Translator: AnubisTL

In Li Qing's hands, the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame erupted with formidable power, forming blossoms of black flames that devoured the spiritual energy Immortal Cranes summoned by True Lord Xuan He.

In an instant, Li Qing had seized absolute dominance in the battle.

True Lord Xuan He's face twisted with grim realization. He knew he had already shown signs of weakness, and the rogue cultivators would soon swarm him like wolves on a wounded beast.

A primal sense of danger surged within him.

Enveloped in black flames, Li Qing slowly raised his hand.

Throughout this battle, he had deliberately refrained from using his signature techniques—the Netherworld Cold Fire and the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer—to avoid prematurely revealing his true identity. He intended to deal with Ancestor Xuan He of the Shangqing Sect as an ordinary rogue cultivator.

This was precisely why he had deliberately spread rumors to lure cultivators from across the Ice Plains to this location.

Hum!

A massive seal formed from pitch-black flames materialized in Li Qing's palm, radiating an aura that sent shivers down the spines of those who witnessed it.

The Shattered Origin Great Fire Seal!

Since Li Qing broke through to the mid Core Formation Realm, the power of this divine ability had become even more formidable!

The great fire seal, nourished day and night within his dantian qi sea by the Spirit Devouring Demon Flame, had steadily grown in power.

But that wasn't all. The seven-colored life essence within Li Qing's body surged rapidly, flowing through his meridians and permeating the great fire seal.

Myriad Lives Demonic Art, Transformation Chapter—Empower!

Boom!

At that moment, even space itself seemed to tremble faintly. Whether this was due to the enhanced power of the vital essence-empowered shattered origin great fire seal or the extreme heat distorting the surrounding air, the effect was undeniable.

Perhaps it was both.

But there was no time for True Lord Xuan He to react. Li Qing's movements, though seemingly slow, were actually lightning-fast!

The pitch-black shattered origin great fire seal shot forth, as if tearing through the fabric of space, and reached True Lord Xuan He in an instant.

"Explode!" Li Qing murmured inwardly. With a slight shift of his will, the shattered origin great fire seal detonated without warning!

Boom!

A terrifying torrent of flames erupted like a colossal tidal wave, while a surge of spiritual energy formed a shockwave that instantly swept outward.

The entire Ice Plains was violently affected. The extreme heat melted the accumulated snow, and waves of energy rippled outward in concentric circles.

For hundreds of miles around, the ground trembled as if struck by an earthquake, triggering an avalanche on a distant snow mountain.

But no one present cared about these consequences. The rogue cultivators' faces were etched with shock, their eyes wide with disbelief.

The power of this single strike was truly terrifying!

What had become of True Lord Xuan He?

All eyes locked onto the epicenter of the explosion, everyone anxiously awaiting the answer.

The other core formation realm rogue cultivators felt a deep sense of dread. They knew they couldn't have withstood such an attack, at least not without suffering grievous injuries.

After a long moment, as the snowmelt-generated steam rapidly dissipated under the intense scrutiny, True Lord Xuan He's figure emerged.

His robes were tattered, his body covered in gruesome wounds that bled profusely onto the ground.

Scattered around him were charred feathers, likely crane feathers used to ward off the calamity.

Despite this, True Lord Xuan He had suffered severe injuries, unable to recover for a long time, his vital energy critically depleted.

Li Qing, however, refrained from pressing the attack. The other cultivators present were now eyeing True Lord Xuan He with predatory glares.

"Heh, fellow cultivators," Li Qing said, "this man might genuinely possess information related to the Pure Yang Physique. Why don't we join forces to capture him?"

With Li Qing's words, the rogue cultivators finally succumbed to their greed.

They swarmed True Lord Xuan He like wolves on a wounded prey, launching a relentless assault.

Even a few audacious late foundation establishment realm rogue cultivators joined in, occasionally unleashing flying sword strikes!

It was clear that True Lord Xuan He had reached the end of his road.

Li Qing, however, didn't participate in this foregone conclusion. His cold gaze swept over the remaining Shangqing Sect foundation establishment realm elders fleeing for their lives before he ruthlessly pursued the last survivors.

With his current cultivation level, dealing with these foundation establishment realm elders was child's play. Li Qing didn't even let them escape far before slaughtering the remaining Shangqing Sect elders to the last man.

"Don't blame me for being cruel and merciless," Li Qing murmured inwardly. "What the Shangqing Sect did to my Lingyun Sect back then was far more egregious than this."

He slowly retracted the pitch-black flames in his hand, then gathered up the remaining storage pouches and turned to leave.

He didn't join the pursuit of True Lord Xuan He, choosing instead to depart.

His reason was simple: he was concerned about the jade pendant True Lord Xuan He had crushed earlier.

If his suspicions were correct, the pendant was likely a means of summoning reinforcements.

Considering the Shangqing Sect's collusion with the Taiyi Sect, and the fact that they were currently on Taiyi Sect territory, Li Qing decided to avoid a direct confrontation with the Taiyi Sect's experts. Instead, he would leave the task of ending True Lord Xuan He's life to the other rogue cultivators present.

Within the Taiyi Sect, on a mountain peak steeped in spiritual energy:

"What's happened? Xuan He shattered the token I gave him. Wasn't he tracking Bing Yun? Could something have gone wrong?"

A restless voice echoed from a cave abode on the mountain.

Soon, the cave's restriction dissolved, and an elderly woman emerged, her face weathered and her hair as white as snow.

Moments later, another figure swooped down from the sky:

"Fellow Daoist Wen Xing, why have you suddenly emerged from seclusion? You haven't yet succeeded in nascent soul formation, have you?"

Indeed, the elderly woman in the cave abode was Wen Xing, the Shangqing Sect's most senior core formation ancestor.

After years of painstaking cultivation in the Great Wilderness Domain, the Shangqing Sect had finally reaped some rewards.

By leveraging the domain's high-grade spiritual veins, the sect had allowed its bottlenecked ancestors to come here and attempt breakthroughs.

Of course, obtaining these benefits had come at a considerable cost.

Wen Xing said gravely, "One of our Shangqing Sect's supreme elders may have met with misfortune. This has unsettled my Dao Heart, preventing me from focusing on my breakthrough."

The Taiyi Sect's supreme elder fell silent for a moment before asking, "Are you referring to Fellow Daoist Xuan He? I recall he left to investigate someone."

"Yes, him. I suspect something has happened to him," Wen Xing replied, her expression grave.

(End of the Chapter)

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