Chapter 156: The Mutation

Unaware of the impending crisis, the crowd was still deliberating on how to break the deadlock.

The Master of the Narcissus Sect suggested launching a sneak attack.

The Sect Master of the Scarlet Flame Sect proposed lowering the grand protective array, luring a Fiend Commander into the Mountain Gate of the Herb King Sect, and then beating him up collectively.

Everyone looked at him as if he were an idiot.

While this method was feasible, once a Gold-Core Realm fiend managed to enter the Herb King Sect, even if they successfully killed him, a large portion of the mountain gate would likely be reduced to ruins.

Realizing this flaw, the Sect Master of the Scarlet Flame Sect immediately flashed an awkward smile.

The Sect Master of the Cangyuan Sect from the Southern Territory suggested inviting the Grand Elder of the Purple Firmament Sect from the Central Territory.

The other party was at the peak of the Gold-Core Realm, and his strength was not much inferior to Ye Wuyou's.

If all else failed, borrowing a Heaven-tier spiritual artifact would also work.

Ye Wuyou shook his head and said, "That is impossible. Our Sect Master Senior Brother, along with the two Profound-Heaven Sovereigns from the Withered Zen Temple and the Evil Moon Sect, are outside keeping a close eye on the Fiend King. Since I, the Vice Sect Master, am stationed here to support the Southern Territory, the sect must have the Grand Elder to hold the fort."

After thinking about it, everyone agreed that made sense.

Although the protective array of the Purple Firmament Sect was extremely powerful, it still required a powerhouse to guard it. Otherwise, if the fiends were to sneak an attack on their home base, it would spell disaster.

"Don't we still have the Guardian Spirit Beast?"

While everyone was deep in thought, Xia Dang raised his hand to speak.

Ever since he became Qing Xi's underling, he had learned many novel gestures and terms, which he was now putting to flexible use.

As soon as the four words "Guardian Spirit Beast" were uttered, everyone fell silent.

Xia Song, the Sect Master of the Herb King Sect, shook his head and said, "If it were possible, this father would also wish to ask the Guardian Spirit Beast to make a move, but unfortunately, it is currently unable to do so."

Xia Dang wore a look of astonishment.

He had been away from the sect for the past few months and knew nothing of the current situation within the Herb King Sect.

"Could it be that the Senior Guardian Spirit Beast has suffered heavy injuries?"

Qing Xi was also filled with doubt.

Logically speaking, in the face of such a massive battle, a high-end combat force like the Guardian Spirit Beast should not be absent. Yet, it had never shown its face. Was it truly injured?

The sect masters present shook their heads one after another. Only then did Xia Song explain, "The Senior Guardian Spirit Beast is not injured. Instead, it entered a state of deep seclusion a month ago. According to the elder's own words, it is attempting to break through to the half-step Profound-Heaven realm."

"Compared to human cultivators breaking through to the half-step Profound-Heaven realm, spirit beasts face an even greater difficulty. They must thoroughly transform their bloodline into a royal-grade bloodline, or all their previous efforts will be wasted."

Sect Master Xia Song added, a helpless expression on his face.

"Indeed, breaking through to the half-step Profound-Heaven realm is far too difficult."

Regarding this matter, Ye Wuyou had the most right to speak.

Although he had successfully broken through to the half-step Profound-Heaven realm, he had only managed it with the collective help of the entire Purple Firmament Sect. The Herb King Sect's Guardian Spirit Beast possessed a noble bloodline, meaning its breakthrough would be even more arduous.

"I think borrowing a Heaven-tier spiritual artifact is much more reliable. As long as the Sword King Wuyou wields such a supreme spiritual artifact, crushing the Fiend Commander will be a piece of cake."

The Sect Master of the Cangyuan Sect expressed his opinion once more.

"Heaven-tier spiritual artifacts are not so easily borrowed. Even though I have broken through to the half-step Profound-Heaven realm, I have yet to gather the precious spiritual ores required to advance my silver sword."

Ye Wuyou sighed softly, feeling troubled.

Within the Yunchuan Prefecture, Heaven-tier materials were extremely scarce.

Even if they had once existed, they had already been scraped clean by the Profound-Heaven Sovereigns of the past. Finding enough materials to forge a single Heaven-tier spiritual artifact was an immensely difficult task.

In Ye Wuyou's impression, throughout the entire Yunchuan Prefecture, openly there were only the three Profound-Heaven Sovereigns and the city of Gathering Sovereigns, each possessing a single Heaven-tier spiritual artifact.

"If those two Fiend Commanders possessed no Heaven-tier spiritual artifacts, I could easily defeat them. Unfortunately, there are no ifs."

Ye Wuyou suddenly looked distressed.

Hearing the words "Heaven-tier materials," Qing Xi wore a peculiar expression.

Xia Dang glanced at him, yet said nothing.

"I never imagined Heaven-tier materials would be this hard to find..." Qing Xi recalled the treasures he was temporarily holding on behalf of the Dragon Horse and the Little Vajra Ape; among them seemed to be quite a few Heaven-tier materials.

If used for artifact forging, crafting a few Heaven-tier spiritual artifacts shouldn't have been a problem.

However, those were left behind by Lei Xiaoga, meaning he could only look and not touch. Just thinking about it made his heart ache.

Especially when he remembered that even the floor tiles in the Thunder Dragon Divine Palace were made of Heaven-tier materials, Qing Xi felt a strong urge to bang his head against the ground, considering it a sheer and utter waste of divine resources!

"How about we listen to Grandpa and use the half-step Heaven-tier Purple Firmament Cauldron as a brick to smash them?" Xia Dang suddenly blurted out this remark, drawing sideways glances from everyone.

Xia Huanyan glared at him with a look of affectionate concern for an idiot, her delicate hand pinching his ear with pinpoint accuracy.

"Are you out of your mind? That's used for alchemy! What if you smash it to pieces?"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!"

Xia Dang gasped, struggling to break free.

Boom...

A loud crash echoed from a certain valley within the Herb King Sect. The earth trembled violently a few times, causing everyone to turn pale with shock, believing that the fiend army had launched another onslaught.

"It's coming from the location of the Guardian Spirit Beast. Could something have gone wrong?"

Disregarding everything else, Xia Song leapt dozens of meters and took the lead at the front.

Although he was an alchemist, he also possessed the cultivation of theMeta-Core Realm. While his combat prowess might be slightly inferior to those of the same rank, his cultivation base was right there, meaning he was no pushover.

The others followed closely behind.

Along the way, Xia Dang stayed by Qing Xi's side and asked in a low voice, "Big Brother, what do you think we should do?"

"We'll see when we get there."

Qing Xi was also unsure of what had transpired and could only act according to the situation.

The commotion coming from the valley was far too massive, shaking the entire Herb King Sect. Xia Yan, Old Madame Xia, along with Qiu Yingying, Mu Yue, and others, also headed toward the valley.

Upon reaching their destination, the stone hall that should have stood proudly there was already engulfed in roaring flames, burning through and shedding layers of ash continuously.

The exterior of the entire hall was even covered in dense, fine cracks. Accompanied by a loud crash, the structure collapsed entirely, turning into a ruin blanketed by raging fire.

The scorching heat seemed capable of igniting the air itself. Aside from powerhouses at or above the Spirit-Core Realm, no one dared to approach within fifty meters of the hall.

"Good thing it's within the scanning range, otherwise there truly would be no way out."

Qing Xi decisively activated the scanning function and discovered a humanoid figure amidst the flames. Its two ears stood tall and erect, bearing a striking resemblance to an oversized rabbit, emitting an immensely formidable aura.

The presence it gave off was enough to rival Ye Wuyou at the half-step Profound-Heaven realm.

"This is bad! It seems the Senior Spirit Beast has suffered a deviation in cultivation."

Old Sect Master Xia Yan appeared nearby, wearing an expression of extreme worry, completely ignoring the bright red palm print still visible on his face.

"A cultivation deviation? What on earth are we to do then!"

The Sect Master of the Scarlet Flame Sect turned pale with fright, feeling a strong impulse to flee.

If a spirit beast about to step into the half-step Profound-Heaven realm were to go berserk, even with Ye Wuyou present, they might not be able to stop it.

"No, there is a way to alleviate this."

At that very moment, Qing Xi stepped forward.

Through the system's scan, he knew that the spirit beast's bloodline had reached the stage of imminent transformation, but due to certain reasons, its power had lost its equilibrium. If not properly controlled, there was a high possibility it would truly go completely mad.

Coupled with the lurking fiend army outside, which could launch an attack at any moment, Qing Xi felt that if he remained silent any longer, the Herb King Sect was bound to perish.