Translator: CinderTL
"Courting death!"
The black-robed old man's face darkened. With a sudden wave of his sleeve, a violent black wind materialized from thin air, swirling into a vortex before him that devoured the drifting Crimson Mist.
The mist visibly thinned.
Xu Sanyan raised an eyebrow. If he had this ability, why didn't he use it sooner?
He waited until I'd nearly wiped them out before intervening. Truly a treacherous old bastard.
The black vortex surged toward Xu Sanyan, engulfing the remaining Crimson Mist and even incorporating Tu Wanshan's shattered corpse as it charged.
The black-robed old man stood his ground, a cold smile playing on his lips. "You're a Soul Refining Realm cultivator, yet you neglect mystical arts and focus solely on physical cultivation. You've abandoned the root for the branch, making yourself a laughingstock."
He had discerned Xu Sanyan's weakness: despite his formidable physique, his combat skills were limited to close-quarters brawling. If that's the case, I'll simply keep my distance.
Having spent half his life in battle, the black-robed old man possessed unparalleled experience. He had instantly recognized Xu Sanyan's vulnerability.
As the mist dissipated, the middle-aged elder hovering above finally noticed the battle below. Instead of intervening, he retreated to the sidelines to observe, his eyes darting around in search of Tu Wanshan and the others. All he found were scattered corpses on the ground—Tu Wanshan's body was nowhere to be seen.
The middle-aged man remained unfazed, his gaze fixed intently on the battle between Xu Sanyan and the black-robed elder. His eyes darted repeatedly to the secret realm fruit in Xu Sanyan's hand, his mind churning with schemes.
He hoped both combatants would be severely wounded, allowing him to swoop in and claim the spoils like a fisherman reaping the benefits of their struggle.
The battle intensified. The black wind howled relentlessly, forcing Xu Sanyan into constant evasive maneuvers, leaving him no opportunity to counterattack.
The swirling black wind tore everything caught within its vortex to shreds, resembling a ravenous giant beast relentlessly pursuing its prey.
The black-robed old man channeled his spiritual power through a magical incantation, dramatically accelerating the black wind's speed. In an instant, Xu Sanyan was engulfed within its vortex.
"Hmph hmph!"
The black-robed old man smirked triumphantly, confident in his mystical arts. Once ensnared, survival was virtually impossible.
All that remained was to wait for the raging winds to tear Xu Sanyan apart...
The black-robed old man intensified the black wind's power, causing surrounding trees to be uprooted and sucked into the vortex.
"Heh heh, holy son? How laughable..."
A sneer twisted the black-robed old man's lips, his eyes gleaming with malicious glee. He relished tormenting and slaughtering these so-called geniuses.
As for the secret realm fruit trapped within the vortex, he wasn't concerned about it being damaged.
A secret realm forms its own world—how could it be so easily damaged?
After a moment, the black-robed old man sensed that enough time had passed and that most of his spiritual power had been expended. He altered his hand seals, abruptly slowing the swirling black wind.
Suddenly, a figure burst from the black wind, hurtling straight toward the old man.
The figure's dark red body was covered in countless lacerations, crisscrossing scars marking every inch of his flesh. Two of his four arms had been severed, yet he still clutched the hazy gray secret realm fruit in his remaining arms.
Xu Sanyan's pitch-black eyes burned with cold indifference, as if he felt no pain from his wounds. His gaze was fixed solely on the black-robed old man.
"He's still alive?!"
The black-robed old man was inwardly shocked. How could anyone survive his black wind?
Without time to ponder, he rapidly changed his hand seals, frantically channeling his remaining spiritual power to drag the figure back into the raging storm.
Suddenly, a piercing pain erupted throughout the old man's body. His face paled in terror as he cried out, "Divine Soul Mystical Arts?!"
Though invisible to the naked eye, as a Peak Stage Soul Refinement cultivator, he could sense the subtle energy signature of Divine Soul Arts. But the attack had come too quickly; before he could defend his divine soul, countless needle-like strikes pierced his consciousness.
"Agh!!"
The black-robed old man screamed in agony, his mind flooded with excruciating pain. It felt as if a thousand needles were stabbing deep into his brain, relentlessly piercing his cerebral matter.
The soul-deep pain momentarily dazed his mind, rendering him unable to focus on controlling the black wind.
Xu Sanyan struck in an instant. Before the old man could recover, a massive hand slammed down on his head, instantly splattering brain matter across the ground as his headless corpse slumped to the earth.
Xu Sanyan seized the old man's headless corpse, his fangs piercing the flesh as he devoured it whole. Essence blood surged through his fangs, rapidly healing his injuries.
As the essence blood flowed into his body, new flesh sprouted from the broken arm beneath his ribs, and the fine wounds across his body sealed. However, his internal injuries remained severe.
The old man's body withered completely, yet Xu Sanyan's severed arm had only regenerated about two-thirds of its length before the essence blood ran out.
All this unfolded in the blink of an eye. The middle-aged man hiding nearby, observing the battle, watched his pupils contract. Before he could even process what had happened, the battle seemed to be over.
The black-robed old man had been in a dominant position just moments before, yet in an instant, the tide had turned completely, and even his corpse had been lost.
Swish—
Xu Sanyan's head snapped around, his gaze locking onto the middle-aged man hiding nearby. A slow, predatory smile curled his lips.
Instantly, the middle-aged man felt as if he had been plunged into an icy abyss. His limbs grew numb, and his brain screamed a single, frantic message:
Run!
Run now!
The middle-aged man bolted into the distance without looking back, knowing he was the sole survivor. He assumed Tu Wanshan had already perished, likely during the Crimson Mist's initial surge.
Whoosh—
A crimson blur streaked through the air, leaving a fleeting afterimage. Xu Sanyan extended his hand, summoning the great halberd from afar. It flew into his grasp.
"Spare me! Don't kill me!"
The middle-aged man glanced frantically over his shoulder, only to find Xu Sanyan had materialized behind him, the great halberd raised high like the scythe of death.
Terror gripped him, and he could only beg for mercy.
Xu Sanyan acted as if he hadn't heard. With a downward slash, the crimson mist swirling around the halberd, he killed the man with a single strike.
The middle-aged man had long lost the will to resist, paralyzed by fear. Had he retained his courage, he might have held out longer, though the outcome would have remained unchanged.
Xu Sanyan seized the corpse and devoured it greedily, blood dripping from his mouth and sliding down his body.
Huff...
Moments later, the middle-aged man's corpse had withered completely. Xu Sanyan's severed arms regrew from beneath his ribs, and his wounds had largely healed, though the internal injuries would require time to mend.
Enduring the black wind had been excruciating. Had it not been for the Dog God's blessing, which had further enhanced his physical resilience, he might not have survived.
The effectiveness of the blessing was undeniable. The secret realm undoubtedly concealed countless mysteries, of which he had only scratched the surface.
Xu Sanyan withdrew his dao body and, stark naked, sprinted away at top speed.
Lingering here was too risky. The obvious signs of battle would easily attract unwanted attention. His immediate priority was to find a secure hiding place to heal his injuries.
With Tu Wanshan's death, two of the five holy sons had fallen, both from Venerable He Yu's Blood Refinement Branch.
Fang Xiang had also perished in the secret realm, his body shattered by a ghost general during the final battle.
(End of the Chapter)
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