The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

Faced with this earth-shattering sword strike, a hint of contempt flashed in Zhao Deyan's dark green eyes.

"Eighteen Claws of Returning Soul - Pursuit of the Fierce Soul!"

Zhao Deyan, wearing dark gold claw gloves, thrust his right hand forward with five fingers forming a claw! The claw wind was sharp and ear-piercing, as if countless wronged souls were screaming. A chilling "Frosty Soul Force" with a strong aura of death arrived first, meeting Zuo Youxian's sword energy!
"boom--!!"

The claws and swords clashed, producing a deafening sound like metal striking metal!
Zuo Youxian felt an indescribable chilling and deathly aura surge along the sword, instantly suppressing the temperature changes of his Meridian Qi and freezing his entire body and even his soul like ancient ice! His invincible sword energy seemed so powerless in the face of Zhao Deyan's "Cold Soul Force" which contained the killing aura of the battlefield!
"Click..."

A faint cracking sound rang out, and the ancient sword in Zuo Youxian's hand could not withstand the impact of the two enormous forces. Fine cracks appeared on the blade! Zuo Youxian himself was struck as if by lightning. He groaned, his tiger's mouth split open, and blood flowed freely. He was thrown backward by the enormous force and spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with ice shards while still in the air!

With just one move, Zuo Youxian was already severely injured and defeated!
Just as Zuo Youxian was knocked away, Pi Chen saw that his golden ring had been easily broken by Bi Shouxuan. Knowing that something was wrong, he quickly retreated to the side and back. At the same time, he reached for his waist and pulled out several dark, inconspicuous copper coin-shaped hidden weapons, no bigger than a fingernail, from who knows where. These were the "Bone-Corroding Poison Coins" coated with his unique "coin poison"!
"Bi Shouxuan! Zhao Deyan! You will both die a horrible death!"

Bi Chen's face was contorted, and a hint of madness and determination flashed in his eyes. He knew that he was probably doomed today, but even if he died, he would take someone down with him!

Seizing the moment when Zhao Deyan had just repelled Zuo Youxian and his aura shifted, he used all his strength to silently shoot several "Corroding Bone Poison Coins" in his hand into several major acupoints on Zhao Deyan's chest and abdomen with a "rain of flowers" technique! These poison coins were extremely fast and their trajectories in the air were unpredictable, making them extremely difficult to defend against!
Zhao Deyan, still riding high after severely injuring Zuo Youxian with a single move, was somewhat overconfident despite noticing Bi Chen's hidden weapon, believing it couldn't harm him. He snorted coldly, flicked his left sleeve, and unleashed a soft, sinister palm wind, attempting to sweep away the poisoned coins.

However, this desperate attack by Bichen contained his life's work and his deepest resentment; it was not something to be trifled with.
The moment those poisoned coins came into contact with Zhao Deyan's palm strike, they suddenly accelerated and changed direction as if they were alive, cleverly bypassing the direct coverage of the palm strike!
Zhao Deyan's expression changed slightly, and he swayed rapidly, trying to dodge, but he was a fraction too slow!
"puff!"

A dark, rotten "poisonous coin" was embedded with unparalleled precision in Zhao Deyan's lower left chest, near his heart!

As the poisoned money entered his body, Zhao Deyan's body suddenly froze. He felt a chilling, vicious, and highly corrosive energy instantly penetrate his body, drilling straight into his meridians and even attempting to erode his heart meridian! The "money poison" was extremely fierce, and even his Cold Soul Strength, which he had cultivated for many years, was difficult to completely suppress for a moment!
"Uh……!"

Zhao Deyan grunted, his face showing a mixture of shock and anger for the first time. He glanced down at the poisoned money embedded in his chest, his eerie green eyes blazing with murderous intent! He never expected that he would be caught off guard and injured by Bi Chen's dying blow!
"court death!"

Enraged, Zhao Deyan disregarded his chest injury and unleashed the Eighteen Returning Soul Claws once more, a highly refined claw shadow reaching out to grab the exhausted Bi Chen from afar!
Bichen was already at his limit and had no power to dodge Zhao Deyan's angry attack!

"Pfft!"

"what--"

As the claws swept past, Bi Chen's obese body was sliced ​​open as if by an invisible blade. Five deep, bone-revealing wounds instantly appeared on his chest, blood gushing out like a fountain. He let out a shrill scream and collapsed to the ground as if all his bones had been removed. His body convulsed violently, and it was clear that he was not going to survive.

Meanwhile, seeing Zuo Youxian severely injured and forced to retreat by Zhao Deyan's attack, how could Pi Shouxuan let this opportunity pass? His figure approached like a ghost, and taking advantage of the moment when Zuo Youxian's old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated, and the sword energy in his body was in chaos due to the impact of the Cold Soul Force, he delivered a ruthless hand chop with pure Heavenly Demon True Qi towards Zuo Youxian's dantian!
"Do not--!"

Zuo Youxian's eyes widened in fury as he tried to block, but it was too late!

"boom!"

The hand chops landed solidly on his lower abdomen!

Zuo Youxian shuddered violently, arching his body like a shrimp, and vomited out another mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. He clearly felt that his Meridian Qi, which he had painstakingly cultivated for many years, was rapidly flowing away from his shattered dantian like a flood bursting its banks.

All his martial arts skills were completely destroyed by Bi Shouxuan's sneak attack. He collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, his eyes glazed over, and could only gasp for breath like a broken bellows. He could no longer move.

In the blink of an eye, the situation inside the secret room became clear!

You Niaojuan was on the verge of death, Zhu Yuyan and Danmei were seriously injured and lost their fighting ability, Zuo Youxian was crippled, and Bichen died tragically!

Bi Shouxuan's aura was stable, though he had only consumed a little of his true energy; Zhao Deyan, though his chest was hit by a poisoned hidden weapon, his face was somewhat pale and his aura was slightly disordered, but he clearly still retained extremely strong combat power.

Wen Caiting stood aside the whole time, observing coldly, as if it had nothing to do with her.

Pi Shouxuan stared intently at the Evil Emperor Relic in Zhu Yuyan's palm, which emitted a soft yellow light. He suppressed his excitement and turned to Wen Caiting, who had been standing quietly by, and instructed her, "Junior Sister Wen, go and fetch the relic."

Zhao Deyan was secretly circulating his demonic power to suppress the chilling and vicious "money poison," but his pair of eerie green wolf eyes were also fixed on the relic, his breathing slightly heavy. He did not object to Bi Shouxuan's order, clearly believing that under the current circumstances, having Wen Caiting retrieve the relic was the safest option. Once he had the relic, with his methods, he would naturally have a way to make Bi Shouxuan and Wen Caiting "willingly" hand it over.

All eyes, including the unfocused and venomous gaze of Zuo Youxian, who was struggling on the ground, were focused on Wen Caiting.

Upon hearing Bi Shouxuan's order, Wen Caiting's previously indifferent expression suddenly thawed, revealing an extremely charming yet indescribably eerie smile.

"Yes, sir!"

Her voice was alluring and seductive, as if hooked, and she moved with graceful, swaying steps. Pi Shouxuan frowned slightly, watching Wen Caiting approach. A hint of confusion flashed through his mind, but more than that, a displeasure at being defied: "Junior Sister Wen, you…"

Before he could finish speaking, the unexpected happened in an instant!
Just as Wen Caiting was only five steps away from Bi Shouxuan, her eyes, which had been filled with alluring charm, suddenly flashed with a chilling killing intent! Her figure accelerated like a ghost, and her colorful brocade sleeves, like two venomous pythons emerging from their caves, attacked Bi Shouxuan's two vital acupoints, Tanzhong on his chest and Qihai in his abdomen, with lightning speed!
This sudden attack, so close together, caught Bi Shouxuan completely off guard! All his attention was focused on Zhu Yuyan and Sheli by the pool; he never imagined that Wen Caiting, who had already "surrendered" and fought alongside him, would suddenly launch an attack at this moment, with himself as the target!

"you……!"

Pi Shouxuan only had time to let out a roar of shock and anger. In his haste, he could only gather his protective Heavenly Demon True Qi in front of his chest and retreat as fast as he could! But even though he was fast, Wen Caiting's "Soul-Stealing Colorful Robe" was even faster!
"Pfft! Pfft!"

Two dull, thuds, like the sound of leather being struck, rang out almost simultaneously!
Pi Shouxuan felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. His body trembled violently, and his face instantly changed from a flushed expression of triumph to an incredulous deathly pale! He clearly felt two cunning and vicious streams of demonic energy pierce through his body like ice picks, slamming into his vital points! Although he managed to protect his heart meridian with his profound skill, the injury to his Tanzhong acupoint caused his energy to stagnate, and the attack on his Qihai acupoint caused a churning pain in his dantian, making him unable to hold back a mouthful of blood rising to his throat!
"Wow--!"

Pi Shouxuan coughed up a mouthful of blood, staggering backward and crashing into the cold stone wall before barely regaining his balance. Clutching his chest, he stared at Wen Caiting in utter horror, his eyes filled with incomprehensible rage, the pain of betrayal, and a deep-seated fear: "Wen Caiting! You...you dare..."

Almost at the same time that Wen Caiting attacked Bi Shouxuan, Danmei, who had been sitting cross-legged on the ground, barely breathing and seemingly about to die, actually stood up steadily!
Danmei moved with composure, showing no signs of weakness or serious injury. She even reached out her pale, jade-like hand and gently wiped the glaring blood from the corner of her mouth with her sleeve, her movements elegant and calm. The skin around her mouth, where she had wiped it, was smooth and flawless, without a trace of injury. Her previously deathly pale complexion had regained some of its icy radiance, and her eyes, as cold as ever, swept over the shocked Bi Shouxuan and Zhao Deyan, as if looking at two clowns.

She wasn't injured at all! Everything before was just a staged performance!

"This is impossible!"

When Pi Shouxuan saw this scene, his eyes almost popped out of their sockets. The shock in his heart was like a raging storm, shattering his previous smugness and calculations! He suddenly realized that he seemed to have... fallen into a carefully woven trap!

Zhao Deyan's expression also changed drastically. His dark green pupils suddenly contracted, and the poison wound on his chest seemed to have worsened due to the intense emotional fluctuations. A chilling, piercing pain came clearly, causing fine beads of cold sweat to seep from his forehead.

He stared intently at Danmei, then suddenly looked at Wen Caiting, whose lips curled into a cold smile. Finally, as if drawn by an invisible force, his gaze moved inch by inch to the dark figure sitting cross-legged by the ink pool—Zhu Yuyan!

Zhu Yuyan, who had been vomiting blood and struggling to keep the relic steady, suddenly let out a very soft sigh.
In that sigh, there was no pain, no weakness, only a kind of pity and mockery that seemed to look down on the foolishness of all living beings.

Immediately afterward, under the astonished gazes of Bi Shouxuan and Zhao Deyan, Zhu Yuyan, whose seemingly unsteady figure was straightened as if by an invisible hand, slowly stood up.

Her movements as she rose were fluid and elegant, with an indescribable sense of rhythm. The previously flickering black glass halo instantly stabilized and became solid, heavy, and profound at a speed visible to the naked eye!
That vast, deep, and terrifying aura, surpassing all living beings, descended like a primordial beast unleashed from its seal, filling the entire secret chamber! This aura was far more powerful and immeasurable than it had been before she was "injured"! Where was there even the slightest sign of injury?

Without even glancing at the "Evil Emperor's Relic" in her palm, which had caused demons to dance wildly and fight to the death, Zhu Yuyan simply flicked her slender finger—

The "Evil Emperor's Relic," radiating a soft yellow light and containing immense, malevolent energy, traced an arc and, amidst the horrified cries and attempts to stop Pi Shouxuan and Zhao Deyan, fell lightly into the churning, viscous, dark purple pool of water.

When the relic entered the water, it didn't even cause a ripple. The inky pool seemed to possess a life of its own, instantly swallowing it without even a ripple. Only the gurgling sound of the water seemed to become more rapid, and the dark purple light dimmed slightly.

quiet!
Deathly silence!

In the entire secret room, time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Pi Shouxuan clutched his throbbing chest, leaning against the stone wall, his mouth agape, his face drained of color, filled only with boundless terror. All his ambition, all his scheming, shattered in that instant, along with the "Evil Emperor's Relic" that Zhu Yuyan had casually discarded! He couldn't even comprehend what was happening before his eyes… Why was Zhu Yuyan unharmed? Why had Wen Caiting betrayed him? Why had Danmei feigned injury? And she… she had actually… thrown away the Evil Emperor's Relic that she had painstakingly "obtained"?!

Zhao Deyan stood frozen in place, seemingly oblivious to the excruciating pain from the poison wound in his chest. Only a bone-chilling coldness shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head! He had traversed the world, schemed countless times, and even manipulated the Turkic Khaganate, but he had never felt such a deep-seated frustration as he did at this moment!
Looking at Zhu Yuyan's straightened back, radiating an invincible aura, he finally understood that he, Bi Shouxuan, Zuo Youxian, You Niaojuan, Bi Chen... everyone was just a pawn in the hands of this "Empress of the Underworld"! A carefully orchestrated scheme to lure them into a trap, forcing them to kill each other... pawns!
"Ho...ho..."

Zuo Youxian, slumped on the ground, let out an incomprehensible gasp, his eyes filled with absurdity and despair. He seemed to want to laugh, but couldn't.

Wen Caiting slowly retreated to Danmei's side. The two of them stood on either side of Zhu Yuyan, looking coldly at the distraught Bi Shouxuan and the furious Zhao Deyan.

Zhu Yuyan then slowly turned around.

Her face was exquisitely beautiful, like that of a young woman in her late teens. Her skin, illuminated by the luminous pearl and her own demonic aura, seemed to be shrouded in a halo of both holiness and malevolence. Her eyes, clear as an autumn pool and deep as a starry night sky, calmly swept over Bi Shouxuan and Zhao Deyan, without anger or killing intent, only a condescending indifference, like a god scrutinizing ants.

"I never expected that I would have to go to such lengths to lure you demons and monsters out of your true forms."

Zhu Yuyan shook her head slightly, as if with a hint of regret, her gaze falling on the ashen-faced Bi Shouxuan:

"Senior Brother Pi, you have disappointed me greatly." (End of Chapter)