BOOM!


    The elders, who were rushing to the Sovereign''s chambers at great speed, suddenly stopped upon hearing a loud explosion—one so powerful it could easily deafen anyone. Suddenly, each of them felt a weakness.


    "This…"


    "D-damn…"


    "I can''t believe it…"


    Tang Xun clutched his chest. He was shocked to discover that the Demon Seed he had obtained after long preparation from the altar… was beginning to lose its power.


    "N-no… could it be…"


    In panic and hope, Tang Xun looked at his curses… and then shouted loudly.


    "CHENG! E!"


    The other elders looked at Tang Xun in confusion. However, he was too enraged.


    Activating his cultivation at the Divine Transformation stage, Tang Xun ran back.


    "Hey…"


    They tried to call after him, but Tang Xun didn''t care. All he wanted was to catch and kill the culprit!


    ***


    Xie Qing smiled, though his smile was slightly nervous. He had long since fled the sect—no one had stopped him because of his main court token.


    Using all his speed, he had run a thousand miles away from the sect. Of course, he hoped this scenario wouldn''t happen, but…


    "He''sing."


    Tang Xun. His approximate level was at the third stage of Divine Transformation. This was not an opponent Xie Qing could defeat. So he was nervous.


    However, he couldn''t run anymore. One of the curses suddenly activated and became stronger—this was because Tang Xun was sacrificing his life energy to strengthen it.


    So the youth was helpless. Either he solved this problem here and now, or he could say goodbye to his own life.


    And a few secondster…


    A scorching heat reached Xie Qing. He frowned.


    "This level… it''s slightly lower? As if it dropped by one stage. Is this rted to the destruction of the altar?"


    Xie Qing still didn''t fully understand what this altar was. He only knew that it was very important to the Sect of Bone Circle. So he had destroyed it without hesitation.


    And now he had to face the consequences.


    "Youuuuu!"


    A voice, neither a scream nor a growl, echoed from the sky, like a decree from the Heavens themselves. Then someonended in front of Xie Qing with such force that the ground shook, and a crater formed at the point of impact.


    A man appeared before the youth. His entire body was engulfed in bright crimson mes, like blood. And this man looked at him with anger.


    "Why!? Why?! Why?! How?!"


    His voice was chaotic, distorted—as if he was barely restraining himself from killing Xie Qing. This fact made the youth smile.


    "Why what?" he asked calmly, secretly gathering his Qi.


    "Why…" Tang Xun roared and in the same instant appeared in front of the youth, raising his fist and shouting: "…did you destroy the altar?!"


    BOOM!


    A powerful explosion resounded within a hundred-mile radius, causing all the creatures to be rmed. The impact was so strong that even though Xie Qing managed to block it, the ground beneath his feet sank by a meter.


    "Bastard!"


    Tang Xun shouted, his voice filled with anger. Superior Devilish Qi burst from his body, creating a terrifying pressure.


    "Kha!"


    Xie Qing coughed up blood. His chest was broken, and he had internal injuries. No matter how much he wanted to dodge, the opponent was too strong.


    "Dragon''s Gaze!" Xie Qing shouted to himself, looking into Tang Xun''s eyes.


    "Hm?"


    Tang Xun felt darkness gathering around him, and his Qi and body stopped obeying him. However, he snorted, and it all suddenly disappeared. He had broken Xie Qing''s technique!


    The effectsted only a second, but it was enough for Xie Qing to break the distance. He tossed some pills into his mouth, and his wounds began to heal rapidly.


    From his spatial ring, the Nameless Sword flew out, which he swung forward.


    "Lord of the Nine Realms and Heavens - de of Infinite Apathy!"


    In this situation, the technique was weakened, but the youth couldn''t afford to hesitate.


    Swoosh!


    A gust of wind almost instantly reached Tang Xun. He frowned and raised his hand, blocking the attack.


    Pssh-sh…


    There was a sound as if something had been cauterized. Xie Qing''s attack was stopped by Tang Xun''s hand, which only received a small cut.


    "Hmph! Is this your strongest attack? How… hm?!"


    Tang Xun was already acting arrogantly when he suddenly felt the wound starting to ache, and his Qi was being obstructed. Focusing his attention, he was surprised to discover that it was something like tiny golden swords.


    "Will of the Empress of Swords? This is interesting. So you''re a swordsman? And quite talented. It will be a real shame to kill you, but…" Tang Xun''s eyes gleamed with malice and hatred: "You did something you shouldn''t have. And for that, I will punish you."


    "Punish your own ass, son of a bitch," Xie Qing scoffed, already tired of such arrogant speeches: "Come on, attack, bitch. Stop acting like a pussy. Is your special technique to bore people to death? Pff, how amusing…"


    "You…!"


    Tang Xun''s veins bulged on his forehead. He was enraged. This guy''s mouth was definitely rotten.


    From Xie Qing''s words, veins bulged on Tang Xun''s forehead. He was enraged. This guy''s mouth was definitely rotten.


    Whoosh!


    A gust of wind appeared. Along with it came a terrifying heat. Xie Qing soon discovered that all his clothes had begun to catch fire.


    He frowned. With a wave of his hand, his Will of the Empress of Swords tore the clothes off him, leaving him only in his underwear. Then he snapped his fingers, and a special armor flew out from his spatial ring.


    This was a snow-white robe with an unremarkable appearance, adorned with golden engravings. However, it was not just ordinary clothing.


    [Ten Revtions of the Dao] | [Rank: Legendary] | [Description: Special armor personally created by Zhang Mei and a mysterious forging master. Provides protection to block attacks from a cultivator at the Divine Transformation stage—limited to ten attacks.]


    Xie Qing gritted his teeth and leaped to the side. In mid-air, he used a special technique to don the armor. Then, gripping his sword more firmly, he looked towards the enraged Tang Xun.


    Tang Xun stood, surrounded by mes, as if he were a demon from the underworld. Before their battle, this ce had been quite beautiful—flowers and grass along with fertile soil. But now it had turned into a wastnd, burning with bright crimson mes.


    "Impressive, impressive. Your mouth is rotten, but your skills are not bad. Until now, I thought about leaving you alive, but…" Tang Xun''s eyes gleamed, and he gritted his teeth: "Your mouth is too rotten. I must rip it out!"


    "Rip dick out of your ass, whore… Ugh!"


    Xie Qing managed to dodge his body from the trajectory of Tang Xun''s fist at thest second. He instantly closed his mouth.


    The youth had no choice but to increase the distance between them. But…


    "Hmph!"


    However, his opponent was not ordinary. Instantly, a ring of fire with a diameter of ten meters appeared around them. The mes soared to the heavens, and the temperature rose to approximately ten thousand degrees Celsius.


    "Fuck that shit," Xie Qing couldn''t help but curse.


    Now he was definitely in deep trouble.


    ***


    The battle between Xie Qing and Tang Xun was not as important as the condition of Ma Lu. Despite the assistance of over a hundred elders, his state was simply terrible.


    "Aaaaagh!"


    A painful scream escaped his throat. His dantian began to crack.


    And at the moment when the elders lost hope…


    "What is happening here?"


    A deep and distorted male voice echoed from the heavens. Looking up, the elders shuddered.


    "Elder Hao Shen!"


    "Hm?"


    Despite the elders'' polite greetings, Hao Shen paid attention only to Ma Lu''s condition. His face contorted as he saw what was happening.


    "What is this? Where did this Superior Qi of the Yang attribute in your dantiane from?" Hao Shen asked, furrowing his brows and flying directly to Ma Lu, cing a hand on his shoulder. Then the man let out a surprised sigh: "And of such purity!..."


    "I don''t know! It seems there was a spy from the Righteous Dao in the sect! He managed to secretly slip me five flowers with this damnable Qi!" Ma Lu cried out, trembling with pain.


    "A spy?" Hao Shen frowned. However, he then shook his head. "Regardless. Trust me. I will help you."


    "Alright!"


    Hao Shen nodded. Then he focused his Qi and began the healing process. His expression grew increasingly grim.


    "This is serious. The only choice... you will have to disperse all the Qi from your dantian…"


    "This…"


    Ma Lu trembled. This process would certainly harm his cultivation and create even more injuries, but…


    "Alright!"


    He could only helplessly agree. The situation was not in his favor. He could only grit his teeth and ept the fact that he would likely need to recover for even longer.


    Hao Shen frowned as he observed the process. He was beginning to feel that the situation was no longer under his control.


    "Righteous Dao…" he pondered.


    ***


    Meanwhile…


    "Kha…"


    Xie Qing fell to his knees, clutching his stomach. His body was covered in wounds, and his internal organs were in a dire state. He had only 20% of his Qi left. The situation was desperate.


    Tang Xun frowned. He stood some distance away from Xie Qing. His body was covered in deep cuts, but he paid them no mind.


    "This guy… why is he so strong?"