Slaying the Evil Corpse

Xuanyuan came straight over, ignoring everyone else as he studied the Innate Gourd Vine.

Seven Innate Gourds hung from it, each a different color and radiating its own light.

After examining them, Xuanyuan immediately felt relieved.

None of the seven Innate Gourds had ripened yet. They would need at least several hundred years.

With that much time, he could safely return to Qianyuan Mountain, prove the Dao by Severing a Corpse and become a Quasi-Saint, then come back.

After all, a thousand years had passed since they left Zixiao Palace.

Aside from the Sanqing, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti, other top experts of the Primordial World, such as Fuxi, Zhenyazi, and Hong Yun, had already severed their corpses and become Quasi-Saints.

He was powerful and had plenty of trump cards.

But facing so many Quasi-Saints at once, he would still be under tremendous pressure if he wanted the Innate Gourd Vine all to himself.

Only by severing a corpse and proving the Dao first, joining their ranks as a Quasi-Saint, could he be sure of success.

As Xuanyuan studied the Innate Gourd Vine, Yuqing Yuanshi's mocking voice reached his ears.

"Heh. Forgive my ignorance, but I didn't know the Witch Clan could use magical treasures!"

In fact, Xuanyuan had used the Taiji Diagram as early as the first sermon, leading more than fifty thousand people across the Chaos Void and into Zixiao Palace.

From then on, everyone knew that Xuanyuan was different from the other members of the Witch Clan and could use magical treasures.

Yuqing Yuanshi said this partly to mock Xuanyuan as an oddity among the Witch Clan.

He also meant to warn the others.

Xuanyuan hadn't come here just to watch.

He had his eye on the Innate Gourd Vine.

Xuanyuan had always been domineering. Anything he set his sights on, he seized like a tiger pouncing down a mountain, keeping it all for himself and never allowing anyone else to lay a finger on it.

By saying this, Yuqing Yuanshi meant to remind everyone that the first step to getting the Innate Gourds was to drive Xuanyuan out.

But he didn't need to remind them. The moment Xuanyuan appeared, everyone's attention had already focused on him.

Jieyin, Zhunti, Dijun, and Donghuang Taiyi in particular shifted positions without a word, subtly surrounding Xuanyuan. They looked ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

After two sermons at Zixiao Palace, the two sides were already bitter enemies, with almost no chance of reconciliation.

Xuanyuan was naturally well aware of this.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly, and he scoffed. "You're counting on your numbers to take me on?"

The Sanqing, Jieyin, Zhunti, and the others all fell silent.

For some reason, facing Xuanyuan filled them with a profound sense of danger.

They had already severed their corpses and proved the Dao, their realms far beyond Xuanyuan's. So why did they still feel this way?

"If you don't have the guts, then get out of my way!"

Xuanyuan glanced at them, laughed heartily, and left.

Qianyuan Mountain.

Xuanyuan sat cross-legged atop a lofty peak. Seven-colored rays shimmered around him, brilliant as a rainbow, enveloping him like an immortal descended into the mortal world.

His eyes were closed, his hands resting naturally on his knees, his breathing steady and deep.

With every breath, the surrounding innate spiritual energy gathered rapidly, forming a massive vortex that poured into his body without end.

Above his head, a cluster of golden light gradually took shape. It shone like the sun, radiating boundless majesty and a mysterious aura.

As time passed, the golden light grew brighter and brighter, until it became a thick beam that shot straight into the heavens, as if it would tear the sky apart.

Inside Qianyuan Palace, Dijiang, Zhujiuyin, and the others awoke from their meditation. They opened their eyes and felt a powerful aura surging against the entire world of Qianyuan Mountain.

After exchanging glances, they hurried out of the palace and looked toward Xuanyuan. The moment they saw the spectacle before them, shock covered their faces.

Beams of light flashed across the sky, dazzling as fireworks. Amid them, a figure slowly rose, radiating boundless pressure and power.

That figure was Xuanyuan! Golden light shimmered around him, making him look like an invincible God of War. No one dared look directly at him. Space warped around him, as if all heaven and earth revolved about his person.

"What... what's happening?" Zhurong asked, his mouth agape.

"Could Brother Xuanyuan be about to sever a corpse and prove the Dao?" Gonggong guessed.

They hadn't cultivated the method of proving the Dao by Severing Three Corpses, so they didn't know what Xuanyuan was doing.

But the terrifying pressure left them dumbstruck.

They all knew Xuanyuan was powerful, but he rarely made a move. Even when he fought, he did so casually and had never shown his true strength.

Only now did they understand just how terrifying Xuanyuan's power really was.

"It must be. A Daluo Golden Immortal couldn't cause such a terrifying phenomenon." Zhujiuyin spoke gravely, a trace of shock flashing in his eyes.

"Sever!"

A booming shout rang out, shaking all of Qianyuan Mountain.

Suddenly, a man dressed in a black Daoist robe appeared beside Xuanyuan.

The man looked exactly like Xuanyuan, but an evil aura emanated from him, chilling to the bone. It seemed to come from the depths of the abyss, filling everyone with fear. Dijiang, Zhujiuyin, and the others couldn't help retreating several steps, their bodies trembling involuntarily. They stared wide-eyed at the mysterious man, disbelief, suspicion, and wariness filling their hearts.

Xuanyuan slowly opened his deep, mysterious eyes and looked at the man in black. His gaze was calm and gentle, yet carried an indescribable majesty and power.

Feeling Xuanyuan's gaze, the man in black immediately reined in the powerful aura he had been giving off. He bowed respectfully to Xuanyuan and said softly, "Greetings, fellow Daoist!" His voice carried a hint of reverence.

Xuanyuan smiled and waved a hand, telling him there was no need for such formality. Then he carefully looked the man in black up and down. He was tall and imposing, with handsome, resolute features that gave him a composed, reserved air.

But to Xuanyuan, the man's appearance was not what mattered most. What mattered was his identity: he was the Evil Corpse Xuanyuan had severed from himself. Though separated from the original body, the Evil Corpse still retained some of Xuanyuan's memories and emotions. Thus, Xuanyuan found his appearance both familiar and strange.

"So this is the method of severing a corpse to prove the Dao. Truly marvelous!"

Xuanyuan couldn't help but marvel. As the Primordial World's only Heavenly Dao Saint, Hongjun had indeed accomplished something extraordinary by creating the method of proving the Dao by Severing Three Corpses.