Ji Yuan's expression was dazed, as if seeing a grandmaster of the Way of Alchemy from thousands of years ago, once surrounded by countless cultivators.
Despite being on the verge of death and his divine body nearly collapsing, he displayed an astonishing aura. His slightly hunched figure seemed capable of supporting the heavens and the earth.
"You should leave."
He smiled faintly, and as his words fell, a formation pattern emerged.
With a flash of light, Ji Yuan vanished from his spot, instantly appearing near the entrance of the water manor.
This was an independent small courtyard, concealed by a formation that made it undetectable from the outside. Even cultivators of the third realm would not sense anything hidden within.
He scanned his surroundings, his expression dimming, having already guessed what the other party intended to do next.
Yet, though he understood, he was powerless to change anything. He could neither stop the surging masses of cultivators nor alter the reality of Huang Tianci's collapsing divine body.
Frankly, he hadn't had any deep acquaintance with the other party, but putting other matters aside, he had indeed received quite a few gifts.
If there were a possibility, Ji Yuan wished that Huang Tianci could live. Even if he couldn't alter the final outcome, he hoped the elder could depart peacefully.
A grandmaster of the Way of Alchemy from thousands of years ago, mere steps away from achieving the Golden Core stage, was now, after a long age, surrounded and killed by a group of younger cultivators, his aged divine body torn apart.
Such an event, no matter how one thought about it, would evoke a sense of sorrow and a feeling of utter helplessness.
Rumbling!!!
As Ji Yuan grieved, a booming sound suddenly echoed.
He quickly looked up and saw a streak of light shooting into the sky, within which was Huang Tianci's figure!
The elder held a blue dragon-headed staff, emanating circles of cyan divine power, his immensely powerful aura felt from afar.
The cultivators gathered outside the water manor were clearly taken aback by the presence of such a powerful being within, and he had suddenly launched an assault upon them!
With a mere wave of his staff, the elder, within the stream of light, caused the once-calm lakebed to churn violently. Each surging current of water was enough to easily cripple a cultivator at the early stage of the second realm!
In just three to five breaths, dozens of water currents surged forth, enveloping several third-realm cultivators. With a flow of divine power, a massive cage was formed.
Huang Tianci stood above the water manor, his divine-light radiating eyes scanning the surroundings. Under his formidable aura, dozens of second-realm cultivators retreated in unison.
He was bathed in brilliant light. After a sweep of his gaze, he stepped onto a current of water and charged directly into the vast water prison.
Just before entering the water prison, he suddenly turned and cast a deep, lingering glance at the water manor, a hint of sentimentality appearing in his eyes.
A few breaths later, as terrifying magical power fluctuations swept out from the water prison, the surrounding cultivators' eyes lit up. They realized their opportunity had arrived!
Immediately, several cultivators sprang into action, speeding towards the water manor. They erected barriers of magical power in the water to resist the lake's currents and pervasive pressure.
However, as the cultivators approached, they were instantly enveloped by a multicolored radiant light that dragged them into the grand formation.
Dense formation patterns materialized, and the cultivators were unable to even cry out, their bodies dissolving into masses of blood mist in moments, merging with the surrounding lake water.
Witnessing this, the remaining cultivators hastily halted their advance, fearing they would be drawn into the nearby radiant light and meet the same fate as those before them.
Yet, after a short while, a throng of cultivators surged towards the water manor's entrance, forcibly blasting it open with their magical power, and rushing into the manor in a frenzy.
Several third-realm cultivators were trapped within the water prison. Now, second-realm cultivators of the late stage were the highest cultivation level among them.
A group of cultivators at the late stage of the Spirit Gathering realm, ignoring everything along their path, rushed towards the depths of the water manor at their fastest pace. Most of those at the mid-stage of the Spirit Gathering realm did the same, with only a few pausing after some deliberation.
Dozens of cultivators in the early and mid-stages of the second realm dispersed throughout various parts of the water manor. Lacking the confidence to vie for the great opportunities in the depths, they could only try their luck elsewhere.
There were a few particularly daring individuals, though only at the early stage of the second realm, who felt they had something to rely on. They quietly made their way towards the depths of the water manor, clearly intending to find an opportunity to get a share of the spoils.
This sacred ground had been in existence for about half a year. As exploration continued, most of the caves discovered by cultivators were found to be in ruins.
A complete cave dwelling was already a rare find, let alone one built beneath a lake. Such a magnificent water manor, clearly extraordinary at first glance, was bound to hold immense opportunities.
Even before seeing anything, cultivators had already engaged in fierce combat and skirmishes to vie for these opportunities.
The water manor, which had maintained its tranquility for thousands of years, immediately descended into chaos. Intense battles erupted frequently, and countless sounds echoed within the residence.
Approximately half an hour passed. No cultivators remained at the water manor's entrance. In the void not far away, a formation pattern emerged.
Ji Yuan stepped out of the formation and quickly approached the water manor's entrance. The two jade lions, shedding their disguise, turned their intelligent gazes towards him, as if they had already received their instructions and said nothing more.
He took out a blood jade token and activated its restrictions with his magical power. Instantly, a faint glow appeared, and the two jade lions were collected within.
Then, he took a step forward, erecting a barrier of magical power to ward off the lake water, and silently looked up towards the top of the water manor.
Within the colossal water prison, various spiritual lights flashed incessantly, accompanied by powerful fluctuations of magical power.
If not for the lakebed, even the earth itself would not have been able to withstand the rampages of such power and would have become unrecognizable.
Ji Yuan had no doubt that the power of these third-realm cultivators was sufficient to shatter mountains and even divert rivers!
Among these powerful forces, one particular divine power was the most dazzling, as if any spell that came into contact with it would immediately collapse on its own.
That slightly hunched figure had, at this moment, become the most brilliant presence. Wherever his divine light shone, all spells disintegrated. Even superior magical artifacts would often be frozen in place, their magical power rapidly dissipating and crumbling.
He was like an impenetrable fortress; any magical power under the illumination of his divine light would be dissolved at an extremely fast rate. No matter what means his opponents employed, he remained unmoved, relying solely on his divine power.