Killing a Stellar Fifth Metamorphosis Expert in an Instant, Three Million Years of Calamity Qi, Heaven Slayer's Arrogance
The sword light fell softly.
Neat, decisive, and without any hesitation.
A head rolled onto the bluestone ground, its eyes wide open, still bearing the lingering horror, resentment, and regret of its deceased self.
Stellar Fifth Metamorphosis, the master of the Eastern Wasteland Sect has fallen.
Chen Du sheathed his sword and vanished into thin air. He raised his hand to wipe away the remaining traces, obliterating the corpses and heads on the ground, cleaning up all traces in the courtyard, leaving not a trace of blood or any trace of killing intent.
After the storm subsided, the bamboo courtyard returned to peace.
He turned around, walked slowly and calmly toward the bamboo house.
A hidden servant lurks deep within the palace, a cunning master emerges from nowhere, and the game of chess gradually becomes clear.
Heaven Slayer.
This massive conspiracy, which had shrouded the Ling Dynasty and been meticulously planned for many years, finally revealed its first crack before his very eyes.
The Ancestral Hall of the Tianyan Sect is deep within.
On the solemn and ancient altar, a dozen or so spirit lamps flickered faintly, their blue-green flames casting an unpredictable glow on the memorial tablets throughout the hall, making it appear solemn and cold.
Each soul lamp corresponds to the fate of a high-ranking elder of the sect. The lamp is there while the person lives; the lamp goes out while the person dies. This cycle remains unchanged for ten thousand years.
The disciples guarding the hall had been on duty for a long time, and fatigue was creeping over them; they were drooping their heads and dozing off.
Suddenly--
"Smack!!"
A crisp, piercing crack suddenly shattered the deathly silence of the Ancestral Hall!
The disciple suddenly sat up in fright, his hair standing on end, and looked up in horror.
At the very top of the offering table, the life-giving lamp symbolizing the sect leader Zhao Heng had shattered into countless pieces of porcelain.
The lamp oil spilled all over the table, and the remaining flame was extinguished instantly, leaving not a trace of warmth or light.
Dead silence!
An utter silence instantly enveloped the entire Ancestral Hall.
The disciple guarding the hall's pupils constricted, his mind went blank, and he stood frozen in place for a moment before being terrified out of his wits. He scrambled out of the Ancestral Hall, his voice cracking and screaming in agony:
"Sect Master! The Sect Master's soul lamp... has gone out!!"
The news Tianyan Sect like a whirlwind.
In an instant, the entire ancient sect exploded.
Several sect elders who had moved to mountains and caves to cultivate in seclusion were all alarmed by this shocking news. They broke out of their seclusion and Ancestral Hall in an instant.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the pile of cold, broken lamp shards on the offering table. Their old faces were ashen, their eyes filled with disbelief and terror.
Zhao Heng, a powerful being who Stellar Fifth Metamorphosis.
He is the pillar of the Tianyan Sect, built up over tens of thousands of years of history and generations of resources. He is a top-tier powerhouse who sits in the Eastern Wasteland and is capable of crushing all kinds of cultivators.
But at this moment, his natal soul lamp shattered cleanly and decisively.
No shocks, no warnings, no struggles, no last gasp.
The great cultivator who underwent the Stellar Fifth Metamorphosis was completely wiped out without a sound, and not even a trace of his divine soul could be transmitted back to the sect!
This way of dying is too bizarre and too horrifying.
An elderly man with white hair trembled slightly, his voice hoarse and trembling. "Before the sect leader left, he said that he was only going down the mountain to attend the Qingfeng Temple meeting... Could it be... could it be that the people from Qingfeng Temple were behind this?"
The other man stood frozen, his face ashen, shaking his head repeatedly. "Impossible! How could a small Daoist temple hidden in the mountains, with no lineage or foundation, possess the terrifying strength to kill a fifth-stage Transformation Realm expert?"
"But since the sect leader descended the mountain, the only place he has visited is Qingfeng Temple!"
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, a chill running through them. No one could decipher the strangeness of the situation, and the room was filled with nothing but endless panic and confusion.
Just as the atmosphere in the Ancestral Hall reached its most oppressive point.
Suddenly, a very light and slow footstep sound came from outside the Ancestral Hall.
His steps were unhurried and silent, yet he carried with him a chilling, oppressive aura that seemed to engulf the surrounding landscape.
All the elders felt a sudden chill run down their spines, their bodies stiffened, their scalps tingled, and they instinctively turned their heads to look.
A dark figure stood silently at the doorway.
His entire body was completely enveloped in a thick, endless black mist, obscuring his form, concealing his appearance, and hiding his aura, making it impossible for anyone to discern anything about him.
However, the chilling pressure emanating from the depths of the black mist made all the elders present feel weak in the knees and their minds tremble.
It was Heaven Slayer, and behind him followed a frail, white-haired eunuch.
The old man had a hunched back and walked with a faltering gait, leaning on a withered wooden cane, appearing to be old and nearing the end of his life.
However, the subtle aura surrounding him was profound, steady, and unfathomable, even surpassing that of the former sect leader, Zhao Heng.
The elders of the Tianyan Sect were terrified and could no longer maintain their composure. With a thud, they all knelt down, their heads pressed firmly to the ground, silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to look up.
Heaven Slayer, without glancing to the side, completely ignored the group of sect elders at his feet, and slowly walked to the altar, looking down at the pile of shattered soul lamp remains.
Behind him, the old eunuch A-Fu bowed slightly, his hoarse voice speaking softly:
"The Stellar Fifth Metamorphosis Realm has fallen. The Qingfeng Temple, where His Majesty's eldest prince is hiding, is far too mysterious and unpredictable. It seems that the remote mountain temple truly harbors an unparalleled master whom we have never discovered."
Within the black mist, Heaven Slayer let out a cold sneer, chilling to the bone.
He slowly turned around, his invisible gaze sweeping over the kneeling crowd, his tone filled with overwhelming impatience and indifference:
You should have understood this long ago.
"Over the years, we've had too many constraints, too many plans, and too many concerns, which is why we've tolerated Qingfeng Temple's continued existence and allowed it to develop Lie Dormant."
"A mere hermit cultivator hidden in the mountains, even with extraordinary talent and unparalleled combat prowess, is ultimately like a mantis trying to stop a chariot when he tries to contend with the overwhelming strategy we have laid out."
As soon as he finished speaking, his tone suddenly turned cold, and a murderous aura arose:
"Pass down the order."
"You must immediately utilize all your undercover agents and hidden forces to thoroughly investigate everything at Qingfeng Temple."
"Everyone in the temple, their background, their cultivation level, their origins—not a single detail should be overlooked."
A-Fu bowed respectfully and accepted the order, then quietly retreated into the shadows to begin arranging the investigation.
The vast and solemn ancestral hall of the Tianyan Sect was empty, with only Tian Sha standing there.
The churning black mist obscured his entire expression.
He stared silently at the pile of shattered soul lamps, a cold smile curving his lips, which were shrouded in black mist.
He understood everything perfectly.
That so-called sage of Qingfeng Temple.
That night, he stirred up the chess game, killed the Red Flame King, annihilated the elders of the Tianyan Sect, and now he is the mysterious youth who instantly killed Zhao Heng.
It is the same Crown Prince who was switched at birth, ended up in exile, and has survived to this day.
He secluded himself in Qingfeng Mountain, hidden among the mortals, silently cultivating his strength and growing.
But the game has already begun, and the net of darkness has been drawn.
This person can't hide for long.
Before long, he will personally tear off that disguise, exposing this long- Lie Dormant deposed crown prince to the grand scheme of things and the dark machinations of the world.
After thoroughly cleaning up the traces on Zhao Heng's body and erasing all signs of violence in the courtyard, Chen Du slowly returned to the bamboo courtyard alone.
The courtyard gate closed gently, shutting out the night and restoring tranquility to the room.
He quietly sat down on the couch, his mind instantly calming and becoming focused.
The next instant, a vast and warm torrent surged into the depths of his consciousness.
It's Calamity Qi.
This wisp of Calamity Qi was far richer, more concentrated, and more ferocious than any previous harvest. It was as heavy as an ancient mountain and as sharp as a heavenly tribulation blade, carrying with it the ultimate danger of the Heavenly Dao's reward, and heavily covering the entire realm of the divine soul.
Chen Du made a rough calculation, his eyes slightly narrowed.
A full three million years of Calamity Qi!
He slowly exhaled a long, drawn-out breath, understanding dawning on his mind.
Zhao Heng, whom we killed tonight, was Stellar Fifth Metamorphosis cultivator who had been cultivating in the Eastern Wasteland for hundreds of years and was also the leader of the Tianyan Sect.
The opponent, harboring sect feuds and acting under orders, deliberately provoked a murderous plot in the dead of night. Their killing intent was chilling, and their scheme was full of hidden traps. The danger level far exceeded any of the previous battles in which they killed the Flood Jiao King and annihilated four elders of the Twelfth Realm.
The higher the level of the calamity, the greater the life-or-death crisis, and the more generous the Heaven's Way's Gift.
The Calamity Qi of three million years is the ultimate reward for this deadly stalemate.
Chen Du did not rush to infuse this immense Calamity Qi into the Heaven's Way's Gift.
He was calm and composed, and had a keen understanding of the importance of the situation.
The news of Zhao Heng's death and the shattering of his soul lamp will soon reach Heaven Slayer's ears.
The mysterious mastermind hiding in the black mist, controlling the secrets of the court, and enslaving the former subordinates of the founding emperor, would surely notice the anomaly at Qingfeng Temple.
From that time on, Qingfeng Temple was never peaceful again.
The surveillance from the shadows, the covert probing, and the ever-present threat of death will only grow more frequent and dangerous.
The most urgent task is to sort out all the clues, thoroughly understand all the intelligence, and calmly deal with the impending storm.
He closed his eyes, his mind sinking into the sea of consciousness.
We will meticulously review and deduce every single secret Zhao Heng revealed before his death, word by word, scene by scene.
The enigmatic and unpredictable Heaven Slayer, whose true form remains unknown to all.
A-Fu, an old eunuch who has been rooted in the palace for three hundred years, a former subordinate of the founding emperor, and a cultivator who Stellar Fifth Metamorphosis, is willing to be a slave.
The layers of restrictions within the Ling Dynasty's inner palace proved ineffective, the court's power was secretly undermined, and a century-old scheme was brewing beneath the surface...
Clues and secrets unfolded and connected one by one in his mind.
The storm has arrived, and the hidden agenda has become clear.
He sat upright in the bamboo courtyard, quietly guarding his true self, patiently awaiting the changing circumstances.