The Battle for the Spiritual Meridians

At the exact moment this thought arose, Xiao Ruobai's powerful Heaven and Human Realm divine sense stirred, sweeping quietly like invisible quicksilver toward the seemingly low-profile and peaceful camp of the Qingxuan Sect to the southeast.

His gaze suddenly focused!

Among that group of well-trained Qingxuan Sect disciples with steady auras, he keenly caught sight of an extremely familiar, burly figure who had deliberately concealed most of his aura!

The man was dressed in ordinary disciple attire, standing to the side with his arms crossed in sheer boredom. He appeared to be resting, but his eyes were intentionally or unintentionally scanning the surroundings.

It was none other than the Peak Master of Heaven-Supporting Peak, Shi Wanshan!

Martial Uncle Shi had actually concealed his cultivation and identity, personally infiltrating the ranks of the disciples to come here?!

Xiao Ruobai's heart jolted. The thought of getting rid of the little fatty from a moment ago vanished into thin air, replaced by a trace of deep sympathy for Fatty Wang.

With this fatty's slippery little tricks and mere Violet Palace Realm cultivation, he wanted to pluck the whiskers of the Qingxuan Sect's tiger? He even wanted to score a big one right under Martial Uncle Shi's nose?

If he really dared to reach out, he would probably be treated as a blind petty thief by Martial Uncle Shi the very next second, casually slapped into the ground so hard he couldn't be scraped out...

Thinking of this, the last trace of helplessness in Xiao Ruobai's eyes as he looked at Fatty Wang completely turned into pure... pity.

For this fatty to be alive and kicking until now, his luck was truly heaven-defying.

He looked at the still-eager little fatty and decided to make one last attempt to save this guy who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. He said in a deep voice, There is no need to keep an eye on the Qingxuan Sect.

Ah? Why?

Fatty Wang became anxious the moment he heard this.

Xiao Ruobai ignored his exaggerated expression. There is no why. Do not mention this matter again.

Although the words were brief, they were like a basin of cold water being poured over him.

Fatty Wang opened his mouth and muttered softly, Oh... understood...

Meanwhile, inside the Qingxuan Sect camp.

Shi Wanshan, who was pretending to keep watch but was actually bored out of his mind, suddenly raised an eyebrow slightly. An extremely subtle yet exceptionally pure and powerful divine sense seemed to have just swept past this area?

The rhythm of this divine sense... why did it feel a bit familiar?

He seemingly casually glanced in the direction of the divine sense's origin. His gaze pierced through the crowd and happened to land on Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu, who were conversing in the distance, as well as the dejected, chubby figure beside them.

Hmm? Shi Wanshan's thick eyebrows twitched. A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes as he muttered in a voice only he could hear.

Why do those people look like my good martial nephews, Ruobai and Hanyu? How did they end up here? They moved quite fast... Hmm?

Who is that fat kid next to them? He looks very unfamiliar, not a disciple of our Qingxuan Sect... When did they take in such a round little follower?

He stroked his chin, finding this combination somewhat interesting, but he didn't take it to heart, simply assuming it was a new friend his two martial nephews had made outside.

Soon, his attention was drawn away by possible auras appearing from other directions, and he continued his boring watch.

Back here, Xiao Ruobai naturally did not know about Martial Uncle Shi's brief attention and muttering. He stopped looking at Fatty Wang and instead gazed into the distance at the chaotic core area. After pondering for a moment, he spoke, Fatty.

Fatty Wang immediately raised his head. Big brother?

Junior Brother Fang and I want to continue going deeper to comprehend the Dao rhythm and consolidate our newly broken-through cultivation. Xiao Ruobai's tone was solemn. Next, you can move freely on your own.

Fatty Wang's small eyes instantly lit up. Moving freely! This was his strong suit!

This place is a mix of dragons and snakes, with hidden killing intent. It is absolutely not a place where you can act recklessly. Be careful not to be discovered by the people of the Glazed Holy Land, or I won't be able to save you then! Xiao Ruobai warned.

Understood! Rest assured, big brother! Fatty Wang patted his chest loudly, putting on an awe-inspiring look of righteousness that screamed he was the most reliable.

I, Fatty Wang, am the most steady! I will absolutely not take the initiative to cause trouble. I'll just wander around the periphery, gather some information, and absolutely won't cause any trouble for big brother!

However, the little abacus in his heart was clicking away. If he couldn't mess with the Qingxuan Sect, he could at least check out the Wanfa Pavilion and the Haoran Sect, right? Going over to the Burning Heaven Palace to watch the fun should be fine, right?

Xiao Ruobai took in his flickering gaze entirely. How could he not know this fatty's nature of outwardly agreeing but inwardly disobeying?

But on second thought, as long as this goofball wasn't blind enough to bump into that fiendish god, Martial Uncle Shi, with his slipperiness and his array of life-saving talismans, he should have no problem maneuvering and protecting himself on the periphery.

Thus, he said no more. Exchanging a glance with Fang Hanyu, the two of them shifted slightly, turning into two blurry afterimages as they silently swept deeper into the Palm Print Abyss, disappearing from sight in an instant.

...

Meanwhile, in the core area of the former site of the Demon Heaven Sect, the atmosphere in the valley where the top-grade earth-tier spirit vein was located—the very vein that had caused the Wanfa Pavilion and the Haoran Sect to be at each other's throats—had stretched to its absolute limit.

The evolution of the situation was exactly as Fatty Wang had discovered. After several days of confrontation and sporadic friction, the Wanfa Pavilion and the Haoran Sect, these two old rivals, both realized that continuing this stalemate would only allow others to reap the benefits.

The leaders of both sides looked at each other from afar, their eyes filled with an absolute determination to obtain the top-grade earth-tier spirit vein and a deep wariness of each other.

Through a round of spiritual sense transmissions, they quickly reached a cold and realistic agreement.

First, they would join forces to clear the field and expel all the small fry. Once the valley was cleared, they would rely on their own abilities to determine the ownership of the earth vein!

With the agreement made, both sides immediately displayed the astonishing efficiency and ruthlessness of major sects.

The brilliance of the Wanfa Pavilion's formations and the fierce Dao arts of the Haoran Sect no longer attacked each other. Instead, they turned their spearheads, acting like two torrents of steel, mercilessly sweeping away and expelling the other sects and rogue cultivators around the valley who were trying to fish in troubled waters with the force of a thunderbolt!

Factions like the Tianyan Sect, Cold Moon Valley, and Yunlan Sect were also forced to withdraw helplessly.

Screams, exclamations, and the sound of shattering magical treasures rang out endlessly.

In just half a day's time, the entire valley had been cleared. Layers upon layers of restrictions were laid down, sealing it airtight.

The valley instantly plunged into a deathly silence.

Only the forces of the two major sects remained, confronting each other from a distance of hundreds of feet.

The air was thick with the strong stench of blood, lingering smoke, and an even more terrifying, almost suffocating killing intent.

There were no words, no signals.

At the exact moment the last foreign cultivator was expelled from the valley's restricted area—

Boom!!!

It was as if a volcano that had long been building up to its peak suddenly erupted! The war between the Wanfa Pavilion and the Haoran Sect brazenly detonated with an intensity ten times, a hundred times fiercer than before!

Magical treasures roared, and Dao arts shone brilliantly. The elders and disciples of both sides slaughtered each other. The spiritual energy within the valley rioted, and deafening booms echoed incessantly.

Although the Haoran Sect was renowned for its righteous aura and fierce cultivation techniques, the Wanfa Pavilion had a deeper foundation, with all sorts of bizarre spells and powerful magical treasures emerging one after another.

The fierce battle lasted for half a day. The Haoran Sect was ultimately inferior in strength; several elders were severely injured, and disciples suffered heavy casualties. They had no choice but to retreat from the valley in a sorry state, harboring unwillingness and resentment.

Although the people of the Wanfa Pavilion also suffered considerable losses, with everyone bearing injuries and having sluggish auras, seeing their strong enemy retreat and the massive, crystal-clear spirit vein exuding boundless spiritual energy right before their eyes, expressions of wild ecstasy appeared on every single face.

An elder with snow-white hair and beard forcefully suppressed his injuries and stepped out from the crowd. His hands formed arcane seals, summoning a treasure-bowl-shaped magical artifact that radiated boundless light.

The mouth of the bowl aimed at the earth vein, emitting a powerful suction force. Runes flowed across the bowl's surface as it hummed and vibrated.

"Rise!" the elder shouted in a low voice.

The treasure bowl's light flared brilliantly, and the ground shook violently. The massive earth vein began to slowly loosen, pulled by an invisible, tremendous force, looking as if it was about to be uprooted from the ground!

And right at this very moment, when the minds of the Myriad Law Pavilion's people were at their most relaxed, and all their attention was focused on this final step of collecting the earth vein!

An unforeseen change suddenly occurred in the silence!

A plump yet extraordinarily agile figure had already used the shadows of the jagged rocks at the edge of the valley to silently sneak near the spirit vein.

He did not rashly rush toward the main body of the spirit vein. Instead, like a phantom, he rapidly circled around the outer warning restrictions set up by the Myriad Law Pavilion!

It was none other than Fatty Wang!

He had been wandering the outskirts earlier, and upon hearing the commotion, he slipped over to watch the spectacle, coincidentally witnessing the great battle between the two sects.

What made his heart pound even more wildly was that, relying on his innate, acute perception of treasures, he faintly sensed that deep within that massive, supreme-grade earth vein, there seemed to be a purer treasure with even more restrained energy being nurtured—Earth Vein Spirit Milk!