Boom!
A violent, mournful cry accompanied by increasingly intense spiritual energy fluctuations erupted from mid-air. Ouyang Haoze's eyes were bloodshot; he had clearly become ruthless.
Seeing this, the other two late-stage Qi Refining cultivators from the Divine Martial Sect, Wu Zhichong and Duanmu Yuan, could no longer stand by.
"Senior Brother Ouyang!" Wu Zhichong stepped forward first, looking at Ouyang Haoze's current wretched state with some trepidation. He whispered, "The Taixiao Mirror is, after all, of utmost importance."
"I understand." Ouyang Haoze glanced back at Wu Zhichong, the fury in his blood-red eyes quickly receding. He said calmly, "But that demon within the formation is even more important! So young, yet already a master of formations, and his cultivation is no less formidable. If he breaks through to Qi Refining Perfection one day, he might even attempt Foundation Establishment."
"If we can kill a Foundation Establishment seed of the Demonic Sect, sacrificing a Taixiao Mirror is worth it!"
Buzz!
In mid-air, the Taixiao Mirror trembled violently, as if protesting.
However, Ouyang Haoze ignored it. A spiritual treasure is just a tool. When useful, it's 'Lord Taixiao'; when useless, what is it?
Seeing Ouyang Haoze's resolute expression, Wu Zhichong could only sigh and cease his dissuasion. After all, Ouyang Haoze, a Qi Refining Perfection cultivator, was the commander of this Divine Martial Sect operation. Since he had made his decision, he would bear the consequences. Wu Zhichong had already done his duty.
Meanwhile, inside the market.
Lü Yang stored away the Blood Sun Sword Pill, which had been mostly destroyed in the explosion. Holding the Primordial Qi Myriad Spirits Banner, he gazed at Ouyang Haoze outside the market with a strange expression.
"Junior Brother Lü, you're not dead?" Fairy Feixia and Lu Yuanchun approached—one with a face full of pleasant surprise, the other filled with lingering fear despite having survived.
"Brother Lü truly conceals his strength!" Lu Yuanchun exclaimed loudly. "With Ouyang Haoze repelled, the market is secure and can hold out until the Holy Sect receives word and sends reinforcements!"
"Repelled? That's still far from over." Lü Yang shook his head.
"Indeed, look at Ouyang Haoze's state. His vital energy and blood are severely depleted. It's not just a repulsion—he's clearly gravely injured. A profound lesson for him!" Fairy Feixia clapped her hands and laughed. Lu Yuanchun quickly chimed in agreement.
Yet, Lü Yang sneered and said something astonishing: "Merely repelling him isn't enough. I've never been one to leave future troubles unresolved."
"Let's just kill him. Simpler and more straightforward!"
"Kill who?" Ouyang Haoze?
For a moment, Fairy Feixia and Lu Yuanchun were stunned. Even in their most optimistic imaginations, they had never envisioned such a scene.
That was a Qi Refining Perfection cultivator, a true disciple of the righteous path!
Who could kill him? How could he be killed?
The next second, they saw Lü Yang take out the "Mysterious Yin Jade" that Lu Yuanchun had given him earlier. He formed hand seals, placed it in his palm, and began circulating his energy.
Immediately, the precious jade gradually melted under Lü Yang's manipulation, finally transforming into a sphere of light—clear and white like a mirror. Under its illumination, figures quickly appeared in Lü Yang's eyes, each corresponding to a lingering aura. Judging by the reactions of others, it seemed only he could see them.
Fairy Feixia, Lu Yuanchun, Ouyang Haoze, Wu Zhichong, Duanmu Yuan—all who had fought here, their auras lingered.
"This is the Profound Yin Body-Seizing Technique," the second divine ability of the Taiyin Metamorphosis Corpse Dissolution True Method. The difficulty lay only in the external object; thus, Lü Yang mastered it almost instantly upon obtaining the jade!
"Let's test its power." Lü Yang lowered his eyelids and quickly locked onto a lingering aura—Ouyang Haoze's, captured via the Profound Yin Body-Seizing Technique.
"Mysterious Yin Body Seal." Lü Yang activated the divine ability. In the next instant, the circular light formed by the Mysterious Yin Jade devoured Ouyang Haoze's aura, then reflected his figure.
"...Nail-Head Arrow Claiming Life!" Immediately, Lü Yang slashed downward with his fingers.
Crack! The circular light split in two, and Ouyang Haoze's reflected figure was cleaved from head to toe.
Just to be sure, Lü Yang slashed again vertically.
Almost simultaneously.
Outside the market, Ouyang Haoze had just finished speaking with Wu Zhichong. He turned to look at the market and prepared to hurl the Taixiao Mirror into the formation.
Though the Taixiao Mirror struggled violently, he was determined to detonate it.
But in the next instant, Ouyang Haoze's movements halted abruptly.
Immediately after, a strange slash appeared out of thin air above his head, then rapidly spread downward, finally erupting into a spray of blood.
He was split open.
The corpse fell through the air, only half of its face still showing shock, the eyes slightly moving, seemingly unaware of what had happened.
What happened? I... I'm dead?
Consciousness dissipated in a daze.
And without Ouyang Haoze's control, the Taixiao Mirror, which had fallen into the formation, returned to calm. With a wave of Lü Yang's hand, it flew toward him of its own accord.
Northern Frontier, Main Altar of the Divine Martial Sect.
Inside a brightly lit hall.
This place was called the "Hall of Soul Lamps." As the name implied, it housed the soul lamps of many high-ranking members of the Divine Martial Sect—the sect leader, elders, and even true disciples.
As an established power in the Northern Frontier, the Divine Martial Sect had ruled the region for over a thousand years, its prestige deeply ingrained. It was rare for high-ranking members to perish, so the disciples tasked with guarding this place were mostly lax, treating it as a cushy post to collect sect subsidies.
Today, as usual, the disciple on duty routinely inspected the soul lamps.
Entering, a quick glance: Lit, lit, lit, lit, extinguished, lit, lit...
The disciple blinked, subconsciously turning his head to look, then rubbed his eyes. His expression gradually shifted from casual to horrified.
"Extinguished! Extinguished! Senior Brother Ouyang's soul lamp is extinguished!?"
The cry instantly rang out.
The next second, a middle-aged Daoist priest materialized in the hall out of thin air. His gaze fixed on the extinguished soul lamp, his expression a mix of shock and fury.
How many years had it been? How many years since a true disciple of the Divine Martial Sect had perished?
"Ouyang... Skull Mountain!?" The middle-aged Daoist's face was ashen. Suddenly, he reached out and retrieved Ouyang Haoze's soul lamp. He channeled his magic power, forcibly rekindling the flame!
Of course, the dead could not be brought back to life.
This rekindled flame could not save Ouyang Haoze; at most, it would replay the final scene he witnessed before death.
Soon, the lamplight illuminated a scene.
The middle-aged Daoist immediately recognized it as the First Saint Sect's market town on Skull Mountain. Within the town, a handsome young man was gazing into the distance.
Was it him? He killed Ouyang Haoze?
Deep-seated hatred surfaced in the middle-aged Daoist's eyes.
For Ouyang Haoze was not only a true disciple of the sect but also the most outstanding young member of his Ouyang clan—the descendant on whom he had pinned his highest hopes!
This hatred, this enmity, would not be forgotten!
Skull Mountain Market
Inside the market, Lü Yang, who had just stored the surrendered Taixiao Mirror, suddenly frowned. He looked up at the sky and felt a chill run down his spine.
He was very familiar with this sensation.
It was the feeling of his own karma being manipulated by external forces. In his previous life, when the Lord of Heaven-Mending Peak calculated his karma, he had experienced a similar feeling.
Could it be that another Foundation Establishment cultivator was plotting against him!?