In the perception of Elder Ming Ku and the four Tai Xu Realm Netherworld Clan cultivators, the Nirvana Star God Tree at the center of the blood pool suddenly began absorbing energy several times faster!
The dark-red blood pool visibly turned clear. The pure, deathly energy within it frantically surged into the Star God Tree, and the tiny black sapling sprouted branches and buds at an astonishing speed. At its tip, a fruit embryo the size of a longan swiftly condensed, its surface interwoven with starlight patterns and nirvana runes!
The ripening process of the Star God Fruit had accelerated!
"Good! Excellent!" Elder Ming Ku froze for a moment before erupting in wild joy. An unnatural flush spread across his withered face. "Heaven is helping me! The Death Qi here must have accumulated for ten thousand years, its reserves far exceeding our estimates, to the point that it has accelerated the catalysis process on its own! Quickly! Throw in all the spare sacrifices and help the Star God Fruit reach complete maturity!"
Though he harbored a trace of doubt, the "facts" before his eyes outweighed everything. His fanaticism for the Netherworld Clan's grand cause overwhelmed his vigilance toward that slight anomaly. The other four cultivators were likewise invigorated, hastily tossing their precious demon beast cores and magical artifacts into the blood pool.
The embryo of the Star God Fruit became increasingly solid, and the energy fluctuations it emitted made the entire underground cavern begin to tremble.
In the shadows, a teasing smile curled at Xuanyuan Che's lips.
The illusion created by the Void Mirage Pearl had perfectly deceived their senses. In truth, the blood pool's energy was not being absorbed faster by the Star God Tree. Instead, the Mirage Pearl had silently redirected and channeled it into a jade bottle in his hand. This jade bottle was called the Essence Gathering Bottle. It contained a world within, capable of taking in a hundred rivers and storing all kinds of energy.
The true Star God Fruit was nowhere near as ripe as Ming Ku and the others "saw" it to be, but the extra nourishment they had thrown in was genuinely accepted by Xuanyuan Che with a smile. Though this energy leaned toward yin and evil attributes, once refined by the Chaos Body, it was all tonic.
"Junior Brother, you... are practically a bandit." Thunder Roar Ravine stared in dumbfounded admiration, his tone full of respect.
"How can a cultivator's business be called robbery?" Xuanyuan Che replied with a perfectly straight face. "This is called optimized resource allocation. They lack the fortune to enjoy it, so I am keeping it for them. Perfectly reasonable."
Both Yun Mengyao and Mu Qingxue could not help laughing. They had long grown accustomed to their junior brother's absurd methods.
Second by second, beneath the excited and expectant gazes of Ming Ku and the others, that Star God Fruit finally "ripened" completely! The fruit was plump, its starlight dazzling, radiating an enticing Dao aura.
"It's done! Take the fruit!" Elder Ming Ku roared, his voice trembling with excitement.
The nearest Tai Xu Realm cultivator immediately reached out toward the "Star God Fruit."
Just as his fingers were about to touch the fruit, the Star God Fruit before his eyes abruptly vanished! Immediately afterward, the entire scene of the blood pool rippled violently like flowers in a mirror and the moon in water before shattering with a boom!
The illusion vanished!
What met their eyes was still the Nirvana Star God Tree itself, far from maturity.
And the vast quantity of precious sacrifices they had just thrown in had already vanished without a trace!
"An illusion?! Who is it?!" Elder Ming Ku fell from heaven into hell, but reacted with astonishing speed. The terrifying aura of a mid-stage Saint erupted, and his gaunt hand fiercely clawed at the void.
The other four Tai Xu Realm cultivators instantly formed a back-to-back battle formation, scanning their surroundings in shock and fury.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. After all that hard work, you were only making a wedding dress for someone else. How touching." A voice carrying lazy amusement rang out.
Xuanyuan Che and the other three removed their disguises and revealed themselves, standing not far from them.
"You?!" Elder Ming Ku's pupils contracted sharply. He recognized Xuanyuan Che—the monstrous youth who had blown apart the Saint Corpse Bone Demon's arm with a single punch above! Stormy waves rose in his heart. How had they infiltrated this place without escaping his perception? And what level of illusion was that, to perfectly deceive even a Saint's spiritual senses?!
"The Netherworld Clan's hand has stretched rather far. Aren't you afraid someone will chop it off?" Xuanyuan Che asked with a smile.
"Boy, no matter what trick you used, you dared ruin my Netherworld Clan's great undertaking. Today, I will tear out your Divine Soul and refine your soul, condemning you to eternal damnation!" Elder Ming Ku shouted. He stopped wasting words as the pressure of his Saint domain, solid as a mountain, crashed down upon Xuanyuan Che and the others! At the same time, he shook the bone banner in his hand, releasing countless ferocious ghostly figures with howling cries.
The four Tai Xu Realm cultivators attacked at the same time. Netherworld Death Qi transformed into chains, poisonous mist, and soul blades, assailing them from every direction with seamless coordination and ruthless savagery!
"The realm is there, but unfortunately, the power is too scattered and the quality too poor."
Xuanyuan Che murmured. He did not even use any divine ability. He merely raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and gently pressed downward.
An invisible yet indescribably vast Chaos pressure abruptly spread outward with him at its center!
There was no earth-shaking roar, no dazzling radiance.
Yet beneath that seemingly weightless press, Elder Ming Ku's immense Saint domain instantly collapsed and disintegrated like a bubble!
The Spiritual Power rushing toward them dissolved and was annihilated the instant it touched the Chaos pressure, unable to stir even the slightest ripple!
"Pfft!"
As though struck by a devastating blow, Elder Ming Ku violently spat out a mouthful of black blood. His eyes filled with horror as he staggered backward, nearly dropping the bone banner in his hand!
The four Tai Xu Realm cultivators fared even worse. They could not even scream before instantly exploding into four clouds of blood mist.
Silence!
Deathly silence!
Only the gurgling bubbles of the blood pool and Elder Ming Ku's heavy, terrified gasps remained.
One move!
No, it did not even count as one move—merely a simple gesture. With effortless ease, he suppressed a Saint domain, annihilated every attack, and instantly killed four peak Tai Xu Realm cultivators!
What kind of strength was this?!
Elder Ming Ku's entire body went cold. He finally understood that the Saint Corpse Bone Demon's arm being blasted apart by a single punch above had been no accident! This youth before him was not a Xing Yuan Realm cultivator at all, nor was he an ordinary Saint! His true combat strength had likely reached a level beyond his comprehension! He was very likely a Saint King, perhaps even... higher?!
"Y-you... who exactly are you?!" Elder Ming Ku's voice was dry and hoarse, full of despair.
Even his young master was far inferior.
"The one who will kill you." Xuanyuan Che's tone was calm. He took one step and instantly crossed space, appearing before Elder Ming Ku.
Elder Ming Ku was scared out of his wits. Burning his Essence Blood, he frantically activated the bone banner, seeking one final desperate struggle. "Netherworld Descends, Ten Thousand Souls—"
"Too noisy."
Xuanyuan Che formed a sword with two fingers. A barely perceptible strand of Chaos Sword Qi coiled around his fingertips as he casually pointed forward.
All of Elder Ming Ku's defenses, the power he had gained by burning his Essence Blood, and that Saint-grade artifact, the bone banner... before this single finger, they were like paper mache, easily pierced through!
His fingertip landed on the old man's brow.
Elder Ming Ku's movements instantly froze, and the light in his eyes rapidly dimmed. A tiny red dot remained between his brows. Every trace of life force in his body, his soul, and even the Dao laws he had cultivated were utterly annihilated by the Chaos Sword Qi in an instant.
Ming Ku, elder of the Netherworld Clan and a mid-stage Saint powerhouse, had fallen!
Xuanyuan Che flicked his fingers and raised a hand, storing Elder Ming Ku's bone banner and storage ring away.
"Job done. Now, this fruit and little sapling are ours."
Thunder Roar Ravine and the others recovered from their shock. Though this was not the first time they had witnessed Xuanyuan Che's terrifying power, every time they saw him crush a formidable enemy so effortlessly, their hearts still swayed violently.
This was what an unrivaled bearing looked like!
"This Nirvana Star God Fruit contains extraordinarily immense and unique energy. It is compatible with Senior Sister Mu's Guixu Sword Body. If she can absorb it, her sword soul should advance another step, and she may even be able to condense a Nirvana Sword Heart." Xuanyuan Che analyzed. "As for this sapling, we can take it back and plant it on Xuanqing Peak. Nourished with Chaos Qi, it may one day become a guardian spiritual root."
He walked to the edge of the blood pool and looked at the still-unripe Star God Fruit. Though it had not matured, the Netherworld Clan had already piled up an extraordinarily solid foundation for it with vast resources.
"Let me give you a hand." Xuanyuan Che rummaged through his storage ring, tossing down all manner of powerful Divine Soul artifacts as though they cost nothing.
The blood pool surged. The starlight patterns and nirvana runes on the surface of the Star God Fruit instantly lit up, rapidly becoming complete at an astonishing speed!
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