"I refuse to believe it!"

His black robe surged violently, as if about to transform into a great dark sky that would block out the sun, moon, and mountains. The three-headed, six-armed Great Dark Heavenly Demon reemerged behind the Lord of Night Peace. Its sinister and grotesque face smirked malevolently as it slowly turned to gaze at Qi Xiu.

"I advise you to believe it."

Standing with his sleeves gathered, Qi Xiu shrugged lightly. The Dragon Binding Rope had revived on its own; it was beyond his control.

This Divine Object, used to capture Karmic Dragons, was a treasure of the Dragon Prison.

If it were in the hands of official Dragon Prison guards, such as Thousand Hands or Divine Blade, it could capture even Primordial Spirit Realm experts, let alone those in the Dao Body Realm.

The awe-inspiring golden dragon formed by the Dragon Binding Rope circled down. Its tail swept out, and myriad golden rays burst forth as divine light surged. The dense darkness that had enveloped the sky instantly crumbled and scattered, dissipating like blue smoke.

"So fierce!"

His pupils contracted. The Lord of Night Peace hastily manipulated his spells, and the Great Dark Heavenly Demon behind him suddenly vanished into the void.

A Dao Expert's vitality is intrinsically linked to their Daoist Spirit.

He had already suffered heavy injuries from the Great Dao's heavenly punishment. Then, by forcibly reversing his Dharma Gates, he had only made matters worse.

If his Daoist Spirit were to be shattered again, he feared that even if he didn't die, his foundation would be damaged, and he might even fall directly out of the Dao Body Realm.

Therefore, he dared not gamble.

He had no choice but to retract his Daoist Spirit and face the Dragon Binding Rope alone.

Without the Great Dark Heavenly Demon, the Lord of Night Peace, now solitary, was almost powerless against the surging Dragon Binding Rope. In an instant, he was bound into a struggling, golden bundle.

His face slightly pale, Qi Xiu flew towards the bound Lord of Night Peace, stepping on a cluster of Lei Mang.

Although the Dragon Binding Rope had revived on its own, it still consumed his Divine Soul Force. If his Divine Soul Realm hadn't progressed somewhat today, he would currently be sitting on the ground, unable to stand.

"Your Excellency looks somewhat familiar, eh?"

Narrowing his eyes, a purple glint in his gaze, Qi Xiu slowly surveyed the Lord of Night Peace before him, sifting through his memories.

"I remember now! You're one of the Kings from Divine Sorrow Ridge! I caught a glimpse of you once that year in Dead Spirit City."

Gazing at the aura emanating from the Lord of Night Peace, a flicker of understanding crossed Qi Xiu's face. That year, he and his martial brothers had ventured deep into Divine Sorrow Ridge alone to rescue Ge Ping. They were later pursued by the King of Yin Tian Nation, but fortunately, Patriarch Dongfang Qing arrived just in time and slew the King of Yin Tian Nation with a single strike.

When the King of Yin Tian Nation was killed, the other seven Kings had appeared together—this man among them!

"You…"

Hearing Qi Xiu mention Dead Spirit City, the Lord of Night Peace's eyes flickered. He, too, quickly remembered Qi Xiu.

"It's actually you!"

Just as Qi Xiu and the Lord of Night Peace recognized each other, the ground suddenly began to shake violently, as if an ancient god was striding towards them with immense steps.

His expression shifting slightly, the Lord of Night Peace immediately said, "Young man, if you release me now, I will gift you an ancient scripture, a great manual that leads directly to the Dao Body Realm. How about it? This is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. I know you are a cultivator from the Shenxiao Sect, but the aura on you isn't from the Shenxiao Sect's Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Scripture. You must be a branch disciple, right? My ancient scripture is an ancient heritage; in terms of quality, it's definitely not inferior to the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Scripture. You don't need to do anything, just release this Magical Treasure. I can swear on my Dao Heart. If I deceive you in any way, may my Dao Heart collapse and I perish!"

The tremors on the ground grew more urgent and drew rapidly closer, the Lord of Night Peace's words spilling out faster and faster.

Frankly, the price he offered was high. An ancient scripture, a great manual, no less valuable than the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder Scripture—anyone else, even if they wouldn't release him immediately, would certainly be tempted.

For Qi Xiu, however, such an ancient scripture was utterly useless.

"I don't want an ancient scripture. But if you have any Dharma Gates, techniques, secret treasures, or Magic Artifacts, I might consider it."

A cunning glint flashed in Qi Xiu's eyes. He squatted down nonchalantly and expertly rubbed his fingers together.

Extortion! He's trying to extort me!

"Most of the Dharma Gates, techniques, Magic Artifacts, and secret treasures I possess are suited for Demonic Cultivators. They wouldn't be of much use to you," the Lord of Night Peace said, forcing a smile as he explained earnestly.

"Then I bid you adieu."

Without a moment's hesitation, Qi Xiu stood up and turned to leave.

"Wait!"

With a gulp, the Lord of Night Peace spat an object out from his stomach: a palm-sized token, faintly flickering and etched with innumerable star patterns.

"This is called the Sky Wrath Earth Fiend Order! Once activated, it can channel the Qi of the Heavenly Gangs and Earthly Fiends to repel enemies. It's incredibly powerful; below the Dao Body Realm, no one can withstand it. The only drawback is that it consumes a lot of energy, but for a Thunder Magic cultivator like you, that shouldn't be a major issue. So, how about it? Can you release me now?"

Bending down, Qi Xiu picked up the token. Its surface glowed with star patterns arranged according to the Heavenly Gangs and Earthly Fiends, pulsing with a brilliant light. He nodded slightly.

"The item is nice. But to buy the life of a Dao Expert? I'm afraid it's not quite enough."

"You…"

A sense of foreboding welled up in his heart. The Lord of Night Peace suppressed the urge to curse aloud and, with a flick of his tongue, spat out another item.

It was a silk scarf, so light and delicate it seemed to contain an eternal flame. Its surface was adorned with fiery, dazzling script, from which emanated an alternating glow of deep red and orange. As it fluttered in the breeze, the entire scarf appeared to truly ignite, dancing gracefully in the air. The crimson markings resembled scorch marks left by Taiyang's kiss.

"The Formless Fire Emperor, the foremost divine skill of the Huode Star Sect from the Middle Ancient Era! I sense an extremely yang and pure fire Qi within you. If you cultivate this art, you can transform your body into fire—terrifying to the extreme."

"Very good, very good. This item greatly pleases me."

Picking up the silk scarf seemingly woven from firelight, Qi Xiu nodded repeatedly.

My Zixiao Tribulation Fire is incredibly potent, a fire of utmost yang and purity. But I've lacked a suitable Dharma Gate to wield it effectively. Usually, I can only use it as fuel for Alchemy. Now, with this "Boundless Fire Emperor" manual, I'll be able to wield Heavenly Thunder in my left hand and Tribulation Fire in my right. With thunder and fire combined, who could possibly be my match!

"This should be enough…" the Lord of Night Peace began.

"However, I think that even these two items combined are probably still not worth the life of a Dao Body Realm expert," Qi Xiu interjected.

Pocketing the fiery silk scarf, Qi Xiu's gaze shifted, landing once more on the Lord of Night Peace.

"This is extortion!" cried the Lord of Night Peace.

"Then I bid you farewell!"

"Wait!"

Completely at Qi Xiu's mercy, the Lord of Night Peace took a deep breath, coughed violently a few times, and an iron ruler, shaped like a discipline rod and showing faint images of mountain ranges on its surface, clattered to the ground.

"The Hundred Zhang Sumeru Ruler! It contains the Hundred Zhang Sumeru Divine Marvel and can change size at will. At its maximum, it can extend to ten thousand zhang, capable of shattering mountains and splitting rivers with a mere wave of the hand. It also harbors the power of the Sumeru Mountain King, allowing it to deliver an extremely domineering strike against the soul. Is that enough?"

"Not enough."

"Diamond Datura Cream, a secret medicine of Buddha! Consuming it will induce a state of Dharmic Revelation for three days, elevating your thoughts, wisdom, and comprehension to their peak…"

"Not enough."

"The Supreme Mystery Golden Tower Ship, capable of carrying ten thousand people into the sky…"

"Still not enough."

"The Peach Divine Marionette…"

"Not enough."

"The Spotted Bell Relic…"

"Not enough."

…

"Enough!"

The Lord of Night Peace's roar startled Qi Xiu, who was frantically stuffing items into his robes. Qi Xiu looked up in surprise and subconsciously replied, "It's not enough."

"I said, *you've had* enough!"

Gritting his teeth so hard they could have shattered, the Lord of Night Peace watched Qi Xiu continue to stash treasures into his sleeves even while looking up. He wished he could pounce on this avaricious scoundrel and tear him to shreds.

"I've given you so many things, and it's still not enough? Just how much do you want?!"

"I wasn't..."

Qi Xiu was about to explain when he saw three powerful, well-built figures descend from the sky. They instantly formed an encirclement, sealing and suppressing the surrounding space.

It's over…

Seeing the Sun Brothers catching up, the Lord of Night Peace took a deep breath, his eyes flickering as he glanced at Qi Xiu. "Not bad, kid. This Seat will remember you."

"Young brother, did you capture this old Devil Head?"

Seeing the tightly bound Lord of Night Peace, who looked resigned to his fate, the three Sun Brothers exchanged a look, a hint of surprise in their eyes, before turning to Qi Xiu.

"And you three are…?"

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Qi Xiu activated his Observing Qi Skill.

Before him stood three men who looked like simple farmers, yet they emanated a towering aura, as majestic as a jade pillar supporting the heavens. The profound Qi surrounding them seemed to merge them with the world itself—calm, grand, vast, and serene.

Three Dao Experts? Could they be… here for the source of the evil fruit?

Glancing at the Lord of Night Peace on the ground, then at the three Dao Experts before him, Qi Xiu began to understand. For so many Dao Experts to appear simultaneously, there could only be one reason: the source of the evil fruit, which had attracted countless eyes and was now lost in the wider world.

"Junior Qi Xiu of the Shenxiao Sect greets the three Seniors," Qi Xiu said with a slight bow, announcing his name and affiliation.

"Qi Xiu? I've heard your name. Yun Xiong is your master, correct? Years ago, when the Corpse Emperor emerged in Wanliu Mountain, he and I were ordered to eliminate it. So, in a way, I suppose I could be considered something of an elder to you."

Sun Shao'an smiled as he approached Qi Xiu, his gaze flickering as he assessed the young man. "Not bad. Your aura is strong and profound, like a vast ocean. Your eyes hold a hint of lightning, and your soul has already broken through the barrier of life and death. Judging by your bone age, you're not yet a hundred years old. Excellent, excellent! Yun Xiong has taken on a fine disciple."

After a few words of praise, Sun Shao'an approached the Lord of Night Peace, who was bound like a rice dumpling. Observing the rope, which seemed woven from golden threads and bore marks resembling Dragon Scales, Sun Shao'an's expression subtly changed.

"Look at you. If you had just come with us obediently earlier, none of this would have happened. A dignified Dao Body Realm Devil Head, extorted by a junior from the Blood-Stained Realm. Was it really worth all the trouble?"

"You… you were here all along?" The Lord of Night Peace's eyes widened abruptly, his heart clenching.

"Of course! If we'd shown up any earlier, how would this young fellow have had the chance to bleed you dry?" Sun Shao'an chuckled, patting the now-frenzied Lord of Night Peace. He then turned to Qi Xiu and said, "Qi Xiu, undo this rope. We need to take him back to report."

Nodding, Qi Xiu made a beckoning gesture, and the Dragon Binding Rope instantly transformed into a golden gleam, returning into his body.

"You've lent a significant hand in today's matter. Once we return, we'll ensure you're credited for your contribution," Sun Shao'an said, standing up while restraining the Lord of Night Peace, who was still struggling despite clearly being a spent force.

"This junior wouldn't dare claim undue credit; it was merely a small effort on my part. Besides, I should be thanking you three Seniors for allowing it to happen."

Shaking his now-heavy sleeves, Qi Xiu beamed.

This time, I've truly returned with a bountiful haul!

…

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