378: Chapter 378 The String Breaks, Backlash Hits the Master; The Mastermind Reveals a Cold Glimpse

A cold snort from deep within the sky was like an invisible storm, grinding back and forth over the Main Peak of Qingyun Valley.

The dull sound waves swept across the broken mountain gate and the white jade steps covered in shredded meat, forcibly bending the towering ancient trees on both sides. The trunks made an unbearable cracking sound, wood fibers snapping one by one with an ear-grating "crackling" noise.

Zhou Wannian stood quietly at the end of the long steps, his hands still leisurely behind his back. He tilted his head slightly, his deep gaze piercing through layers of blood-colored mist, pointing directly at that piece of void in the sky, the casual smile at the corner of his mouth not diminishing in the slightest.

At this very moment.

"Boom!"

The grand main hall of Qingyun Valley in front suddenly erupted with an earth-shattering roar from within.

Solid glazed tiles and beams made of thousand-year-old golden silk phoebe wood were torn to pieces in an instant by a violent and peerless force. Dust mixed with wood chips soared into the sky, blotting out the sun. A pungent smell of blood mixed with the scorched ozone smell after lightning swept out in all directions like a rolling tide.

Shitou stood a few steps behind Zhou Wannian and was knocked back two steps by the sudden airwave. He quickly steadied his lower body, raised his arm to block his eyes, and stared fixedly at the collapsed ruins through the gaps in his fingers.

In the center of the ruins, a blinding blood-red light pillar broke through the dust and went straight into the clouds.

Within that light pillar, a figure was slowly rising.

It was a middle-aged man wearing a wide, dark red robe. His physique was even more bloated and massive than the ten Nascent Soul Elders who had rolled down the steps earlier; he looked like a cowhide water bag that had been forcibly blown up, even his features deformed by the fat piled on his cheeks.

But unlike those Elders, a faint, eerie glow like mutton-fat white jade actually flowed on the surface of this middle-aged man's skin. Visible gray threads swam rapidly under his skin like living things, emitting a cold, rigid Law fluctuation that completely did not belong to this world.

This was the Pavilion Master of Dengxian Pavilion.

A monster who, in just a few short months, had been forcibly infused by the thickest transparent "tube" from deep in the sky, raised from a mere mortal to the half-step Soul Transformation Realm.

He floated in mid-air, stepping on a mass of rolling blood clouds. He didn't look at the disciples who died miserably at the foot of the mountain, nor did he look at the ten Elders who had turned into a puddle of rotten meat. In his bloodshot, turbid eyes, there was only a frenzied fanaticism and arrogance.

"Hahahaha—"

The Pavilion Master of Dengxian Pavilion tilted his head back and let out a burst of wild laughter that seemed to tear his vocal cords. The laughter echoed through the valley, shaking the surrounding rubble and causing it to tumble down.

"I've succeeded! I've finally succeeded!"

He suddenly lowered his head and stared fixedly at Zhou Wannian standing at the end of the white jade steps, as if looking at an ant that overestimated its own strength.

"Where did this ignorant madman come from, daring to ruin my Ascension Ceremony!" The voice of the Pavilion Master of Dengxian Pavilion was mixed with two layers of vocals: one was his own raspy voice, and the other sounded like a mechanically synthesized sound made by rubbing rusty iron sheets.

"You think that by killing a few of my useless subordinates, you can run wild on this Qingyun Main Peak?"

He spread his arms, letting the wild wind blow his dark red robe into a hunting sound, his face full of morbid intoxication.

"You don't understand at all what kind of majestic power I possess! I have received the supreme gift of the Immortal Venerable in the sky, washing away these mortal muddy bones. Today, I shall shed this mortal coil, ascend in broad daylight, and take my place among the Immortals!"

"You frogs at the bottom of a well, being able to die under the auspicious signs of my Ascension is a blessing you've earned over several lifetimes!"

Zhou Wannian stood in place, listening to this hysterical barking, feeling as if a few greenbottle flies were buzzing in his ears.

He couldn't even muster the interest to sigh.

"Having a tube stuck in your forehead, being stuffed like a duck with a belly full of leftovers, and you actually think you're some kind of enlightened True Immortal."

Zhou Wannian raised his right hand and casually picked his ear with his pinky finger, his movements indescribably lazy and nonchalant.

"Your so-called Ascension is nothing more than the butcher in the sky thinking you, this pig, have been raised fat enough and is preparing to pull you up to be slaughtered and bled. To be so complacent when death is at hand, you're so stupid it makes my eyes feel dirty just looking at you."

These words were like a rusty, blunt knife, stabbing straight into the lung of the Pavilion Master of Dengxian Pavilion.

The wild laughter on his face froze instantly, and under the layer of white-glowing skin, the gray code threads swam even more violently, twisting his face into a hideous demon mask.

"Presumptuous!"

The Pavilion Master of Dengxian Pavilion let out a roar that didn't sound human.

"Blaspheming the Immortal Venerable is an unforgivable sin! I will use the supreme Magic Treasure bestowed by the Immortal Venerable to grind you, this madman, into powder, draw out your Divine Soul to light a sky lantern, and ensure you never find peace in any life!"

As his voice fell, he suddenly slapped his high-bulging Dantian.

"Buzz—"

A burst of ear-grating low-frequency vibration instantly spread across the entire mountain.

From the mouth of the Pavilion Master of Dengxian Pavilion, a blinding gray light ball was spat out. The light ball grew as it met the wind, transforming in an instant into an eerie Magic Treasure floating in mid-air.

Shitou hid behind Zhou Wannian, his eyes wide as he looked.

That wasn't a Flying Sword, a precious seal, or any kind of Magical Artifact recorded in the classics of the cultivation world.

It was a gray metal block in the shape of a perfect regular octahedron. On every face of the metal block, dense geometric codes flashing with cold light were inscribed. It floated in mid-air, not emitting any Spiritual Qi, yet in a way that defied the physical common sense of the Qingping Realm, it crazily devoured the surrounding light and sound.

The moment this regular octahedron appeared.

The surrounding space seemed to be tightly squeezed by a pair of invisible giant hands. The residual blood and bone fragments on the white jade steps actually lost gravity, slowly floating up into mid-air.

A high-dimensional, cold power of rules, specifically set to erase low-dimensional life, poured out from that regular octahedron like a bursting dam, firmly locking onto Zhou Wannian.

"Die! Ant!"

The Pavilion Master of Dengxian Pavilion formed an extremely awkward hand seal with both hands and pushed forward with all his strength, using that mixed half-step Soul Transformation Spiritual Qi.

The regular octahedron made a "clack-clack" mechanical clicking sound, its size instantly exploding a hundredfold, like a small gray mountain, carrying the terrifying power to crush all three-dimensional space as it smashed down toward Zhou Wannian's head.

Rocks crumbled, and the wild wind swirled back.

Under this pure high-dimensional dimensionality reduction strike, the spatial barriers of the Qingping Realm were like fragile window paper, emitting an unbearable wail.

Shitou felt as if his internal organs were being squeezed into a ball by this invisible pressure, and a sweet, metallic taste rose in his throat. The Origin of Heaven-Opening within him gave a frantic warning, telling him that this was a lethal force capable of completely erasing any trace of his existence.

However.

Facing this eerie Magic Treasure smashing down like Mount Tai, Zhou Wannian didn't even move his feet half a step.

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes as clear as an ancient well reflecting the regular octahedron flashing with code light.

"Taking a piece of scrap metal someone else didn't want, carving a few lines of trashy code on it, and you dare to bring it out to embarrass yourself."

Zhou Wannian spoke a sentence flatly.

His tone was as steady as if he were evaluating a stumbling block on the side of the road.

He finally lowered his right hand that had been picking his ear.

His wrist turned slightly.

His long, fair index finger and thumb were gently pinched together.

Facing the smashing small gray metal mountain.

Plainly.

He bent his finger.

And flicked.

"Ding."

A crisp and pleasant sound, like a water droplet falling on a jade plate, clearly rose amidst the raging wind.

There was no earth-shattering collision of Spiritual Qi, nor any brilliant Law radiance.

This flick was merely the purest and most basic release of mass from Zhou Wannian's Physical Body, which had been tempered to the extreme by the inner universe's Great Perfection Laws.

A trace of imperceptible wind shot out from his fingertip.

This trace of wind seemed weak, but it contained absolute mass that ignored any dimensional defense.

It followed a straight trajectory, leisurely meeting that massive regular octahedron.

At the ten-thousandth of a second they made contact.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

That arrogant Magic Treasure in the shape of a regular octahedron, emitting high-dimensional rule fluctuations.

The moment it touched that trace of wind.

The geometric codes flashing on its surface were like they had encountered a fatal virus; they flashed frantically twice and then completely went out, turning into meaningless ash.

Immediately following.

A visible crack rapidly spread from the point where the regular octahedron and the wind met.

"Crack... Crackle..."

The sound of shattering joined into one.

This eerie Magic Treasure, regarded by the Pavilion Master of Dengxian Pavilion as a divine gift and capable of suppressing half-step Soul Transformation masters.

In mid-air, it was like a low-quality porcelain bottle hit by a child with a slingshot.

It shattered with a bang!

Countless gray metal fragments and discarded code that had lost its logical support fell like a rainstorm, clattering onto the white jade steps and splashing dust everywhere.

In mid-air, the Pavilion Master of Dengxian Pavilion's bulging eyes stared fixedly at the scrap iron scattered on the ground.

His mind was a blank; he couldn't even understand what had just happened.

How could the supreme Magic Treasure bestowed by the Immortal Venerable be shattered into dregs by someone's light finger flick?

But he no longer had time to think about this question.

With the Magic Treasure destroyed, the high-dimensional power maintaining his false Realm instantly lost its final anchor.

The backlash arrived.

"Ugh... Ah!"

The Pavilion Master of Dengxian Pavilion let out a shrill, non-human scream.

His skin, which had been glowing white, instantly turned the color of dead ash. The gray threads swimming under his skin were like poisonous snakes that had lost control, beginning to frantically devour his flesh, Meridians, and bone marrow.

His bloated and massive body began to dissolve at a visible speed.

The first to melt were his hands; the flesh and skin dripped down like wax, revealing the bones beneath that had been blackened by high-dimensional energy erosion. Then, the bones also crumbled into ash like rotten wood.

"No... Don't... Immortal Venerable save me... I still want to ascend..."

He struggled frantically in mid-air, his mangled arms trying to claw at the empty sky.

But this backlash force followed no logic; it was the coldest abandonment and erasure of a low-dimensional vessel by high-dimensional power.

"Splat!"

Accompanied by the dull sound of a water bag bursting.

The massive body of the Pavilion Master of Dengxian Pavilion completely collapsed in mid-air.

No intact corpse remained, nor did a Primordial Spirit escape.

His entire person, along with his false half-step Soul Transformation cultivation, turned into a large pool of dark red blood emitting a nauseating stench within a few breaths.

The blood poured down from mid-air, splashing onto the broken white jade steps with a "crash," and like a dirty stream, it meandered through the cracks in the steps, making a series of scalp-numbing corrosive sounds.

The entire Main Peak of Qingyun Valley was dead silent.

The wind stopped.

The red mist dispersed.

The absurd and crazy reverse expansion of Dengxian Pavilion was thus unilaterally, crudely, and without leaving any room, brought to a complete close by Zhou Wannian with a single finger.

Shitou stood behind, gasping for breath, his chest heaving violently. He looked at the pool of blood on the ground that was still bubbling with acid, feeling a sense of lingering fear. This was the consequence of pursuing false power—not even a complete corpse was left.

Zhou Wannian stood quietly at the end of the long steps.

He dusted his green robe's sleeves, as if he had just flicked away a dusty fly.

His gaze did not linger on the foul-smelling pool of blood.

Instead, he slowly raised his eyes above the blood.

Although the Pavilion Master of Dengxian Pavilion was dead and turned into blood.

However.

In the void above the blood.

That transparent thread that was originally inserted into his crown, dozens of times thicker than those of the other disciples.

It did not break or disappear with the death of its host!

This fishing line connecting to the high-dimensional outer heavens hung quietly in mid-air.

The end of the thread was currently soaking in that pool of dark red blood.

Visibly, that pool of blood was drying up at an incredible speed. The last trace of vitality and purified resentment contained in the blood was being continuously sucked up along that transparent thread.

Zhou Wannian did not step in to stop it.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his deep eyes calmly watching this eerie scene, the mocking curve at the corner of his mouth becoming more pronounced.

"Sucking others' blood, and now even the bone fragments are being taken back to be used as fertilizer."

Zhou Wannian commented in a steady tone.

In just two breaths, the large pool of blood on the ground was sucked dry, leaving only a pitch-black mark on the white jade steps.

The transparent thread, now saturated with blood, suddenly stopped trembling.

Immediately following.

In the void where the end of the thread hung, the surrounding light began to distort violently.

A terrifying will, far exceeding the Heavenly Dao limits of this Major Thousand Worlds, forcibly descended as a projection along that taut thread.

A crack about a zhang long was torn open in the void.

The edges of the crack burned with gray-white logical cold fire.

Within that crack.

No Immortal with an ethereal air appeared, nor did any monster with Green Face and fangs.

Instead.

Slowly.

An eye opened.

It was an illusory, giant vertical pupil with no white and no emotion!

The color of the vertical pupil was that of a rigid, gray-white code stream. Deep within its pupil, it seemed to contain countless worlds being born and destroyed, exuding an absolute indifference that viewed all living beings as ants.

As soon as this vertical pupil appeared, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi of the entire Qingyun Valley mountain range instantly froze.

All was silent, as if the Laws of this world were frozen solid by this eye.

The vertical pupil turned slowly.

Its bone-chilling gaze passed over the corpses on the ground and the broken mountain gate.

Finally.

It fixed dead on Zhou Wannian, who stood at the end of the long steps in his washed-out green robe.

That was a high-dimensional gaze.

Carrying scrutiny, anger, and a cold killing intent that attempted to analyze him thoroughly.

When the aftereffects of this gaze swept over Shitou, his legs gave way, and he slumped directly to the ground; his blood felt as if it had been frozen into ice shards, and even his instinct to breathe was stripped away.

As for Zhou Wannian, the direct target of this vertical pupil's lock.

He still stood steadily in place.

A clear breeze blew, and the hem of his green robe swayed slightly.

He met the cold gaze of that high-dimensional vertical pupil.

Without the slightest retreat.

Without the slightest fear.

On Zhou Wannian's handsome and easygoing face, a particularly bright smile bloomed.

He even leisurely reached out his right hand and gave a light wave toward the giant vertical pupil in mid-air.

"Watching for so long."

Zhou Wannian's voice was steady and smooth, carrying a laziness like walking in his own backyard.

"What, are you interested in this green cloth robe of mine?"

"Or do you think your fishing line isn't tied tightly enough and want me to help you wrap it around your neck a few more times?"