Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

Black mist surged, and a foul stench filled the air.

Passing through that barrier that separated heaven and earth, the scene before my eyes suddenly changed.

Instead of the palaces and pavilions I had imagined, there was a dark red wasteland.

The ground beneath our feet had an eerie dark brown hue, the color of something dried after being soaked in old blood for years.

The air was filled with a nauseating, rotten smell, mixed with the odor of rust and sulfur.

This is the first level of the Fallen God Ruins.

"Is this the outer perimeter of the Emperor's palace?"

Su Chang'an pinched her nose, her brows furrowed. She nestled in Chen Xuan's arms, fanning herself with her sleeve in disgust.

"This place is even dirtier than my old fox den."

Chen Xuan didn't speak, but simply raised his hand to create a pale blue spiritual energy barrier, keeping the polluted air out. He glanced around, his expression calm.

Be careful.

He whispered his instructions.

Hundreds of figures landed one after another around them.

As soon as the disciples of the various sects landed, before they could even get a good look at their surroundings, a mournful roar came from the surrounding black mist.

"Waaah—"

The sound was sharp and piercing, striking straight into one's soul.

Immediately afterwards, countless translucent gray shadows emerged from the ground and from the black mist.

They have no physical form, their faces are distorted, they are clad in tattered ancient armor, they carry broken weapons, and their eyes are bloodshot, radiating a ferocious light that seeks to devour their prey.

An ancient malevolent spirit.

This place was once an ancient battlefield. The resentment of the dead cultivators lingered, and nourished by the yin energy of the ruins, they transformed into these monsters that only know how to kill.

"Clean them up."

The Grand Elder's voice resounded through the communication jade slip, echoing in the ears of every disciple of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect.

"The Ruins of the Fallen Gods open once every hundred years, and the primary task is to clear out these overflowing evil spirits. If they are not cleared out, once they break through the seal, the life of the Northern Region will be ravaged."

The first stage of this competition isn't about who runs the fastest, but who fights the hardest.

"kill!"

Someone shouted.

A great battle broke out instantly.

Although those evil spirits lacked consciousness, their sheer number made them formidable, overwhelming and surging like a tidal wave.

"Supreme Forgetfulness Sect members, form the formation!"

Luo Qingxue shouted, drawing her long sword with a chilling glint.

Zhao Tiezhu and Wang Teng stood on the left and right respectively, while dozens of inner disciples behind them quickly took their positions, their sword energy crisscrossing, forming an impenetrable sword net.

However, before they could even make a move, the commotion nearby stole the show.

"Hahaha! Well done!"

A burst of wild laughter shook the ground.

On the Blood Fiend Sect's side, the bald, burly man, Li Manzi, was shirtless, his muscles bulging and gleaming with a bronze luster.

He didn't use any weapons; he was like a humanoid Tyrannosaurus Rex, charging straight into the horde of ferocious spirits.

"Bang!"

He threw a punch, and the air exploded with a loud bang.

Before the ferocious spirit in front of him could even let out a scream, it was blasted into pieces by this punch and vanished into a wisp of black smoke.

"Too weak! Too weak!"

Li Manzi laughed wildly, his fists swung like the wind, each punch capable of shattering a ferocious soul.

The Blood Fiend Sect disciples behind him followed suit, charging forward with howls and engaging in hand-to-hand combat, creating an extremely bloody and violent scene.

The sheer force of the blows made many of the surrounding cultivators' eyelids twitch.

"These brutes."

Su Chang'an made a comment.

On the other side, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was also making quite a commotion.

"Big Yellow, dinner's ready!"

The boy riding the tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead patted the tiger's head.

The giant tiger let out a deafening roar, opened its blood-red maw, and inhaled sharply.

A terrifying suction force suddenly appeared, and the dozen or so ferocious spirits in front of them could not maintain their balance and were directly sucked into the giant tiger's mouth and chewed up.

Other disciples of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect also began to command the demonic beasts.

The giant python swept across, and the eagle swooped down.

Those malevolent spirits actually became highly nutritious food in front of the demonic beasts.

As for the people of Tingxuelou, they are even more mysterious.

They didn't even show up.

A flash of cold light appeared in the black mist, and the head of a malevolent spirit was removed.

Then, in another flash, it was another one.

They were like death gods walking in the shadows, reaping the remnants of these dead souls.

The three major sects each displayed their unique abilities, and the battle raged fiercely.

In contrast, while the sword formation of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect was stable, its efficiency in killing enemies was rather mediocre and not particularly impressive.

"Get out of the way."

Just then, a cold and arrogant voice came from behind.

Immediately afterwards, a vast aura of imperial dragon energy surged into the sky, dispersing some of the surrounding black mist.

A golden chariot rumbled in, and a young man dressed in golden armor stood on it.

He held a long spear in his hand, his face was handsome, and his brows exuded an innate nobility and arrogance.

The Great Qian Dynasty, the third prince, Ji Changkong.

"A bunch of wandering ghosts, how dare they block this prince's path?"

Ji Changkong snorted coldly and thrust out his spear.

"hold head high--"

A dragon's roar resounded.

A golden dragon phantom roared from the tip of the spear, sweeping across the front with overwhelming divine might.

"Boom!"

Wherever the golden dragon passed, hundreds of ferocious souls instantly vanished into nothingness, leaving not even a trace. A deep trench was plowed into the ground, leading straight into the depths of the ruins.

The power of this attack was even more terrifying than that of the three major sects combined.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared in shock at the figure standing on the golden chariot.

Is this the foundation of the Central Continent Dynasty?

He is merely a prince, yet he possesses such terrifying combat power.

Ji Changkong sheathed his spear and stood there, his gaze sweeping across the entire scene with disdain, finally settling on the team from the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect.

Or rather, it fell on Chen Xuan, who was surrounded by the crowd.

At this moment, Chen Xuan was looking down, intently peeling a spiritual fruit for Su Chang'an in his arms.

There was no fluctuation of spiritual energy around him, and the broken sword hung quietly at his waist.

The surrounding fighting and the prince's imperial might seemed irrelevant to him.

In his eyes, there seemed to be only the girl in his arms, who was opening her mouth and waiting to be fed.

Ji Changkong frowned, a hint of disgust flashing in his eyes.

"This is the chief disciple of the number one sect in the Northern Region?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire venue.

"With the grand competition at hand, instead of thinking about killing the enemy, you're indulging in romance and playing with your demonic pets."

"The Supreme Forgetfulness Sect has truly declined."

Upon hearing this, the disciples of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect instantly turned extremely ugly.

Zhao Tiezhu gripped the sledgehammer in his hand, about to rush forward to argue, but Luo Qingxue stopped him with a gesture.

"Don't act impulsively."

Luo Qingxue stared at Ji Changkong and gritted her teeth, saying, "That's the royal family of the Great Qian Dynasty, carrying the destiny of the Human Emperor. You can't beat him."

"But he humiliated Senior Brother Chen!" Zhao Tiezhu's neck turned red with anger.

Disciples from other sects around them also cast strange glances their way.

indeed.

Just now, all the prodigies displayed their great prowess, but this legendary Chief Chen didn't even raise his hand once from beginning to end.

It wouldn't be a big deal on ordinary days, but this is the Northern Region Grand Competition, which represents the face of the sect.

Such behavior is indeed somewhat unacceptable.

"Is Senior Brother Chen... scared?"

Someone muttered to themselves.

"Shh! Don't talk nonsense, Senior Brother Chen's sword is terrifying."

"What's so scary about him? Look at him, is he here to compete? He's here for a picnic."

Although the whispers were kept low, they still reached Su Chang'an's ears.

She stopped chewing the fruit.

"Chen Xuan".

She swallowed what was in her mouth and looked up at Chen Xuan's calm and composed face.

"That kid in the golden armor called you trash."

Chen Xuan stuffed the remaining half of the spirit fruit into her hand, then took out a brocade handkerchief and slowly wiped his hands.

"Let him be."

His voice was flat, and he didn't even lift his eyelids.

He called me a demon pet.

Su Chang'an added, his eyes narrowing slightly, revealing a dangerous glint.

Chen Xuan paused in wiping his hands.

He slowly raised his head, his dark eyes looking at Ji Changkong standing on the chariot.

The once bustling battlefield suddenly felt strangely cold.

Ji Changkong's heart skipped a beat when he was stared at by that gaze. But he quickly suppressed the feeling, sneered, and pointed his spear directly at Chen Xuan.

"What? You don't accept it?"

"I've heard you're the leading swordsman of the younger generation in the Northern Region. Why don't you come out and have a match?"

"If you lose, give me the demon pet in your arms to skin and make into a scarf."

Upon hearing this, Su Chang'an smiled.

I laughed out of anger.

good boy.

You want to skin me alive?

Just as she was about to jump out of Chen Xuan's arms to teach this arrogant brat a lesson, she felt the arm around her waist suddenly tighten.

Chen Xuan held her down.

"Don't move."

He whispered in her ear.

Then, he looked at Ji Changkong with a calm expression, as if he were looking at a dead man.

"Do you want to die?"

There are only three words.

There was no earth-shattering momentum, no ferocious killing intent.

It was just a simple, ordinary question.

But it sent a chill down everyone's spine from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads.

Ji Changkong's face stiffened, then he flew into a rage.

"Arrogant!"

His body shone with golden light, and he was about to teach this ignorant bumpkin a lesson.

"Boom!"

Just then, the ground suddenly began to shake violently.

From the depths of the ruins came a roar a hundred times more terrifying than before.

Immediately afterwards, a gigantic black hand burst forth from the ground, blotting out the sky, and slammed down fiercely towards the crowd.

The palm was shrouded in a dense aura of death, and within its center was a distorted human face.

"It's the Ghost King!"

The elder's terrified voice rang out.

"Retreat! This is a ferocious ghost king comparable to the Transformation Realm!"

The change came too quickly.

The ghost king appeared without warning, and its attack range was extremely large, encompassing everyone present.

The disciples of the various sects, who had been so imposing just moments before, were now completely thrown into disarray.

Li Manzi punched the Ghost King's palm, but was sent flying and coughed up blood.

The giant tiger of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was so frightened by the Ghost King's aura that it lay on the ground trembling.

Even Ji Changkong's expression changed drastically. He desperately urged the chariot to try to escape, only to find that the surrounding space had been sealed off by death energy.

"It's over..."

As the giant hand drew ever closer, a sense of despair welled up in everyone's hearts.

How could there be monsters of this level on the first floor?

At this critical moment.

Chen Xuan, who had been silent for a long time, finally made a move.

He did not draw his sword.

He simply released Su Chang'an and then took a step forward.

This step has been taken.

"Zheng—"

A clear, resonant sword cry echoed throughout the heavens and earth.

It didn't come from the broken sword at his waist, but from inside his body.

That was a sword intent that was pure to the extreme.

There were no fancy moves, no dazzling lights or shadows.

Only an invisible wave emanated from him, spreading outwards in all directions.

The colossal, sky-covering demon king's hand, upon contact with this fluctuation, was like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun.

Dissolved silently.

Even the ghost king's true form, which was comparable to the Transformation Realm, froze in place at that moment.

next moment.

"Click."

A crisp sound.

A fine crack appeared on the Ghost King's enormous body.

Then came the second, the third...

In the blink of an eye, the arrogant ghost king shattered into countless black powders that drifted away with the wind.

With a single thought, one can slay demons and gods.

The world was deathly silent.

Everyone remained in a fleeing or defensive posture, staring blankly at the black-clad youth standing in place.

He maintained the posture of holding the person with one hand, while holding the handkerchief he used to wipe his hands in the other.

It was as if he wasn't the one who had just killed a demon king.

Chen Xuan looked down at Su Chang'an in his arms and threw away the handkerchief in his hand.

"It's so noisy."

He said.

Then, he looked up at Ji Changkong, who was standing on the chariot and whose face was now deathly pale.

"Whose skin did you just say you wanted to peel?"

As the poem says:

For three years, Taoshan nurtured his proud son; the broken sword, without its edge, is etched with nine thoughts.

Dao Ding does not inherit the record of forgetting emotions, but only tattoos the fox's shadow when he sleeps peacefully.

All the brutes and treacherous officials are but passersby; even the princes in their golden robes turn to dust.

A single thought can extinguish even ghosts and gods; the most ruthless people in the world are those who are fiercely protective of their own.