Withered Yuan Pill

Whoosh! A figure came hurtling through the air—it was Old Monster Feng, having sensed the abnormality. Old Monster Feng flew with astonishing speed, rapidly closing in. By now, his appearance had drastically transformed, no longer resembling a human. Eagle wings, serpent scales, stag antlers, and a leopard's tail—though his facial features remained, they were distorted and utterly hideous. Seeing this terrifying form, many cultivators blanched in horror, at a loss as to whether Old Monster Feng was man or monster. Little did they know, this stemmed from Old Monster Feng's grafting secret art. From the beginning of its cultivation, one had to fuse parts of fiend and demon bodies into one's own flesh, forging a fiendish demonic body. As his cultivation rose and he reached the Nascent Soul stage, the demon parts integrated into him transformed alongside him, granting his demonic body ever-greater might. His true name was Feng Xuegan, but it was precisely because of this secret art that he had earned the moniker "Old Monster." Transformed into his demonic form, Old Monster Feng exuded an aura of ferocity. His eyes glinted savagely, radiating terrifying murderous intent as he fixed his glare upon Qu Huan. "Old Monster Feng's demon form grows more bizarre by the day. Powerful though it may be, fusing so much filth into his flesh has probably stalled his cultivation for years. No wonder he ingested so many Withered Yuan Pills—pity he'll have to pay it all back." Watching Old Monster Feng approach, Qu Huan gave a soft sneer, his tone dripping with mockery. Though about to be flanked by two Nascent Soul experts, he showed not the slightest trace of fear, entirely composed and confident. A glint of suspicion flashed through the eyes of the cultivator surnamed Qi. After staring at Qu Huan for a moment, he thought, *Not good!* and abruptly raised his hand to unleash a phantom claw. Without a word of warning, the claw lunged toward Qu Huan. The air warped wherever it passed, radiating scorching heat. Fiery crimson throughout, it looked as though magma flowed within it. A blistering gale surged forth. Qu Huan dared not take the blow directly and shot backward. Right then, the rapidly approaching Old Monster Feng vanished into thin air. In the next instant, he materialized behind Qu Huan, raising a pair of talons fused from an unknown beast and ruthlessly thrusting them into Qu Huan's body! Riiip! The talons forcibly ripped out a spine. Qu Huan's eyes went lifeless and his frame stiffened as Old Monster Feng tore him to pieces on the spot. For a moment, severed flesh and broken bones flew in all directions. By all appearances, Qu Huan could not have survived. Yet Old Monster Feng and the cultivator surnamed Qi showed fury instead of joy. "Humph!" Old Monster Feng spat out a burst of dark light, sweeping away Qu Huan's mangled remains and the Formless Poison lingering in the void. With a leap as agile as a hunting leopard, he landed on the city wall, glaring at the Lotus Formation. Just then, figures descended from the sky one after another, landing beside them. They were the other Nascent Soul cultivators returning from the chase. They had lost Old Demon Ye's trail. Daoist Canghong, Fairy Qiuzhi, and a few others were still capable of pursuit, while the rest had no choice but to turn back. Like Old Monster Feng, they had come up empty-handed, failing to intercept Qu Huan's true body. "Facing impending doom, yet you still squabble amongst yourselves! What a bunch of suicidal fools!" Qu Huan's arrogant laughter echoed from outside the city. It turned out Qu Huan had prepared an escape route before making his move. The moment his sneak attack on the cultivator surnamed Qi failed and he sensed danger, he had decisively fled Yucheng. Fortunately for him, he had been quick on his feet. A step slower, and he would have been surrounded by the Nascent Soul elders, unable to escape no matter his abilities. Outside, Qu Huan jeered insolently. "Kill him!" Enraged, several people immediately gave chase beyond the city walls, Old Monster Feng among them. Qu Huan knew far too many secrets of Sin Abyss. If the Two Domains Alliance learned everything from him, Sin Abyss would be left in an extremely passive position. The cultivator surnamed Qi was all the more mortified. Old Demon Ye had rebelled and embarked on a slaughter, sending the situation into a downward spiral at what was arguably Sin Abyss's most perilous hour. Under such circumstances, an internal traitor could never be tolerated. They had laid a small trap and actually flushed out a high-ranking mole, only for the man to slip away. "For that Qu fellow to lurk for so long and reach such heights proves his cunning. Keeping him here was never going to be easy. Flushing out the traitor is already a success. There is no need to belittle yourself, Fellow Daoist Qi. Quickly organize the city's defense and steady everyone's morale. If we unite our efforts, we can surely weather this storm!" A beautiful female cultivator stepped forward, consoling the cultivator surnamed Qi in a gentle, soft voice. The cultivator surnamed Qi nodded, his composure restored, and asked, "The Daoist Master and Fairy Qiuzhi haven't returned? Did you fail to catch Old Demon Ye?" The woman looked dejected and sighed. "Even heavily injured, Old Demon Ye's flight speed far surpasses ours, and we were quickly left behind. Moreover, several of our fellow Daoists are suffering increasingly severe backlash that is hard to suppress. Fearing Old Demon Ye might take advantage of them, the Daoist Master ordered us to return while they continue the chase." As she spoke, she glanced toward the Nascent Soul cultivators meditating cross-legged nearby. The most conspicuous among them was a handsome young man. His dark hair and beard were graying at a rate visible to the naked eye. Wrinkles steadily crept across his face, and his skin lost its luster, making him look decades older in just this short span. Throughout this process, his aura fluctuated erratically, his essence, energy, and spirit all withering away. Their condition bore some resemblance to Old Monster Feng's earlier state, differing only in degree. Even though the cultivator surnamed Qi had witnessed Old Monster Feng undergoing the backlash before, seeing it again still sent a chill down his spine. He counted himself fortunate for never having consumed a Withered Yuan Pill. "Where on earth is Old Demon Ye trying to flee?" Gathering his wits, the cultivator surnamed Qi pressed on. "Before we turned back, we saw Old Demon Ye fly into the Heavenly Scar. Barring any surprises, his destination should be the Abyss Ruins," the woman said gravely. "Could he..." A sudden realization struck the cultivator surnamed Qi, his face filled with shock. "Can he open the Sin God Palace?" Ever since the Sin God Palace was discovered, it had remained synchronized with the Ziwei Palace. It was certain that the time was not yet ripe for the Ziwei Palace to emerge, unless Old Demon Ye intended to force the Sin God Palace open. "The root of all this is the ancient devil that Old Demon Ye and the Daoist Master joined forces to slay inside the Sin God Palace. Although we cannot fathom how Old Demon Ye managed this or what his intentions are, his actions are undoubtedly tied to the Sin God Palace. He understands it better than anyone." The female cultivator seemed to recall something, a flash of regret crossing her eyes. "Old Demon Ye is gravely injured. Having committed such atrocities, only by fleeing into the Sin God Palace can he hope to survive. Daring to pull this off means he must have planned it long ago and is confident of his escape. Alas, our eyes were blinded; all these years, we never suspected a thing." Between the lines, the woman had little hope that Daoist Canghong could stop Old Demon Ye. Noticing her despondence, the cultivator surnamed Qi consoled her, "These are still only our speculations. Old Demon Ye might not possess such ability. The Daoist Master should send word back soon. Holding Yucheng is our foremost priority." *** At the very same moment, Qin Sang and the others were charging through the grand formation. In the Lotus Formation, every petal constituted a layer of restriction. To enter Yucheng, they had to break through layer after layer. By now, they had noticed that Yucheng was thinly defended—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Holding nothing back, everyone brought their greatest skills to bear, breaking through half of the restrictions in a very short time.