Chapter 545: I Will Give You the Time of One Incense Stick

Rumble—

In that instant, the valley lay in ruins, its once-dense terrain shattered as flames erupted violently from the earth. In the blink of an eye, the three brothers of Thunderbolt Stronghold were swallowed whole by the raging Primordial Earth Core Fire.

The members of the Earthfire Sect had been lying in wait for a long time, meticulously preparing their ambush. Hundreds of fiery channels had been set beneath the ground, ready to ignite and engulf any unfortunate prey that stepped into their trap.

Ordinary cultivators might have been reduced to ashes in an instant, but the three from Thunderbolt Stronghold were far from ordinary.

Du Wuhen gripped the massive scythe, transformed from the Azure Mysterious Wind Bird, and swung it with immense force. In an instant, the air was filled with the howl of wind as tens of thousands of wind blades tore through the sea of flames, shredding everything in their path and engulfing more than a dozen disciples from the surrounding sects.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The three members of the Puppet Sect moved in perfect synchronization, almost as if they shared a single mind. In one fluid motion, they summoned their puppets from the wooden boxes strapped to their backs.

The three puppets were a fearsome sight: a towering giant with the head of an ox and the head of a horse, a three-eyed deity forged from solid steel, and a massive bird with wings that spanned wide.

After deflecting countless wind blades, the puppets wasted no time and charged forward with relentless speed, launching a fierce counterattack.

On the other side, the disciples of the Kuimu Sect avoided direct confrontation, opting instead to cast spells. From the dense forest, countless vines and branches surged forth, twisting and weaving together to ensnare and trap the three brothers from Thunderbolt Stronghold.

Of course, the vines alone couldn’t hold the brothers for long. But the Earthfire Sect was quick to follow up, unleashing their divine techniques. Raging flames surged along the vines with the intensity amplified tenfold!

It turned out that they were coordinating. The spirit wood of the Kuimu Sect was specially designed to fuel the flames, making the sea of fire’s encirclement even fiercer and more solid.

Seeing themselves trapped in the fire once again, Wei Tiandi roared, "Charge with me!"

Before his words could fully escape his lips, the Purple-Lightning Divine Turtle became a blinding streak of lightning, cutting through the sea of fire with a sharp, sizzling sound. Regardless of how dense or solid the blockade was, it stood no chance against the Divine Turtle’s relentless charge.

As the Divine Turtle successfully cleared a path through the flames, a two-headed giant descended from above, slamming down with immense force. The ground shook under the impact as the giant attempted to drive them back into the inferno, its massive fists ready to push them once again into the raging sea of fire.

Sizzle—

At that moment, Du Wuhen made his move once more, his saber gleaming with a sharp, lethal light as it cut cleanly through the puppet, slicing it in half at the waist!

The three of them worked together in perfect coordination.

As Du Wuhen’s strike landed, the Five-Fire Divine Ape surged ahead, barreling toward the disciples of the Puppetry Sect. Deng Yixiao moved in perfect sync with his beast, their actions flowing seamlessly as if they were a single entity, ready to overwhelm their opponents with their combined strength.

Meanwhile, the Purple-Lightning Divine Turtle darted toward the Kuimu Sect disciples, who vanished into the dense forest in a flash of light.

But the Divine Turtle wouldn't give up! It crashed through the trees with reckless force, shattering everything in its path as it relentlessly pursued the fleeing disciples.

The battlefield split into three distinct sections. In one, Du Wuhen stood firm, saber in hand, facing the strongest fighters of the Earthfire Sect. His gaze was steady, showing not a trace of fear.

Meanwhile, the Ling brothers, Ling Xiao and Ling Yan, pressed their hands to the ground in perfect synchronization. With a thunderous boom, the earth trembled, and a towering pillar of fire erupted into the sky, taking shape as a massive Earthfire Giant.

Behind Du Wuhen, a dark and fearsome manifestation took shape. It was the Form of the Heavens and the Earth!

The small valley erupted into chaos, barely able to contain the fierce clashes, reminiscent of a battle between dragon and tiger.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Among the Thunderbolt Stronghold brothers, Deng Yixiao was the first to finish his fight.

Deng Yixiao, alongside his Five-Fire Divine Ape, battled fiercely against the three members of the Puppetry Sect and their puppets. Though it seemed like a fight of two against six, the disparity in power was unmistakable. The gap between each member of the Puppetry Sect and Deng Yixiao—or his mighty Five-Fire Divine Ape—was far too great.

The three-eyed puppet unleashed beams of divine light from its eyes, but the Five-Fire Divine Ape responded with a powerful blast of flame. In the next moment, the puppet was engulfed in a fiery explosion.

Seizing the opportunity, the two-headed giant charged forward, slamming into the Five-Fire Divine Ape with immense force, knocking the ape to the ground. Yet, in the blink of an eye, the ape sprang back up, grabbed the giant and, with one mighty pull, ripped its ox and horse heads apart

The flying bird puppet swiftly coiled around its master, merging with him to give the appearance of enormous wings. With these wings, the puppet master soared into the air at incredible speed, launching into combat with Deng Yixiao.

But Deng Yixiao was no ordinary opponent. Having once fought Feng Chaoyang head-on, his physical cultivation had reached the fifth realm. Cloaked in a radiant golden light, Deng Yixiao showed no sign of losing ground as he fought against the Puppeteer Master.

In an instant, the Five-Fire Divine Ape obliterated the remaining enemies and turned back to help its master deal with the Puppeteer Master.

Seeing the overwhelming strength of the Five-Fire Divine Ape, the last remaining disciple of the Puppet Sect panicked and attempted to flee. But before he could escape, the ape leaped into the air and snatched the fleeing disciple back down from the sky.

Thud—

The Puppetry Sect disciple was slammed violently into the ground. A massive foot then came crashing down upon him. With a resounding crash, his body was obliterated, leaving nothing behind but a gleaming soul crystal amidst the dust and debris.

Meanwhile, on Wei Tiandi's side of the battle, it was pure domination. The Purple-Lightning Divine Turtle charged after the fleeing Kuimu Sect disciples, crashing into them with unstoppable force. They had no way to fight back.

The Kuimu Sect was never skilled at direct combat, and it was already fortunate for them to have made it this far in the Competition of the Hundred Sects. They relied heavily on the Earthfire Sect’s offensive strength to carry them through battles. But now, with the Earthfire Sect fully engaged elsewhere, the Kuimu Sect disciples were utterly overwhelmed.

The disciples of the Kuimu Sect did try to fight back. Some of them targeted Wei Tiandi with their divine technique and tied him up with countless wooden vines.

But they quickly realized that Wei Tiandi was even fiercer than his tamed beast. With a thunderous roar, he shattered the vines in an explosion of raw power, sending splinters flying in all directions.

Without hesitation, he followed the trail of divine energy back to the spellcaster. In an instant, Wei Tiandi closed the distance and unleashed a devastating punch.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

After a series of deafening explosions, the Purple-Lightning Divine Turtle's fight had ended.

Only on Du Wuhen's side did the fight still rage on. The Earthfire Sect, as the ace among the Sixteen-Faction Alliance, was indeed a force with fierce combat power. The Earthfire Giant towered over him, forcing Du Wuhen’s manifested form to continuously retreat and dodge.

However, the Ling brothers were growing impatient. Despite having the apparent upper hand, the prolonged battle was taking its toll. They knew that being stalled here meant their allies were being picked off one by one. As Du Wuhen continued to skillfully deflect their attacks and avoid fighting directly, they grew increasingly frustrated and desperate for the fight to end as quickly as possible.

It was clear that Du Wuhen had the strength to fight back, yet he was deliberately holding back, stalling for time to aid his fellow disciples. Rather than launching a full assault, he chose to focus on evasive maneuvers, skillfully avoiding the Earthfire Sect’s overwhelming attacks while keeping the fight drawn out.

Finally, as Du Wuhen continued to buy precious moments, Deng Yixiao and Wei Tiandi, having finished their own fights, rushed to his side. With their combined strength, they joined the fight against the Earthfire Sect.

The Purple-Lightning Divine Turtle and the Five-Fire Divine Ape swelled to enormous sizes, their forms towering like mountains. They charged forward with Du Wuhen, and the Earthfire Giant was forced to retreat repeatedly, unable to hold its ground.

Ling Xiao let out a furious roar, "Then we’ll die together!"

In response, the Earthfire Giant’s color began to shift, darkening and becoming more solid, as if it were gathering an immense, destructive energy within.

Seeing the Earthfire Giant's transformation, Du Wuhen's expression shifted to one of alarm. He immediately shouted, "Retreat! It's going to self-destruct!"

"No, I’ll block it!" Wei Tiandi bellowed, as the Purple-Lightning Divine Turtle shot forward with incredible speed. The enormous creature lunged at the Earthfire Giant, its massive shell closing tightly around the giant.

Boom—

The explosion rocked the entire battlefield, reverberating like a violent earthquake.The world went dark, and only a black sun rose from the ground. In an instant, the world was plunged into darkness with only a massive black sun rising from the ground.

…

The Ling brothers, seeing their defeat looming, made a desperate final move. They activated the Earthfire Giant's self-destruction, intending to die with their enemies.

The giant, filled with boundless earthfire, detonated with immense power, flattening the entire valley and the surrounding area, leaving only a scorched crater..

At the critical moment, thanks to Wei Tiandi and Deng Yixiao using their tamed beasts to suppress the Earthfire Giant, they managed to reduce the explosion’s force to some extent and saved themselves from the full destructive force of the detonation.

with the soul-wrenching pain of losing their tamed beasts, left them in a dire state. They were battered, and their internal injuries were quite serious.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The three struggled to get up, with only Du Wuhen doing slightly better. However, his fight with the Earthfire Giant had drained much of his foundational qi, leaving his Sea of Qi severely depleted.

"Let’s collect the soul crystals quickly and find a place to heal," Du Wuhen urged. "Such a commotion could easily attract others."

"Right, Chu Liang is nearby. I wonder if he’ll come," Deng Yixiao added, glancing around.

Just then, a leisurely voice called out. "Did I hear my name?"

Chu Liang hadn’t just arrived—he had been there for quite some time. He had been watching since the three disciples of the Thunderbolt Stronghold started fighting.

As Chu Liang observed the fierce battle, he couldn't help but marvel at the sheer power of the Earthfire Sect. They were far stronger than the Five Poisons Sect he had faced before. If he had to face the Earthfire Sect alone, he knew he wouldn’t stand much of a chance.

However, despite the overwhelming power of the Earthfire Sect, Thunderbolt Stronghold’s strength was undeniable. Even against a greater number of opponents, they had managed to emerge victorious.

When the Earthfire Giant self-destructed, the resulting blast was so powerful that it reached far beyond the valley’s borders, forcing Chu Liang to retreat a great distance to avoid being caught in the explosion. He only flew back when the explosion subsided.

Upon his return, he saw the severely injured three brothers and the scattered soul crystals.

"You..." Du Wuhen raised his saber once more as he said, "In the end, you still came."

Beside him, Wei Tiandi and Deng Yixiao struggled as they forced themselves to stand up. They were prepared to face Chu Liang in another fight, even if it meant battling to their deaths.

"Hold on," Chu Liang said seriously. "Miss Huang saved my life once, and I have some connection with your Lord as well, so I consider you members of the Thunderbolt Stronghold my friends. Although the Competition of the Hundred Sects is ultimately a competition, I have no desire to take advantage of your current weakness. I'll give you the time of one incense stick[1]. Sit down and heal now. When you're better, we can start our fight."

Hearing Chu Liang's righteous words, the three disciples of Thunderbolt Stronghold exchanged glances before they nodded in unison.

"Thank you," they said before they immediately sat back down and started circulating their qi, seizing the precious moments to recover their strength.

As they meditated, the thought crept into each of their minds: if not for their rivalry with the Mount Shu Sect, they wouldn't want to make an enemy of someone like Chu Liang. In these times, it was rare to find someone so honorable.

Soon, the time of one incense stick had passed.

The three brothers, having recovered slightly, slowly stood up and cast their gaze toward the "honorable" Chu Liang…. only to notice the large group of people who had just rushed over and were now standing behind him.

Aside from the members of the Mount Shu Sect, there were also four young monks from the Buddhist Cloud Monastery.

"..."

So he figured it wasn’t safe to handle three injured enemies alone and decided to wait for his teammates to arrive? Seriously… In times like this, there are no honorable people

, the disciples of the Thunderbolt Stronghold thought.

1. Around fifteen minutes ☜