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Taixuzi: "What!?"

The black mist receded from Xie Xiyi's hand, revealing his pale, slender palm.

Taixuzi felt an indescribable agony tear through his Nascent Soul Spirit. This Deity Transformation Divine Clone he had spent so long refining had simply melted away-

Taixuzi cried in terror, "What secret art is this? You're not in the Golden Core Realm! What is your cultivation level?"

Xie Xiyi said leisurely, "Golden Core, of course. The Golden Core Realm really is wonderful. If I were at Divine Transformation, Void Refinement and Body Integration, everyone would fear me. How would they ever come right to my door?"

He laughed again. "Whoever you are, now that you're in my hands, I'll give you a perfect ending."

Amid Taixuzi's terror, his entire body melted completely, leaving only a wisp of Nascent Soul Spirit-which Xie Xiyi promptly wrapped in a black Talisman Ring and gathered into his five well-defined fingers.

The great formation was still running, washing away Xie Xiyi's memories over and over, yet he paid it no mind, strolling leisurely through it.

The black mist spat out a piece of silver metal. Xie Xiyi kneaded it in his hands for a long while, barely managing to shape it into a human figure. "A bit shabby."

Xie Xiyi murmured to himself, smiling as he infused that wisp of Nascent Soul Spirit into the Puppet. Black Talismanic Rune Chains wound around it, imbuing it with several Forbidden Curses.

"That does it." Xie Xiyi held the Puppet in his hand with satisfaction and told it, "You have half an incense stick's time. Call people here. The more, the better."

Taixuzi had been utterly stunned ever since Xie Xiyi melted his divine clone.

Immortal Lord Qingxuan watched him from beside him and asked quietly, "How did it go?"

Unable to maintain his composure, Taixuzi roared, "He-he-he's not in the Golden Core Realm!"

Immortal Lord Qingxuan frowned slightly. "Senior brother, calm down. You're only half a step from ascension. Even if Xie Xiyi isn't at Golden Core, he can't surpass you."

Taixuzi: "No-"

Before he could finish, he suddenly smiled slightly. "You're right."

He took out a Jade Token, which lit up, and Taixuzi said in a cold, stern voice, "All divisions of the Immortal Alliance, heed my order. Cultivators at Nascent Soul and above, proceed southwest immediately and slay the Ghost-Masked Cultivator!"

Immortal Lord Qingxuan whipped his head toward him, his cool composure gone. "Senior brother, why?"

Taixuzi said indifferently, "The Immortal Alliance's cultivators are expendable anyway. As long as we have jade marrow, we can have as many Nascent Soul cultivators as we want."

Immortal Lord Qingxuan said disapprovingly, "But these Nascent Soul cultivators are the foundation of your power in the Immortal Alliance."

Taixuzi said, "Enough. I will have him dead!"

Immortal Lord Qingxuan paused briefly and said no more.

Chi Yu hurried as fast as he could, but before he was even halfway there, he noticed quite a few more cultivators streaming toward Xie Xiyi's location like streaks of light.

Chi Yu said in anguish, "They're all going to their deaths!"

Ling Hezhou shared his apprehension. "Taixuzi is already at Tribulation Transcendence. Even a divine clone split off from him would be at Divine Transformation. Could even that not beat the fiend?"

Chi Yu asked curiously, "How do you know he couldn't win?"

Ling Hezhou said, "The fact that he didn't kill him in one blow is already very wrong. I'm sure quite a few discerning people can see it."

Ling Tian said, "Junior brother, show Sect Master Tai some respect. You mustn't address him by name."

Ling Hezhou muttered, "...His surname isn't Tai, is it? My father said his mortal surname was Yuan, and his name was Yuan Qiu, not Taixuzi. People who change their whole names like that have more or less forgotten their roots. They're no good."

Ling Tian: "...Whatever you do, don't say that to anyone else."

Ling Hezhou said, "I know. How could I not know that?"

Sometimes, having these two around gave Chi Yu an indescribable sense of comfort.-At least he wasn't alone in this unfamiliar place.

He was slow compared with the cultivators traveling in a dazzling stream of shooting stars. After all, he was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and his spiritual power easily ran dry, requiring him to replenish his spiritual energy occasionally.

When he reached Xie Xiyi's coordinates, it felt as though heaven and earth had lost their color.

Everything was stained bright red, and severed limbs and remains littered the ground.

Countless black Talisman Balls floated in the air. As the Talisman Rings revolved, they revealed the white Nascent Souls and Nascent Soul Spirits inside. In such a short time, Xie Xiyi had slaughtered every cultivator who came and captured their Nascent Soul Spirits.

Chi Yu was terrified, but he kept it off his face. The corners of his mouth twitched as he tried and failed to smile.

He stood there for a while to recover, then ignored the severed limbs at his feet and ran toward Xie Xiyi with long strides, calling brightly, "Boss!"

Xie Xiyi had his back to him. Hearing his voice, he slowly turned around. Several streaks of blood had splashed across his hideous ghost mask, making its red ghost eyes look even colder and more vicious.

The heavy stench of blood and killing intent made the air all around him feel like a mountain of blades and a sea of fire, unbearable.

Chi Yu struggled to keep anything unusual from showing on his face. He lowered his head to think, then put on a cheerful expression. Taking a bottle of wine from his Sumeru Ring, he offered it to Xie Xiyi. "Boss, I bought a local specialty from Wangxian Continent! This is Thousand Mountains Brew. They say it's a delicious spirit wine!"

Xie Xiyi lowered his head slightly to look at him, a somewhat hoarse chuckle spilling from his throat. "You're afraid? Your shoulders are shaking."

Chi Yu: "..."

Who the fuck wouldn't be scared!!!

Chi Yu swallowed and said, "It's normal to be scared, isn't it?"

Xie Xiyi said, "Of course it is. Poor thing. Having a boss like me must be hard on you."

Chi Yu: "..."

Something felt a little odd. Although he called Xie Xiyi his boss, Xie Xiyi had never acknowledged it. Now he actually had?

Chi Yu couldn't help scratching his head. "It's not too bad."

As though his addiction had flared up, he kept offering the bottle of spirit wine. "Boss, want to try Wangxian Continent's specialty?"

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Xie Xiyi looked down at the bottle. "This thing stinks. Just like those cultivators. They all stink."

Something was clearly wrong with his mood. As though he utterly loathed what Chi Yu had offered, he drew Phantom Lightning and aimed it at Chi Yu-yet Phantom Lightning hummed, its tip even bending slightly to point away.

Xie Xiyi murmured, "You're being very unruly-"

"You don't want me to kill him? It seems you're very close."

Chi Yu: "??"

He couldn't help taking a step back.

Xie Xiyi said cheerfully, "I won't allow that, because I'll be jealous."

Having said that, he told Chi Yu, "Run. I'll count to ten, then come find you. You're only at Foundation Establishment. If I find you, you won't retain your Nascent Soul Spirit like those Nascent Soul cultivators. Once you're dead, you're truly dead. Run."

Chi Yu: "??"

Shock spread across his face as he tried to rouse Xie Xiyi's conscience. "Boss! Snap out of it! I'm your underling!"

He hurriedly took out the Image-Retaining Pearl and pleaded, "Boss, these are my songs for today, tomorrow, and the day after. I'll give you all of them, okay?"

Xie Xiyi: "One."

Chi Yu: "..."

Xie Xiyi counted with a smile, "Two."

Without another word, Chi Yu turned and ran. There was no pattern whatsoever to this lunatic's fits!

Xie Xiyi reminded him from behind, "Don't run this way."

Chi Yu ignored him until he reached a place he couldn't get out of no matter what he tried. Only then did he realize Xie Xiyi's warning had actually been sincere.

Xie Xiyi's voice drifted over. "So stupid. Would I have a servant as stupid as you? I told you not to run this way, but you did it anyway. You don't trust me at all."

Chi Yu: "..."

I'm doomed!

Ling Hezhou said urgently, "This is a formation. You need to find its core. The core is usually in the center-"

Ling Tian: "There's no time! Take out all of junior brother's protective artifacts!"

Chi Yu fumbled to take out the artifacts as Xie Xiyi's voice floated over. "Nine... ten."

"Time's up." Xie Xiyi flew to a spot not far from Chi Yu and took out the Taowu hide to wipe the incessantly humming Phantom Lightning. "What a coincidence. You've entered my modified formation. Then I'll give you an easy death."

He said cheerfully, "I added an incantation called Netherworld to this formation. After death, those at Foundation Establishment can't reincarnate like mortals. This is my lovely blessing for you. Farewell, my servant."

The artifacts filling Chi Yu's hands fell to the ground. His mind was full of nothing but I'm doomed!

He knew better than anyone how powerful Xie Xiyi's Forbidden Curses were. Now none of the protective artifacts would be of any use.

Xie Xiyi softly snapped his fingers, activating the formation.

Golden light shimmered through the formation. Just as chains slid out from all around to bind Chi Yu, heaven and earth suddenly shook. A brilliant light split open in the ground and swallowed Chi Yu in an instant.

Xie Xiyi fell silent. After a while, he said in a somewhat incredulous tone, "Was that... a secret realm?"

Then he quickly rejected it. "It's a Forbidden Curse."

The moment the secret realm appeared, the power of a Forbidden Curse's rules had been present, well concealed yet impossible to ignore.

It was a Forbidden Curse he had not mastered. This servant of his had secrets he knew nothing about.

Xie Xiyi chuckled. "Interesting."

Next time we meet, I'll keep him.

But I'll need a reason.

Xie Xiyi glanced at Phantom Lightning, humming incessantly in anger and displeasure in his hand, and murmured, "All right. Next time we meet, I'll keep him as your Sword-Holding Sword Slave."

Yet Phantom Lightning hummed with even greater displeasure.

You're nothing!

Chi Yu landed hard on a patch of grass. The thick greenery cushioned his fall, so he wasn't hurt too badly, but he was still dizzy and disoriented. It took him quite a while to recover.

Once his reason returned, he suddenly felt a coolness on his ear. He reached up and discovered blood-and the earring was gone.

Chi Yu hurriedly scrambled up to search. Grass stretched all around him, making the earring extremely difficult to find. He soon remembered something and called, "Ling Hezhou? Ling Tian?"