I Cheated While Cultivating

Chapter 307: Chapter 27 Returning Together

“Hahahaha! Old fool, you sure have a dirty mouth.”

A voice full of mockery and arrogance came from outside, and every disciple of the Purple Lightning Sect heard it loud and clear, “If you have the ability to kill me, just do it directly, why waste your breath!”

Arrogant!

Utterly arrogant!

Moreover, the attack that shook the sect’s gates and caused the earth and mountains to tremble, along with the terrifying power that rumbled without end, truly left the many disciples within the Purple Lightning Sect agape.

They’d never seen anyone dare to come looking for trouble so arrogantly direct before.

They hadn’t even heard of such a thing.

This was one of the Nine Great Sects under heaven, the Purple Lightning Sect with the Divine Monarch of Eight Tribulations at the helm!

Who was bold enough to do this?

Listening to the voice of the sect master just now, could it be the Barbarian Tribe of the Northwestern Wasteland?

At this thought, including Wang Li, the faces of many disciples changed dramatically; they all remembered the rumors they’d heard not long ago—the Barbarian Tribe from the Northwest had brought forth a Divine Monarch of Eight Tribulations whose might overshadowed the world and had attacked the Heavenly God Pavilion.

If it were not for the emergence of the Jade Xiao Fairy who repelled this Divine Monarch, the Heavenly God Pavilion would have been breached, and they were also one of the Nine Great Sects.

This indicated that the strength of this Divine Monarch from the Barbarian Tribe was unfathomably deep.

Could it be they were now targeting the Purple Lightning Sect?

What’s going on, shouldn’t he have just been repelled by the Jade Xiao Fairy not long ago? His injuries should not even have healed yet, where did he get the courage and strength to attack the Purple Lightning Sect?

However, no matter how incredible it all felt to them, many disciples of the Purple Lightning Sect, especially those who had recently joined, felt fear and anxiety amidst the earth-shaking power surrounding them.

Wang Li looked at the storm filling the sky, felt the trembling of the earth beneath his feet, wore a worried expression, took a deep breath, and quickly ran toward the cave dwelling where Zhou Heng was.

“Hey, what are you doing? Stay put at a time like this. Don’t run around!” another disciple from the outer sect warned Wang Li, “It’s too dangerous.”

“Zhou Wei has been in closed-door cultivation recently; he might not be aware of the danger outside. I need to warn him,” Wang Li briefly explained and continued rushing forward.

Boom!

At that moment, the sky continued to yield thunderous explosions as streaks of purple lightning spread out, overshadowing the sky, seemingly transforming the entire Purple Lightning Sect into a world of thunder.

The Sect Master of the Purple Lightning Sect, Hong Tianlu, had made a move.

He was a Divine Monarch who had weathered eight Thunder Tribulations, possessed eight Thunder Patterns, and could unleash eight different kinds of divine might; the purple lightning that spread across the sky just now was one example of his divine might, named “Purple Lightning Overwhelms the Sky.”

This was a wide-range attack with not only extremely strong killing power but also the ability to lower the defense abilities of enemies caught under the thunder, rendering their movements sluggish and effectively reducing their combat strength.

Standing beside Hong Tianlu were three Divine Monarchs of Seven Tribulations, all core members of the Purple Lightning Sect’s upper echelon with formidable strength.

On the other side of the sky, opposite the four from the Purple Lightning Sect, was a brawny man with a robust physique, bare-chested, and muscles coiled like dragons, floating in mid-air.

His body looked as tough as steel, and his upper body’s muscles were marked with strange patterns that exuded an odd aesthetic. These patterns, known as the Bloodline Barbarian Patterns in the Barbarian Tribe, were the source of their strength.

This sturdy man was named Yuan Lie, the same Barbarian Tribe Divine Monarch who had previously attacked the Heavenly God Pavilion.

Under the shroud of “Purple Lightning Fill the Sky,” Yuan Lie seemed to be largely unaffected. With a casual flex of his muscles, he shook off the arcs of electricity and chuckled, “Hong Tianlu, are you giving this lord a back massage?”

“You’re courting death!” Hong Tianlu was instantly enraged. He was an elderly man who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies, with a youthful face and white hair. His whiskers bristled with anger as he bellowed, “Kill! Annihilate the Barbarian Tribe!”

“Yes, Sect Master!” Three Divine Monarchs of the Seven Calamities nodded in response and joined forces with Hong Tianlu to strike.

The Thunder Patterns connected the natural Qi of heaven and earth, aligning with the natural laws. As the four began to move, the Qi churned and boiled under the sky-covering purple lightning, rapidly condensing into thousands of swords of Thunder!

Among these thousands of swords, a Giant Sword of purple lightning that stretched a hundred zhang in length was the most dazzling and awe-inspiring.

This was the core of the thousands of Thunder Swords, the dominator of all, the expression of Hong Tianlu’s Thunder Pattern divine might: the “Heavenly Punishment Purple Thunder Sword”!

“Die!”

Hong Tianlu roared, and the purple Thunder Sword came slashing down!

Its edge, radiance, and thunder completely engulfed Yuan Lie, who stood in mid-air, but only for a brief two to three breaths.

Boom!

A giant cyan fist, over a hundred zhang wide, burst forth from within the layers of writhing thunder, reminiscent of an ancient giant punching through the void, effortlessly shattering the assault of the thousands of Thunder Swords.

Yuan Lie floated in the air, still without a scratch on him.

His body was adorned with luminescent cyan Barbarian Patterns, connected to the giant fist beside him, the power of the patterns casting him in an almost godlike or demonic light.

“Hong Tianlu, you are no match for me, even if we are on the same level, you could never be my opponent.”

Without any urgency to attack, Yuan Lie sneered, “Summoning thunder, branding Thunder Patterns, obtaining divine might… At the end of the day, it’s nothing but a parody of the divine blood patterns by bloodline-diluted trash. How could you possibly stand against our ancestors?”

“Nonsense!” Hong Tianlu’s face turned an iron blue as he prepared to once again harness the power of the Thunder Patterns to unleash his divine might and continue his assault on Yuan Lie.

But at that moment, the purple lightning that filled the sky, as if attracted by something, escaped from Hong Tianlu’s control.

What had once eclipsed the sun and clouded the sky, this purple lightning, under the influence of this strange force, suddenly condensed into an extraordinarily pure orb of light.

This orb of light hung above Yuan Lie’s head like a massive Thunderball.

Boom!

With a sudden thunderous explosion, the Thunderball split in the middle, revealing an endless abyss of profound blackness, as if harboring the power to destroy everything.

It was like Heavenly Punishment!

This Thunderball seemed like the very eye of Heavenly Punishment!

“Thunder Judgment! Jade Xiao!” Yuan Lie cried out in shock and terror, but before his voice could fade, the eye of Heavenly Punishment transformed into a pitch-black bolt of lightning and struck down.

Boom!

In the deafening roar, an infinite force of destruction enveloped Yuan Lie, and even Hong Tianlu and the other three Divine Lords from the Purple Lightning Sect were taken aback by the dark lightning.

It was immensely powerful, a divine might akin to Heavenly Punishment itself!

It was well known that the Heavenly God Pavilion was rooted in simulating divine calamities, but never had there been word of such a technique.

Was “Jade Xiao,” whom Yuan Lie had just mentioned, the very same Jade Xiao Fairy who had repelled him recently?

Hong Tianlu and the others extended their senses, looking out into the distance.

And indeed, they saw a beautiful woman riding a streak of red light, soaring through the sky. Her beauty was unparalleled, clad in a snowy white dress that shone radiantly. The hem of her dress fluttered gracefully as if a celestial being had descended to the mortal realm.

She was a peerless beauty in the world, yet there was an aura of decisiveness between her brows. Every move she made carried the authority to wield power and mete out divine punishment, demanding respect and devoid of any blasphemous thoughts.

It must undoubtedly be the Jade Serenity Fairy.

So speculated Hong Tianlu and the others inwardly.

But just as this “Jade Serenity Fairy” arrived, the dark thunderlight shrouding Yuan Lie suddenly exploded, and from within burst forth a blue giant a hundred zhang tall.

It was indeed Yuan Lie.

The appearance of this hundred-zhang figure immediately caused the nearby ten li of heaven and earth’s vital energy to boil over, congregating into strands of blue light in the air, all of which wound around the blue giant’s body.

The blue giant was naturally the enlarged Yuan Lie.

At this moment, he possessed the majestic power of a deity, with every gesture dispersing the vital energy of heaven and earth. A mere flick of his finger sent the three Seven Calamities Divine Monarchs of the Purple Lightning Sect flying, leaving them severely injured.

This level of power far surpassed the normal scope of the Eighth Calamity. Even if the Barbarian Tribe was stronger than the Thunder Patterned Heavenly Walkers at the same level, there shouldn’t be such an exaggerated disparity.

Hong Tianlu, sensing the terrifying and overwhelming power emanating from Yuan Lie, went deathly pale with shock, exclaiming in utter dismay, “Nine Calamities! Nine Patterns! God, Divine Emperor!”

The might that Yuan Lie demonstrated now had undoubtedly reached the legendary pinnacle, where both the Heavenly Walkers and the Barbarian Tribe revered him as an “Emperor”.

“It’s over.” Hong Tianlu’s face turned ashen, completely despairing. “How could this be? An actual Divine Emperor, he is truly a Divine Emperor. Had I known he was a Divine Emperor, I should have brought out the Sect’s sacred artifact to defend against him! It’s all too late now, too late!”

“So, it turns out that the Purple Lightning Sect was your true goal, and the attack on the Heavenly God Pavilion was just a feint.” The Jade Serenity Fairy seemed unphased. She glanced at the Purple Lightning Sect and suddenly smiled, “Are you after the treasure of the Purple Lightning Sect?”

“You know?” Yuan Lie seemed surprised, turning to look at the Jade Serenity Fairy, his eyes narrowing slightly as he said, “Woman, you’re not weak and quite clever. How about becoming my empress?”

“Still harboring such delusions when death is at hand?” The Jade Serenity Fairy simply shook her head, her gaze towards Yuan Lie as if looking at a dead man.

“Ha, an interesting woman.” Yuan Lie laughed rather than getting angry, glanced at the Jade Serenity Fairy, then turned to Hong Tianlu and chuckled, “I have already reached the Imperial Dao, but to aspire for the path of the Celestial Saints, I need the Purple Qi Heaven Soaring Precious Mirror. Aren’t you going to bring it out?”

“In your dreams, it’s the sacred treasure left by our Sect’s founder!” Hong Tianlu roared furiously.

Bang!

With a slap, Yuan Lie sent Hong Tianlu plummeting from the sky into a mountain peak, snorting coldly, “The Purple Qi Heaven Soaring Precious Mirror was originally a sacred treasure of our Divine Court, merely stolen by you dogs.”

Having said that, he glanced at the Jade Serenity Fairy again, smiled, and said, “Don’t rush. Just wait here. When I return with the Purple Qi Heaven Soaring Precious Mirror, I’ll take you with me. Hahaha!”

Yuan Lie laughed uproariously, his voice thunderous, causing many disciples of the Purple Lightning Sect to feel dizzy, almost fainting. He strode over the peaks, heading towards the ancestral hall of the Purple Lightning Sect.

Lying amidst the shattered rocks, Hong Tianlu’s face was filled with despair as he could only watch helplessly as Yuan Lie neared the ancestral hall.

At that moment, the world seemed to fall silent, not daring to make a sound, except for the footsteps of the blue giant – Yuan Lie – as he approached the ancestral hall of the Purple Lightning Sect.

In the sky, the Jade Serenity Fairy remained calm, even a faint smile on her lips, her gaze fixed on an inconspicuous mountain peak within the Purple Lightning Sect.

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunderous roar shattered the silence of the world, as a sword light burst forth from a mountain peak of the Purple Lightning Sect, ascending to the sky and blocking Yuan Lie’s path.

It was Zhou Heng.

The purple lightning flying sword turned into a sword light, circling around him. Unlike usual, each trail of sword light was streaked with purple-gold radiance.

His pupils also shimmered with purple-gold brilliance, a vigorous and grand power was brewing within him, and, this power was extremely compatible with the laws of this world, seemingly unlocking the shackles originally bound to him at an accelerated pace.

Zhou Heng’s first glance was not towards Yuan Lie, who had transformed into a giant, but towards Cheng Jianjian, who was floating in the distant sky. He waved his hand and greeted her.

Cheng Jianjian was the fairy in question.

A smile played at the corners of her lips, her eyes sparkled with delight, and she waved back in response.

“Who is this brat with such audacity despite his small size!” Seeing Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian’s tacit understanding, Yuan Lie immediately became enraged and threw a punch directly at Zhou Heng.

In his giant form, Yuan Lie’s every motion was imbued with the majesty of heaven and earth. Even a seemingly ordinary punch carried the might to kill a Divine Monarch of the Eight Tribulations.

In the standards of Zhou Heng’s side, this meant that the punch was roughly equivalent to the level of the True Gang Realm.

Moreover, the punch was massive. Zhou Heng’s entire figure was smaller than one of Yuan Lie’s fingers, appearing so negligible that he seemed like he would be crushed like an ant.

But Zhou Heng did not dodge or evade, instead, he raised his palm, fingers spread apart, True Qi circulating, his palm darkened, a vast and boundless, ancient and vast aura emerged on him.

In comparison with the hundred-zhang-tall giant, his small body surged with a terrifying might that seemed as if it could overturn the heavens and shatter the firmament.

He met the giant fist with his palm!

The world seemed to overturn!

Boom!

The immensely disproportionate punch and palm collided, yet Zhou Heng remained firmly in his place while Yuan Lie staggered, nearly falling. The giant fist was directly shattered, turned into a mess of broken bones and flesh.

“You?!” Yuan Lie’s face was full of disbelief

But Zhou Heng couldn’t be bothered with further words. He retracted the hand he had used to strike earlier and, with a gentle grasp, the purple lightning sword turned into a three-foot green peak in his hand. Then, using the sword as a blade, he slashed down nine times consecutively!

Each “blade” was stronger than the last, every slash was as if the world of purple-gold thunder had descended.

With nine slashes, it was as if endless thunder from the nine heavens thundered down, enveloping the hundred-zhang-tall blue giant, grinding him down!

The thunder roared across the nine skies!

Yuan Lie was immediately engulfed by the heavy thunder light, without the slightest ability to resist. In a blink of an eye, he was ground into dust, his spirit extinguished, ceasing to exist!

A deathly silence fell over the world.

Whether it was Hong Tianlu, a Divine Monarch of the Eight Tribulations, or the multitude of disciples from the Purple Lightning Sect, or even Wang Li who was on his way to Zhou Heng’s abode, all were stunned.

At this moment, suddenly, two streaks of starlight fell from the sky, landing on Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian.

As the starlight dispersed, both of them had disappeared.

The numerous disciples of the Purple Lightning Sect knelt down, believing they had witnessed immortals descending to the mortal realm.

…

Within the Purple Tenuity Palace, Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian returned side by side.