in among the city’s countless cultivators. Besides, if it were a bandit, why wait until now, after he’d reached Foundation Establishment?

He instructed Dahei to continue quietly monitoring the Black Horn Ants, keeping watch. Shen Lian himself remained calm; he had prepared this secure cavern for years. Buried five hundred fathoms below the surface, shielded by formations and talismans, even a cultivator at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment might not detect it.

He decided to wait and see what this uninvited guest intended.

With this uncertainty, Shen Lian could not continue his cultivation; instead, he busied himself with organizing his equipment. He laid out his formation plate and talisman array—if it came to a fight, he would aim to cripple his opponent’s offense in the first round. If the opponent proved formidable, he was ready to flee.

A thunderous roar echoed across the island as elemental power exploded, a blazing column striking a mountain and shattering its peak in an instant. The surging energy annihilated a nearby ant nest, reducing it to nothingness. Pei Huoyu, his aura wild, lashed out at the mountains in a frenzy, his voice booming:

“Come out!”

“I know you’re here!”

“Hand over the Five Elements Mountain!”

...

“The Five Elements Mountain!”

Still pondering whether the intruder was a bandit, Shen Lian was stunned when he caught the furious shout.

This outcome was entirely unexpected—he hadn’t considered this possibility at all.

The good news: it wasn’t a bandit.

The bad news: it was the original owner of the Five Elements Mountain!

Now he was certain—the man had come for him.

“Wasn’t this guy supposed to be dead?”

He remembered the rumors back in the Ninefold Immortal City—this man was arrogant, flaunting his mastery of a Golden Core technique. At the time, Shen Lian had thought his demise well deserved.

But it seemed he’d survived—and had come knocking.

Shen Lian frowned. How had this man found him?

His first thought was that this place was now unsafe; perhaps he should play it safe and flee.

After all, the distance from the Wilderness to Black Whale Island spanned hundreds of thousands of miles. To pinpoint his hiding place from so far away—what sort of divine power was this?

He checked his gear again and calmed himself. If the man truly possessed such power, he would have dragged him out of his cavern already, not vented his rage on the mountain tops.

His cave lay over five hundred fathoms below ground. Only a seventh-level Foundation Establishment cultivator might pierce the array’s concealment. As the man still hadn’t located the cave and was lashing out indiscriminately, Shen Lian judged his strength was likely below the seventh level.

One more thing: the man seemed unhinged, his mental state unsteady.

After careful consideration, Shen Lian made his decision.

He would deal with him.

There was no way he’d give up the Five Elements Mountain—it wasn’t something he’d acquired for nothing. If this man could chase him from the Wilderness to here, he must know the mountain’s secrets. As a five-element cultivator, he might even be one of the Stone Nurturers; leaving him alive could spell future trouble. If someone could track him across hundreds of thousands of miles, who knew where he might be hunted next?

With this thought, Shen Lian busied himself with preparations.

Deal with him—deal with him!

...

“Come out!”

Pei Huoyu’s great hand, wreathed in flames, struck downward, his pupils streaked with blood once more as the Five Elements Mountain drew near—he had forgotten to suppress his madness.

Then, as his gaze swept into the distance, he suddenly saw a figure standing atop a mountain summit near the sea.

There, Shen Lian stood with hands behind his back, studying Pei Huoyu, left hand holding a formation plate, right hand gripping a talisman. Upgraded Divine Mind Talismans were affixed to his body; on his feet, legs, and waist, upgraded Thousand-Mile Travel Talismans.

“So you finally dare to show yourself!”

Pei Huoyu’s head snapped up, eyes locking onto Shen Lian as he strode through the air towards him.

“Hand over the Five Elements Mountain.”

As Pei Huoyu drew within four hundred and fifty fathoms, Shen Lian sensed the Divine Mind Talisman on his body being swept by a probing force.

‘Initial assessment: divine sense range about four hundred and fifty fathoms, spiritual force unstable.’

‘Mental state: deranged, aura unsteady—confirmed abnormality.’

‘Comprehensive assessment: Foundation Establishment, fourth to fifth level.’

These thoughts flashed rapidly through Shen Lian’s mind—his odds of besting the man had risen to eighty percent.

Meanwhile, in the waters around Black Whale Island, fish, shrimp, and crabs churned on the surface. Sanqian, scales shimmering emerald, dove deep, demon power swelling, his gills swelling into bubbles three feet wide.

With a whoosh, a pillar of water shot skyward, lifting him into the air.

A thunderous roar burst from his gills, echoing across the sea.

Hearing the commotion outside, Shen Lian felt even more at ease.

‘Initial confirmation: no allies of the intruder in the surrounding sea.’

“Hand over the Five Elements Mountain!”

Pei Huoyu’s body surged with elemental power, five-colored light coursing between his ten fingers, weaving into a halo to suppress Shen Lian.

But Shen Lian was faster. With Sanqian’s warning, he flicked his sleeve—a streak of light shot forth.

Formation plate!

Seventy-two interconnected talismans, wind, thunder, and fire intertwining, enveloped Pei Huoyu.

“Break!”

Confronted by the assault, Pei Huoyu transformed the five-colored halo into a palm of elemental fire, clashing against the talismanic domain. Instantly, two black Prohibition-Breaking Orbs appeared in his palm and were hurled forward.

A crack sounded.

Seeing this, Shen Lian cursed under his breath.

Foundation Establishment cultivators certainly had their tricks.

Talismans and formation plates were both linked to formations, and Prohibition-Breaking Orbs were specifically designed to counter such defenses.

A thunderous roar followed as Pei Huoyu, tearing through the talismanic energies, formed a five-colored halo in his hand.

“Five Elements Prohibition!”

This was one of his most powerful spells, meant to sever and suppress the opponent’s spiritual power.

Shen Lian hastily formed seals, the formation plate spinning as beams of light shot into nine rainbow talismans. These nine did not unleash a great blast but instead melted in the air, their colors fading, turning to motes of dust, and coalescing into a long misty dragon.

It surged through the rift torn by the Prohibition-Breaking Orbs, pouring straight into Pei Huoyu’s mouth.