Summoning the Gods: Start by creating the Eternal Night.

A withered hand emerged from the crack, emanating a dense, chilling aura of the primordial darkness.

It silently imprinted itself on Jian Xiaotian's back!

"Who?!"

Jian Xiaotian was shocked, realizing the deadly danger behind him, but it was too late to dodge.

The power he was fueled by burning his life essence was on the verge of exploding and could not be withdrawn instantly.

"puff!"

The withered hand was firmly imprinted on Jian Xiaotian's back.

The terrifying, icy energy instantly surged into his body, freezing his meridians and spiritual power.

Even more terrifying was that the chill traveled up the spine straight to the brain, as if even the soul was about to be frozen.

"Ugh—!"

Jian Xiaotian let out a piercing scream.

His body flew forward like a kite with a broken string, heading towards the direction of Dugu Qiubai.

The burning essence within his body was forcibly interrupted, causing a backlash of spiritual power.

Blackish-red blood gushed from his seven orifices instantly, and his life force visibly weakened.

A figure slowly emerged from the spatial rift.

The newcomer was dressed in a black Taoist robe, with a withered face and cloudy eyes that revealed a hint of ruthlessness. He was none other than the Xuanming Ancestor of the Xuanming Sect!

He watched Jian Xiaotian fly backward, a sinister smile appearing on his face:

"Hehehe... I originally came to watch the fun, but I didn't expect to get a bargain."

"Old Ghost Xuanming! It's you!"

When Jian Xiaotian saw who it was, his eyes were filled with disbelief, anger, and resentment.

"You...you dare to take advantage of someone in distress!"

Ancestor Xuanming withdrew his hand, looking at Jian Xiaotian with a sinister gaze:

"Hehehe... Sword Howling Heaven, I never thought that you, who have dominated the Eastern Region for thousands of years, would be like this today."

"Now that the Qingyun Sect is destroyed, you are nothing but a stray dog."

"Keeping you around is a waste of the spiritual energy and resources of heaven and earth!"

"Why don't I, your old rival, see you off on your final journey?"

He had been observing from the shadows, and seeing that Jian Xiaotian was no match for him, he seized the opportunity to strike.

He fought with Jian Xiaotian his entire life, from his youth to his old age, and the Qingyun Sect and the Xuanming Sect had a long-standing feud.

However, since their cultivation levels were evenly matched, they were unable to determine a clear winner.

Now that Jian Xiaotian has been severely injured by Dugu Qiubai, and the Qingyun Sect is on the verge of destruction,

This is the perfect opportunity to eliminate this major threat, so naturally we won't miss it.

"You...you despicable scoundrel!"

Jian Xiaotian trembled all over, but due to the severity of his injuries, he didn't even have the strength to lift his hand.

Ancestor Xuanming slowly wiped the bloodstains from the edge of his palm and smiled:

"So what if someone is despicable? The victor is king, the loser is a bandit."

You, Jian Xiaotian, were arrogant your whole life; to end up like this today is retribution.

Dugu Qiubai stared coldly at the Xuanming Ancestor, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.

This old ghost's cultivation level is also at the late stage of a terrestrial immortal.

But there was a faint tendency in his aura to break through to the peak.

Furthermore, his aura was cold and eerie, clearly indicating he was no pushover.

"Who are you? Why are you interfering in my fight with him?"

Dugu Qiubai withdrew his sword and asked in a deep voice.

The Xuanming Ancestor sized up Dugu Qiubai, noticing that although his white robes were stained with blood, his aura remained calm and composed.

Especially that sword move just now, which made him secretly wary, then he laughed:

"Hahaha, I am the Xuanming Ancestor of the Xuanming Sect."

"I only stepped in to help because I couldn't stand what that old bastard Jian Xiaotian was doing. I hope I haven't disturbed your enjoyment, fellow Daoist."

"This Sword Howler has already been severely injured by you, fellow Daoist, and is of little importance to you."

"How about we do you a favor and let me handle Jian Xiaotian?"

He spoke in a grand and righteous tone, but his eyes constantly darted warily at Dugu Qiubai.

Dugu Qiubai's eyes turned cold:

"Hmph! He's my prey, how dare anyone else lay a finger on him?"

Immediately, the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword turned, pointing directly at the Xuanming Ancestor:

"Either get out! Or die!"

Ancestor Xuanming's face darkened, and a flash of anger appeared in his eyes:

"Don't push your luck!"

"While I am somewhat wary of you, if it really came to blows, you might not fare well right now!"

Dugu Qiubai looked at him with icy eyes.

"You are welcome to give it a try."

Dugu Qiubai was too lazy to waste any more words with him. He had never bothered to talk to such a petty person who took advantage of others' misfortunes.

With a slight flick of his wrist, the Xuan Tie Heavy Sword flashed with a cold light, as fast as lightning.

"Pfft!"

With a flash of sword light, Jian Xiaotian's head fell to the ground not far away, and blood splattered three feet high.

"You..." Ancestor Xuanming did not expect Dugu Qiubai to be so decisive, and his face instantly turned ugly.

He had originally intended to capture Jian Xiaotian alive and torture him thoroughly, but now his plan had failed.

Jian Xiaotian's head rolled to the ground, his eyes still filled with endless resentment and bitterness, before finally turning into a deathly silence.

Dugu Qiubai sheathed his sword and stood there, coldly staring at the Xuanming Ancestor:

"Anything else? If not, then get lost!"

Ancestor Xuanming took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

He knew that turning against Dugu Qiubai at this moment would be a losing proposition.

Jian Xiaotian is dead. Continuing to argue will only bring trouble. He could only force a smile and say:

"Since you insist on this, I will not disturb you any longer."

"However... Yongyetian has been making frequent moves in the Eastern Region lately, which has impressed me."

"If I have the opportunity in the future, I will definitely pay you a visit."

His words, seemingly a gesture of goodwill, actually carried a hint of probing and threat.

Dugu Qiubai narrowed his eyes slightly:

"What? From what you're saying, does the Xuanming Sect intend to be an enemy of my Eternal Night Heaven?"

"Hehe, fellow Daoist, you flatter me."

Ancestor Xuanming chuckled twice, knowing when to stop. With a flicker of his body, he was about to step into the spatial rift and leave.

Just then, a cold voice seemed to come from the heavens above.

It came from the distant void, carrying an overwhelming aura of imperial dominance:

"You think you can just leave after interfering in the affairs of my Eternal Night Heaven? That's wishful thinking."

Before the words were finished, a gigantic golden hand, obscuring the sky and blotting out the sun, reached out from the void, its lines seemingly shimmering with stars.

With a terrifying aura far surpassing that of a late-stage terrestrial immortal, it crashed down upon the Xuanming Ancestor within the spatial rift!

Ancestor Xuanming's expression changed drastically as he sensed the power contained in the giant palm, and alarm bells rang in his mind.

"Peak of a terrestrial immortal?!"

Ancestor Xuanming cried out in shock, his eyes filled with unbelievable fear.

The Eternal Night Heaven actually has such a powerful expert?!

He dared not be negligent in the slightest, instantly channeling all his spiritual energy to its maximum.

The icy aura of the Dark Netherworld coalesced into a massive ice shield, blocking his path.

"Bang!"

The giant golden hand collided with the ice shield, producing a deafening roar.

The ice shield shattered like paper, and the giant hand, undiminished in force, slammed down on the Xuanming Ancestor.

"puff!"

Ancestor Xuanming was struck as if by a heavy blow, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

His body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the edge of the spatial rift.

He could clearly feel that several meridians in his body had broken, and his spiritual energy was in complete disarray.

"That's terrifying!"

Ancestor Xuanming dared not linger for even a moment longer.

His eyes were filled with fear. He scrambled into the spatial rift and desperately fled towards the Xuanming Sect.

In the void towards Qingzhou, a figure stood silently.

Donghuang Taiyi was dressed in imperial robes, surrounded by a faint golden light.

His gaze was cold as he watched the direction where the Xuanming Ancestor had disappeared, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips:

"Ancestor Xuanming... If the second shackle hadn't been broken yet, I would have kept you here today."

Dugu Qiubai glanced in the direction of Donghuang Taiyi and nodded slightly.

He withdrew his gaze and gave Jian Xiaotian's headless corpse one last look.

He then turned and sped towards the Eternal Night Sky of Qingzhou.

Above the void, only the howling wind and the lingering stench of blood remained.

On the Qingyun Sect's plaza, the members of Yongyetian were methodically collecting resources.

Boxes of spirit stones, pills, cultivation manuals, jade slips, and various magical artifacts were carried out and piled up like mountains.

"Commander, all resources have been inventoried and we are ready to depart at any time."

A scoundrel stepped forward to report.

Yuan Tiangang nodded: "Pass down the order, withdraw the troops, and return to Yongyetian."

"yes!"

With the order given, the people of Yongyetian stored their resources in their storage rings and evacuated in an orderly manner.

Sunlight streamed down on the ravaged Qingyun Sect.

The former glory has vanished, leaving only ruins and corpses scattered everywhere.

This tells us that the once-powerful Qingyun Sect no longer exists from this day forward!