Translator: CinderTL
Zuoqiu Yi stared blankly at Xu Sanyan, then glanced dazedly at the withered corpse. Lin Fan's words echoed in her mind:
The holy son never slaughters the innocent.
In an instant, she recalled her Third Sister's warning:
Demonic sect disciples are unworthy of trust. They are called "demonic" because they lack humanity.
He lied to me...
Zuoqiu Yi's heart churned with conflicting emotions, her perception of Lin Fan beginning to waver.
Zuoqiu Shu felt a mix of shock and dread. She clenched her fists tightly, then slowly relaxed them, silently reminding herself: They are indeed demonfolk of the Demonic Path. I must maintain my distance from them from now on.
Jingyi looked up, sighing inwardly. Such a formidable physique...
He had already cultivated the Great Luo Golden Body to the seventh layer, his physical body as resilient as an ordinary magic artifact. Yet the violent backlash from Xu Sanyan's strike had injured his internal organs. How could this man appear...
Completely unscathed?
Xu Sanyan's greatest strength had never been his cultivation level or mystical arts, but his physical body, forged by heavenly earth treasures, and the persistent blood mist that clung to him.
Xu Sanyan's physical body could withstand direct clashes with mystical arts, while the blood mist surrounding him weakened the arts' power and slowed their impact. This combination granted him a resilience far beyond their expectations.
Wei Xunzhi blinked her beautiful eyes, completely unfazed by Xu Sanyan's cannibalistic act. She remained lost in the afterglow of their fierce clash, still reeling from the intensity.
Only now did she truly grasp the gulf between herself and the world's genuine top-tier geniuses.
Snakes, insects, rats, ants, venomous centipedes—all these are mere parlor tricks, worthy only of ridicule, she thought bitterly. Yet she had once taken such pride in them. Wei Xunzhi curled her lips into a self-mocking smile, its edges tinged with bitterness.
Jingyi's single finger strike earlier had rendered all her venomous creatures utterly useless. One touch, and they were annihilated.
Sigh...
On the other side, Qi Liang clutched his chest, blood seeping from his lips. His longsword drooped weakly toward the ground as he watched Xu Sanyan's arrogant figure, his eyes flickering with complex emotions.
Fang Qingge's expression grew even more solemn, a flicker of concern surfacing in his heart. It seems the demonic sect has produced two truly formidable figures in this generation...
Qi Liang, though previously known for his reputation, had seemed no more formidable than Wei Xunzhi, Lu Wang, Jiang Yan, and others. Fang Qingge never imagined his actual strength would rival his own.
Qi Liang's mastery of sword intent was on par with Fang Qingge's Qingge Sword Intent. Despite being only at the Initial Stage of Dao Seeking, he could hold his own against Fang Qingge, who was at the Mid Stage. This was truly a force to be reckoned with.
Fang Qingge then turned his gaze to Xu Sanyan. This man was even more formidable. Not only was his cultivation level comparable to Fang Qingge's, but his physical body could withstand mystical arts. His aura of savage ferocity resembled that of a demonic god, inspiring awe and fear.
Mo Xianxian exchanged a glance with Fang Qingge, and their eyes simultaneously locked onto Qi Liang.
Delay breeds danger. We must strike swiftly and decisively!
Qi Liang sensed the dire situation. Already struggling against their combined assault, he knew that if this continued, he might truly meet his fate here.
Though Mo Xianxian usually kept a low profile, her strength was no less formidable than Fang Qingge's.
Gritting his teeth, Qi Liang abruptly pulled out a three-finger-wide jade slip. He hurled it forcefully into the air. The translucent jade caught the sunlight, refracting brilliant, dazzling colors.
"Brother Xu, catch!"
Qi Liang roared, hurling the jade slip directly at Xu Sanyan. This desperate move was his only chance; clinging to it any longer would mean certain death.
As expected, the moment the jade slip appeared, it instantly drew everyone's attention. No one paid Qi Liang any further mind, allowing him to seize the opportunity to retreat.
Fang Qingge's head swiveled, his gaze locked on the jade slip. He crouched slightly, then shot into the air like a meteor.
Mo Xianxian refused to be outdone. With a delicate flick of her fingers and a soft incantation, she commanded, "Freeze!"
Jingyi finally understood as he watched the scene unfold. This wasn't some grand battle between righteous and demonic forces; it was a desperate scramble for this artifact.
How foolish I was to be used as Fang Qingge's pawn, he thought bitterly, risking my life against Xu Sanyan like a fool. No wonder he called me an idiot.
Jingyi shook his head with a wry smile, yet harbored no resentment. Subduing demons and monsters had always been his true calling.
The jade slip hovered motionless in mid-air. Xu Sanyan abandoned the "Little Bald Donkey" without a second thought, his feet generating gusts of wind as he surged toward the suspended artifact.
All eyes turned skyward, watching as two streaks of light—one white, one crimson—shot toward the jade slip. Everyone wondered: into whose hands would it ultimately fall?
In full view of the crowd, a figure darted ahead of Xu Sanyan and Fang Qingge, snatched the jade slip, and landed gracefully.
All eyes turned to him.
It was Jiang Yan. By sheer coincidence, he had been standing directly beneath the jade slip when Mo Xianxian froze it in place above his head. With a simple leap, the slip fell into his hand.
Jiang Yan's face lit up with joy. Though he didn't know what information the jade slip contained, the fierce competition for it suggested it was extraordinary. Now that it was in his possession, wasn't this proof of his destined fate?
Such an opportunity was meant for him!
Zuoqiu Yi watched from afar, her eyes widening in shock. How dare he?! she thought. Has he always been this reckless?
Doesn't he realize who he's messing with? None of those people vying for the slip are someone he can afford to provoke!
Zuoqiu Zhen glanced at her eldest sister, her mind focused not on the jade slip but on the thought: Two men who like you are about to fight, though not for you...
Wei Xunzhi shook her head, inwardly cursing Jiang Yan as a fool.
"Young Master, quickly throw it to Young Master Fang!"
The Jiang Family elder was horrified. He shouted urgently, "How dare you touch that?! Are you trying to die?!"
Jiang Yan hesitated. He considered himself a member of the righteous dao, aligned with Fang Qingge. Moreover, he had participated in the earlier attack on Qi Liang. Surely Fang Qingge would protect him from Xu Sanyan... wouldn't he?
In a blur, a crimson figure over ten feet tall materialized before him, radiating overwhelming power. Before Jiang Yan could react, he was seized and lifted into the air.
"You dare! Put me down!" Jiang Yan roared.
"Stop!"
"Release the Young Master immediately!"
The Jiang Family elders, their faces pale with alarm, drew their swords and charged forward, desperate to rescue their Young Master. Jiang Yan was the Clan Head's only son, a figure of paramount importance whose loss would be catastrophic.
Xu Sanyan ignored their cries. His four arms gripped Jiang Yan's shoulders, a cruel grin twisting his face. With a savage tear, he ripped off Jiang Yan's arms, exposing jagged bone fragments and crimson blood that instantly soaked the young man's robes.
"Aaaah!"
Jiang Yan threw his head back and screamed in agony. The searing pain flooded his mind, his body writhing instinctively like a maggot, yet he couldn't break free. For a moment, he remained alive.
Xu Sanyan casually tossed Jiang Yan's mangled body toward the approaching Jiang Family members. Clenching the severed arm, he gently opened his palm to reveal a crystalline jade slip resting within.
"Finally... it's mine."
Xu Sanyan retrieved the jade slip, flipped it over, and shoved it into his mouth. Slowly, he raised his head, his pitch-black eyes sweeping over the figures before him.
Fang Qingge stood at the forefront, his expression grave, the Jade Clarity Longsword in his hand. Mo Xianxian stood to his left, her arms folded, while Luo Qingwei, her face contorted with fury, stood to his right. A quick glance revealed Jingyi had also joined the encirclement.
Enemies on all sides!
(End of the Chapter)
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