811: Daoist Lord, save me!

Listening to Han Tieyi's pleas for mercy, Zhou Xiuyuan remained silent, merely continuing to close in on Han Tieyi as the Heavenly Sword in his hand slowly unsheathed.

Seeing that Zhou Xiuyuan was completely unresponsive, Han Tieyi lost all hope.

Grasping the precious bead in his hand, he prepared to flee through the Void Realm.

Now that the events here were exposed, he could no longer remain the Villa Master of Sword Inquiry Manor.

At worst, he would become a demonic Cultivator in the future or flee into the Northern Desert.

At the very least, he still had a chance to advance to the Dao Integration Realm.

However, no matter what he tried, he could not escape into the Void Realm.

This stretch of the Void Realm seemed to have been completely sealed off.

It was sealed by the Heavenly Sword that Zhou Xiuyuan was slowly drawing from its sheath.

This development caused Han Tieyi's expression to change completely.

"Zhou Xiuyuan, do you have any idea how much I have sacrificed for my path of Dao?"

"You and I have no grievances or enmity; why must you drive me to my death?"

"It was merely killing a few Mortals."

"As a dignified Void Refining Great Power, how am I not more important than some Mortals?"

"At worst, I will simply provide some compensation."

With the Void Realm locked, Han Tieyi could only use his movement speed to soar into the sky, leaving the stone chamber while shouting incessantly.

For the sake of a few Mortals and infants, was it really worth going this far?

However, Zhou Xiuyuan's expression only grew colder.

Yet, he did not stop him from fleeing the area; he simply took a step forward and followed behind Han Tieyi.

This was one of his original goals.

If they fought at the peak of Sword Inquiry Mountain...

...and two Void Refining Cultivators clashed...

...it was likely that more than half of the Disciples in Sword Inquiry Manor would perish.

Boom!

One leading and one following, the two flew toward the outskirts of Sword Inquiry Manor.

The disturbance of that single sword strike breaking the formation had long since alerted the various Elders and Disciples of the Manor, as well as Grand Elder Mo Chengshan.

After hearing the conversation between the two...

...he understood that Han Tieyi had already reached the point of no return.

His life could not be saved.

What he needed to do now was stabilize the situation and then thoroughly investigate whether the Manor's many Elders and Disciples were involved in the matter.

He had to provide an explanation to Zhou Xiuyuan, as well as the Holy Land and Immortal Sects above.

As a Void Refining Great Power, he had also heard of the name of this Hundred Infants Blood Soul Dao.

It was a genuine forbidden technique.

With a grim face, Mo Chengshan released his Void Refining pressure as a warning to those watching from the outside due to the commotion, while summoning the Manor's Disciples to investigate them one by one.

In the skies above Changping Prefecture.

Han Tieyi and Zhou Xiuyuan were in a chase, one fleeing and one pursuing.

He was consistently unable to shake off Zhou Xiuyuan.

No matter what he said, Zhou Xiuyuan remained unmoved, closing the distance further and further.

"Damn it!"

"I can't lose him. In that case, there is only one way..."

If he delayed any longer and the news spread, attracting other Void Refining or even Dao Integration Realm great Cultivators, he would truly be unable to leave.

"Hehe..."

"Heavenly Sword Successor, Qingyang Zhou Clan—what grand reputations..."

"But in the end, Void Refining is just Void Refining. Zhou Xiuyuan, you forced my hand!"

"Anyone who obstructs my path of Dao deserves to die!"

Han Tieyi stopped fleeing.

With bloodshot eyes, he glared viciously at the cold and iron-faced Zhou Xiuyuan.

Gritting his teeth, he swallowed the white jade precious bead he had been holding in his hand.

Although this hasty Fusion was still lacking some refinement and could not achieve a Breakthrough to the Dao Integration Realm...

...it was enough to grant him a portion of the power of the Dao Integration Realm.

The Infant-Faced Ghost Mist could be refined again.

But if he couldn't escape, it was his life that would be lost.

"You forced me to do this!"

"Ah!"

"Go to your death!"

"Kill!"

Boom!

As the white jade precious bead entered his stomach, an astonishing Aura continuously radiated from Han Tieyi's body.

It faintly surpassed the scope of the Void Refining realm.

Ah!

Han Tieyi roared toward the sky as his body expanded continuously, transforming into a hundred-zhang-tall giant.

The giant raised a sword high in its hand.

The sword grew larger and larger in the giant's grasp.

Boom!

The giant sword slashed down, cleaving toward Zhou Xiuyuan.

Clang!

Just then.

The Heavenly Sword was fully unsheathed.

Endless sword shadows, sword light, and Sword Qi filled the entire Void Realm the moment the Heavenly Sword left its sheath.

It transformed this section of space into a sword Domain.

Zhou Xiuyuan thrust out with his sword.

The endless sword shadows and Sword Intent merged, flowing into the Heavenly Sword.

As the Heavenly Sword thrust forward...

Crack!

The giant sword could no longer advance an inch, and massive cracks began to spread across it.

Pop!

In the next instant, the giant sword shattered.

The giant's face changed drastically, filled with disbelief.

He had already grasped a portion of the Hédào power.

Why? Why?

Why was he so easily defeated by a single strike from Zhou Xiuyuan?

But before he could react...

...a strand of Sword Qi pierced through the giant sword and plunged into his body.

"Puff!"

Like a deflating balloon, Han Tieyi's hundred-zhang-tall body rapidly shrank.

Even the power gained from the white jade precious bead was stripped away by this single strike.

"No, no, no!"

Han Tieyi stumbled as he tried to flee.

Zhou Xiuyuan took a step forward, blocking Han Tieyi's path.

Then, gripping the sword in his hand, he thrust it toward Han Tieyi's heart.

I can't block it, I'll die, I'll die!

The alarm bells in his heart were ringing frantically; Han Tieyi knew he could not block this sword strike.

"Dao Lord, save me!"

In this critical moment, Han Tieyi crushed the jade token hanging at his waist.

This jade token belonged to a Guest Elder of the Fahua Holy Sect who was in the Dao Integration Realm.

Long ago, he had done this Elder a favor.

Therefore, that Hédào Elder had given him a jade token; crushing it would allow the Elder to help him once.

"This old man is Fayu of the Fahua Holy Sect..."

Hmm?

As the jade token shattered, a phantom figure condensed.

However, when this phantom saw the white-haired figure holding the sword...

...a name rapidly surfaced in his mind.

Hiss!

"Disperse!"

"Fellow Daoist, please proceed as you wish!"

The phantom left even faster than it had arrived.

It left behind only a bewildered and stunned Han Tieyi in mid-air.

Zhou Xiuyuan's sword pierced through his heart, obliterating all life force, and he fell from the sky.

As expected, others truly cannot be relied upon... This was the last thought that surfaced in Han Tieyi's mind, but he would never have the chance to say it aloud.

At the same time.

Tens of millions of miles away at the Fahua Holy Sect, on the summit of the mountain where the Guest Elder Dao Lord Fayuzi resided.

Fayuzi slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Not long ago, Old Ancestor Fa Huazi had emerged from seclusion and personally instructed that one must never offend that existence.

And he had just seen one of the juniors that existence valued most.

Fortunately, he had fled quickly.

He likely hadn't offended that white-haired swordsman.

But how did Han Tieyi provoke him?

Although he had only looked from across the distance just now, he had seen clearly.

That person was clearly intent on taking Han Tieyi's life.

There was absolutely no room left for reconciliation.

Furthermore, that person held the Heavenly Sword.

Even if his true body went there, he might not necessarily be able to block it.

Therefore, he had decisively dispersed his Divine Thought.

Fayuzi felt somewhat puzzled as his figure shifted and disappeared from the mountain peak.

In Changping Prefecture, above Sword Inquiry Manor.

Zhou Xiuyuan appeared carrying Han Tieyi's corpse; Grand Elder Mo Chengshan was already waiting there.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, I have thoroughly investigated all the Elders and Disciples in the Manor. Not many knew the truth of this matter or were involved; they have all been identified. Please dispose of them as you see fit, Fellow Daoist Zhou."

Grand Elder Mo Chengshan handed over a Jade Slip.

"Han Tieyi practiced the Hundred Infants Blood Soul Dao and has been executed."

"The rest I will leave to the Grand Elder to decide how to handle."

Zhou Xiuyuan erased the Hundred Infants Blood Soul Dao secret technique from Han Tieyi's Storage Pouch and returned Han Tieyi's corpse to Mo Chengshan.

As for Mo Chengshan, he had already used the Heavenly Sword to sense him; there were no traces of him practicing the Hundred Infants Blood Soul Dao secret technique.

As for the others involved, it would be up to Mo Chengshan to decide their fate.

On Sword Inquiry Mountain.

Watching the Master he had just recently apprenticed to die and his Dao vanish like that...

...Feng Ping fell into a daze.

One must still join a Holy Land or Immortal Sect to have that kind of confidence.

Status and background determined everything.

Feng Ping left without saying goodbye, determined to join a larger and stronger Sect.