Over half an hour later, the pale yellow Demonic Core appeared a thousand li away from its previous location. The rapidly flying speck of pale yellow light in the air came to an abrupt halt and then swiftly descended into a mountain hollow below.
Amidst a patch of weeds as tall as a person, the pale yellow color on the Demonic Core's surface rapidly faded, replaced by a gray hue. The entire core was now covered in cracks of various sizes. The once vibrant Demonic Core was now suffused with a thick aura of death.
Suppressed, pained moans and deep, muffled roars emanated from within the core.
"Old man Tianxingzi, this time I will ensure your entire sect is annihilated! I will make sure you don't even have a whole corpse left!"
Then, Lie Changfeng let out a series of inhuman howls. The sounds were all blocked by the Spirit Power shield he had placed around the Demonic Core, preventing them from being detected.
It was not until much later that Lie Changfeng's howls slowly subsided, leaving only heavy, ragged breaths. The cracks on the surface of the Demonic Core had widened considerably, and its overall color had turned a dark gray.
After escaping from Tianxingzi, he had fled back towards the Wind-Severing Clan with reckless abandon. He needed to recuperate his Demonic Core as quickly as possible before he could find a suitable body. Otherwise, his Demonic Core might completely shatter before he could even find a body for seizure.
Lie Changfeng's hatred for Tianxingzi was like a monstrous tidal wave. This time, his opponent had been ruthless enough to self-detonate his Natal Magical Treasure just to kill him, completely destroying the physical body he had painstakingly cultivated for over a thousand years. Leaving aside the loss of his body, this severe injury would require about a hundred years to recover his Demonic Core. Furthermore, once he performed a Body Seizure, he would need to stabilize the connection between his Divine Soul and the new body. He wouldn't be able to come out of seclusion for at least one hundred and fifty years.
The higher the cultivation, the more difficult the Body Seizure. Not only was it hard to find a powerful and suitable body, but the process of integrating one's own powerful soul with the physical body was even more difficult.
All of this made Lie Changfeng hate Tianxingzi to the bone, wishing he could devour his flesh piece by piece.
As Lie Changfeng was fleeing for his life, consumed by hatred, he sensed Ning Ying and her group appearing within the range of his Divine Sense. He originally had time to completely avoid them and take a detour, but his towering rage made him make a risky choice. He had to ensure the Falling Star Valley was annihilated.
Right now, the Falling Star Valley was at its weakest. He had to use Ning Ying and the others to achieve his goal. He knew that his recovery speed was definitely not as fast as Tianxingzi's. If he waited until he recovered to seek revenge, that old ghost's cultivation might be even more profound, and he still might not be his match. He had to take this opportunity to end Tianxingzi's life and the lives of all the cultivators in the Falling Star Valley.
At the same time, having paid such a heavy price himself, he could not, under any circumstances, let the Snow Moon Wolf Clan and the Night Fox Clan sit on the sidelines.
Thus, he took the initiative to reveal himself and fly towards Ning Ying. But in doing so, he had to pay an even heavier price.
Although his relationship with Ning Ying was ambiguous, how many cultivators truly possessed genuine affection for one another? Lie Changfeng and she were merely using each other. While enjoying physical pleasure, they would also pull each other's clans to their side to mutually expand their power.
But now, Lie Changfeng believed that if he showed even the slightest sign of weakness, Ning Ying would, with more than a seventy percent certainty, immediately attack him to seize his Demonic Core for alchemy.
Therefore, he could only once again burn the origin power in his Demonic Core, forcefully restoring it to a normal state. This was all to make Ning Ying hesitant to act rashly, to keep her guessing about how much magic power he had left, and how certain she was of capturing him.
Just like that, Lie Changfeng gritted his teeth and persisted, pretending to still have strength to spare, and finally finished conveying his message.
Until Ning Ying's party left, he, knowing the cunning of the Night Fox Clan, continued to burn the origin power in his already damaged core. He kept his Demonic Core in a seemingly intact state and flew for another thousand li. Calculating the distance, Ning Ying, who was flying in the opposite direction, had also flown a thousand li. The combined distance finally exceeded the range of Ning Ying's Divine Sense. Only then did Lie Changfeng stop burning his origin power. By this time, less than thirty percent of his Demonic Core's origin power remained.
Immense pain instantly washed over Lie Changfeng's Divine Soul, making it impossible for him to suppress his agony any longer. He almost perished in the abyss of endless pain. If that had happened, he would have fallen into a long slumber, and his Demonic Core, deprived of external nourishment, would have rapidly cracked apart.
Lie Changfeng risked perishing at any moment just to make Tianxingzi accompany him in death. He believed that in the face of such huge benefits, with such an easy advantage to be gained, Xue Qianzong and Ning Ying would naturally not let the opportunity slip.
But the price he paid was that his realm had already fallen to the Late-stage Golden Core, and it would take an even longer time to repair his Demonic Core. As for his realm, he could only slowly cultivate and recover it after a Body Seizure in the future. Who knew how many years that would take? But fortunately, demonic beasts were naturally longer-lived than humans.
And the one who caused all of this was Tianxingzi.
Standing at the front of the massive flying magical treasure, Ning Ying was deep in thought, her face exceptionally cold and beautiful, her entire body exuding a bone-chilling coldness. Behind her, whether it was the disciples of the Night Fox Clan or the cultivators of the Wind-Severing Clan, no one dared to breathe too loudly.
That a powerhouse like Lie Changfeng had ended up mutually wounded with the Falling Star Valley, his physical body destroyed, had cast a heavy shadow of pressure in their hearts.
What they didn't know was that the silent Ning Ying in front of them was thinking about something completely different.
'Was he just putting on a strong front, or were his Demonic Core's injuries truly not that severe?'
She had scanned him several times before. Although Lie Changfeng's aura was unstable, it was almost impossible for her to capture him in one fell swoop. If she obtained the Demonic Core of a Pseudo-Nascent Soul cultivator, she would have a thirty percent chance of breaking through to the Late-stage Golden Core within a hundred years. At that time, the status of the Night Fox Clan would soar because of her.
But Lie Changfeng had been exceptionally vigilant, maintaining a distance of five hundred zhang from her throughout the entire process. This distance made Ning Ying extremely uncomfortable. The moment she showed any sign of aggression, his Demonic Core could instantly flee far away.
And until they finally parted ways, Lie Changfeng's departing Demonic Core maintained a state that kept Ning Ying from daring to act.
'Regardless, you're trying to use me as a pawn. Are you trying to drag all four of our clans down together, or is that old ghost Tianxingzi really as heavily injured as you say? You have no more than two goals: unwilling to accept defeat, you want to drag us all down with you; or you're determined to use our hands to destroy the Falling Star Valley to vent your anger.'
As a member of the Fox Clan, Ning Ying was naturally suspicious and thoughtful. She quickly figured out Lie Changfeng's intentions. The thought that she had failed to imprison Lie Changfeng's Demonic Core left her feeling extremely frustrated, and the aura around her grew even colder.
After another moment, Lie Changfeng's aura had completely disappeared. Only then did she gather her thoughts.
Soon, she thought of the Cangyu Sect, and a smile suddenly bloomed on her face.
'I imagine that if Yu Rong learns of Sang Dongxing's death, the expression on her face will be absolutely spectacular! In any case, even if it's just to see the look on Yu Rong's face after her husband's death, I have to make a trip to the Falling Star Valley. As for what happens after, we'll decide then. With the power of three sects combined, if things become impossible, retreating shouldn't be a problem. If the Falling Star Valley truly had the ability to annihilate several sects, why would they have waited to be attacked at their own doorstep?'
With this thought, Ning Ying turned to look at the cultivators behind her.
"Though Fellow Daoist Lie is heavily injured, his life is not in danger. Most importantly, the Falling Star Valley is now left with only its Sect Master Lin Xinghe holding the fort. In that case, I shall capture him and make him atone before Fellow Daoist Lie."
As she spoke, she tapped her elegant foot on the hairpin-shaped flying magical treasure, and it shot forward.
'This should be enough to boost the confidence and hatred of this group of Wind-Severing Clan cultivators,' she thought.
While Xue Qianzong and Yu Rong were like ants on a hot pan, they finally saw Ning Ying's belated arrival.
By now, the sharp morale of the Snow Moon Wolf Clan and Cangyu Sect disciples was no longer as vigorous as when they had first arrived. They had intended to press the attack on the Falling Star Valley at once, but upon arriving, not only were the sect masters of the two sects missing, but the attack had also been delayed. Instead, Xue Qianzong and Yu Rong had been whispering to each other, their faces uncertain. This was especially true for the Cangyu Sect's contingent. They had come with all their elites, yet their Sect Master was nowhere to be seen at such a critical juncture.
Charge with the first drum, wane with the second, and be exhausted by the third. The group of cultivators had become somewhat restless and anxious.
The moment Ning Ying and her people landed, Yu Rong impatiently went up to meet her, all traces of yesterday's disdain and coldness gone.
"Fellow Daoist Ning, where is Fellow Daoist Lie? Was your earlier voice transmission true?"
As Yu Rong spoke, her voice trembled uncontrollably. Just one night had passed, yet it had brought her such unbelievable news.
Ning Ying seemed to have forgotten the unpleasantness between them from the day before. She nodded with a grave expression.
"Brother Changfeng's physical body has been destroyed. I met him on the way. The Wind-Severing Clan disciples behind me also saw it with their own eyes. According to him, after Fellow Daoist Sang was ambushed by that old man Tianxingzi, Tianxingzi wanted to finish him off. Left with no choice, Fellow Daoist Sang chose to self-detonate, heavily injuring Tianxingzi. Afterward, Brother Changfeng also fought desperately. Now, both sides have suffered grievous injuries..."
She then recounted what Lie Changfeng had told her without any concealment.
Yu Rong had only heard the first few sentences before her face turned deathly pale. The last glimmer of hope she had was shattered into dust upon hearing Ning Ying's account with her own ears. Fortunately, her cultivation was not weak, and her composure was astonishing. She barely managed to keep her swaying body steady and not fall from the sky.
"Are you certain that Tianxingzi has no strength left to fight?" Xue Qianzong had been listening quietly all this while. So far, the Snow Moon Wolf Clan had not suffered any losses. Although he too was shocked by the sudden turn of events overnight, he had managed to maintain his usual calm.
Ning Ying glanced at Yu Rong's dull, lifeless eyes before shifting her concerned gaze to Xue Qianzong. In her heart, however, she was sneering endlessly.
'You really think that just because you've cultivated to the Late-stage Golden Core, you can look down on everyone in a second-rate sect? Hehe, now you're left with just an Initial-stage Golden Core cultivator. Let's see how your Cangyu Sect can act as domineering as before. It won't be long before you decline. I won't even need anyone else; I'll find an opportunity and swallow your Cangyu Sect whole.'
While thinking this, her gaze towards Xue Qianzong changed from concern to solemnity.
"That's what Brother Changfeng said. I know what Fellow Daoist Xue means. If Tianxingzi can truly only exert the battle strength of an Initial-stage Golden Core and cannot sustain a direct confrontation, then our chances of victory are high. But..."
As she spoke, hesitation appeared on her beautiful face. The meaning, however, was clear: she was afraid that the intelligence Lie Changfeng provided was inaccurate. She was shifting all the blame onto Lie Changfeng and also handing the decision-making power to Xue Qianzong, the one with the highest cultivation here.
Xue Qianzong was also unable to determine for a moment whether the information Ning Ying brought was accurate. But the fact that she had claimed to have seen Lie Changfeng in front of all the Wind-Severing Clan disciples was undoubtedly true.
Meanwhile, Yu Rong, who had been somewhat dazed, seemed to suddenly snap back to reality. She interjected fiercely, "I don't care if Tianxingzi is heavily injured or if that old scoundrel is already dead. The Cangyu Sect will attack the Falling Star Valley today! Even if we all die here, we must!"