Slay the Taowu, the Spiritual Treasure Surrenders

Guiyuan's voice became vast and solemn:

"May I, upon attaining Daluo, sweep away the northern ferocious sha, and restore a clear and bright Qiankun to the north!"

"May I, upon attaining Daluo, preach the Dao to the northern living beings, and open their spiritual wisdom!"

It was as if he was making a great vow to some supreme existence in the unseen, borrowing boundless might!

Borrowing from the future to fulfill the present.

Boom—!!!

An indescribable power surged back from the northern void and even from the unseen heavens and earth, pouring into Guiyuan's body.

In Xuanming and Styx's utterly shocked perception, Guiyuan's aura, which had been at the peak of Taiyi, in that instant soared infinitely, breaking through some invisible boundary, radiating a power akin to that of the Taowu King.

Though it was not a true breakthrough in realm, at this moment, by leveraging the vow-making effect of the "Great Wish Technique," he temporarily possessed a sliver of Daluo authority and might!

And that sliver was enough.

"Xuanyuan Controlling Water Flag! Seal the heavens and lock the earth!"

Guiyuan shouted coldly, the temporarily borrowed Daluo-level power madly pouring into the black banner above his head.

"Whoosh—!"

The Xuanyuan Controlling Water Flag erupted with unprecedented black light.

The banner's surface seemed to transform into the Northern Abyss Sea enveloping the entire Changbai Mountain range, endless ocean phantoms condensing into solid water-rule chains.

With the supreme power to invert space and suppress all waters, it sealed the ferocious sha origin that had been trying to revive, along with the sliver of Daluo characteristic within it, locking it tightly within a confined space!

"Primordial Heavenly Dao! Grind away the true nature!"

Guiyuan's massive claw reached out, and nine strands of Primordial Qi appeared once more, but this time, those nine strands contained a trace of Daluo-level authority.

They were no longer mere energy strikes but transformed into the most fundamental millstone of the "Dao," ignoring the ferocious sha's external defenses, directly penetrating deep into the imprisoned origin, locking onto that stubbornly shining sliver of Daluo characteristic, and grinding it ruthlessly!

"Crack..."

A faint sound of shattering, as if from the level of the Dao itself, clearly echoed into Xuanming and Styx's minds.

That mass of ferocious sha origin trembled violently, and the light within it representing "immortality" and "difficulty to kill" suddenly flickered out like a candle in the wind!

With the loss of the Daluo characteristic, the flesh that had been writhing to recover

instantly lost all spiritual nature, turning into a heap of truly dead meat, with no possibility of revival.

After doing all this, the terrifying pressure from Guiyuan's massive true form, which had surpassed Taiyi, receded like a tide.

His aura plummeted instantly, even weaker than before.

Clearly, activating the "Great Wish Technique" and forcibly wielding Daluo-level power had drained him immensely.

Not just exhaustion—once he reached Daluo, he would have to fulfill what he had vowed, or the backlash would be far worse.

The giant turtle true form dissipated, and Guiyuan transformed back into the gray-robed Daoist, his face slightly pale, landing on the ground with a long sigh of relief.

He looked at the Taowu corpse, now finally and utterly dead, and beside it, the pure yet lifeless mass of Chaos Sha origin, and said calmly:

"Now, it should be truly dead, right?"

Styx and Xuanming stared at him, for a moment at a loss for words.

They hadn't expected Guiyuan to be this strong. The forcibly borrowed Daluo power, the terrifying true form, the endless array of divine abilities—

all completely exceeded their expectations.

The next moment.

In the heavens and earth, three streams of Qi of Merit appeared, far larger than before, amounting to a full five mu.

One mu each fell upon Xuanming and Styx, while a full three mu landed on Guiyuan, bathing him in dazzling golden light.

"So ferocious beasts are truly harmful to heaven and earth. Killing a severely wounded Daluo ferocious beast yields this much merit?"

Styx and Xuanming also showed delight, after all, merit was something no one ever had too much of.

Whether for refining spiritual treasures, enhancing cultivation, or comprehending the Dao, it was useful.

Guiyuan waved his sleeve, drawing the merit into his true spirit, where it faintly formed a Golden Wheel of Merit.

Once his aura steadied, he looked at the Taowu corpse and said:

"We killed this thing together. The remaining Daluo ferocious soul, the Chaos Sha, and this physical body—we each take one."

His tone was calm, without claiming credit.

Xuanming snorted, sweeping her gaze over the unsettling ferocious sha, her voice icy:

"I do not want it." She paused. "I came only because I could not bear to see it defile the Ancestral Vein left by Father God."

With that, ignoring her severe injuries, she cast one last deep look at Guiyuan.

She turned and transformed into a faint light, vanishing a thousand li in a single step, clean and decisive.

Guiyuan watched the direction she had disappeared, amused inwardly. This Wu Clan—their temper was indeed fierce.

They had agreed earlier to each take a share, and Xuanming had intended to claim the Daluo flesh, whose blood energy and mixed Sha Qi would serve well for tempering her own blood essence.

But now, she likely felt her contribution was too small, so she left without taking anything.

Styx looked embarrassed.

In this battle, Guiyuan had contributed the most. He even felt that without them, Guiyuan alone could have faced the wounded Taowu and might not have lost.

"This..." Styx was momentarily at a loss for words.

Guiyuan saw through his thoughts, smiled calmly, and lightly gestured with his finger.

The mass of pure Chaos Sha drifted before Styx.

"Daoist Styx, this should be useful for tempering your swords."

Styx looked at the Sha, which contained a trace of Daluo characteristics, then at Guiyuan's open expression. He was silent for a moment, then laughed:

"Good! Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

His nature was straightforward; since Guiyuan offered sincerely, he would not hypocritically refuse.

Behind him, Yuantu and Abhi sang joyfully, blood light swirling as they absorbed the Sha into their blades.

Having received such a generous gift, Styx's goodwill toward Guiyuan grew. He took the initiative to ask: "Daoist Guiyuan, what are your plans next?"

Guiyuan's gaze swept over the ravaged Ancestral Vein: "I was born in the North Sea. Seeing the northern lands shrouded in Sha Qi, with life cut off, I could not bear it.

I came this time to cleanse the Sha Qi and restore vitality. Now that Taowu is eliminated, it is time to purify the Ancestral Vein.

I intend to establish a Dao field here, using this as a foundation to rebuild the north."

Styx heard this, and admiration flickered in his eyes.

Cleansing the northern Sha Qi and repairing the Ancestral Vein—this was great merit, but also great hardship!

Though Taowu was gone, the Sha within the spirit veins included not only the Ferocious Beast's Chaos Sha but also blood Sha left from years of battle.

Eradicating it would be exceptionally difficult, mainly because one risked polluting one's Dao foundation. A single misstep could outweigh any gain.

He laughed heartily: "Good! With such ambition, how could Styx stand by? Count me in! I will surely help you succeed!"

Guiyuan nodded with a smile: "Excellent! With Daoist Styx's help, this will surely be accomplished!"

This Styx was a slaughterer; with his aid in hunting Ferocious Beasts, the speed would increase greatly. As for sharing some merit, there was no need to begrudge it.

Rather, restoring the north faster would bring him greater returns.

Guiyuan and Styx descended to where Taowu had once laired.

Boundless Sha Qi and spiritual energy interwove, and crucially, deep within, faint traces of Dao rhythm emanated.

"Oh?"

The two entered Taowu's nest and saw at the source of the Ancestral Vein a massive stone platform, ancient and imposing, likely where Taowu had lain.

On the platform, a stone stele floated. Styx was surprised: "An Innate Treasure here?"

Guiyuan smiled: "This is the northern Ancestral Vein. It would be stranger if no treasure were here. Ferocious Beasts cannot use treasures, only destroy them. It's normal for one to remain."

As they spoke, they approached the stele. The next moment, it transformed into a streak of light and fell into Guiyuan's hand.

"It seems this treasure is fated for you, Daoist."

Styx showed no jealousy, cupping his hands with a smile.