Chapter 71: Myriad Destruction Thunder Forest

Bai Ningbing, Ying Wuxie, and the others entered the formation one after another. Finally, Fairy Zi Wei drifted into the center of the grand formation and activated it.

The divination commenced.

But Ancestor Qi Sea did not move, remaining in his original position.

"If I were to forcibly strike, attack this grand formation — could I bring any assistance to my true body?" Ancestor Qi Sea analyzed, weighing the probability of success.

Once the grand formation was heavily damaged or even destroyed, the Gu Immortals within it would certainly be affected. But how great the impact would be, Ancestor Qi Sea could not be certain.

Moreover, if Ancestor Qi Sea acted alone, the secret of him being Fang Yuan's clone would likely be exposed.

"If only I could persuade Qin Dingling and the others to strike together..." Ancestor Qi Sea sighed inwardly.

Although Qin Dingling was no Wisdom Path grandmaster, she was far from easy to deceive. Ancestor Qi Sea did not even dare mention it, for fear that his efforts would backfire and expose suspicions to the Heavenly Court.

"Ancestor, time is pressing — we must prioritize the greater good!" Instead, it was Qin Dingling who continuously transmitted her voice in secret, earnestly persuading Ancestor Qi Sea. She wanted Ancestor Qi Sea to pursue the Dragon Palace and Spectral Soul, but Ancestor Qi Sea had raised the matter of compensation.

Ancestor Qi Sea sighed, "Fairy Qin, it is precisely because I have the greater good in mind that I am shamelessly requesting the Sky, Earth, and Human Qi Immortal Gu from you. My methods are already well-known to our enemies. Only by acquiring these Three Qi Immortal Gu can my strength increase and catch them off guard. For the sake of all living beings and the Righteous Path in this world, I implore you, Fairy, to think of the greater good and grant me these three Immortal Gu."

Qin Dingling secretly rolled her eyes. Ancestor Qi Sea was not merely thick-skinned — he was outright shameless. To demand compensation at such a critical juncture! His very first ask was three Eighth Transformation Immortal Gu, the core of the Primordial True Inheritance! His appetite was truly enormous.

Yet Qin Dingling had no choice but to tread carefully. If she fell out with Ancestor Qi Sea, the Heavenly Court would lack Peak Stage Eighth Transformation combat power, quite possibly inviting Shadow Sect and Longevity Heaven to kick them while they were down.

The Qi Sea clone had skillfully exploited the current situation to pressure Qin Dingling.

Qin Dingling sighed, "Why must you be so relentless, Ancestor Qi Sea? Back then, on the Eastern Sea, who was it that stepped in to shield you from Qi Cut-Off Demon Immortal?"

Ancestor Qi Sea replied, "If we are to speak of favors, I'm afraid your side owes me slightly more. I have already eliminated a grave threat for the Heavenly Court — without the Qi Merit Fruit, the Heavenly Court no longer harbors hidden dangers. Throughout this great battle, I have remained steadfast, never slacking, and willingly braved extraordinary risks."

Qin Dingling was silent for a moment before she nodded slightly and said solemnly, "The Sky Qi and Earth Qi Immortal Gu may be handed over to you, Ancestor. But the Human Qi Immortal Gu cannot. This is our Heavenly Court's bottom line — I ask for your understanding."

Ancestor Qi Sea accepted this outcome.

In truth, the Qi Sea clone had never harbored the delusion of obtaining all Three Qi Immortal Gu. They were all Eighth Transformation Gu, integral to the Primordial True Inheritance, and far too valuable — their worth far exceeded the scope of this compensation. The Heavenly Court could have offered other resources as payment instead. It was simply that the urgency of the situation had allowed the Qi Sea clone to press the advantage.

Right then and there, Qin Dingling transferred two Eighth Transformation Qi Path Immortal Gu to Ancestor Qi Sea, drawing gasps of astonishment from the assembled immortals.

Having received the two Immortal Gu, Ancestor Qi Sea cupped his fists in farewell to the Heavenly Court immortals and set off in pursuit of the Dragon Palace, his departure swift and decisive.

"At least he's been sent away for now." Qin Dingling was mentally exhausted, but she could accept this outcome. The Three Qi Immortal Gu could never all be given to Ancestor Qi Sea — she had to retain at least one, to serve as bait for recruiting him in the future.

Moreover, Ancestor Qi Sea had received two of the Qi Immortal Gu but was missing only the Human Qi Immortal Gu. With just one more, he could wield the Three Qi Return killer move — the temptation of that would be even stronger than before.

The Dragon Palace streaked through the howling winds.

Earlier within the dreamscape, Wu Shuai had gained a precious moment to breathe. Under his full efforts of repair, the Dragon Palace's exterior had largely been restored to its former state.

"The damage to the core Immortal Gu cannot be resolved in a short time — I've already pushed to my absolute limit!" Wu Shuai fretted inwardly.

Not far behind the Dragon Palace, an Eighth Transformation Soul Path female immortal pursued relentlessly.

It was the Spectral Soul Demon Venerable, inhabiting the body of Hanhui Fairy. Black qi shrouded him from head to toe, killing intent surging as he locked onto the Dragon Palace without the slightest sign of relenting or giving up.

"You cannot escape, Fang Yuan! Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will kill you no matter what." The Spectral Soul Demon Venerable had barely finished speaking when his eyes suddenly widened.

Where Spectral Soul's gaze fell, a plume of smoke as black as ink suddenly materialized directly in front of the Dragon Palace.

The black fog expanded rapidly and, with a deafening roar, transformed into a massive spherical vortex that unleashed a terrifying gravitational pull.

Wu Shuai was caught completely off guard as he piloted the Dragon Palace. Its velocity surged uncontrollably, and it hurtled straight toward the black smoke vortex.

"What killer move is this?!" Wu Shuai gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead as he exerted every ounce of his strength to force the Dragon Palace upward.

Since the start of their battle, the Spectral Soul Demon Venerable's Soul Path techniques had come in an endless barrage, virtually impossible to guard against. Especially in the hands of a Gu Immortal as battle-hardened as the Spectral Soul Demon Venerable, these Soul Path methods often achieved effects beyond their inherent power.

The Dragon Palace struggled to change course, attempting to sweep over the top of the black smoke vortex.

The Spectral Soul Demon Venerable sneered and pointed a single finger. A pinpoint of black light rapidly coalesced at his fingertip and shot forth, reaching the Dragon Palace in the blink of an eye.

The bean-sized black light suddenly expanded, reverting into an Ancient Soul Beast.

As the Ancient Soul Beast was about to lunge into the Dragon Palace, Wu Shuai's eyes nearly split from shock.

If the Dragon Palace were struck, its momentum would certainly be halted, entangled by the Ancient Soul Beast and dragged together into the black smoke vortex. If that happened, the precious lead Fang Yuan had painstakingly gained through his deceptive tactics would be utterly erased.

In this critical moment, Wu Shuai let out a low shout, divine light blazing from his eyes so brilliantly that none could gaze directly at him.

The Dragon Palace responded at once. Its orange-gold radiance surged, and then a cloud of pinkish, misty vapor rapidly condensed and flew forth, gently sweeping up the Ancient Soul Beast and carrying it deep into the Dragon Palace. The majestic Ancient Soul Beast was utterly powerless to resist!

The Spectral Soul Demon Venerable, however, was not surprised.

This move was precisely the Dream Path killer move — Mist Within a Dream.

Wu Shuai had neutralized the Ancient Soul Beast's entanglement, and the Dragon Palace had already arrived directly above the vortex.

At that moment, the Spectral Soul Demon Venerable's figure suddenly materialized above, looking down upon the Dragon Palace with cold, piercing light flashing through his eyes: "I have been waiting for you for quite some time!"