Seizing the Token

At Young Master Xihua's words, Jiang Yiheng, who was already wounded and had lost too much blood, was so furious that he spat blood on the spot. Staring at Young Master Xihua's arrogant face, he roared madly, "I'll kill you!"

After saying that, he ignored the attacks of the two black-clad men beside him and sprayed a great mouthful of vital blood onto his magic artifact. Stimulated by the vital blood, the artifact immediately let out a buzzing sound. Then he sacrificed the artifact, and this strike was immensely powerful; ten illusory flying dragons actually formed above the artifact, comparable to a blow from a Qi Training Realm cultivator. Carrying fierce pressure, the artifact chopped down toward Young Master Xihua's head.

Seeing how tremendous the power of this strike was, Young Master Xihua's expression changed as well. He sacrificed a top-grade magic artifact shaped like an earthen-yellow pagoda.

The two magic artifacts collided in an instant, immediately setting off a shockwave that rushed in all directions. The entire sandy ground was shaken open into a great pit with a radius of three zhang.

When the raised sand and dust settled, the scene within was revealed. Young Master Xihua's face was slightly pale as he held up the pagoda-shaped magic treasure. Aside from the treasure's protective barrier being dim and lusterless, he had suffered no harm at all.

Looking at the scene before him, Jiang Yiheng's eyes widened in disbelief. But by now, he had already exhausted all the strength in his body, and the two black-clad men who rushed forward seized him and pressed him to the ground.

"It is your Jiang family's immense honor that this young master played with your Jiang family's women. You actually dared to stretch your claws at this young master. I will make sure to dual-cultivate every beautiful woman of your Jiang family to death right in front of you, then draw out your soul and refine your spirit, burning you day after day with Nether Ghost Fire, so you can taste what it means never to be reborn." After putting away his magic artifact, Young Master Xihua came before Jiang Yiheng and looked down at him from above, his face vicious and sinister. At this moment, Young Master Xihua was simply an evil ghost in the world, forming a stark contrast with his handsome appearance. It was truly impossible to know whether he had been born this way or had suffered some kind of shock.

Hearing these words, Jiang Yiheng's face instantly turned ashen. A will to die flashed across his face, and then his whole body shook and went limp. He had severed his own heart meridians and died.

Seeing this, Young Master Xihua's face turned fierce as he cried, "You think seeking death will let you escape? I said I would make you never reincarnate, and I will make sure you can never be freed."

With that, Young Master Xihua took a small black flag about a foot long from his robes. The surrounding air immediately turned icy cold. Then Young Master Xihua held the flag in his right hand, muttering words under his breath, no one knew what incantation he was chanting.

From far away, Wang Ding watched as, with the incantation gradually rising in pitch, gusts of black wind suddenly whipped up around Young Master Xihua. A phantom shadow also appeared above Jiang Yiheng's corpse.

Though Wang Ding was far away, with his powerful eyesight, he still saw it clearly. That was Jiang Yiheng's soul. The moment Jiang Yiheng's soul appeared, it was sucked into the small black flag in Young Master Xihua's hand.

Young Master Xihua put away the small black flag, brimming with satisfaction. His face full of arrogance, he shouted to the two lackeys, "Hmph, this is what happens to those who oppose me, Young Master Xihua. When you two return to the sect, you had better spread this properly for me—spread it well—so those restless fools know that no matter who they are, if they offend me, they can forget about coming to a good end. Understand?"

The two black-clad lackeys immediately stepped forward, their faces full of flattery as they said, "Young master is a marvel for ten thousand ages, possessing the breadth of a tyrant. In the future, you will surely accomplish boundless great undertakings. The two of us will certainly serve before and behind your saddle, serving young master until death and only stopping when we die."

Amid the two men's fawning flattery, Young Master Xihua waved his folding fan, walked with his feet splayed out, and swayed as he headed toward Sand City.

He had only taken a few steps when a figure suddenly burst out of the ground, punching toward Young Master Xihua's head.

Young Master Xihua could not react in time at all. He saw only a fiery-red fist bringing ten illusory flying dragons into the sky, blasting toward him. Within several dozen meters, wild sand was swept up by the fist force. Young Master Xihua's expression changed drastically, and in his panic, he barely managed to sacrifice his top-grade pagoda-shaped magic artifact.

There was only a loud dong that rang through the void. Young Master Xihua was sent flying on the spot by the punch, and the top-grade magic artifact above his head was knocked down as well. As for the two lackeys, under the residual force of the fist, they were directly beaten into two piles of rotten mud.

When the sand and dust dispersed, the true face of the person who had ambushed Young Master Xihua was revealed. It was Wang Ding. He had used an Earth Escape Talisman to sneak beneath Young Master Xihua's feet and launch a surprise attack.

At this moment, under Wang Ding's attack, Young Master Xihua was already seriously injured and had lost the strength to fight back. He was half-sitting on the sand. Upon seeing Wang Ding, he shouted, "Who are you? You actually dare ambush me? Don't you know I'm from the Earth Fiend Sect? Do you not want to live?"

Wang Ding's face was cold and stern as he said, "You don't need to know who I am, because you're going to be a dead man."

With that, he was about to charge toward Young Master Xihua.

Young Master Xihua immediately shouted, "Wait, wait! I can give you countless benefits."

Wang Ding slowed his pace and walked toward him, looking at him as he said, "What benefits? Let's hear them."

When Young Master Xihua heard this, he thought Wang Ding had been tempted, so he said, "I can have my father take you as his disciple. When the time comes, he will pass on to you our Earth Fiend Sect's peerless Dao art, the Earth Fiend Spirit Gathering Method. That is a method capable of achieving the rank and career of a heavenly immortal. When the time comes and you become a disciple of my Earth Fiend Sect, you'll have whatever you want. Wouldn't that be far more delightful than being a Rogue Cultivator?"

Though Young Master Xihua said this aloud, in his heart he was thinking, Come a little closer. When the time comes, I'll let you taste the power of the True Fire Soul Refining Talisman. I'll make sure you live worse than death.

No joy or anger could be seen on Wang Ding's face as he said, "How can I believe you won't take revenge?"

Seeing that Wang Ding seemed somewhat moved, Young Master Xihua was secretly delighted, thinking his scheme could succeed. At this moment, he was already gravely wounded and could not activate his magic artifact. The only thing he could rely on was the life-saving talisman he had taken from his robes when Wang Ding attacked him—the True Fire Soul Refining Talisman. This was a life-saving item his father had given him. Anyone below the Qi Training Realm would undoubtedly die.

Young Master Xihua said, "I can swear by my heart demon. You can believe me now, right?"

By now, Wang Ding had arrived ten meters in front of Young Master Xihua. He looked at him, his expression indifferent, and said, "Your words sound very pretty, but I don't believe you."

Before his voice had even fallen, he had already charged toward Young Master Xihua in an instant, his momentum like lightning. In the blink of an eye, he was about to reach Young Master Xihua.

Seeing Wang Ding pounce over, Young Master Xihua seemed to have expected it long ago. Not a trace of panic showed on his face as he activated the talisman in his hand and struck it toward the charging Wang Ding.

Immediately, a terrifying pure-white flame rushed out from the talisman toward Wang Ding.

Just as Young Master Xihua fully believed he could kill Wang Ding, Wang Ding suddenly vanished from before his eyes. Young Master Xihua's expression froze, and then a terrifying killing intent appeared behind him. Young Master Xihua only felt a pain in his back, and then he knew nothing more.

It turned out Wang Ding had long since guessed that this Young Master Xihua likely had some means capable of turning the tables. Back on Earth, Wang Ding had read no small number of novels. People like Young Master Xihua, disciples of great families and sects, probably all carried plenty of things that could reverse a situation. That was why Wang Ding had long since held an Earth Escape Talisman in his hand—all for the sake of killing in one strike.