“AAAHHH!!!” A mournful wail rang out. In normal circumstances, it would’ve terrified one so much that they wouldn’t be able to peacefully sleep at night. But now, not a single billow was roused. This was because wretched cries rose and fell over and over in the vicinity!

Each person… was without bones. Even Yi Old Five wasn’t an exception. He fell to the ground and rolled. Only the two great sects of Buddhism and Daoism protected their bodies. At this moment, the lotus sea was filled with cultivators screaming and shrieking!

“You better hurry up and think of something.” Suddenly, a woman’s voice rang out. “Otherwise, all of us will die here.”

Xu Yangyi raised his head and looked. Somewhat unexpectedly, the woman in front of him hadn’t been affected. However, understanding dawned on him in a wink.

Quan Ningyue had an innate Nine Yins Extreme bloodline. In order to save her, Grand Artificer Gao Muya had transformed half of her into a mecharune puppet. Devour Bone didn’t have the slightest effect on her.

He nodded towards Quan Ningyue, and his gaze tightly locked onto Wei Zhongxian.

Amidst curling black qi, Wei Zhongxian seemed like a demon-god of hell. However, what caused Xu Yangyi to take special note was Wei Zhongxian’s soaring black qi… It didn’t weaken by a sliver!

“Heavenly…” At this time, a voice like the Nine Nethers rang out again!

“Gasp…” Fahui suddenly lifted up his head and looked several thousand meters away in shock. Already in the air, Wei Zhongxian, whose five limbs were separated by no less than tens of meters, was floating!

There was more… There was actually still more!

His heart was a frigid expanse. Yes… just now had been the First Erosion. There was also a second… perhaps a third… or even… nine! Ten! Was he… capable of enduring?

“Buddha bless and protect me…” For the first time, his voice was shaky. He closed his eyes and the speed of his sutra chanting became faster and faster.

The faces of Greenwall’s Three Swords were like earth. Xuan Chengzi didn’t utter a second word, and a sword slashed open the artery of his left hand. Immediately, blood rushed forth like a fountain! Blood droplets entered the oil lamp, and the lantern fire became a shade brighter.

“Opening…”

Xu Yangyi took a deep breath and quickly yelled, “Fellow Daoists! What are you still waiting for?! Are you sitting here and waiting for death?!”

“Only the four of us can move here! Can you pull through?” With the gaze of a wolf, he turned his head and glared at the devil-god-like Wei Zhongxian who was floating in the air. He fiercely licked his lips. “Initial Foundation Establishment… It’s only initial Foundation Establishment! It’s not even really a living person! He’s the same as a machine! Just a real zombie! What the hell is there to be scared of?!”

“C’mon, maybe we can still gamble on a path of survival…” His hand beckoned, and Falling Moon welcomed the wind and came forth. In a flash, the sky was filled with black flame. Xu Yangyi said lowly, “If we don’t go… death will be the only road!”

“Everyone.” He clasped his hands. “I’m going!”

The situation presented by Wei Zhongxian’s divine ability was clear in a flash. If he wanted to obtain the Animus Armament, not taking down the corpse was simply impossible!

But the might of this foe’s divine ability… greatly transcended everyone’s imaginations! It was unlike a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s divine ability at all! Now… wasn’t the time to desire the Animus Armament. Instead, there was a chance that all of them would meet their demise here if they didn’t kill a bloody path out!

Swoosh!!!

 Xu Yangyi’s figure drew an afterimage. Shouldering boundless valor, he slashed directly at Wei Zhongxian’s skull!

You’ve been dead already for several hundred years. I’ll send you back again today!

“Second…” The third word had already been spat out. But in this instant, it was completely different from the prior move! The surroundings started to become chillingly cold! The air temperature was so low that it left one in disbelief!

“Amitabha…” Xu Yangyi’s swiftly darting silhouette was reflected in Fahui’s eyes. The young monk closed his eyes, and as he opened them, his battle spirit was ignited again!

Yes… so it was. What kind of geniuses were they?! If they didn’t fight and kill for a future, how could this path of cultivation be walked?!

This poor monk came to Danxia Temple fully aware. I know very well that you’re a Foundation Establishment cultivator—an old ghost from centuries ago—how can I not slay you?

He hadn’t expected that Xu Yangyi would attack with full power. Besides, surviving would further justify his heart tribulation. In this place, in Danxia Temple, his heart devil had to be resolved.

In case he slayed this corpse puppet of Wei Zhongxian, the only person who could help him succeed… was Xu Yangyi alone. 

His voice yet to fall, Fahui had already disappeared. In the next second, he was holding onto the lotus lantern in his mouth, but his left hand took out a finger bone!

This finger bone emitted a Buddhist light that filled the sky. Golden talismans floated around its surroundings. Evidently, this was an almighty magik treasure that the Shaolin Temple had given to Fahui!

“Well said… Well said!” Ling Xiaozi’s eyes burst with vigor. “How can we sword-cultivators lack a sword-cultivator’s drive?! Evil devils are to be slain. Fiends are to be slain. Heart tribulations are also to be slain!” He slapped the crown of his head, and a golden sword-core suddenly emerged. Body and sword united, transforming into a resplendent streak. It closely followed Xu Yangyi and raced forth like electricity! 

“To this day, I have thought myself to be Xiang Yu. I will NOT cross over to Jiangdong! If we can’t hold on against this divine ability, what meaning is there in even struggling at death’s door?!”

[1]

In the sky, six glorious sword-lights streaked across this world’s black clouds and charged straight at Wei Zhongxian who was several thousand meters away. Xu Yangyi took the lead. Behind was Fahui, Ling Xiaozi, Xuan Chengzi, and Qing Jingzi. Last was the middle Qi Condensation Quan Ningyue!

Facing an old Foundation Establishment monster who was able to flip his hand and exterminate a hundred Qi Condensation, five late Qi Condensation and one middle Qi Condensation, the two super sects’ disciples and an A-rank Legion issued a direct challenge!

Six rays of spirit light carried a relentless momentum. Arrows fired from a bow didn’t need to turn back. They burned away their paths of retreat, sinking boats and breaking cauldrons!

“Ten Cardinals Red Lotus… Azure Dragons Seeks Cauldron!” Xu Yangyi glared daggers at the demonic Wei Zhongxian who was in the air. Falling Moon in his right hand, an expanse of black flame was born. His left hand was saturated by the all-penetrating glow of red light.

Fahui bit into his lantern, and a holy golden-white color appeared on his lone arm’s middle finger. Four vague and solemn words were gravely uttered from his mouth. “Finger Snap Divine Might!!!”

The three sword-cores of Greenwall’s Three Swords converged into a golden ray. Voices brimming with murderous aura, the trio furiously roared in unison! “Origin Returns To Genesis!!!”

Quan Ningyue’s hands spread open again. Two heart-chilling blue glints brightened, and she snarled, “Spirit Extermination Cannon!!!”

Action had been taken without the slightest reservation. All of them killing moves! These were all their killing aces! A task accomplished in a single stroke! If they weren’t successful, they would die valiantly!

They weren’t fools that shouted out when they attacked. Instead… this time, there was only blood and heat in their hearts! This rallying cry was for their own proper names! To boost their own morale! Or perhaps… it was the battle cry that they left in the world.

These few people were even more understanding of Foundation Establishment’s might than the bystanders! There wasn’t one shred that could be guarded against.

Wei Zhongxian’s corpse softly spoke the fourth word.

“Erosion…”

Buzz… 

The Animus Armament in his mouth released endless golden light again. Outside his body, it formed a strange defensive qi wall!

“Emperor Armament…” Xu Yangyi’s gaze erupted, and he stared fixedly at the Animus Armament in the other’s mouth. 

No matter why you’re here, you have it. Only one of us is getting out between the two of us today!

“Azure Dragon Seeks Cauldron!” he bellowed, and Azure Dragon Seeks Cauldron in his left hand transformed into a red light-beam and shot out!

Boom!

 In this twinkling, heaven and earth changed! In the sky, black clouds no longer surged. Instead… there were waves of great snow! Goose feather-like stretches of great snow floated down, and the surrounding temperature… rapidly dropped!

Crack crack crack… 

Even the atmosphere seemed to turn into cold ice! In the sky filled with great snow, Wei Zhongxian’s corpse was towed by black qi. Behind his head that was far away from his body, endless black light suddenly erupted!

“That’s… a Dharma Wheel?!” Fahui’s eyes sharpened. How could this be… A Buddhist cultivator cultivated the wheel. He’d never seen a Dharma Wheel emerge on any Buddhist cultivator, but one had actually appeared on this fiend!

[2]

“Amitabha…” He immediately sensed his heart enter a state of turmoil. Lowly chanting sutras at once, he closed his eyes straightaway and his heart was like still water once more. Nothing could disturb him! 

To give one’s body to die for a good cause, to abandon one’s life to take justice. At the moment, it was none of these things. It was all for their own paths of cultivation, to slay their way to a glorious future!

The sword comes without the self!

The black Dharma Wheel faintly rotated at Wei Zhongxian’s head. Infinite black light flared. The current Wei Zhongxian didn’t resemble a Foundation Establishment cultivator by any means! He was more like a Core Formation ancestor! Akin to a Dao Master soaring to the heavens in this lotus sea!

Both his hands gently grasped out. “Devour… Blood…”

“DIE!!!” Xu Yangyi’s longblade had already arrived ahead! Bereft of the slightest hesitation and with the utmost strength, he cleaved towards Wei Zhongxian’s head that was flying dozens of meters away from the corpse’s body!

“DIE!!!” Behind, five angry shouts and five divine abilities all arrived!

Bang!

 A domain of multicolored, rich qi exploded! Shortly following, the sky boomed with an even more fierce rumbling!

Azure qi exploded and came forth! It was like an ocean, like a tide! This qi rushed the six of them like fallen leaves in a mad squall, and they flew back several hundred meters!

Xu Yangyi didn’t even blink an eye. Currently, his strong brows suddenly tightened and furrowed.

He saw that the others’ divine abilities… had all been plucked away by the golden qi released by the Animus Armament… Only he, his two moves, had surprisingly rumbled on the corpse puppet’s body!

It was just… that there was no effect. The disparity of realms was too great. Foundation Establishment and Qi Condensation was a difference of heaven and earth. At this very moment, he felt this phrase with peerless clarity.

As if he was confronting a tall insurmountable mountain, even if he flipped over the great rivers and dense forests at the mountain’s foot, he fundamentally still couldn’t plant his banner at the summit.

“The Animus Armament ‘permits’ my entry.” A wave of scalding fire burned his chest, and he vomited a mouthful of blood. As he flew back, he stared at Wei Zhongxian with roiling heat. “

This

 is my sole advantage…”

“Junior Brother!!!” After flying back no less than several hundred meters, Xu Yangyi heard a terribly miserable screech just as he stabilized.

Ling Xiaozi’s hand was supporting Qing Jingzi’s body, both of his eyes thoroughly reddened. As for Qing Jingzi… he was located outside the ancient lamp’s protection.

Qing Jingzi’s face was already devoid of blood. It wasn’t a description, but his entire body was truly without a drop of blood!

Xu Yangyi was dazed for several seconds, and he suddenly turned his head back to look towards a lotus leaf! In a place that entered his eye, he saw one person.

At some unknown time, Zhao Ziqi had appeared again. Both of Zhao Ziqi’s eyes cycled endlessly and formed a strange protective screen of the Eight Trigrams at his side!

“Cough, cough, cough…” A violent coughing entered Xu Yangyi’s ears. Zhao Wuye’s and Mao Ba’er’s extremely weak voices rang out at the same time. 

Fellow Daoist Xu… j-j-just worry about… taking it easy… We of the Zhao Clan… were able to get here by relying on Ziqi’s Netherpierce Eye… So long as it’s a nether entity… w-we… c-can still hold on for a while…

This… is a spiritual-sense transmission from the Zhao Clan’s secret arts… you… can relax…

Xu Yangyi tightly gritted his teeth. He surveyed the area. Even now… the others were nearly exterminated!

At that time, a tide of a thousand people had arrived. Now… only twenty people remained?

1. There have been a few notes on Xiang Yu in the past, specifically the idiom of “breaking ships and pans”. Xiang Yu (232-202 BCE) was a warlord during the late Qin dynasty. At the end of his life, he faced off against many of Liu Bang’s soldiers, refusing to return to Jiangdong after having so many of his men killed.

2. Dharma Wheel or otherwise known as Dharmachakra. A representation of Buddha’s teachings/Buddhist faith.

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