The five-colored divine radiance formed a magnificent halo that enveloped Liu Bai within it. No matter how fiercely the pitch-black Devouring Flame surged, it could not harm him inside the light.
If one looked closely, they would see that as the five-colored radiance circulated, the dark water element within continuously surged toward the flames, neutralizing them upon contact. As long as Liu Bai's spiritual energy remained sufficient, relying on the Five Elements' cycle of mutual generation, the Devouring Flame would be unable to break through his defense.
Seeing this, Liu Bai exhaled in relief.
It seemed that his decision to elevate his cultivation had been correct. Otherwise, with only the Five Elemental Divine Light of the Early-Phase of Heaven Transforming Realm, he would not have been able to withstand this Devouring Flame.
"You can actually resist the Devouring Flame?!" Ling Yun exclaimed in shock.
He had faced difficult opponents before, even those in the Late-phase of the Heaven Completion Realm, yet none had been able to resist his Devouring Flame. Every one of them could only watch helplessly as they were consumed by its infernal heat.
Though startled, Ling Yun did not panic. His strength far surpassed Liu Bai's, and he did not believe his opponent could escape alive. Besides, he still had one final trump card left unused.
Ling Yun's hair and beard fluttered as he pointed forward. Instantly, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth erupted, and a massive arc of spiritual light nearly a hundred meters long shot out from his fingertip.
Feeling the immense pressure emanating from the light arc, Liu Bai's expression turned grim. Ling Yun's strength was terrifying. The power contained within this single strike could easily kill even a cultivator in the Late-phase Heaven Transformation Realm.
Liu Bai's face hardened as earthy-yellow spiritual energy condensed rapidly around his fists. His arms seemed to carry the weight of a towering mountain as he struck out toward the light arc.
A deep, bone-rattling sound echoed through the air as the dome of the great hall exploded. Under the suppression of the divine mountain, the supposedly overwhelming spiritual light arc shattered into countless fragments that scattered like starlight.
Outside the hall, Liu Si was startled by the sudden explosion. When he looked up, he saw two brilliant arcs of spiritual energy rising into the sky.
"That's… impossible! Liu Bai? He's actually fighting Teacher to a standstill?"
Liu Si's jaw nearly dropped in disbelief.
The same confusion filled Ling Yun's mind.
Clearly, both master and disciple were equally stunned by Liu Bai's terrifying combat strength.
In that moment, Liu Bai's figure flashed amidst the scattering light. Accompanied by crackling thunder, he soared upward, appearing above Ling Yun in the blink of an eye. Black spiritual energy condensed rapidly around him as sigils of death emerged one after another. When the eighth sigil appeared, he finally stopped, and all eight violent Nether Death Seals blasted toward Ling Yun's head.
The Nether Death Seal was a divine art from the original text, only of Common-Grade High-Level, yet it had accompanied the protagonist throughout his early growth. The more seals one could form, the stronger its power became, granting it potential surpassing even Deity-grade Arts.
Although Liu Bai now possessed several Deity-grade Arts, he had never abandoned the Nether Death Seal. Each time his cultivation advanced, he would condense another seal. During his most recent seclusion, he had successfully formed the eighth Nether Death Seal.
Seeing Liu Bai rush in for close combat, Ling Yun's eyes turned icy. His fingers clenched tightly, and he threw a punch. A chilling wave of baleful spiritual energy filled the air, causing even the distant Liu Si to shiver uncontrollably.
"Devouring Demon Art!"
With a hoarse cry, the black spiritual energy around Ling Yun's body gathered violently, and his punch smashed into Liu Bai's Five Elemental Radiance Barrier. His fist seemed to carry the roar of a demonic king, exuding pure killing intent.
When the eight Nether Death Seals exploded, the terrifying backlash slammed into the shadowy apparition behind Ling Yun. Though that phantom was intangible, it was still blown away by the shockwave, forcing Ling Yun himself to retreat more than ten meters.
"This brat's close-combat power is this strong?!"
Ling Yun was shocked.
As an alchemist, he was not particularly skilled in battle, usually relying on overwhelming cultivation or his Devouring Flame to annihilate opponents. But despite the vast difference in their cultivation realms, Liu Bai was overpowering him through sheer combat might.
Liu Bai, however, didn't care to analyze it. In an instant, he charged forward again, unleashing a flurry of ferocious punches at Ling Yun.
Such a violent assault made Ling Yun lose his composure. For a moment, he was forced completely onto the defensive.
The clash between the two released shockwaves of immense spiritual energy that ravaged the valley. Entire buildings were obliterated under the force, shaking the entire Emerald Serenity Palace.
All the elders and disciples of the palace rushed out, raising their heads to gaze at the battle above.
"Liu Si, what is happening? Who dares to act so wildly within our Emerald Serenity Palace? Where is the Palace Master?" an elder demanded loudly.
As a mid-tier sect with tens of thousands of disciples, Emerald Serenity Palace was not solely reliant on Ling Yun's strength. Many within were powerful alchemists, though they rarely left their refining chambers and knew little of outside affairs.
Moreover, few knew the truth of Ling Yun's sinister actions. Other than Ling Yun and Liu Si, fewer than ten people were aware of his atrocities.
The elder questioning Liu Si belonged to the faction that had no knowledge of this. Since he was not close to Ling Yun, Liu Si merely cast him a disdainful glance and pointed toward the sky without replying.
"You—!"
The elder's face darkened in fury, but he dared not interfere without knowing what was going on. Whether this was a personal grudge or a matter involving the entire sect needed to be clarified first.
It was clear now that Emerald Serenity Palace was far from united.
After several rapid exchanges, Liu Bai realized that Ling Yun truly lacked battle experience. Perhaps he had killed many, but he had never fought anyone who could match him evenly. Now that his usual advantages had been neutralized, his weakness was completely exposed.
A thunderous boom echoed through the valley, and gasps filled the air.
Before everyone's eyes, their Palace Master's body was sent flying backward, dragging deep trenches across the ground before he stomped down to halt his retreat.
Ling Yun's once-grand robes were tattered, his body wreathed in flickering black flames, and a trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
The scene was almost impossible for the disciples to comprehend. The man they had always seen as invincible now looked utterly defeated.
Ling Yun wiped the blood from his lips, staring at his stained palm. His expression darkened completely.
"Good, very good. It seems I underestimated you. But do not think you can escape from me so easily!"
He roared furiously as his hands wove through a series of seals. An incredibly sinister aura began to spread from his body, causing the disciples below to tremble in disbelief.
The terrifying change in Ling Yun's appearance made Liu Bai tense. Yet, when he observed carefully, nothing unusual happened to the surrounding space. Even the lingering spiritual energy in the air was beginning to settle.
"What's going on?"
Liu Bai frowned. Could it be that the old man was bluffing?
What he did not know was that Ling Yun himself was even more confused. His mind buzzed with disbelief.
"Why isn't my Soul Guiding Technique working?"
"Could it have… lost its power?"
The thought terrified him. His hands trembled as he hastily formed more seals, but this time, his target was no longer Liu Bai.
"Ah!"
A miserable scream echoed through the air. The next moment, everyone below saw a figure suddenly erupt with a pitch-black aura. Columns of dark light shot out from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, and in mere moments, his body began to shrivel until only a pile of dry bones remained.
This horrifying scene terrified countless onlookers. The surrounding crowd immediately scattered in panic like a receding tide, each person staring at what they had just witnessed with shock and dread.
Liu Bai's gaze turned cold as he quickly realized what had happened. That man was likely one of the three cultivators who had consumed the Holy Spirit Pill. Judging by the state of his body, he must have taken it quite some time ago, which was why Ling Yun could kill him so easily.
"So that's what your little trick was for. Unfortunately for you, I never consumed your pill!" Liu Bai sneered coldly.
"Impossible! If you didn't consume my Holy Spirit Pill, how could you have advanced from the early to Late-phase of the Heaven Transformation Realm in just a few days?"
Ling Yun's denial came instantly. Even now, he refused to believe that Liu Bai hadn't taken his pill.
Yet as he recalled Liu Bai's earlier reaction, doubt crept into his mind. There seemed to be no other explanation.
This realization threw Ling Yun's heart into chaos.
"Buzz!"
His distracted state gave Liu Bai the perfect opportunity. Thunder surged around his hands, and six lightning swords instantly appeared, hovering in formation.
In the next instant, Liu Bai's hand seals shifted.
The six lightning swords streaked across the air, tearing through space. When they reappeared, they were already before Ling Yun.
"Not good!"
The blinding lightning forced Ling Yun's eyes shut, and the shock snapped him back to his senses.
But it was too late. He could no longer defend himself. All he could do was unleash his full spiritual power, using the Devouring Flame to form a protective barrier as he braced himself against Liu Bai's Thunder Sword Art.
In the sky, lightning filled the heavens. The disciples of the Emerald Serenity Palace could only watch as their Palace Master was enveloped by a towering black phantom a hundred meters tall.
The sharp, tearing sound of fabric echoed through the sky. The next moment, six massive wounds appeared on the phantom's body. Endless black energy surged from those gashes, and the enormous phantom rapidly shrank until it fused back into Ling Yun's skin.
At the same time, six deep wounds appeared across Ling Yun's body. Bright red blood poured from them, quickly dyeing his entire form crimson.
A severe injury.
Ling Yun had never suffered such a devastating blow. The six lightning swords had shattered his internal organs, while the rampaging thunder energy paralyzed his body and prevented his spiritual power from repairing the damage.
Liu Bai knew exactly what to do next.
"Five Element Divine Thunder Art, Geng Metal Tribulation Lightning, descend!"
"Five Element Divine Thunder Art, Yi Wood Divine Lightning, descend!"
"Five Element Divine Thunder Art, Kui Water Divine Lightning, descend!"
"Five Element Divine Thunder Art, Bing Fire Divine Lightning, descend!"
"Five Element Divine Thunder Art, Wu Earth Divine Lightning, descend!"
With each fierce shout, beams of white, green, black, red, and yellow thunder roared down from the heavens, merging into an ocean of divine lightning that struck Ling Yun's body.
Even a cultivator at the Late-phase of the Heaven Completion Realm would be unable to emerge unscathed when facing this most ferocious lightning art of the Great Thousand World.
Moreover, Ling Yun practiced an evil art. His sinister spiritual power was completely countered by the Five Element Divine Thunder, which doubled the damage inflicted upon him.
When the lightning finally dissipated, Ling Yun had vanished completely, not even a speck of dust left behind.
"Ding, congratulations to the player for slaying an enemy at a higher realm, Late-phase Heaven Completion Realm. Gained five times experience reward, receiving two hundred fifty thousand experience points and two hundred Spiritual Pulse Awakening Points."
The terrifying battle in the sky left everyone in the Emerald Serenity Palace utterly stunned. Panic spread like wildfire, and many began fleeing toward the valley entrance.
Among them was a familiar figure—Liu Si.
However, before he could escape the palace, a streak of golden light silently shot from behind him, piercing through his chest.
"Nether Soul Arrow Art, Soul Seizure!"
Perhaps Liu Si's strength was too low, or maybe his luck had simply run out, but the fifty-percent chance of soul annihilation activated instantly, erasing his spirit completely.
Seeing Liu Bai strike down another disciple, the remaining members of the Emerald Serenity Palace scattered in terror.
No one stepped forward to defend their sect or avenge their fallen Palace Master.
This made Liu Bai realize just how fractured and disunited the Emerald Serenity Palace truly was.
In truth, Ling Yun had long since neglected his sect, obsessed only with stealing the lives of others to refine himself. The sect had been on the verge of collapse for a long time. The only reason it held together was because of Ling Yun's personal strength suppressing all dissent. Now that he was dead, the Emerald Serenity Palace instantly fell apart.
Liu Bai rubbed his forehead helplessly. He hadn't come here to slaughter anyone. His original goal had been to find the Green Spirit Bird. Everything that followed was nothing more than coincidence. He was not the kind of man who killed without reason.
Of course, whether the Fan Family of Mu City would believe that was another matter entirely.
...
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