126: Bloodbath Heavenly Venerable, Annihilation and Soul Severance

Above Pill City, the battle reached its most tragic extreme.

The Myriad Souls Devouring Heaven Array and the Heaven and Earth Star Fire Net fiercely clashed, constantly consuming each other; Hall of Souls envoys were continuously incinerated into nothingness by the flames, and the Souls of Pill Tower experts were constantly being extracted by the array, letting out mournful shrieks.

The battle between Tian Leizi and White Heavenly Venerate was even more thunderous, with every collision between the lightning and the nether scythe shadows tearing the sky; both men were already injured, their blood spilling across the air, yet they fought desperately without retreating.

The battle group led by Elder Xuan Yi, consisting of several Pill Tower Elders, against Mu Gu Old Man and the Protectors under his command, was similarly deadlocked.

The Pill Tower Elders relied on exquisite alchemy techniques and Soul attacks, coordinating perfectly, but Mu Gu Old Man's Five-Star Dou Zun strength combined with his bizarre Soul techniques placed immense pressure on them, leading to constant peril.

As for the core Half-Saint confrontation, although the Pill Tower Master and Soul Mie Sheng Heavenly Venerate had not directly clashed, the invisible confrontation of rules had already turned that area into a forbidden zone of life, with space constantly collapsing and reforming in an endless cycle.

Amidst this chaotic battle, Li Ao and Medusa, like two arrows surging against the current, brazenly charged into the fighting circle of Elder Xuan Yi and Mu Gu Old Man!

"Hmm? Two juniors dare to come here to die?!" Mu Gu Old Man was exchanging a Soul impact with Elder Xuan Yi; seeing this, he sneered, flexing the five fingers of his free left hand, sending five condensed Nether Ghost Claws, accompanied by shrieks that tore at the Soul, grabbing toward Li Ao and Medusa respectively!

In his view, although these two juniors were somewhat strange, their strength was merely that of a Dou Zong, easily extinguishable with a casual move!

"Your opponents are us!"

Li Ao's eyes were icy; he neither dodged nor retreated, violently smashing out his fist covered in a bronze luster, with gray Annihilation Qi swirling around the fist's edge!

"Hegemon Fist — Return to Stillness!"

Simultaneously, cold light burst from Medusa's purple eyes; she formed a hand seal, the regal mark on her brow shone brightly, and the phantom of the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python behind her let out a silent roar!

"Heavenly Serpent Secret Art — Royal Authority Deprivation!"

The moment they attacked, they used their unreserved killing moves!

"Boom!"

Li Ao's fist violently collided with three Nether Ghost Claws!

Those ghost claws, powerful enough to severely injure an ordinary Eight-Star Dou Zong, instantly had their core nether structure and energy rapidly disintegrate and annihilate the moment they touched the Annihilation Fist Intent, as if they had been cast into the ultimate furnace of nothingness! They completely vanished without even stirring a ripple!

The other two ghost claws aimed at Medusa had their power drastically reduced under her absolute Royal Authority Deprivation and were easily shattered by the seven-colored silk she casually swept out!

"What?!" The sneer on Mu Gu Old Man's face instantly froze, and his pupils contracted sharply!

Although this casual strike of his was not his full power, it was definitely not something an ordinary Dou Zong could withstand! These two... are strange!

Before he could think further, Li Ao and Medusa's attacks were already upon him!

Li Ao stepped on Thunder Sound Steps, his figure closing in like a ghost; he held his fingers together like a blade, and the wisp of Annihilation Rule compressed to the extreme on his fingertip transformed into a minute silver-gray thread, stabbing directly toward Mu Gu Old Man's heart meridian!

This strike was fast, precise, and ruthless, and it contained the true meaning of Annihilation, which ignored defenses and targeted the Origin!

Medusa attacked from the other side, her seven-colored snake sword transforming into sword shadows filling the sky; every sword strike contained the power of purification and destruction, and carried a regal Sword Intent that suppressed the Soul, blocking all of Mu Gu Old Man's retreat paths!

The two cooperated flawlessly, one focusing on attacking the Origin, the other on blocking and restraining, instantly forcing Mu Gu Old Man into a desperate situation!

"Nether Bone Armor! Myriad Souls Protection!" Mu Gu Old Man was both shocked and enraged, frantically channeling his Dou Qi; an armor condensed from countless pale white bones covered his entire body, while black mist churned around him, with countless fierce Souls shrieking to form a barrier!

"Sizzle—!"

Li Ao's Nirvana Finger Blade was the first to touch the Myriad Souls Protection barrier!

The barrier was easily sliced open like butter under a hot knife; the fierce Souls within annihilated without even letting out a wail!

The Finger Blade's momentum remained unchecked, striking the Nether Bone Armor!

"Crack!"

Centered on the point where the Finger Blade landed, countless gray, decaying cracks instantly spread across the bone armor!

That bone armor, strong enough to withstand the attack of a Five-Star Dou Zun, was surprisingly as fragile as paper mache before the Annihilation Rule!

A cold intent of death, seeming capable of ending everything, fiercely invaded Mu Gu Old Man's body through the bone armor, frantically annihilating his vitality and Dou Qi!

"Ah!" Mu Gu Old Man let out a miserable shriek, feeling as if his internal organs were about to wither and fall into stillness!

Just then, Medusa's seven-colored sword shadows poured down like a torrential rain onto his cracked bone armor!

"Bang, bang, bang, bang...!"

Dense explosive sounds were like firecrackers! The bone armor, already on the verge of shattering, could no longer hold up against this violent attack containing regal Sword Intent, and it exploded with a crash!

Mu Gu Old Man spat out a torrent of blood, his body flying backward like a broken sack; his chest was a bloody mess, and his aura instantly dropped to its lowest point!

In a single exchange, the Five-Star Dou Zun, Mu Gu Old Man, was severely wounded!

"Hiss—!"

This scene caused the experts fighting on both sides to inhale sharply!

Elder Xuan Yi and the others were both shocked and delighted; they hadn't expected the combined power of Li Ao and Medusa to be so terrifying!

Meanwhile, the Hall of Souls side was aghast!

"Mu Gu!" White Heavenly Venerate, who was fiercely fighting Tian Leizi, roared when he saw this, trying to shake off his opponent to provide aid.

"Your opponent is me!" Tian Leizi would never let him succeed; lightning flashed violently, and his assault grew even more ferocious, trapping him tightly.

Li Ao and Medusa, having gained the advantage, were unrelenting; their figures were like lightning as they charged once again toward the severely injured Mu Gu Old Man! Hit him while he is down!

"Junior! How dare you!" A trace of madness and despair flashed in Mu Gu Old Man's eyes; he suddenly slapped his chest, spitting out a mouthful of vital essence blood containing his life Soul Origin, which merged into the skull in his hand!

"Using my Soul Origin, I summon the Gate of Nine Hells! Let us perish together!"

The skull abruptly expanded, transforming into a pitch-black portal radiating endless dead silence and coldness!

The portal seemed connected to the Nine Hells, with countless withered ghost hands reaching out from within, grabbing toward Li Ao and Medusa, and a terrifying suction force emanated, attempting to drag both of their Souls inside!

This was Mu Gu Old Man's forbidden technique of burning his Soul Origin; its power was terrifying, but the cost was immense!

Facing this mutually destructive strike, Li Ao's gaze sharpened; he shielded Medusa behind him, and the wisp of Annihilation Rule Origin in his Sea of Consciousness vibrated wildly at an unprecedented speed!

He slowly brought his hands together in front of his chest, Void Swallowing Flame in his left hand and Annihilation Rule in his right; these two distinctly different powers, yet both containing the true meaning of "Nothingness," began to forcibly fuse under his exquisitely precise control of his Soul!

An aura of Chaos, seeming to herald the creation of the world yet also the end of all things, suddenly emanated from him!

"Annihilation... Sky Swallowing!"

He abruptly pushed his palms forward!

A beam of light, only as thick as an arm and displaying a chaotic gray color, shot out silently, meeting the terrifying Gate of Nine Hells!

There was no earth-shattering explosion, nor any dazzling energy brilliance.

There was only an absolute, ultimate "Nothingness" that spread out the instant the chaotic beam touched the Gate of Nine Hells.

That Gate of Nine Hells, which seemed capable of swallowing everything, along with the countless ghost hands reaching out from it, was completely erased from existence as if by an eraser the moment it touched the chaotic beam, leaving no trace behind.

The terrifying suction force also instantly vanished.

The chaotic beam's momentum remained, instantly sweeping past Mu Gu Old Man, who was already spent due to the exhaustion of his burned Soul Origin.

The madness and despair on Mu Gu Old Man's face solidified; he looked down at his body, which was rapidly turning into dust, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Rule... Fusion... You..."

Before he could finish speaking, his body was completely annihilated, not even a speck of dust remaining.

The Five-Star Dou Zun, Mu Gu Old Man, had fallen!

Silence!

The entire battlefield fell into momentary dead silence!

Everyone was stunned by this shocking sight!

To forcefully slay a Five-Star Dou Zun while only being at the Dou Zong realm! What kind of Heaven-Defying achievement was this?!

"Mu Gu!!!" White Heavenly Venerate let out a heart-wrenching roar, his eyes splitting with fury!

Even the perpetually indifferent Soul Mie Sheng Heavenly Venerate finally showed a trace of intense fluctuation in his eyes; his gaze toward Li Ao was filled with icy killing intent and... a hint of imperceptible greed?

"This child... absolutely cannot be spared!"

He stopped confronting the Pill Tower Master, flicked his finger, and a black finger glow condensed to the extreme, seemingly Transmigrating through space, instantly appeared right before Li Ao's brow!

A Half-Saint's strike was terrifying!

Li Ao had just finished executing "Annihilation Sky Swallowing" and was greatly drained; facing this sudden killing blow, he no longer had time to dodge!

"Be careful!" Medusa's expression changed drastically; she unhesitatingly flashed in front of Li Ao, channeling her Seven-Colored Dou Qi and regal pressure to the extreme, transforming them into a thick, seven-colored light shield!

"Boom—!!"

The black finger glow fiercely struck the seven-colored light shield!

The light shield only held for an instant before shattering with a crash!

Medusa was struck heavily, spitting out a mouthful of blood; her figure stumbled backward, and her aura instantly wilted, clearly having sustained significant internal injuries.

However, the black finger glow's power was mostly neutralized; the remaining force was blocked by Li Ao, who timely activated the Void Swallowing Flame and the Bronze Battle Body.

"Your Majesty!" Li Ao supported Medusa, killing intent boiling in his eyes.

The Pill Tower Master was also enraged: "Soul Mie Sheng, you are courting death!"

He held nothing back, forming hand seals; the entire Pill Tower seemed to resonate with him, the Myriad Fire Sky Curtain shone brightly, and a seven-colored fire lotus, condensed from the Origins of countless Heavenly Flames, slowly emerged and pressed down toward Soul Mie Sheng!

Soul Mie Sheng's expression changed slightly, and he had no choice but to respond with full force.

Meanwhile, Li Ao looked at the injured Medusa in his arms, then looked at Soul Mie Sheng, who was fiercely fighting the Master, a trace of madness and determination flashing in his eyes.

He slowly raised his hand and pressed it against his brow.

Hidden there was his biggest secret, and his final trump card—that wisp of Nirvana Origin, obtained from the mysterious black iron, sharing the same Origin as the Black Iron Hegemon Body, yet which he had never been able to fully control!

"Today, I shall let you, a Half-Saint... taste true Nirvana!"