City of the Dead

A massive horde of dead spirits converged, nearly walling off any route of escape for Cheng Kai and the others. Cheng Kai’s expression shifted rapidly. Why were these dead spirits clinging to him without letting go? "Are you carrying something that attracts dead spirits?" He glared at Jiu Xuan, exasperated. Immortal race! These two Immortals had done virtually nothing this entire time. All they knew was how to cry danger and protect their own hides, while several Shanhai experts of his Xuan Armor race had thrown their lives away for nothing! Jiu Xuan knitted her brows and hissed, "No! How could it possibly be me!" She wasn't carrying anything out of the ordinary, though she certainly possessed her share of treasures. Yet something to attract dead spirits... It wasn't as if they hadn't crossed paths with dead spirits earlier, and those creatures hadn't swarmed them like this. Jiu Xuan swept her gaze across their surroundings and said in a grave voice, "General Cheng Kai, we must break out!" "Break out how?" By slaughtering them? Cheng Kai had a pounding headache. Slay one, and two more would take its place—that was precisely what made dead spirits so troublesome. Normally, if you killed one, you could just leave the city, lie low for a while, and return once the death qi aura dissipated. But how were they supposed to kill their way out today? Killing dead spirits here would only lock them in an endless cycle of harassment. Even so, Cheng Kai let out a ferocious roar, his yuan qi erupting with a thunderous boom! The explosion was deafening; the strength of a peak Shanhai was truly formidable. A vast flock of dead spirits was jolted downward by the sheer shockwave! Even several Shanhai-tier dead spirits were battered into retreat. Yet that tremendous commotion instantly drew dead spirits from all over. They surged toward them in droves, billowing thick plumes of death qi as they rushed in. Jiu Xuan let out a shout of her own! Her entire body was instantly enveloped in Heaven Yuan Qi! A complete mantle of Heaven Yuan Qi! As a genius of the Immortal race, she had plenty of treasures at her disposal. In the next instant, she shouted, "General, buy me some time!" Without waiting for Cheng Kai's consent, a divine character manifested. Jiu Xuan's long hair whipped in the wind as a divine character hovered aloft, blanketing the sky and earth. "Freeze!" A shrill cry pierced the clouds as beams of radiant light shot in all directions. Jiu Xuan’s face blanched in an instant, and swaths of dead spirits were frozen midair before plummeting downward. Mingling among the dead spirits, Su Yu felt a sudden wave of sluggish restraint wash over him, powerful enough that even he struggled to resist. A jolt of shock rippled through his heart! Holy crap! He had underestimated this little fairy. Sure enough, none of the prodigies on the Earth Ranking were pushovers. If he had faced her alone, the moment she brought out that Freeze character, even he might have fallen into her trap. Civilization Masters were truly the most troublesome opponents. With a warrior at the Lingyun Realm, no matter how formidable their moves, you always had an inkling of what to expect. Civilization Masters, however, possessed tricks that caught you entirely off guard. Seeing the dead spirits immobilized all at once, Cheng Kai was overjoyed. Just as he reached out to drag Jiu Xuan away, Su Yu, falling downward, let his aura flicker for a split second. Instantly, another massive swarm of dead spirits converged from all sides. "Damn it!" Cheng Kai was thoroughly enraged! Why was this happening? They had already beaten the dead spirits back and immobilized them, so why had more appeared? Jiu Xuan's face went paler still. With another sharp cry, her Freeze character flared, once again paralyzing a large cluster of dead spirits. Cheng Kai bellowed in fury, his blood qi surging and his yuan qi detonating violently. Dead spirits rained from the sky like dumplings plunging into boiling water. Right then, Su Yu dropped swiftly toward the ground. Along the way, he casually finished off a few dead spirits tumbling beside him. Kill one, and two would come! These dead spirits had been frozen and subsequently blasted by Cheng Kai's yuan qi, leaving them completely defenseless. Su Yu slaughtered them with ease. And the moment they died, another massive horde of dead spirits materialized in the air. Cheng Kai and Jiu Xuan's faces drained of all color! How could this be? Both Jiu Xuan and Cheng Kai possessed terrifying strength. They had repelled the dead spirits time and again without killing them. Logically speaking, if that was the full extent of the dead spirits present, they should have been able to escape unscathed. So why... why were there more and more dead spirits? Cheng Kai quickly surveyed the area, cursing under his breath, "Jiu Xuan, did your Freeze character wipe them out directly?" He noticed that quite a few dead spirits seemed to have perished! Damn it! How could anyone kill dead spirits here? Wasn't that courting death? Jiu Xuan's expression shifted slightly. Her hair swept around her as she retorted coldly, "Absolutely not! I only immobilized them. It's your yuan qi that was too overbearing—it obliterated those weaker dead spirits!" It couldn't be her! Didn't she know what her own divine character did? It was for freezing targets, not executing them! As a peak Shanhai expert, Cheng Kai possessed immaculate control over his power and refused to believe he had accidentally killed those dead spirits. But Jiu Xuan wouldn't purposely kill them either. He hurriedly said, "Stop using that Freeze character! These dead spirits might lose their existence when immobilized... No, they aren't living beings to begin with. Your Freeze character might have disrupted the rules governing them!" Jiu Xuan ceased using the Freeze character at once. Another divine character surfaced! A halo of light expanded around them. "Go!" Jiu Xuan snapped. Cheng Kai bolted immediately, the glowing ring smashing aside every obstacle in their path. Yet Jiu Xuan's complexion grew increasingly bloodless as several more Shanhai-tier dead spirits manifested overhead. These dead spirits weren't particularly powerful, but the corrosive decay of their concentrated death qi was becoming difficult to bear. As an Immortal prodigy, Jiu Xuan had an ample supply of Heaven Yuan Qi, but her consumption was astonishingly rapid. As for Cheng Kai, distinct black flecks were already visible upon his armor. Those were the telltale burns of death qi erosion! A boundless sea of dead spirits! Su Yu paid them no heed at that moment. Run, keep running! Where could you possibly run to? He busied himself slaying dead spirits below! Any dead spirit that had been wounded, battered back, or immobilized, he slaughtered. He trailed behind them, killing non-stop! The more he killed, the more appeared! And after being slain, the newly spawned dead spirits flew straight after Jiu Xuan and Cheng Kai. Naturally so—the two had wounded the previous dead spirits, leaving their auras clinging to them. Su Yu didn't even need to lure them over anymore. A massive legion of dead spirits closed in on the pair! Their numbers swelled exponentially! Cheng Kai was mighty enough to slaughter those Shanhai dead spirits, but he didn't dare. He couldn't kill, yet he was surrounded, leaving him no choice but to endure the relentless onslaught! Faint black speckles were beginning to stain the pristine white immortal robes of Jiu Xuan, whom he dragged alongside him. Jiu Xuan's expression was as cold as frost. Scanning their surroundings, she said gravely, "General Cheng, if this continues... we will be corroded to death by this death qi!" Cheng Kai offered no reply, only slamming forward to knock the dead spirits aside. No shit, I know that! Dead spirits crowded every direction around them, the death qi growing saturated beyond measure. "The dead spirits only multiply as they die... Our only way out is leaving the city, or ducking into a house in the inner rings to evade them..." Jiu Xuan gritted her silver teeth and said, "Head into the deep sectors! Now that the Prefecture Lord Manor is sealed, it might not open again. We must hold out until reinforcements from the Immortal race arrive..." "We can't get away!" Cheng Kai growled. If I could leave, wouldn't I have done so already? There are too many! The dead spirits surrounding them had practically formed an ocean. It was horrifying. In all his years residing in Tianmie City, he had never seen so many dead spirits. It was as if every single dead spirit in the entire city had assembled right here. Jiu Xuan drew a deep breath and pulled out a jade talisman, her voice heavy. "If it truly comes down to the worst-case scenario... we wipe out all these dead spirits to create a momentary vacuum, break away from this place, and find an ancient house to hide!" A brilliant, awe-inspiring radiance radiated from that jade talisman. Cheng Kai's heart gave a violent leap! Down below, Su Yu looked on in lingering terror. Holy crap! What kind of artifact was that? A divine talisman? No, for the Immortal race it had to be an immortal talisman. Was it left by a Sun Moon Realm expert, or had an Invincible bestowed it upon her? If that thing came crashing down on him, he would be done for, wouldn't he? If killing dead spirits hadn't been forbidden, this whole gathering of dead spirits wouldn't even be enough to survive a single strike from that talisman. Every single one of these bastards was more terrifying than the last. This was Jiu Xuan. What about Dao Cheng? What about the others? Including Modona—did they carry stuff like this too? "Terrifying!" Su Yu muttered inwardly. Thank goodness he hadn't tried to ambush her directly. If he had, she might have turned the tables and slain him instead. Cheng Kai remained silent. They couldn't unleash such a lethal trump card carelessly! Dead spirits were endless! The more you killed, the more would come. If killing was an option, he would have done it long ago. With his strength, he could cut down even those Shanhai dead spirits, but he didn't dare. Who would take responsibility if excessive slaughter provoked a Sun Moon dead spirit? "Don't use it unless absolutely necessary!" Cheng Kai shouted. They couldn't afford to be reckless. The moment they slaughtered too many, they would truly be dead meat. Jiu Xuan kept quiet. At this point, she felt escape was virtually impossible. There were simply too many dead spirits, and her reserve of Heaven Yuan Qi was on the brink of exhaustion. Even burning through immense quantities of it, she could barely hold them off. The black flecks on her robes were spreading rapidly, and a deathly pallor had settled over her face. Neither of them mentioned calling for help. Whom could they call? Yin Kai, or Dao Cheng? If they came, they would only die alongside them. With so many dead spirits, anyone who arrived would simply be trapped. They even lowered their voices, not daring to make too much noise. Drawing other strangers was one thing, but if they brought Dao Cheng and Yin Kai into the fray, their entire party would be wiped out in one fell swoop. Of course, no one dared approach anyway. The area was plunged into pitch-black darkness, and the death qi was so potent that even from far away, a Lingyun cultivator would be corroded to death on contact. Hundreds upon thousands of dead spirits were gathering! They formed a colossal vortex of death. …… At this moment, within the Prefecture Lord Manor. Tianhe sighed deeply. This was a massive headache. Which of these bastards was recklessly butchering dead spirits? Beside him, an enormous medallion trembled incessantly. Tianhe sighed, "The Castellan Medallion is shaking; an ancient dead spirit is about to awaken! We cannot allow any more dead spirits to be slaughtered. Do these bastards... have a death wish?" Who the hell was behind this? With the city sealed, were they trying to drag everyone down with them? If they truly provoked a Sun Moon Realm dead spirit, even if it was only at the first stage of the Sun Moon Realm, it would still spell trouble for him as the castellan. He wouldn't dare provoke such a creature lightly. Ancient dead spirits were almost all in the Sun Moon Realm. They were horrifyingly powerful! Back then, an expert of Xia Longwu's caliber had slain a Sun Moon dead spirit and was nearly finished off in return, ultimately escaping with severe injuries. Castellan Tianhe cursed under his breath. What kind of wicked madness was this? Under normal circumstances, such a thing would never happen. Whoever slaughtered dead spirits ought to have been wiped out long ago. Yet today, that wasn't the case at all. More and more dead spirits were congregating, and the entire city was already drowning in death qi. "Bizarre!" Tianhe shook his head. He gave up on it; even he couldn't easily intervene in this mess. …… Meanwhile, Su Yu continued his frenzied slaughter. Kill, kill, kill! Murderous intent surged in all directions! A divine character formed naturally—his twenty-fifth divine character had materialized: "Death"! He had slaughtered too many! The divine character for "Death" took shape! With this divine character fully outlined, the death qi clinging to Su Yu grew even denser, rendering him virtually indistinguishable from a true dead spirit. Su Yu's eyes gleamed with chilling resolve. He didn't care! If these bastards wanted him dead, they would have to pay the price. For now, the dead spirits were primarily concentrated right here. As for the others—like Qin Fang or the little fur ball—as long as they didn't run around recklessly, they should be fine. As for this place, no one would dare set foot here! In the air, the number of Shanhai dead spirits had reached twelve. That was a terrifying figure! Cheng Kai and Jiu Xuan were utterly submerged in an ocean of dead spirits. Both were leaking death qi. Jiu Xuan gnashed her teeth, the jade talisman in her hand trembling. She was ready to strike—to annihilate every dead spirit, flee at top speed, and conceal herself in an inner-ring ancient house while awaiting rescue! Yet Cheng Kai was reluctant to take that step. Twelve Shanhai dead spirits. If they were slain, an ancient dead spirit would inevitably be summoned—one in the Sun Moon Realm, perhaps even more than one... When that happened, disaster would truly strike, and everyone outside would perish. He didn't care if the others lived or died, but Yin Kai was still out there. Of the Xuan Armor race, only he and Yin Kai remained. Everyone else was dead! Jiu Xuan was hesitating as well, for Dao Cheng was outside searching for Modona. Slaughtering these dead spirits might give them time to run, but without preparation, how could the others escape? The jade talisman in her grasp shone with growing brilliance. Jiu Xuan sighed and spoke, "Let's kill them! General Cheng Kai, you are stronger. Voice transmission talismans are useless right now, so shout at the top of your lungs and tell them to run..." Cheng Kai suddenly suggested, "Why don't you try contacting the Heaven Hunting Pavilion? Maybe... they have a way!" Jiu Xuan's heart stirred, and she quickly produced her sub-ranking scroll. "Can you resolve the dead spirit crisis in Tianmie City?" "The root cause of the disturbance has not yet been determined. It cannot be resolved at this time!" That was the reply from the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. The Pavilion was indeed investigating, but they had yet to find anything out of the ordinary. Why were the dead spirits endlessly multiplying? Had someone been killing them? And if so, who was doing the killing? …… At that moment, inside the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, the Faceless Elder suddenly instructed, "Contact Su Yu and ask him if this dead spirit chaos is his doing!" The masked operative hurriedly reached out. A moment later, he received a reply, and even the color of his mask seemed to change. "Elder, he says yes. If we want to know more, we must give him the sweetest, most fragrant divine character in the myriad realms, or else... he won't tell us much!" "Fragrant my ass!" The Faceless Elder flew into a rage. "Ask him if he wants the God race's 'Fragrance' character! Does he want the 'Fragrance' characters from every race? They're all plenty fragrant!" Was it truly Su Yu? He wasn't certain! If it was Su Yu, that was truly terrifying. How had he pulled it off? Soon, a reply arrived from the other side. "Send them all over for me to see!" "……" The masked operative was speechless. "Elder, he seems to genuinely want them!" The Faceless Elder was equally at a loss. You actually want them? "...Tell him we can prepare them for him, but tell him to stop stirring up trouble. We have our own people inside the ancient city. If this continues and ancient dead spirits are drawn out, our operatives won't be able to hold out either!" The masked operative swiftly relayed the message. Moments later, he reported with an odd expression, "Elder, he said he wants to slaughter every last enemy! Anyone who stays in the city and doesn't leave counts as an enemy! If the Heaven Hunting Pavilion doesn't want to be slaughtered by him... we'd better prepare some divine characters right now, or he'll wipe us all out in the future..." "……" The Faceless Elder sat there, utterly deadpan. Damn it all, now you're strutting around giving us ultimatums? "Don't bother replying to him anymore! It might not even be him. Not a single word out of that bastard's mouth is true; he's completely unreliable!" The Faceless Elder's impression now was that Su Yu never spoke a word of truth, making him doubt him entirely. Forget it, no point wasting time on that brat. …… Inside the small house. The little fur ball looked somewhat dejected. It had actually wanted to make the trade, but it couldn't reach the Fragrant One, and the Fragrant One would never call off the dead spirit chaos just for a few divine characters. The little fur ball understood that much very well. What a pity! The divine characters right at its snout were gone! Whatever. Next time, it would tell the Fragrant One to rob this Heaven Hunting Pavilion. If that didn't work... maybe it could get the Big One to rob it! Robbery... it had never understood such a concept before, but now it did. In the past, the little fur ball had known nothing, completely unaware of what stealing or robbing meant. Now, it had learned. Pure and naive, it had spent its entire life beside the Big One from the moment it was born. The Big One slept all day, so it had essentially been a clueless infant. Ever since it was captured and brought to the Human Realm, then taken away by Su Yu, it had picked up an immense number of things! It had learned them all from Su Yu! Whatever Su Yu saw, whatever he learned, whatever he did, the clever little fur ball almost always picked up as well. Aside from its obsessive longing for food... the little fur ball wasn't nearly as innocent as it looked. For instance, robbing the Heaven Hunting Pavilion! That notion had begun to take root. The Heaven Hunting Pavilion possessed so many treasures, so naturally, the idea was born. …… Just as the little fur ball was thinking of robbing the Heaven Hunting Pavilion, Su Yu was thinking of robbing Jiu Xuan! Robbing that jade talisman in her hand! That talisman had undoubtedly been bestowed by an Invincible; its power was simply staggering. With Jiu Xuan holding it in her grasp, the dead spirits didn't even dare draw close, and vast waves of death qi were being neutralized by its glow. Of course, there were simply too many dead spirits, so the talisman could only dissolve a portion of it, and its power seemed to be steadily draining. Su Yu wanted to snatch that talisman! It was definitely an extraordinary treasure. His only worry was whether it harbored a wisp of an Invincible's will. If so, that would be troublesome. Left with no other choice, Su Yu could only continue slaughtering! Kill! Taking advantage of the chaotic fray, he surreptitiously dispatched another massive wave of dead spirits! In the sky, the number of Shanhai dead spirits had reached twenty. Cheng Kai could no longer endure it! The black spots on his armor had fused into solid patches. He looked at Jiu Xuan and sighed, "I'll tell them to hide, then you unleash the talisman and slaughter them! If we don't... you and I are both dead!" They had no choice but to kill! Jiu Xuan nodded with a grim face. "Shout, and then I will strike! Rest assured, we won't die! As long as we can survive this, my grandfather will come to my rescue!" "Immortal King Xuanhe?" Cheng Kai was ecstatic. "An Immortal King will come?" Jiu Xuan was the descendant of an Immortal King, but that didn't mean an Immortal King would personally show up for every fallen offspring. Was this for real? Jiu Xuan said gravely, "He will! Brother Dao Cheng and I are meant to be united in marriage! Neither the Dao King nor my grandfather would abandon this union, so... he will come to save me!" The Immortal race had no shortage of geniuses. Those on the Heaven Hunting Ranking were merely a crop of young talents, after all, and there was no guarantee they would ever mature. Thus, even if she died, an Immortal King might not necessarily intervene. However, she was the bride destined to wed the descendant of the Dao King. The Dao King was one of the mightiest monarchs among the Immortals. Even stronger than her grandfather! The Immortal race also had its own factions and political divisions. Her grandfather currently required the backing of a powerful sovereign. Therefore, she could not be allowed to die. If she died, Immortal King Xuanhe's grand design would come to naught. She had remained by Dao Cheng's side ever since leaving home. She might look delicate and fragile, but her mind was sharp as a needle. Dao Cheng understood this as well, which was why he had consistently opposed her running off on her own; the Dao King also needed the support of Immortal King Xuanhe. Cheng Kai was overjoyed! A mighty Immortal King would personally descend here. If so, there was hope; an Immortal King could arrive with astounding speed. He hesitated no longer and bellowed with all his might. "Dao Cheng, Yin Kai, take cover!" "Dao Cheng, Yin Kai, take cover..." His voice reverberated across the ancient city, echoing into every corner. …… In the distance. Dao Cheng and Yin Kai shuddered. They had seen that dense mass of death qi earlier, but had never imagined that Cheng Kai and Jiu Xuan were trapped inside it. Now, both of their faces paled. Did Cheng Kai's voice just come from inside that cloud of death qi? Take cover? Dao Cheng's expression changed rapidly, while Yin Kai gritted his teeth. "I'm going to rescue the commander..." "Nonsense! Are you courting death?" Dao Cheng snapped, his eyes fixed on the distant cloud as he said in a low, urgent tone, "Quick, hide! Jiu Xuan is probably going to unleash an Immortal King jade talisman. Hurry, they're preparing to slaughter those dead spirits! Find cover immediately!" Danger was at hand! The moment Jiu Xuan activated that Immortal King talisman and wiped out those dead spirits, a swarm of ancient dead spirits would be summoned in short order. The entire city was about to be plunged into utter chaos. Wasting no more breath, he grabbed Yin Kai and bolted, searching for an ancient house to take refuge in. It had to be deep inside! In the inner rings! Preferably as close to the Prefecture Lord Manor as possible. Even if the death qi was heavier there, they had to get inside. Jiu Xuan using the Immortal King talisman might summon Immortal King Xuanhe here before long. Only then did the other inhabitants of the city realize that the ones trapped were Jiu Xuan and Cheng Kai. Without hesitation, the shrewder cultivators quickly scrambled to find ancient houses to hide in. It was over! Those madmen were preparing for a wholesale slaughter; otherwise, there would be no need to warn everyone to take cover. Certain prodigies and experts weighed their options swiftly. Meanwhile, some of the duller ones still failed to grasp the peril... lingering in stunned awe that a peak Shanhai expert could be trapped, marveling at how dangerous it was. The others paid no heed to such fools—it was just as well if they died! Anyone that stupid was merely a waste of grain while alive! In an instant, everyone scattered. Some fled toward ancient houses, while others simply squeezed through the dog flap into the Prefecture Lord Manor... Even that offered more security than ordinary ancient dwellings. Qin Fang and his companions retreated as well, fleeing into houses deeper in the city. …… By this point, Su Yu had also figured out their plan. Slaughter the dead spirits, then flee. Su Yu's eyes flickered as he quickly surveyed the surroundings. Jiu Xuan and Cheng Kai hadn't unleashed their attack yet; instead, they were advancing steadily, clearly scouting for a safe house... A thought struck Su Yu. Perhaps... I can slaughter them even more effortlessly! That jade talisman would be difficult to snatch! These two were looking for a safe house, intending to bolt inside the instant they obliterated the dead spirits... A safe house could not admit another person once it was already occupied. "What if... I claim the safe house they've picked before they can?" Su Yu's eyes gleamed. Which house would they choose? It would certainly be an exceptionally sturdy one! He swiftly scanned the area, searching for a suitable target. He wondered: if he stole into the house and slammed the door shut the very moment they reached the entrance, would those two burst into a fit of pure madness? Life and death separated by a single door! As he pondered, Jiu Xuan's voice suddenly rang out from above: "That one! General Cheng, do you see it? That large courtyard! That's a house in the Sixth Ring—can we get inside?" The two of them were actually speaking openly, without using voice transmission at all! Su Yu was startled, then understood. They assumed the dead spirits were brainless idiots... Well, they certainly were, so there had been no need to communicate via voice transmission. No point! Su Yu followed their line of sight. It was a standalone, spacious courtyard—grand, overcast, and cloaked in dense death qi. It looked exceptionally robust. Could he... push that door open? Su Yu wasn't entirely sure! Perhaps he could give it a try! He would head over and wait by the door first. The moment they slaughtered the other dead spirits, they would definitely dive straight down to enter the house. Then Sun Moon dead spirits were bound to appear, and then... he would shut the door? Su Yu was secretly thrilled by his own audacity. Damn, I'm ruthless! How utterly despairing would those two be at that moment? Or maybe, once they were beaten half to death, he could crack the door open, let them in, and then... deliver the finishing blow? Su Yu crept downward in stealth, accompanied by several weaker dead spirits. Before long, he landed before the gates of the courtyard! Up above, the two were barreling through the air, the jade talisman pulsing with light. They looked ready to unleash its power at any second. Su Yu watched them warily, then... gave the courtyard gate a gentle push. It swung open! Su Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly pulled the door shut. He couldn't go in yet; entering would mark the house as occupied. He had to slip inside at the exact moment they reached it, giving them zero time to find an alternative. Opening these houses in the inner rings turned out to be fairly simple! Su Yu obediently lingered beside the entrance. Not hiding—just standing there like a mindless dolt. Dead spirits couldn't enter houses anyway, so the pair probably wouldn't care, right? At worst, they might slap him into oblivion before walking through the door. The crucial point was, by that time, he would already be inside. Su Yu was itching to try! He suddenly realized that disguising himself as a dead spirit was extraordinarily convenient. Up above, the pair was closing in. Jiu Xuan plummeted rapidly. Cheng Kai cast all reservations aside, swiftly cutting down the weaker dead spirits that barred their way, slaying them outright. With a grim expression, Jiu Xuan said, "The moment I strike, take me inside at once. Can we enter this house?" "Yes!" Cheng Kai answered in haste, "I've been to this ancient house before; someone opened it in the past. It can be entered, though the death qi inside is heavy!" "That doesn't matter... We just need to wait for my grandfather!" "Understood!" The two quickly reached an agreement. At that exact instant, a ruthless glint flashed in Jiu Xuan's eyes. Around them, the dead spirits had swelled into the thousands, even tens of thousands! She was going to wipe out every single one of these wretched dead spirits in a single blow! Let's see you keep chasing and corroding us then! Without hesitation, Jiu Xuan bit the tip of her tongue, spraying a mouthful of essence blood onto the jade talisman. A bloody radiance blazed from the talisman, illuminating the sky and earth! "Kill!" With a furious cry from Jiu Xuan, rays of light saturated with sacred might and immortal power swept out in every direction! Rumble! One dead spirit after another disintegrated into dust in an instant! Simultaneously, within the ancient city, the stone sculpture opened its eyes! In the next instant, beneath the stone sculpture, three dead spirit silhouettes materialized. Their auras were overwhelmingly powerful—all three in the Sun Moon Realm! Within their eyes flickered faint glimmers of divine light! In a flash, the three Sun Moon Realm ancient dead spirits vanished! Meanwhile, the blinding white light from the jade talisman washed over the ancient city. House after house was instantaneously obliterated, only to be repaired just as swiftly. Dead spirits were slaughtered en masse, reduced to fine powder in the blink of an eye. There were simply too many! Tens of thousands of dead spirits perished! A talisman from an Invincible! Yet on Su Yu's side... there was virtually no lethal impact. Jiu Xuan and Cheng Kai weren't insane; they wouldn't place an obstacle right in front of their own escape route. As for the few weak dead spirits down below, they hadn't bothered to target them. At this moment, across the ancient city, dead spirits fell in vast swathes! And simultaneously, the three Sun Moon dead spirits materialized in midair, their death qi raging with terrifying intensity! Jiu Xuan's face went completely bloodless! Without a single word, Cheng Kai grabbed her, accelerating to his absolute limit as they plunged straight toward the great house below! Even for Sun Moon dead spirits, breaching an ancient house within the Sixth Ring would take time. And that time would be more than enough for them to hold out until an Invincible arrived! The three Sun Moon dead spirits moved with shocking speed, trailing billowing torrents of death qi as they hurtled downward, hell-bent on slaughtering these two enemies who dared butcher their kin! Cheng Kai and Jiu Xuan paid them no heed. The gates of the ancient house were right before their eyes. Yet right at that very moment, a weak dead spirit suddenly pushed the great gate open. Under their stunned, incredulous, utterly disbelieving gazes... the door swung inward! Su Yu stepped inside! Bang! The door slammed shut! Boom! A thunderous crash resounded as Cheng Kai slammed headfirst into the door. With a deafening boom, he unleashed all his might into the collision, but a door capable of keeping out Sun Moon dead spirits was naturally more than capable of keeping him out as well! Cheng Kai's eyes bulged with sheer disbelief! A dead spirit could enter a house? A dead spirit could shut the door? What about me? What about us? We... we're going to die! "No!" A sky-shattering howl of rage echoed throughout the ancient city. At this moment, apart from the stone sculpture with its eyes open, no one was watching—nor could anyone watch. The three Sun Moon dead spirits descended, and within a thousand-meter radius, every living being was eradicated wherever their aura swept! "No!" Cheng Kai roared, bellowed, unwilling to accept his fate... He didn't even have time to flee! In that split second, the three Sun Moon dead spirits manifested right behind him. The death qi was concentrated to its absolute peak! In a flash, Cheng Kai's armor was corroded through. Jiu Xuan's face twisted in sheer despair; her entire body was smothered in death qi, and what little Heaven Yuan Qi she had left was utterly powerless against it! At that instant, something seemed to click in Jiu Xuan's mind. She was in despair; she was doomed! Yet a realization hit her! That dead spirit... the one that had entered the house... that wasn't a dead spirit, that was a person! Who was it? Her mind spun dizzily. Who could it be... Su... Su Yu! It had to be him! It was definitely him! "Su Yu!" A bloodcurdling shriek pierced the heavens as Jiu Xuan sank into the depths of despair. And right at that moment, the door creaked open, and an earth-shattering blade light cleaved downward with a droning hum! Crack! With his back turned to Su Yu, Cheng Kai was sheared cleanly in two by the single blade stroke. His corroded armor was already brittle. Cheng Kai twisted his head with immense effort... staggered a step toward the doorway, and stared with wide, bloodshot eyes at Su Yu, who had cleaved downward with his blade... his gaze filled with disbelief and bitter regret. He was dead! The moment the three Sun Moon dead spirits had descended, he was already practically finished! Separated by a single door! He had been shut outside! Yet in this moment, he didn't want to die. He wanted to live, to tell everyone that Su Yu was the architect of all of this! "Su..." Blood welled from his lips, turning pitch-black in an instant! In the next breath, another flash of blade light struck! Buzz! The armor shattered completely. Su Yu scooped up the fragments of his armor, crammed them into his storage ring, and without a second thought, swung his blade toward Jiu Xuan beside him. Jiu Xuan was also on the brink of death, only having held on slightly longer because she had possessed more Heaven Yuan Qi, which had kept her from being entirely consumed by corrosion. By now, her cheeks were no longer fair and delicate, but twisted into the ghastly visage of a desiccated corpse. She glared at Su Yu, staring straight at him! Drop after drop of blood dripped from her skin! Su Yu! Two Immortal script characters were etched out by her withered fingers. In the next moment, as if endowed with life, the two characters soared into the distance! Su Yu! My killer is Su Yu! As long as people knew Su Yu had killed her, someone would surely deduce the truth—that he was connected to the dead spirits. She had no time to write anything more! "Idiot!" Right then, Su Yu cursed, "You moron! I just killed Cheng Kai. Even if I didn't do it all on my own, my ranking is bound to go up... Everyone will already know I'm the killer, and you're still writing? What an absolute idiot!" Jiu Xuan's eyes flew wide! In the final moments of her life, she was overwhelmed by regret, despair, indignation... And sheer outrage! I'm an idiot? I... I really might be! Su Yu was right. Why was she bothering to write his name? Everyone would already know it was him; he had just killed Cheng Kai! Crack! With a muffled boom, her consciousness dispersed, everything dissolving into nothingness as her sea of will collapsed completely. Su Yu extended his dead-spirit arm, snagging the corpse that had been corroded beyond recognition, devoid of any trace of her former ethereal fairy grace. He dragged it into the house and stowed it inside his storage ring. Outside the door, the three Sun Moon dead spirits stared at him, their eyes flickering with a faint trace of intelligence, as if pondering: What kind of creature is this? A kinsman? Their limited intellect felt vaguely insulted! At this moment, the three Sun Moon Realm ancient dead spirits seemed to have completely glitched out. What on earth is this? Su Yu cast a glance at the three Sun Moon dead spirits. Feeling a prickle of genuine fear, he slammed the door shut in an instant! Bang! The three Sun Moon entities were shut outside! Su Yu was drenched in cold sweat from lingering terror. In the next moment, a colossal cloud descended from above—just a single cloud, bestowed upon Su Yu as a combined reward for the deaths of Cheng Kai and Jiu Xuan. An immense, golden sphere of radiance! It seemed to be... the Mystic Light of Heaven and Earth! …… Meanwhile. Inside the Heaven Hunting Pavilion. Upon a colossal stone stele, names flickered with brilliance. One name among them surged erratically, leaping straight to first place in an instant, only to hesitate, slipping down a notch, then slipping down another... Did Cheng Kai's death truly count as Su Yu's kill? At this moment, even this stone stele that had stood since antiquity seemed to be deliberating. A first-stage Lingyun slaying a peak Shanhai—he was unquestionably deserving of first place. Yet... did it count? The stele analyzed the battle swiftly. From first place, the name began to drop. It rose again, then dropped once more. A moment later, the verdict was settled, coming to rest at the third position. It didn't quite count, did it? There were simply too many external factors! However, being able to leverage external power, and doing so reasonably, was a talent in its own right—it proved he was a genius. In the blink of an eye, the name froze in place. Su Yu, third on the Heaven Ranking! Record: Slew a heavily injured peak Shanhai! Heavily injured. Yes, the stele had added "heavily injured." At that point, Cheng Kai's condition had gone far beyond merely being heavily injured—he was practically at death's door, and Su Yu had simply delivered the final slice! The stele had reached its conclusion! Third on the Heaven Ranking, positioned right behind Modona and Zhan Wushuang. Those two had achieved their kills through pure, unadulterated combat power. As for Su Yu... even the stele had struggled, wanting to grant him first place before ultimately awarding him third, because those other two were monstrous prodigies whose strength far surpassed Su Yu's own. …… At the very same time. Along the Human-Immortal border. A ray of spear light pierced the boundless void, shattering the sun and moon, rending through time itself... Boom! An elderly man draped in celestial grace tumbled from the void, blood spilling from his lips! "Get the hell back! Xuanhe, do you dare invade my Human Realm?" "Do you seek war?" "……" The old man remained impassive. He pinched his fingers in divination, then said in a low voice, "Jiu Xuan is dead! Qin Guang, the humans... well done!" Buzz! Another spear light manifested! Boom! The old man shattered the void again and again, dodging the spear beam, yet his shoulder blade was still pierced through. Spitting another mouthful of blood, he gazed toward the silhouette emerging in the distant void. He let out a heavy sigh! King Daqin, the foremost expert of the human race, truly lived up to his reputation! Jiu Xuan was dead! Alas! With a sigh, the old man departed. Since she was already dead, continuing to battle King Daqin over it was utterly pointless. Besides... he was no match for him. "Humph!" A cold snort reverberated through heaven and earth! King Daqin materialized, his eyes filled with a peculiar expression... Holy mother of God, you come to the All-Heavens Battlefield for the very first time, and you immediately provoke an Immortal King? Goddammit! Su Yu, you little bastard! Damn your whole family! If the Great Ming Prefecture and the Great Xia Prefecture didn't drag this kid back, he would personally kick him the hell out! Fuck! When Ye Batian had visited for the first time, he had only managed to provoke a Sun Moon expert, and even that had nearly gotten a bunch of people killed. Yet this goddamn bastard had lured out an Invincible!