Han Qingyu's aura exploded.
His palm lifted, and dense purple flames spiraled violently around his arm. The heat it released didn't merely scorch the body—it crushed the soul itself—taking the shape of a dragon's head.
Purple Flame Dragon Palm!
BOOOOOM—!
A gigantic purple palm slammed toward Wu Tian. The air tore apart, the ground caved in, and waves of scorching heat swept through the forest like a raging storm.
In that instant, Soul Reaver seized control.
The muscles in Wu Tian's arm tightened as his hand was forcibly driven by the sword's will. A swing impossible for any human was born as the black blade of Soul Reaver cleaved straight forward.
At the same time, Wu Tian fully opened his Qi Reaver meridians.
His qi changed.
No longer sharp and pure—
but poisonous, viscous, and lethal, like a scorpion's sting.
That toxic qi was not directed straight at Han Qingyu.
Instead, it spread throughout the entire forest.
The ground blackened. Roots withered. Trees all around began to die simultaneously, their leaves yellowing before falling away, as if the forest's very vitality was being cruelly drained by something merciless.
Han Qingyu sneered coldly.
"Do you really think low-level poison will work on a fire cultivator who is also an alchemist?"
His fiery aura surged. Purple flames enveloped his body, burning away the poisonous qi before it could even graze his skin.
Wu Tian did not answer. He continued firing wind blades layered with Qi Reaver, all while retreating.
Suddenly—
WHOOSH!
Han Qingyu vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Wu Tian, his flaming fist thrusting straight toward Wu Tian's chest.
But Wu Tian's hand moved first.
Soul Reaver forced his wrist to twist, parrying the strike at a nearly impossible angle.
KLANG—!
The collision shook the air itself.
"Be careful," Soul Reaver's voice echoed within Wu Tian's mind.
"His strength is at least at the mid–Origin Spirit stage."
Wu Tian immediately formed a seal with his left hand.
A sword of light appeared, shooting straight toward Han Qingyu.
Han Qingyu snorted and punched the light sword with his flaming fist.
CRASH!
The sword of light vanished as if it had never existed.
Han Qingyu's brows lifted.
"I suppose your illusions can't always cause real harm, can they?"
Wu Tian smiled faintly.
"Who knows?" he replied casually. "Maybe you'd like to test that theory."
He swung his hand.
Dozens of wind blades shot out once more—and this time, hundreds of light swords appeared as well, surrounding Han Qingyu.
Han Qingyu focused on blocking the wind blades that could actually injure him, ignoring the light swords he believed to be mere illusions.
One after another, the light swords pierced through his body… without effect.
But—
SRET!
One of the light swords grazed his throat, leaving a deep gash. Fresh blood began to flow from his neck, making Han Qingyu recoil in shock.
His brows knitted tightly.
He began to reevaluate Wu Tian seriously.
His flaming dragon fists struck from every direction, yet every attack was deflected—Soul Reaver continuously moving Wu Tian's hands automatically, guarding his vital points.
Han Qingyu grew increasingly impatient. The longer he controlled Lin Yao's body, the worse the backlash would become. If he continued forcing Origin Spirit–level power, this body could be damaged… even crippled.
Thus, he decided—
—to end the battle as quickly as possible.
Protective qi wrapped around his vital areas. With a dragon's roar, he charged straight toward Wu Tian.
Wu Tian fired hundreds of light swords, and several of them managed to leave wounds on Han Qingyu's body. Yet Han Qingyu did not slow down and continued closing the distance.
In an instant, his dragon fist smashed upward into Soul Reaver with brutal force.
BOOOOM—!
The impact sent Wu Tian flying into the air.
Wu Tian immediately fired dozens of light swords toward Han Qingyu, who leapt after him once more.
Realizing Han Qingyu had not slowed his momentum, Wu Tian plunged downward like a comet, Soul Reaver in hand, ready to cleave Han Qingyu apart.
Below, Han Qingyu's hand blazed, purple flames forming a massive dragon head that roared furiously.
When the collision occurred—
Soul Reaver was knocked from Wu Tian's grasp.
Han Qingyu seized the opportunity at once.
Wu Tian pulled out an ice talisman from his storage ring and hurled it at Han Qingyu.
CRACK!
A wave of extreme cold erupted, slowing Han Qingyu's movements for a fraction of a second—just enough for Wu Tian to create distance between them.
In the blink of an eye, Han Qingyu broke free from the talisman's effects. In a single heartbeat, he vanished and reappeared before Wu Tian, ready to unleash a killing blow.
Just as he thought victory was already in his grasp—
Suddenly, a terrifying pressure struck from behind.
Han Qingyu froze midair.
Behind him, Soul Reaver hovered, burning his very soul with overwhelming spiritual pressure. Spiritual screams echoed, leaving him unable to move for several seconds.
At the same time, dozens of black chains erupted from the ground, binding Han Qingyu's body.
He stared downward, eyes wide.
The withered trees… the blackened earth… the contaminated ground…
All of it formed a gigantic array.
His mind went blank.
Did he create the array while fighting…?
Or was the poison from the very beginning merely a cover to conceal the array being activated?
His attention shifted to the sky.
Wu Tian had already flown high above. His eyes shone brilliantly. Behind him, thousands of swords merged together, forming a single colossal sword.
Han Qingyu's instincts screamed—
DANGER.
He poured all his remaining power into the flames in his palm. The fire transformed into a massive flaming dragon that roared in fury, ready to intercept the giant sword before him.
The giant sword and the flaming dragon met in midair.
But instead of a catastrophic clash—
The giant sword vanished, allowing the flaming dragon to soar into the sky unhindered.
"Illusion?!" Han Qingyu shouted in shock.
All of his qi had been exhausted.
Han Qingyu crashed into the ground, his body tumbling before finally lying motionless. He barely managed to wrap himself in the last remnants of qi, forming a thin protective layer that trembled violently before nearly collapsing.
Wu Tian descended slowly from the sky.
Outwardly, his body appeared intact—almost without injury. But in truth, the damage inside him was severe. Each time he blocked Han Qingyu's attacks, his bones cracked, making his breathing heavy.
His steps faltered as he approached, his vision blurring from excessively draining his sea of consciousness.
Despite possessing immense spiritual power—capable of recovering rapidly—Wu Tian had depleted it repeatedly throughout this battle, all for one purpose: to inject his spiritual power into Han Qingyu's body.
His goal was only one thing.
To manipulate Han Qingyu's emotions at crucial moments.
Wu Tian knew very well that in a frontal fight, he stood no chance against an Origin Spirit cultivator. But at the same time, he also understood that Han Qingyu could not control Lin Yao's body for long.
The greater the power he released, the more severe the damage inflicted upon Lin Yao's body. At a certain point, Lin Yao's body would no longer be able to withstand it—and would collapse.
From the very beginning, Wu Tian planned to force Han Qingyu to unleash overwhelming power—enough to destroy his own vessel, or at the very least make him lose control over Lin Yao's body.
Wu Tian stopped in front of Han Qingyu, Soul Reaver tightly gripped in his hand.
The blade trembled softly as it began absorbing Han Qingyu's soul. Soul Reaver's aura, which had previously dimmed, recovered once more—growing even stronger than before.
"You're quite lucky," Soul Reaver's voice echoed within Wu Tian's sea of consciousness.
"This person has a legendary flame embedded within his soul."
"Oh?" Wu Tian smiled happily. "Then… will my qi now gain the characteristics of that legendary flame?"
"No," Soul Reaver replied flatly.
"I can only absorb souls. As for the flame itself, I've stored it in your sea of consciousness."
A trace of disappointment crossed Wu Tian's face, but he still nodded lightly.
"By the way," he continued, glancing at Lin Yao's unconscious body,
"what about Lin Yao? You said he's very useful to you, but it would be troublesome if we took him with us. Besides, people would surely grow suspicious if I brought him into the city."
"We can't leave him behind," Soul Reaver said coldly. "I fear he'll seek revenge someday."
Soul Reaver spoke with an irritated tone.
"Moreover, we can't kill him casually. Unless we use my soul-absorbing ability, killing him by force could trigger the power of fate."
Wu Tian frowned.
"That power will attempt to eliminate anyone who threatens his life," Soul Reaver continued.
"Someone like him has surely prepared for this possibility—stacking countless layers of fate as protection."
Wu Tian was confused about who exactly this 'he' was that Soul Reaver referred to.
But before he could ask—
"Regardless, we must leave immediately," Soul Reaver urged. "I fear there are still other parties protecting him."
Wu Tian swallowed his questions.
He walked over to Lin Yao and hoisted the young man onto his shoulder. Without looking back, he departed at once, putting as much distance as possible between himself and the place—leaving behind a dead forest and the traces of battle that marked it forever.