Chapter 557

"A Nascent Soul wind beast has emerged in the Gale Plains? But... how is that possible?!"

The armored man stared at the colossal beast towering over a hundred zhang tall, disbelief etched across his face.

The terrifying presence emanating from this enormous wind beast far surpassed that of the Golden Core Realm. In its presence, they felt as insignificant as ants.

Clearly, this massive wind beast was on a completely different level from the three wind beasts at its feet.

What’s more, the submissive posture of those three wind beasts made one thing abundantly clear:

This towering monstrosity was of another tier altogether—

A Nascent Soul wind beast, as told in legends!

As that realization set in, everyone was seized by an overwhelming sense of despair.

The gap between the Golden Core Realm and the Nascent Soul Realm was simply too vast.

And here they were, in the Gale Plains—home turf for these beasts.

There was no longer any hope of escaping alive.

"How could a Nascent Soul wind beast possibly be born in the Gale Plains?"

Old Qiao’s face, too, was filled with despair.

In all his years, he’d never once heard of a Nascent Soul-level wind beast appearing in the Gale Plains.

If they had known, even with ten times the courage, none of them would’ve dared set foot here.

"No wonder Golden Core wind beasts, which usually dwell only in the depths of the plains, have been appearing around the outskirts.

"And no wonder these normally unintelligent creatures are behaving so unusually—cooperating, even.

"It all makes sense now. The Gale Plains has birthed their true king—a Nascent Soul wind beast!"

The more Old Qiao thought about it, the deeper his regret.

He had already felt a vague sense of unease before entering the plains.

That should have been the moment to turn back.

Even if taking a detour would’ve cost them over ten extra days, that was still better than walking to their deaths.

But now, regret was pointless.

A Nascent Soul-level wind beast, and in its own domain no less, accompanied by three Golden Core wind beasts…

There was no way out. Any resistance would be meaningless.

Holding his two grandchildren close, Old Qiao’s face turned ashen.

He had lived long enough. Dying wasn’t so terrible.

What he couldn’t bear was that these two children would have to perish with him—all because of his mistake.

"A Nascent Soul wind beast, huh... No wonder I kept sensing such intense danger."

At the back of the crowd, Lu Qing looked at the mountain-like wind beast and suddenly understood.

In his vision, several glowing lines of text hovered:

[Nascent Soul Wind Beast: A powerful creature born from the Netherwind Hole deep within the Gale Plains.]

[Cultivation: Newly entered Nascent Soul Realm.]

[The source of a wind beast’s power lies in the wind pearl formed by the laws of wind within its body. Its form, made of wind and sand, is merely an outer shell.]

[Only by destroying the wind pearl can the beast be truly defeated.]

[This wind beast was recently born and lacks intelligence, akin to a child.]

[Though born from the Gale Plains, it is also bound to them and cannot leave.]

…

Seeing the lines of information appear on the beast’s body, Lu Qing felt a wave of relief.

Then, a glint of fighting spirit sparked in his eyes.

"So, it's merely a freshly-formed Nascent Soul beast?

"Perfect. I’ve long wanted to find out…

"Just how far I’ve come.

"How does my strength today compare to a Nascent Soul cultivator?

"Let me test that on you."

Ever since reaching the Fifth Transformation of the Golden Core Realm, Lu Qing’s power had surged once again.

In the path of Nine Transformations of the Golden Core, each transformation was like reaching a new heaven.

With every transformation, a cultivator underwent an astounding metamorphosis in strength.

This was especially true for Lu Qing’s Perfect Golden Core.

Each transformation brought about nearly qualitative leaps in power.

Now, if Gongshu Yu were to rise from the dead and face him again—

Even clad in treasure armor, he might not withstand a single punch.

This rapid ascension in power had only made Lu Qing more curious:

How much farther did he need to go to truly stand toe-to-toe with a Nascent Soul cultivator?

Of course, he couldn’t just go around challenging Nascent Soul experts—that would be far too reckless.

Every such expert was proud and imperious. None would tolerate a mere Golden Core cultivator provoking their dignity.

But right now, this situation presented a rare and perfect opportunity.

As if sensing Lu Qing’s fighting intent, the Nascent Soul wind beast stirred. Its massive eyes turned slowly toward him, lowering its head ever so slightly.

Even that subtle movement caused the already-fierce gales to grow even more violent.

"Is it finally making a move?"

As the behemoth stirred, everyone around involuntarily trembled.

Some even closed their eyes in despair, waiting for death.

None resisted.

Those who dared run trade routes in such dangerous territory were already mentally prepared for death.

And they all knew: against a Nascent Soul entity, resistance was meaningless.

Better to accept death quietly and hope to suffer less.

Even the armored man and Old Qiao—both Golden Core cultivators—felt the same.

Their power meant nothing before a Nascent Soul wind beast.

In the face of overwhelming strength, all resistance was in vain.

Remaining still and accepting their fate seemed the best they could do.

As the beast raised its colossal claw and swung it down like a crumbling heavenly pillar, even Old Qiao felt a strange sense of relief.

Its paw descended with a terrifying might beyond words.

The light of the Wind-Stilling Lamp flickered like a dying candle in a storm.

And just as death was about to strike…

A sword light shot forth from behind the crowd.

Radiant like a meteor from the heavens, it carried an unmatched Heaven-Shattering Sword Intent.

Before their very eyes, that terrifying claw—like the hand of death itself—was sliced clean in two by the sword light, then shattered apart.

The explosion of energy surged upward, even blasting away half the wind beast’s massive body.

A torrential downpour of sand followed, only to be split and deflected by the lantern’s light, falling harmlessly to either side.

Everyone stood frozen, minds blank.

For a moment, none of them understood what had just happened.

"Old Qiao, surely you’re not giving up just like that? That’s not like the shrewd man I know."

Amid their stunned gazes, the sword light that had destroyed the beast’s arm turned and revealed a silver flying sword.

Then a lone figure walked forward from behind them, holding the sword, and took the lead.

"You—you, young man, it’s you?"

Old Qiao stammered in disbelief.

The others stared at Lu Qing in shock.

None of them had imagined that devastating sword strike had come… from him.

"That's right. It's me," Lu Qing replied calmly.

"You… you’re truly a Nascent Soul expert, Senior?!"

The armored man seemed to awaken from a dream and called out in shock and joy.

"Nascent Soul expert, is it…"

Lu Qing merely gave a faint smile and neither confirmed nor denied it.

But to the armored man and the others, that smile was all the answer they needed.

After all, who else but a cultivator of the same level could sever the arm of such a monstrous wind beast with a single sword strike?

Especially here, in the Gale Plains—the wind beasts’ own domain.

So long as they stood on this land, they gained mysterious enhancements, allowing them to exert power far beyond their natural limits.

Only someone of Nascent Soul level could possibly display such divine might.

"Senior, please—save us! Whatever you ask of us afterward, we will obey without hesitation!"

Realizing this, the armored man immediately dropped to one knee and pleaded.

As for why a powerhouse like Lu Qing had been traveling incognito among them, he had no time to question it.

All he knew was that Lu Qing was their only hope now.

All their lives rested in his hands.

The others had already fallen to their knees and begun kowtowing.

"Immortal, please save us!"

"I can hold it off for a quarter-hour at most."

Lu Qing remained expressionless despite their desperate pleas.

His gaze stayed fixed on the massive wind beast, which was slowly regrowing its severed limb, and he spoke in a flat tone.

"During this quarter-hour, run with everything you’ve got. The valley isn’t far from here. If you can reach it, you might just survive."

"Even Senior can only hold it for a quarter-hour?!"

The armored man’s heart trembled. But then he remembered—they were in the Gale Plains.

Here, the wind beasts not only received the power of the land but were practically immortal.

Even a fellow Nascent Soul cultivator would find such a foe extremely troublesome.

He dared not delay. At once, he bellowed, "You heard the Senior! We have a quarter of an hour!

"Everyone gather now! Throw away anything unnecessary—we travel light!

"We're heading straight for the valley!"

No one questioned his command.

At once, people began discarding excess baggage—some of it quite valuable.

After all, not everyone possessed a rare item like a storage pouch.

Yet in this moment, not a single person felt regret.

Having just stared death in the face and been pulled back, everyone understood one thing:

To live—was the greatest treasure of all.

Everything else was just baggage.

Spurred by fear and hope, they moved quickly.

In no time, the group had assembled.

The guards of the Merchant Guild formed a defensive formation around them, enclosing everyone in a protective array.

"Senior, we’re off. Please take care!"

The armored man bowed deeply to Lu Qing.

Then he reached up and removed the Wind-Stilling Lamp hanging at the front of the convoy.

With a hand seal, the light suddenly contracted and enveloped the crowd.

The next moment, he kicked the flank of his armored stallion, which dragged the entire formation like a massive carriage and shot forward with explosive speed.

Far faster than anything they’d managed before.

Fortunately, the formation maintained stability.

Otherwise, just that one burst of speed might have sent everyone tumbling.

"Senior, we’re leaving as well!"

At the same time, Old Qiao and several other Golden Core cultivators activated their movement techniques and followed behind the formation.

They were all deeply curious about Lu Qing’s identity.

But they also understood—now was not the time.

If they stayed, they’d only drag him down.

"ROAR!"

The giant wind beast, in the midst of regrowing its arm, saw the “ants” trying to flee before its eyes and flew into a rage, unleashing a furious roar.

Without hesitation, it swiped with its remaining claw.

Driven by primal instinct, it summoned the surrounding wind and sand.

As a creature born from the Gale Plains, the wind beast was this land’s favored child.

It could control the endless sandstorms at will.

Especially a Nascent Soul wind beast—its power was overwhelming.

With just one claw swipe, it could conjure a world-shaking tempest.

And sure enough, the fleeing party suddenly found themselves facing several towering sand tornadoes barreling toward them, howling with cutting gales.

"H-how can this be…"

Seeing the apocalyptic storm ahead, the armored man’s heart sank.

The sheer power radiating from those sand tornadoes promised certain death.

Were they doomed after all?

Was the heavens truly set on destroying them?

"Suppress!"

Just then, a cold voice rang out across the heavens and earth.

They turned back just in time to see a radiant yellow light bloom behind them, sweeping forward like a rising tide.

Wherever the yellow light passed, everything was frozen in place.

Even those towering sand tornadoes—pillars of death—were caught in it.

They were crushed by the boundless force of suppression within the light, collapsing into scattered sand and dust.

"You dare show off your pathetic innate talent before me?"

"Filthy beast—today, let’s see how your foolish body fares against my flying sword!"

Lu Qing’s voice echoed through the Gale Plains, shaking the heavens.

Even as they fled for their lives, the armored man and the others couldn’t help but look back.

And what they saw… would be etched into their memories forever.

Lu Qing floated in midair, radiant yellow light pulsing around him.

A phantom of an ancient, grand cauldron rotated slowly behind him.

In that moment, he looked like a god from ancient legend.

Even the towering wind beast now seemed to cower beneath him.

Within the dozens of li around Lu Qing, everything the yellow light touched fell into absolute stillness.

No wind. No flying sand.

As though an isolated realm had formed within the Gale Plains.

"This… this is what he meant by only holding it for a quarter-hour?"

The armored man and the others stared in disbelief at the unimaginable sight behind them.