Chapter 197 Feast of Ziji

Knowing her friend hadn't taken the advice to heart, Zi Ji could only sigh inwardly. She had long urged Lyra (Person Name) to break through to the Golden Core realm as soon as possible, to enhance her cultivation and ensure her safety before the millennial Cataclysm of the Demonic Abyss arrived. Yet Lyra (Person Name) remained steadfast in her Dao heart, determined to pursue the elusive legend of the Great Luo Golden Core, wasting over 2 100 years in this single endeavor. Just then, Lyra (Person Name) lowered her gaze and said, "Even peerless Dao Lords fell in the Demonic Abyss over 2 100 years ago." "You must understand—without achieving immortality, everything ultimately amounts to nothing." "..." Early the next morning, Lyra (Person Name) led the group as they flew out of Celestial Ruins Mountain (Location), heading straight for Celestial Python Lake (Location). Traveling light, the weakest among them were Foundation Establishment cultivators, and they advanced aboard a Third-Rank Treasure Ship (Magic Treasure), making their speed exceptionally fast. They covered over 20,000 li in a single day, traversing 400,000 li of demonic territory in just a dozen or so days until they reached the outskirts of Celestial Python Lake (Location). In the desolate mountains about 10,000 li from Celestial Python Lake (Location), Lyra (Person Name) concealed their presence with a concealment magical device and distributed the pre-prepared Water-Avoiding Pearls to everyone. "This battle will take place in the lake, likely reducing our combat effectiveness by 20 percent. Therefore, we must catch them completely off guard." "Leave the Celestial Python Demon King (Demon Beast) to me. Your task is to swiftly defeat the Foundation Establishment and Purple Palace demon beasts under its command." Eldrin (Person Name) accepted the Water-Avoiding Pearl, his expression turning grave. According to prior reconnaissance, aside from its subordinate demon tribes, the Celestial Python Demon King (Demon Beast) commanded 6 Purple Palace demon beasts. Among them, only the Purple Blood Heavenly Python was at the Purple Palace, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm), 2 were at Purple Palace, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm), and the remaining 3 were at Purple Palace, Early Stage (Cultivation Realm). Excluding Lyra (Person Name), the human side had 9 Purple Palace cultivators. Among them, Xavier (Person Name), Xu Daoyuan, Percival (Person Name), and Eldrin (Person Name) possessed combat power equivalent to Purple Palace, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm). Although Yang Zhengyuan had not yet recovered from his injuries, he could temporarily unleash Purple Palace, Mid Stage (Cultivation Realm) combat power if he fought recklessly despite his wounds. With such strength against the Purple Palace demon beasts, they should theoretically hold the upper hand. After all, they had 3 more Purple Palace cultivators. While the demonic pythons could exert their full power in the water, demonic Purple Palace combatants were slightly weaker than their human counterparts of the same stage—roughly balancing out the advantages and disadvantages. Xavier (Person Name) took the Water-Avoiding Pearl, pondered for a moment with a solemn expression, and said, "That Purple Blood Heavenly Python was severely wounded by us back then and likely hasn't fully recovered." "Now that I've broken through to the sixth level of Purple Palace, with Fellow Daoist Pan's assistance, we should be able to handle it." Percival (Person Name) nodded in agreement. As a cultivator with a Thunder Spiritual Root (Spiritual Root), his power would remain formidable even in water. The Pan family, once a powerful immortal clan with a Purple Palace, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) expert, though now declined, still possessed a top-grade third-rank magical treasure as their foundational asset. Confident in joining forces with Xavier (Person Name), he believed they could hold off the Purple Blood Heavenly Python. After assigning the 2 most challenging opponents, everyone turned their attention to Eldrin (Person Name). Xavier (Person Name) said with a grave expression, "Fellow Daoist Chen, your combat talent is exceptional. We hope you can break the stalemate swiftly in this battle." "Understood." Eldrin (Person Name) nodded solemnly. The number of Foundation Establishment demon beasts in the lake was likely immense. Although the 2 treasure ships carried 60 Foundation Establishment cultivators, holding them off would be extremely difficult. They needed to quickly defeat the Purple Palace demon beasts to achieve a swift victory. After resting for the night, Lyra (Person Name) specially distributed 2 Purple Aura Pills (Spiritual Object) to each person for restoring magical power. Eldrin (Person Name), with his mid-third-rank Renshui Qinglian Platform, possessed 3 times the magical power of a typical cultivator at his level and had no shortage of it. After some thought, he gave his Purple Aura Pills (Spiritual Object) to the Old Patriarch and reminded him gravely, "I observe an exceedingly large number of Foundation Establishment demon beasts in the lake—likely numbering in the hundreds." "If the Foundation Establishment cultivators on the treasure ships cannot hold them off, we'll need your Crimson-Gold Banner of the 3 Treasures (Magic Treasure)." The Old Patriarch nodded, accepting the 2 Purple Aura Pills (Spiritual Object). The third-rank Soul-Burning Li Fire formation of the Crimson-Gold Banner of the 3 Treasures (Magic Treasure) was most suited for group battles, ideal for blocking low-level demon beasts. However, it consumed too much of his magical power—having the Purple Aura Pills (Spiritual Object) would alleviate that significantly. Chen Changxuan smiled faintly, his expression earnest as he said, "You've matured greatly over the years, considering matters with increasing thoroughness." Eldrin (Person Name) smiled slightly, recalling their time at Spiritual Apricot Mountain (Location). If the Old Patriarch hadn't been cautious and altered the formation back then, both would have likely suffered a devastating defeat. "..." That very night, the group soared on their swords toward Celestial Python Lake (Location). Stretching over 10,000 li, Celestial Python Lake (Location) was a vast, boundless expanse—comparable to an ocean in a previous life. At the heart of this 10,000-li lake lay numerous archipelagos, and the Celestial Python Demon King (Demon Beast) resided in an inner lake nestled among these islands. The group flew 10,000 li, charging into the archipelagos of Celestial Python Lake (Location) and heading straight for the inner lake. The moment they arrived above the lake, the Celestial Python Demon King (Demon Beast) detected them and roared furiously, soaring into the sky to confront them. Seeing the demon king leave the water to attack, many of the cultivators revealed delighted expressions. "Attack!" Lyra (Person Name) was the first to charge forward, summoning the Celestial Ruins Immortal-Slaying Sword to strike at the Celestial Python Demon King (Demon Beast). The others also seized the opportunity, activating their magical treasures and techniques to launch a coordinated assault. Though the Celestial Python Demon King (Demon Beast) possessed extraordinary power, it was caught off guard and forced on the defensive. While it blocked the attacks with its defensive treasures, its magical power was depleted by over 10 percent. Seeing its power drain by 10 percent in just a dozen breaths, it grew restless and swiftly dove back into the heart of the lake. By then, the Purple Palace demon beasts of Celestial Python Lake (Location) had arrived as reinforcements, engaging the group in combat. "Where do you think you're escaping?!" Seeing the Celestial Python Demon King (Demon Beast) flee into the water, Lyra (Person Name)'s eyes sharpened as she transformed into a sword beam and pursued. The others couldn't let her venture into the lake alone, so they forced back the Purple Palace demon beasts with their treasures and followed her into the water to hunt the demon king. The Purple Palace demon beasts, particularly the Purple Blood Heavenly Python, pursued relentlessly. Once submerged, the python unleashed its full power, severely injuring Yang Yuanhe and sending him flying, bloodied. Seeing Yang Yuanhe heavily wounded, Eldrin (Person Name) frowned and urgently shouted, "Stick to the plan!" "End this quickly!" Upon hearing this, Xavier (Person Name) and Percival (Person Name) immediately surrounded the Purple Blood Heavenly Python, aiming to block this Purple Palace, Late Stage (Cultivation Realm) great demon. As countless demon beasts swarmed forward, chaos erupted. Eldrin (Person Name) maneuvered his flying sword, targeting an early Purple Palace Crimson Flame Qi (Spiritual Root) python. However, these great demons were highly intelligent. Recognizing Eldrin (Person Name) as a formidable opponent, 2 additional Purple Palace great demons circled around to attack him from behind. "Watch out!" PS: Apologies for the earlier haste—I didn't notice the issue with the chapter division.