Daqin Zhentiansi

“That ‘Earth Vein Blood Bodhi’ cannot be lost.” Zhang Yuan’s voice was resolute.

"According to the regulations of the Garrison Commander, if such unclaimed natural treasures are found within the jurisdiction, the Garrison Commander is responsible for supervising, reporting and ensuring that they ultimately belong to the Heavenly Palace."

"If we fall into the hands of the rebellious demon race while we are guarding this place, neither of us will escape the severe punishment of the Heavenly Palace."

"Moreover, if the Iron Feather Eagle Clan gets their hands on this, there will be endless troubles in the future."

The responsibility for losing the treasure is truly unbearable!

Looking into Zhang Yuan's calm yet resolute eyes, Qing Xuanzi instantly understood his decision.

He gritted his teeth, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Good! Junior brother is absolutely right! The treasure must not fall into the hands of traitors! I will go with you!"

"Even if it's a den of dragons and tigers, we must venture in! At the very least, we must ascertain their condition and attempt to stop them!"

He turned to the other two garrison commanders and the three tribal chiefs and urgently ordered, "Junior Brother Wang, Junior Brother Li! The three of you, immediately take the wounded and Chief Yingyu and the others back to the temple as quickly as possible! Report everything that happened here to the temple master!"

"Junior Brother Zhang, Clan Chief Yanfeng, and I are going to explore the ancient cave! Remember, we need to be quick!"

"Senior Brother Qingxuan! Junior Brother Zhang! Be careful!" Knowing the seriousness of the situation, the two garrison commanders dared not delay. They immediately called to the clansmen who were still able to move, helped up the wounded, and rushed towards Xuanyu Temple.

Zhang Yuan looked at Yan Feng and the giant ape warriors behind him, their fighting spirit burning brightly: "Yan Feng, do you dare to come with me on another adventure?"

"Roar! I am willing to follow my master through fire and water!" Yan Feng slammed the Xuanxing Zhenyue Staff heavily on the ground, the sound like a booming bell.

The giant ape warriors struck the ground with their clubs in unison, producing a dull rumble in response.

"Alright!" Qing Xuanzi barely suppressed his injuries, his eyes regaining their fighting spirit. "Junior Brother Zhang, let's go! Our target: Blood Fiend Ancient Cave!"

A moment later, two figures led a group of giant ape warriors, who resembled ancient primordial beings, and transformed into several streaks of light. Following the direction in which the Iron Feather Eagle Clan fled, they fiercely charged into the increasingly dense blood-red mist deep within Black Wind Gorge.

……

Deep within Black Wind Gorge lies the entrance to the Blood Fiend Ancient Cave.

This is a huge basin surrounded by dark red rock walls. The air is filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and the thick, irresistible stench of blood, and the faint scent of scorching subterranean fire rises from the ground.

The entrance to the ancient cave resembled the mouth of a giant beast, dark and deep, constantly spewing out pale red malevolent energy.

At this moment, the atmosphere outside the entrance to the ancient cave is solemn and somber.

The elite Ironfeather Eagle Clan troops who had previously retreated did not disperse.

Instead, they regrouped under the stern rebukes of the two peak half-saint leaders, and their numbers were even greater than at Broken Soul Cliff, a dark mass of over a hundred!
They hovered in the air, their sharp eyes fixed on the entrance to the ancient cave and the small force that stood ready before it.

That was the last force of the Ironfeather Eagle Clan left outside the ancient cave to guard it and wait for the Blood Bodhi to mature.

Led by another eagle demon elder whose aura had also reached the peak of the semi-saint realm, there were also more than ten other powerful demon birds with fierce auras who were clearly vassals of the Iron Feather Eagle Clan.

They blocked the cave entrance, clearly having received a warning from their retreating kin and were prepared to hold out to the death.

Inside the entrance to the ancient cave, an even richer, more palpable surge of vitality and an alluring fragrance emanated, as if a priceless treasure was about to emerge from the earth.

That was a sign that the "Earth Vein Blood Bodhi" was about to fully mature!

At this moment when tensions were running high and the atmosphere was extremely tense!
"Huh! Huh!"

Two figures descended from the sky like shooting stars, landing steadily in front of the entrance to the ancient cave, facing the army of the Iron Feather Eagle Clan!
It was Zhang Yuan and Qing Xuanzi!

Immediately afterwards, a rumbling tremor came from the ground. Yan Feng led dozens of giant ape warriors, each wielding a heavy club and exuding a murderous aura, and charged behind the two like a moving mountain wall, forming a battle formation!

"Iron Feather Eagle Clan! You traitors, get out of the way at once!"

Qing Xuanzi forcefully gathered his true essence and shouted sharply, attempting to intimidate with the majesty of the Heavenly Palace.

"Hmph! Qing Xuanzi! Zhang Yuan! And Yan Feng, you fool who doesn't know your own death!" The leading eagle demon elder's eyes were sinister, and his voice was hoarse. "Before the ancient cave, will be your burial ground! Kill them all! Leave no one alive!"

With its command, the flock of Iron Feathered Eagles circling in the air unleashed a deafening roar, like a black storm of death, carrying tearing gales, and swooped down towards Zhang Yuan and the others!

The powerful demonic birds on the ground also revealed their sharp claws and beaks, and pounced to kill!

"Giant Ape Cub! Follow me and kill!" Yan Feng roared like thunder, and the heavy Xuanxing Zhenyue Staff in his hand suddenly burst out with dark starlight, as if drawing upon the power of the stars in the heavens!

The newly comprehended "True Meaning of Power" was poured into it, carrying a terrifying momentum that could shatter mountains and split peaks, and it was the first to smash into the oncoming array of demonic birds on the ground!
"Bang! Click!"

The shadow of the stick swept across like a collapsing mountain, carrying with it a dark starlight that seemed to carry the force of chaos and destruction.

The low-level demonic birds were as fragile as paper; the ear-piercing sounds of bones breaking and tendons snapping, along with their shrill screams, instantly tore through the air!
Several demonic birds that couldn't dodge in time were struck by the wind from the stick, screaming as they flew backward and crashed into the dark red rock wall, their flesh mangled and bloody.

Dozens of giant ape warriors followed closely behind, their roars shaking the basin.

They unleashed the full power of the "Hun Yuan Breaking Mountain Staff" technique taught by Zhang Yuan, the heavy staff tearing through the air and emitting a terrifying whistling sound.

The intertwining winds created a dense, strangling storm at the entrance of the basin!

The fearless ground-dwelling demonic bird was forcefully blocked by the violent net of sticks, and was even forced to retreat repeatedly. Its sharp claws and beaks appeared pale and powerless in front of the stick shadows that contained the true meaning of "breaking mountains".

A real threat of death has descended upon us!

A black storm composed of hundreds of Ironfeathered Eagles blotted out the sky!

Their piercing, deathly cries were like death knells, tearing at one's eardrums. A fierce wind whipped up sand and stones, and sharp eagle talons, gleaming with a cold light, swooped down on Zhang Yuan and his companions below with a shrill whistle that ripped through the gale!

That formation seemed poised to completely engulf the entrance to the basin!

"Humph!"

Qing Xuanzi's face was as pale as paper, and the wound on his shoulder, corroded by the deadly poison, was still throbbing with pain. Black mist swirled around him, but his eyes were incredibly resolute.

He forcefully suppressed his surging blood and qi, rapidly forming hand seals while chanting incantations. Azure Daoist runes slithered around his body like serpents.

"Mysterious Jade Heavenly Gang, Charge!"

A light screen with flowing, mysterious cyan runes instantly unfolded above everyone's heads, like an inverted jade bowl, radiating a resilient protective aura.

At the same time, he pointed his fingers and several condensed cyan sword energies, like butterflies flitting among flowers, shot with perfect accuracy towards several particularly fierce leaders among the diving eagles, accompanied by a "whoosh" sound as they pierced the air!

The sword energy is not aimed at killing, but rather at the wing root joints and the vital points on the side of the neck that they will inevitably expose when they dive!
Although its power was greatly reduced due to its injuries, and it failed to inflict serious damage, it still made the leaders of these semi-saint level eagle demons both shocked and furious. They had no choice but to flap their wings hastily to dodge or block, and their originally fearless diving rhythm was instantly disrupted, giving the people below a precious chance to catch their breath.

In Zhang Yuan's view, although the ancient traditions are simple and unadorned, they also have a magnificent aspect. The methods of inheritance used by the Guardian Temple have their merits.

Unfortunately, due to the suppression by the Heavenly Palace, the human race has lost its true essence.

Facing the flock of eagles that seemed to press down like a black curtain from the sky, Zhang Yuan's gaze was as cold as ice.

The Azure Dragon Mace in his hand hummed and trembled, and its dark golden light suddenly surged, piercing through the pervasive blood-red mist!
"The dragon and elephant suppress the prison, sweeping across the eight wastelands!"

He let out a low shout, no longer fixated on a point-to-point, decisive strike.

The mace flashed and flew, no longer following a single trajectory, but transforming into a vast, heavy, dark golden barrier, as imposing as an ancient divine mountain!
Within this barrier lies the immense power of the Dragon and Elephant Suppressing the Prison and the sharp will of Chaos to annihilate all laws!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The dark gold barrier clashed violently with the black eagle tide!
Each time the mace flashed by, it was like an invisible ancient divine hammer crashing down!

The dull thud of the impact was deafening. The Iron Feather Eagle, struck head-on, had its feathers, harder than steel, fluttering like autumn leaves. The sound of bones cracking was clearly audible. It cried out in agony as it spun and fell, crashing into the hard ground and creating a deep crater.

"Azure Dragon - Pierce the Void!"

The dark gold mace tore through space—fast, accurate, and ruthless!

Wherever the mace tip strikes, the true meaning of chaos and destruction erupts, often causing these powerful eagle demons to be struck as if by a heavy hammer, their blood feathers flying everywhere, screaming as they are forced back, making it difficult for them to pose an effective threat again.

"waste!"

The leader, an eagle elder, whose aura was far more refined than that of the previous leader of the Broken Soul Cliff, with dark gold gleaming at the edges of his wings, saw his subordinates' attack falter and his eyes blazed with fury, almost spitting fire.

Its wings flapped suddenly, and a violent wind force gathered wildly, far more refined and terrifying than any previous attack!
"Tsk-!"

The air was forcibly torn apart by a piercing shriek that felt like it was going to rip one's soul apart!
Two massive, dark green wind blades, each several meters long and with spatial cracks shimmering at their edges, appeared out of thin air!

A destructive will carrying the power to shatter the void slashed fiercely towards Zhang Yuan!

The other strike was like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, slashing ruthlessly at Qing Xuanzi, who was struggling to maintain his defensive light barrier!

"Wind-Slaying Sky Slash!"

Qing Xuanzi's expression darkened.

He couldn't withstand such demonic powers!

Faced with the terrifying wind blades that could split a small hill in two and tear space apart, Zhang Yuan advanced instead of retreating!

The chaotic vortex in his eyes swirled almost imperceptibly, and the coiled dragon patterns on the Azure Dragon Mace seemed to come alive instantly, with a deep dragon roar echoing within the mace.

An invisible and intangible power, yet seemingly capable of bringing all things back to their origin and recreating chaos, condensed at the tip of the mace.

"break!"

Zhang Yuan let out a low shout and fiercely smashed out his mace to meet the massive wind blade core that was slashing towards him!
There was no earth-shattering explosion.

Wherever the mace struck, the dark green wind blade, which had been condensed to its extreme and contained the violent tearing law, silently disintegrated and annihilated from the point of contact, just like ice and snow under the sunlight!
It's as if the very structure that constitutes "wind" has been negated and erased from its very source by a higher-level force!
"laugh--!"

Like the soft sound of a giant bubble being popped.

That terrifying wind blade, which made Qing Xuanzi's face turn pale and made Yan Feng in the distance feel his heart tremble, completely dissipated and disappeared into the air in an instant, as if it had never existed!
Only a trace of turbulent airflow remained, proving that it had once been there.

"boom!"

Another wind blade aimed at Qing Xuanzi was blocked by the invisible barrier formed by Zhang Yuan's distraction and manipulation of the Chaos True Essence. It produced a huge roar, and the azure light screen shook violently, but ultimately it did not break.

Qing Xuanzi groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he managed to withstand the fatal blow.

"what?!"

The Eagle Demon Elder's sharp pupils suddenly shrank to pinpoints, overwhelmed by unbelievable horror!
Its full-force attack, which was enough to severely injure a Wind-Slaying Sky Slash of the same level, was so easily and almost "mysteriously" dismantled by the opponent.
This is by no means a simple clash of Saint Realm powers!

This is beyond its understanding of "human Qi cultivators"!

A chill shot up from its tailbone to the top of its head, and alarm bells rang wildly deep within its soul!

This person...is unfathomable!
The sense of destruction contained within that mace technique, which made even its very essence tremble, was definitely not the Qi Refining method transmitted by the Heavenly Palace!
"Hold the cave entrance at all costs! The Blood Bodhi is about to ripen; we cannot afford to lose it! Hold them off!"

The eagle demon elder let out a piercing shriek, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of panic.

Its wings flapped rapidly, and its massive body instantly retreated to the vicinity of the ancient cave entrance. Instead of personally attacking Zhang Yuan, it commanded the flock of eagles and the ground-dwelling demonic birds to form a tighter defensive formation, blocking the path to the cave.

Its eagle eyes were fixed on Zhang Yuan, filled with apprehension and suspicion: 'Just who is this person? That mace technique that shatters the wind... what kind of lineage does it belong to?!'

The battlefield instantly fell into a brief stalemate.

Led by Yan Feng, the giant ape warriors stood firmly at the entrance like a rock.

The combination of the Xuanxing Zhenyue Staff and the Hunyuan Poshan Staff is incredibly powerful, effectively resisting the impact of the ground-based demonic birds.

However, the Ironfeather Eagle Clan was too numerous and held an aerial advantage. Like a leech, they constantly swooped down to harass the giant ape warriors, their sharp claws and wind blades raining down like raindrops. The giant ape warriors were exhausted from dealing with them, and fine wounds began to appear on their bodies.

Qing Xuanzi struggled to maintain the "Mysterious Jade Heavenly Gang" light barrier, the azure runes flickering intermittently, and his face grew increasingly pale.

He continuously unleashed sword energy to disrupt the flock of eagles, tying down a significant portion of the aerial forces and relieving pressure on Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan stood like a pillar of strength, holding the Azure Dragon Mace at the front of the formation. His sheer power alone intimidated the strongest eagle demon elder and the core elite, preventing them from making any rash moves and forcing them to lead their tribe in a war of attrition.

The situation was deadlocked for the time being, with both sides waiting for an opportunity to break the deadlock.

At this moment of extreme tension—

"Buzz!"

An indescribable fragrance suddenly burst forth from the depths of the Blood Fiend Ancient Cave!
The fragrance was invigorating, as if it contained the essence of life itself. One breath was enough to uplift one's spirits, and even the excruciating pain in Qing Xuanzi's shoulder and the wounds on the giant ape warriors seemed to ease a little.

However, beneath this intoxicating fragrance lies an intense, irresistible, bloody allure, like the whisper of a devil, instantly igniting the most primal greed and possessiveness in the hearts of all living beings!
The entire basin was enveloped in this strange fragrance, and everyone's movements froze.

"They're ripe! The Blood Bodhi is ripe!"

Whether it was the Iron Feather Eagles that were frantically attacking, the Giant Ape Warriors that were gritting their teeth and holding on, or even the Eagle Demon Elder who was directing from afar and Zhang Yuan who was standing as still as a mountain, they all had this burning thought in their minds at the same time!

A rare treasure, a once-in-a-millennium opportunity, is right before our eyes! (End of Chapter)