bookpower Chapter 306: Divine Dream’s Kiss
Chapter 306: Divine Dream’s Kiss
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“Face ten moves from me first before talking about fighting to death.”
Lan Chang'an remained unfazed. With a wave of his sleeve, he summoned a mid-grade magical treasure, the bronze mirror.
The giant ruler treasure flitted nimbly, striking the massive flaming mountain magical treasure with precision. At the same time, the bronze mirror floated in the sky, emitting a radiant cyan glow that continuously dimmed the flaming mountain’s spiritual light.
Under the pursuit of two mid-grade magical treasures, Fang Zhen felt immense pressure. His mana was rapidly draining.
The flaming mountain magical treasure, forged by fusing multiple same types of magical treasures, was enormous in size and its grade was basically at the superior grade.
Though its power was unrivaled, it was difficult for an average late-stage Core Formation cultivator to control it without exhausting themselves, leaving little energy to handle any other magical treasures.
Fang Zhen gritted his teeth grimly. Between his brows, a crack appeared, and a few drops of vital blood essence fell onto the flames. Instantly, the magical treasure’s spiritual brilliance surged by several degrees.
Clang!
Lan Chang'an’s ruler treasure was deflected, and waves of molten flames rushed forth, obstructing his pursuit.
“Hurry! Let’s escape together!”
Fang Zhen roared, stepping on the fiery escape light and flying toward the edge of the oasis.
As a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, Fang Zhen’s burst speed was astonishing.
Though he said “escape together,” in the blink of an eye, he had already overtaken his grandson, Fang Xiao, as well as the body-refiner, Eshalu.
“Grandfather, save me! Take me with you!”
“Fang Zhen! How dare you use us as cannon fodder!”Nôv(el)B\\jnn
Ignoring the pleas of his grandson and the enraged roars of Eshalu, Fang Zhen’s face remained indifferent.
Breaking through a third-rank formation required time, and someone had to be sacrificed.
If he were entangled by a strong Great Cultivator like Mister Xu, it would become a desperate fight to the death, and he would undoubtedly perish on the spot.
“Mister Xu, have mercy—”
Meanwhile, Lan Chang'an’s pursuit route intersected with the abandoned Fang Xiao and Eshalu.
A trace of pity flashed in Lan Chang'an’s eyes, but his actions remained merciless.
Buzz!
The bronze mirror floating in the sky released a thick beam of cyan crystalline light, enveloping the wounded Fang Xiao.
A shrill and tragic scream echoed.
Fang Xiao’s magical treasure and protective aura shattered instantly, leaving behind only a pile of ashes.
At the same time, the massive ruler magical treasure radiated a dazzling rainbow light. With a thunderous crack, it struck Eshalu head-on.
Boom!
Eshalu crossed his arms to protect his head, pushing his body's unique constitution to its limits. Coupled with his thick scales, he managed to endure the direct strike.
In that brief moment, the three-zhang-tall body-refiner giant was forcibly compressed back into a six-foot villain.
Eshalu let out a wretched cry as his bloodied body sank deeply into the rock layers below the pit.
On the other side, Fang Zhen’s eyelid twitched uncontrollably.
Controlling the still-flourishing flaming mountain magical treasure, he smashed it against the formation barrier at the edge of the oasis.
To accelerate the breakthrough, Fang Zhen burned more of his vital blood essence and infused it with the Core Formation true flame, causing the flaming mountain to erupt with the intensity of a blazing sun.
Blinding light illuminated the entire oasis.
“Break!”
He also unleashed several third-rank talismans, including a low-grade Restriction-Breaking Talisman, pouring all of them into an attack on the formation.
The sect-protecting formation, a third-rank mid-grade array, finally broke open, leaving a massive gap.
“Xiao’er, today’s humiliation will be avenged. In the future, I will use the blood of those wenches from the Xuan Yin Pavilion to honor your memory!”
Fang Zhen’s pale face lit up with joy as he broke through the formation and fled into the dim sandstorm beyond.
“Fairy Ni Yue, I’ll leave that big lump of iron to you,” Lan Chang'an said calmly.
He had no intention of wasting time finishing off a brute like Eshalu. Fang Zhen was the true target.
Fairy Ni Yue and Fairy Jiang were pale and struggling to stay afloat, weakly descending to the ground.
Both women were gravely injured. Their earlier battle which had pushed them to use secret techniques, had completely drained their vitality.
“Mister Xu, be careful...”
Especially Fairy Jiang, she looked as pale as a sheet, staring at the elegant middle-aged man fleeing the oasis with a lifeless gaze.
Before she could say another word, her vision went dark, and she collapsed unconscious.
Jiang Ruotong was in a horrible state, her injuries compounded by the backlash from overusing secret techniques.
“Ruotong!”
Fairy Ni Yue cried out in alarm. In her panic, she coughed up a mouthful of congealed blood.
Forcing herself to suppress the backlash from her own injuries, she supported Jiang Ruotong, fed her a life-saving pill, and channeled her mana to stabilize her condition.
During this time, Fairy Ni Yue kept a wary eye on the aftermath of the battlefield.
The once-vibrant Xuan Yin Pavilion was now in ruins, with only her left conscious.
Fairy Bai was dead. Jiang Ruotong was unconscious.
The maidservant Li Huan and the other Fake-Dan and Foundation Establishment cultivators had been rendered powerless and unconscious by Dongfang Xi’s tranquilizing powder.
Eshalu’s body was still buried in the rocky pit, motionless, his breathing seemingly stopped.
Fairy Ni Yue also took a pill herself, hoping to restore some of her mana before taking further action.
Hm?
At this moment, her gaze swept across the corpses left by the enemies and she noticed something peculiar.
Apart from Fairy Bai, the storage pouches and scattered spoils of the other corpses had mysteriously disappeared.
Fairy Ni Yue’s clear eyes flickered with doubt.
Earlier, Mister Xu had fought with the poise of a hidden master, subduing all enemies with one hand behind his back.
He hadn’t appeared to collect the spoils in such a sneaky manner...
...
A swirling sandstorm blanketed the skies, masking the aftermath of the brutal battle on the Fragrant Grass Oasis.
Under such harsh natural conditions, cultivators rarely ventured into the desolate desert.
Suddenly—
Two dazzling streaks of light pierced through the storm of flying sand, one chasing the other. The overwhelming spiritual pressure radiating from them was enough to strike fear into the hearts of nearby cultivation sects.
“Mister Xu, let's be forgiving! What has Fang done to offend you?”
The fleeing middle-aged man in iron armor, disheveled and desperate, called out bitterly.
He had thought that he could take advantage of the harsh environment of the sandstorm to escape.
But to his dismay, this Mister Xu’s spiritual sense far surpassed his own, allowing him to close in effortlessly.
Just moments ago, the two had clashed several times.
In every exchange, he had been completely suppressed by Mister Xu, unable to match him.
“In this foreign land, killing you won’t stir any ripples. Xu needs not fear anyone seeking justice for you,” Lan Chang'an replied with a faint smile, his hands still clasped behind his back.
Hearing this, Fang Zhen felt his heart sink into despair, a sense of bleak sorrow overwhelming him.
In the cultivation world of Liang Kingdom, he had betrayed the Flame Departing Palace and had laid hands on his fellow disciples.
In the Fengyuan Kingdom, he preyed on acquaintances, targeting his homeland’s sects and cultivators.
Even his closest blood relative—his own grandson—had been sacrificed to create an escape opportunity for him, left to die at the oasis.
Fang Zhen couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. He realized that even if news of his death spread across the lands, there would be no one to mourn for him, nor anyone to seek revenge on his behalf.
“Xu Xuan! If you want to kill me, then pay the price!”
Fang Zhen’s eyes glinted with a cold light. Forming a series of hand seals, his Core Formation mana surged, and his life essence and lifespan burned rapidly.
Crimson Sun Blood Escape!
In an instant, a brilliant crimson light erupted around him, like an exploding sun.
The next moment, Fang Zhen’s speed doubled as he transformed into a streak of scarlet light, cutting through the desert sandstorm and widening the distance between him and Lan Chang'an.
His escape speed now reached the pinnacle of the Core Formation realm, far surpassing the average late-stage cultivator.
Thanks to the sandstorm’s cover, the events of tonight’s battle had not drawn the attention of external forces.
The only witnesses to his actions who remained alive were Fairy Ni Yue and Fairy Jiang.
While suspicions might arise in the future, this would allow his current identity to remain in obscurity for some time.
“Ni Yue will keep this in mind,” she promised.
After Lan Chang'an revealed his true strength as a Great Cultivator, Fairy Ni Yue adjusted her attitude, acting more like a junior in his presence.
Previously, as the head of the Xuan Yin Pavilion, with her extraordinary beauty and mastery of music arts, she had maintained a lofty demeanor, viewing herself as an equal or even a superior.
She had even entertained the idea of using her beauty and resources to win over Mister Xu, gradually drawing him into the Xuan Yin Pavilion’s fold.
However, after this battle, she had come to understand the unfathomable nature of Mister Xu.
To eliminate Fang Zhen and his accomplices, Mister Xu had willingly used the Xuan Yin Pavilion as bait.
In comparison, her earlier attempts at manipulation seemed laughably naive and childish.
Fortunately, the outcome had not been disastrous. In this way, Mister Xu had become her pavilion’s savior, protecting it from utter destruction.
Even so, when Lan Chang'an returned to the oasis, Fairy Ni Yue had been gripped by fear, walking on eggshells.
She worried that, after revealing his strength, Mister Xu might simply decide to wipe out everyone for convenience’s sake.
After all, the entire oasis was defenseless, and it would take little effort for him to eliminate them all.
“Mister Xu and Fang Zhen are not the same kind of people. His vision is far grander, and he has a moral bottom line. Moreover, he shows no ambition to establish a force of his own,” Fairy Ni Yue thought as she carried the antidote to save the others.
Her brow glistened with cold sweat, but she exhaled deeply in relief.
...
In the desolate wilderness outside the oasis, a long-haired man with a crippled leg and a body covered in scars trudged through the sandstorm.
Eshalu had burned through all his blood essence and divine strength to escape the formation.
“Fang Zhen... Fairy Ni Yue... Mister Xu...”
His copper bell-like eyes were bloodshot, filled with seething hatred.
Having witnessed the terrifying power of a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, he had made up his mind to return to the royal clan, admit his mistakes, and earn the chance to undergo the Sacred Liquid Baptism.
As long as he reached the late third rank of body refinement, he would become far stronger, and he was confident he would no longer fear Mister Xu.
At that time, he would settle the score with Fang Zhen and make Fairy Ni Yue kneel and grovel at his feet.
“There’s always a way out of despair! Fang Zhen and Mister Xu will eventually clash, and Fairy Ni Yue won’t have the strength to resist...”
Eshalu let out a sinister laugh. Having survived this ordeal, he was certain his future would hold fortune.
Squelch!
Suddenly, a cold light emerged from beneath the sandy ground, piercing through his lower body and tearing into his organs.
“Ahhhh!!”
Eshalu’s eyes widened in shock as excruciating pain spread throughout his body. Blood gushed from his lower half like a fountain.
Thud!
The towering giant collapsed into a pool of his own blood, unconscious.
“Even body refiners have weaknesses.”
A shadowy figure wearing a straw hat emerged from beneath the sand, holding a poisoned throwing blade.
Without hesitation, the assassin plunged the weapon deeper into Eshalu’s wounded body, ensuring a fatal blow.
...
Within three days, the female cultivators of the Fragrant Grass Oasis had all awakened, restoring the sect’s usual order.
Since the Xuan Yin Pavilion’s new mountain gate was still under construction, most of the female cultivators had not yet moved here. Altogether, there were only a few dozen disciples residing in the oasis.
The casualties from the recent battle were relatively small. Apart from the icy and aloof Fairy Bai, who had tragically perished, fewer than ten others were injured or killed, mostly due to the aftermath of the spell clashes.
At the central pavilion of the oasis.
Lan Chang'an sat within the central courtyard, having consumed medicinal pills to replenish his vitality and blood essence. His cultivation had nearly returned to its peak.
For the past two days, he had been sorting through the spoils of the battle. The results could only be described as "an overnight windfall."
The belongings of Fang Zhen and his group of ten were all now in his possession.
Among the defeated were two genuine Core Formation cultivators, a third-rank puppet master, a mid-stage body refiner, and six Fake-Dan cultivators.
The wealth and resources Lan Chang'an obtained far exceeded what he would normally earn in a century or two.
If he sold off the spoils, he could fund the crafting of several mid- to late-third-rank puppets in the future.
The largest portion of the spoils came from Fang Zhen, the late-stage Core Formation Great Cultivator.
Aside from the flaming mountain magical treasure, he also left behind several other magical treasures, rare materials, a mid-Core Formation breakthrough pill, and a few rare divination artifacts of the third rank.
These divination artifacts could enhance Lan Chang'an’s ability to calculate fate and conceal heavenly secrets.
What amused Lan Chang'an the most was the return of the Crystal Condensation Pill that Fang Zhen had stolen from him.
In the end, the three Crystal Condensation Pills he had initially refined remained intact in his possession, untouched.
Additionally, as Lan Chang'an sorted through the spoils, he discovered several personal items belonging to cultivators from the Flame Departing Palace and the Liang Kingdom.
Clearly, these were the results of Fang Zhen’s treachery and his habit of preying on acquaintances.
Lan Chang'an sighed and muttered, “This Immortal is considered to have cleaned up for the Flame Departing Palace and the Liang Kingdom as ‘Master Lihuo'.”
...
That evening.
After several busy days, Fairy Ni Yue quietly made her way to Lan Chang'an’s courtyard to formally express her gratitude.
“Ni Yue apologizes for disturbing Mister Xu’s cultivation at this hour,” she said softly.
She wore a moon-white palace robe adorned with silk ribbons, her figure graceful and ethereal. Her flawless, jade-like skin seemed to radiate an otherworldly glow, with no trace of the wounds she had sustained days ago.
Her soft lips parted, and her voice, as clear as falling pearls on a jade plate, filled the room with a soothing charm.
“It’s no bother. I do not cultivate at night,” Lan Chang'an replied calmly.
Despite her enchanting presence, Lan Chang'an’s mood remained light and composed. With one glance, he could tell that while Fairy Ni Yue’s external wounds had healed, her internal injuries had not yet fully recovered.
Coming to visit late at night after exhausting herself over the past few days was indeed a gesture of sincerity.
“Mister Xu saved the Xuan Yin Pavilion from annihilation. You are also the savior of Ruotong and myself. Such a great debt of gratitude cannot go unacknowledged. I have come tonight to formally express my thanks.”
Her expression was filled with heartfelt gratitude as she lifted the hem of her palace robe and lowered herself to kneel in a deep bow.
“Fairy, your injuries have not yet healed. Please, there is no need for such a formal gesture.”
Lan Chang'an raised his hand, summoning the invisible force of Core Formation power to gently hold her legs, preventing her from kneeling.
“Mister Xu’s magnanimity humbles me. I truly do not know how I could ever repay your kindness,” Fairy Ni Yue said softly as she gracefully rose.
Taking advantage of the motion, she extended her slender hand to touch Lan Chang'an’s outstretched palm, her cool and smooth fingers brushing against his skin.
Lan Chang'an froze for a moment.
The sensation of her jade-like fingers, soft and delicate, carried an ethereal allure.
The palace-robed woman, wrapped in silk ribbons, stood before him, her elegant brows framed by cascading hair. A faint floral fragrance lingered in the air around her, as though she were a celestial maiden stepping out of a painting.
Her flawless face, stunningly beautiful and otherworldly, seemed to draw closer in his vision.
“Mister Xu, allow me to perform a dance in your honor,” she said gently.
Her moonlit eyes shimmered with a misty haze, like pearls glistening with unshed tears.
A melodic tune from a guqin began to play, filling the air with its heavenly harmony.
Fairy Ni Yue first played a piece on the guqin, her music ethereal and pure, carrying Lan Chang'an’s mind into an intoxicating realm of serenity.
Then, she gracefully removed her shoes, revealing the delicate curves of her jade-like feet, and began to dance.
Her movements were elegant and otherworldly, like a celestial being descended to the mortal realm. Her flowing sleeves and soft ribbons seemed to weave a dreamlike tapestry as she swayed under the moonlight.
Unknowingly, the celestial maiden’s attire began to loosen. Her palace robe fell away piece by piece, leaving her increasingly exposed.
The dreamlike figure of the celestial dancer approached with a cup in hand, her delicate smile alluring. Gently, she offered the drink to Lan Chang'an.
Under the soft light of the moon, the elegant scholar and the ethereal fairy shared a cup of wine.
Their lips met.
Under the hazy moonlit night, their two silhouettes gradually intertwined, merging into one as their warmth filled the night, bound by the gentle intimacy that grew between them.