Chapter 54 Killing a Core Formation Stage Cultivator

Suddenly, the entire mine trembled violently, rumbling as if an earthquake had struck.

"Damn it, the righteous path cultivators have begun breaking the formation," Elder Wang said with a heavy expression.

A stern look flashed across Li Yunfeng's eyes. Gazing like a torch toward the perimeter of the mine, he said in a deep voice, "All Foundation Establishment disciples, prepare for battle. Hold your ground firmly and do not let the righteous cultivators succeed easily."

Cao Yun wore a grave expression. He knew deeply that this was a moment of life and death, leaving no room for the slightest negligence. He quickly scanned his surroundings, searching for a countermeasure once the formation was breached.

Before long, a fresh batch of righteous path cultivators had gathered outside. Spells poured down like a violent storm, while various magical treasures and instruments rained overwhelmingly upon the Heavenly Steel Five-Star Formation.

The grand formation was battered to the point of collapse, appearing as though it would be shattered in the very next second.

Despair was etched on the faces of every Foundation Establishment disciple of the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect. Their eyes were filled with fear and helplessness, as if they could already foresee the tragic fate of the formation breaking and death claiming them.

Although Cao Yun appeared calm and composed on the surface, his heart was in utter chaos.

He looked at the overwhelming offensive array of the righteous cultivators outside. There were over ten Core Formation stage cultivators alone, accompanied by a massive horde of Foundation Establishment cultivators. For him to escape alive from such a desperate situation was undoubtedly as difficult as ascending to the heavens, nothing short of a pipe dream.

Cao Yun forced himself to steady his mind. This was no time for panic; once the formation broke, he would have to unleash thunderous methods and take a desperate gamble, hoping the righteous cultivators' attention would be focused entirely on the three Core Formation elders.

"Fellow disciples, the formation can probably hold for no longer than a moment, but are we the kind of people to sit and wait for death!" Elder Wang's voice echoed in everyone's ears. "Once the formation breaks, we will counterattack with all our might, and make the righteous cultivators understand that the might of the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect is not to be underestimated!"

No sooner had his voice fallen than the light of the Heavenly Steel Five-Star Formation dimmed abruptly, as if about to vanish into nothingness. The attacks of the righteous cultivators grew even more ferocious, the deafening roar of treasures and magical instruments shaking the entire mine until it felt as though the very power was about to tear it apart.

At that critical juncture, just as the grand formation was on the verge of collapse, Elders Wang, Wu, and Li seemed to share a tacit understanding, simultaneously merging into a brilliant streak of tricolor escaping light. At the forefront of this light, three magical treasures—a golden brick, a golden wheel, and a jade ruler—spun at high speed like the light of dawn, pointing straight at the most vulnerable link of the righteous cultivators outside the formation, where only a single Core Formation cultivator was stationed with a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators breaking the barrier.

Realizing the three treasures were hurtling toward him with the momentum of a thunderbolt, the righteous Core Formation cultivator's expression changed drastically. He hastily transformed into a streak of light and darted rapidly to the side, dodging out of the way just in time.

The moment the three elders made their move, Cao Yun sensed it. A cold smile curled the corner of his lips, and his figure flickered like a phantom, closely tailing behind the escaping light of the three elders.

The remaining Foundation Establishment righteous cultivators outside the formation were struck dumb with shock and cried out in alarm at this sight. They had never expected that at this moment of life and death, the elders of the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect would disregard the grand formation and risk their lives to launch a fierce charge against them. Amidst a continuous series of muffled "thuds," the light of life for one Foundation Establishment cultivator after another was instantly extinguished, transforming into wisps of bloody mist that drifted away between heaven and earth.

Seeing this, the Foundation Establishment disciples of the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect also followed suit, fleeing in all directions as they charged toward the weaker defense lines of the righteous cultivators outside the barrier.

This sudden turn of events instantly plunged the formation of the righteous cultivators into chaos. Several Core Formation stage cultivators had no choice but to halt their efforts in breaking the barrier, turning instead to pursue the meteor-like streaks of light belonging to Cao Yun and Elder Li's group.

However, how could the Foundation Establishment disciples of the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect possibly escape the encirclement of so many Core Formation and Foundation Establishment cultivators? Not long after charging out, one by one they were captured or slain, left with no room for resistance.

Only Elder Li's trio and Cao Yun managed to find a sliver of survival amidst the confusion of the righteous cultivators and broke through the encirclement. Yet even so, seven Core Formation cultivators still clung tightly to their heels like shadows.

Knowing full well that his speed could not compare to that of Core Formation cultivators, Cao Yun resolutely chose to part ways with Elder Li's trio the moment they broke through the righteous encirclement, each fleeing in a different direction.

Seeing this, among the seven Core Formation cultivators pursuing Elder Li's group, one reversed his escaping light and gave fierce chase in Cao Yun's direction.

Cao Yun kept his spiritual sense fully open, remaining vigilant at all times. When he discovered that only a single Core Formation cultivator was pursuing him, a sense of relief washed over him.

"A mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator actually dreaming of escaping from my hands—simply overestimating your capabilities!" The Core Formation cultivator behind Cao Yun transmitted his voice via spiritual sense, his tone dripping with contempt.

"Noisy!" Cao Yun rebuked via a mental transmission, concealing three razor-sharp strands of murderous intent within it.

"Ah!" A sharp cry of shock suddenly rang out from behind Cao Yun.

Cao Yun's spiritual sense locked tightly onto the Core Formation cultivator, only to see the man clutching his head in agony, crying out in pain before coming to a complete halt, standing frozen in place.

Cao Yun could perceive that the Core Formation cultivator's aura remained robust, though his breathing had grown rapid and erratic. Clutching his head with both hands, he seemed to be enduring excruciating torment.

Seeing this, Cao Yun halted his escaping light. Twenty strands of murderous intent surged forth violently from his spiritual sense, hurtling straight toward the Core Formation cultivator.

"Bang!" With a crisp snap, the Core Formation cultivator's head burst open like a watermelon, scattering red and white matter in all directions.

Overjoyed at the sight, Cao Yun flew over to the corpse of the Core Formation cultivator. With a gentle summon toward the three storage bags at the dead man's waist, the pouches flew obediently into his grasp.

At that very moment, however, a beam of red light shot out from between his brows. The soul of the Core Formation cultivator, frozen in terror, was forced out of its physical vessel by the crimson beam and subsequently reeled into the center of Cao Yun's forehead.

Without lingering for even a moment, he transformed into a blue rainbow and sped forward into the distance, resembling a shooting star tearing across the sky.

After flying for approximately three days, Cao Yun's spiritual power was entirely exhausted. He was forced to descend to the ground, searching for a secluded spot to recover his magical energy.

Those three days of nonstop flight had subjected both Cao Yun's mind and body to tremendous pressure. At present, sitting cross-legged amidst a pile of rubble and clutching two spirit stones, he concentrated wholeheartedly on restoring his magical power. Even so, he dared not relax his spiritual sense in the slightest; he cast it outward like an invisible net, remaining perpetually on guard against any movement in his surroundings. Should any Core Formation cultivator catch up, he would immediately unleash his threads of murderous intent to deal a fatal blow.

At this moment, Cao Yun was like a frightened bird, carefully recovering his magical energy while nervously using his spiritual sense to monitor every rustle of the grass and tree around him.

As his spiritual power gradually replenished, the tense anxiety in his mind began to ease. Yet Cao Yun knew deeply that this was by no means a time to linger. Though his spiritual energy had not fully recovered, he resolutely transformed into a streak of escaping light once more, racing forward like lightning in the direction of the Heavenly Star Wolf Sect.