After leaving the Burial Sword Tomb of the Thunderstorm, Luo Xiu and his two companions headed straight for Mount Green Hills.

However, Thunder Swamp was vast, and the journey to Mount Green Hills was long. Yue Ya was injured and couldn't fly continuously with Luo Xiu and Su Shenyun, so the trio often stopped to rest, hunting the weak beasts in Thunder Swamp for sustenance.

「Two days passed in a blur.」

"The 'Wild Thunder Destroying Divine Lance' Brother Xiong passed on to me is truly profound. If I were to use the Aura of the Dead to cast this technique... I'm really looking forward to its power," Luo Xiu mused, sitting cross-legged under an ancient, blue-leafed tree while meditating on the Demon Art taught by Kuang Pi.

He had an extraordinary comprehension ability. Since childhood, he felt that all arts were interconnected, allowing him to learn anything quickly. After practicing it several times, he now thoroughly understood the Demon Art and had integrated it completely.

"You're truly worthy of being called Big Brother. This comprehension is simply heaven-defying! I remember you learned my Necromancy just as quickly," Lin Tong promptly flattered. He then added, "However, I'm guessing that the original form of this Demon Art was a Divine Skill. That Mountain Sea Fierce Bear is no simpleton either; he managed to simplify a flawed Divine Skill and create a powerful Demon Art based on it."

"What are Divine Skills?" Luo Xiu asked curiously, hearing the term for the first time.

Lin Tong thought for a moment before replying, "The origin of Divine Skills is untraceable, but in essence, they are also a form of Taoist Arts. They've already told you the difference between Taoist Arts and Demon Arts, but Divine Skills surpass both. In short, they are Taoist Arts that both humans and demons can cultivate unconditionally."

"They are called Divine Skills because when cast, they carry a divine aura. Once used, they can cause extraordinary phenomena to appear in the heavens and change the very colors of the sky and earth!" he continued. "Or, Big Brother, you can just think of them as the ultimate Taoist Arts used by gods."

"Gods, huh..." Luo Xiu gently rubbed his left eye. This eye was the eye of a god.

What exactly is a god? And where are they?

"Sigh!" Lin Tong sighed deeply and said, "Big Brother, the planet you live on isn't called Earth in our Spirit Realm. We know it as the Kunlun Ancient Realm. This planet has a history of billions of years. In that long river of time, how many powerful civilizations have existed? How many mighty beings have been born? Did beings such as gods ever exist? Who can really say for sure? There are just so many ancient secrets worth exploring on this planet."

Luo Xiu nodded gently. "Our so-called human history is only a few thousand years old. We've only entered what we call modern civilization for a mere one or two hundred years. It sounds like a long time, but compared to billions of years, it's nothing more than the blink of an eye. In the end, we are just specks of dust in these endless eons. The number of secrets buried in the river of time behind us is unimaginably vast, so the existence of gods wouldn't be surprising."

As the two were lost in thought, the sky and earth suddenly changed color.

A swirling black cloud materialized in the sky, containing two glowing orbs that shone like suns. Their beams of light were like immense swords piercing the void, exuding a terrifying might as if doomsday had arrived.

Those two sun-like orbs were a pair of eyes.

Su Shenyun, who was roasting meat nearby, was shocked. "They've found us!"

"I'm injured," Yue Ya said urgently. "We should run!"

But Luo Xiu chose not to flee. He looked up at the sky, his lips curling into a smile.

"Since losing my cultivation, my fighting spirit has waned. I've been timid when facing powerful foes... I can't keep running. It doesn't matter if he's strong or not, it's time to fight! This is also a good chance to try out the new Demon Art I've learned."

These words were a realization he had come to over the past two days, an epiphany that embodied the very spirit required for the Wild Thunder Destroying Divine Lance.

If I am not wild myself, how can the Wild Thunder be wild? In this realization, I must find myself again and reignite my will to fight!

At this moment, both Su Shenyun and Yue Ya noticed a significant change in his demeanor. Su Shenyun's beautiful eyes trembled, as if she was once again seeing the man who had first descended from the mountains into Sea City. That man, with the air of an unparalleled warrior, had stomped over countless enemies on his path.

Within the black cloud above, a massive and ugly human face flickered in and out of view. It belonged to a colossal dragon with a snake's body and a human's head, its form as immense and staggering as a mountain range.

In its eyes, all of creation appeared as ants.

Yet Luo Xiu, looking up from below, met its gaze with an air of condescending superiority.

"Kneel and bind yourself! That is the greatest grace I can offer you!" Zhu Hui's voice, like that of a deity, echoed between heaven and earth.

Luo Xiu smiled faintly. "Obey me and become my mount. I'll take you to a zoo to make some money. That's the best fate for you."

"Heh, an ignorant fool who doesn't know his place. You've truly made me laugh," came the reply from above.

Luo Xiu retorted, "Then come down here and kowtow to me. Let's see just how filial you are."

"Kid, are you fucking asking for death?!"

The face in the black cloud distorted with rage. It opened its mouth and spat out a blast of white dragon's breath. Carrying terrifying might, the breath descended like a pillar of divine punishment, threatening to pierce through the world itself.

Luo Xiu took a slow, deep breath. He mobilized the Aura of the Dead from the Reaper's Charm Script in his right arm, took a sudden step forward, clenched his hand into a fist, and threw a punch toward the sky.

"Luo Tian's Control over Xuanzhong."

"Second Form."

"Blazing Sun!"

In an instant, black flames bloomed across the world, coalescing into countless fist shadows that shot toward the dragon's breath. Those myriad phantoms, formed from the Aura of the Dead, seemed to corrode space itself as they passed, leaving a trail of eerie light in their wake.

Even Luo Xiu was taken aback. This was the first time he had used the Aura of the Dead to cast a technique from Luo Tian's Control over Xuanzhong, and he had never expected such an effect.

In just a moment, the dragon's breath spewed by Zhu Hui was completely devoured by the black flame fists.

"So powerful!" Watching from the side, Yue Ya's beautiful eyes trembled as she stared at Luo Xiu in disbelief. With a human body and a cultivation at the Gathering Spirit Realm, he had just gone head-to-head with a Rank 8 Demon Beast, the Fire Dragon!

A Rank 8 Demon Beast was equivalent to a human Cultivator at the Mahayana Realm, several major realms above the Gathering Spirit Realm. Moreover, this was a Fire Dragon, a member of the innately powerful Demon Race!

"Kid, you've got some tricks."

"Watch me devour mountains and rivers!"

Immediately, a terrifying suction force locked onto them. The ancient blue-leafed tree behind Luo Xiu snapped and shattered, uprooted and sent flying into the sky. Yue Ya stepped forward, her five fox tails swiftly extending. Two of them wrapped around Luo Xiu and Su Shenyun, while the other three burrowed deep into the ground, anchoring them against the pull.

Luo Xiu had experienced this devouring ability before, so he didn't dare be careless. However, he was also very confident in his Aura of the Dead.

"Since you're so eager to suck something up, I'll let you have your fill!"

He immediately released all the Aura of the Dead from his Reaper's Charm Script, while also using his left eye to tap into the Land of Lawlessness and draw even more of it over.

"Well, well, well, kid. Getting desperate, are we?" Zhu Hui's taunting voice echoed through the heavens.

Luo Xiu smiled. "Wouldn't you be, if a dog were biting you?"

"You little motherfucker..." Zhu Hui was so thoroughly rebuffed he was left speechless.

「At the same time.」

Standing on the head of Zhu Hui's true form, Xia Chan furrowed her fine brows. Watching the stream of the Aura of the Dead being sucked upward, she suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"Zhu Hui, stop! You can't absorb that kind of spiritual energy!"

"Hehe, Your Majesty, don't worry! Our Fire Dragon clan's Mountain Sea Stomach can refine anything!" Zhu Hui boasted. "I know what this kid is trying to pull. He wants to kill me with this disgusting black energy, but he's severely underestimating our clan's divine might! See? I've already swallowed so much, and I'm perfectly fine!"

Xia Chan said no more.

A few moments later, Luo Xiu suddenly stopped releasing the Aura of the Dead.

Zhu Hui laughed. "See, Your Majesty? The kid knows his little trick is useless against me, so he gave up."

"Descend first," Xia Chan said, her face devoid of expression. "You can't capture them with this move alone."

With Yue Ya present, her powerful cultivation allowed her to resist the suction of the devouring ability, preventing Zhu Hui from actually sucking Luo Xiu's group into his mouth.

Zhu Hui then transformed into his human form, descending from the sky with Xia Chan to land in front of the trio.

"Kid, out of tricks? Your spiritual energy is a bit troublesome, I'll admit, but it has no effect whatsoever on my Mountain Sea Stomach," Zhu Hui sneered, looking at Luo Xiu as if he were an ant. "Daring to show off such petty cleverness is just embarrassing."

Luo Xiu replied, "It's rare to see someone with a maxed-out IQ who hasn't paid their taxes."

Zhu Hui's gaze turned dark. "A sharp tongue won't change your fate!"

Luo Xiu simply smiled and snapped his fingers.

Instantly, Zhu Hui's eyes widened. An expression of agony twisted his features as he clutched his stomach and slowly doubled over.

"Kid... what did you do to me?!"

Luo Xiu looked at him with a half-smile. "You should listen to your elders more. When you're out and about, don't just shove anything into your stomach."

Previously, Luo Xiu had deliberately suppressed the Aura of the Dead so that Zhu Hui wouldn't sense anything was wrong. That way, the Fire Dragon would absorb it frantically without any reservations. Now that a substantial amount of the Aura of the Dead was inside Zhu Hui's belly, Luo Xiu had released the suppression, allowing it to detonate with its full power.

"You... you're despicable!" Zhu Hui glared at Luo Xiu with pure hatred. He quickly retreated, sat down cross-legged, and attempted to forcibly expel the Aura of the Dead from his body. He could feel it spreading through his entire being, madly eroding his flesh and devouring his life force, as if countless ghostly hands were dragging him down to Hell.

"Looks like you're getting desperate too," Luo Xiu remarked lightly.

Zhu Hui gritted his teeth and pleaded with Xia Chan, "Your Majesty, please stall them! Once I recover, I will tear this kid into a million pieces!"

Xia Chan stepped forward, her expression indifferent as she looked at Luo Xiu. "Playing clever little tricks won't change your fate."

A black energy rippled around Luo Xiu's body. "That's what your pet beef jerky said a moment ago."

Xia Chan swept her gaze over the three of them, her tone detached. "To capture you, I alone am enough."

She was fully confident in her Wicked Tenderness Technique, which was now complete. This technique was, in its true form, a Divine Skill.

She waved her jade-like hand, tossing a token into the air. It instantly burst into a brilliant golden light.

Su Shenyun rushed toward Luo Xiu. "Not good! It's the Summoning Order again!"

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