45: Chapter 45 Crushed with a single palm strike!

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the crisp notification sound of the System completing the settlement slowly faded away.

The smile in Gu Yi's eyes grew even richer.

The generous gain of two thousand Villain Points made his gaze turn somewhat kinder as he looked at the bloodied and mangled figure below the altar.

But in the eyes of Ancient Sword Emperor Xiao Chen, this kindness became an insult more piercing than the most vicious mockery in the world.

"Gu Yi! I want you dead! Let's perish together!"

Ancient Sword Emperor Xiao Chen's sanity completely disintegrated after that kiss from Senior Sister Mu Qingxue.

A shrill roar, like that of a beast on the verge of death, erupted from his throat, his eyes turning so red they seemed ready to drip blood.

Since his Dao foundation was destroyed and the hopes of this lifetime had turned into bubbles, he would drag this thief who had taken everything from him down to Hell!

Ancient Sword Emperor Xiao Chen bit the tip of his tongue, directly sacrificing that wisp of Origin Divine Soul belonging to the Ancient Sword Emperor deep within his Sea of Consciousness.

Dark red soul fire instantly ignited his tattered gray robe, and his entire being transformed into a blood-colored rainbow burning with eerie light, charging straight at Gu Yi's face with a tragic Aura of mutual destruction.

This strike drained the last trace of vitality from this broken body, and its power barely touched the threshold of the Golden Core Stage.

The air in the cavern was torn apart by this violent blood Qi, emitting piercing sonic booms.

Senior Sister Mu Qingxue, standing beside Gu Yi, slightly furrowed her delicate brows, a clear trace of displeasure appearing in her Phoenix eyes.

She had just received the taicang profound yin sword bone gifted by her Junior Brother and was immersed in that rare tenderness and tranquility; to think this suicidal mad dog dared to come and spoil the mood.

A layer of chilling frost True Yuan permeated her body, and with a slight movement of her fingertips, she was about to draw her sword to hack this mass of filthy blood Qi into ice shards.

But Gu Yi's arm moved a step faster, gently wrapping around her waist and pulling her back behind him.

"Senior Sister, wait. Do not let such filthy things stain your sword, nor splash blood all over you."

Gu Yi's voice was gentle and calm, carrying a power that soothed the heart.

His deep eyes looked toward the blood-colored rainbow speeding through the air, and the original gentleness instantly faded, replaced by a layer of coldness and indifference.

Facing the desperate struggle of an old monster who once stood at the pinnacle of the Central Plains, Gu Yi, relying on the bottomless Physical Body foundation of his Primordial Limitless Creation Immortal Body, casually raised his right hand and pushed it forward.

It was just the simplest, most unremarkable palm wind.

The violent blood-colored Sword Qi and that seemingly light, colorless palm wind collided with a boom in the air in front of the altar.

The power of Creation contained within the palm wind was like an insurmountable, towering divine mountain, crushing the burning soul fire with an absolutely overwhelming and domineering posture.

"Bang—!"

The blood-colored rainbow was like fragile glass hitting an iron wall, shattering into a sky full of blood mist the moment it made contact.

The remaining power of the palm wind passed through the blood mist without obstruction, slamming solidly onto Ancient Sword Emperor Xiao Chen's chest.

"Crack... crack, crack..."

A series of bone-shattering sounds that made one's scalp tingle echoed within the empty underground cavern.

Ancient Sword Emperor Xiao Chen's already riddled Meridians, in the face of the absolute power of this palm, snapped inch by inch like old, discarded zither strings being forcibly torn apart by brute force.

The violent palm force penetrated his body, completely destroying the tiny bit of cultivation foundation he had painstakingly accumulated.

Ancient Sword Emperor Xiao Chen, like a tattered kite with a broken string, traced a miserable parabola in the air, smashed heavily onto the white jade steps at the edge of the altar, and tumbled all the way down onto the cold rocks below.

He lay limp on the ground like a pile of mud, vomiting mouthful after mouthful of dark red blood mixed with visceral debris.

Those eyes, once filled with arrogance and fanaticism, now held only scattered gray defeat, and he didn't even have the strength to lift a single finger.

Gu Yi looked down at this mess from above, calmly withdrawing his palm.

Kill him?

This thought flashed through Gu Yi's mind, but was immediately and rationally rejected.

A rat with top-tier treasure-hunting talent—if it were to die so carelessly in this dark and sunless underground cavern, it would be too much of a waste.

The Central Plains region was vast and boundless; in the fragmented memories of this Ancient Sword Emperor, who knew how many coordinates to ancient Secret Realms and peerless Formations were hidden.

As long as he had one breath left, and as long as that fire of hatred for himself continued to burn in his heart, he would be like a tireless mad dog, continuing to dig for food and find Opportunities for him all over the world.

Gu Yi held Senior Sister Mu Qingxue's hand, walked down the white jade steps, and strolled unhurriedly to Ancient Sword Emperor Xiao Chen's side.

Ancient Sword Emperor Xiao Chen stared at him with venomous hatred, wanting to open his mouth to curse, but only weird, wheezing sounds could come from his shattered throat.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, thank you for your hospitality during today's visit to the Sword Tomb."

Gu Yi brushed non-existent dust off his moon-white dharma robe, a gentle and elegant smile curling the corners of his mouth. "The Yin Qi in this underground cavern is too heavy, so I won't keep you here overnight. Go well, I won't see you off."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Yi raised his right leg, his toe carrying a hint of hidden force, and kicked casually at the side of Ancient Sword Emperor Xiao Chen's waist and abdomen.

Accompanied by a muffled scream spilling from Ancient Sword Emperor Xiao Chen's throat, his body, like a tattered sack, fell straight down along the bottomless underground crevice at the edge of the cavern.

The whistling, bone-chilling gale soon swallowed his figure, leaving only a fading echo of his fall.

Beneath this crevice was the Abyss of Abandoned Swords in the Sword Tomb; falling down wouldn't kill him, but it would be enough to give this former Ancient Sword Emperor a headache.

Having dealt with this treasure-hunting rat, Gu Yi turned to look at Senior Sister Mu Qingxue beside him.

The coldness and black-bellied nature on his face vanished completely in an instant, replaced by a gentleness that made one feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

He reached out to tidy the hair by Senior Sister Mu Qingxue's ear that had been ruffled by the palm wind.

"Just a barking stray dog; the matter is already settled."

Gu Yi said softly, "Senior Sister, it is late. This place is dirty and messy; let's return to the inn to rest."

Senior Sister Mu Qingxue nodded slightly, letting Gu Yi hold her hand, her eyes filled with obedience and trust.