Slay the Dou Emperor

"The people of Black Skull Tomb are still as good at barking as ever!"

As the group from Xia Lan arrived at the cliff's edge and looked down at the dense crowd below, Ren Xia, standing to the rear-left of Yun Zimo, mocked them without the slightest restraint.

"Heh, Ren the Blind, you actually dare to show your face? Our Tomb Master is here; today, we shall wipe out you so-called Xia Lan!"

The man who had been clamoring earlier possessed half a ghost mask, and a scar on the other half of his face, as hideous as a centipede, twitched slightly with his sinister grin, looking exceptionally terrifying!

Black Skull Tomb Dou King—Half-Ghost!

Yun Zimo stood quietly at the edge of the cliff in black robes, his left hand resting on the long sword at his waist, sizing up the people of Black Skull Tomb below.

There were only about fifty people from Black Skull Tomb, all wearing ghost masks. The one in the center must be the Black Skull Tomb Master, right?

The Black Skull Tomb Master sat upright on the Skull Coffin Throne, his face red and black with many patterns. Although he appeared thin and frail, he was a genuine Dou Emperor.

Standing beside him was Half-Ghost, dressed in gray-white robes that seemed to have spots of filth on them, yet they moved and rippled like living things. Behind him stood three Dou Ling and a group of pure Dou Grandmasters; such a lineup was already formidable!

"A low-level Dou Emperor, a high-level Dou King..."

Yun Zimo calculated in his heart. These two were not comparable to those two water-trash Dou Kings from the Wind and Earth factions; this was likely going to be a brutal battle!

"Six Dou Ling, only two are high-level. It seems I need to end this quickly!"

Yun Zimo glanced lightly at the six people beside him. It appeared he would have to get serious this time!

Cyan-white battle armor flowed over his body like water, and even his bamboo hat and cloak were covered in a layer of fine, cyan-white patterns.

"Each of you take on one Dou Ling. Ren Xia, you three split off to hold down that Dou King. Leave the Black Skull Tomb Master to me!"

"The rest of you handle the remaining Xia Lan..."

After issuing his orders, Yun Zimo leaped into the air and struck out a palm of white mist, which drifted and shrouded the entire Jiu Ling Cliff.

"This mist will interfere with your senses! Be careful, everyone!"

Seeing this, the Black Skull Tomb Master let out a loud shout, his figure leaping into the sky. His black robes flapped like the wings of a giant roc, and thick black mist surged out, colliding with the clouds and emitting a harsh, sizzling sound.

Zero, now clad in white, moved through the white mist with the other Xia Lan, holding short swords and searching for the ghost-masked men of Black Skull Tomb like ghosts themselves.

The six Xia Lan Dou Ling also found their opponents and began to clash fiercely. The Black Skull Tomb Master and Yun Zimo hovered in the sky, confronting each other; both sides knew that the fighting below was merely a minor skirmish.

The deciding point of the battle lay in their hands!

"Lan Fengzi, I have heard of you. That idiot Blood Butcher died at your hands!"

Although the Black Skull Tomb Master's face was fierce, his voice was surprisingly gentle and pleasant.

"It is rare for the Tomb Master to remember a small character like me."

Yun Zimo's voice was deep and hoarse; had it not been for the concealment of his cyan-white armor, he would have looked more like the Black Skull Tomb Master himself.

"Although I had no love for that traitor Blood Butcher, he was always causing trouble for our old rival, the Blood Sect. It is a pity he died just like that. Killing you will serve as settling a regret..."

The Black Skull Tomb Master shook his head and said softly. The gray hair scattered over his shoulders moved without wind, and the strange patterns on his red-black face slowly writhed. Behind him, black mist churned, making him look like a hellish demon choosing whom to devour.

"Draw Ground as Prison!"

"Raging Gale!"

Yun Zimo stopped wasting words. Hand seals flashed, and his long sword unsheathed, piercing through the air like a rainbow spanning the sun as it swept across the firmament.

The long sword split into countless sword shadows, heavy as rain, weaving together to trap the Black Skull Tomb Master.

The sword qi and gale winds turned into a hurricane, howling and crazily shredding toward the Black Skull Tomb Master at the center.

Yun Zimo, having no patience for talk, unleashed two Xuan-tier Dou Skills right away to end the fight quickly!

"Undying Holy Stele!"

Seeing the sword shadows descend, the Black Skull Tomb Master flicked his sleeves, and a pitch-black tombstone the size of a man emerged in the void, suppressing the space above his head. Yin winds swirled and descended, blocking the onslaught of the sword-qi tornado.

"Extreme Wind: Sunset Shine!"

"Extreme Wind: Meteor Kill!"

Before the Black Skull Tomb Master could react, another array of sword shadows appeared in the sky. Two beams of light, brilliant to the extreme, arrived from the horizon and crashed down onto his head!

The tombstone above the Black Skull Tomb Master's head emitted a cracking sound of unbearable strain, shattering and exploding in less than half a breath.

"Yin Coffin Seeking Path!"

The Black Skull Tomb Master let out a low shout, and a phantom of a coffin appeared, enclosing him within. A heaven-shaking explosion rang out, and the intense shockwave instantly dispersed the black and white mist filling the sky!

The people fighting below retreated one after another, both sides returning to their starting positions with a tacit understanding.

This was them getting serious! What followed was no longer their concern...

"You, you actually dared to ruin my Ghost Robe!"

The Black Skull Tomb Master looked at his tattered robes, a thick rage rising in his eyes!

"Black Skull Throne!"

"Death God Scythe Staff!"

A roar of fury came as the Black Skull Tomb Master, seated upon a skull throne filled with black mist and holding a black scythe, raised his staff high!

A pitch-black scythe phantom, several dozen feet in size, slashed through the air, tearing through layers of mist as it descended toward Yun Zimo's head.

"Sword Falling Galaxy!"

Green sword shadows gathered from the sky behind him. Beneath his mask, Yun Zimo's face turned pale, yet he still formed hand seals, directing the river of sword qi to coalesce into a dragon!

The sword dragon roared as it pierced through the air, colliding violently with the scythe-staff!

Where the two met, rings of air clouds exploded, and the fierce hurricane caused the surrounding factions to cast sidelong glances in shock.

"Beneath my sword!"

A voice, indifferent enough to freeze blood, rang out. The Black Skull Tomb Master felt a momentary mental lapse; he heard only the hum of a sword, then saw three figures holding swords lift them gently.

"All Beings Equal!"

An inexplicable sense of deterrence descended. With his soul under absolute suppression, the Black Skull Tomb Master's reaction was half a beat slow.

Thirty-six sword beams struck and pierced through his body, pinning the Black Skull Tomb Master's flesh and soul firmly in mid-air. By the time he struggled free, his eyes reflected only that single, heaven-piercing sword light!

"BOOM!"

The Black Skull Tomb Master exploded into pieces. Not only did it blast out a vacuum zone, but the surrounding space itself rippled with waves.

Invisible air clouds surged, creating layers of silent wind that twisted space and thundered into the sky.

Even the Jiuling Palace beside the cliff collapsed under the impact!

"Surrender and live!"

Yun Zimo's indifferent voice drifted down from the sky. Both sides were stunned, and the members of the Black Skull Tomb were filled with terror.

"Tomb Master! Avenge the Tomb Master!"

A Dou Ling of the Black Skull Tomb suddenly looked at the disciples with bloodshot eyes and shouted, but before he could finish, a sword beam slashed down from above his head!

"SWISH!"

With one strike, the Dou Ling who had been clamoring for revenge was slain. Yun Zimo had no patience for their "death before surrender" theatrics.

After cowing the members of the Black Skull Tomb, Yun Zimo sealed the Dou Qi of the strongest individuals, including Half-Ghost, and then flew off toward Black Skull City alone!

One day later, news spread throughout the Black-Corner Region that the Black Skull Tomb, a veteran faction, had been wiped out and that Xia Lan had taken residence in Black Skull City!

As for Lan Fengzi, the name of one who had suppressed and killed a Dou Emperor while only a Dou King spread far and wide. However, in the mouths of the experts of the Black-Corner Region, he was referred to as Lan the Madman...

"This kid is really..."

Within the Inner Academy of Jia Nan Academy, First Elder Su Qian tossed the report of Lan Fengzi killing the Black Skull Tomb Master onto his desk. He was speechless and amused, yet could not help but feel a sense of alarm.

He had not expected that Yun Zimo was actually the mysterious Grand Commander of Xia Lan. For years, Jia Nan Academy had exhausted all means but failed to uncover the identity of this Grand Commander, even listing him as one of the most unstable factors in the Black-Corner Region. Who would have thought that this...

"Send someone to offer congratulations. It will also serve to deter those restless fools!"

Su Qian gazed toward the east of the Black-Corner Region. Establishing a friendly connection might prove useful one day, might it not?

"Oh? That piece of trash Ku Lou is dead?"

Hearing that the Black Skull Tomb Master Ku Lou had died, the young man dressed in luxurious alchemist robes gently set down his scroll, revealing a handsome but cold and sinister pale face.

"Yes, Master. The Black Skull Tomb has also been wiped out by that Xia Lan."

A thin, ghostly figure shrouded in darkness whispered in the shadows.

"Do we need to..."

"Heh, ignore him. We in Feng City only do business..."

The young man spoke softly, then picked up the scroll and returned to his studies.

"The Black Skull Tomb was wiped out? Who dares to treat my dearest friend like this! I must personally go and see this old friend off!"

At the Blood Sect headquarters, Sect Master Fan Lao licked the residual blood from the corner of his mouth. With that heartbroken expression, one would think he and the Black Skull Tomb Master were sworn brothers...

Just as the various factions were stirring with ulterior motives, Yun Zimo sat on a meditation cushion in Black Skull City, his cultivation having reached the most critical step!

The Earth-tier low-grade cultivation technique passed down from his ancestor circulated madly within his body. His aura climbed steadily until, at a certain moment, a sound like a water droplet hitting a lake echoed within him.

A sense of perfect, rounded harmony drifted out, and Yun Zimo's slightly closed eyes snapped open!

"Dou King, Grand Perfection!"

At this moment, an unprecedented sense of satisfaction radiated from the bottom of his heart. Yun Zimo's eyes reflected an inexplicable brilliance.

His essence, energy, and spirit had all reached the state of absolute perfection!

The Dou Emperor realm was within reach!