259: You've been playing me from beginning to end.

Just as the situation became awkward, Department Director Void Realm of the Soul Guiding Department slowly stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "Realm Master, a few days ago, Vice Department Director Qing Ming of my department failed to break through the Soul Transformation Bottleneck, his Physical Body collapsed, and his Divine Soul is temporarily residing in a heaven-reaching spirit treasures, the 'qing ming sword,' where it is being nurtured. How about... we let him go this time?"

"He already has no Physical Body; he uses the sword as his body, which is perfect for the method of 'secret passage.'"

A sharp glint flashed in Ling Xiaozhi's eyes, and he burst out laughing, "Excellent! It's settled then!"

He suddenly rose to his feet and struck out with a palm!

"Boom—!"

The entire Tianshu Grand Hall trembled, and an ancient Formation in the center was activated—

Starry Disk, activate!

This was a supreme teleportation Formation spanning the Spirit Realm and seventy-two Small Worlds, powered by seventy-two heaven-reaching jade pillars. Each activation consumed a massive amount of spiritual energy.

Ling Xiaozhi was the first to act, pouring vast spiritual energy into the Formation's core;

The five Department Directors followed closely, each activating their Lifebound Treasure;

Over a hundred Peak Spirit Transformation powerhouses simultaneously formed hand Seals, their spiritual energy converging like rivers into the sea!

"Open—!"

Heaven and earth roared, space tore apart!

A Void Realm passage, spanning two realms, slowly opened in the center of the Starry Disk!

Violent spiritual currents roared like a tornado, as if to devour everything!

"Quick!" Ling Xiaozhi shouted in a low voice.

Void Realm waved his hand, and a long sword glowing with blue light—the qing ming sword—trembled slightly, as if it had a consciousness, and slowly flew towards the passage.

Just as the sword entered the Void Realm—

"Boom!!!"

The Small World Seal automatically closed, and the passage instantly vanished!

Inside the hall, everyone looked at each other, their heartbeats still not calm.

It had been ten thousand years, never had it been so thrilling.

Ling Xiaozhi stood with his hands behind his back, a slight smile on his lips: "No need to be nervous. The cultivation limit of the Small World is merely Golden Core Perfection. Qing Ming is a Peak Spirit Transformation cultivator, enough to sweep through it! How can mere Mortal ants shake the Heavenly Might of our Spirit Realm?"

It's a pity that even the great figures of the Spirit Realm could not view the situation in the Small World in real-time. After all, this Small World was not created by their power; they merely processed it based on fragments of civilization... In the Heavenly Dao Treasure Hall, nine-colored divine light cascaded like a waterfall.

Bai Qi had already grasped the "nine lives reincarnation lamp" in his hand, as if fate had already tilted in his favor.

And Lu Chen's killing intent soared: "Bai Qi... that thing is mine, put it down!!"

Lu Chen had no time to play with Wan Yuan anymore; he held nothing back and completely erupted!

One spear strike sent all Spirit Treasures flying!

Wan Yuan spat out a large mouthful of vital blood, and the eight heaven-reaching spirit treasuress all wailed in unison, falling from the sky!

His knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"No... impossible..."

He tremblingly stretched out his hand, wanting to grab those Spirit Treasures, "I am the King of Ten Thousand Demons, I command millions of demons, I pacified the thirty-six tribes of the Southern Barbarians, I have waited a thousand years for this day... I have toiled my entire life, only to end up... just making a wedding dress for you?!"

His voice changed from a roar to a wail, tears mixed with blood sliding down his face:

"Southern Barbarians, my people, who will protect them? I cannot die... I cannot..."

Lu Chen showed no mercy, raising the dragon fiend spear high, its tip pointing directly at Wan Yuan's crown:

"Your value has ended!"

"No—!!!"

Wan Yuan let out one last unwilling roar: "If there is a next life... I will slaughter all of the Human Race—!!"

Before his words finished—

"Pfft!"

The dragon fiend spear pierced through his skull, and his golden Divine Soul was sucked out by the spear tip, instantly crushed!

Wan Yuan's body crashed to the ground, his eyes wide open, never closing even in death, his face still frozen with endless unwillingness, anger, and regret.

A generation's King of Ten Thousand Demons, thus fell.

The eight heaven-reaching spirit treasuress lay scattered on the ground.

And in the center of the hall, Bai Qi held the "nine lives reincarnation lamp," fearless, watching this scene with a slight smile on his lips: "Wonderful, what a good show! Heavenly Dao, you toy with the Human World, have you ever thought that one day, you too would be toyed with?! Hahahaha! Goodbye!!"

Rumble!

Space tore open, space was forcibly ripped apart, and a beam of light came in.

A mechanical, cold voice appeared: [heavenly dao instance ends, all of you may leave on your own.]

Rumble—!!!

The entire Heavenly Dao Treasure Hall violently trembled, and space cracked inch by inch like a shattered mirror!

A brilliant pillar of light, like the Milky Way, tore out of the Void Realm, piercing through the nine heavens, directly leading to the outside world.

Immediately after, a mechanical and cold voice resounded throughout the entire space, emotionlessly announcing:

[heavenly dao instance trial ends.]

[All survivors may choose to leave on their own.]

[After ten hours, the instance will forcibly close, and all survivors will be forcibly sent out.]

Ecstasy surged in Bai Qi's heart, and a cold, triumphant smile appeared on his lips: "The opportunity has come! Lu Chen, I win this round!"

Bai Qi laughed loudly, his figure transforming into a white stream of light, enveloped by the Chaos radiance of the Reincarnation Lamp, rushing directly towards that spatial crack!

His speed was extremely fast, instantly traversing more than half of the hall, his fingertips already touching the glimmer of light from the exit!

But just at this critical moment—

"Trying to leave?"

A dark figure flashed like a ghost!

Faster than light! Swifter than thought!

Lu Chen had already blocked the exit one step ahead!

He held the dragon fiend spear, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground, his body emanating an abyss-like killing intent, his eyes so cold they could freeze the Soul, completely sealing off that only path to survival!

Lu Chen sneered, his voice low and chilling:

"Do you think I would let you escape with the supreme treasure?"

Bai Qi, however, was unhurried. Instead, he looked up and laughed loudly, his laughter full of mockery and arrogance: "You are the Heavenly Dao, you must know how powerful this Magic Treasure is. You can't kill me. Even if you kill me, I will resurrect and then leave safely."

Lu Chen stood with his hands behind his back, the dragon fiend spear pointing diagonally at the ground. Facing Bai Qi's provocative and confident gaze, he smiled faintly: "Oh? Who told you—that this Magic Treasure is yours?"

The wild laughter on Bai Qi's face instantly froze.

His pupils constricted sharply, and a chill shot from his spine to the top of his head!

He is the Heavenly Dao, he might really have a way to reclaim the Magic Treasure!

In a flash of lightning, Bai Qi no longer hesitated. He violently activated the Golden Core within his body, spiritual energy flowing madly backward, intending to forcefully trigger the "nine lives reincarnation lamp"'s resurrection mechanism by self-destructing his Golden Core!

As long as his Divine Soul was annihilated, the lamp would automatically activate, freezing time and space, and teleporting him to a pre-set safe location!

Bai Qi roared, his Golden Core already expanded to its limit, destructive energy surging within his body!

But just at this critical moment—

Lu Chen suddenly raised his right hand and uttered an ancient and solemn command, his voice not loud, yet it seemed to come from the Origin of the Universe: "Nine Lives Lamp, what are you waiting for, get back here!!"

Buzz—!!!

In an instant, a sudden change occurred!

The "nine lives reincarnation lamp," which had clearly been recognized by Bai Qi through blood sacrifice and integrated into his grotto-heaven, actually began to tremble violently!

The nine true Dragon phantoms on the lamp body all wailed in unison, as if resisting some higher-level will!

The next moment—

It actually tore itself out of Bai Qi's grotto-heaven, transforming into a nine-colored stream of light, and flew into Lu Chen's palm!

Bai Qi was struck as if by lightning. The self-destruction momentum of his Golden Core abruptly stopped, his eyes wide open, his face full of disbelief:

"No... impossible! I have already refined it with my vital blood, and the Divine Soul imprint has been carved into the lamp wick!! How could it detach from me? What... what exactly is going on?!"

His voice trembled, his gaze shifting from shock to anger, and then to complete collapse: "Could it be that, from beginning to end, you were toying with me? You never truly became a Mortal; you are still the Heavenly Dao!!"