Heroes Converge

 She knew that if she didn't block the phantom spirit, the team would suffer devastating losses. The Liaoyuan spear erupted with unprecedented crimson flames. She and her spear became one, transforming into a meteor as she charged headlong at the descending giant light sword!

"Scarlet!" Adam called urgently, but it was too late to stop her.

"BOOM—!"

Spear and sword clashed, producing a deafening blast and blinding light. Scarlet grunted, her body thrown backward, a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth. But her arms gripping the spear were steady as rock. The light sword phantom was also jolted, its radiance dimming slightly.

"It's not a physical entity—its power comes from the crystals! Attack the largest crystal clusters!" Scarlet stabilized mid-air and shouted.

Adam understood instantly, directing the team members still able to fight: "Fire and lightning techniques, concentrate on the third and fifth clusters on the left! Everyone else, defend and distract!"

Fireballs, lightning bolts, and talismans rained down on the designated crystal clusters. The phantom spirit roared, swinging its sword to intercept, but Scarlet charged forward again, her spear strikes like a mountain range, locking it down.

"Crack!" "BOOM!"

Under the concentrated assault, two key crystal clusters shattered in succession! The massive phantom in the air twisted violently, letting out a silent roar of defiance before fracturing inch by inch, dissolving into countless points of light.

The crisis was over. Everyone let out a breath of relief, nearly collapsing from exhaustion.

Scarlet landed, bracing herself with her spear, breathing lightly. That head-on collision had sent her blood and qi churning, causing some internal injuries.

Adam hurried over, offering pills and checking her wounds. "Don't be so reckless next time!" he scolded with concern.

Scarlet swallowed the pills and broke into a grin, blood staining her teeth: "If I hadn't held it off, everyone would've been in danger. See? I'm fine."

She surveyed the team. After the intense battle, another seven or eight people had lost combat capability, two of them critically wounded.

The valley returned to calm, with only a few piles of shattered crystal remains at its center. Adam's sharp eyes noticed something seemingly buried beneath the largest pile of crystal debris.

He carefully cleared the rubble, revealing a perfectly preserved jade slip and a short blade that was entirely brilliant blue with spiritual light contained within.

"We've found something!" Adam pressed the jade slip to his forehead. After a moment, his face lit up with delight. "It's a superior technique called 'Phantom Light Shadow Division'—a combined escape and illusion method! And this short blade... appears to be the matching treasure 'Blue Shadow Blade.' Its grade is quite high!"

Everyone's spirits lifted. After paying a heavy price, they finally had a worthy reward.

Adam quickly made several copies of the jade slip's contents for the core team members, while the Blue Shadow Blade was temporarily kept for communal use.

"Rest in place. Treat the wounded and study the technique. We move again in one shichen." Adam ordered. He knew the road ahead would only grow harder.

But with this gain, the team's cohesion and confidence seemed to have strengthened.

On other mountain paths beyond their sight, similar battles, struggles, gains, and deaths were playing out at every moment.

Buzhou Mountain, in its ancient and merciless way, was screening every visitor who dared knock upon heaven's gate.

On the lookout platform at the base camp, Dustin leaned against the railing and gazed into the distance. Though he couldn't see the specifics, he could vaguely sense spiritual energy fluctuations coming from different areas of the mountain—sometimes violent, sometimes extinguished.

To the east-southeast, the "Erosion Thunder Gorge" entrance.

This location was about a hundred li from the "Ancient Dust Path" the official team had chosen. The terrain here was far steeper and more treacherous.

The entrance wasn't stone steps but a deep canyon carved by ages of purple lightning. Both cliff walls were scorched black and covered in lightning-strike patterns. The air carried a faint scent of ozone and sulfur, and violent lightning-attribute spiritual energy was exceptionally active.

A team of approximately fifty had gathered at the canyon mouth.

They all wore uniform dark blue-green fitted attire beneath light armor bearing the faint insignia of Montgomary Palace.

This was the elite expedition sent by Duke Eugene Montgomary, led by his most capable adopted son, Mark Montgomary.

Mark Montgomary was a Grandmaster-level expert—peak Foundation Establishment cultivation. In the secular world, this was naturally quite impressive.

But in the eyes of true cultivators, Mark's strength could only be called mediocre.

At this moment, about ten zhang ahead of Mark and his group, five people stood in silence.

Leading them were the Qin siblings—Qin Hao and Qin Xue.

Qin Hao still wore his deep blue mandarin-collared robe, his expression still as water, hands clasped behind his back, as if the treacherous Erosion Thunder Gorge before him were ordinary scenery.

Qin Xue had changed into a moon-white fitted outfit suited for action, her long hair tied up. She had traded some of her ethereal grace for a more capable air, and was studying the small lightning serpents that darted out from the canyon with evident interest.

Behind them stood three middle-aged cultivators with steady auras and expressionless faces—all Qin family guards. Their cultivation was notably at late Foundation Establishment or above, with one having even reached the False Core realm.

"Young Master Qin, Miss Qin, the Erosion Thunder Gorge lies ahead. According to the ancient texts, not only does natural lightning rage within the gorge, but there are also thunder spirit creatures formed from remnant 'Zixiao Thunder Sha' from ancient times—extremely dangerous. What would you suggest..." Mark stepped forward, his manner quite deferential, his tone one of deference.

Qin Hao didn't even raise his eyelids, saying flatly: "Since you know it's dangerous, let your Montgomary Palace men go first to scout the way. My Qin family will follow behind to hold the rear."

The corner of Mark's eye twitched imperceptibly. He cursed inwardly—they were being used as cannon fodder.

But a man under another's roof must bow his head. He could only answer humbly: "Yes, as Young Master Qin commands."

He turned around, his face resuming its cold sternness, and barked at his subordinates: "First squad, form the 'Dark Water Formation'! Take point! Watch for lightning strikes and be alert for thunder spirits! Move out!"

Ten Montgomary Palace elites stepped forward on command, each producing water-blue formation flags. Spiritual energy infused them instantly, forming a shimmering aquatic defensive formation as they carefully entered the Erosion Thunder Gorge.

Inside the canyon, the light was dim. Above was only a narrow strip of sky, with purple electric arcs constantly leaping and crackling between the rock walls. The ground was rugged and slippery, covered in sharp stone fragments shattered by lightning.

The ten-man Dark Water Formation glowed with faint blue light, deflecting the occasional small lightning serpent that struck down.

The first hundred zhang or so went relatively smoothly, but deeper into the gorge, the Zixiao Thunder Sha permeating the surroundings grew increasingly dense, and the electric arcs drifting through the air became frequent.

Suddenly, a dense mass of purple-black thunder sha on the cliff wall ahead churned and condensed, taking the form of a leopard composed entirely of lightning. It roared silently and pounced at the Dark Water Formation!

– Marinien