63: The Blood God surrenders his head, Xuan Qing dies (Large Chapter)

When Xiao Zhuo's figure, still enveloped in lingering Evil Qi, descended upon Yuyang Mountain again, the earth-shattering sounds of battle still echoed and collided among the mountains, though the roars of the Demon/Monster within them clearly carried the panic of desperation.

With Xiao Changkong's powerful intervention, two more King-rank Demons were slain by his sharp sword light.

The remaining Demon/Monsters were scattered, with countless dead and wounded, utterly routed.

The entire Yuyang Mountain had now transformed into a massive graveyard.

As far as the eye could see, the ground was covered with the shattered remains of Yuyang Sect Disciples and Demon/Monsters.

Dismembered limbs mingled with congealed blood, covering the once serene mountain paths and the plaza in front of the halls, the intense stench of blood was suffocating. It was almost impossible to find an intact body, the ferocity of the battle was shocking.

The killing intent in Xiao Zhuo's eyes, far from subsiding after defeating Silver Moon, burned even more fiercely, like a wildfire fueled by fresh blood!

"Om—!"

Vast Divine Soul power surged from between his brows, carrying immense Divine Thought, instantly splitting and condensing into over a thousand invisible Soul Extinguishing Divine Ability spikes!

These silent arrows of death, like the invisible scythe of the Grim Reaper, accurately shot towards the Demon/Monsters scattered across the mountains!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Demon/Monsters below the Divine Sea Realm fell in swathes like mown wheat, their Soul fire extinguishing instantly, unable to even utter a scream, as if struck in the Soul by an invisible giant hammer.

Even those Calamity-rank Demons who had condensed their Divine Soul cried out in agony, clutching their heads, bleeding from all seven orifices, instantly losing their combat power, and were seized by the surrounding Yuyang Sect powerhouses, either severely wounded and captured, or slain on the spot!

The tide of battle was completely turned by Xiao Zhuo's return and this indiscriminate, large-scale Divine Soul attack!

Blood God Venerable King had already thought of retreating the moment Silver Moon fled, but Situ Ming, the usually calm Streamcloud Peak Master, had now transformed into a crazed, vengeful Vicious Beast!

His tattered robes were already soaked in his own and his enemies' blood, appearing a dark purplish-brown, and his primordial elixir was covered in spiderweb-like cracks, each mobilization of true essence bringing tearing pain.

But he seemed oblivious, his eyes fixed solely on Blood God!

The Streamcloud Sword blade was full of nicks, yet under Situ Ming's resolute urging, it erupted with an unprecedented hundred-zhang cold glow!

The sword light, like a waterfall, fiercely cleaved through the surging blood river, tearing open a temporary path!

Situ Ming moved like an afterimage, recklessly passing through the crimson waves, his sword tip aimed directly at Blood God Venerable King's vital throat!

"Situ Ming! You mad dog! Do you really want to perish together?!" Blood God Venerable King shrieked in exasperation, his roar shaking the rocks.

He once again condensed monstrous blood Evil Qi, transforming it into a giant, sky-obscuring blood palm phantom, and slammed it down!

"Boom!"

Under the immense force of the impact, Situ Ming was sent flying back like a kite with a broken string, spewing blood from his mouth.

However, in mid-air, he forcibly twisted his body with astonishing willpower, and the Streamcloud Sword, though its light was dim, stubbornly thrust out again!

And it was at this very instant!

An invisible, intangible, yet Soul-piercing sharp cone silently plunged into the Blood God Venerable King's back!

Blood God Venerable King's massive body suddenly stiffened!

Within his Sea of Consciousness, it was as if a giant rock had been thrown in, stirring up tumultuous waves!

His Divine Soul was violently shaken, and his demonic thoughts became chaotic!

This was merely one of the thousand Soul spikes Xiao Zhuo had split!

If Xiao Zhuo had concentrated the power of the Soul Extinguishing Divine Ability on a single point, as he did against Silver Moon, even a King-rank Demon at the Peak, without special protection, would not escape the fate of Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering!

With Xiao Zhuo's current Divine Sea Realm Divine Soul and Divine Thought intensity, any existence below the Dominator Realm, as long as they lacked Divine Soul defense methods, would essentially be sentenced to death when facing his Soul Extinguishing Divine Ability!

"Ugh ah—!" Blood God Venerable King let out a painful groan, his forehead veins bulging like earthworms.

He hurriedly activated his Demonic Technique, and the surging blood river around him instantly rolled back, forming a thick, crimson cocoon-shell that completely enveloped his Main Body, attempting to isolate the invisible and intangible Divine Soul attack.

It took him a full three breaths of time to barely refine and dispel the Soul spike that had invaded his Sea of Consciousness.

When he peered through the gaps of the writhing blood cocoon and saw Situ Ming's figure still furiously bombarding the barrier, a bone-chilling cold instantly froze his demonic heart!

He finally understood!

He understood why Silver Moon had fled in such a panic!

"Divine Soul attack! This damned Yuyang Sect... actually has someone proficient in such terrifying Divine Soul attacks!" Terror, like a poisonous vine, frantically spread and exploded within his crimson pupils!

The Blood Demon Clan's Physical Body was incredibly powerful, almost immortal; they could Rebirth from a single drop of blood!

This was their capital for looking down on other Demon/Monsters.

However, all things in the world have their complements and counters.

Thunder power and Divine Soul attacks were the greatest bane of their clan!

The Blood Demon lineage had been passed down for thousands of years, renowned and powerful, ranking among the three strongest races in the Demon Realm!

Its progenitor, the "Blood Ancestor," was even one of the three great Demon Ancestors! Naturally, the entire Blood Demon Clan had profound research and countermeasures against attack methods that restrained them.

Unfortunately, he, Blood God, was merely a collateral Disciple exiled to a remote region; he had no access to the core Legacy and secret arts of the clan!

When his gaze swept across the mountains, where all his kin and allies had been reduced to mere corpses, the instinct for survival overwhelmed everything!

"Roar—!"

Blood God Venerable King let out an unwilling roar, suddenly shattering the blood river cocoon-shell protecting his body!

That vast blood river, which had cost him immense effort and condensed the essence blood of countless living beings, was discarded by him without hesitation, rolling back like a living thing, instantly trapping Situ Ming, who was about to pounce, firmly in its center!

And he himself transformed into a mournful crimson rainbow, fleeing madly towards the Sect gate at a speed that burned his Origin!

However, his escape light had just swept over the Sect gate—

A dazzling golden light, like dawn tearing through the night, precisely cut off his path!

The black-clothed youth stepped on the flowing light, his figure suddenly solidifying.

His tattered clothes fluttered in the strong wind, and on his pale face, only his eyes burned with cold killing intent, firmly locking onto him.

"Did you escape??" The chilling words, like a judgment from the Hell of the Nine Nethers, clearly reached Blood God Venerable King's ears, carrying an undeniable authority.

Blood God Venerable King's hair stood on end!

A fatal, icy sense of crisis, originating from the depths of his Divine Soul, instantly seized him!

He knew this must be that terrifying Divine Soul attack again!

He didn't understand any profound Divine Soul defense techniques; he could only rely on instinct, guarding his Sea of Consciousness, frantically contracting all his Divine Thought, and constructing layers of thin barriers around his fragile Divine Soul Origin.

Indeed!

Three Soul cones, far more condensed, more lethal, and emanating an Aura of annihilation than the previous Soul spike, silently broke through his Sea of Consciousness barrier, carrying the will to destroy everything, and plunged directly towards the crimson Divine Soul phantom sitting cross-legged in the center of his Sea of Consciousness!

"Get lost!" Blood God Venerable King's Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, his Divine Thought surged wildly within his Sea of Consciousness, transforming into crimson long spears that fiercely slammed into the three Soul Extinguishing Divine Ability Soul cones!

However, ordinary materialized Divine Thought, in front of Xiao Zhuo's Soul Extinguishing Divine Ability activated by the True Explanation of Soul Refining secret method, was as fragile as paper!

The moment the crimson long spears collided with the Soul cones, they shattered and dissipated with mournful wails!

The speed of the Soul cones was only slightly hindered, then they pierced towards the crimson Soul phantom with an even fiercer Aura!

"I'll risk it all!!" In desperation, Blood God Venerable King let out a despairing roar!

Within his Sea of Consciousness, his Divine Thought once again transformed into layers of crimson light screens, stacked one upon another, blocking the Soul cones.

At the same time, his crimson Divine Soul suddenly detached from his Physical Body, attempting to abandon his Physical Body and transform into a blood shadow to escape into the Void Realm!

Having learned from Silver Moon's Divine Soul escape, how could Xiao Zhuo allow the same mistake to repeat?

Within the True Explanation of Soul Refining, there were countless supreme methods to deal with Divine Souls!

Just as Blood God's Divine Soul detached from his Physical Body—

"Om!"

A cuboid, transparent barrier/boundary inscribed with profound runes suddenly appeared, like a net from heaven and earth, firmly sealing his Physical Body, which had lost its Divine Soul and stood rigid in place, along with the Divine Soul phantom that had just escaped!

Soul Sealing Divine Ability — Soul Prison Hell!

The Blood God's Divine Soul phantom looked around in panic, only to see Xiao Zhuo rapidly forming hand seals, a cold arc gracing his lips.

Undoubtedly, this cage that imprisoned his Divine Soul was the work of this black-robed youth!

Xiao Zhuo's True Explanation of Soul Refining had long since reached Perfection; his previous failure to capture Silver Moon was merely due to a lack of practical experience and insufficient response.

Now, the Blood God, this top-tier expert of Hundred Demon Mountain, had become the whetstone for him to hone his Divine Ability, repaying the price for Silver Moon!

"No—!" The Blood God's Divine Soul let out a silent, desperate shriek.

The next moment, the three Soul Extinguishing Soul Cones, which pursued and claimed lives, ignored the obstruction of the Soul Prison and reappeared out of thin air within the barrier, carrying an Aura of annihilating everything, fiercely stabbing towards the twisted and struggling bloody Soul phantom!

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

Like a red-hot iron piercing rotten wood! The three Soul Cones penetrated the Blood God's Soul body without any hindrance!

The fiercely powerful Blood God Venerable King's Divine Soul phantom trembled violently, then, like a punctured bubble, silently disintegrated and annihilated, turning into specks of crimson light and completely dissipating between heaven and earth!

Fallen!

Almost at the same moment his Divine Soul collapsed, a cold prompt clearly appeared in Xiao Zhuo's consciousness:

"[Killed one King-rank Blood Demon, gained 9747 Attribute Points.]"

On the panel, the balance of Attribute Points instantly jumped, rising back to 64874.

The Blood God Venerable King became the last Demon Race overlord to fall in this brutal attack.

Before him, Xiao Zhuo had already, with his formidable Divine Soul attacks and cooperation with the Yuyang Sect experts, completely slain the Blood-Robed Figure who came with the Blood God, as well as the remaining three King-rank Demons.

Coupled with the lives of Demons reaped from the large-scale clearing using the Soul Extinguishing Divine Ability earlier, Xiao Zhuo's significantly depleted Attribute Points finally received a substantial replenishment.

Although after advancing to the Divine Sea Realm, a mere few tens of thousands of Attribute Points were but a drop in the bucket for improving the Nine Revolutions Profound Essence Art, a glimmer of light still flashed in Xiao Zhuo's eyes—he still had several other Cultivation Techniques with immense potential that had not yet been initiated, eagerly awaiting these "nutrients"!

Waving his hand to collect the Blood God Venerable King's soulless, valuable Demonic Body, Xiao Zhuo no longer lingered, stepping into the Void Realm and transforming into a slightly dim streak of light, plummeting towards the core area of the Yuyang Sect—the half-severed Peak of Zhenyang Peak.

At this moment, almost all four Peak Masters were injured, their Auras weak.

Especially Situ Ming, whose injuries were the most severe; if not for a will for revenge supporting him, he would have collapsed long ago.

But now, all the surviving Peak Masters, Elders, and even many scarred Disciples, silently gathered on the broken Peak.

That was where Xiao Zhuo had previously placed Immortal Master Xuan Qing.

The crowd automatically parted like a tide, and countless gazes fell upon the returning Xiao Zhuo, carrying awe, gratitude, and an unspeakable heaviness.

Xiao Zhuo's heart suddenly sank, and an ominous premonition clutched at his heart.

Although Zhu Changqing had praised the life extension pill as miraculous, he was using it for the first time and was truly unsure of its effectiveness.

He quickly walked through the crowd and arrived at the center.

The atmosphere was as oppressive as solidified lead.

True Man Xuanlun knelt beside Xuan Qing, his wrinkled old face devoid of any expression, his eyes staring blankly ahead, like a soulless wooden sculpture, his breathing so faint it was almost imperceptible.

The other Peak Masters stood around, their faces sorrowful and silent.

"Xiao Zhuo! Cough... cough cough..." A voice, extremely weak yet tinged with relief, sounded.

Xiao Zhuo's body trembled violently, and he looked in the direction of the voice.

Immortal Master Xuan Qing had actually awakened!

He was half-reclining in True Man Xuan Wei's arms, his face ashen, his breath as faint as a wisp of smoke, the rise and fall of his chest barely visible.

Most heartbreaking was that his once powerful Divine Soul Aura was now flickering like a candle in the wind, as if it could be completely extinguished at any moment.

Xiao Zhuo quickly approached and knelt beside Xuan Qing.

"This... time... thanks... to your... timely... return..." Xuan Qing's voice was intermittent, each word seemingly taking all his strength, but in his turbid eyes, Xiao Zhuo's figure was clearly reflected, filled with unspeakable relief and serenity, "To... take... you... into the Sect... was... truly... the most... correct... decision... I... ever made..."

"Sect Master! Don't speak anymore! Rest well! You won't die! There must be a way!" Xiao Zhuo's heart ached, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible tremor.

He recalled the first time he met Immortal Master Xuan Qing: the focused and peaceful Elder, meticulously carving the wooden sculpture of a soaring giant eagle... That focus and craftsmanship formed a cruel contrast with the scene of him at death's door.

The moment he had just returned, he had already used his Divine Thought to probe Xuan Qing's injuries.

The medicinal power of the life extension pill was indeed miraculous; Immortal Master Xuan Qing's damaged internal organs had been mostly repaired, and even at the site of his severed limbs, quite a bit of flesh and blood had reconnected and grown, showing strong vitality.

However, the fatal injury was not in his Physical Body!

Immortal Master Xuan Qing had shattered his primordial elixir in a desperate fight, which had severely damaged his life Origin.

Even more fatal was that his final, all-out killing sword strike was broken by the Silver Moon Venerable King with absolute power, and his Divine Soul suffered devastating backlash!

Coupled with being critically wounded by the Moon Wheel at the very end, under multiple blows, his Divine Soul was now like cracked Colored Glaze (glazed ware), irreversibly slowly disintegrating and dissipating... No matter how powerful the life extension pill was, it was ultimately powerless to reverse the situation.

And the Yuyang Sect, with its shallow foundation, simply did not possess Heaven-Defying treasures or secret Legacy capable of treating such a severe level of Divine Soul injury.

"My... own body... I... know my limits..." An unusual flush appeared on Immortal Master Xuan Qing's face, as if it were a final burst of vitality before death.

His turbid gaze slowly swept over Xuan Wei, Situ Ming, Li Miaoyi, the dazed True Man Xuanlun, and the familiar faces of the Elders behind him, who were all gathered around him.

His lips moved, his voice weak but exceptionally clear: "After... I... die... the position... of Sect Master... shall be... handed to... Junior Brother Xuan Wei... I hope... the Peak Masters... and Elders... of the other Peaks... will do their best... to assist him..."

Upon hearing this, True Man Xuan Wei's face showed no joy at becoming Sect Master, only an unresolvable sorrow and a heavy sense of responsibility.

He held Xuan Qing tightly, nodding heavily, his voice choked but firm: "Senior Brother, rest assured! Xuan Wei swears here and now that he will do his utmost to rebuild the Sect! The Dao Legacy of the Yuyang Sect will never be broken!"

Li Miaoyi, Situ Ming, and True Man Xuanlun, who seemed to be startled awake by the voice and whose eyes regained a trace of focus, all bowed their heads heavily and silently towards Xuan Qing.

Behind them, more Elders and Disciples let out suppressed agreements, their voices tinged with sobs.

Finally, Immortal Master Xuan Qing's gaze fell on Xiao Zhuo's face, his lips moved slightly, and a transmission, thin as a mosquito's buzz yet incomparably clear, was directly sent into Xiao Zhuo's Sea of Consciousness:

"Xiao Zhuo... go... to my carving studio... find... my chisel... inside there is... something... I... never... comprehended... in my life... now... I give it to you... I hope... you can... truly grasp... its meaning!"

The transmission, like the last sigh in the wind, quietly dissipated in the wailing wind and snow.

Immortal Master Xuan Qing's face retained a trace of serene smile as he slowly closed his eyes.

In Xuan Wei's arms, that weathered body rapidly lost its warmth, eventually becoming completely cold.

Only the half-severed Zhenyang Peak remained, enveloped in deathly silence.

A moment later, the suppressed sobs, which had been held back for so long, could no longer be contained, rising and falling like the whimpers of injured young beasts, drifting in the biting cold wind, bringing a tragic end to this fierce battle to defend the Sect.