Chapter Fifty-Four: Invincible in Every Direction

Seeing that his team members were finally willing to follow his command, Zhou Qi wasted no time. He charged ahead, leading the logistics team members with him. The disciples of the Gate of Life and Death had long been at their limits, but when they saw the logistics team join the fray, their flagging spirits revived. Previously, many disciples harbored resentment toward the logistics team: they were all disciples, so why should some fight at the front while others remained in the rear? Yet now, seeing these same people enter the battlefield, all grievances were swept away. Though the logistics team’s combat ability was not outstanding, their presence was a huge boost to morale.

"Kill!" The Immortal-Slaying Sword turned into a streak of light, felling dozens of Immortal Partner Sect disciples. Zhou Qi utilized the Five Elements Step, bringing his team forward in relentless assault. The Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Immortal Partner Sect found no match in him; Zhou Qi was like a sharp blade, cleaving through their ranks.

Witnessing the logistics team's fierce valor, the Gate of Life and Death disciples surged forward with renewed confidence, swallowing pills and pressing the attack.

Zhou Qi’s extraordinary performance quickly drew the attention of both sides. The formation squad of the Immortal Partner Sect focused their firepower on him—Wind Blade, Water Arrow—spell after spell, bolstered by their formation, rained down toward Zhou Qi’s group. Zhou Qi was startled by the overwhelming assault; he wasn't sure he could withstand it.

Seeing the logistics team in peril, the Gate of Life and Death’s formation squad hastened to activate their own arrays, unleashing spells to counter the enemy’s assault. The logistics team leader had personally upgraded their gear before the battle—word of this had spread, leaving many grateful. Cultivators might be indifferent, but if you gave them elixirs and spirit stones, you became their benefactor. Naturally, they didn’t want Zhou Qi to perish under enemy attacks.

The higher-ups of the Gate of Life and Death were also aware of Zhou Qi’s efforts to upgrade the gear for Qi Refining cultivators. If not for his low cultivation, some might have suspected him of ulterior motives.

Once Zhou Qi saw that the enemy’s attack had been blocked, he relaxed and rushed forward once more.

The Immortal Partner Sect retreated step by step. Their battle commander hastily assembled a large group of ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators with the sole aim of taking Zhou Qi’s life.

Zhou Qi and his logistics team stood out starkly on the battlefield. Wherever they passed, the ground was strewn with corpses, and the field was left empty. At first, his team members had been fearful, but as they charged forward behind Zhou Qi and survived, their confidence grew. Many of them were not weak in cultivation; they simply lacked battle experience and feared death. Now, seeing their enemies fall to their hands, their spirits rose high.

Unbeknownst to them, the logistics team was soon surrounded by the Immortal Partner Sect’s kill squad—over two hundred strong, all at the ninth level of Qi Refining. The logistics team numbered barely a hundred, with only a dozen or so at the ninth level; most were at the seventh or eighth.

Zhou Qi’s heart sank. This was a targeted strike—his ferocity had drawn too much attention from the enemy. Now, things looked grim.

"Kill them!" shouted one of the Immortal Partner Sect cultivators. Countless flying swords hurtled toward the logistics team. Zhou Qi, startled, spun the Immortal-Slaying Sword into an impenetrable net, yet many swords still slipped through, piercing his clothes—but none could penetrate. Having mastered the second transformation of the Heavenly Mystery Art, Zhou Qi could now ignore attacks from low-grade spiritual weapons, which was all the enemy’s Qi Refining cultivators could muster.

Behind him, screams tore through the air. Zhou Qi glanced back—dozens of his team members had been skewered by flying swords, their bodies riddled like sieves.

Only a handful remained standing. "Fight! Charge out with me!" Zhou Qi barked coldly. There was no time to mourn the fallen; his sword flashed again as he pressed forward. He had no way out but to advance, hoping to carve a path for his surviving team members.

A few casualties would be acceptable in war, but to lose the entire logistics team here would spell his own doom at the hands of his own sect, even before Long Chengye could act.

No longer holding back, Zhou Qi resolved to use a technique reserved for Foundation Establishment cultivators—the Myriad Swords Return to the Sect. The Immortal-Slaying Sword split into hundreds of spectral blades, hovering before him.

"Go!" Zhou Qi shouted, pointing forward. Hundreds of illusory Immortal-Slaying Swords shot forward like streaks of rainbow, raining down upon the two hundred-plus Immortal Partner Sect cultivators.

This strike drew upon all the spiritual power of a tenth-level Qi Refining cultivator. The swords appeared before the enemy in an instant; as expected, the Foundation Establishment technique was overwhelming. The two hundred-plus enemy cultivators had no way to dodge or defend and were run through by the swords, dying horribly on the spot.

With a single attack, more than two hundred ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators fell. The Immortal Partner Sect commander was aghast and cried out, "The Gate of Life and Death is cheating! There’s a Foundation Establishment cultivator among the Qi Refining ranks! The Heaven’s Will Sect will never forgive you!"

The Gate of Life and Death commander retorted, "Are you blind? Which eye of yours sees a Foundation Establishment cultivator? He’s clearly only at the eighth level of Qi Refining. Your disciples are simply too weak to withstand a single blow." Yet his confidence sounded hollow; for an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator to instantly kill more than two hundred at the ninth level was utterly unbelievable. Moreover, the technique Zhou Qi used was indeed the Foundation Establishment technique, Myriad Swords Return to the Sect—yet his cultivation was unmistakably only at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

"Hmph, he must be using some secret art to conceal his true level. Just wait until a Heaven’s Will Sect elder arrives. Let’s see how you Gate of Life and Death explain yourselves!" the Immortal Partner Sect commander shouted back.

With the loss of over two hundred ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators, the situation for the Immortal Partner Sect became dire; it was clear they had lost the battle of the Qi Refining ranks.

After unleashing this earth-shattering strike, Zhou Qi quickly swallowed several grade-three Renewing Pills and Stamina Pills, only now regaining his strength. If not for the threat of his remaining team being wiped out, he would never have exposed his ability to use Foundation Establishment techniques. But for now, there was no one to punish him—all the higher-level cultivators were locked in battle elsewhere. Who would have time to deal with a mere Qi Refining cultivator?

On the Foundation Establishment battlefield, Han Qiaoman was drenched in blood. As the sect leader’s daughter, she was protected by several peak Foundation Establishment cultivators, but her reckless charges into danger left her escorts exasperated. Young lady, must you court death like this? They had to fight the enemy and safeguard her at the same time. If not for the generous rewards offered by the sect leader, none of them would have taken this task.

On the Golden Core battlefield, the Gate of Life and Death was in dire straits. Countless Golden Core disciples chose to self-destruct their cores, facing the advancing Immortal Partner Sect cultivators. Shen Bai forced a bitter smile—his spirit stones and pills were exhausted, and it was only a matter of time before he fell. His only option left was self-detonation, which would mean true death; he had no Nascent Soul techniques, nor had he ever cultivated such arts.

Reflecting on his lifetime of cultivation, Shen Bai grew lost. What was the purpose of all these years of seclusion and loneliness, just to end in this great war? So be it. Everything passes like drifting clouds. Still, he felt a pang of regret—after all these years, he had never found a Dao companion, nor experienced love. If there were a next life, he vowed he would seek his fated one early. It was such a loss.

Just as he was about to self-destruct, a gentle and melodious voice echoed across the battlefield. "Disciples of the Gate of Life and Death and the Immortal Partner Sect, hear my command! I am the Saintess of Heaven’s Will Sect. I order you all to cease fighting at once!"