444: The Empire is about to fall into chaos

Just as the City Lord of South Wind City, Qiu Tianjian, let out a sigh of relief, a cold voice came from behind him:

"You, you're with them, aren't you?"

"How is that possible?!" Qiu Tianjian's heart trembled violently, and a chill ran down his spine.

He was a Cultivator in the Early Stage of Body Integration; the other party was clearly only in the Late Stage of Soul Transformation. No matter how much of a Prodigy they were, it was impossible for them to approach him silently from behind—there was no movement, no spatial fluctuation, as if they had appeared out of thin air.

His Divine Sense repeatedly swept over the other party, whose Aura was indeed only that of a Late Stage of Soul Transformation, completely unchanged.

Qiu Tianjian's muscles tensed all over, a chill rushing from his feet to the top of his head.

He felt that he was truly out of luck; this was definitely an old monster, deeply hidden and pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger!

He stiffly turned around, forcing out an awkward but somewhat smiling expression, his voice lowered several octaves:

"Senior! You've truly wronged this Junior... The Di Kun Sect is backed by important figures from Wind Capital, and this Junior merely stood by because he didn't want to bring trouble upon himself! Please, Senior, forgive me!"

Xiao Zhuo's gaze was indifferent, as if the Integration Stage Cultivator before him was nothing more than an ant.

He nodded lightly, his tone calm: "What you said makes sense."

Qiu Tianjian was about to breathe a sigh of relief—

But then he heard Xiao Zhuo slowly speak again: "What do you think, do I believe you?"

Before he finished speaking, Qiu Tianjian's hair stood on end!

A purple-gold Domain unfolded before him without warning, lightning surging and its Aura terrifying.

He was attacking without a word!?

Though surprised, Qiu Tianjian was not flustered. Since the other party had attacked, he couldn't just sit and wait for death.

No matter if you're an old monster or not, fight first!

Without hesitation, his Sword Domain instantly spread out—a light golden curtain of light expanded outwards from him, Sword Qi swirling, its momentum extraordinary.

However, this light golden Domain collided with the purple-gold lightning Domain and couldn't even last for a single breath before it began to crack inch by inch and rapidly dissipate!

"Domain Triple Layer!?" Qiu Tianjian's pupils constricted sharply, and he rapidly formed hand seals, but it was already too late.

The purple-gold Domain completely engulfed him.

The grand secretary following behind him didn't even have time to scream before being grazed by a stray arc of lightning, instantly turning into charred carbon powder, scattering in the air.

Qiu Tianjian watched, his I'm so scared I could burst, and all doubt in his heart vanished: this young man was definitely an old monster!

Thousands of lightning bolts roared from all directions. He let out an angry shout, and seven Earth-Grade sword artifacts appeared around him, their sword light swirling like a blooming lotus, forming a protective sword wheel that firmly guarded him.

It was only then that he noticed something unusual: although he was enveloped by the opponent's Domain, he could still communicate with the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth, and his strength was suppressed by less than 10%.

This discovery steadied his heart.

The strongest aspect of a Domain lies in its isolation and suppression, yet he was barely affected—this indicated that the opponent was not as strong as he had imagined!

The seven swords spun rapidly, constantly scattering the lightning. Qiu Tianjian fought with increasing vigor, his confidence gradually returning.

He looked at Xiao Zhuo, who stood motionless ten feet away, and sneered:

"I thought it was some old monster pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger, but it turns out to be just a Junior playing tricks!"

"Playing with this City Lord? Just wait until I capture you, then we'll see how I deal with you!"

He let out a long cry, the seven swords protecting his body, the lightning unable to approach within three feet.

He suddenly charged towards Xiao Zhuo with an unstoppable Aura!

Xiao Zhuo's eyes narrowed, but he remained calm.

He pointed his sword finger and lightly shouted: "Go!"

Two moon wheels suddenly appeared, carrying the endless lightning and fire within the Domain, transforming into purple-gold intertwined arcs of light, cleaving directly towards Qiu Tianjian with the momentum of tearing through the Void Realm!

Clang, clang, clang, clang—!

Ear-piercing metallic collision sounds exploded one after another.

Qiu Tianjian's forward momentum was not only abruptly halted, but he was also sent flying backward by the blast.

His protective sword wheel instantly collapsed, and the seven Flying Swords scattered and flew away, their spiritual light dim and their blades covered with nicks.

He staggered to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face filled with horror:

"High Grade Earth-Grade Spiritual Artifact!?"

Xiao Zhuo didn't even bother to respond.

Forcibly opening a triple-layered Domain with a Soul Transformation cultivation base, he was also barely holding on.

He had to finish this quickly.

He was expressionless, once again wielding the moon wheels to attack.

Qiu Tianjian frantically conjured several Magic Treasures, recalling his Natal Flying Sword to desperately resist.

But in front of the lightning and fire-enhanced moon wheels, all resistance was like paper.

In just over ten breaths, all his Magic Treasures were shattered, and his Flying Sword lost all its spirituality.

Finally, a moon wheel sliced across—

Qiu Tianjian was cut in half at the waist!

The Domain dissipated.

Two light wheels circled around Xiao Zhuo as he walked step by step towards Qiu Tianjian.

At this moment, Qiu Tianjian was utterly wretched: his upper and lower body were separated by several feet, blood gushed out, his internal organs spilled onto the ground, and his Aura was as weak as a flickering candle in the wind.

With his waist severed, his Dantian was completely shattered, and he no longer had any power to resist.

"Speak, who is behind you?" Xiao Zhuo stared at his tragic appearance, his gaze unwavering, "Why do you have the Immortal Array Diagram?"

"You... you unlocked that Restriction?" Qiu Tianjian's unfocused pupils suddenly constricted.

"It seems you want me to search your soul?" Xiao Zhuo's voice remained cold.

Qiu Tianjian trembled all over, and spoke with difficulty: "Senior... if I tell you, can you spare my life?"

"I can let you die a quick death." Xiao Zhuo glanced at his two severed body parts, his tone indifferent.

The last flicker of light in Qiu Tianjian's eyes extinguished.

But he knew he had no choice. If he spoke, he might still have a chance at Reincarnation; if not... he feared only Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering awaited him.

"Senior... I and the Di Kun Sect are both under the Ninth Prince of Wind Capital. The Great Feng Emperor, lord of the Changfeng Imperial Dynasty, is about to ascend to the Immortal Realm, and the four princes are vying for the imperial throne... The item you took from Tai Zhao is extremely important to the Ninth Prince... We must retrieve it, otherwise... it's also a dead end..."

Qiu Tianjian not only revealed his relationship with the Di Kun Sect but also exposed the person behind them.

However, he was only a mid-level figure in the Ninth Prince's faction, and his knowledge was limited.

After listening, Xiao Zhuo did not break his word.

With a wave of his hand, a white light flashed, completely ending his pain, but leaving his soul a chance for Reincarnation.

"Wind Capital... Ninth Prince?"

A faint light flashed in Xiao Zhuo's eyes.

These Imperial Dynasty nobles, even after embarking on the path of Cultivation, ultimately indulged in power struggles.

However, the Immortal Array Diagram, since it was something he had seized by his own ability, there was no reason to hand it over.

At least this Ninth Prince did not have that qualification.

After taking Qiu Tianjian's Spiritual Root and storage ring, Xiao Zhuo briefly adjusted his breathing, then planned to Cultivate for a while before going to destroy the Di Kun Sect.

He learned the location and scale of the Di Kun Sect from Qiu Tianjian—a Sect with over a thousand Cultivators, even if most had miscellaneous Spiritual Roots, they should be able to provide him with many new Spiritual Root Runes, right?

Xiao Zhuo's figure quietly disappeared from the Star Observation Platform.

A dim phantom streaked out of Nanfeng City, covering tens of miles in an instant, silently submerging into the depths of the earth.

The Void Realm Escape Technique, an stealth and escape technique he created during his travels in the Immortal Realm, while its speed was average, excelled in being silent and difficult to track.

Of course, this so-called average speed was relative.

Below the Immortal Realm, the speed of the Void Realm Escape Technique was considered top-tier.

Beside an underground river, Xiao Zhuo sat cross-legged, and a space filled with white mist suddenly appeared.