Chapter 516: Besieged

Chapter 516: Besieged

"Is there a fellow cultivator practicing nearby?"

The middle-aged beautiful woman had a mole at the corner of her right eye, and her appearance was rather alluring. Her gaze swept across Cen Ziqin's unfamiliar but exquisite face before she spoke up, "As far as I know, there seemed to be a demonic beast undergoing the Tribulation of Transformation here just now. May I ask where that demonic beast undergoing the tribulation is now?"

As she spoke, the beautiful woman's gaze fell on the formation below. The formation that Cen Ziqin had set up at the moment had the effect of isolating probing, preventing even this mid-Nascent Soul cultivator from seeing through it.

In fact, to avoid any disturbances to Chu Ning, the formation that Cen Ziqin had arranged not only isolated external probing but also blocked any sensing of the outside situation from within. At this moment, the two Golden Thunder Eagles inside the formation couldn't sense anything beyond it.

Cen Ziqin couldn't quite figure out the origins of the three people, but after some thought, she said, "Fellow cultivators, there was indeed a demonic beast undergoing the Tribulation of Transformation here earlier, but it was just my companion's spiritual beast."

"A spiritual beast in captivity?" Doubt filled the beautiful woman's eyes as she heard this. "If it's a spiritual beast in captivity, how did it come to Dragon Mountain Dock to undergo the Tribulation of Transformation?"

As she spoke, the woman paused slightly and asked Cen Ziqin, "May I ask which sect you're from, fellow cultivator?"

"Please forgive me, but I'm afraid it's not convenient for me to answer that," Cen Ziqin replied with a shake of her head. After all, this place wasn't Yun Xiao Alliance's territory, and she didn't know if the beautiful woman was a friend or foe, so she naturally wouldn't reveal her origins lightly.

Hearing this, a hint of annoyance flashed in the beautiful woman's phoenix eyes. "Since that's the case, would you please call your companion out as well? Also, there should be a two-headed Cold Water Flood Dragon in the Emerald Cold Pool ahead. A demonic beast entered its territory to undergo the Tribulation of Transformation, but I didn't see any trace of it. Can you explain that to me as well?"

She had vaguely sensed the heavenly phenomenon earlier, but because it was too far away, she couldn't pinpoint the location. It was only during the last intense heavenly phenomenon that she vaguely sensed the general direction.

Knowing that there was a two-headed Cold Water Flood Dragon in the Emerald Cold Pool, the beautiful woman didn't rush over immediately. She had circled the area but still couldn't find the demonic beast undergoing the tribulation. It was only later, when she accidentally met two Golden Core cultivators, that she learned that the place where the demonic beast underwent the tribulation was actually the Emerald Cold Pool. That was why she had come here.

Cen Ziqin shook her head again at this moment. "When we arrived here, we didn't see any two-headed Cold Water Flood Dragon. As for my companion, it's not convenient for him to meet with others at the moment. If you wish to see him, I'm afraid you'll have to wait several days."

"Wait several days? How arrogant!" The beautiful woman's face finally revealed uncontrollable anger. "Today, I want to see just which major sect's cultivator has come here."

As she spoke, the beautiful woman's body emanated a surge of spiritual power, clearly revealing her cultivation as a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator. At the same time, she waved her hand, and a seven-colored treasure pearl, radiant with flowing light, appeared in her palm.

However, she didn't attack immediately. Instead, she glanced at the two Golden Core cultivators beside her and said, "You two, move further away so you don't get hurt."

The middle-aged cultivator and the older Golden Core late-stage cultivator immediately flew away upon hearing this.

The beautiful woman then manipulated the seven-colored treasure pearl in her hand and attacked Cen Ziqin directly.

Facing a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, Cen Ziqin naturally didn't dare to be careless. She transmitted her voice to the two Golden Thunder Eagles through her spiritual sense, instructing them to stay in the formation, not come out, and continue protecting Chu Ning.

Then, she opened her mouth and spat out the Xuan Water Divine Sword, which landed in her hand.

Immediately, she engaged in a fierce battle with her opponent.

Although Cen Ziqin had just had an intense battle with the two-headed Cold Water Flood Dragon not long ago, she had already consumed a drop of Ten Thousand Year Spirit Milk after learning that she would be protecting Chu Ning and Bai Ling. Her spiritual power had fully recovered by now.

Moreover, during that previous period, she had already used the original spirit within the sword to devour the spirit of the two-headed Cold Water Flood Dragon. The power of the Xuan Water Divine Sword had once again risen to a whole new level.

In addition to having gained experience from her previous battle with a ninth-rank demonic beast, even with just the Xuan Water Divine Sword as her magic weapon, she was now evenly matched with the middle-aged beautiful woman.

The middle-aged beautiful woman, on the other hand, was becoming more and more alarmed as the battle progressed. "This young female cultivator doesn't seem to have been at the Nascent Soul stage for long, going by her aura. How can she possess such powerful abilities? I originally intended to take advantage of the time before other cultivators arrived and finish the battle quickly by using my signature magic treasure right from the start. Yet, I'm the one being completely restrained by her instead."

The middle-aged beautiful woman was rather displeased with the current situation.

Cen Ziqin felt the same way. "This person's cultivation seems no stronger than that of the Yin Demon Old Freak. If I were to deal with her, I would have to use the Yellow Court Imprint as well.

As she thought about the possibility of encountering stronger beasts in the future and the need for more powerful techniques, a glint of cold determination flashed in Cen Ziqin's eyes.

Without hesitating, she infused her spiritual power into the Xuan Water Divine Sword, causing it to shoot out of her hand and slash towards the middle-aged beautiful woman.

At the same time, she waved her hands, and several water dragons suddenly appeared in the air, intertwining and charging towards the woman.

The power emanating from the Xuan Water Divine Sword and the intense fluctuations of spiritual power from the water dragons caused the middle-aged beauty's expression to change slightly.

She countered by directing her Seven-Colored Treasure Pearl towards the divine sword while simultaneously unleashing several spells to counter the water dragons.

While the spells managed to block the water dragons, her Seven-Colored Treasure Pearl was no match for the Xuan Water Divine Sword, and it was knocked back, its radiance dimming slightly.

Seizing the opportunity, Cen Ziqin began chanting quietly, her hands forming intricate seals as she launched another set of water dragons towards her opponent.

Seeing that Cen Ziqin was not attacking with the divine sword this time, the beautiful woman relaxed slightly.

Just like before, she unleashed several spells to counter the incoming water dragons.

"Something's not right!"

However, as soon as her spells made contact with the water dragons, the woman's expression changed once again.

She realized, to her surprise, that the power of these water dragons had increased by fifty percent compared to the previous ones.

Her spells were instantly shattered by the powerful water dragons, which then rushed towards her.

Reacting quickly, the middle-aged beauty summoned the Seven-Colored Treasure Pearl to protect her chest, while simultaneously using a evasion technique to create distance between them.

She knew that Cen Ziqin would take this opportunity to launch an attack with the divine sword, and she was right.

As soon as she moved, a sword glowing with white light pierced through the air towards her.

Even with her evasion technique, the Xuan Water Divine Sword relentlessly pursued her.

One step behind, and soon, several steps behind.

Despite her continuous attempts to dodge, the middle-aged beauty found herself at a disadvantage against Cen Ziqin's relentless assaults.

Before long, Cen Ziqin found an opening and managed to injure the woman with a series of spells.

On the other side, the two Golden Core cultivators watched in astonishment as the middle-aged beauty, a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, was being overwhelmed by Cen Ziqin, an early-Nascent Soul cultivator.

Though surprised, they were also aware that they couldn't be of much help in a battle of this caliber.

Intervening against a Nascent Soul cultivator might result in instant death.

After all, this woman couldn't even handle a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

More importantly, they were all solitary cultivators and not allies to begin with.

Fearing retribution, the two Golden Core cultivators dared not intervene. After witnessing the middle-aged beauty being injured several times, she began to consider retreating.

Just then, her eyes lit up as she looked towards the sky, a glint of joy flashing in her eyes.

Cen Ziqin also sensed something and was about to use the Yellow Court Imprint when a loud shout interrupted them.

"Who dares to cause trouble in our Dragon Mountain Dock?"

As the voice rang out, a streak of light approached from the distance.

The middle-aged beauty seized the opportunity to break free from Cen Ziqin's attacks and flew towards the newcomer.

Cen Ziqin, on the other hand, chose to hold back for the moment, wanting to assess the situation before acting further.

As the streak of light descended, they saw a middle-aged man with an eight-character beard, dressed in a brocade robe.

Cen Ziqin's heart sank slightly as she realized that this man was also a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator.

The beautiful woman's face lit up with relief at the sight of the robed man.

"Brother Shi, your timing is impeccable. This person is quite troublesome."

The robed man, Brother Shi, glanced at the woman and then at Cen Ziqin, his face reflecting his surprise.

"She's only at the early Nascent Soul stage, yet she managed to injure you, Sister Luo?"

Hearing this, the middle-aged beauty's expression became complex.

"It is embarrassing, but Brother Shi, we also need to be cautious of her companion who hasn't shown himself yet.

We can't let our guard down, oh, it seems Brothers Xiao and Liu have also arrived."

As the middle-aged beauty spoke, Cen Ziqin's gaze shifted towards the distance.

She sensed two approaching figures, both of whom were Nascent Soul cultivators based on their auras.

Brother Shi smiled and nodded.

"We're a bit slower than you, Sister Luo, but we all wanted to see the excitement.

With the four of us here, it doesn't matter if she has any companions. They won't be able to do much."

As the two spoke, two figures flew towards them.

Cen Ziqin looked up and saw a burly man and a white-haired elder, both with the cultivation base of early Nascent Soul.

The two newcomers' eyes widened in surprise as they took in the sight of Luo, the middle-aged beautiful woman, and Cen Ziqin.

After they arrived, the burly man inquired about the previous conversation between Luo and Cen Ziqin.

The man in the brocade robe, whose surname was Shi, fixed his eyes on Cen Ziqin upon hearing the story.

"As the saying goes, a strong dragon cannot crush a local snake. Fellow Daoist, since you possess such extraordinary abilities, I, Shi, would like to exchange pointers with you."

As he spoke, he opened his mouth and spat out a small silver hammer, which hurtled towards Cen Ziqin.

Cen Ziqin knew that she wouldn't stand a chance if the four of them attacked together, but she had no choice but to wield the Xuan Water Divine Sword to defend herself.

What slightly reassured Cen Ziqin was that the other three Nascent Soul cultivators didn't make a move.

As they exchanged blows, Cen Ziqin quickly realized that this brocade-robed man's cultivation and abilities were even more formidable than the middle-aged beautiful woman's.

His silver hammer packed a powerful punch, and he also possessed a tortoise shell-like treasure that provided strong defense.

Cen Ziqin's attacks were repeatedly blocked by the brocade-robed man's treasure.

She didn't dare to use the Yellow Court Imprint casually and was even more reluctant to unleash her full spiritual power.

After all, there were three other cultivators watching from the sidelines, and she had to be prepared for any unexpected situations.

Cen Ziqin's only thought was to buy as much time as possible for Chu Ning to help Bai Ling recover from her injuries and join the fight.

She believed that once Chu Ning emerged, the two of them could easily handle these four cultivators, even if they joined forces.

The brocade-robed man was also growing more astonished as the battle progressed, just like the middle-aged beautiful woman had been earlier.

This young female cultivator was clearly at the early Nascent Soul stage, yet her abilities were exceptionally strong.

Not only could she hold her own against him, the owner of a precious treasure, but she also seemed to have plenty of strength in reserve.

If it weren't for his defensive treasure, he would have likely ended up injured, just like the middle-aged beautiful woman.

The middle-aged beautiful woman, who was at the mid-Nascent Soul stage, naturally understood the situation as well.

Seeing that the brocade-robed man was also struggling to defeat Cen Ziqin, her gaze shifted towards the formation where Chu Ning was located.

She then signaled to the burly man and the white-haired elder, both of whom were early Nascent Soul cultivators.

The two men immediately flew towards the formation and began to tamper with the restrictions.

Cen Ziqin, while engaging the brocade-robed man, had been keeping a close eye on the movements of the other three cultivators.

When she saw the two early Nascent Soul cultivators attempting to tamper with the formation, she immediately chanted an incantation, causing the Xuan Water Divine Sword to emit a fierce attack, forcing the brocade-robed man to retreat.

In the blink of an eye, Cen Ziqin flew towards the formation.

However, the middle-aged beautiful woman, Luo, was prepared for this. She immediately attacked with her Seven-Colored Treasure Pearl.

At the same time, she said, "Brother Shi, this is not a friendly spar. There's no need for so many rules. Let's all attack together."

"Alright!" the brocade-robed man agreed.

The four Nascent Soul cultivators then wielded their treasures and attacked simultaneously.

Cen Ziqin's heart sank, knowing that she had no way out.

She took out the Yellow Court Imprint and infused it with her spiritual power, causing it to transform into a large seal that hovered in front of her.

At the same time, she transmitted her voice to the two Golden Thunder Eagles within the formation.

"Big Jin and Little Jin, come out and fight!"

Although she knew that the two Golden Thunder Eagles were only at the seventh rank, comparable to the late Golden Core stage, she could only rely on them to hold off the two early Nascent Soul cultivators for now.

Upon receiving Cen Ziqin's command, the two eagles immediately rushed out of the formation.

"Screech!"

The eagles let out angry cries upon seeing the four Nascent Soul cultivators about to attack Cen Ziqin.

The brocade-robed man and the middle-aged beautiful woman were surprised to see the Yellow Court Imprint and the Golden Thunder Eagles.

"Stop!" they shouted almost simultaneously, halting their treasures mid-attack.

The other two early Nascent Soul cultivators were perplexed but also stopped their actions.

They exchanged confused glances, unsure of what was happening.

The brocade-robed man and the middle-aged beautiful woman looked at each other and then bowed to Cen Ziqin.

"A ancient treasure and Golden Thunder Eagles... May I ask what relation Fellow Daoist has with Chu Ning of the Jiuhua Sect? Could it be that the one inside the formation is Chu Ning?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end