Chapter 295: Breaking the Limit

At the border of Zhongtian Province, a city stood atop a high mountain. This was the Zhongtian Immortal City established by the Qingxiao Sect.

As the first branch city of the Qingxiao Sect, Zhongtian Immortal City had deeper foundations than other immortal cities.

Normally, over a thousand Disciples were stationed here. Most Disciples traveling north and south would pass through this city. The buildings within the city numbered over two thousand, and many Disciples could be seen flying in and out.

Amidst the swirling heavy snow, Zhongtian Immortal City was faintly visible.

Inside a mansion at the city center, City Lord Yuan Qi was sitting in the main hall. He held a book in his hands, and the table beside him was piled high with various books and ledgers.

Zhongtian Immortal City was equivalent to a small Qingxiao Sect, with branch halls established for each original hall. Even the Sword Ancestor and Martial Ancestor had set up branch sects here. Yuan Qi was now beginning to understand Li Qingqiu’s feelings.

He found sitting in this position was not easy, and the pressure was increasing day by day.

The most difficult issue to handle wasn’t development, but the allocation of authority. Too many people sought his favor.

A figure hurriedly walked into the main hall. It was Qiao Dingbei.

Back then, when Zhao Zhen was plotted against by Tianxuan Mountain and the demonic cultivators, it was Qiao Dingbei who followed him all the way, fired the Cloud-Piercing Thunder, allowing Jiang Zhaoxia to arrive in time.

After that battle, Qiao Dingbei was promoted by Li Qingqiu and dispatched to Zhongtian Immortal City. Qiao Dingbei now held the position of Immortal City Steward and had earned Yuan Qi’s deep trust.

“City Lord, the Sect has sent word back. They said the Spirit Stones we applied for can be delivered within three days at most,” Qiao Dingbei approached Yuan Qi, raised his hand in salute, and said softly.

Yuan Qi responded without even looking up, “Hmm, I know. This news can be passed down to prevent those below from getting anxious.”

Qiao Dingbei continued, “By the way, today, someone discovered Venomous Insects on the mountain, quite a few of them. Such a situation never occurred before.”

“Venomous Insects?”

Yuan Qi looked up, his brow furrowed.

Qiao Dingbei nodded, “And not just one kind. It seems like they were deliberately released. I’ve already sent people to investigate.”

Yuan Qi warned, “The coming period may not be peaceful. The Sect just suffered a Demonic Beast attack. Don’t be careless.”

Qiao Dingbei nodded and said, “Should we sound the Battle Preparation Bell?”

Yuan Qi hesitated upon hearing this, but thinking of the many Disciples in the city, he couldn’t afford to gamble. Even if the bell was rung for nothing, he would at most face some complaints.

“In that case, then sound the…” Yuan Qi said gravely, but before he could finish his sentence…

BOOM—

A deafening sound erupted from outside the mansion, startling Yuan Qi to his feet.

Qiao Dingbei’s expression changed drastically, and he shot out like an arrow, with Yuan Qi close behind… Amidst the swirling winter snow, Yuan Li stood in the snowy ground, his eyes closed, his robes billowing incessantly. The Aura within his body was boiling, causing his bones and sinews to emit popping sounds like frying beans.

In the second Dharma Battle Assembly, Yuan Li still failed to achieve a good ranking. The glory of pioneering Body Cultivation had become a thing of the past; he had become mediocre once again.

Zhao Zhen, Cloud Color, and Ji Ya shone brilliantly, taking up the mantle passed by Jiang Zhaoxia and Xu Ning, becoming the Sect’s top combatants.

Although Hu Yan had not yet risen, almost everyone considered him the future number one Genius. Everyone was looking forward to Hu Yan’s growth.

As for him, Yuan Li, no one mentioned him, as if the Sect Leader didn’t have a Disciple like him.

Even though Li Qingqiu’s attitude towards him remained unchanged, the time the Master and Disciple spent together grew less and less. He didn’t blame his Master, only blamed himself for being useless.

Yuan Li was not one to abandon himself to despair. On the contrary, these setbacks only made him more resilient.

Feeling the Aura within his body, he clenched his teeth, mobilized it, and assaulted every Acupoint in his body. The tearing pain made him break into a cold sweat, but he gritted his teeth and endured.

Years ago, he had sensed a certain restraint within his body. He didn’t think he was special; he believed he had reached the limit of a mortal physique.

What he wanted to do now was break that limit.

After a while.

“Pfft—”

Yuan Li spat out a jet of blood, staggered back several steps, and then half-knelt on the snowy ground.

He only felt dizzy, the entire world swaying before his eyes, utterly miserable.

“Damn it… still can’t do it…”

Yuan Li said through gritted teeth. His palm, braced on the snowy ground, clenched into a fist. Blood dripped onto the back of his hand, his heart filled with a sense of defeat.

He had lost count of how many times he had failed.

Ever since his cultivation reached the Nourishing Origin Realm Fourth Layer, his progress had become extremely difficult. Even pouring in more Spirit Stones was useless. He could only try to find a way through Aura.

Aura allowed him to possess combat power that could cross Realms, but the gap between his cultivation and that of his peer geniuses was growing larger and larger, so large that even Aura couldn’t bridge it.

He tried hard to adjust his mindset, motivating himself not to give up.

After supporting himself on the spot for a long time, he finally stood up unsteadily.

He took a step forward, preparing to return to his courtyard to rest.

As he walked, he suddenly stopped and raised a hand to cover his chest.

“What’s going on… this feeling…”

Yuan Li frowned, muttering to himself. His heartbeat inexplicably quickened, filling him with panic. He had never experienced such a sensation before. His heartbeat even seemed to affect the world in his eyes; the entire world trembled with each beat.

An unprecedented terror seized his heart, making him feel even suffocated… Amidst the swirling heavy snow, plumes of smoke rose from Zhongtian Immortal City. Flames sprang up everywhere. Rolling Demonic Qi churned above the immortal city. Looking closely, a giant avian figure could faintly be seen within the Demonic Qi.

CRASH—

Yuan Qi, covered in blood, pushed aside a plank of wood. He struggled to crawl out from the rubble. Covered in dust and grime, he clutched his abdomen with one hand; blood gushed out uncontrollably.

Yuan Qi had never felt his body so cold before. What pained him even more was that Zhongtian Immortal City lay in ruins.

He raised his eyes with difficulty and saw many Qingxiao Sect Discipless still engaged in fierce battles. Their opponents were a group of monsters with varied appearances.

There were Snake Demons, Leopard Demons, Ox Demons, Dog Demons, and so on.

There were even many Venomous Insects crawling swiftly on the rooftops. Fires were everywhere; the scene was utterly chaotic.

Looking at the corpses in the distance, Yuan Qi felt as if the sky had collapsed.

Even if he survived, he didn’t know how he would face the Sect.

A figure descended from the sky. It was a handsome male Disciple named Yang Chengyu, a top-ten Disciple from the first Dharma Battle Assembly, whose cultivation had already reached the Nourishing Origin Realm Eighth Layer.

“City Lord, we must retreat, otherwise the casualties will be even greater!” Yang Chengyu said gravely.

Yuan Qi pushed him away, gritting his teeth, “Go save the other Disciples, quickly! Don’t mind me!”

“But you…”

“Hurry!”

Yuan Qi nearly roared. Hearing this, Yang Chengyu gave him a deep look, then immediately raised his sword and charged forward to fight.

Seeing Yang Chengyu go to rescue other Disciples, Yuan Qi wanted to stand up, but his legs were broken. He simply couldn’t stand.

“Tsk tsk, you, the City Lord, are quite responsible.”

A mocking laugh came, startling Yuan Qi. He turned his head to look and saw a bloody hand appear on the ruined courtyard wall to his right.

As this bloody hand pushed up a body, Yuan Qi saw a fox-headed, human-bodied demon. It wore tattered black robes. From its figure, it appeared to be a graceful woman, but its fox head was so ferocious. Its left eye was blind, leaving a scar that ran half across its face. Its right eye had no pupil and was deathly pale.

Seeing this demon appear, Yuan Qi’s heart sank.

“Aren’t you puzzled? Wondering why no one from the Qingxiao Sect has come to support you?” the Fox Demon asked with a cold laugh.

Yuan Qi didn’t answer, but his heart was indeed filled with confusion. The battle had been going on for some time, and the commotion was so great. Disciples passing by should have rushed to support. But so far, only people had fled the city; no one had entered.

The Fox Demon pointed upwards at the Demonic Qi that blotted out the sky and laughed, “With this formation covering us, not a single sound or aura will leak out.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qi’s expression turned grim.

The Fox Demon climbed over the courtyard wall and approached him. Her back was hunched, appearing both grotesque and greedy.

“To be able to serve as City Lord, your status must be significant. I must savor your flesh and blood properly. The more miserably you die, the greater the impact on the Qingxiao Sect should be, right?”

The Fox Demon’s words did not make Yuan Qi afraid. He raised his right hand and summoned his qingxiao sword from a distance.

Even in this desperate situation, Yuan Qi still raised his sword towards the Fox Demon.

At this moment, Yuan Li’s face surfaced in his mind.

He didn’t think of his wife and children. His heart was only filled with worry for his younger brother.

If he died, what would become of Yuan Li in the future? How could he compete with the other Disciples of the Sect Leader?

“ROAR—”

A dragon’s roar came from afar, startling both Yuan Qi and the Fox Demon. They simultaneously turned to look and saw a golden dragon shadow leap over the city wall and charge into the city.

Divine Dragon Transformation!

Yuan Qi was overjoyed, instantly recognizing what Spell that golden dragon shadow was.

Just then, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck. Immediately after, the world in his eyes began to turn upside down. He actually saw his own body—a body without a head.

THUD!

Yuan Qi’s head fell to the ground and was promptly stepped on by the Fox Demon.