Change

Heat waves billowed outside the doors of the great hall.

Just as the blazing flames were about to surge into the hall, the eighteen golden skeletons suddenly emitted a dim golden glow. An extremely faint layer of golden light wrapped around the entire hall, and the flames vanished the instant they touched it. The temperature within several dozen feet outside the hall did not change in the slightest.

A low sigh faintly drifted from the air.

Of the eighteen golden skeletons, seventeen seemed to have exhausted their last trace of strength. Their bones collapsed and exploded into countless tiny golden motes that drifted to the ground. Yet these minuscule golden motes carried great weight, continuously producing ringing sounds as they landed.

Over a hundred thumb-sized golden, silver, and jade-colored pellets fell from the collapsing skeletons. They bounced across the ground with a clatter for a while, then these faintly glowing particles—some as large as thumbs, others no bigger than beans—also crumbled apart.

Strands of dense light slowly emerged from the shattered particles and silently merged into the great hall around them.

The originally somewhat dilapidated hall subtly changed in color, becoming much brighter. Several cracks in the walls quietly healed as well.

Amid cracking sounds, the final golden skeleton split open with countless new fractures. The golden light it emitted gradually dimmed, then vanished completely.

Wu Tie looked reverently at the sole remaining golden skeleton. An inexplicable emotion surged into his heart, and he solemnly bowed to it.

These skeletons clearly possessed incomparably unwavering faith. Even after their flesh and bones had turned to ash, even after they had completely dissipated, the final remnants of their power in this world were still protecting this great hall.

"I don't know who you are... Fine, Old Tie will tell me sooner or later." Wu Tie straightened up, turned around, and looked overhead.

The nearly shattered golden lotus at the center of the hall absorbed several strands of light released by the particles. Three or five cracks on its surface healed. Strands of golden light rose from several petals like ropes, hooking onto Bone Crusher.

Bone Crusher hovered in the air and trembled slightly, like a bird tied by threads, impatient to break free from the golden light's restraints.

Light flowed across the golden lotus's surface. Extremely thin, faint golden rays contracted, dragging Bone Crusher down bit by bit until it was gradually pulled to a spot more than a foot above the golden lotus.

"Stay put. I'll deal with you later." Wu Tie glared irritably at Bone Crusher.

It had sucked so much blood from his body that Wu Tie was dizzy in waves, his vision repeatedly darkening. His body felt weak and cold, and cold sweat kept seeping out. It was all Bone Crusher's fault. In Old Tie's words, this thing wanted to run the moment it had eaten and drunk its fill... truly a bastard through and through.

Turning around, Wu Tie gripped his long spear and walked step by step to the entrance of the great hall, looking outside.

How miserable.

Truly miserable beyond measure.

The six Mist Blade experts brought by Nine Palm Commander had already been burned into black smoke and scattered away. Nine Palm Commander himself had also been burned black all over, no longer resembling a human.

But even before being burned, Nine Palm Commander had already ceased to look human. Whether in his earlier six-armed form or his later gigantic insect form with extremely long blade-arms, he had not looked human then either.

Only, the Nine Palm Commander before them was even more miserable.

His two legs were now merely two charred black bone rods. His upper body was in somewhat better condition. A thick layer of black carapace had grown from his flesh, covering both arms and his entire upper body, so his torso remained roughly intact.

Yet one of his eyes had melted away, and black blood plasma continuously flowed from the pitch-black eye socket.

His other eye seemed to have been badly scorched as well. He kept blinking, while blood plasma and tears streamed endlessly from its corner.

Grandma Hong was clearly in much better condition.

Naked, she lay sprawled crookedly on the ground. At least a hundred crisscrossing blade wounds, deep enough to expose bone, covered her pale flesh. Several especially savage cuts had struck her waist and abdomen, their blade light nearly severing her body. Only a few strands of flesh and sinew still barely held her together.

What was horrifying was that not a drop of blood flowed from her wounds.

A vast, inhuman life force surged through her body. Even Wu Tie, hundreds of meters away, could clearly sense that mighty vitality. Dense bloody light radiated from every pore of Grandma Hong's body, and her wounds wriggled as countless tiny strands of flesh continuously grew forth.

The strands of flesh connected and tugged at one another. Her split skin and flesh wriggled back together, and Grandma Hong's injuries rapidly healed.

Wu Tie could even hear the sound of bones striking together from inside Grandma Hong's body.

No one knew how many of her bones Nine Palm Commander had severed, but under the stimulation of that immense life force, those bones were rapidly regrowing.

This inhuman vitality reminded Wu Tie of those Longevity Cult followers who exploded into blood mist from the lightest attack. Grandma Hong had devoured the blood mist they became; her life force must have come from there.

Terrifying. Evil. Wu Tie felt ever greater revulsion toward Grandma Hong and Shi Lingqing.

"Commander!" Hundreds of meters away, from behind a massive crystal cluster, Ding set down Old Wu, whom he had been carrying on his back, and staggered over.

Just now, Grandma Hong and Nine Palm Commander had fought high in the air, both going all out. They had ended up mutually wounded, and flames ran rampant through Grandma Hong's body. Ding, Old Wu, Luolin, and the others had hidden behind the crystal cluster, barely escaping the terrifying fire by sheer luck.

"Commander." Luolin also staggered out from behind the crystal cluster.

He clutched his stomach. The muscles in his face twitched violently as he walked, taking one step before stopping again. Clearly, the punch Nine Palm Commander had landed on his abdomen had left him seriously injured.

The two approached the battlefield one after the other.

Nine Palm Commander abruptly raised his head. He gasped, exhaling a stream of black smoke that smelled charred, then spat out several scorched clots of blood.

He widened his sole eye and stared fixedly at Ding and Luolin. In a cold voice, he said, "Stop. Do not come closer... Go kill that old demoness."

Luolin and Ding froze. They cautiously stopped more than a hundred meters away, looked at each other, then nodded simultaneously. Turning around, they walked toward Grandma Hong, who lay on the ground unable to move, her body almost cleaved apart.

Grandma Hong lay on the ground. Her wounds were healing rapidly, but she had completely lost all ability to act.

With difficulty, she raised her head and cast Luolin and Ding a seductive glance. "Two young masters, why not consider this properly? How about sincerely joining my Longevity Cult? Hehe, the greatest benefit of joining the Longevity Cult is freedom from worry over longevity... Not to mention countless beauties, immeasurable wealth, and boundless power..."

After catching her breath and spitting out blood, Grandma Hong smiled softly. "Of all the heroes who have pledged themselves to the Longevity Cult, not one has ever regretted it. Every last one of them enjoys it beyond measure."

Shi Lingqing also leaped down from the wooden boat. Grasping a slender, delicate shortsword in her right hand, she swayed gracefully toward Ding and Luolin. "Luolin, Ding, why are you two young masters so drawn-sword-and-bent-bow?"

"Hehe, how does all this fighting and killing not spoil the scenery? Why not let Lingqing accompany you two young masters somewhere aside for some proper amusement?" Shi Lingqing cast them seductive glances. "Young Master Luolin, if you insist on avenging your sister, how about Lingqing giving herself to you as compensation?"

With a soft moan, Shi Lingqing simply tore off her robe, revealing her close-fitting undergarments. Twisting her waist, she pounced upon Luolin.

"Young Master Luolin, could you truly be this stubborn and dull-witted?"

"There is an Ancient Sage's corpse here, ancient ruins here, Ancient Treasures left behind here... With such a tremendous heaven-sent opportunity, must you insist on fighting and killing?" Half of Shi Lingqing's face was rotten and ruined, while the other half was fair as jade. She turned her head, presenting the intact half of her face to Luolin.

Her face was glowing. It truly glowed.

For a moment, Shi Lingqing, who had originally possessed seven or eight parts beauty, now radiated twenty, thirty parts charm.

Luolin's body swayed. Staring at the beautiful half of Shi Lingqing's face that truly shone with light, his gaze suddenly scattered, and his steps abruptly halted.

Grandma Hong smiled brilliantly. Watching Shi Lingqing swiftly pass by her, she praised, "Girl, well done."

Before her words faded, Shi Lingqing abruptly spun around and pounced onto Grandma Hong like a hungry wolf pouncing on prey. Her shortsword mercilessly stabbed into Grandma Hong's heart. Opening her little mouth, she viciously bit down on Grandma Hong's neck.

Amid hissing sounds, it was as though Shi Lingqing had a pump valve installed in her mouth, madly drawing out the abundant blood essence and life energy within Grandma Hong.

Grandma Hong screamed hoarsely, her body struggling violently. But the injuries Nine Palm Commander had inflicted upon her were too severe; she could not move at all. Worse still, Shi Lingqing's shortsword had pierced her heart. Strange red light continuously erupted from the blade, swiftly permeating her entire body and instantly causing every bit of strength within her to collapse.

Luolin suddenly woke from his stupor.

Nine Palm Commander let out a furious, shocked shriek.

Ding suddenly flung both hands out. Over a hundred triangular nails coated in lethal poison silently tore through the air, viciously striking Luolin, who stood less than three meters in front of him.

The triangular nails flew extremely fast and with tremendous force. Luolin's body was actually sent flying by them.

The triangular nails pierced through Luolin's body. Carrying blood, they flew out from his front. Luolin turned back to look at Ding in disbelief, then crashed heavily to the ground, never making another sound.

"Third Brother, don't blame me... Qiao taught me this." Ding shouted, stepping back several paces. With a flick of his hand, a weighted triangular nail flew from his grasp and struck Luolin heavily in the temple.

His skull burst and blood plasma splattered. That strike completely severed Luolin's final thread of life.

"Go!" Ding laughed loudly and waved his hand. From the animal-hide pouch at his waist, thirty-six triangular nails flickering with faint black radiance flew out trailing black smoke, shooting toward Nine Palm Commander on the ground like lightning.

Nine Palm Commander roared furiously. He slammed both hands against the ground, trying to use the force to spring up.

A yellowish stone pillar suddenly flew over from afar and smashed heavily into Nine Palm Commander's back. The earth rumbled, and an overwhelmingly powerful suction force surged from the ground. Nine Palm Commander had only risen half a meter before the pressure from the stone pillar and the pull from the earth slammed him flat again.

All thirty-six triangular nails struck Nine Palm Commander squarely in the face. They pierced his remaining eye, then curved into his ears, nostrils, and mouth.

Nine Palm Commander gave a muffled groan, and black blood quickly flowed from his seven apertures.

"That is why only clever people live to the end... Nine Palm Commander, you insisted that only the strong were qualified to live." Qiao's voice came from behind a crystal cluster several hundred meters away.

Both legs shattered by Nine Palm Commander, Qiao supported his body with one hand and crawled toward them, lurching sideways with every step.

In his other hand, he brazenly carried Old Wu's head.

Old Wu's eyes were wide open, his facial muscles twitching, his face filled with disbelief.

"When I killed him, he actually still didn't believe I could truly lay hands on him." Qiao laughed smugly. "Lingqing, look at that face. He still didn't believe I would really lay hands on him."

Wu Tie stood rigidly at the entrance of the great hall, staring dumbfounded at the scene unfolding outside.

All of this had completely exceeded his imagination.

Why had it ended this way?

How could it have ended this way?

It was actually Shi Lingqing, Qiao, and Ding... actually the three of them.

Grandma Hong convulsed violently on the ground. Her fair, plump skin had already become like orange peel, covered everywhere in ugly wrinkles.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, shrieking hoarsely at Shi Lingqing, whose aura was growing ever denser. "Lingqing... How do you know the Essence Stealing Secret Art? How could an outer sect disciple like you possibly learn the Essence Stealing Secret Art?"

Shi Lingqing ignored Grandma Hong. She merely sprawled atop her, greedily gulping down the blood essence pouring from Grandma Hong's body.

Qiao and Ding both smiled, watching Shi Lingqing's body atop Grandma Hong with greedy, cruel eyes.

Wu Tie trembled violently all over. An inexplicable fury suddenly rushed up from his heart, and his chest nearly burst apart.

"Enough! You... cannot be this shameless!" Holding his long spear, Wu Tie strode toward Shi Lingqing. "Are you still human? You three... what exactly are you trying to do? Shi Lingqing, stop!"

His long spear tore through the air and stabbed straight at Shi Lingqing.

Shi Lingqing giggled, tilting her head slightly. The half of her face that had been rotten and ugly was now fair as jade, fully restored to its original breathtaking beauty.

"Young Master Wu Tie, can you bear to hurt me?" Shi Lingqing snickered. "Or would you strike a woman who has no ability to resist?"

Wu Tie froze.

Looking at Shi Lingqing's flower-like smiling face, he abruptly withdrew his spear.

"Idiot." Shi Lingqing sneered. A faint layer of blood-colored flame erupted from her skin. Her body swayed, then exploded into nine afterimages, charging before Wu Tie amid a howling gale.

Shi Lingqing slammed both palms heavily into Wu Tie's chest.

With a thunderous boom, two masses of blood-colored flames exploded. Wu Tie cried out strangely as the heavy blow sent him flying backward.

Flying backward several dozen meters, Wu Tie slammed heavily into the ground. His body bounced up again, and he crashed headfirst into the steps before the great hall's doors, smashing a huge depression into the blue-brick stairs. He lay spread-eagled in the pit.

Shi Lingqing wiped away the blood flowing from the corner of her mouth and said softly, "I have already reached my limit. Without more than a year of arduous cultivation, I cannot digest the life Origin Power inside me. This old demoness's life Origin Power cannot be wasted..."

Shi Lingqing cast Qiao and Ding a seductive glance. "Brother Qiao, and Ding, absorb as much as you can. Hurry."

Raising her head and looking at Ox Hero's enormous body, Shi Lingqing trembled all over in excitement.

"There are still countless treasures here waiting for us."