Nine Yang Life and Death Transformation

A few days later, sunlight shone through the clouds into the sect's courtyard, and Wu Feilong walked steadily toward the reception hall. As he stepped into the hall, he immediately saw the Third Elder Yunxiao and his master's eldest disciple Liu Xiong sitting upright in their chairs, the two of them quietly waiting for his arrival.

A sense of curiosity welled up in Wu Feilong's heart. He quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and asked, "Master, may I ask what brings you here today?"

Master smiled slightly and said slowly, "Last time you mentioned to me that there seemed to be something suspicious about Shizhaigou. I took it very seriously and sent people to investigate. Sure enough, someone was plotting a rebellion there! Now, we have decided to join forces with the soldiers from Ankang County to suppress them. You will accompany Xiong'er on this mission, so you can take this opportunity to hone your skills."

Upon hearing this, Wu Feilong's eyes flashed with excitement, and he quickly replied, "I will obey your orders, Master! I hope Senior Brother Liu will take good care of me."

Liu Xiong nodded slightly and replied, "Junior brother, you're too kind. We'll look after each other."

At this moment, the master looked at Elder Yunxiao beside him and said, "This operation will be entirely entrusted to the Third Elder."

Elder Yunxiao stood up, solemnly cupped his hands, and replied, "Sect Leader, please rest assured, I will do my utmost to ensure the successful completion of this mission!"

Following this, Elder Yunxiao led over twenty disciples, including Liu Xiong and Wu Feilong, on their journey to Ankang County. Among this group, Liu Xiong's cultivation had already reached the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment stage, while Elder Yunxiao's cultivation was even more unfathomable, possessing the strength of the second level of the Golden Core stage. Most of the others were in the Qi Refining stage, but even the lowest-ranking among them was at the sixth level of Qi Refining. They were all spirited and filled with a sense of mission as they set off towards their destination.

Ankang County Magistrate Qian Dawei had already led dozens of soldiers to wait. After talking for a while, Yunxiao and Qian Dawei went to Shizhaigou together.

There was only one road leading to Shizhaigou, and the terrain was treacherous, so it was no problem for the disciples of the Tianjian Sect. Yunxiao led his disciples to fly up the mountain on their swords.

"Attack! Fire!" A hail of arrows rained down on them, and the disciples used their inner energy to protect themselves. Seeing the bandits take out their crossbows, Wu Feilong realized something was wrong and shouted, "Everyone, step back!" A crossbow bolt, over three meters long and as thick as a baby's arm, pierced through the air. One disciple couldn't dodge in time; the bolt pierced his inner energy shield and struck his left hand. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. The bandits swarmed him, hacking at him with their knives.

"Fly higher!" With the elder's command, the disciples flew even higher. At this moment, the elder was worried. They were too high, and they could not use their flying swords to attack. Only he could control the flying swords to kill the enemy.

There are also Foundation Establishment experts in Shizhaigou, but the elder's flying sword is much less powerful due to the distance.

"Elder, leave it to me," Wu Feilong said, taking out a bomb, lighting it, and throwing it down. In the blink of an eye, dozens of them fell to the ground.

Boom, boom... The bandits were blown into the air, and even the siege crossbows were destroyed. He threw down hundreds of explosive charges, blasting the hilltop into the ground. The bandits with lower cultivation levels were blown into mincemeat, while the others fled in all directions.

The elder's eyes shone brightly, keenly sensing the approaching opportunity. With a loud shout, he led his disciples, riding flying swords, down from the sky like a flock of eagles swooping down on their prey. At the same time, Qian Dahai also seized the moment and launched a fierce attack without mercy.

The bandits, who had initially been aggressive, instantly panicked and retreated in disarray in the face of such a fierce attack. Among them, Liu Xiong was unstoppable, pursuing the enemy relentlessly. Every bandit who encountered him was mercilessly killed by his sharp blade.

The group gave chase until they reached a dark, deep cave. Liu Chen rushed inside without hesitation, but shortly after, a scream rang out, and he was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string. Immediately afterward, a gigantic centipede, ten meters long, roared out of the cave, its claws outstretched and its form terrifying. Even more astonishingly, a burly man stood steadily on the centipede's back, his eyes coldly fixed on the group.

Upon seeing this, the elder's expression immediately turned solemn. He blurted out, "Centipede! Could you be Jiang Tianba?" He secretly pondered to himself that this differed from the information He Wei had given him earlier.

Jiang Tianba sneered and said viciously, "It's too late now that you know! You dared to destroy my mountain! Today is your death day!"

Upon hearing this, the disciples' faces contorted with fear, and they retreated hastily. It turned out that Jiang Tianba was a master of the first level of the Golden Core stage, and the centipede beneath his feet had already condensed its beast core. In comparison, their side only had their elder at the second level of the Golden Core stage; the difference in strength was considerable, and it was understandable that the disciples were worried.

Just then, the elder stepped forward and shouted, "You all go and deal with the other bandits! I'll handle this one!" With that, he flashed away and sped towards Jiang Tianba. The other disciples, upon hearing the order, immediately turned and chased after the fleeing bandits, engaging in fierce combat.

Meanwhile, Wu Feilong was secretly hiding to the side, thinking to himself, "It seems that Jiang Tianba is the leader of this mountain stronghold. I must think of a way to assist the elder..."

Yunxiao took a deep breath, his hands quickly forming a hand seal. His powerful true essence surged forth like a tide, pouring into the flying sword in his hands. Empowered by the true essence, the flying sword instantly shone brightly, its blade rapidly expanding, transforming in the blink of an eye into a giant five-meter-long flying sword, hurtling towards the ferocious, terrifying centipede ahead.

At the same time, Jiang Tianba showed no weakness. He roared, gripped his spear tightly with both hands, poured all his strength into it, and stood ready, spear in hand. When the flying sword collided with the spear, a deafening roar erupted, sparks flying everywhere. The immense impact forced Jiang Tianba to retreat, each step leaving deep footprints in the ground.

However, before Jiang Tianba could even regain his footing, the centipede suddenly opened its gaping maw, spewing out a torrent of dark green poisonous mist. Wherever this mist passed, vegetation withered, and all life was extinguished. Seeing the danger, Yunxiao flashed away, retreating at incredible speed. Even so, several wisps of the mist grazed past him, landing on nearby trees. Those trees, merely touched by a small amount of the mist, instantly turned yellow and withered, as if they had lost all vitality.

Just then, a flash of sword light appeared, and Wu Feilong swiftly flew to Yunxiao's side on his flying sword. He said solemnly, "Elder, I'm entrusting Jiang Tianba to you. Please find a way to separate them. I will try using explosives later."

Yunxiao glanced at Wu Feilong, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes, and sneered, "You? You think you can take me?" With that, he ignored Wu Feilong and once again mobilized his inner energy, chanting incantations. As his voice fell, the flying sword in his hand transformed again, becoming a giant sword tens of meters long, radiating a terrifying aura. He slashed fiercely towards Jiang Tianba.

Faced with such a fierce attack, Jiang Tianba's expression changed drastically, but he didn't panic. Instead, he rapidly chanted incantations while reaching for his storage pouch at his waist. A flash of azure light appeared, and a shield shot out from the pouch, blocking his path. The greatsword slammed into the shield, and the sound of metal clashing against metal resounded throughout the heavens and earth. Although the shield withstood most of the greatsword's power, it still developed fine cracks under the impact of this immense force, clearly on the verge of collapse. Jiang Tianba himself was directly pressed down by the force, about to crash to the ground.

Seeing its master in danger, the centipede immediately flew into the sky, wanting to help. Wu Feilong seized the opportunity; his flying sword flashed, and he transformed into a streak of light, swiftly rushing into the cave. This action was caught by Jiang Tianba out of the corner of his eye, who roared, "Quickly, kill this man!" Upon hearing the order, the centipede immediately changed direction and chased after Wu Feilong.