Xu Yuan Lives

The city was reduced to ruins, and desperate cries, accompanied by flames, spread to every corner of the ancient city.

The battle between the withered old man and the middle-aged beauty continued, their maniacal laughter and the explosions of their spells constantly shaking the heavens. Each time the aftershocks of their spells struck, they brought annihilation to a neighborhood.

Gazing at the dazzling magical light in the sky, Xu Yuan's eyes, which had been flashing with an eerie blood-red glow, gradually emptied until they became lifeless.

Before his vision faded into darkness, the last thing he saw was the Black Death Fungal Mat fluttering and falling through the air like silk.

Just like those in the city who couldn't see the aftershocks of the battle that led to their deaths, Xu Yuan couldn't see what had pierced his brain until his consciousness faded.

Looking at the young man in brocade robes whose life was gradually fading away amidst the rubble several miles away, Taishi Ran's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. However, his hands did not stop moving in the slightest.

Finishing off an enemy is an essential skill for an assassin.

As the beginning of a great calamity for the world, it is no exaggeration to take it seriously; he cannot afford to have any wishful thinking.

Since Xu Changtian force has been completely extinguished, then he should be utterly reduced to ashes.

However, in the next instant, Taishi Ran realized that he no longer had the chance to make another move.

Previously, in order to avoid Lou Ji's detection, he only used the minimum amount of Source Qi to condense the lightning arc in his palm, so as not to attract anyone's attention, but the fluctuations it released were difficult to conceal.

For cultivators of their level, even a moment's delay in confirming someone's location through a released spell seems like an eternity.

Lou Ji had already determined his hiding place.

A terrifying pressure, as powerful as a mountain, instantly pressed down on Taishi Ran. If he were to forcefully attack Xu Changtian under these circumstances, he might be severely injured by the Black Scale Chief in an instant.

After a brief moment of deliberation, Taishi Ran abandoned his plan to continue destroying the evidence.

The Mortal Shedding and Soul Condensation is like the difference between heaven and earth.

Although Xu Changtian's body appeared to have only a small hole between his eyebrows, the moment a wisp of purple lightning touched his body, the Dao essence and intent contained within it severed all life force within Xu Changtian's body.

Unless, of course, Xu Changtian is one of those rare, once-in-a-millennium Strange Ghost, but clearly he isn't.

Before taking action, he had already used his Qi to confirm that the other party was merely a human.

As for humans, even those who are at the Origin Beginning cannot survive if their brains are destroyed, let alone a mere Soul Condensation cultivator.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Taishi Ran glanced subtly at the location of Xu Yuan's corpse, his relaxed brows immediately furrowing.

In his perception, the brownish-red substance that had appeared around Xu Changtian to form a shield and block the arc of lightning had not dissipated with Xu Yuan's death.

He had thought it was a life-saving Law Artifact given to Xu Changtian by the Prime Minister's Estate, but now it seemed that the other party was a spirit with its own consciousness.

And now, that spirit beast is actually trying to repair the hole between Xu Changtian's eyebrows with its own power.

Even though Taishi Ran was certain that Xu Changtian had become a corpse, the fact that Xu Changtian was the initiator of the great calamity and the bizarre scene before him still made him feel uneasy.

Are you daydreaming in front of me?

For a moment, she was stunned, and then a seductive figure suddenly appeared, followed by a cold and indifferent female voice coming from behind her.

Taishi Ran heard this voice, but there was no fear in his eyes.

He was waiting for Lou Ji to lose her mind.

For mortals, anger can make them forget physical pain during hand-to-hand combat, but for cultivators, anger during battle will only hasten their death.

Without any hesitation, he unleashed the spell he had been preparing. Purple lightning arcs surged from his arm, their powerful force sweeping across several burning streets. The flames, along with the ruins and broken limbs, were plowed through by the purple lightning, turning them into a vacuum!

But after the attack, Taishi Ran's mind suddenly sank.

It missed.

Looking back suddenly, Lou Ji's figure was still standing in mid-air, without moving an inch. However, the bewitching purple light in her beautiful eyes with their snake-like tongues had become strange and deep.

Upon seeing this scene, Taishi Ran instantly realized that the sound and energy he had just heard must have been the power of Lou Ji's strange Dao Domain.

He had already been dragged into the other party's Dao Domain.

While keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings, Taishi Ran spoke aloud:

"Chief Lou's cold-bloodedness is indeed well-deserved. It seems that even Xu Changtian is nothing special to you, Chief Lou. Even though he's dead, you can still remain so cold-blooded."

As he spoke, Taishi Ran's Dao Domain unfolded, and countless arcs of lightning appeared out of thin air, covering an area of a hundred feet around him.

Lou Ji's methods are unknown, and he is already enveloped by her Dao Domain. If he doesn't take countermeasures, he might easily be tricked and killed by her.

"."

Despite the mockery from the man below, Lou Ji remained calm as always.

Are you sure you still have the energy to provoke me?

Taishi Ran's lips curled slightly beneath his stern face, his voice tinged with amusement:

"So, Chief Lou is preparing to fight all five of us by himself? If you die here, Lord Xu will lose an arm."

"Fool, don't even think about provoking a cold-blooded woman like Lou Ji."

Before he could finish speaking, Luo Bingli's extremely cold voice suddenly rang in Taishi Ran's ears. "Watch your step."

"."

Upon Taishi Ran's pupils constricted sharply. He looked down and saw a huge and magnificent spider lily appear at his feet without any warning, its slender, blood-red petals already in full bloom.

The sudden appearance of the spell nearly caused Taishi Ran to lose his composure.

Even under the influence of his own Dao Domain, he had not noticed when the other shore flower had appeared.

I glanced to the side.

But then he saw that Fatty Zhou, the middle-aged beauty, and even the withered old man who had gone mad all had the same condition as him.

Four spider lilies, radiating an alluring glow, bloomed simultaneously at the feet of the four of them.

The four of them had already begun their own Mortal Shedding within their respective Dao Domain, completely unaware of what was happening!

Lou Ji's Dao Domain was actually able to affect their senses within their own Dao Domain.

However, now that they have been discovered, the magic resembling the red spider lily can no longer harm them.

There is no perfect magic in the world. The powerful concealment means that its power is not too great, not to mention that Lou Ji released it on all four of them at the same time.

As soon as Luo Bingli finished speaking, the blooming spider lily was instantly shattered by the four people using their respective Dao Domain techniques.

Even the withered old man, who had completely fallen into madness, wielded Xu Yuan's Willowwood Ghost Blade, turning him into countless dust particles that dissipated into the sky.

In just a brief, tentative exchange, Taishi Ran's gaze towards Lou Ji was filled with a deep sense of apprehension.

Chief Black Scale lives up to his name.

If Luo Bingli hadn't warned them, they would all have suffered injuries of varying degrees from that single blow, and this woman might have actually been able to fight all five of them alone.

Thoughts flashed through his mind, Taishi Ran glanced at the ancient city that had been reduced to ashes. He immediately made a decision and transmitted his voice to the other four:

"You guys hold Lou Ji off for a moment, I'll go and grind Xu Changtian's body to dust, then Xu Yinhe..."

Before he could finish speaking, the withered old man, who was locked in combat with the middle-aged beauty, suddenly let out a maniacal laugh:

"Destroy Xu Changtian's corpse? Let this old man do it! Roast that brat's body and send it to Xu Yinhe. Hehehe, his expression should be quite something, right?"

Upon hearing the old man's words, Taishi Ran's eyes, beneath his stern face, became deep and desolate.

He knew some of the behind-the-scenes information about that strange plague, he knew the state of the withered old man, and naturally knew how to provoke him.

Since the other party is already a discarded pawn, then we should squeeze out as much of their value as possible!

The instant the words were spoken, the Source Qi that trembled in mid-air nearly tore space apart!

"."

As the five-person battle erupted, Luo Bingli had no intention of making another move. She simply stood quietly in place, holding Jing Xuelan's body, her eyes beneath the iron mask revealing endless complexity and weariness.

The great calamity began with Xu Changtian's death, but her daughter also died in this large-scale assassination attempt.

She knew very well that Jing Xuelan's death was inextricably linked to Taishi Ran.

It could even be said that it was because Taishi Ran prevented the other party from using Jing Xuelan's life to blackmail her that her daughter died.

However, Luo Bingli could understand Taishi Ran's predicament.

This matter concerns a great calamity for the world. If she is held hostage by the other party using Jing Xuelan as a threat, then the operation to eliminate this great calamity will likely fail.

But this understanding did not diminish her impulse to kill Taishi Ran.

However, both her stance and her reason told her that this debt should not be placed on Taishi Ran.

After all, the instigator of all this was the prince below, and the woman who, under his orders, did not hesitate to take action.

Complex thoughts swept through her mind, Luo Bingli's indifferent gaze quietly fell upon a courtyard on the edge of the ancient city.

There, a man with a lazy air was sitting at a stone table.

He seemed completely unaffected by the earth-shattering roar in mid-air, calmly continuing to pour himself a drink.

The courtyard was quiet.

Li Yunqing was considering how to escape.

But after much deliberation, he finally realized that he seemed to be facing only one dead end.

The woman in the black dress will definitely blame Jing Xuelan's death on him.

And as if to confirm his guess,

The woman in the black dress was standing in mid-air, looking down at him, and the gaze emanating from beneath that strange iron mask was endlessly cold.

to be honest,

Li Yunqing didn't believe Qianxi could protect him from this woman in the black dress, nor did he believe that she would hesitate to act out of consideration for her royal status.

So, unless the Black Scale Guard's commander suddenly rushed over to protect him at the cost of his life, he was left with only one path: death.

As for whether Lou Ji would do that?

Li Yunqing thought it wouldn't happen.

Xu Changtian is probably already dead, so why would anyone bother to protect an outsider like him?

Thoughts flashed through my mind,

Li Yunqing sighed softly, but there was not much panic in his leisurely sword-like eyes.

He was terrified of death, extremely terrified.

But as a member of royalty

He, Li Yunqing, upheld the integrity of the Great Yan royal family.

Remain graceful in the face of death.

As for how to maintain

With a soft exhale, Li Yunqing quietly sat back down at the stone table in the courtyard, took out a bottle of imperial wine and two porcelain cups, and filled each one.

The first cup was spilled on the ground.

The woman in the black dress wore an iron mask, obscuring her expression, but Li Yunqing could clearly see the expression on Lou Ji's face.

It was a void that followed the extreme intensity of emotion.

Judging from this situation, Xu Changtian is most likely in grave danger.

After pouring, throw the cup away.

This wine is quite expensive; just let Xu Changtian have a taste.

However, this glass of wine,

This could be considered his last act of respect for that kid.

After all, whether that guy is dead or not, he's probably going to die soon.

Because Qianxi sent him a telepathic message.

She said that the woman in the black dress had locked onto her with her aura and told him to run away quickly, and she would help him stop the other woman.

What a stupid woman.

Where could he, a mere Body Fusion, possibly run off to?

Li Yunqing shook his head slightly, picked up another porcelain cup from the table, paused for a moment, then decided to spill the precious wine inside onto the ground.

This cup,

Consider this an advance gift for that stupid woman.

To be honest, he actually really, really liked that woman, Qianxi.

She is highly skilled, beautiful, has a great figure, and is obedient.

But unfortunately,

The imperial family is the most ruthless place; her background as Crown Prince meant that the Third Prince could never trust her.

If she had a different background, perhaps...

Haha, it doesn't matter anymore to talk about these things now.

The liquor seeped into the ground, releasing a delicate fragrance. He poured himself another full glass, took a small sip, and the bittersweet taste filled his mouth. Then, he suddenly muttered a curse under his breath:

"Damn it, that kid is a real bastard, he even ruined our last bit of tenderness."

Having said that,

Li Yunqing chuckled softly again.

He felt that his journey to the underworld wouldn't be too lonely.

At least that Xu Changtian went down too.

and,

Although he didn't know if his father would avenge his son, he knew that Lord Xu would definitely send many important figures down to be buried with Xu Changtian.

Well, although the nature of the crimes was different, these important figures were essentially buried with him.

That was a truly lavish funeral.

Thoughts flooded my mind one after another, while I downed cup after cup of wine.

Then,

After Li Yunqing finished pouring the last glass, he suddenly realized that his bottle was empty. Just as he was about to take out another bottle, he heard a clear, cold voice coming from his side:

"Have you finished drinking?"

Looking back, Li Yunqing gasped.

The woman in the black dress had somehow appeared behind him, holding Jing Xuelan's corpse in her arms, staring at him calmly.

After a brief moment of eye contact, Li Yunqing turned his head away, took a small sip from the rim of his cup, and said:

"Senior is quite particular, actually willing to wait for me to finish drinking the farewell wine. Where is Qianxi?"

Luo Bingli slowly walked from where she landed to sit opposite Li Yunqing, still holding the deceased Jing Xuelan in her arms, and answered very briefly:

"Dead."

"."

After a moment of silence, an indescribable complexity welled up in Li Yunqing's eyes, and his voice trembled slightly:

"Senior, you truly have impressive skills! Mortal Shedding realm!"

"Killing someone who has just entered the Mortal Shedding and whose Dao Domain is not yet stable is not particularly difficult."

"Oh"

Li Yunqing stroked the smooth surface of the porcelain cup, then looked up at the sky:

"In that case, I cannot keep you waiting any longer, senior."

"If we wait too long, it'll make us both look bad."

After saying that,

Li Yunqing was about to drink the contents of his cup in one gulp when he suddenly noticed that the once clear blue sky had abruptly darkened.

A strange fog enveloped the entire Huizhou County with lightning speed.

It resembled a black, Ghost Mist, or a red, Abyssal Rift.

Then,

The withered old man was stunned and bewildered, his mad voice echoing through the mist:

"Why aren't you dead, you brat?!"

Send!

Human beings have limits.