Lianggu's laughter had not yet ceased when he suddenly felt a chill in his lower abdomen, followed by searing pain sweeping through his sea of consciousness.
His laughter still echoed through the air, only to turn into a scream.
Then, an icy voice sounded behind him.
The voice was so close, as though it had spoken directly against his ear, making every hair on Lianggu's body stand on end despite the agony.
"You're finished!"
The moment those three words fell, before the horrified eyes of Wutu and the slender woman, every scene before them shattered like the moon reflected in water, flowers mirrored in glass.
Where was there any trace of an enemy within the "Evil Spirits of the Eight Directions" spell Lianggu had cast? Those vicious ghosts and resentful wraiths were desperately clawing and attacking empty air.
"An illusion attack!"
Wutu, who had remained incomparably composed until then, suddenly cried out.
On the other side, a figure was pressed tightly against Lianggu's back. Lianggu's eyes were stretched wide, his eyeballs bulging from their sockets.
His mouth hung open, and the screams within had turned into unconscious hissing. A hand protruded from the front of his lower abdomen.
The hand was powerful and broad, its five fingers extended flat. Not a trace of blood stained it, yet between its index and middle fingers was a golden object the size of a soybean.
A Golden Core—Lianggu's Golden Core. A late-stage Golden Core Realm cultivator had had his Golden Core plucked away without even realizing it.
"You dare..."
"Senior Brother..."
The two voices had barely sounded when Li Yan's expressionless hand gave a light twist. As he pulled it back, spiritual power erupted with a thunderous burst.
With a boom, Lianggu's body split apart without warning, shattering into four pieces as blood