That pile of mangled flesh was once the genius disciple of the Seven Star Sword Sect who had grasped the Slaughter Sword Intent. He was a figure worshiped by countless disciples and seen as a god among rogue cultivators.
Yet now, he lay there as nothing more than meat. The only thing left to prove his identity was the blood-stained wooden sword that had accompanied him since he first began his cultivation.
This sword had witnessed the rise of this genius from a mere mortal. With nothing but incredible talent, a wooden sword, and an ordinary manual, he had once slaughtered an entire household of over a hundred enemies to avenge himself.
After entering the Seven Star Sword Sect, his rise had been meteoric and unstoppable! Upon grasping the Slaughter Sword Intent, he was evaluated as a strong contender for the position of True Inheritance Disciple, a genius with the hope of stepping into the Golden Core realm in the future!
He had gone from a mortal orphan to a highly sought-after genius of the Seven Star Sword Sect!
Yet now, he had died during a routine mission, slain by a disciple of similar fame from the Qingyuan Sect, Meng Yan. A single strike from a hammer had abruptly ended his journey toward becoming a legend.
His death was pathetic and lacked any real value.
At this moment, Meng Yan, looking like an iron tower, also bore several deep wounds. However, they hadn't hit anything vital and were of no great concern to a cultivator, especially for someone like Meng Yan who did not lack healing pills.
His aura was exceptionally powerful, and his fighting will remained unshakeable.
However, when he turned his gaze toward Ya Ya's battlefield and saw the charred corpse of the demoness, his pupils shrunk!
That demonic genius who was considered his equal had actually died? And her death was just as wretched!
Earlier, when Qi Ping suggested letting Ya Ya handle one enemy alone if they were outnumbered, Meng Yan had initially disagreed. In his eyes, while Ya Ya was extraordinary, facing a terrifying genius of this level alone was simply too dangerous.
He had only reluctantly agreed after Qi Ping insisted and promised he had backup plans. Otherwise, Meng Yan had intended to face two of them alone while Ya Ya provided support.
Yet the result had completely overturned his perception. Ya Ya had won! She had slain a powerful enemy that even he would have had to face with extreme caution!
Facing Meng Yan's gaze, Ya Ya gave a confident look that said "mission accomplished" before immediately rushing toward the battlefield where Qi Ping was.
The battle on Qi Ping's end was not yet over...
Seeing this, Meng Yan immediately moved to assist. However, upon seeing Qi Ping, he fell into a brief silence...
This was because Qi Ping did not appear to have a single scratch on him.
In contrast, his opponent—the man from the Sky-Fire Pavilion—was in a terrible state. His body was covered in numerous burn and explosion wounds, and his expression was one of pure rage.
His anger was currently at its peak as he relentlessly pursued Qi Ping, but Qi Ping refused to engage him in a direct confrontation. Instead, Qi Ping utilized the terrifying explosive power of his movement technique to wage a war of attrition.
Qi Ping's Explosive Flame Movement was too powerful; over short distances, it was difficult for the man to catch him.
A few times, the man had managed to seize an opportunity to trade a few blows, but Qi Ping's defense turned out to be even more ridiculous than his own. He couldn't deal any effective damage; that strange bark-like layer of defense stacked with the Explosive Flame Net couldn't be broken by just a punch or two. Instead, the man had ended up injuring himself in the process.
A prolonged close-quarters fight might have favored the body cultivator, but Qi Ping simply wouldn't stay still. He touched the man once and then vanished.
What was even more infuriating was that the man couldn't go to help the others. Every time he tried, Qi Ping would hurl an Explosive Fireball at him. The power of that move was substantial, and he didn't dare take it head-on, effectively preventing him from reinforcing his allies...
And so, the situation had become what it was now: he was chasing Qi Ping while covered in soot and burns, while Qi Ping simply kept him at arm's length...
With the added interference of the formation, he had no chance of catching him.
"Fight me like a man, you coward! You piece of trash! You're just a gutless dog!" the burly man roared in fury.
He believed that as long as he could lock Qi Ping into a slugfest, he could beat him to death! Thus, he could only resort to wild shouting.
Faced with the man's insults, Qi Ping remained unmoved.
What use were words? Would he be stupid enough to go toe-to-toe with a body cultivator? Did the man take him for a fool?
What truly mattered was using his advantages to slay the opponent, not risking his life for some worthless sense of pride.
However, this body cultivator was indeed exceptional. Not only was his physical defense strong, but his attacks were also terrifyingly fierce. Even with the protection of his net and Barkskin, Qi Ping had still sustained some light injuries. Had he not been able to use Healing Touch occasionally to mend his body, his condition would not be this good.
If it were a pure test of physical slaughter, Qi Ping would undoubtedly lose to such a high-defense, high-attack body cultivator!
Fortunately, his Explosive Flame Movement—enhanced by multiple talents—was powerful enough to shake off the man's pursuit repeatedly.
Furthermore, even Meng Yan had used this set of movement spells during his own battle. This proved how extraordinary the technique was; even a genius of Meng Yan's caliber practiced spells of this level.
"There's no point in screaming at me. Your companions seem to be dying," Qi Ping replied calmly.
Out of the corner of his eye, Qi Ping had already seen that the genius sword cultivator and the demoness were in critical condition.
Not long after, Qi Ping and his opponent witnessed the scene of both their allies falling in battle.
Ya Ya's performance had also exceeded Qi Ping's expectations. Whether in terms of combat talent, willpower, or sheer ferocity, she was stronger than he had estimated. This was the first time he had seen her go all-out against a peer of the same rank.
"What!"
Seeing this, the Sky-Fire Pavilion body cultivator's expression changed drastically. He immediately tried to abandon Qi Ping and flee.
But how could Qi Ping let him have his way?
He closed the distance instantly and hurled an Explosive Fireball!
Combined with the formation's interference and the fact that his speed was inferior to Qi Ping's, the man had no way to shake off the pursuit.
At that moment, Ya Ya and Meng Yan also joined the fray. Under the combined assault of the three, there was no suspense left. After a fair amount of effort, they finally slew the genius of the Sky-Fire Pavilion!
One had to admit, this body cultivator was incredibly tough. If Qi Ping hadn't been fast enough—having specifically prioritized defense and escape speed in his training—he might have actually been punched to death in a one-on-one fight.
"It's finally over! I truly owe you one this time, Brother Qi!" Meng Yan solemnly clasped his fists toward Qi Ping, then added:
"These people have significant status. Although the combat treaty between the sects forbids Foundation Establishment cultivators from participating, we should still avoid any potential risks!"
"Good!" Qi Ping naturally wouldn't disagree; he was dying to leave this place!
Meng Yan then swept up the weapons and storage bags from the ground before the two of them rapidly vanished from the scene.
Thus, the plan of the three geniuses to surround and kill Meng Yan not only failed completely, but all three of them were dead!
They could only blame their own arrogance. Even knowing there was a formation, they had dared to step inside; otherwise, they might have had a chance to escape.
Of course, the root cause of their demise was that an "unrecorded pawn" had appeared beside Meng Yan.
When the news that the life-tablets of these three had shattered reached their respective sects, it caused a significant stir.
Even high-ranking Golden Core cultivators couldn't help but frown. This outcome was too far from their predictions. Had something changed within Qingshi County?
Shortly after Qi Ping and the others left, a figure in green arrived, carrying a blood-stained longsword.
It was Lin Qingzhu, who had rushed there in a hurry. Her body and blade were drenched in blood, clearly indicating she had just survived a major battle.
She wasn't close to Meng Yan, but she had received similar news and guessed he might be in danger. Thus, she had hurried over, intending to join forces with him to kill anyone trying to interfere with Qingshi County.
Unfortunately, she had been intercepted and had only managed to arrive after a bloody slaughter.
To her surprise, the battle was already over. When she saw the three mutilated corpses on the ground, she was momentarily stunned.
Though the scene was heavily damaged, the residual auras were enough to identify the general status of the three deceased. This was exactly why Lin Qingzhu was so shocked.
"All three of them died at Meng Yan's hands!?"