As that beam of light appeared, time itself seemed to freeze.
The Ji clan's Creation Immortal, who had been poised to strike, felt an overwhelming sense of crisis wash over him.
He discovered that his very soul was trembling, a piercing chill rushing straight to his mind.
This was something he had never experienced before—a genuine, mortal peril.
If he did not retreat, he would die immediately.
Resistance was impossible.
It felt as though some fundamental law of reality had been invoked; no matter how powerful he was, he could not defy the rules of the cosmos.
*Run!*
That was the first and only thought in the Ji clan Creation Immortal's mind.
Without hesitation, he abandoned his attack on Lu Yuan, desperate to flee as far away as possible.
Yet an instant later, he froze in utter shock, discovering that he was completely incapable of moving.
Indeed, the surrounding time was frozen, and space had become unimaginably rigid. Even utilizing the supreme methods of a Creation Immortal, he could not break free. And then, he saw it.
Before him hovered a gourd. From its mouth emerged a streak of light—neither brilliant nor dazzling, but a plain, simple white.
Yet everything he had just felt emanated entirely from that light. Which meant...
This white light, this gourd, would claim his life.
*Just what is this thing?*
That was the final question lingering in the Ji clan Creation Immortal's mind.
For in the very next instant, the white light surging from the gourd's mouth pierced straight through his body, obliterating his soul in an instant.
Unable to muster the slightest resistance, only his physical shell remained, standing frozen in place.
A breath later, even that physical body disintegrated into fine powder, slowly dissipating into nothingness.
With that, the Ji clan's Creation Immortal was gone. His aura vanished entirely, undetectable to anyone, as if he had never existed in this world at all—disappearing abruptly before the eyes of all observers.
***
"What happened?"
Down below, the extraterrestrial powerhouses wore expressions of utter bewilderment as they witnessed this.
None of them had any idea what had just transpired.
Hadn't the Ji clan Creation Immortal been about to strike down Lu Yuan? Where had he gone?
Could he have simply left?
Then what about his aura? How could it have vanished so completely in an instant?
Confusion gripped everyone's hearts.
Not a single one among them considered that the Ji clan's Creation Immortal might actually be dead.
After all, who would believe that an exalted being of that caliber could perish at the hands of a Grotto-Heaven Immortal?
On the other side, Jiang Huanyun and the rest of his companions were equally dumbfounded. They had only seen a flash of white light erupt around Lu Yuan, followed by this bizarre outcome. For a moment, they even wondered if some hidden expert had intervened.
Yet they had clearly felt no presence of any other supreme figure. What in the world was going on?
This question troubled everyone present—not just those with lesser cultivations, but even the Grotto-Heaven Immortals, who were utterly unable to fathom it.
***
Meanwhile, in the void of outer space...
Lu Yuan stared at the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger in his hands, momentarily dazed himself.
He had assumed that using such an artifact would at least unleash a terrifying, cataclysmic spectacle of power.
After all, one could sense as much from its fearsome name alone. Who would have thought that, from start to finish, it would produce nothing more than a simple flash of white light?
And then, the Ji clan's Creation Immortal had simply ceased to exist, the entire sequence unfolding in the blink of an eye.
Even Lu Yuan had yet to fully recover from the shock. Had he not still been holding the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger, he might have suspected that his foe had abruptly fled.
"The Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger..."
"It truly lives up to the name of 'immortal-slaying.'"
At last, Lu Yuan sighed with emotion as he looked at the object before him.
Such might was entirely beyond his expectations. There had been no earth-shattering upheaval—it was as though the target had simply been erased from existence.
However, he also sensed that unleashing the dagger had consumed an immense amount of his inner energy.
At the same time, the gourd had begun to dim, clearly rendered unusable for the time being.
This was only natural; had he been able to use it continuously, it would have been far too absurd.
Recalling when he had first received this item from Guangchengzi, Lu Yuan had assumed that its supposed "immortal-slaying" power was merely remarkably effective against ordinary figures in the Immortal Realm.
Now, it was apparent that this was not the case at all. Even a Creation Immortal stood completely powerless before it. Such formidable power truly could not be wielded lightly.
He even wondered if, once his cultivation advanced further, he might be able to use the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger to directly decapitate a Heavenly Position Immortal, or perhaps even an existence at the level of a Domain Lord.
Of course, such thoughts were merely idle speculation for now.
Lu Yuan understood clearly that no matter how powerful the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger was, it remained an external tool; ultimately, he still had to rely on his own strength.
Saying nothing more, he put the artifact away, glanced at the starry expanse that had returned to calm, and took a step forward.
Space tore open in an instant, and in the next heartbeat, Lu Yuan reappeared above Mount Emei.
His arrival immediately drew the eyes of everyone present.
A hush fell over the entire area.
A single question burned in all of their minds: where on earth had the Ji clan's Creation Immortal gone?
"Lu Yuan, what happened?" Jiang Haokong could contain himself no longer and hurried over to ask.
"You mean the one from the Ji clan?" Lu Yuan smiled faintly and replied, "He's dead."
The moment those words were spoken, all the extraterrestrial beings, along with Jiang Huanyun, froze in place. Many refused to believe it, yet none dared voice their skepticism aloud.
After all, what had happened beyond the heavens—the sudden vanishing of the Ji clan Creation Immortal—was truly inexplicable.
As for Jiang Huanyun, though he had been unwilling to believe it at first, he then remembered how abruptly the Creation Immortal's aura had disappeared. Such an occurrence defied all reason.
Thus, no matter how reluctant he was to admit it, it had to be the truth.
Lu Yuan had genuinely slain a Creation Immortal through his own power alone.
*But how on earth did he do it?*
Endless questions swirled in his mind, though he chose not to speak.
Lu Yuan, for his part, did not care in the slightest whether they believed him.
He walked straight toward the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token, his expression calm and detached. Then, turning his gaze toward every being gathered there, he spoke in a measured tone:
"Is there anyone else who wishes to contest this with me?"
His voice faded, yet no one responded. No one even dared meet his gaze.
They were still reeling in shock from what had just occurred.
Moreover, even if they doubted that he had killed a Creation Immortal, he had indisputably slain five Grotto-Heaven Immortals earlier.
Was there anyone left here who could match him?
Clearly, the answer was no.
Under such circumstances, how could anyone dare fight for it?
Seeing this, Lu Yuan revealed a slight smile and reached out, taking the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token into his hand.
*Buzz, buzz, buzz—*
Strands of purple mist immediately surged from the token, resonating with the ancient token already within his body, showing signs of merging.
Lu Yuan was in no hurry, however. He glanced toward the extraterrestrial beings in the distance, who were now thoroughly awed and cowed, and said calmly, "Our business here is finished. Let's go."
Chapter 412