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

Black powder filled the air, falling onto the dark red wasteland like a black snowfall.

The overwhelming, sky-covering demon king's hand, along with the suffocating pressure of the Transformation Realm, vanished in an instant.

Only the sound of the wind remained between heaven and earth.

Chen Xuan stood still, his clothes swaying gently in the wind.

He raised his eyelids and looked at Ji Changkong on the chariot.

"Do we need to peel it again?"

The sound was soft and flat, without any variation.

Ji Changkong's hand holding the spear trembled violently, and the Imperial Spear, forged from deep-sea black iron, let out a mournful cry of unbearable strain.

He opened his mouth, but it felt like his throat was stuffed with cotton, and he couldn't make a sound.

That sword strike just now had no earth-shattering light or shadow, nor any force that could tear the sky apart.

Only extreme speed and sharpness.

That was a sword strike that transcended realms and touched upon the "Dao".

As a prince of the Great Qian Dynasty, Ji Changkong had seen countless Great Sages and had extremely high standards.

Because of his broad vision, he understood even more clearly what this sword strike meant.

Even if that transformation only has the state of transformation, but not the reality of transformation.

But the sword intent that this young man, who was only at the Casting Cauldron Realm, unleashed just now was still terrifyingly powerful.

If that sword were to be slashed at me...

Cold sweat instantly soaked through Ji Changkong's golden armor.

He subconsciously steered the chariot backward, his once proud head now bowed deeply, not daring to meet Chen Xuan's gaze.

"Misunderstanding... Misunderstanding."

Ji Changkong managed to squeeze out two words, his face ashen.

Chen Xuan withdrew his gaze and didn't look at him again.

This kind of trash isn't worth him using his second sword.

The disciples from the surrounding sects finally came to their senses, and gasps of breath rose and fell.

Li Manzi of the Blood Fiend Sect stared wide-eyed, touched his bald head, and muttered to himself, "Good heavens, if this sword were to strike me, my copper skin and iron bones would probably be no different from tofu."

The young man from the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect who was riding a tiger jumped off its back and covered his dog, Da Huang's, eyes, fearing that the beast would be reckless and provoke that evil star.

The assassins from Tingxuelou huddled in the shadows, their already faint presence now concealed to the extreme, wishing they could bury themselves in the ground.

The strong are respected.

This is an unchanging ironclad rule in the world of cultivation.

Previously, people may have had doubts about this chief of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect, thinking that he only knew how to talk about love and did not do his job properly.

But after that one strike, all doubts turned into awe.

Casting the tripod and severing the transformed form.

Even though the Ghost King was merely a remnant soul without the true intelligence and abilities of a fully transformed being, this feat was enough to shake the entire Northern Region and even spread throughout the Central Continent.

"Clean up the battlefield."

Chen Xuan turned around and gave an instruction to the stunned disciples of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect behind him.

Zhao Tiezhu jolted awake, snapping back to reality. He raised his sledgehammer, his face flushed with excitement, and shouted, "Did you all hear that?! Senior Brother Chen has given the order: Clean up the battlefield! Kill!"

"kill!"

The disciples of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect were greatly encouraged, and they charged towards the remaining evil spirits with roars.

What was originally a tedious and dangerous cleanup task has now become a carnival of beating a drowning dog in their eyes.

Luo Qingxue stood in the crowd, looking at the figure in black robes with a complicated expression.

That was a back view she could only look up at.

Ignoring the commotion behind him, Chen Xuan carried Su Chang'an straight to the camp.

Su Chang'an nestled in his arms, her fingers hooking around the front of his shirt, her eyes slightly narrowed.

She saw that sword strike most clearly.

That's "The Sword That Severes Emotions".

The incomplete sword manual in the library of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect is said to sever all karmic ties and relationships in the world once mastered.

But what this rebellious son did was completely different.

There was not a trace of ruthlessness in the sword intent; on the contrary, it revealed an extremely stubborn and protective spirit.

Use emotion to guide the sword, and use the sword to protect emotion.

This is not a breakup, it's a suicide pact.

"Does your hand hurt?"

Su Chang'an suddenly spoke.

Chen Xuan paused slightly, glanced down at her, and said, "It doesn't hurt."

Su Chang'an pursed his lips and reached out to grab his right hand that was holding the sword.

A tiny crack was oozing blood at the base of his thumb.

That was the backlash from forcibly unleashing sword intent that surpassed one's own level.

"Showing off".

Su Chang'an pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and roughly wiped away the blood, muttering, "If you do this again, I'll throw you into a fox den to be my wife."

Chen Xuan let her do as she pleased, a very faint smile curving his lips.

"it is good."

Back at the camp tent.

Chen Xuan placed Su Chang'an on a couch covered with a soft fur coat and casually set up a soundproof barrier.

The noise outside was instantly shut out.

The tent was dimly lit, with only a luminous pearl emitting a soft glow.

Chen Xuan took out a jade slip from his storage ring and handed it to Su Chang'an.

"What is this?"

Su Chang'an took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.

Inside was a long, densely packed list of prizes for the competition.

The first item is a token called the "Heavenly Dao Token," which allows entry into the Central Continent Holy Land for cultivation.

The second item is a fragment of a quasi-imperial weapon.

Leaving these things out would be enough to cause a bloodbath and make countless cultivators fight to the death.

But Chen Xuan's finger skipped over those coveted treasures and landed on an inconspicuous name at the end of the list.

【Holy Blood Crystal】.

Su Chang'an was stunned for a moment.

She knew about this; it was a consumable item in the game.

After taking it, one can burn their essence and blood within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, forcibly raising their cultivation level to the Great Saint Realm.

The side effects are severe; after the effects wear off, the patient may suffer from severed meridians or even sudden death.

It's the kind of thing you only use when you're facing certain death, a desperate measure.

"What do you need this for?" Su Chang'an frowned and threw the jade slip back to him. "This thing is poison; it will kill you if you eat it."

Chen Xuan caught the jade slip and stared intently at her.

"I won't eat it."

He placed the jade slip on the table and tapped the surface lightly with his fingers.

"Besides fighting desperately, this Holy Spirit Blood Crystal has another use."

"It can serve as the core of the formation, providing an unimaginably vast source of spiritual energy in a short period of time."

Su Chang'an blinked, not understanding what he meant.

Chen Xuan took out the book "Transforming Calamity and Breaking Forbidden Seals" that he had brought from the Sutra Repository from his pocket and spread it out in front of Su Chang'an.

"This broken seal requires the power of a Great Saint to activate."

"My current cultivation level is not high enough."

"But if we have Holy Spirit Blood Crystals as an energy source, combined with the 'Transforming Calamity and Breaking Forbidden Seal'..."

Chen Xuan paused, raised his head, and his dark eyes shone with an unprecedented light.

"I will then possess the strength of a Great Sage for three quarters of an hour."

"Three-quarters of an hour is enough for me to tear open a corner of that seal."

Su Chang'an's heart skipped a beat.

She stared blankly at Chen Xuan.

So that's what this rebellious son was planning.

He not only wanted to win the grand prize, but also wanted to use that unwanted "poison" to exchange for a sliver of hope for her original body.

"You're crazy."

Su Chang'an took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly, "If you forcibly wield the power of a Great Saint, your physical body will shatter. Even with protective magic, you still..."

"I've calculated it."

Chen Xuan interrupted her, his tone as calm as if he were asking what to eat for dinner.

"I have the Dao Cauldron protecting me, and my body has been tempered by the Phoenix True Fire, so I cannot die."

"At most, he'll be bedridden for six months."

He reached out and gently stroked Su Chang'an's cheek.

His fingertips were rough, calloused from years of wielding a sword, yet they were warm to the touch.

"Su Chang'an".

He called her by her full name.

"I don't want to see you living in this avatar anymore."

"I want to see your true form, I want to see your real appearance."

"I want to take you back to the Broken Heart Residence, I want you to eat hot roast chicken, I want you to sleep in the sun without worrying about your spiritual energy dissipating when it runs out."

Chen Xuan leaned down, his forehead touching hers, their breaths mingling.

"I'm determined to win the championship this time."

"I'll kill anyone who tries to stop me."

Su Chang'an looked into those eyes that were so close to his.

There was no madness, no murderous intent within.

There was only a bottomless obsession and a tenderness that was about to overflow.

She opened her mouth, wanting to call him an idiot and say that she was doing just fine in the seal and didn't need his concern.

But the words that came out of his mouth turned into a very soft sigh.

"The traitor."

She reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck.

"If you dare to ruin yourself, I'll throw you to feed the dogs."

Chen Xuan hugged her tightly, his grip so strong it felt like he wanted to meld her into his very bones.

"it is good."

Outside the tent, the wind and snow began to rise.

Inside the tent, candlelight flickered.

Chen Xuan closed his eyes, feeling the warmth in his arms.

He had waited too long for this day.

He will kill any god or Buddha who stands in his way.

It's time for the weather in the northern region to change.