The instant the blinding light erupted, the towering Grand Void Light Pillar above the Giant Stone Palace vanished without a trace.
Hovering above the Stone Palace, the Grand Void Token, which had revealed its true form as the Grand Void Light Pillar dissipated, shattered into dozens of fragments that shot out in all directions.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield...
As Han Yi charged forward with the crowd, he pushed his Light Body Technique to its absolute limit.
He felt a flicker before his eyes as a crimson beam flashed overhead, moving even faster than divine sense could perceive. It disappeared into the horizon before divine sense could even register its passage.
A fraction of a second later...
Rumble!
The earth-shattering explosion finally reverberated through the air. Amidst the deafening blast, the illusory form of the Demon God vanished completely, and even the six-meter-tall Black Demon exploded into a mist of blood.
The first to be engulfed by the blast were the numerous Legendary Qi Refining cultivators who had spearheaded the assault. Three of them instantly detonated into bloody foam, which dissolved into nothingness along with their Magic Artifacts. The remaining Legendaries were either wounded or unharmed, depending on their defensive capabilities.
Beyond them, hundreds of Peak Qi Refining cultivators who had swarmed forward met an even grimmer fate. In that single moment, entire groups of them disintegrated, their bodies erased from existence. Only about thirty survived, all heavily wounded.
Han Yi frantically stacked six layers of Fire Shield and Wind Wall Techniques, but even that couldn't withstand the Black Demon's berserk explosion. A searing pain shot through his chest as he was blasted backward.
Seizing this split-second opportunity, Han Yi regained control of his body. At the moment of impact, he propelled himself backward toward the fleeting red light he'd seen flashing past his eyes.
Without a doubt, that red light was a fragment of the Grand Void Token.
Simultaneously, at the heart of the Black Demon's self-destruction, cultivators struggled to contain the explosion. Those who could free their hands moved to intercept the fragments.
Some erected seven war banners, forming a spirit formation that enveloped two Grand Void Token Fragments.
Sword Immortals guided their Spirit Swords to cleave fragments from the air, catching them as they fell.
Other cultivators deployed trapping Magic Artifacts to ensnare fragments, securing them for their own.
Meanwhile, waves of cultivators surged outward from the epicenter, first the Legendary Qi Refining practitioners, then those at Peak Qi Refining.
Han Yi paid none of this any heed. His entire focus was locked on the crimson streak that had flashed overhead.
In less than half a breath, Han Yi caught up to the slowly descending red light. He reached out and snatched it from the air, grasping it firmly in his hand.
Before he could even register what had happened, Han Yi was tumbling violently across the ground. His face paled, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Ignoring the blood, Han Yi's eyes remained fixed on the object in his hand.
As the red light dissipated, the object's true form became visible: an irregularly shaped crimson fragment, roughly half the size of his palm.
The fragment was ice-cold and weightless.
"Is this the Grand Void Token?" Han Yi muttered.
"No, more precisely, it's a Grand Void Token Fragment."
Just then, a whistling sound sliced through the air beside him.
Han Yi flashed away, reappearing three meters away, his eyes icy as he turned toward the sound.
"Hand over the Grand Void Token, and I'll spare your life," the Swordmaster cultivator demanded, retracting his longsword and levitating it before him. His eyes burned with murderous intent, and greed was written all over his face.
Han Yi understood.
This was the second phase of the competition. The first phase had been about killing Black Demons and obtaining Grand Void Token Fragments. Now, as Zuo Lie had predicted, it was every cultivator for himself—the true contest between them.
"Insolent," Han Yi spat.
A flash of killing intent sparked in his eyes. He pinched two fingers together, and the Mid-Grade Sword Artifact he had brought from the Cave Heaven World—the Seven Stars Sword—shot into the air with a sharp whistle.
His opponent also practiced the Sword Control Technique.
Seeing Han Yi take flight on his sword, killing intent and disdain flashed in the cultivator's eyes.
This seasoned Qi Refining expert had missed the massive explosion near the Ancestral Temple. Having just shaken off a Black Demon and hurrying to the scene, he saw Han Yi clutching a fragment, blood dripping from his mouth as he struggled to his feet. From the distant explosion and the dissipating Grand Void Light Pillar, he easily surmised that Han Yi had simply stumbled upon a stray Grand Void Token Fragment by sheer luck.
The cultivator summoned his longsword and lunged at Han Yi, but the blade lost momentum after only ten meters.
A faint crimson beam, moving ten times faster than his sword flight and beyond the reaction speed of his divine sense, pierced through his forehead. His eyes instantly glazed over, and his body disintegrated midway through its fall, vanishing without a trace.
!
The longsword, its momentum lost, plunged into the ground a meter from Han Yi.
Han Yi recalled the Seven Stars Sword and approached the site. Noticing that the fallen cultivator's blade hadn't dissipated, he picked it up.
"Battles are ever-changing," Han Yi mused. "Magic Artifacts can't always be retrieved into storage pouches during combat."
"That's one of the risks."
Han Yi had encountered Sword Immortals, Legendary Qi Refining cultivators from the Three Great Sects, and disciples from major sects like Zuo Lie's, which boasted Nascent Soul Stage masters. These sects possessed far greater resources than the Profound Pill Sect, naturally affording their disciples more True Ascension Marks.
This time, however, the seasoned Ninth Layer cultivator who had tried to kill him hailed from a sect of similar standing to the Profound Pill Sect. He couldn't possibly have been extravagant enough to adorn even his Magic Artifacts with True Ascension Marks.
"Too bad, it's just another Mid-Grade Magic Artifact," Han Yi muttered, a hint of disappointment in his voice. Still, seizing a Mid-Grade Magic Artifact was a significant gain. In a pinch, he could hurl the sword artifact and detonate it—another trick in his arsenal.
After stowing the sword artifact, he surveyed his surroundings. He was now deep within the Cang Tribe's territory, scattered with the corpses of Black Demons. The devastating spells that had struck the demons earlier had detonated with such force that they had blasted him nearly two kilometers away.
Whoosh!
Han Yi looked up to see two Spirit Swords soaring into the sky, chasing after something in the distance.
"Those are the two Sword Immortals from Sword Cliff!"
Han Yi's heart skipped a beat. If he were to face them now, it would be a certain death. He knew his own limitations well: without a proper Magic Artifact, even encountering a Legendary Qi Refining cultivator would mean certain death, and facing a Peak Qi Refining cultivator would be a fight to the death.
Cultivator battles weren't solely determined by Cultivation Realm. Skill, environment, mental state, and Magic Artifacts all played crucial roles.
"Run!"
Without hesitation, Han Yi dashed toward the forest. Once he reached the Crimson Radiance Tribe, he could exchange his Grand Void Token Fragments for treasures.
The thought that these treasures might include spiritual objects capable of enhancing his Root Bone quality sent a surge of heat through his veins.
After his experience with the Blood Bone Spirit Flower, he was determined to seize any opportunity to improve his Root Bone, no matter the cost.
Boom!
The surrounding battle shifted from immortals and demons to cultivators locked in brutal combat.
In moments, Han Yi reached the edge of the forest. Before vanishing into the trees, he glanced back at the Cang Tribe. The cultivator conflict had escalated to a desperate, bloody slaughter.