Seeing that his concealment had been exposed, Xu Qingtong abruptly shot the Soul-Piercing Nails in his hand straight at Elder Hu. Already on his guard, Elder Hu instantly brought a shield before him.
With three clangs, the three Soul-Piercing Nails struck the shield and exploded. Seeing that his shield had stopped them, Elder Hu was about to act when a sudden wave of dizziness swept through his mind.
Immediately afterward, an invisible, formless thorn flew toward his face. By the time Elder Hu realized something was wrong, he had no way to dodge. He only managed to tilt his head before the Divine Sense Thorn pierced his mind.
Another wave of dizziness struck Elder Hu, and he inwardly cried out in alarm. Then something resembling a ring grazed his cheek, leaving a bloody cut from which blood instantly welled.
Elder Hu suddenly saw the Venerable Lord standing right before him. He hurriedly fell to his knees and said, "Venerable Lord, I have failed in my duties. Please punish me!"
"Then die!" Xu Qingtong said.
As he spoke, he unleashed the Rushou Seal. A streak of white light flashed past, and Elder Hu crashed to the ground. Then a cloud of black mist flew out of Elder Hu's body and entered the Soul Refining Pot in Xu Qingtong's hand.
Even in death, Elder Hu never understood whose hand he had died by, or how his opponent had killed him!
The two Qi Refining cultivators who had intended to close in and help turned and fled when they saw Elder Hu fall. Xiao Qi, who had been waiting all this time, shot out with a whoosh. Sharp claws seized one man's back over his heart, and a pointed beak pecked down fiercely. The man crumpled limply to the ground.
The other man