Chapter 242: Chapter 240: Above Foundation Establishment

Jiang Jichen arrived just in time to see this.

In that instant, his heart was filled with an endless Thought of Slaughter.

He wanted nothing more than to tear every last one of them to shreds and condemn their Divine Souls to an eternity in Purgatory.

But despite his monstrous, endless hatred for these people, despite the urge to kill them a thousand, ten thousand times over...

...he couldn’t. He had to stay calm.

He had already used up most of his energy on the journey here. If he were to charge out now, he, Yee Youmeng, Hua Xiaoling, and Tang Ni would all die without a doubt.

There were ten of them, led by Guo Qishan!

All of them were Cultivators, their cultivation ranging from the Foundation Establishment Middle Realm to the Late Stage Realm. Their strength was immense.

If Jiang Jichen had been at full strength, however, using all of his trump cards to kill them would have been no problem at all.

Most importantly, Tang Ni and Hua Xiaoling were in their hands, which was the biggest reason he couldn’t afford to be impulsive.

’Even if it means my life, I have to snatch the two of them back first.’

One moment, Jiang Jichen was filled with a monstrous, endless rage; the next, he became deathly still, like a withered branch drifting on the wind, completely unnoticed.

He slowly drew closer while sending a mental message to Yee Youmeng, telling her to draw their attention.

Yee Youmeng had, of course, already sensed Jiang Jichen’s presence nearby. But her consciousness was fading, and she thought she might have been mistaken.

It wasn’t until she heard Jiang Jichen’s mental message that she was certain... ’He’s really here!’

’Isn’t this the very moment I’ve been desperately holding on for? He never disappoints. With him here... I can finally feel at ease.’

And so, Yee Youmeng let go of her large machete, her voice icy as she said, "I surrender!"

With that, the large machete finally clattered to the ground.

At that moment, everyone’s attention was drawn to her, their gazes fixed on the large machete as she let it fall.

They finally breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Indeed, that small, slender figure wielding the large machete had chilled them to the bone.

Her mysterious and bizarre Step Technique, her unparalleled combat awareness, and the bewildering power of Youmeng that radiated from the large machete. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

She had already beheaded three Foundation Establishment Middle Realm Cultivators, yet they had been unable to take her down.

In fact, if Yee Youmeng had tried to escape, they might not have been able to catch her.

This was why they had stopped fighting her; they feared that even if they eventually killed Yee Youmeng, their own losses would be catastrophic.

That was why they had resorted to threatening her with Tang Ni and Hua Xiaoling.

However, in the very instant that Guo Qishan and his men sighed in relief, Jiang Jichen had already closed in to within thirty meters of them, completely silent.

This was the moment. He activated Shapeshifting!

At the Grandmaster Realm, Jiang Jichen could now activate this technique from thirty meters away. Instantly moving two people was a simple feat for him—it was an incredibly powerful and terrifying ability.

WHOOSH!

As if a fierce gust of wind had just swept past, Guo Qishan and his men realized that Tang Ni and Hua Xiaoling, who had been under their control, had suddenly vanished.

The face that appeared before them was one they hated to their very bones... It was Jiang Jichen!

"How is that possible? This..."

The color drained from the faces of Guo Qishan and his men. The Cultivators who hadn’t reacted in time were completely baffled, with no idea what was happening.

"Damn it, it’s Jiang Jichen! We can’t let him escape! Surround him! Cut off his escape routes!"

Guo Qishan, the quickest to react, roared.

But a grim smile had already appeared on Jiang Jichen’s face.

He held the One Corner of the Sky Killing Array in one hand and a Poison-Devouring Pearl Fragment in the other. A blood-colored relic floated above his head, the Blood-Red Battle Armor was draped over his body, and he was even ready to summon the mysterious Ancient Medicine Cauldron at a moment’s notice!

In that moment, Jiang Jichen was ready to die. He brought out every trump card he could use, prepared to activate them all, even if it cost him his life.

’Under such an assault,’ he thought, ’how many of them could possibly survive?’

"Azure Heaven Killing Array, turn all to ash!"

"Poison-Devouring Pearl, poison the very heavens and earth!"

In that instant, Jiang Jichen directly burned his Life Energy, simultaneously activating the One Corner of the Sky Killing Array and the Poison-Devouring Pearl Fragment, vowing to annihilate the entire group.

Waves of Killing Intent descended from the heavens, annihilating everything in their path.

A green, poison-devouring mist drifted through the air. Wherever the ethereal haze passed, all life fell silent.

"Ah... no! My body is melting..."

"I can’t see! I’m blind!"

"The pain... My hand?"

...

Amidst the terrified screams, there came the sound of a body exploding into a mist of blood.

Guo Qishan was caught in the middle of it all. Terror finally appeared on his face as he truly felt the looming threat of death.

He had never expected that the trump cards Jiang Jichen unleashed in his desperation would be this horrifying.

"No! Elder, save me!"

Guo Qishan frantically shook a mysterious Sealed Spirit Bag and cried out.

As he opened the mysterious Sealed Spirit Bag, a flood of golden light surged out, and an old man stepped out from within it.

The moment he appeared, he waved a long sleeve.

The endless Killing Intent and drifting poison mist were instantly dispelled.

It was as if, with a single wave of his sleeve, he could command the wind and the clouds.

Seeing this, Jiang Jichen’s expression changed drastically.

’Golden light manifesting a person... This is someone above the Foundation Establishment Realm!’

’It’s a Cultivator from a realm beyond Foundation Establishment!’

’How is this possible? I thought only Cultivators of the Foundation Establishment Realm could enter the Exquisite Treasure Tower.’

Though utterly shocked, Jiang Jichen made a split-second decision. He sent a mental message to Yee Youmeng and the other two women, "Leave immediately! Don’t look back under any circumstances! I’ll draw the two of them away!"

As he sent the message, Jiang Jichen had already flicked out three Celestial Blood Grass leaves, which landed in each of the three women’s hands.

"Swallow half a leaf right now! It will instantly restore half your strength and heal your injuries!"

His instructions given, Jiang Jichen advanced instead of retreating. With the Ancient Medicine Cauldron over his head, two Celestial Blood Grass leaves in his mouth, the Blood-Red Battle Armor on his body, and the blood-colored relics in his hand, he charged straight for Guo Qishan and the terrifying Cultivator from beyond the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Had anyone else witnessed this—a mere Junior Cultivator at the Innate Tenth Layer of the Grandmaster Realm charging a being from beyond the Foundation Establishment Realm—they would have thought the kid was insane. They would have found the whole thing utterly laughable.

But Jiang Jichen had no choice. The others had already been reduced to a bloody mist by his One Corner of the Sky Killing Array and the Poison-Devouring Pearl Fragment. Only Guo Qishan and this... Cultivator from beyond Foundation Establishment remained.

If he could just hold these two back for a moment, Yee Youmeng, Tang Ni, and Hua Xiaoling could get away.

Yee Youmeng, Tang Ni, and Hua Xiaoling knew this was no time for sentimental farewells. They had always had absolute faith in Jiang Jichen. Without hesitation, they swallowed half a leaf of the Celestial Blood Grass. The Blood Qi they had lost was instantly half-replenished, and their injuries and Spiritual Power were half-restored.

Thus, the three of them fled without a moment’s hesitation!

Guo Qishan and the Cultivator from beyond Foundation Establishment naturally saw this, but by then, Jiang Jichen was already upon them.

Moreover, the attack coalescing from the blood-colored relics was so potent that even this sudden arrival from beyond the Foundation Establishment Realm had to take it a little more seriously. The aura it contained made him feel a sense of apprehension.

"A mere ant in its death throes. Nothing more."

The Cultivator from beyond Foundation Establishment spoke his first words since appearing.

And with that single sentence, the heavens and earth seemed to shift and warp. Spiritual Patterns churned through the air like crashing waves.

This terrifying Anomaly was caused by a single sentence from the Cultivator beyond Foundation Establishment!

At that moment, Jiang Jichen felt he had plunged into the most dangerous and hopeless situation of his entire life. His chances of survival were slim to none.