Correction

Duanmu Ren was ordered to descend the mountain only to rescue Hua Chunning.

The sect leader made it clear: save them if you can.

Before Duanmu Ren arrived, he had already decided on a strategy: he would not show himself unless there was a life-or-death crisis.

There were also plans for the three drops of lamp oil in hand.

One drop was used to save Hua Chunning.

One drop for self-protection.

The last drop will be used as an opportunity.

Having frightened away the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Azure Cloud Sect, this mission can be considered a complete success.

All other things are essentially irrelevant to oneself.

Therefore, regardless of whether Xue Yong of Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain threatened or bribed him, or whether what he said was true or false, Duanmu Ren did not take it to heart.

However, when Xue Yong revealed that Xue Changfeng was actually Child of Fate secretly cultivated by Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain, specifically to bear the evil Evil Qi of the Old Method of the Southern Edge Continent, Duanmu Ren immediately became wary.

By saving Hua Chunning, haven't I inadvertently made Child of Fate?!

When Xue Changfeng woke up, Duanmu Ren immediately investigated and found that Xue Changfeng harbored hatred towards him!

Duanmu Ren made his decision right then and there!

Xue Changfeng must die today!

According to Daoist scriptures, those Child of Fate are destined to survive calamities and turn misfortune into good fortune.

If we don't kill it today, wouldn't we be helping it accumulate Manifestation and prolong its Fate?

Must we wait until Xue Changfeng's cultivation greatly advances, returns to kill us to settle our karmic debts, overcome his inner demons, Fate finally seize our Manifestation?!

I absolutely cannot become the spiritual resource for the Child of Fate!

Duanmu Ren went all out, pressing his hands firmly against Xue Changfeng's shoulders, his black flames reaching their peak.

Boom!

This evil fire was originally just an illusory fire.

However, the malice and hatred in Duanmu Ren and Xue Changfeng's hearts were so great that the fire rose to a height of ten feet, completely obscuring their figures, and began to spread in all directions.

This black, malevolent fire was extremely strange. Although it burned fiercely, it provided no warmth whatsoever, instead sending chills down the spines of Hua Chunning and Xue Yong.

"Stop!" Xue Yong roared in anger, summoning dust and earth to extinguish the black flames.

Hua Chunning naturally wouldn't stand idly by; with a radiant glow on her forehead, she blocked the dust and debris.

Xue Yong was shocked and furious, yet helpless.

It's hard to say how Xia Guang compares to other Daoist traditions, but it is clearly the most restraining of [Wu Earth].

"Stop immediately!" Xue Yong shouted angrily, warning, "By killing Changfeng today, you have completely offended Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain! You cannot bear the consequences!"

Duanmu Ren turned a deaf ear.

If you're going to do it, do it thoroughly!

Duanmu Ren's black flames were burning away Xue Changfeng's soul and Manifestation. With a thought, the two snakes, one blue and one red, on the small seal hanging at his waist came to life, slithering and biting Xue Changfeng's shoulder.

"Ah!"

Xue Changfeng screamed in agony as his blood, flesh, and vital energy began to drain away rapidly, leaving him withered and emaciated. In the blink of an eye, only an empty robe remained hanging on his skeleton.

The blue and red snakes seemed to have received a great boost, growing much larger, and lazily coiled around Duanmu Ren.

Duanmu Ren's black evil fire also burned away Xue Changfeng's soul and Manifestation. He squinted slightly and looked at the two strange snakes perched on his shoulder.

The two strange snakes immediately became alarmed and began to fight.

A moment later, the green snake was defeated and reluctantly opened its huge mouth to swallow Xue Changfeng's skeleton.

Xue Changfeng cultivated the [Wu Earth] element, and after his death, his bones transformed into soil, stones, and gravel, so it's no wonder the Green Snake was unwilling.

Duanmu Ren let out a long breath.

Black fire consumed his life, and a strange serpent devoured his body.

If this still cannot completely kill this undeveloped Child of Fate, then it is the will of Heaven, not a fault of the warrior.

"What a vicious [High Shaman] cultivator!" Xue Yong looked at Duanmu Ren, whose arms were wrapped in two snakes and whose body was engulfed in black flames. In addition to his shock and anger, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

Xue Yong had witnessed many cases of sudden murder.

But Xue Yong had never seen such ruthless and decisive methods before.

After killing Xue Changfeng, Duanmu Ren took out the [Ding Fire] lamp again, looked at Xue Yong from afar, and whispered, "Senior Sister, eliminate the threat completely, show no mercy!"

"... He actually wants to kill me!" Xue Yong's eyes met Duanmu Ren's, and the chill in his heart intensified.

The malevolent power of [Ding Fire] forced the [Foundation Establishment] Azure Cloud Sect to retreat, a fact Xue Yong witnessed firsthand.

This [High Shaman] cultivator is ruthless and domineering, with sophisticated methods. He doesn't seem to care at all about offending Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain, so he must have something to rely on.

Hua Chunning's forehead glowed with a rosy light, yet it also restrained [Wu Earth]...

Although Xue Yong had not yet revealed his true abilities, he couldn't find a way to win no matter how much he thought about it; at most, he could only trade his life for his own.

"But with Changfeng dead, all our plans have failed... If I were to die too, what about my descendants..." Xue Yong snorted angrily, made a hand seal, and suddenly fell into the soil beneath his feet.

A wisp of energy rapidly disappeared from underground.

Hua Chunning was helpless about this.

Duanmu Ren remained expressionless and stood up, saying, "Let's go, Senior Sister, Master must be getting impatient."

After walking for ten miles, Duanmu Ren finally put away his Law Artifact and sighed.

Hua Chunning recalled everything that had happened before and reminded him, "Junior brother, besides the Azure Cloud Sect's [Foundation Establishment] disciple and Xue Changfeng, there should be another person hiding in the shadows who hasn't shown themselves yet."

"I know." Duanmu Ren nodded slightly and said softly, "When I lit the lamp bestowed by my master, I vaguely saw a dark shadow under the [Ding Fire] light."

"It's unclear whether that person's Cultivation Method was superior or if they possessed a secret treasure for protection, but [Ding Fire] couldn't illuminate the darkness or reveal their true form."

"However, that person was extremely cautious; upon seeing me take out the [Ding Fire] Law Artifact, he immediately retreated."

Hua Chunning nodded, then turned around and glanced back. "Junior Brother, were you really going to kill Xue Yong just now?"

"Of course not, I just wanted to scare them away." Duanmu Ren shook his head and sighed, "Coming from Rosy Clouds Resting Mountain and having lived to this age, he must have some trump cards up his sleeve."

"I don't want to die together with him."

He paused, then chuckled, "Actually, Xue Yong was hiding deep in the soil just now. That aura that seemed to be escaping from the earth was probably just a decoy."

"Otherwise, if a cultivator at the Wu Earth Qi Refining stage possessed the ability of Earth Evasion, wouldn't they be invincible at Qi Refining?!"

"Then Xue Changfeng won't die so easily at my hands."

"It's a pity that my strongest [Ding Fire] Law Artifact is countered by [Wu Earth]. Otherwise, if you and I had worked together to set a trap, we might have actually been able to kill him."

However, someone ultimately had to stop Xue Yong's dying counterattack.

Duanmu Ren himself certainly wouldn't want to go.

Then only Senior Sister Hua can go...

But if Senior Sister Hua were to die or be seriously injured, it would be difficult to explain to the Sect Leader upon returning.

Even if we could actually kill Xue Yong, aside from eliminating any potential threats, there seemed to be no other benefits.

After much deliberation, Duanmu Ren abandoned the idea of taking the risk of an ambush.

Hua Chunning, unaware of Duanmu Ren's complex thoughts, sighed deeply and said, "Junior Brother Duanmu saved my life, and I will remember it forever. I will surely repay him handsomely in the future."

"Senior Sister is mistaken." Duanmu Ren stopped and looked at Hua Chunning, earnestly correcting her. "I came down the mountain this time merely to carry out Master's orders."

"Senior sister, please remember, your savior Non-Self Duanmu Ren, but the Sect Leader."