Sect-Sect Purge

Night fell, and the moonlight was as cold as frost.

Yan Kui emerged from the cave. His body shimmered in the moonlight, Ice-Fire Texture interwoven with a metallic sheen, making him look like a Demon God of ice and fire. The distant fluctuations of cultivators' auras drew closer, their spiritual power gathering in tight formation. An even stronger force was rapidly closing in to surround and destroy him.

He took a deep breath, a cold smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"The ones who escaped sent word. They got here fast."

Yan Kui's eyes were cold and dangerous.

He began moving through the mountain forest, his steps silent, his body becoming a blur. Void Wind Control drove his speed to the limit. Trees and shrubs swept past as Yan Kui left a clear trail through the forest—a trail he had deliberately laid to lure the enemy into favorable terrain.

He was no longer prey. He was the hunter.

He found a narrow valley, with steep cliffs on either side and only one cramped passage through. The terrain was unfavorable for cultivators flying overhead, and the narrow ground left no room for a large-scale magical bombardment. This was the battlefield Yan Kui had chosen.

The sound of orderly footsteps came from afar. A full twelve cultivators were closing in.

The Qingyun Sect's surrounding force had arrived.

Their leader was a tall, middle-aged cultivator with a deep and powerful aura—a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator. Another cultivator with a similar aura followed behind him, along with ten Foundation Establishment Early Stage disciples. This was a formidable force, strong enough to crush most Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators.

"According to the search warrant, the fugitive should be somewhere in this area," the leader said coldly. "The Sect Master gave us strict orders. We must not let him escape this time."

The cultivators all looked grave. The three Enforcement Squad members who had escaped earlier had reported what they saw in the valley. It had been a one-sided slaughter. Five Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators had all been killed in less than ten seconds. One cultivator had used nothing but the most primitive physical strength to crush their defenses.

Now, even greater force had arrived.

"Split into two groups. The first group of five will search on the ground; the second group of seven will scout from the air. Stay alert."

The cultivators spread out. Five Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators remained on the ground, while seven cultivators—five Foundation Establishment Early Stage and two Foundation Establishment Middle Stage—activated their Magic Tools and rose into the air. Flying Swords and flying shuttles glinted in the moonlight as they formed a ring overhead, hoping to pin Yan Kui down from above.

They had no idea Yan Kui was already waiting for them.

As the first group of five entered the narrow valley, a figure suddenly appeared.

Yan Kui burst out of the darkness, moving too fast to follow. His speed had surpassed the reaction time of a Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator. The perfect combination of Void Wind Control and Spirit Snake Absolute Shadow left Fivefold Afterimages in the air behind him.

The seven cultivators overhead spotted Yan Kui and immediately began casting spells.

"Fireball Technique!"

"Ice Cone Technique!"

"Heavenly Gang Slash!"

Dozens of spells rained down from above, trying to lock onto Yan Kui's position. But he had already leaped into the air.

Harnessing the power of Void Wind Control, he planted a foot against a jutting rock on the valley wall and launched himself upward. Ten meters, twenty meters, thirty meters—Yan Kui's body was as light as a feather, yet his steps had enough force to crack the stone.

The two cultivators wielding Flying Swords saw the danger. They tried to dodge at once, but it was already too late.

Yan Kui was faster than they were in the air. He burst through his Fivefold Afterimages and grabbed the first cultivator by the ankle. The cultivator let out a terrified scream, but Yan Kui's fist cut it short before he could finish.

One punch blew the cultivator's head apart.

Blood and brain matter rained down in the moonlight. Yan Kui didn't pause. He planted a foot against the corpse's torso and launched himself again, pouncing on the second cultivator wielding a Flying Sword. The man tried to slash at him with the sword, but the power of Black Iron Demonic Bone had already awakened in Yan Kui's skeleton.

He caught the Flying Sword with his bare hand.

"Impossible!" the cultivator shrieked in despair.

Yan Kui's bones were as hard as a high-grade Magic Tool. The Flying Sword could not move an inch in his grasp. Yan Kui twisted his hand, snapping the sharp blade in two. Then he drove a punch through the cultivator's dantian. The body fell from the sky, leaving a long trail of blood in the moonlight.

The three cultivators on the ground saw what had happened, and terror instantly filled their faces. Extreme Path Domain unfolded.

A domain with a three-meter radius formed around Yan Kui in an instant. Ice and fire spread unchecked within it, the temperature switching wildly between extreme cold and extreme heat. The three cultivators on the ground had no time to escape before they were trapped inside.

Their skin alternately charred black and cracked with frost, and they let out shrill screams.

Within the Extreme Path Domain, Yan Kui moved like a fish in water, his speed at its absolute peak. His fists, palms, and clawed fingers flashed with all manner of effects as he moved among the cultivators.

Profound Iron Fist smashed through the first cultivator's defensive Magic Tool. The hardness of Yan Kui's bones was enough to counter any Magic Tool's defense. The moment the defense broke, his fist drove straight through and pierced the cultivator's chest.

Blazing Flame Palm struck the second cultivator's body. Its instant-burning effect charred the man's Skin and Flesh on contact. Hellfire Body activated, pure fire energy invading his body and burning his organs to cinders. The cultivator fell to the ground before he could even let out a full scream.

Blood Fiend Claw tore through the third cultivator's protective spiritual light. The power of Molten Demonic Blood revealed itself at that moment—as soon as the enemy was killed, Life Essence was absorbed. Yan Kui's wounds vanished instantly, and his stamina returned to its peak.

The entire battle lasted less than ten seconds.

The five Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators in the air saw what had happened, and their fighting spirit collapsed completely. They began screaming and fleeing, trying to escape the terrifying battlefield. But by then, the second group of seven cultivators had already rushed over.

The Foundation Establishment Middle Stage leader's expression grew unusually grave.

"Everyone, get airborne! Don't split up! Form a battle formation!"

The five remaining Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators obeyed, activating their flying Magic Tools and rising into the air. Along with the leader and the other Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator, who were already airborne, and the cultivators from the second group, a full seven now hovered overhead. Their spells began raining down on the ground.

The spells came so thick and fast that dozens of craters were blasted into the earth, peeling up layer after layer of ground. Dust filled the air, and the spells' light illuminated the entire valley. The cultivators hoped to pin Yan Kui down with this dense bombardment.

But they overlooked one thing: the terrifying power of Void Wind Control wasn't just about speed.

Yan Kui suddenly stopped moving on the ground. He took a deep breath, and the power of Void Wind Control erupted at full force. His body grew light as a feather. The air was no longer an obstacle but a force aiding him. Yan Kui planted a foot against a rock, pushing off it as he launched himself into the air.

Ten meters, twenty meters, thirty meters—Yan Kui shot upward at an astonishing speed. He broke through the spell barrage and charged into the airborne cultivators' encirclement.

The Foundation Establishment Middle Stage leader finally saw Yan Kui's movements. A trace of fear flashed in his eyes.

"High-grade Flying Sword!"

He activated his Flying Sword, a high-grade blade shining silver-white as it shot down at Yan Kui like a silver serpent. But Yan Kui caught it—not with mana, but with his bones. The hardness of Black Iron Demonic Bone was enough to counter any Magic Tool.

The moment the Flying Sword touched Yan Kui's palm, it began to crack.

"Impossible! How can this be!" the leader screamed in despair.

Yan Kui's other fist was already crashing toward his head. A spell could deflect this punch—no, wait, this punch's power had already surpassed the realm of any spell. This was pure physical strength.

The leader's protective spiritual light shattered the instant Yan Kui's fist struck it. The punch continued forward, bearing the heat of Hellfire Body, and slammed into the top of the cultivator's head. It burned on contact.

The leader's entire body was burned to a crisp from head to toe. He fell from the sky before he could even scream. Molten Demonic Blood activated, absorbing Life Essence and instantly banishing all of the weariness from Yan Kui's body.

The remaining cultivators saw how easily their leader had been killed, and their sanity collapsed completely.

Five Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators began screaming and fleeing, trying to escape the terrifying battlefield. One Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivator tried to flee as well, but it was already too late.

Yan Kui was now fast enough to tear through the sound barrier. The full power of Void Wind Control was on display. Afterimage after afterimage streaked through the air; five silhouettes shimmered in the moonlight, as though five Yan Kuis were racing across the sky.

He caught up with one Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator. One claw tore through the cultivator's spine, and blood gushed out.

He caught up with a second Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator. One punch blew the cultivator's head apart.

He caught up with a third Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator. With Void Wind Control making him as elusive as a ghost, Fivefold Afterimages flickered behind the cultivator. One claw pierced the man's back, and Molten Demonic Blood absorbed his Life Essence. But by then, two Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators had already escaped the bounds of the Extreme Path Domain and were fleeing as fast as they could.

Yan Kui chased them for several hundred meters, watching the two figures disappear into the night in the distance. Then he stopped.

Cool reason told him that continuing the pursuit would reveal his position and give an Elder at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage a chance to set more ambushes. It wasn't worth it.

Yan Kui sneered.

"Let them run."

"Go tell Luo Yue, tell the Sect Master—I'll be waiting for them here."

Nine corpses lay across the battlefield.

Blood and flesh covered the ground, alongside shattered Flying Swords, broken defensive Magic Tools, and scattered Storage Bags. Nine had been killed, and three had escaped. It had been an absolute rout. From beginning to end, this force of twelve cultivators had never posed the slightest threat to Yan Kui.

Yan Kui walked among the corpses and began searching the cultivators' Storage Bags. Those belonging to Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators usually held Magic Tools, pills, and spirit stones. The Storage Bags of Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivators contained even better items. Yan Kui collected everything and tossed it into his own Storage Bag.

[Kill Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivators ×8: Gain Origin Power +133.0]

[Kill Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Cultivators ×1: Gain Origin Power +30.0]

[Devour Foundation Establishment Pills ×3: Gain Origin Power +15.0]

[Current Origin Power: 50.7 → 228.7]

The Foundation Establishment Pills gradually crumbled to dust in Yan Kui's palm. The system's devouring ability converted the spiritual energy within them into pure Origin Power, which flowed into Yan Kui's body.

Yan Kui stood and felt the Origin Power growing within him. His reserves had jumped from 50.7 to 228.7, an increase of 178.0. That was enough to let him do a great many things.

He thought of Heaven Shaking God-Demon Record - Third Layer Fragment. That ancient secret art demanded an immense amount of Origin Power. Now, at last, he had enough resources to cultivate it.

Luo Yue would be here soon. The Elder of Artifact Refining Peak had been eyeing Yan Kui covetously for a long time. Now, he would probably come in person.

And then there was the Sect Master—the strongest cultivator in Qingyun Sect. He might appear here too.

Yan Kui stood amid the heap of corpses, his body covered in Ice-Fire Texture and gleaming with an eerie light beneath the moon. His gaze was cold to the extreme. The deep-blue chill in his left eye and the Dark Red Flames in his right were at odds, yet perfectly balanced.

An even stronger aura fluctuation came from afar. It belonged to a Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator, and perhaps someone even stronger.

Yan Kui sneered.

"Keep running. Bring more people here to die."

"Have they arrived? Luo Yue? Or the Sect Master?"

"It doesn't matter. Whoever comes will die."

Night blanketed the entire mountain forest. In the darkness, a figure stood amid a heap of corpses, waiting for the next wave of enemies. The combined might of five mastered Cultivation Techniques gave him the strength to challenge Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivators. His abundant reserves of Origin Power gave him confidence to face any enemy.

The path of the Extreme Path continued.