Two figures shot toward the mountain hollow where that point of starlight had fallen at astonishing speed, their movements blurring against the jagged landscape as they raced against time.
A layer of faint blue radiance rippled around Granny Hua's form, not only concealing her figure from the naked eye but also quietly erasing every trace of her movement through the air. Xue Shouren reined in his blood qi completely, not letting a single wisp of his violent aura leak out to alert potential observers.
Both of them were top tier experts at the mid stage Nascent Soul realm, possessing deep reserves of spiritual power. With their full power unleashed for this pursuit, their speed was so fast it was almost instantaneous to anyone watching from below.
Seven or eight li of distance vanished in the blink of an eye as they crossed the rugged terrain with singular focus.
The mountain hollow was shrouded in thick, swirling fog that clung to the damp earth in heavy patches. The starlight had landed on a relatively flat low ground, with several massive black boulders scattered around it like silent, ancient sentinels.
"There!" Xue Shouren had sharp eyes and spotted the prize first. A faint blue glow flickered within a jagged crack between two ancient stones. It was the Star Core Origin Essence fragment.
It was only about the size of a fingernail, yet it emitted a pure and restrained stellar power that pulsed with cosmic energy. Even with the heavy fog dampening the air, its unique energy fluctuations couldn't be completely hidden from the sensitive perceptions of Nascent Soul cultivators.
"Hurry!" Granny Hua barked softly, her voice barely a whisper in the mist. Neither of them slowed down for even a second. They lunged from the left and right simultaneously toward the flickering blue light.
Their coordination was flawless, a result of centuries of cultivation together within the sect. They wanted to secure the treasure in the shortest time possible and retreat immediately before anyone else arrived to contest the gain.
Just as the Star Core Origin Essence fragment was about to fall into Xue Shouren's massive spiritual energy palm that reached out from the gloom.
Whoosh—! Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
Several sharp air-tearing sounds suddenly exploded out from the deep shadows on both sides of the hollow, shooting straight at Granny Hua's vital points with lethal intent.
At the same time, a large net flashing with a ghostly blue light fell from above, covering both her and Xue Shouren head-on.
"There's an ambush!" Granny Hua's face changed sharply as she realized the trap. Her reaction was lightning-fast. Her figure blurred into a pink mist as she narrowly avoided the sneaking cold glints of the projectiles, and the Heavenly Fragrance Body Guarding Barrier flared open again with a brilliant light that pushed back the fog.
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!
Several attacks struck the protective barrier, producing dull thuds that echoed against the surrounding stones.
"Which rats dare sneak attack your grandpa?" Xue Shouren roared, his voice shaking the fog. He swung his bloody hand, slamming a massive blood-fiend palm imprint toward the glowing net falling from above.
Rip—!
One corner of the net was torn apart by the strike, but its momentum didn't slow as it continued to descend toward them.
"Hmph. Hand over the Star Core Origin Essence fragment and we will spare your lives," a cold, harsh shout rang out from the mist. Three figures emerged from the shadows, forming a tight encirclement that trapped the two of them in the hollow.
The leader was a withered old man whose aura had clearly reached the peak mid stage Nascent Soul level. The other two were both early stage Nascent Soul cultivators, their expressions grim and determined as they closed the distance.
It was obvious they had been drawn here by the earlier explosion and the fragment's fall from the sky. They had already set an ambush and were waiting like hunters by a tree stump for their prey to arrive.
"Flame Sun Sect. Good. Very good," Xue Shouren said, his eyes narrowing as he assessed their robes. "You're courting death by standing in our way."
He recognized their distinctive attire immediately. It was the mark of the Flame Sun Sect, a powerful organization known for their ferocity in battle.
A first-rate sect famous for their fire attribute techniques, their strength couldn't be underestimated by any cultivator in this realm. But these three—one peak mid stage Nascent Soul and two early stage Nascent Souls—dared to ambush him and Granny Hua. It was like snatching food from a tiger's mouth.
Even so, the lineup was indeed troublesome for them to handle. Especially that withered old man, whose aura was deep and solid like a mountain. He was clearly a seasoned peak mid stage Nascent Soul expert.
With two early stage Nascent Souls backing him up, even if Xue Shouren and Granny Hua joined forces, winning quickly wouldn't be an easy task.
"Enough nonsense. Move. Grab the fragment and leave immediately," Granny Hua said coldly, shock and anger churning in her heart at the delay.
She hadn't expected another force to be lying in wait so precisely for this fragment. Clearly, its fall hadn't gone unnoticed by the other factions in the vicinity.
"Finish this fast. We can't drag it out."
"Kill!" Elder Lie Yang's eyes flashed with a vicious light. Without wasting another breath on words, all three of them attacked at once. Fire attribute spells flooded the mountain hollow like a raging tide of magma, surging toward the two of them.
Flame Sun Sect techniques were the epitome of fierce and overbearing power, designed to incinerate everything they touched. They were clearly planning to end this fight quickly using their numbers and elemental advantage.
"Good. Come!" Xue Shouren laughed wildly, the sound echoing through the rift. He didn't dodge or retreat from the heat. He thrust both his palms forward, and a surging phantom sea of blood rose behind him. Countless bloody hands stretched out from the crimson waves, crashing straight into the sea of raging flames.
"Granny Hua. You grab the treasure first. I will hold them for a moment."
He actually planned to stall three Nascent Soul cultivators by himself to give her the opening.
"You're overestimating yourself," Elder Lie Yang snorted coldly. Firelight flashed in his hand as a crimson spear wreathed in blazing flames appeared from his storage ring.
"Heaven Scorching Spear. Break—!"
The spear transformed into a shocking red arc and stabbed straight at Xue Shouren's heart. The other two early stage Nascent Soul cultivators also used their own methods, attacking from the sides with coordinated strikes.
They clearly wanted to focus their combined strength and eliminate the one who looked strongest first.
"Not a chance!" Granny Hua shouted sharply, her own power erupting.
"Heavenly Fragrance Illusion Dream!"
She formed seals with both her hands at blinding speed. The instant the rosy light spread out, it engulfed half the mountain hollow in a sweet-smelling haze.
The two early stage Nascent Soul cultivators froze as their minds were suddenly clouded. A trace of confusion flashed through their eyes. Even Elder Lie Yang's movement stalled slightly, his spear momentum slowing as his perception wavered under the influence.
Hehuan Sect illusions were notoriously difficult to guard against, and they were especially effective in chaotic group battles.
"Perfect chance!" Xue Shouren seized that instant of hesitation. He retreated explosively while his bloody hand lunged again toward the Star Core Origin Essence fragment sitting in the stone crack.
"Stop him!" Elder Lie Yang roared, his voice breaking through the mist. He forcibly shook off the illusion's influence through sheer willpower and swept his spear sideways, sending a massive crescent of flame slashing toward Xue Shouren.
"Leave the treasure!"
"Your opponent is me!" Granny Hua flashed forward and blocked the path in front of Xue Shouren.
Her jade hairpin treasure burst with a blinding light and met the flaming crescent head-on in a shower of sparks.
Boom—!
The two forces collided violently, shaking the very earth beneath them. Granny Hua let out a muffled grunt and retreated half a step, her face turning pale from the rebound.
She wasn't skilled at head-on clashes to begin with, and Elder Lie Yang's cultivation was slightly higher than her own. She suffered a hidden loss in that exchange as the fire energy rattled her meridians.
"Got it!" In that chaotic instant, Xue Shouren's bloody hand finally closed around the Star Core Origin Essence fragment. However.
Bang—!
A scorching fiery fist imprint slammed into his back out of nowhere, burning through his robes.
It was one of the early stage Nascent Soul cultivators who had broken free of the illusion and launched a sneak attack amid the chaos.
Pfft—!
Xue Shouren was caught completely off guard by the strike. His protective blood barrier shattered under the impact. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and the fragment in his hand almost flew away from his weakened grip.
"You're asking to die!" Xue Shouren roared in fury and slapped back with his palm, pouring all his rage into the counter.
The early stage Nascent Soul cultivator hurriedly blocked the blow. With a pfft—!, he was also shaken until blood sprayed from his mouth, and he was sent flying into a nearby boulder.
But he had succeeded in stopping Xue Shouren from securing the fragment cleanly and making an easy escape.
Elder Lie Yang seized the opening and thrust his spear toward Granny Hua's throat, forcing her to turn back to defend herself once more.
The other early stage Nascent Soul cultivator took the chance to pounce toward Xue Shouren, trying to snatch the fragment while he was wounded.
"Damn it!" Granny Hua and Xue Shouren were both shocked and furious. The three from the Flame Sun Sect worked together seamlessly, their tactics refined through years of cooperation. Their strength was solid, and with their cultivation advantage, they actually managed to entangle the two of them completely in this hollow.
Winning in a short time was impossible, and the longer it dragged on, the worse it was for them as more enemies could arrive.
"Granny Hua. We gamble it all!" A trace of resolve flashed through Xue Shouren's eyes. "Use that move now!"
"Fine!" Granny Hua gritted her teeth. A ruthless light flashed through both their eyes at the same time.
If this dragged on and other powerhouses from the core battlefield arrived, it would all be over for them.
Both of them spat out a mouthful of essence blood at the same time, staining the air crimson. Their auras skyrocketed instantly as they pushed their limits. Rosy light and the towering sea of blood fused together, transforming into a thick blood mist that frantically corroded the Flame Sun Sect's protective radiance and Primordial Souls.
"Not good. It is the Hehuan Sect's Burning Blood secret art. Retreat now!" Elder Lie Yang's face changed drastically. He hadn't expected them to be so decisive, willing to burn essence blood and unleash a forbidden technique just for this fragment.
"You want to leave? Too late!" Xue Shouren snarled, his voice distorted by the energy. The blood mist condensed into a massive bloody hand that slammed brutally toward the Nascent Soul cultivator who had cast the net earlier.
"Die—!"
Granny Hua's jade hairpin transformed into a streak of deadly light and shot straight toward Elder Lie Yang's brow.
Boom—!
Psh—!
The net-casting cultivator was struck by the massive bloody hand. He screamed as he flew back, his body heavily injured by the corrosive energy.
Elder Lie Yang barely avoided a fatal hit to his brow, but his shoulder was pierced by the jade hairpin. Blood poured out of the wound as he hissed in pain. The remaining cultivator was also eroded by the blood mist, left in a sorry state as his spiritual light flickered.
"Go!"
Granny Hua and Xue Shouren didn't linger at all to check the results. They grabbed the Star Core Origin Essence fragment and turned into two streaks of blood light, fleeing desperately out of the mountain hollow toward the south.
Burning essence blood to use a forbidden technique meant they couldn't last long in this state. They had to escape immediately.