Lin Fan withdrew his fist, standing amidst the smoke and dust, his white robes fluttering, the golden dragon shadow behind him still slowly circling.
" Holy Spirit Clan Huntian, you are very strong."
He strode towards the crumbling Huntian: "Unfortunately, you've run into me."
Huntian watched him approach, showing neither fear nor resentment, but only a calm understanding in his eyes.
"My master once told me..."
"There are always some people in this world who are destined to dominate an entire era."
He whispered, "I didn't believe it at first, but now... I believe it... I've lost!"
He closed his eyes.
Huntian's body split open from the middle.
The body, covered in gray stone patterns, split in two from the center of its forehead to its lower abdomen, like a statue shattered from the inside. It collapsed with a crash, smashing onto the ruins of the black stone gate, scattering rubble and dust everywhere.
The blood was pale gold.
It wasn't the bright red of ordinary creatures, but a golden liquid unique to the Holy Spirit lineage, seeping into the cracks in the stone, giving the ground a faint metallic sheen.
Lin Fan withdrew his fist, and the chaotic energy within his body slowly subsided.
He glanced down at the Holy Spirit's body on the ground, then suddenly stroked his chin. "The blood of the Holy Spirit Clan seems to be useful for making medicine."
"The body... seems to be capable of being used for weapon forging."
He looked again at the two grayish-white stone shells. "Tsk, all good stuff."
He squatted down and casually put the two halves of the body into his storage ring.
His movements were swift and decisive, as if he had picked up two stones from the roadside, and his expression was so calm that it was hard to believe he had just killed an ancient holy spirit at the half-step Sage King level.
"Click!"
The last remnant of Huntian's soul was also completely destroyed.
A dark golden essence of origin rose from the depths of the shattered body, slowly hovering in mid-air, exuding a profound Spiritual Qi, like an ancient stone core compressed over countless years.
Lin Fan reached out and clenched his fist, the chaotic energy condensing into a palm, steadily taking the Holy Spirit Origin into his palm.
[Ding! Host has slain Huntian, an ancient freak of the Holy Spirit Clan, and gained 300,000 Villain Points!]
[Ding! Host has seized the Holy Spirit Clan's Huntian Origin (Holy Spirit Essence x1), gaining 80,000 Villain Points!]
[Ding! Host has successfully refined the Holy Spirit Clan's essence!]
[Ding! The Holy Spirit, Huntian, has fallen; heaven and earth weep, and blood rain will fall.]
As soon as the words were spoken, a dark red cloud suddenly rose in the sky above the Immortal Ancient Ruins, which had been dark and quiet.
Rumble!
Countless dark red raindrops fell from the sky, a chilling wind swept across the heavens, and a bloodcurdling scream echoed through the air.
"Holy crap... blood rain?"
"It is a celestial phenomenon signifying the fall of the Holy Spirit!"
" The Holy Spirit Clan is a unique race nurtured by heaven and earth, naturally resonating with the earth. Once they perish, heaven and earth grieve, and it is common for blood to fall."
"Will killing the Holy Spirit incur a curse?"
"It is said that when this blood rain falls on living beings, it leaves a 'mark' that other holy spirits and even the ancient creatures of heaven and earth can sense."
"The one who slaughters the Holy Spirits, is being targeted?"
The crowd discussed amongst themselves, their expressions varied.
Some people looked at Lin Fan with complicated expressions, while others quietly took a few steps back, as if they were hiding from something unclean.
Lin Fan stood amidst the blood rain. He glanced up at the dark red sky, his expression largely unchanged, but he tilted his head slightly. "Blood rain? A curse?"
Whatever!
What kind of bastard creature dares to come seeking revenge? He'll kill it!
He casually stored the drop of Holy Spirit essence into his storage ring and strode towards the fourteenth level.
Blood rain fell on him, but just as the rain was about to touch his body, it was evaporated by the protective light of the Chaos Gods and Devils Body, turning into wisps of barely perceptible grayish-white gas that dissipated in the wind.
Curse? Premonition?
Blood rain followed him all the way, covering him completely, but ultimately failed to leave any substantial marks on him.
"They're gone."
He clapped his hands and turned to walk deeper into the thirteenth level.
Behind them, in the ruins leveled by the great battle, countless cultivators were still immersed in the shock brought by the battle.
"Holy crap... Huntian was just killed like that?"
"That's an ancient freak of the Holy Spirit Clan who fought his way back from the twentieth level!"
"Did you see that final punch? That golden dragon shadow... the True Dragon Precious Technique!"
"What the hell?! The True Dragon Precious Technique?!"
"Isn't that the supreme inheritance of the Dragon Clan, lost for many years? How could it be in the Lin Clan son? Even Long Aotian doesn't have it..."
"Holy crap, if this news gets to Long Aotian's ears, it'll cause an uproar!"
" Long Aotian has always considered himself a true Dragon Clan, but the lost True Dragon Precious Technique has appeared in a human... Haha, this is going to be interesting!"
The discussions surged like a tidal wave.
The ruins of level 13 extend all the way to even more distant levels.
The light from the communication jade talismans rose and fell, and the messages flew like wings to every corner of the Immortal Ancient Ruins.
Meanwhile, we've reached the nineteenth level.
Deep within some ancient ruins, a figure in a blue robe sat cross-legged amidst a dazzling, star-like light.
The stars are scattered like a starry sky compressed in the palm of your hand.
Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes, his pupils reflecting the stars, like two miniature universes slowly rotating deep within his pupils.
He was surrounded by a dense astral energy.
That law was no longer the rudimentary form it had taken at the Purple Mansion Realm or Quasi-Saint Realm; it had solidified into countless flowing starlight patterns of the Great Dao.
"The Starry Sky Immortal Technique... I've finally grasped the basics."
He looked down at his palm, where a fist-sized starlight rune emanated an ancient and timeless aura.
That was a celestial technique, a complete celestial technique.
When he emerged from those ruins, his aura had completely transformed. The origin of his Star Body had merged with that immortal technique, giving him an unfathomable majesty.
Just then, a message flew in from afar.
Ye Chen raised his hand and caught the communication jade talisman. He probed it with his divine sense, and after a moment, his expression became slightly complicated.
" True Dragon Precious Technique... Lin Fan..."
He murmured, "It seems you've also encountered quite a stroke of luck."
He was silent for a moment, then smiled.
That smile carried a hint of fighting spirit, a hint of anticipation, and a youthful air completely different from his current demeanor. " Lin Clan, our feud still needs to be settled."
He paused, then added, "But no rush. I'll be waiting for you at the end of the ancient road."
Ye Chen also needs some time to develop...
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the higher checkpoint.
The figure shrouded in starlight gradually faded into the distance beneath the gray sky of the Immortal Ancient Ruins.
Meanwhile, the twentieth level.
Inside a grand hall built entirely of dark golden stone, Long Aotian had just emerged from a bloody battle.
Opposite him, an ancient ferocious beast at the Half-Step Great Saint level lay on the ground.
Its body was covered in wounds torn by dragon claws, and its head had been twisted off by a single hand. Dark red blood slowly flowed down the stone steps.
Long Aotian casually tossed the beast's head aside.
He raised his right hand, and a golden dragon aura slowly swirled in his palm.
Just as he was about to close his eyes and regulate his breathing, a communication jade talisman flew in from afar.
He reached out and caught it.
A moment later, his expression changed. " True Dragon Precious Technique?"