Rampage

The moment she stepped into the deepest depths of the mist and beheld the scene before her, the attractive middle-aged woman instantly understood why Fatty Zhou, a cultivator of the Transcendent Realm, had been terrified enough to disobey orders. Even with a century of experience, the bizarre spectacle before her made her freeze for a breath. Xu Changtian's body, which had nearly been hacked in two, was wrapped in countless writhing, gelatinous layers of creep that spread outward continuously with him at the center. Opposite him stood a headless corpse. Fatty Zhou had spoken the truth. Old Man Tian's severed head was indeed clutched in Xu Changtian's hand. Moreover, the positions where the two figures stood, the direction the blood had sprayed across the ground, and numerous other details all attested to a single fact— The current Xu Changtian was truly capable of instantly killing a Transcendent Realm cultivator. Her heartbeat accelerated slightly. Infused with Source Qi, the soft sword in her hand began to glow with faint luminescence, illuminating the surrounding mist. Tap. Tap. Tap. Her footsteps were gentle, yet her boots pressing against the creep produced a sticky, terrifying squelch, as though she were wading through congealed blood. Taking a few more steps forward, she suddenly halted. Even through the mist's interference, her qi sense could finally reach the two motionless corpses. Then, Through her perception of their qi dynamic, she was stunned to discover that Old Man Tian was not entirely dead! Both his head and his body still retained immense vitality, and the boundless Source Qi belonging to the Transcendent Realm continued to pour out. Oddly, however, this surging Source Qi did not disperse. Instead, it was confined within a single zhang of their bodies, vanishing completely beyond that boundary. Narrowing her beautiful eyes, her gaze swept across them and finally settled upon the wooden saber connecting the two bodies. When battling that withered old man earlier, she had experienced the terror of this wooden saber firsthand. Merely taking a single blow had nearly made it impossible for her to suppress the maddening murderous intent rising within her heart. And now, several thumb-thick willow branches had sprouted from the ominous blade's surface, one end embedded in Old Man Tian's headless corpse and the other joined to Xu Changtian's flesh. Looking closer, several willow tendrils had likewise grown from the palm of the hand with which Xu Changtian held Old Man Tian's head, burrowing deep into the severed skull. What in the world was this? Old Man Tian carried that bizarre plague; how did Xu Changtian dare join flesh and blood with him? The moment doubt rose in her heart, her pupils constricted. The Great Tribulation could not be measured by common sense—Xu Changtian was absorbing and devouring Old Man Tian's Source Qi and intent-soul! The instant she grasped the situation, spiritual light flared brilliantly from the soft sword in her hand, tracing a profound sword bloom in the air. In a flash, Source Qi churned, and the mist seethed! An invisible canopy instantly materialized in midair. Radiating brilliant light, it swept away the mist within a hundred zhang and descended over Xu Changtian at the center! At this sight, she could not help but feel a wave of relief. This perception-suppressing mist truly could be dispelled by a Dao domain! For a Way of Qi cultivator like her, sensory restriction was the greatest threat. The smaller her range of perception, the less time she had to react to an ambush. Judging by Xu Changtian's ability to tear off Old Man Tian's head in an instant, fighting him within that previous range of less than ten zhang would have left her zero margin for error. A single lapse, and her fate would match the withered old man's. Now, however, things were different. Having reached the pinnacle of the Transcendent Realm, she possessed her own pride in her strength. With the Great Tribulation not yet fully formed and the sensory shackles removed, she believed she had the power to fight him. Before that, however, she had to open up the distance! As the thought flashed across her mind, she stomped her foot forcefully to leap backward— *Thump.* A dull sound echoed as a heavy restraint seized her ankle, leaving her entirely unable to shift her position. Looking down, her heart skipped a beat. Several slender willow tendrils, accompanied by that bizarre creep, had silently wrapped around her left ankle at some point, pinning her firmly in place. *Trouble.* The moment the mishap occurred, she raised her eyes without hesitation toward the motionless Xu Yuan. Then, She met a pair of empty, lifeless eyes. He had raised his previously bowed head. Those eyes were pitch-black, devoid of any white, devoid of any emotion. It was as if he truly were a living corpse. Fortunately, this bizarre Xu Changtian did not attack her immediately, but merely stood quietly watching her. Yet in the next breath, She saw Xu Yuan's torso lower and lean forward almost instinctively, dropping into a sprinter's crouch aimed directly at her. *Mindless?* The sight brought another wave of relief to her heart. A mindless monster was not frightening. If he fought purely on instinct, her odds of victory seemed even greater. With this thought, she raised her delicate hand toward Xu Yuan. In an instant, Source Qi surged, and the Dao domain churned! *Buzz—* With a low drone, dozens of glowing chains suddenly erupted from the air around Xu Yuan, darting forward to bind him in the center! At the same time, her other hand was not idle. She used her soft sword to slice through the willow tendrils shackling her ankle while glaring coldly to see whether her technique would strike true. Xu Changtian was clearly devoid of reason. If he did not dodge, this art infused with Dao charm would be more than enough to bind him motionless on the spot! And indeed, just as she expected, Xu Yuan made no move to evade, holding that forward-leaning crouch. *Rumble! Boom! Boom! Boom!* Roars shook the air. The tremendous power carried by the chains tore the creep on the ground to shreds, blasting the shattered rubble below into clouds of rising dust! "..." Once the dust settled, she looked upon the silhouette standing at the center of the spell, her brows furrowing slightly. The man standing in the crater still held his previous stance, while the dozens of glowing chains reaching from the void had linked together like a spiderweb, binding his limbs and torso firmly inside the pit! Yet strangely, Xu Changtian's face still bore that lifeless, deadened expression, as if he did not care about the spell at all. Her brow furrowed deeper, and she accelerated the pace at which her soft sword severed the willow branches. She would not underestimate her foe. Even if he was restrained, she needed to put distance between them as quickly as possible. Her gaze remained fixed on the youth bound tight by the chains as her Source Qi-infused soft sword severed the tough tendrils one by one. Five left... Three left... One left... Just as she was on the verge of freeing her ankle completely, the breath of death engulfed her whole body. Within her perception, all dozens of chains wrapped around Xu Yuan snapped simultaneously... Everything in her vision slowed down. No sound reached her ears, for his speed had completely outstripped the travel of sound. All she could perceive was the ground instantly fracturing and caving beneath his step, the chains forged from Source Qi and Dao domain shattering into a sky of starlight, and the youth's figure rapidly expanding before her eyes. *Swish!* She moved as well. Without an ounce of hesitation, she swung her sword and severed her trapped left foot. Retreating backward, she whipped her soft sword through the air. Countless glowing chains materialized before her in an instant, lashing out at the hurtling figure, while a glowing shield of Source Qi formed in front of her. *Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!* A deafening roar tore through the heavens, and the shockwave swept across several hundred zhang. Missing one foot, she hovered in the air, gazing down at the massive crater carved out by a single punch and the youth standing at its center. Her eyes were filled with sheer disbelief. In that brief moment of contact, she had sensed that his physical body was not inherently formidable; what was terrifying was the unknown energy swirling around him. That energy could inversely erode the Source Qi of her spells, causing them to collapse into raw Source Qi the moment they touched his body. From that single clash, she had discerned Xu Changtian's bizarre nature through her Transcendent Realm experience. Countermeasures raced through her mind, but no matter how she turned the problem, she could not conceive of a way to deal with the situation. The reason was simple: With that bizarre energy clinging to him, she could not breach his defenses. Unless she engaged him in close-quarters physical combat. But the problem was... She glanced down at the crater dozens of zhang wide gouged out by his single fist. As a Way of Qi cultivator, descending to brawl with him in hand-to-hand combat would be nothing short of suicide! What was she supposed to do now? Ranged spells were useless, and close combat meant being obliterated in one strike. How could she possibly fight him? In total silence, she suddenly saw the ground within the crater fracture and cave in once more. Giving her no room to catch her breath, Xu Changtian launched himself like an arrow, shooting straight toward her. Fortunately, she could track his speed. Her robes fluttered as she shifted several dozen zhang to the side in an instant. Yet in the next breath, a profound sense of powerlessness washed over her. Xu Changtian's figure vanished into thin air, and when he reappeared, he was right before her as though he had teleported! She attempted to dodge, only to feel a massive hand clamp around her wrist. Glancing back, she met those empty, pitch-black eyes. A fierce glint flashed across her gaze. Her soft sword blazed with luminescence as she slashed toward his neck. Xu Yuan glanced sideways, instinctively leaning back a fraction, and the blade whistled past his throat by a hair's breadth. Seeing this, a flicker of joy actually rose in her eyes. Xu Changtian had dodged... It seemed physical attacks truly could inflict fatal injuries upon him. Yet in the very next instant, that budding joy vanished like smoke, for Xu Changtian's other hand seized her shoulder. The sheer tearing force sent her mind reeling in agony. *Rip!* Flesh and blood sprayed as her left arm, sleeve and all, was ripped clean away. Xu Yuan's pitch-black eyes glanced calmly at the severed arm before he tossed it casually down from midair. As the pale arm hit the ground and touched the mutated black death creep, countless layers of creep instantly engulfed and digested it... Having done this, Xu Yuan turned his hollow gaze back to her. A faint hint of greed gradually surfaced in those vacant, dark eyes, and the corners of his lips curved into an eerie arc. A thirst for prey, a craving for the power within her body—a primal impulse was gradually seizing control of His actions. "..." Seeing this shift in his gaze and expression at close range, she felt a chill run through her. Suppressing the agonizing pain in her left arm, she tried to flee, but his hand still held her shoulder fast, leaving her with no way out. The instinct to survive drove her to unleash several sword strikes with everything she had. Wherever the gale of her full-power Transcendent Realm slashes swept, it carved furrows a zhang deep into the earth. Yet the monster before her evaded those desperate strikes with effortless ease. A tide of despair gradually spread through every corner of her being. Then, she felt a massive hand clamp over her face. Looking through his fingers at the twisted smile gradually emerging upon his handsome face, she bit her lip and formed a seal with one hand. Before she died, she had to transmit the intelligence she had gathered. As the art rippled outward, a voice transmission pierced straight through the mist and radiated into the distance... Once that was done, she felt that familiar tearing sensation at her neck. At the same time, the bizarre creep began oozing from his palm, seeking to burrow into her brain. *Heh, the exact same death as Old Man Tian?* As the thought flashed through her mind, the corners of her lips beneath his grip curled into a smirk: "Old Man Tian only let a monster like you have your way because he lost his mind. If you want Fu Qinggeng to be your nourishment—wait for your next life!" As her words fell, the canopy that had dispelled the surrounding mist began to shudder, the Source Qi within thrashing violently. "..." Xu Yuan instinctively looked up. Immediately, as if sensing danger, a sharp glint flashed in his dark pupils. Without a shred of hesitation, he clamped his fingers down with tremendous force. *Crack!* Her skull shattered instantly. Her beautiful face caved inward, twisting into something grotesque and horrifying, while blood and brain matter dripped along Xu Yuan's palm toward the ground. With her complete demise, all the tremors in the surrounding area abruptly ceased. A few breaths later, the deep black mist surged back, swallowing the light bit by bit, while the canopy that had illuminated the entire area dissolved into specks of starlight and vanished into the sky. After everything returned to darkness, Xu Yuan descended back to the ground clutching Fu Qinggeng's corpse. His dark eyes gradually went hollow once more, finally returning to that statue-like state. Yet this silence did not last long. Barely a few breaths later, Xu Yuan suddenly raised his eyes toward midair once more. There, a woman had appeared—a woman enveloped in dazzling, radiant light.