Mysterious Yin Form-Capturing, Nail-Head Life-Snatching

Rumble!

A violent wail, accompanied by increasingly turbulent Spiritual Qi fluctuations, rolled in from midair. Ouyang Haoze's eyes were bloodshot; he had clearly made up his mind to go all out.

Seeing this, the other two Divine Martial Sect cultivators at Qi Refining Late Stage, Wu Zhichong and Duanmu Yuan, could no longer sit still.

"Senior Brother Ouyang!"

Wu Zhichong stepped forward first. Seeing Ouyang Haoze's current bedraggled state, he felt somewhat terrified and said in a low voice, "The Taixiao Mirror is, after all, a matter of great importance..."

"I understand."

Ouyang Haoze glanced back at Wu Zhichong. The fury in his bloodshot eyes swiftly subsided as he said calmly, "But the demon within that formation is even more important! He is so young, yet already proficient in formations, and his cultivation is not weak either. If he reaches Qi Refining Completion someday, he may well be able to challenge Foundation Establishment."

"If we can kill a Foundation Establishment seedling of the Demon Sect, then let go of one Taixiao Mirror!"

Buzz! Buzz!

In midair, the Taixiao Mirror let out violent tremors, as though it had a differing opinion.

Yet Ouyang Haoze turned a deaf ear. It was merely a Spiritual Treasure. When it was useful, he called it "Lord Taixiao"; when it was not, what was it worth?

Seeing that Ouyang Haoze had already set his heart on it, Wu Zhichong could only sigh and cease trying to dissuade him. After all, Ouyang Haoze, at Qi Refining Great Perfection, was the one in charge of the Divine Martial Sect's affairs this time. Since he had made the decision, he would naturally bear the consequences. It was enough that Wu Zhichong had tried to persuade him.

Meanwhile, within the marketplace.

Lu Yang put away the Blood Sun Sword Pellet, more than half of which had been blown apart. Holding the Primordial Breath Ten Thousand Spirit Banner, he gazed inscrutably at Ouyang Haoze outside the marketplace.

"Junior Brother Lu, you're not dead?"

Fairy Feixia and Lu Yuanchun came forward. One's face was filled with delighted surprise, while the other, even amid the relief of surviving disaster, was deeply wary of Lu Yang.

"Brother Lu truly hid his talents well!"

Lu Yuanchun praised loudly, "With Ouyang Haoze repelled this time, the marketplace can rest easy. It will be enough to hold out until the Sacred Sect receives word and sends reinforcements!"

"Repelled? It's still too early for that."

Lu Yang shook his head.

"Indeed. Judging from Ouyang Haoze's appearance, his qi and blood have been greatly depleted. This is far more than merely repelling him—he has clearly been gravely wounded. It counts as teaching him a profound lesson!"

Fairy Feixia clapped and laughed.

Hearing this, Lu Yuanchun hurriedly echoed her.

Yet Lu Yang sneered at the sight and said something startling. "How can merely driving him away be a once-and-for-all solution? I have never liked leaving future troubles behind."

"It would be cleaner and simpler to kill him."

"Kill... kill who?"

Ouyang Haoze?

For a moment, Fairy Feixia and Lu Yuanchun stood frozen in place. Even in their most optimistic imaginings, they had never envisioned such a scene.

That was a Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator, a true disciple of the righteous path!

Who could kill him?

How could he be killed?

The next moment, Lu Yang took out the "Mysterious Female Yin Jade" that Lu Yuanchun had returned to him earlier. Forming a Hand Seal and casting a spell, he placed it in his palm and refined it.

Immediately afterward, under Lu Yang's control, the jade gradually melted. In the end, it transformed into a Circular Light, like a ghastly white, translucent treasure mirror. Under its illumination, figure after figure swiftly appeared in Lu Yang's eyes, each corresponding to a lingering Aura.

From the others' reactions, it seemed that only he could see them.

Fairy Feixia, Lu Yuanchun, Ouyang Haoze, Wu Zhichong, Duanmu Yuan... Everyone who had fought here had left behind traces of their Aura.

"This is the Mysterious Yin Form-Capturing Great Art..."

The second divine ability in the True Method of Yin-Transformation Corpse-Dissolution. Its only difficulty lay in the external object required, so after obtaining the jade, Lu Yang had mastered it in but a moment!

"Let's test its power."

Lu Yang lowered his eyes and swiftly locked onto one lingering Aura. It belonged to Ouyang Haoze, and he seized it with the Mysterious Yin Form-Capturing Great Art.

"Mysterious Yin Form-Capturing."

Lu Yang activated the divine ability. In the next instant, the Circular Light formed by the Mysterious Female Yin Jade devoured Ouyang Haoze's Aura, then reflected his figure.

"...Nail-Head Life-Snatching!"

Lu Yang immediately raised two fingers and slashed.

With a crack!, the Circular Light split in two. Along with it, Ouyang Haoze's image was cleaved from head to toe, split into left and right halves.

To be safe, Lu Yang had cut vertically.

Almost at the same time.

Outside the marketplace, Ouyang Haoze had just finished speaking with Wu Zhichong. Turning toward the marketplace, he raised his hand and threw the Taixiao Mirror into the formation.

Though the Taixiao Mirror struggled fiercely, his resolve was firm. He was about to detonate it.

But in the next instant, Ouyang Haoze's movements abruptly stopped.

Then an eerie slash mark appeared out of thin air atop his head. It swiftly spread downward before finally bursting into splattering flowers of blood.

He split apart.

His corpse fell from midair. Only half of his face retained an expression of shock, its eyeball turning slightly, as though he had yet to realize what had happened.

"What is going on... I... died?"

His consciousness dissipated amid confusion.

After losing Ouyang Haoze's control, the Taixiao Mirror that had fallen into the formation also calmed down. Lu Yang beckoned with his hand, and it flew over of its own accord.

Northern Border, Divine Martial Sect headquarters.

Inside a brightly lit grand hall.

This place was called the "Soul Lamp Hall." As its name implied, it held the Soul Lamps of many Divine Martial Sect higher-ups, including the sect master, elders, and even true disciples.

As an old-established power of the Northern Border, the Divine Martial Sect had ruled the region for more than a thousand years. Its prestige in the Northern Border had sunk deep into the hearts of the people, and the deaths of higher-ups were rare. Thus, the disciples assigned to guard this place were mostly lax, treating the post as an easy job for collecting sect subsidies.

Today was no different. The guard disciple performed his routine inspection of the Soul Lamps.

He entered and swept his gaze across them.

Lit, lit, lit, lit, extinguished, lit, lit...

Hm?

The guard disciple blinked and instinctively turned his head. Then he rubbed his eyes again, the casual expression on his face gradually turning into terror.

"Out... it's out... Senior Brother Ouyang's Soul Lamp has gone out!?"

The cry spread instantly.

In the next moment, a middle-aged Daoist appeared out of thin air inside the hall. His gaze fell upon the extinguished Soul Lamp, and his expression was a mixture of rage and shock.

How many years had it been? How many years had it been since a true disciple of the Divine Martial Sect had fallen?

"Ouyang... Skull Mountain!?"

The middle-aged Daoist's face turned livid. Suddenly, he beckoned and retrieved Ouyang Haoze's Soul Lamp. Activating it with Dharma Power, he forcibly reignited the flame!

Of course, the dead could not be brought back to life.

This rekindled flame could not save Ouyang Haoze's life. At most, it could reveal once more the final scene he had witnessed before his death.

Soon, the flame reflected a scene.

The middle-aged Daoist recognized it at once as the First Saint Sect's marketplace at Skull Mountain. Within the marketplace, a handsome and elegant young man was gazing into the vast sky.

Was it him? Had he killed Ouyang Haoze?

A hatred carved into his very bones surfaced in the middle-aged Daoist's eyes.

For Ouyang Haoze was not merely a true disciple of the sect. He was also the most outstanding member of the younger generation of his Ouyang Family, a junior on whom he had placed great hopes!

This hatred and this enmity would end only with death!

"Hm?"

Within Skull Mountain Market, Lu Yang had just put away the Taixiao Mirror that had voluntarily submitted to him when his brow suddenly furrowed. He looked up at the sky, a chill rising in his heart.

He knew this feeling well.

It was the feeling of his Karma being disturbed by an external force. In his previous life, when the Peak Master of Heaven Mending had calculated his Karma, he had felt something similar.

Could it be that another Foundation Establishment True Person was plotting against him!?