Cultivation of Immortality: Start by Improving Spiritual Root Qualifications

Chapter 971 Fang Jiuzun, remember to be a good person in your next life!
As Zhou Xun's figure grew smaller and smaller behind him, almost becoming a black dot on the horizon,
Fang Jiuzun's tense nerves finally relaxed slightly, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

A warm, white jade talisman at his waist was emitting a soft yet swift spiritual light.
It continuously provides immense escape power. This item is his trump card for saving his life, an incomparably precious fifth-tier "Void-Breaking Escape Talisman"!
"Hahaha! Zhou Xun, you brat, no matter how powerful you are, what can you do to me!" Fang Jiuzun couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The joy of surviving a disaster intertwined with pent-up resentment.
"I, Fang, have roamed the human realm for thousands of years. How could I not have some means to protect myself! When you and that Ti Yu fight to the death, that will be the time for my return!"

"The humiliation I have suffered today will be repaid a hundredfold, a thousandfold in the future! I will not be able to quell my hatred until I tear your soul out and torment you for ten thousand years!"

He activated the escape talisman with all his might.
He had already planned his hiding place and revenge in his mind, his eyes flashing with a cold and ruthless light.

Behind him, Zhou Xun frowned slightly as he watched the streak of light almost disappear into the horizon.
"A fifth-tier escape talisman? I underestimated his resources."

Before the words had even faded, a thought flickered in his mind, and a blood-red cloak appeared silently behind him.

It was the flying treasure that Xuan Yuan Tianjun obtained from his storage bag.

As magic was infused into it, the blood-red cloak moved and fluttered even without wind!

Zhou Xun was instantly enveloped in a faint bloody light, his entire body transforming into a blurry bloody afterimage, his speed suddenly increasing by more than 30%!

The distance that was being widened was now visibly shrinking!
Fang Jiuzun, who was secretly pleased with himself, suddenly felt a sharp killing intent approaching from behind at an alarming speed.

He turned around in horror and saw a streak of blood-red light hurtling towards him, its speed far exceeding his imagination!

"How is this possible! He... he also has a flying escape treasure! Judging by this speed, its grade is even higher than my Void-Breaking Talisman!"

Fang Jiuzun's smile froze instantly, turning into extreme terror. "Oh no!"

His soul was greatly disturbed, and he frantically channeled his magical power without regard for anything else, even burning his life essence and overdrawing his own source.

He attempted to increase his escape speed by one point.

Even so, the distance between him and the crimson rainbow behind him was still shrinking rapidly and irreversibly!

Fifty li, thirty li, ten li...

In just over ten breaths, Zhou Xun had already caught up to within ten miles of him!

This distance is already within the attack range of a Nascent Soul cultivator in an instant!

Despair, like an icy tide, completely overwhelmed Fang Jiuzun.

We can't win if we fight; we can't escape if we try!
Could it be that he, the mighty Lord of Falling Sun, who has dominated the human realm for over six thousand years, is truly going to perish here today, his body and soul extinguished?
He is unwilling!
As the blood-red figure, radiating a chilling killing intent, drew ever closer, the shadow of death became clearer than ever before.

All of Fang Jiuzun's pride, scheming, and ruthlessness vanished, leaving only the most primal fear of death.

He couldn't help but wail and beg for mercy:
"Lord Zhou! Spare me! Spare my life!"

"I submit! I am willing to be your slave and servant, to sign the most demanding soul contract! I am willing to surrender my life soul and serve you as my master for eternity!"

"I'm useful!"

"I know the locations of countless ancient secret realms and lost heritages in the human world!"

"My strength will be of great help to you in dealing with the demons!"

"Please spare me, it's more valuable than killing me! I beg you..."

However, faced with his tearful pleas, Zhou Xun's eyes remained as cold as ice, unwavering in the slightest.

Only one indifferent yet resolute sentence fell, like a final judgment:

"If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place? Just die in peace."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Xun opened his mouth and seventy-two beads flashing with destructive purple lightning flew out one after another!

As soon as these thunder beads appeared

In an instant, it filled a space of several thousand feet in radius, with their energy interconnected and lightning intertwined, forming a perfectly formed lightning cage in a moment!

"Purple Heaven True Thunder Formation, activate!"

Boom!

A domain entirely composed of pure purple lightning instantly formed.
This completely sealed off and isolated Fang Jiuzun along with the surrounding space of several thousand feet!
Within the domain, lightning danced wildly, and electric sparks raged; the destructive laws of thunder became the sole ruler.
It seemed to be a small, self-contained world of thunder.

"Purple Heaven True Thunder Formation!"

Fang Jiuzun's pupils shrank suddenly, and he cried out in shock.

This familiar thunderous domain, this suffocating pressure, instantly pulled him back to the scene thousands of years ago when he was defeated in his first battle against the Purple Jade Heavenly Lord.
A chilling, fateful feeling crept up my spine and up to my head.

"Boom——!"

A burst of lightning overhead jolted him awake from his daze.

'No! I absolutely cannot sit idly by and wait to die!'

A glint of madness flashed in his eyes. He bit his tongue sharply, forcing out several drops of his pure life essence blood, which he sprayed onto the Luoyang Seal in front of him.

The jade seal absorbed the essence blood and erupted with an unprecedentedly intense light.
It roared into the sky and instantly grew to a size of a thousand feet.
The runes on Xi's body swirled wildly, drawing forth raging flames that formed an incredibly thick wall of fire, firmly protecting him at the center and struggling against the surrounding purple lightning domain.

Zhou Xun stared expressionlessly at Fang Jiuzun, who was struggling in his death throes, and slowly raised his hand, pointing towards the sky.

"Heavenly Tribulation Lightning".

His indifferent voice seemed to contain the laws of heaven and earth.

in an instant,
Above the lightning array, even thicker and more oppressive dark tribulation clouds appeared out of thin air, churning and condensing, and a terrifying pressure from heaven and earth suddenly descended, firmly locking onto the fiery inferno below.

This was the first time he had unleashed this killing move, which touched the true meaning of the second-level tribulation lightning, since he had achieved great mastery of the Thunderclap Sect's secret realm.

"Lightning strike."

Zhou Xun seemed to transform into a supreme being wielding thunder, his words becoming law.

With a light tap of his fingertip, an incredibly thick purple tribulation lightning bolt, imbued with the Daoist principles of destruction and rebirth, ripped through the sky like a spear of heavenly punishment and slammed down upon the thousand-foot-high inferno!

boom--! ! !
Amidst a deafening explosion, the fiery barrier trembled violently and blasted open a large hole!
The Falling Sun Seal below let out a painful wail, its spiritual light dimmed by more than half in an instant, and the thousand-foot-long fiery hell became flickering and teetering on the verge of collapse.

Fang Jiuzun's face turned deathly pale. Under this overwhelming heavenly might, he felt his own insignificance and powerlessness for the first time in nearly ten thousand years!
Upon seeing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Xun's eyes.
The inheritance of the Luoyang Immortal Sect is indeed extraordinary, as it was able to barely withstand the first tribulation lightning containing the true meaning of the second heaven.

But this is just the beginning.

At this moment, the second lightning bolt had already been brewing in the clouds, its power far exceeding that of the first. Before the lightning even struck, its destructive aura had already caused the earth below to crack silently.

"Fall—" Zhou Xun's indifferent voice rang out.

The second bolt of tribulation lightning, carrying even more terrifying power, crashed down like a roaring thunder dragon!
It slammed heavily onto Luo Yangxi.

Click!

This time, Luo Yangxi could no longer hold on, letting out a mournful cry as its spiritual light dimmed completely.
The main body was slammed to the ground and buried deep in the scorched earth.

The thousand-foot-high fiery hell shattered and vanished without a trace.

When his natal spiritual treasure was severely damaged, Fang Jiuzun was struck as if by a heavy blow. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turned ashen, and his aura rapidly weakened and became disordered.

The remaining power of the tribulation lightning pierced through, easily shattering the protective aura around his body, leaving him charred black and his clothes torn. Zhou Xun shook his head; this was all Fang Jiuzun was capable of.
If the third arrow falls, he will surely die.
But he didn't want Fang Jiuzun to die so easily.

With a thought, he dispelled the true meaning of the tribulation lightning within the subsequent lightning strikes.

Even the power of this divine ability was only about a quarter of its original strength.

He wanted Fang Jiuzun to undergo judgment and punishment with lightning.

Immediately afterwards, the third, the fourth... and all the way to the ninth tribulation lightning bolts fell one after another!
These bolts of lightning no longer sought ultimate destruction, but instead carried the majesty of divine judgment, striking Fang Jiuzun one after another.

He was beaten until his skin was torn and bleeding, his body was charred and smoking, his hair stood on end, and his breath was extremely weak.
It could only groan in pain, looking utterly miserable, with none of its former glory remaining.

After the tribulation lightning subsided, Zhou Xun changed his magic technique.

"Wow—"

Dozens of chains, flashing with purple and white lightning, suddenly extended into the air.

"Lock!"

The lightning chains, like venomous snakes, instantly bound the dying Fang Jiuzun, stretching him into a "大" (big) shape and fixing him firmly in mid-air.

Only now did Fang Jiuzun truly realize how terrifying Zhou Xun's strength was.

He even felt that even if he were lucky enough to break through to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he would still be far from being a match for his opponent! Boundless fear overwhelmed him.

"Spare me! Spare me!" he cried, tears streaming down his face, his voice hoarse and broken, struggling and begging desperately.
"I know I was wrong! I'm willing to give up everything! I beg the Heavenly Lord to spare my life! I was blinded by greed back then... I shouldn't have been your enemy... I regret it so much!!"

Zhou Xun looked at him indifferently.
With a wave of his hand, he summoned the Xuan Ting Thunder Sword.

With a thought, the sword trembled and instantly split into seven hundred and twenty incredibly solid purple sword shadows.

"Sword shadows merge into one!"

These sword lights, like birds flying over Guilin, perfectly merged and merged into one, all of them converging into the sword body.

At this moment, the Xuan Ting Lei Sword, though radiant, exuded an extremely dangerous aura, its tip locked onto Fang Jiuzun's brow.

The shadow of death instantly gripped Fang Jiuzun's heart; he convulsed with terror, a strange "hoarse" sound escaping his throat.

It twisted and turned desperately, trying to break free from the lightning chains.

Just then, Zhou Xun seemed to realize something, his brows furrowed slightly, and he waved his hand to dispel the terrifying power condensed on the Xuan Ting Thunder Sword.

Fang Jiuzun was taken aback at first, then overjoyed, thinking Zhou Xun had changed his mind, and hurriedly kowtowed:
"Thank you, Heavenly Lord, for sparing my life! Thank you, Heavenly Lord, for sparing my life!"

"Fang Jiuzun thanks the Heavenly Lord... no... Fang Nu thanks his master for sparing his life... haha... Fang Nu will serve his master like an ox or a horse to repay his kindness..."

However, his words of gratitude came to an abrupt end.

Because he saw that Zhou Xun had produced a long spear that was entirely purple and crackling with lightning.

The Purple Jade Thunder Spear trembled slightly at this moment, as if it were excited to avenge its former master.
Fang Jiuzun was very familiar with this spear; it was the natal magic weapon of Ziyu Tianjun, whom he had ambushed and killed years ago!

At this moment, how could he not understand?
Zhou Xun wasn't being soft-hearted; rather, he remembered the gun.
He intends to use the remnants of the Purple Jade Heavenly Lord's army to settle this karmic debt and avenge his deceased friend!

It truly is destiny!
Zhou Xun raised the Purple Jade Thunder Spear, its tip aimed at Fang Jiuzun, his voice as cold as ancient ice, proclaiming his final fate:
"Fang Jiuzun, in your next life, remember to be a good person."

"Do not--!!!"

The ecstasy in Fang Jiuzun's eyes instantly turned into endless fear and despair.

He let out the most shrill and unwilling roar of his life, and struggled frantically, making the lightning chains clang loudly!

But all resistance is futile.

The Purple Jade Thunder Spear transformed into a vengeful purple thunderbolt.

It instantly traversed space, growing larger and larger in his terrified, dilated pupils, and finally pierced precisely into the space between his eyebrows!
Time seems to stand still at this moment.

next moment--

boom! ! ! !

A dazzling purple lightning suddenly erupted from Fang Jiuzun's body, instantly engulfing him completely!

The raging power of thunder surged and swept across the area, annihilating his physical body, nascent soul, and even his divine soul in an instant, turning them into the finest dust.

I do not know how long it has been,

The lightning gradually subsided, and the smoke and clouds dissipated.

In mid-air, only an exquisite storage bag remained, silently floating, and below on the ground lay the Luoyang Seal, its spiritual light dimmed and covered with fine cracks.

Zhou Xun reached out and took the two items into his hand.

With a wave of his sleeve, Zhou Xun caused the Purple Heaven True Thunder Array, which covered an area of ​​several thousand feet, to instantly dissipate, turning into specks of lightning that vanished into the air.

The outside world became clear again, and Liu Bai, Yama Heavenly Lord, Six Paths Demon Lord, and Nangong Yifei immediately surrounded them.

Zhou Xun slightly cupped his hands, his tone calm:
"Fellow Daoists, as the saying goes, to repel external enemies, one must first secure internal stability. If we do not kill Fang Jiuzun, the morale of the army will not be at ease. Please forgive us!"

His attitude remained unchanged, showing no arrogance despite having killed Fang Jiuzun.

"Fang Jiuzun is such a despicable villain, he should have been expelled from the sect long ago. Brother Zhou did a good job killing him today! It was a satisfying kill!"

Yama, the Heavenly Lord of Hell, clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his voice booming like a bell, his face full of delight and admiration.

"With your current strength, why worry about the Ghost Emperor's invincibility! Hahaha!" He was genuinely happy for Zhou Xun's strength, his smile was hearty and without any reservations.

“Indeed, the Heavenly Lord was killed well!” Liu Dao hurriedly replied, his eyes filled with shock and fear as he looked at Zhou Xun.

Fang Jiuzun's strength far surpassed his, yet he was still swiftly and decisively killed by Zhou Xun.

This means that if Zhou Xun wanted to kill him, it probably wouldn't take too much effort!
The thought sent a chill down his spine.

"Indeed, I also think it was well done!"

Nangong Yifei's beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration. She lightly covered her lips, her delicate face filled with amazement, even revealing a hint of girlish adoration.

As for Liu Bai, he was Fang Jiuzun's nemesis, but he hadn't acted before due to the overall situation in the human realm.
Having learned that Fang Jiuzun had killed Ziyu Tianjun, he was even more eager to eliminate him.
This usually aloof and stern swordsman, whose sword intent soared to the heavens, now had tears in his eyes.
"Brother Ziyu... the grudge from back then has finally been avenged today. You can... rest in peace now, Fellow Daoist Zhou, thank you!"

With that, Chao Zhouxun bowed deeply.
He and Ziyu Tianjun were sworn brothers, sharing a deep bond. The mysterious death of his friend years ago had always been a great regret in his heart. Now that the truth had come to light, his great revenge had been achieved.

The pent-up emotions that had been building up in my heart for years finally dissipated, and I was overwhelmed with emotion.

"Brother, you're too kind. Senior Ziyu is also my mentor, so it's my duty to avenge him!" Zhou Xun said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"With you at Leixiao Sect, Brother Ziyu has no regrets!" Liu Bai nodded, feeling extremely gratified.

After exchanging pleasantries for a moment, the group transformed into streaks of light and flew towards the Western Desert camp.

(End of this chapter)