Chapter 129: All Search Was in Vain, Yet By Chance It Was Gained

Stepping into the ring of light, Zhou Qi immediately felt a powerful suction force pulling him high into the sky. Dizziness overcame him as his vision was filled with blinding white light, obscuring everything outside.

Not knowing how long he had traveled through the tunnel, Zhou Qi felt himself heavily thrown out. When he finally regained his senses, he found himself standing upon a vast black earth. The gravity here was astonishing; an invisible force pressed down upon him, forcing him to the ground.

Looking into the distance, fifteen cultivators ahead were struggling to move forward, and it was evident that the gravity was targeting them as well.

Is this the Saint's Realm?

Resisting the pressure, Zhou Qi climbed to his feet. His physical body was extraordinary; although the gravity was immense, it did not cause him too much trouble.

Touching his face, he found that the illusionary beard he wore was gone. Catching the reflection in the long sword he held, Zhou Qi saw that his appearance had reverted to his original face—the Transformation Technique had somehow failed.

"True Monarch? Senior?" Zhou Qi was alarmed. He could no longer connect to the Apothecary Immortal Saint Palace. Could this Saint's Realm isolate storage spaces? Yet his storage ring still functioned normally.

Could this be to prevent cultivators from smuggling others in? Zhou Qi guessed that he could no longer rely on Huang Qianqian and the Zhou family employees; he had to depend entirely on himself.

Zhou Qi stood in place, dazed, and did not move forward. He wanted to sense how this place differed from the outside world. If a battle broke out, what method should he use to win? This place did not isolate spiritual power. Aside from the sealing of the Apothecary Immortal Saint Palace, the gravity being heavier than the outside world, and the inability to alter his appearance, it was no different from anywhere else.

"Thud." Another cultivator crashed heavily onto the ground not far from Zhou Qi, pinned down by the local gravity.

Was the Lost Immortal Array broken so quickly? Zhou Qi thought to himself. Fortunately, he had seized the exact right moment; if he had activated the Lost Immortal Array right from the start, he would have had absolutely no hope.

That cultivator finally adapted to the gravity of this place, crawling up from the ground bit by bit with extreme difficulty. The moment he saw Zhou Qi, he was first startled, and then ecstatic.

"It's you?" the two shouted simultaneously.

Zhou Qi took a closer look. Wasn't this the eighth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator from the Heaven Dao Sect who had chased him down previously? When he had observed all the cultivators in Jiaogu City earlier, he hadn't spotted this person. The cultivator must have used some kind of disguise method, which was only stripped away upon entering the secret realm.

"Talk about an iron shoes search found without trouble, it takes no effort at all! Zhou Qi, you've really made me look hard for you," the cultivator laughed hideously, already drawing his long sword.

Startled, Zhou Qi summoned the Immortal Slaying Sword from his storage ring. Since disguise was impossible here, it was better to use the Immortal Slaying Sword. He had grown used to wielding it, and after suffering damage last time, it had slowly been self-repairing over this long period. Although not fully restored, its use was unaffected.

The cultivator formed hand seals, chanting, "By my sword, reverse the cosmos... Go!" The long sword in the cultivator's hand burst into dazzling light, transforming into a streak of brilliant rainbow straight toward Zhou Qi.

The gravity also affected the long sword. The cultivator felt that it took a significant output of his spiritual power to successfully deploy the blade, and its power was severely diminished.

Faced with the sword coming straight for his face, Zhou Qi did not dodge. He cast the Primordial Protection Technique, forming a thin film in front of him that blocked the aggressively oncoming flying sword.

With a soft "pop," the Primordial Protection Technique was shattered, but most of the flying sword's power had already been nullified. Zhou Qi clenched his fist and smashed it toward the incoming sword.

His fist struck the center of the long sword, knocking it away. The cultivator was shocked; Zhou Qi was actually able to forcibly clash with a spiritual weapon barehanded! How much time had passed? Last time, Zhou Qi had possessed no power to counterattack at all. If that woman hadn't blocked a sword for him, and if not for that bizarre array, he would have succeeded long ago. Outside, he had been enveloped by that familiar array again, making him think his opportunity had finally arrived.

With his sword knocked away, the cultivator recalled it, his hands continuously forming hand seals. A white ball of light formed between his palms, shimmering with spiritual power and emitting a formidable aura.

The Tri-Origin Qi? Zhou Qi froze, unsure if this move also possessed forced-lock-on properties. The Primordial Protection Technique definitely could not withstand this attack. Seeing the state in which the cultivator had deployed his flying sword earlier, Zhou Qi abandoned the idea of using the Myriad Swords Return to宗. The power of spells here was affected by gravity, and by the time they reached the opponent, they might not inflict effective damage.

Embracing Mountain Seal. The phantom image of Jade Dragon Mountain began to form, gradually solidifying. Zhou Qi spat out a mouthful of vital blood, which merged into the mountain's body. In a battle against an eighth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator, he could not afford a shred of complacency; he could no longer worry about his image.

The blood-red Jade Dragon Mountain gradually solidified, becoming heavier and heavier. Influenced by gravity, the sheer weight and power of this mountain could not be underestimated. Zhou Qi felt that if he didn't deploy the Embracing Mountain Seal right away, once it completely solidified, he would never be able to lift it again.

"Go!" Zhou Qi shouted loudly. The mountain body in his arms was unleashed, flying crookedly above the cultivator and plunging down from above, while the cultivator's ball of light had already reached Zhou Qi's eyes.

"There's no dodging it," the two thought simultaneously. Outside, there would be countless ways to dodge, but due to the gravity here, even moving was extremely difficult, let alone evading. Both of them simultaneously prepared to take the opponent's attack head-on, betting on who could endure.

With a loud "boom," both were struck by the other's spell at the same time.

At the very instant the light sphere was about to strike him, Zhou Qi activated the Divine Dragon Transformation. The immense force still blasted him backward, and countless ribs were broken. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Zhou Qi retrieved a Restoration Pill from his storage ring and swallowed it.

The cultivator had it even worse. Having underestimated the might of the Embracing Mountain Seal, he had assumed that taking a third-layer Qi Condensation cultivator's spell head-on wouldn't cause much damage. However, because the Embracing Mountain Seal had absorbed Zhou Qi's vital blood and was amplified by the local gravity, its power had risen to a terrifying degree.

The cultivator was covered from overhead by the Embracing Mountain Seal, his entire body's bones snapping inch by inch. He collapsed limply to the ground, unable to crawl back up.

Their battle finally caught the attention of the fifteen cultivators ahead. They glanced back briefly, but did not pay excessive attention. Shui Bing also looked back at Zhou Qi. At this moment, Zhou Qi's appearance had changed drastically from before, but that familiar sense of warmth remained. Shui Bing looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned around and continued walking forward.

Moments later, Zhou Qi's injuries were fully healed, but the eighth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator still could not get up.

Seeing Zhou Qi walking toward him step by step, the cultivator panicked and pleaded, "Zhou Qi, if you spare me, I am willing to follow you."

Zhou Qi shook his head. This was no time for soft-heartedness. If he could still contact the Apothecary Immortal Saint Palace, taking him in and slowly turning him into a Zhou family employee might have been an option, but using the Soul-Stealing Technique in full view of the public would likely provoke universal hostility. Besides, the opponent's cultivation was five minor realms higher than his own; the Soul-Stealing Technique might not even succeed.

As for the surrender the other party spoke of, only a fool would believe it.

The cultivator watched in despair as the Immortal Slaying Sword was aimed squarely at his dantian and ruthlessly thrust down.

At that moment, two more cultivators were teleported to this place. Seeing Zhou Qi and the fallen cultivator on the ground, their faces turned pale with shock.

Ignoring them, Zhou Qi collected the storage ring of the eighth-layer Qi Condensation cultivator and turned to follow the fifteen people ahead.