Self-Inflicted Suffering

Too weak.

Those two words were like a resounding slap, fiercely striking Zhou Qingyun's face.

He had been famous for decades, leading the Diancang Sect, and had never suffered such a humiliating disgrace.

After the shock came immense rage.

"Good! Good! Good!" Zhou Qingyun laughed in his anger, his face turning the color of liver. "Insolent brat! If I don't slay you with my sword today, I swear I'm no man!"

He held nothing back, unleashing his Xiantian true energy without reservation.

Instantly, a wave of green energy surged outwards from him, so strong it made it impossible to open one's eyes.

"Receive my Diancang Sect's supreme ultimate technique—The Thirteen Swords of Cangshan!"

Zhou Qingyun's figure flickered, his entire body seeming to transform into a wisp of green smoke. Though he held no sword, the sword energy emanating from his fingertips was sharper than any divine weapon.

"First sword, Tianlan Peak!"

"Second sword, Shuiyue Peak!"

"..."

He shouted, his body darting rapidly across the arena, leaving behind trails of afterimages.

Streams of green sword energy, launched from all directions at treacherous and bizarre angles, wove into a dense, inescapable net, completely enveloping Lu Shaoyou.

Each strand of sword energy contained the full power of his Xiantian mastery, enough to easily cleave through metal.

With all thirteen swords unleashed, the power was earth-shattering!

The onlookers below were captivated, cheering enthusiastically.

"This is Sect Leader Zhou's true strength! What exquisite swordsmanship!"

"That fiend is trapped within the sword net, a fish in a barrel, surely dead!"

However, Lu Shaoyou, at the center of the sword net, didn't even furrow his brow.

"A parlor trick."

He murmured. Facing the overwhelming sword net, he neither dodged nor evaded. He simply took a single step forward and threw a punch.

This punch had no fancy moves, just pure power.

As his fist swung out, the air seemed to be instantly evacuated, emitting a dull explosion.

"BOOM—!"

A golden fist aura, like a blazing sun, violently collided with the green sword net.

There was no stalemate as imagined.

The moment the sword net, formed by thirteen sharp sword energies, touched the golden fist aura, it was like paper, torn and crushed with overwhelming force!

Zhou Qingyun felt an irresistible, terrifying power surge towards him. His protective Inner Force shattered instantly.

He was hit as if by a colossal hammer, spewing blood from his mouth. Like a kite with a snapped string, he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily at the edge of the arena. He struggled for a long time but couldn't get up.

One punch!

Another punch!

The Sect Leader of the Diancang Sect, a Xiantian master, Zhou Qingyun, was heavily injured by a single punch, technique and all!

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence once more.

If their earlier explanation for instantly killing Wang Meng was that Wang Meng was just a brute, then the current crushing of Zhou Qingyun with one punch completely overturned their understanding.

Lying on the ground, Zhou Qingyun was shocked and furious, but more than that, he felt a primal fear from the depths of his soul. He knew their strength was not even on the same level.

Seeing Lu Shaoyou walk towards him step by step, his calm gaze devoid of any emotion, as if looking at a dead man.

A strong survival instinct made Zhou Qingyun completely abandon his dignity as the sect leader.

A hint of malice and madness flashed in his eyes. As Lu Shaoyou approached, he suddenly pulled out a small cloth bag from his robes and, using his last ounce of strength, flung it forward fiercely!

"Fiend! Die!"

"Whoosh!"

A cloud of purple-black smoke, mixed with countless steel needles as fine as cow hair, scattered like heavenly flowers, raining down upon Lu Shaoyou.

"It's the Purple Smoke Divine Sand!"

Someone in the crowd exclaimed in shock.

"This... this is a unique poison of the Diancang Sect! It's deadly upon contact, incredibly vicious!"

"Sect Leader Zhou actually used poison for a sneak attack! This... this is just too..."

Some individuals who considered themselves part of righteous sects showed expressions of disdain.

Using poison, especially a sneak attack in such a public and watched event, was undoubtedly the most despised low-class tactic among martial artists.

However, more people revealed a sense of schadenfreude in their eyes.

Whatever the method, as long as it killed this fiend, it was fine!

On the high platform, Xue Yutang's lips curled into a meaningful smile.

True Man Songyue, on the other hand, frowned, clearly showing his disdain for Zhou Qingyun's actions.

Seeing that his Purple Smoke Divine Sand had completely enveloped Lu Shaoyou, Zhou Qingyun couldn't help but let out a triumphant and wild laugh.

"Hahaha! No matter how high your martial arts are, once you're hit by my Purple Smoke Divine Sand, you'll turn into a pool of pus within three breaths! I..."

His laughter abruptly stopped.

Because he saw that as the dust settled, Lu Shaoyou was still standing quietly in his original spot, completely unharmed.

The divine sand, capable of piercing iron armor and imbued with potent poison, had indeed shot through his green shirt. However, it all got stuck on the surface of his skin, making faint "ding ding dang dang" sounds. Not even a thin layer of skin was broken, let alone his flesh.

The upgraded Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill had already forged his physical body to an unbelievable realm.

Ordinary weapons were simply incapable of breaking through his defenses!

"Is this what you call a righteous sect?" Lu Shaoyou's face displayed undisguised mockery and contempt. "If you can't win, you resort to poison and sneak attacks?"

He looked at Zhou Qingyun's face, contorted with extreme shock and fear, and suddenly smiled.

"Fine, let's see you taste the consequences of your own actions."

Before his words even finished, Zhou Qingyun's body suddenly trembled with true qi!

"Buzz!"

A powerful surge of energy erupted outwards from him as the center.

The next moment, a scene that made everyone's scalp tingle appeared.

The thousands of Purple Smoke Divine Sand particles stuck to his skin were all repelled by this surge of energy! They flew back faster and more ferociously than they had come!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

A dense sound of tearing through the air echoed as countless purplish-black needles transformed into a torrent of death, rushing back.

Zhou Qingyun, his mouth agape in triumph, had no time to react before he was completely engulfed by this torrent.

"Ugh... err..."

Indecipherable gurgles came from his throat, his eyes bulged, and his face rapidly turned a strange purplish-black.

In just a single breath, his body began to rot, emitting foul-smelling green smoke, and finally, with a "plop," he turned into a stinking pool of pus, leaving no bones behind.

[Slaughter Value +5000 points.]

Silence. A terrifying silence.

Everyone was stunned by this bizarre and gruesome spectacle.

"Sect Leader!"

Just then, seven cries of grief and rage rang out from the Diancang Sect's formation.

Seven figures, like seven bolts of lightning, soared onto the stage simultaneously.

They were the seven strongest elders of the Diancang Sect, excluding the Sect Leader, known as the "Diancang Seven."

They looked at the pool of pus on the ground, their eyes bulging with fury and grief.

"Demon! Meet your end!"

The leading Great Elder roared, "Form the Seven Ultimate Sword Formation!"

The seven instantly spread out, occupying seven positions, drawing their long swords. Sword lights flashed, echoing each other.

A terrifying sword intent, far exceeding the combined power of the seven of them, formed abruptly, locking onto Lu Shaoyou.

"Another formation?" Lu Shaoyou impatiently shook his head and directly pulled out the Qi Mei Cudgel from the side.

His figure flickered. Instead of retreating, he advanced, actively charging into the sword formation.

"Dragon-Elephant Demon Suppressing Cudgel!"

The Qi Mei Cudgel in his hand seemed to come alive, transforming into a sky-full of cudgel shadows.

Each swing of the cudgel carried immense power, causing the air to explode with continuous roars.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The Seven Ultimate Sword Formation had just taken shape and hadn't had time to unleash its power before it was shattered by this unreasonable cudgel technique.

"Puff!"

One elder's sword was directly smashed, and he was sent flying along with his broken sword, his chest caved in, and he died on the spot.

"Ah!"

Another elder was hit by a cudgel shadow, half his body reduced to a bloody pulp.

Lu Shaoyou was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, his Qi Mei Cudgel the most terrifying killing machine.

In the blink of an eye, six of the Diancang Seven were dead, and one was injured!

Only the leading Great Elder remained, covered in blood, looking at this man who was like a god or a demon with utter despair.

Lu Shaoyou's expression was unreadable as he raised the Qi Mei Cudgel in his hand, about to bring it down to finish off the last opponent.

Just then—

"Stop!"

A heaven-shattering roar echoed from the high platform.

Accompanying the shout, a beam of sword energy, brilliant as condensed moonlight, arrived faster than lightning, striking precisely at Lu Shaoyou's Qi Mei Cudgel.

"Clang!"

A deafening sound erupted, scattering sparks.

Lu Shaoyou felt an incomparably sharp Inner Force surge up the cudgel, making his arm go slightly numb. The momentum of his descending strike faltered for a moment.

He looked up towards the high platform.

True Man Songyue had finally made his move.