Chapter 84: The Qiongqi Disturbs the Forbidden Grounds

As soon as Qin Yue saw Luo Yu thrown out, she flew forward and caught him in her arms—fortunately, he was unharmed. Qiongqi, having staked everything and depleted his own essence in a desperate gamble, succeeded, but now found himself blasted into a bloody, mangled state. With a shudder, the chains binding him snapped inch by inch—without the support of magical power, they were fragile before this ancient beast, as flimsy as paper strips. Qiongqi rose steadily from the formation, drenched in blood, like a hellish fiend descending into the mortal realm; the aura belonging to a superior being erupted, striking terror into the hearts of the gathered golden core cultivators, whose legs went weak and nearly gave way.

Old Ancestor Ning stepped forward without hesitation, his facial muscles taut with tension; one glance made it clear just how anxious he was. Yet, standing before the massive Qiongqi, he brought no sense of security to the juniors; instead, everyone’s hearts leaped into their throats.

Qiongqi was in no hurry to attack. With a sweep of his wings, the four black pillars that had imprisoned him for five millennia were sliced into fragments.

Having vented his fury by destroying the pillars, Qiongqi did something unexpected—he spoke in human language, his voice deep and rumbling like distant thunder:

"You cultivators are bold beyond measure; now that I am freed, what do you rely on?"

Old Ancestor Ning replied solemnly, "Though I am no match for you, I will do my utmost to protect the peace of Bamboo Grove Sanctuary!"

Qiongqi snorted coldly, moved his massive form, and swiped his claws at Old Ancestor Ning. The attack was swift as lightning; Ning dodged just in time, but the giant claw still sheared off a large portion of his hair, which scattered and fluttered in the wind.

The onlookers’ hearts pounded: Qiongqi, descendant of the wind god, was terrifyingly fast—how many moves could the old ancestor withstand? Today, Bamboo Grove Sanctuary was doomed!

Old Ancestor Ning dared not hesitate. He spat out two magical treasures: a green and a blue orb of luminescence expanded in mid-air, the green transforming into a colossal vine, its trunk knotted and bristling with spikes; the other became a gemstone, hovering above Ning’s head, shining brightly like a cloud of blue light.

The giant vine instantly sprouted dozens of tendrils, reaching to entangle Qiongqi. Qiongqi leapt into the air, swept his wings, and unleashed a gale that knocked the vine tendrils askew, sending them tumbling to the ground.

Yet once on the ground, the vine tendrils rapidly grew roots, anchoring themselves in the earth, and stubbornly extended toward Qiongqi. This time, his winged gusts had little effect: the main vine rooted itself firmly, unmoved by the wind, and sent out more tendrils to bind. Caught off guard, Qiongqi’s tail was snared, and before he could react, the other tendrils surged in and bound him tight.

The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief. Turning to Old Ancestor Ning, they saw his eyes wide, face flushed, veins bulging on his forehead—he was clearly struggling. The fight was far from over. The golden core cultivators realized the situation and hurriedly tossed out magical treasures and implements to assist in binding the beast. The air filled with a riot of colors: Immortal Binding Rope, Immortal Lock Chains, Demon-Subduing Bowl, Celestial Silks... they wrapped Qiongqi up like a giant dumpling.

Old Ancestor Ning felt both gratified and anxious at the juniors’ actions: fools! This was a battle between nascent soul cultivators—not something golden core disciples should meddle in! But he was engaged fully, unable to warn them. His breath faltered under the strain, and Qiongqi seized the opportunity, suddenly exerting force to blast the magical implements apart, sending them flying and damaged.

This blow left Old Ancestor Ning gravely injured, and five or six wealthy golden core cultivators who had used expensive treasures fell to the ground, including Uncle Su—though he retained enough energy not to faint entirely. The foundation stage cultivators rushed in, dragging and carrying the unconscious elders away for healing, instantly thinning the ranks.

Qiongqi dusted off his wings and struck at the staggering Old Ancestor Ning once more; Ning, risking all, activated the blue gem, which exploded into a net of azure silk, barely blocking the razor-sharp wind. But he could no longer endure—a mouthful of blood spilled forth, and he collapsed in defeat.

Seeing the old ancestor fall, the remaining golden core cultivators panicked: attack? It would be suicide. Hold back? How could they let a monster rampage unchecked?

While they hesitated, Qiongqi began to walk slowly toward them. Forced back step by step, they watched as he stopped before a man leaning against a rock, gasping for breath.

Luo Yu focused: wasn’t this the injured Uncle Su? Oh no! Why hadn’t he been taken away? The beast must hold a grudge against him for inspecting the formation earlier and now seeks revenge!

In a flash, golden light burst from Luo Yu, and a golden phoenix appeared, its long feathers shimmering with fiery brilliance—a fantastical beauty. After circling the air gracefully, it vanished, only to reappear before Qiongqi, snatching Uncle Su from beneath the beast’s nose. In the blink of an eye, both were a hundred meters away.

Qiongqi was momentarily stunned, then furious, and chased after them with flaring wings. In his rage, his speed nearly matched that of light itself. Luo Yu, carrying Uncle Su, kept teleporting, so all anyone could see were streaks of afterimages darting through the valley, like a wild ping-pong game.

Luo Yu cursed inwardly: wasn’t the beast’s divine sense supposed to be mostly sealed? Why was he still so powerful—impossible to evade! His reactions were absurdly fast, and while Luo Yu could manage, Uncle Su couldn’t withstand this.

Just as he despaired, his beloved Qin Yue sprang into action, brandishing Scarlet Abyss and joining the fray. Luo Yu felt both anxious and grateful, continuing to lure the beast by circling the valley, while Qin Yue pursued and hacked at Qiongqi’s tail.

Qin Yue, with the Heavenly Firmament Golden Dragon Technique, possessed strong resilience and explosive power, so her speed was just enough to keep up with Qiongqi. The beast never expected anyone present could match his pace, so, caught off guard, a patch of tail fur was singed. Humiliated, Qiongqi spun around to face Qin Yue.

She parried Qiongqi’s claws with Scarlet Abyss, but was jolted back two steps—the beast’s strength was overwhelming, impossible to match head-on.

Luo Yu finally caught his breath, found a spot to set Uncle Su down, and guarded him carefully: nowhere was safer than by his side, for Bamboo Grove Sanctuary’s combined strength couldn’t possibly protect him.

Watching Qin Yue struggle, Luo Yu realized: lacking strength and speed, she needed help... perhaps the Divine Pierce would work? He concentrated his spiritual sense and struck, but the beast was unaffected, while Luo Yu’s mind reeled in pain.

Qiongqi’s cultivation was at the Great Ascension stage—even with his divine sense partially sealed, it remained formidable, far beyond Luo Yu’s ability to harm. Moreover, the portion of divine sense he could use was no weaker than Luo Yu or Qin Yue, and even with teleportation, Luo Yu couldn’t escape his surveillance.

Frustrated, Luo Yu thought: damn it, what good is teleportation if I’m still at the mercy of a beast?

Qin Yue’s duel with Qiongqi gradually turned against him. His only advantage was defense—he could withstand several strikes without harm, occasionally scoring a mark on the beast, but nothing fatal unless the opponent stood still for a killing blow. Prolonged struggle was futile; his magical energy was limited, and once depleted, death was inevitable.

After a while, Qiongqi remarked, "Youngster, not bad!"

Qin Yue ignored him, retreated, and spat out a golden flame that transformed into a golden dragon, lunging to bite—the close combat had little effect, so he tried magical attacks.

Qiongqi remained calm, swept his wings, and conjured a strange wind that scattered the golden dragon, making it impossible to approach.

Now both Luo Yu and Qin Yue were discouraged—their magical power was far less concentrated than the beast’s, and even their trump cards were useless... what now?

Qiongqi snorted coldly and pressed his attack on Qin Yue; gradually, the protective golden scales thinned, and wounds began to appear. Luo Yu, distressed, couldn’t hold back and rushed in to assist, wildly flapping his wings and clawing at the beast’s face, forcing Qiongqi into disarray. But a battle-hardened beast soon regained control, conjured a blast of wind, and sent the two staggering.

They steadied themselves, ready to fight again, only to find their opponent gone.

Looking closely: Uncle Su was captured! Uncle Su had fallen!

Luo Yu panicked and prepared to rescue him, but found himself unable to locate the target—the beast had used his divine sense to erect a defensive barrier, impenetrable to Luo Yu’s perception.

Qiongqi, somewhat smug, cast a glance at the pair, holding his claw menacingly to Uncle Su’s throat.

Luo Yu and Qin Yue exchanged anxious looks—hostage in hand, neither dared act rashly.

Qiongqi, seeing the pair subdued, addressed Uncle Su: "Are you a member of Bamboo Grove Sanctuary?"

Bound by a restrictive spell, Uncle Su could not resist and replied coldly, "I am."

Qiongqi flicked his tail and said, "I’ve heard Bamboo Grove is skilled in formations. If you can lift the seal on my body, I’ll spare your lives."

Uncle Su answered proudly, "As a dignified elder of Bamboo Grove Sanctuary, I would never yield to your coercion! If you want my life, take it!"

Qiongqi roared, "Whelp, you’ve repeatedly hindered my escape—do you think me soft-hearted?"

Uncle Su replied icily, "You violated the heavenly laws; I merely acted according to the rules. How is that an act of mercy?"

Qiongqi pondered for a long moment: "Fine! Since you refuse, you shall pay with your body to atone for offending me!"

With that, he flicked his massive tail and transformed into a naked man: his skin was a healthy bronze, nearly two meters tall, limbs proportional and muscular, his physique bursting with power—more perfect than any Western male model. Luo Yu was momentarily stunned, then began to drool: if only that body were his...

He looked at the man’s face: sharply sculpted, handsome with an air of primitive wildness, brown-black hair falling messily over his shoulders, two blood-red markings across his face reminiscent of Inuyasha, and more scattered across his body—a strikingly handsome wild man!

Luo Yu couldn’t help but glance at the man’s nether regions; before he could get a good look, Qin Yue grabbed him and turned him away.

The man, now in human form, bent over Uncle Su and began stripping his clothes.

Uncle Su raged, "Shameless beast! How dare you—stop at once!"

Luo Yu thought, something’s not right... turning back, he saw: good heavens, what was going on? Was this another snake demon incident?

Qin Yue, furious, swung Scarlet Abyss at the man, who dodged with Uncle Su in his arms, and with a "whoosh," a pair of wings burst from his back, forcing Qin Yue back several steps.

The man shouted angrily, "Such rudeness! If you wish to fight, wait until we have coupled!" Then he resumed stripping Uncle Su.

Luo Yu, seeing the man so brazen, protested, "What are you doing! In broad daylight, how can you—how can you do such a thing?"

Without even lifting his head, the man replied dismissively, "Golden Phoenix, be silent. A direct descendant of the ancient gods does not imitate the manners of mortals! Under heaven and earth, this is my nature!"

The Cultivator's Tale of Brotherhood, Chapter 84—the forbidden land chaos caused by Qiongqi is now complete!