Lingxu gently clapped his hands, then slowly raised his head to gaze into the distance with keen interest. His Spirit Eyes pierced through layers of mist, having long detected the presence of the Scarlet Dawn Demon King. Yet Lingxu paid this discovery no mind.
Behind the Scarlet Dawn Demon King, the beautiful Madame Luozhi licked her lips as she looked down at her descendants below. A trace of pity seemed to flicker in her eyes. The upper half of her body was that of an alluring woman while her lower half bore the abdomen of a spider. With a wave of her hand, she unleashed her divine power.
A poisonous tide surged forth like raging waves as hordes of scorpions, snakes, rats, and spiders emerged from beneath the earth. Lingxu stood beneath the heavens, not a single ray of sunlight touching him as he faced countless demonic creatures.
Clenching his fist, Lingxu gathered all his power in an instant, condensing it into tangible form. His fist intent became a golden torrent that tore through the battlefield with thunderous might. Wherever it passed, demons and monsters were ripped apart into gruesome fragments.
The mountains the demons had moved to suppress the land's spiritual energy shattered like paper before Lingxu's terrifying fist intent, crumbling into countless scattered rocks. Simultaneously, the seventy-two demon generals commanding the battle from the rear were utterly annihilated by this earth-shattering strike - not even ashes remained.
Lingxu stood in the wind. When a great demon attempted to attack the city, forcing Lingxu to defend, he punched it back with such force that the impact resonated through the heavens. The great demon crashed to earth, only for Lingxu to step on its skull without even glancing down as he continued forward.
The Scarlet Dawn Demon King and his peers watched this scene with chilling dread. Lingxu had grown even stronger!
Madame Luozhi smiled bitterly. "After this battle, I wonder which of us will survive."
The nine-tailed fox Bai Li said, "The achievement need not be mine, but the legacy must carry our will."
The Happy Old Man opened his eyes. They had agreed to use the demon army to wear Lingxu down for three days, yet these demon kings now seemed reluctant to continue. Given the gravity of the situation, the Happy Old Man reminded the Scarlet Dawn Demon King: "Don't act rashly and lose sight of the bigger picture."
Madame Luozhi said coldly, "Easy for him to say when it's not his descendants being slaughtered."
After a moment's hesitation, the Scarlet Dawn Demon King continued wearing down Lingxu. The other demon kings behind him wore gloomy expressions. Lingxu had clearly detected their presence, yet showed no intention of confronting them directly.
Standing at the battlefield's center, Lingxu's figure appeared minuscule yet his presence seemed vaster than the entire warzone. No glow of magical treasures surrounded him, no heaven-sealing spells were cast, nor did he summon his lifebound flying sword. Bare-handed, he stood as if this battlefield existed solely for his performance.
Occasionally, when great demons attacked, Lingxu would swiftly slay them before systematically eliminating the demon soldiers. Madame Luozhi cultivated the Mystic Net Formless Art, an incredibly profound and powerful technique that allowed her to spin threads of fate. These seemingly fragile strands actually formed a web of destiny capable of revealing an opponent's past karma, weaknesses, and flaws to devise perfect tactics—or outright controlling cultivators like puppets.
Now the demon queen instinctively tried to analyze Lingxu, but quickly abandoned the attempt. Predicting Lingxu's combat style was utterly impossible. With a flick of her fingers, countless slain demon soldiers rose again like marionettes, fearlessly attacking Lingxu with spells and divine powers.
Lingxu merely narrowed his eyes and pulverized them to dust. Reassembling powder would consume too much of Madame Luozhi's energy, so when she prepared to weave again, the Scarlet Dawn Demon King stopped her. "We have no shortage of soldiers." Gnashing her teeth in frustration, Madame Luozhi reluctantly gave up, glaring hatefully at Lingxu.
At Mount Shushan's Xuantian Sword Sect branch, Qin Wenke returned covered in blood, wiping his forehead. "Sixth Brother, where are you going?"
"The Xuantian Sword Sect leader invited me for drinks," his senior brother replied.
Qin Wenke frowned. "At a time ? The outside world has descended into chaos—corpses are piling up like small mountains!"
"Precisely to discuss this matter. Since this is Xuantian Sword Sect territory, we must coordinate to avoid appearing domineering." The sixth brother patted Qin Wenke's shoulder, eyeing his forehead wound. "Put some medicine on that." Then he hurried off.
Watching his senior brother depart, Qin Wenke called out, "Sixth Brother, I'll wait for you! Hurry back!"
"Understood," came the reply without turning back.
In Xuantian Sword Sect's main hall, the sixth brother entered to be personally greeted by Sect Leader Dugu Wudi. "Senior Dugu, what brings you to summon me?"
"Just sharing some wine to reward your hard work these days." Dugu Wudi amiably slung an arm around the sixth brother's shoulders.
"You honor me too much. During this heavenly tribulation disaster, our Five Great Immortal Alliances must unite to overcome adversity," the sixth brother replied.
"Naturally," Dugu Wudi nodded with a smile. "First, have a drink."
After downing his cup, the sixth brother immediately pressed, "Senior Dugu, regarding the refugees—"
The warmth vanished from Dugu Wudi's eyes, replaced by icy glints. The sixth brother's expression changed dramatically. "You...you poisoned me!" He desperately circulated qi to resist the toxin.
"Even without poison, could you match me?" Dugu Wudi sneered.
"Mount Shushan will never let this stand!!" The sixth brother never imagined the leader of one of the Five Great Immortal Alliances would attack him. This couldn't be concealed—meaning Xuantian Sword Sect intended hostility against Mount Shushan? Had they gone mad? Willingly throwing away their position as sect leader?
"Mount Shushan?" Dugu Wudi laughed coldly. "Your Mount Shushan is about to fall." A palm strike to the crown of his head made blood pour from the sixth brother's seven orifices as he collapsed dead.
"What are you doing!!" Qin Wenke roared.
"Kill!!" Figures descended from the sky, pursuing him into a canyon. Qin Wenke crashed into a barrier erected by a cultivator. By the time he broke through, his pursuers had caught up. The Mount Shushan branch at Xuantian Sword Sect was being slaughtered by Xuantian Sword Sect itself.
Drenched in blood, Qin Wenke stood in the pouring rain.