Overwhelming Strength

"Fifth place in the Profound Clear Palace’s outer disciple competition—Wu Tong?"

Hearing the voice behind him, Wang Jianqiang turned his gaze forward and raised an eyebrow.

This was a big fish!

Whoosh!

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the figure ahead had already made his move.

With a flick of his hand, Wu Tong sent a small compass flying through the air. In an instant, it hovered above Wang Jianqiang’s head.

The next moment, a dazzling burst of spiritual light erupted from the compass, radiating outward and enveloping an area of nearly a hundred zhang around Wang Jianqiang.

Trapped within the light, Wang Jianqiang felt an immense force pressing in from all sides, attempting to pin him in place.

His speed instantly slowed by more than tenfold.

"He’s been restrained by Senior Brother Wu Tong! Kill him now!"

The disciple from the Profound Clear Palace who had called out earlier was overjoyed and immediately launched an attack.

The others reacted just as quickly, following suit.

In an instant, over a dozen powerful assaults rained down.

Water Sword Array!

Wang Jianqiang’s fingers danced as countless sword shadows merged into the void.

The world seemed to surge like a tidal wave, sealing off the surrounding space.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

...

One attack after another crashed down.

In the void, the sound of waves was unending, as if massive breakers were smashing against the incoming strikes.

One by one, the attacks dissipated midair.

The Water Sword Array was relentless.

But Wang Jianqiang was currently suppressed to only thirty percent of his spiritual power, and Wu Tong had seized the initiative by catching him off guard.

In the end, he couldn’t block everything and suffered a minor setback.

Boom—!

Amid the deafening explosions, Wang Jianqiang was sent flying.

His withered white hair scattered wildly, and his robes were torn to shreds.

"You leeks have pissed me off!"

Wang Jianqiang’s fingers flickered rapidly.

As sword shadows flashed, another grand array materialized.

This time, however, the formation was entirely different.

Within the array, countless blades hovered—each so sharp it sent chills down the spine, their edges wreathed in blazing flames.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Endless sword energy seemed to gain sentience, locking onto each target with precision.

The faces of the attackers paled as they scrambled to defend themselves.

Wang Jianqiang flicked his fingers once more.

A streak of spiritual light merged into the array.

Instantly, the gravity within the formation surged a hundredfold.

Wu Tong was merely forced to bend under the pressure, but the others dropped to their knees—some even collapsing flat on the ground.

The next moment.

Screams erupted one after another.

Only Wu Tong, Wuyan, and Wu Feng managed to barely withstand the assault. The rest were sliced apart by the flaming swords, their bodies torn into countless pieces—utterly annihilated.

Of the three survivors, Wu Tong was in slightly better shape, while Wuyan and Wu Feng were severely wounded.

"How the hell is this old bastard so strong?"

Wuyan and Wu Feng were dumbfounded.

Wu Tong was equally stunned.

Wang Jianqiang reeked of decay, clearly on the verge of his lifespan’s end.

Most cultivators at this stage would already be weakened, their combat prowess drastically diminished.

So why was he so terrifyingly powerful?

Run!

In that instant, all three made the same decision.

They shot into the sky, fleeing in three different directions.

"Trying to escape?"

"You forced me to get serious, didn’t you?"

"Too late!"

Wang Jianqiang snorted coldly.

He tapped the grand array with a finger.

A streak of emerald light merged into the formation.

At the same time, the three had reached the edge of the array and unleashed their strongest attacks against it.

Boom!

The formation trembled—then remained unbroken.

"A complete Minor Five Elements Sword Array isn’t just about combining their traits."

Seeing this, Wang Jianqiang smirked.

The Minor Five Elements Sword Array could be split into five sub-arrays: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

Each had its own unique properties.

For example, the Wood Sword Array excelled in confinement, while the Metal Sword Array specialized in slaughter...

When merged, they formed the complete Minor Five Elements Sword Array.

Once fully fused, the array didn’t just inherit the traits of all five—it amplified their effects exponentially through an unending cycle of reinforcement.

In his suppressed state, the Wood Sword Array alone might not have been enough to trap them.

But with the Minor Five Elements Sword Array, its restraining power was multiplied beyond measure.

These three stood no chance of breaking free.

"Rest in peace, gentlemen."

Wang Jianqiang pointed at the array.

Blades wreathed in flames ran rampant.

The trio barely had time to register their horror before the swords pierced their bodies, slicing them into halves, then quarters...

Once he confirmed their deaths, Wang Jianqiang waved his hand, dispersing the array.

Then he collected all the valuables from the corpses.

After a quick inspection, he couldn’t help but grin.

Just the Foundation Establishment Pills alone numbered fifteen.

"Murder and arson pave the road to riches"—truer words were never spoken.

This harvest was well worth the effort.

After stashing the spoils, he wiped the blood from his lips.

He tossed the jade stone between his hands, studying it carefully.

This thing was far too conspicuous. If he couldn’t store it in his spatial pouch, it’d be nothing but trouble.

Engrossed in his examination, he failed to notice that the moment his blood touched the jade, it was absorbed.

Then, the entire stone melted into his palm, leaving behind an egg-shaped mark.

"What the—?!"

Before he could react, a tremendous suction force erupted from the mark.

His spiritual power surged uncontrollably toward it.

"No way!"

Panic gripped him as he tried to restrain the outflow, but it was futile.

Fortunately, just as his reserves were nearly depleted, the mark stopped—whether out of mercy or satiation, he couldn’t tell.

Wang Jianqiang exhaled heavily, then stared at his palm in dismay.

This wasn’t a treasure—it was a damn tyrant.

No benefits in sight, just endless trouble.

He swallowed a Spirit Restoration Pill and shook his head.

Without proper meditation, the pill’s effects were diluted, and his recovery would be sluggish.

But this battlefield was too exposed, ripe for attracting unwanted attention from either humans or creatures lurking in the secret realm.

"Whatever. I’ll find a safe spot to recover first."

With less than ten percent of his spiritual power left, his combat strength was pitiful.

If he ran into more enemies or powerful beasts now, he’d be done for.

With that in mind, he sprinted forward.

He avoided flying—not just because it drained energy, but also because the open skies made him an easy target. In his current state, that was a death wish.

But fate loved irony.

After covering a few li, four figures suddenly emerged from the side.

His heart lurched as he instantly put distance between them.

The newcomers were equally startled, reflexively leaping backward.

After steadying himself, Wang Jianqiang focused his gaze on the four figures before him.

Almost immediately, he couldn't help but reveal a look of astonishment.

Liang Chen and Qian Yu?

These two were among the top ten outer disciples of the Joy Union Sect—he recognized them from the sect's grand competition.

But how had Niu Shouren and Chen Jiaojiao ended up with them?

Then it struck him, recalling how Niu Shouren and Chen Jiaojiao had severed ties with him earlier. Understanding dawned.

So they’d found new backers. No wonder.

Just as Wang Jianqiang was sizing up the group, the four also noticed him.

"Wang Jianqiang!"

The next moment, four voices rang out in unison, brimming with the excitement of stumbling upon a rare treasure.