18: The Imperial Preceptor's Mansion was destroyed.

"Has this fellow gone mad?"

Venerable Yuan Hao looked at the suddenly furious Venerable Zhi Jin with surprise, feeling somewhat bewildered.

Could he have become foolish from secluded cultivation?

But regardless, kill him first.

"Humph! A spent force, yet you dare to act so fiercely here?!"

Venerable Yuan Hao snorted coldly. Facing this life-risking strike, he did not dare to be careless and summoned the demon-quelling golden bell once more.

"Clang~~~"

"Golden bell protects the body, impervious to all arts!"

Golden light shone across the sky, finally transforming into a golden light shield twenty zhang in diameter, firmly protecting him and the flying boat beneath his feet.

No matter how the sea of fire attacked, it could not break the defense.

Simultaneously, his hands formed a sword seal, and an ancient green Flying Sword flew out from behind him.

"Hunyuan Sword Qi, Shadow-Splitting Light!"

Instantly, it split into dozens of sharp green sword lights, shooting into the sea of fire like swimming fish, cutting and annihilating it inch by inch.

"Rumble—!!!!"

The crimson sea of fire, the golden bell shadow, and the green sword lights intertwined, collided, and exploded frantically!

Terrifying energy shockwaves spread out in circles, easily leveling the palaces on the summit of Purple Gold Mountain!

Huge rocks were thrown into the sky, then either completely crushed by the sword lights or melted into lava by the sea of fire, flowing down from the sky and igniting the remaining mountain forests, with thick smoke billowing straight into the clouds!

"Damn it! Damn it!!"

"It's all your fault!"

Venerable Zhi Jin's expression became increasingly crazed.

Every move left him no way out, completely ignoring his own injuries as he pushed the power of the Prairie Fire Sword Art to its limit, for a time fighting Venerable Yuan Hao to a standstill.

But the battle situation below was a one-sided slaughter.

Elder Li ultimately failed to escape and was directly pierced through the skull by a wind blade from Venerable Feng Xi, falling with endless grief, indignation, and resentment.

As for the remaining Disciples of the State Preceptors Mansion, after losing the protection of Venerable Zhi Jin and other Late-Stage Great Cultivators of Late Stage Qi Refining, they had completely collapsed under the siege of numerous Hunyuan Sect Disciples.

It was a certain defeat; if they didn't run now, they were dead.

A mere dozen or so people fled frantically in all directions, but under the relentless pursuit of the Hunyuan Sect Disciples, it was hard to say if anyone would survive.

After only a brief quarter-hour of tragic slaughter, only Venerable Zhi Jin remained on the summit of Purple Gold Mountain, fighting Venerable Yuan Hao alone.

As for True Man Huang Tian and the four Hunyuan Sect Cultivators of Late Stage Qi Refining who had already dealt with their opponents and gathered around, they only surrounded the area and did not take action.

They believed the Sect Master could resolve it himself.

With the battlefield situation being greatly in his favor, Venerable Yuan Hao naturally appeared increasingly at ease.

However, seeing that the opponent had yet to bring out the second-rank Magical Artifact that served as their suppressed foundation, he couldn't help but find it strange.

"Fellow Daoist Zhi Jin, if you don't bring out your yu king sword, this seat will have to get serious!"

Even though Venerable Zhi Jin was covered in wounds, the light on his burning flame sword had dimmed significantly, and his breathing grew more rapid, clearly at his limit.

But upon hearing this, he immediately flew into a rage.

"You still say that! Did you steal it?!"

Venerable Yuan Hao was instantly stunned.

Looking at the increasingly crazed Venerable Zhi Jin before him, he suddenly had a bad premonition: "What do you mean?"

The yu king sword is gone???

That was a second-rank Magical Artifact comparable to the demon-quelling golden bell in his hand, the most important foundation of the State Preceptors Mansion. All the junk on Purple Gold Mountain combined couldn't match the yu king sword!

If it was gone, then the Hunyuan Sect's harvest this time would be greatly diminished.

Venerable Zhi Jin did not speak, but silently looked around at the enemies eyeing him like tigers, then looked at the devastated Purple Gold Mountain where the Disciples were all dead, a flash of madness and determination in his eyes.

"Speak!"

Venerable Yuan Hao's face darkened, and the golden bell in his hand grew more dazzling, like a small sun.

He didn't believe it!

The most important foundation of the dignified State Preceptors Mansion would surely be kept close by each generation of State Preceptor, or hidden somewhere on Purple Gold Mountain; it couldn't possibly vanish without a trace.

But the cornered Venerable Zhi Jin clearly had no intention of answering him.

"Yuan Hao! Hunyuan Sect! You shall all be buried with us!"

Venerable Zhi Jin laughed maniacally. All the remaining magical power and essence blood in his body were ignited at this moment, and his body even began to swell slightly.

"Not good!! You lunatic!!"

"He's going to self-detonate! Get away quickly!!!"

Everyone present's expression changed drastically. Without thinking, they instantly retreated while simultaneously summoning their strongest defensive measures!

"Boom!!!"

Accompanied by a loud explosion, a ball of blinding blood-red light burst in the air, suddenly turned, tore through the sky, and shot towards the distant horizon.

This wasn't a self-detonation, but... a Blood Escape to flee for his life!

By the time everyone reacted, the blood-red light had already fled hundreds of zhang away, leaving only the sonic booms caused by the compressed air.

"I knew it!"

Venerable Yuan Hao sneered, and stepping on the demon-quelling golden bell, he turned into a streak of black light and pursued.

"I will chase him. You all clean up the remains; leave no survivors!!"

A moment later, the entire Purple Gold Mountain fell into a deathly silence.

There was only the crackling of the mountain fire, the crumbling of the collapsed palaces, and the moans of a few injured Hunyuan Sect members.

The State Preceptors Mansion, which had suppressed the Yu Kingdom for five hundred years, was thus destroyed.

Although a few clever or distantly located Disciples had seen the bad omen and fled into the vast world as soon as the Formation was broken.

But the pursuit of the Hunyuan Sect Disciples followed closely behind; whether they could survive was still unknown... Fifty li north of Purple Gold Mountain, in a remote valley.

A streak of blood-red light descended from the sky, transforming into a pale, emaciated figure as thin as skin and bones.

"Blech—"

Venerable Zhi Jin could not stand and stumbled, kneeling directly on the ground, spitting out a large mouthful of dim, lusterless blood mixed with bits of broken internal organs.

Before long, a slightly mocking voice rang out.

"Why aren't you running anymore?"

Black light descended from the sky, and the figure of Venerable Yuan Hao appeared.

"Not running... no more..."

Venerable Zhi Jin panted heavily, lying on the ground unwilling to move at all, his eye sockets sunken and his pupils lifeless.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan Hao, can you spare my life?"

He pleaded bitterly, his words intermittent: "I am willing to serve... you for the rest of my life, as a beast of burden if necessary, just... just let me live!"

Hearing this, Venerable Yuan Hao instantly burst into laughter: "Hahaha, Fellow Daoist, I have exterminated your entire State Preceptors Mansion; do you not resent me?"

"No... no resentment. They were all just minor Cultivators with poor Aptitude, no different from Mortals who are like ants. It doesn't matter if they died."

"Then if I were you, would you leave such a future trouble by your side?"

Venerable Zhi Jin fell silent.

But at this point, Venerable Yuan Hao changed his tone.

"However—"

"However what?"

Venerable Zhi Jin, as if grasping at a life-saving straw, struggled to sit up, looking at him with eyes full of longing and growling lowly:

"Whatever you want, I will grant it!"

Venerable Yuan Hao looked down at him and said in a gentle tone: "As long as you are willing to tell me the whereabouts of the yu king sword, I can merely cripple your cultivation and ensure you a life of wealth and honor in the Mortal world for the rest of your days."

"How about it?"

Hearing this, Venerable Zhi Jin smiled bitterly again and again, falling back onto the ground with a "thud," his voice full of misery:

"I've already said it, I really don't know. It just vanished so inexplicably!"

"Since I took over as the State Preceptor, I have always kept the yu king sword in my Storage Pouch. It was fine before I entered secluded cultivation, but unexpectedly, it suddenly disappeared."

"I really... don't know..."

Venerable Yuan Hao's face darkened, and he said in a cold tone: "I am giving you a dignified way out; don't refuse a kindness!"

"Must I use methods to force a confession?"

Seeing that the other party still didn't believe him, Venerable Zhi Jin gave up.

With an air of resignation, he lay motionless on the ground with his eyes tightly closed.

"Kill me or torture me as you wish, but as for the yu king sword, I really don't know where it went."

The air fell into a deathly silence.

Venerable Yuan Hao's expression was extremely ugly as he snatched away Venerable Zhi Jin's Storage Pouch.

Since this kind of lowest-level Storage Pouch had no Restriction, he could easily see everything inside.

Truly, there was no yu king sword!