Chapter 676: Consecutive Beheadings of Two People

Pure Nine-Lotus Lantern

After Chen Mobai's external incarnation received the anointing, it had reached the Celestial Star realm. Although it lacked the corresponding spiritual essence and malevolent energy, the arm, condensed from his Five-Element Sword Fiend, possessed some fourth-tier characteristics. With this, he extended his hand to grasp the Violet Lightning Sword, signifying Chen Mobai's true all-out effort.

Once the Violet Lightning Sword was controlled by the enormous transparent arm, shimmering with multi-colored light, there was no longer any need to worry about its overwhelming power harming Chen Mobai's physical body. Amidst a thunderous roar, a dazzling purple lightning bolt plummeted from the sky, absorbed by the upright, unadorned, yet majestic sword.

As the Violet Lightning Sword, inch by inch, pressed against the Golden Mist Pearl, it suddenly lit up with a brilliant radiance, shining in all directions like a lightning bolt exploding mid-air, instantly piercing through all the surrounding darkness with its glare. Under Xuan Shu's disbelieving gaze, his right hand, clutching the Golden Mist Pearl, crackled loudly. Then, flesh burst open, revealing five stark white finger bones. He tried to release the Golden Mist Pearl, but at that moment, the magical artifact clung tightly to him. In mere blinks, Xuan Shu's palm and finger bones completely shattered. Finally, accompanied by a hazy mist of blood, his entire right hand exploded and flew outwards.

Xuan Shu's physical body also couldn't withstand such terrifying fourth-tier power. Because the Golden Mist Pearl sensed the increasingly dreadful power of the Violet Lightning Sword's strike, it instinctively unleashed an even greater force to resist, to avoid being shattered. As a result, Xuan Shu's spiritual energy in his Dantian Qi Sea was almost completely drained, and his right hand exploded. With his right hand gone, Xuan Shu finally broke free from the Golden Mist Pearl's restraint. His eyes nearly burst from their sockets. He pulled a handful of pills from his storage bag and stuffed them into his mouth, then unleashed his Wind Escape to its maximum, fleeing without looking back towards the area outside Mount Changzhuan!

Whoosh! A green light needle, appearing from nowhere, shot forth, piercing Xuan Shu's protective wind wall and embedding itself in his Dantian Qi Sea. Just as Xuan Shu was about to be crippled, a jade pendant hanging on him suddenly shimmered with a bright spiritual glow. With a bang, the jade pendant shattered, but the green light needle was halted, then vanished into thin air. "Oh, a Substitute Death Talisman? You certainly have a lot of good stuff!" Zhou Shengqing's voice rang out. His figure had already appeared mid-air, blocking Xuan Shu's path. The moment he appeared, all the ambient spiritual energy of heaven and earth around Mount Changzhuan surged towards him, centering on him! "Nascent Soul!? This is impossible!" Seeing such a characteristic scene, Xuan Shu blurted out in disbelief. He couldn't believe that someone could form a Nascent Soul in a mere backwater like the Eastern Wilderness!

"When I first formed my Nascent Soul, I wasn't familiar with controlling my power, which is why you escaped. I didn't expect you'd come back to your death a second time!" Zhou Shengqing said with a smile, slowly removing the wooden mask from his face. According to their prior discussion, he was portraying himself as a Nascent Soul cultivator who had achieved a normal breakthrough, not a Dharma Body Nascent Soul! "You actually succeeded in forming your Nascent Soul!" Seeing Zhou Shengqing with his own eyes, Xuan Shu could only wear a bitter expression, no matter how much he disbelieved it.

Not far away, Xuan Qi, who had been observing the outcome of Chen Mobai and Xuan Shu's battle, gasped when he saw Zhou Shengqing in mid-air, with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth swirling around him. Remembering what he had just said, he finally understood how incredibly lucky he was; he had already circled the gates of hell several times. Xuan Qi didn't hesitate. He quietly shifted his body, hid in a shadow, pulled out a silver talisman from his storage bag, and immediately prepared to escape! "Senior Brother Xuan Qi, I'll help you hold him back! Once you return to Mount Mingjing, be sure to tell Master this news and avenge me!" But just then, Xuan Shu in the sky suddenly shouted loudly to Xuan Qi, who was activating his Heaven Escape Talisman, and then pulled out an ancient, dark blue talisman.

"Damn you, Xuan Shu, may you die a horrible death..." Xuan Qi, however, immediately cursed loudly at this moment. Sure enough, Zhou Shengqing, mid-air, immediately turned his gaze. Locked onto by the Nascent Soul's divine sense, Xuan Qi bit the tip of his tongue, using his vital blood to activate his trump card, a fourth-tier Golden Light Divine Talisman, unleashing it to cover both Zhou Shengqing and Xuan Shu in the sky. At the same time, silver light flickered; the Heaven Escape Talisman had been activated and was about to transport him away.

But Xuan Qi suddenly felt a surge of heat from behind. A figure, flickering with flames, appeared behind him. Then, a faint white glow slipped in just before the Heaven Escape Talisman's light barrier fully sealed. Blood light flashed! Xuan Qi, over four hundred years old, displayed his extensive combat experience. He cast a body-protection technique he had painstakingly cultivated for years, tearing off his own left hand to form a shield of bloody light, which astonishingly blocked the Extreme Yang Slash! Seeing this, Chen Mobai couldn't help but nod slightly. As expected of a Heavenly River Realm cultivator, their life-saving techniques were endless. In the meantime, the Heaven Escape Talisman had been fully activated. A silver light shield enveloped Xuan Qi's entire body. He clutched his severed arm in pain, glaring ferociously at Chen Mobai. Just as he was about to utter some harsh words, a heaven-piercing green divine light descended from above, heavily striking the Heaven Escape Talisman's light shield. The Divine Wood Light, propelled by Zhou Shengqing's Longevity True Qi, directly tore open a gap in the light shield. Chen Mobai, who had just intended to activate the Void Blade, no longer wasted time, lest Xuan Qi had other life-saving tricks up his sleeve and prolong the situation. He immediately activated his Myriad Dharma Body, extending the Violet Lightning Sword and thrusting it into the opening! Although Xuan Qi was severely weakened, his desire for survival remained strong. He opened his mouth and spat out a golden seal, clearly his Natal Artifact. Although its grade was inferior to the Violet Lightning Sword, it still managed to block the incoming sword blade under his desperate efforts. However, the golden seal also developed tiny cracks. But if he could hold on for just one more second, Xuan Qi would be transported away by the Heaven Escape Talisman. Yet, at that very moment, a faint white glow suddenly appeared in his vision, and then he felt a chill at his neck. His entire head had already flown off. The blood-light shield he had formed with his maimed body had, unknowingly, been sliced through by the Extreme Yang Slash. Xuan Qi, having not noticed this detail, was directly decapitated.

After slaying Xuan Qi, Chen Mobai once again used his Ground-Leaving Flame Light Escape, flying into mid-air. Xuan Shu, seizing the moment Zhou Shengqing's attention was diverted, also activated his Heaven Escape Talisman! Furthermore, the fourth-tier Golden Light Divine Talisman unleashed by Xuan Qi bought him even more time. Although Zhou Shengqing possessed Nascent Soul strength, fourth-tier talismans could still harm him, so he had to employ his Spiritual Leaf Art to defend. He then saw Xuan Qi attempting to escape using the Heaven Escape Talisman and immediately hurled down a Divine Wood Light from a distance. But at this moment, Xuan Shu's fourth-tier River-Turning Talisman also erupted towards him. To Zhou Shengqing's surprise, this talisman could link with the fourth-tier Golden Light Talisman. Under the interplay of metal and water, dark blue river and sea waves swept through the air, carrying golden light blades and swords, shattering his defensive spiritual leaves. Seeing this, Zhou Shengqing immediately condensed nine more spiritual leaves! For Core Formation cultivators, a fourth-tier spell might be a trump card, but in the hands of a Nascent Soul cultivator, it was merely a regular technique. With the nine spiritual leaves unleashed, although the torrential blades and swords continued to assault Zhou Shengqing, they could no longer shake him in the slightest.

However, by this time, Xuan Shu's Heaven Escape Talisman had fully materialized. Silver light transformed into a shield, enveloping his pale form. Seeing this, Zhou Shengqing frowned. His right palm rose, and a shimmering green light needle once again condensed. This was the Divine Wood Needle, currently Zhou Shengqing's most potent offensive technique. "I hope this guy only has one Substitute Death Talisman!" However, just as Zhou Shengqing prepared to strike, he suddenly saw a sky full of flames appear before Xuan Shu, blocking his vision. Seeing Chen Mobai appear before him, Xuan Shu's gaze turned icy. "The next time I come to kill you, I'll be a Nascent Soul cultivator!" Although Xuan Shu was pale, his spiritual energy depleted, and his life force at an unprecedented low, he still didn't admit defeat as the Heaven Escape Talisman began to transport him away. Chen Mobai, upon hearing this, merely smiled faintly. Then, a sharp, slender, flat sword edge extended from his fingertip, gently slicing across the silver light shield covering Xuan Shu's entire body. "It's useless, this Heaven Escape Talisman..." Xuan Shu's words were cut short as he saw the Void Blade merge seamlessly with the silver light shield, cutting through it without any obstruction. Moreover, the silver light shield was absorbed by the sword edge at Chen Mobai's fingertip, suddenly becoming thin and transparent! Instinctively, he tried to pull a defensive talisman from his storage bag, but Xuan Shu, with his spiritual energy completely depleted, was only halfway through the motion when the Void Blade sliced across his neck. His head fell, and copious blood splattered across the inner wall of the Heaven Escape Talisman's shield. The Heaven Escape Talisman, once activated, would not cease operation. After Chen Mobai used the Void Blade to retrieve Xuan Shu's storage bag, he watched as Xuan Shu, now a corpse, vanished before his eyes.

Mount Mingjing!Old Ancestor Jinfeng, who had been in seclusion practicing cultivation in his stone hut, suddenly frowned and opened his eyes. He came to the entrance of his stone hut and saw Xuan Guang, the sect master of Xuanxiao Dao Palace, kneeling in terror on the cliff opposite. As someone he had chosen to be sect master, Xuan Guang's temperament was naturally top-notch. Such a loss of composure caused Old Ancestor Jinfeng's heart to sink. "What is it? Has the great army of Kongsang Valley attacked?" In Old Ancestor Jinfeng's mind, only this kind of event would make Xuan Guang display such an expression. "Master, the bodies of Junior Brother Xuan Shu and Senior Brother Xuan Qi have returned!" Xuan Guang spoke with a sorrowful tone and a desolate expression, uttering words that made Old Ancestor Jinfeng widen his eyes in disbelief.

In the main hall of Xuanxiao Dao Palace, Old Ancestor Jinfeng, who had flown there, trembled all over and clenched his fists as he looked at the two decapitated bodies lying side by side. Xuan Qi was one thing, but Xuan Shu was the disciple most likely to form a Nascent Soul under him. In Old Ancestor Jinfeng's eyes, this disciple, though a bit arrogant, was unparalleled in talent and resilience, not inferior to Kuzhu. He was the only candidate who could lead Xuanxiao Dao Palace to continue its grand legacy after a hundred years. Yet now, his head severed, he lay silently on the blue bricks of the main hall floor. "Who was it?!" Old Ancestor Jinfeng's suppressed, furious voice rang out. The four Core Formation cultivators in the hall all exchanged glances. Finally, Xuan Guang, as the sect master, stepped forward and offered his opinion. "Reporting to Master, we examined the bodies of Senior Brother and Junior Brother and found that Senior Brother Xuan Qi's head wound was charred black, evidently caused by fire spiritual energy. Junior Brother Xuan Shu's head wound was smooth and clean. Although there were no spiritual energy residues, it appears to have been severed by a sword light." "They both clearly died after an extremely fierce battle. Only a Nascent Soul cultivator could have forced them to such an extent." "There are no cultivators of that realm in the Eastern Wilderness. Although Senior Brother and Junior Brother went to kill Chen Guixian of the Divine Wood Sect, I suspect it might have been the Nascent Soul cultivators from the other two factions of Dongyi." The moment Xuan Guang finished speaking, Old Ancestor Jinfeng's expression suddenly became calm. He had also inspected the two bodies. The fire spiritual energy in Xuan Qi's wound was extremely domineering. The only one he could associate with such power in his mind was Old Ancestor Baiwu of Bathing Sun Sea. And the sword cultivator capable of killing Xuan Shu, a perfected Core Formation cultivator, preventing him from escaping even with a Heaven Escape Talisman, and also having a deep enmity with their Xuanxiao Dao Palace, could only be that fellow Kuzhu! Able to cleave through the void, could that guy have already refined his sword into a thread?! Damn it! Why would an opponent's sect produce such an heaven-defying successor, while I, with white hair, must bury my black-haired descendants! Old Ancestor Jinfeng was furious to the extreme, yet despite being over eight hundred years old, he did not lose his composure in this situation.

He was pondering whether Xuanxiao Dao Palace's thousand-year foundation could be preserved if Bathing Sun Sea truly allied with Kongsang Valley, going so far as to kill his disciples to seal their alliance. "What about Fang Xuanyang? Weren't the three of them together?" At this moment, Old Ancestor Jinfeng suddenly remembered the Core Formation elder the sect had dispatched to the Eastern Wilderness. When Xuan Shu and Xuan Qi had first arrived in the Eastern Wilderness, Fang Xuanyang had sent a message reporting their presence. If he wasn't dead, they might be able to uncover the truth behind Xuan Shu and Xuan Qi's deaths! "Junior Brother Xuanyang's soul tablet hasn't shattered yet. I've already dispatched disciples through the Barren Ruins to the Eastern Wilderness, hoping to find him..." Xuan Guang had also thought of this long ago. However, there was no large-scale teleportation array between Dongyi and the Eastern Wilderness, so messages had to be delivered manually through the Barren Ruins. "You must find him!" Old Ancestor Jinfeng commanded, then looked at the remaining Core Formation cultivators in the hall. Xuan Guang and the other four immediately lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze. They deeply feared that Old Ancestor Jinfeng would send one of them to the Eastern Wilderness to search for Fang Xuanyang! However, in the end, under the threat of a powerful enemy and considering the need to activate the sect's fourth-tier grand array, Old Ancestor Jinfeng did not dispatch any of the remaining four Core Formation cultivators.

Above Yan Nation, Fang Xuanyang gnashed his teeth at Luo Yixuan, who was closely following him. He had tried to stop and engage Luo Yixuan in battle. But Luo Yixuan, in turn, fled. She possessed a fourth-tier magical artifact, and Fang Xuanyang, fearing an ambush, dared not pursue. However, just as he was about to leave, Luo Yixuan stopped fleeing and stayed closely behind him. At first, Fang Xuanyang was filled with anger, but soon, his extensive experience allowed him to calm down and devise an excellent solution. "Hmph, I'll fly to Mount Changzhuan. My senior and junior brothers are there. If she dares to follow, even with a fourth-tier magical artifact, she'll have no chance of survival!"