Ling Tian stood on the edge of the central basin, facing three patrolling squads, each led by a Peak Nascent Soul Realm expert, moving in perfect synchronization. He needed the Ghost Dragon Heartbloom instantly, but a prolonged battle would expose him to the entire Celestial Sword Syndicate.
"Their main defense is the sheer quantity and speed of their collective sword Qi," Ling Tian observed. "We will not give them the time to form an attack."
The Two-Step Strategy
Ling Tian handed Lin Yue a small, black pellet—a highly compressed Formation Overload Pill.
"Go to the far end of the basin, behind the largest pillar," Ling Tian commanded. "Wait until the moment I draw their attention, then throw this into the soil beneath the Myriad-Sword Sealing Array's eastern nexus point. It will cause a massive, localized overload."
Lin Yue, understanding the extreme risk, nodded grimly and vanished, using her Void Step Pill to silently execute the maneuver.
Ling Tian then focused his attention on the three patrols. He had to draw all three simultaneously to the center.
He channeled his Late Golden Core energy, but instead of Primordial Chaos, he deliberately released a powerful, unrefined burst of Ancient Immortal Qi—the energy signature of a powerful, but reckless, rogue cultivator.
BOOM!
The burst wasn't aimed at the enemies; it was aimed at the ground, shattering a large rock and creating a powerful spiritual signature visible for miles.
The three Peak Nascent Soul leaders immediately converged on the location, furious at the blatant intrusion.
"Intruder! You dare trespass in the Syndicate's territory!" roared the lead captain, drawing his massive sword, which shimmered with terrifying sword Qi.
The Deletion
As the three experts closed in, Ling Tian waited until they were within 30 feet of each other, preparing their powerful combined Blade Storm Formation.
Now.
Ling Tian did not attack them. He launched the most concentrated, silent expression of his Primordial Chaos Palm ever. He didn't use three separate attacks; he used a single, expanding shockwave of pure annihilation targeting only the spiritual cores of the three enemies.
The shockwave was invisible and non-explosive. It struck the three Peak Nascent Soul experts simultaneously.
The three captains, mid-formation, froze. Their eyes glazed over as their perfectly formed Nascent Souls were instantly deleted from existence by the corrosive Primordial Chaos.
They collapsed to the ground, pristine, but utterly lifeless. Their massive sword Qi formation dissipated harmlessly into the air.
The Sealing and Extraction
At that precise moment, Lin Yue executed her part of the plan. She threw the Formation Overload Pill into the targeted nexus.
CRACK! BOOM!
A localized explosion of chaotic Qi erupted beneath the altar, not damaging the structure, but violently overloading the ancient Myriad-Sword Sealing Array. The protective barrier around the Ghost Dragon Heartbloom flickered and failed.
Ling Tian, having conserved just enough energy, executed the Primordial Chaos Shadow Steps at maximum speed. He reached the altar in a flash, ignoring the chaotic energy surrounding the collapsing array.
He didn't pull the herb out. He pulled out a specialized Tier-9 Jade Preservation Box that he had refined for this very purpose. He carefully cut the herb's roots and sealed the shimmering Ghost Dragon Heartbloom inside the box, preserving its potent energy perfectly.
The entire sequence—from the moment Ling Tian attacked to the moment the herb was sealed—took less than five seconds.
The Alarm
The massive overload and the sudden disappearance of three Peak Nascent Soul signatures instantly triggered the Syndicate's grand alarm. A massive, blood-red beacon shot up from the central headquarters miles away.
"Master Ling Tian! We must leave! The entire Crimson Blade Legion is mobilizing!" Lin Yue cried, reappearing beside him.
"Perfect," Ling Tian replied, securing the box. "They know we were here, but they won't know how or why. The theft is complete."
Ling Tian grabbed Lin Yue, activated his highest-level escape technique, and plunged deep into the most chaotic, least-patrolled section of the Wasteland—the path of maximum risk, but maximum concealment.
The Ghost Dragon Heartbloom—the key to Ling Tian's flawless breakthrough into the Nascent Soul Realm—was secured. Now, the race to escape the vengeance of the Celestial Sword Syndicate had begun.