On the vast, flat ground, an oppressive stench of blood and death permeated the air.

Looking toward the horizon, the endless view was occupied by mountains of dragon corpses, piled up and interlocked, like the fallen peaks of ancient myths.

These dragons, which once soared among the clouds and howled across the sky, had now lost their former pride and dominance.

Their immense bodies lay side by side, still maintaining a heart-shaking grandeur even in death.

Their scales, thoroughly soaked with blood, had lost their luster.

Their huge, sharp claws were curled tightly, as if in a final struggle, while their long, powerful tails lay limply spread over the mud.

Shocking!

Astonishing!

An indescribable impact made Qi Xiu feel as if his nostrils were stuffed with rust.

At the same time, the Dragon Scale War Saber in his hand trembled slightly.

Clearly, these Karmic Dragons all died by its blade.

The impurity is so strong. Although these Karmic Dragons were dead, their flesh had not rotted. Instead, it gradually fermented, accumulating a terrifying impure energy. Anyone daring to approach their corpses would immediately be contaminated and corrupted, turning into unimaginable monsters.

His brow furrowed slightly as Qi Xiu sensed a dual warning from his soul and Human Path Merit.

Thus, he abandoned the idea of packing up these Karmic Dragon corpses and taking them away.

"If I can't have it to go, then I might as well dine in," Qi Xiu chuckled, raising his right hand in a Daoist Incantation. His eyes momentarily turned pitch black, exuding a terrifyingly eerie aura.

Then, black fog swirled, filling the air with smoke.

His Mo Jiao, its eyes of emerald green, coiled out from behind him.

Having completely digested the evil dragon's Dragon Ball, the Mo Jiao had grown to nearly ten meters, its head now bearing a more prominent bulge that showed signs of bifurcation.

"A rare buffet. Eat as much as you can," he patted the Mo Jiao's head and whispered softly.

Sensing the pure and ferocious impurity ahead, the Mo Jiao's flawless emerald eyes suddenly lit up. After rubbing against Qi Xiu's palm, it bent down and opened its maw wide, greedily sucking in the foul air as if it were swallowing dragons and absorbing whales.

Handing the "treasure mountain" over to the Mo Jiao, Qi Xiu walked along the edges of the murky Blood River, exploring in both directions.

Dragon-Slaying Banner, Dragon-Slaying Banner... Muttering the name of the treasure he yearned for, Qi Xiu took firm steps forward.

Finally, in a corner of the land where dragon corpses were piled, a flagpole appeared before Qi Xiu. It was thousands of meters long and immensely wide, covered in bloodstains, with a flag as red as blood, bearing a simple, ancient dragon pattern.

"Is this... the Dragon-Slaying Banner?" Qi Xiu wondered aloud.

Gazing at the colossal flagpole rising as if to pierce the heavens, Qi Xiu did not recognize the dragon script on it. But a strong intuition told him this was the treasure he had been searching for—capable of saving billions of people in Dianchuan Province and thwarting the grand scheme of the Nu River. The Dragon-Slaying Banner!

"No wonder Senior Thousand-Hands said to take as much as I can. This thing is really not easy to handle," Qi Xiu murmured, examining the Dragon-Slaying Banner before him and slowly touching the Golden Cry Jade Beads on his wrist.

The storage space of the Golden Cry Jade Beads is one thousand meters in length and width. Yet this Dragon-Slaying Banner is thousands of meters long. It's uncertain whether it can fit into the Golden Cry Jade Beads.

"There's only one way to find out."

He rubbed his forehead and slowly walked toward the Dragon-Slaying Banner. Placing his hand on it, he activated the Divine Marvel of the Golden Cry Jade Beads, attempting to draw the banner into them.

HUM—

Invisible ripples spread out and trembled slightly as the Cosmic Bi Divine Marvel within the Golden Cry Jade Beads activated, trying to envelop this immense Divine Object.

But just as the entire Dragon-Slaying Banner lifted into the air and was about to be drawn into the Golden Cry Jade Beads, the banner suddenly plummeted, crashing down with a THUD and kicking up a turbulent cloud of thick dust.

"It failed."

Frowning at the Golden Cry Jade Beads, which now showed a small crack, Qi Xiu felt a headache as he looked at the Dragon-Slaying Banner before him.

"Do I really have to carry it back myself?"

Being unable to fit it into the Golden Cry Jade Beads doesn't just mean I have to physically transport it back. It also means that of the hundred or so Dragon-Slaying Banners here, I can only take one. After all, my right hand is still holding the Dragon Scale War Saber, and carrying one Dragon-Slaying Banner is already my limit. Am I really going to leave empty-handed from this treasure mountain?

Looking at the numerous Dragon-Slaying Banners before him, Qi Xiu felt unwilling to give up, and extremely dangerous thoughts began to conjure in his mind. Here, where dragon corpses are gathered, if I employ the techniques of the White Bone Demonic Dao to refine them all into Protector Dragon Bone Vajras, then taking not just one Dragon-Slaying Banner, but ten or even a hundred wouldn't be a problem!

Desire surged. Strands of black and red Divine Light flickered within Qi Xiu's eyes, and his flesh began to sprout wriggling buds all over. These flesh buds transformed into Lotus Platforms, upon which sat figures in Kasayas, their forms like compassionate white skeletons, reciting cryptic and difficult scriptures, seemingly attempting to deliver all sentient beings.

Slowly turning around, Qi Xiu scanned the dragon stones that resembled ancient peaks, his yearning growing increasingly fiery.

HMPH!

A cold snort suddenly resounded. Within Qi Xiu's Ancestral Aperture, the Taiyang Daoist held a chess piece in his right hand and a wildly struggling white bone phantom in his left. Vigorous flames erupted, reducing the phantom to ash.

Instantly regaining clarity, Qi Xiu became aware of what had just transpired, and a slight heaviness settled in his heart. The tome of the Demonic Path is truly perilous! Just now, a moment of greed surged within me. With Mo Jiao not inside my body, a sinister will from the White Bone Demonic Dao manifested out of thin air, intending to lure me into demonhood.

Qi Xiu slapped his forehead. I really must be more careful from now on, he thought. Although the tome of the Demonic Path allows for swift progress and wields immense power, it always harbors hidden dangers. One moment of inattention, and I might fall into one of its concealed traps and be seduced into becoming a demon.

Dispelling the greed from his mind, Qi Xiu stopped dwelling on it. He took a deep breath and swiftly affixed a Thunder Talisman to his chest!

Five Thunders Entrapment!

Once again activating this extremely taxing physical body Dharma Gate, Qi Xiu's dark hair whipped about, his eyes blazed with white light, and he stepped forward to hoist the immensely heavy Dragon-Slaying Banner.

He held the Dragon-Slaying Banner in his left hand and the Dragon Scale War Saber in his right.

His complexion turned slightly ashen from simultaneously bearing the weight of these two immense objects. After recalling Mo Jiao, he slowly began to walk.

BOOM!

With each step, the solid, firm ground was forcibly indented with a clear footprint.

Like a titan shouldering mountains, Qi Xiu moved with slow yet determined steps back the way he had come.

The journey that had taken less than two hours before now took Qi Xiu a full eight hours on his return. The Dragon-Slaying Banner and Dragon Scale War Saber pressed down like two great mountains upon his shoulders.

When he finally dragged these two Divine Objects back before Senior Thousand-Hands, every inch of his flesh seemed to be moaning and wailing. Had he not been relying on his fierce willpower to persist, he would likely have collapsed to the ground long ago, exhausted to the point of unconsciousness.

"How come you only took one? Didn't I tell you to take as many as you could?" Senior Thousand-Hands asked, arms crossed, looking at the pale and nearly spent Qi Xiu with a hint of jest. He hadn't spoken to anyone in many years. Now that he had such an interesting junior, he naturally wanted to tease him a bit.

"Senior jests... I am not one for insatiable greed." Striving to stabilize his ragged breath, Qi Xiu took a deep gulp of air. From within his wide sleeves, several talismans that replenished vitality and fortified the spirit surged forth, mending his overdrawn strength.

"Still trying to sound tough, eh? It would have been good if you could have stayed a few more days." Smiling, Senior Thousand-Hands placed his hands behind his back. Having endured endless solitude, Qi Xiu's arrival was like a shooting star suddenly streaking across the eternal night—pure and bright, yet utterly fleeting.

Qi Xiu, sensing the unspoken wish in Senior Thousand-Hands' words for him to stay, was moved and opened his mouth to explain.

But he saw the prison guard, who had weathered countless years simply to maintain his vigil, wave his hand dismissively. "I know you have urgent matters to attend to; otherwise, you wouldn't have braved numerous dangers to come here. Now that you've obtained the Dragon-Slaying Banner, you should leave as soon as possible."

Looking at the old prison guard who had woven duty and loyalty into the fabric of his entire life, Qi Xiu showed a trace of solemn respect. He stepped back two paces and bowed deeply. "This junior thanks Senior for his assistance this time. Once I have settled my affairs, I shall definitely..."

"Definitely what? Have you forgotten what I told you? This place is too saturated with the aura of death; it's no good for you. Since you're leaving, never come back," Senior Thousand-Hands sternly cut off Qi Xiu's words. Without looking back, he walked towards the other side of the grand doors.

"After you leave, I will seal myself back into the Divine Yuan. Unless you manage to reach the Primordial Spirit Realm, we probably won't have another chance to meet.

"Go on, do what you must. You are a member of my True Dragon Clan. Whatever you do, you must make it count."

Before his voice had even faded, Senior Thousand-Hands waved his hand. The towering stone doors began to close slowly with a RUMBLING sound.

"This junior shall remember Senior's teachings." Bowing respectfully, Qi Xiu picked up the Dragon-Slaying Banner beside him and walked toward the entrance of the Dragon Prison.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Scale War Saber had automatically returned to the hand of Senior Thousand-Hands' relic, continuing its suppression of the Karmic Dragons' severed heads.

As the stone doors were about to close, Senior Thousand-Hands, his back to the entrance, couldn't help but turn slightly. His gaze followed the figure carrying the Dragon-Slaying Banner as he strode away.

An interesting lad, he thought. I wish you smooth sailing and an unobstructed path in your future cultivation. I hope that after endless ages, you and I may meet again.

In the tranquil, azure underwater world, Elder Shui sat quietly on a rock, his gaze serene as he gently played with two little fish swimming past his hand.

"Today marks the final deadline," he murmured.

For Elder Shui, who had lived for countless eons, ten days were like the blink of an eye.

"It seems my expectations for the lad were perhaps too high."

During his endless life, Elder Shui had witnessed many miracles. But compared to the relentless, torrential passage of time, these miracles were like fleeting meteors in the sky—brief and rare.

"Perhaps just managing to come back alive would be..."

Mid-sentence, Elder Shui, whose composure was usually as tranquil as an ancient well, felt his pupils suddenly tremble.

The entire underwater world abruptly shook violently, uncontrollable waves surging and roaring furiously!

"He actually... succeeded!" Elder Shui exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief.

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