With the revival of spiritual energy, I cultivated the Great Emperor's Technique on Blue Star.

boom!

A deafening roar echoed throughout the Zhou family's territory, and surging waves of energy, centered on the battleground between Lin Yan and Zhou Xuanji, swept wildly in all directions.

The dazzling starlight and the pure golden primordial spirit sword light collided, annihilated, and regenerated wildly.

It can be said that this was almost the most terrifying battle that had ever taken place below the level of a supreme expert of the nation. Even the Dao pattern "cage" that Li Cang had set up to seal off this place was rippled with layers of light. The blue light flowed and rose and fell, steadily imprisoning all the violent spiritual energy fluctuations without any leakage, so as not to harm the ordinary creatures outside the clan's territory.

"Impossible! I'm at the peak of the fourth tier, how could I be defeated by a mere third-tier opponent!"

The Heavenly Mystery Dao Disc, activated by Zhou Xuanji with the last of his life essence, is the ultimate killing technique of the ancient Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. It uses fate as fuel and destiny as a blade, encompassing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. Every ray of starlight and killing intent precisely locks onto the trajectory of all the blood and qi flowing around Lin Yan's body.

Even in a typical fourth-tier peak duel, this kind of technique is considered unbeatable. It can predict all of the opponent's moves and block all evasion and counterattack paths in advance, naturally placing the opponent in an invincible position.

But at this moment, all the exquisite and ingenious divinations have become nothing but empty talk.

Lin Yan was surrounded by an invisible layer of chaotic Daoist charm, and an indescribable aura enveloped him, as if he had transcended the mathematical constraints and celestial cage of this world. His deep eyes flashed with a sharp light, as if a wide river was flowing within them, glimpsing a corner of the future.

Zhou Xuanji's Heavenly Mystery Dao Disc spun rapidly, with thousands of star patterns flashing and deducing, trying to capture Lin Yan's flaws and break the golden heavenly blade's attack. However, when his usually reliable deductions landed on him, they were like mud oxen entering the sea, falling into boundless chaos, and receiving no feedback whatsoever.

"puff!"

Zhou Xuanji coughed up mouthfuls of blood, his beard and hair stood on end, and tears of blood streamed down his face. His aged body convulsed violently, and his soul and foundation of cultivation suffered a double tearing pain. He had cultivated the Great Dao of Heavenly Secrets for decades, calculating the changes of mountains and rivers, the rise and fall of martial arts, and the fortunes and misfortunes of war. He had relied on his divination skills to dominate Jiangcheng all his life, and his secret plans were undetectable to anyone. But today, he was completely overpowered by a young man.

His Heavenly Secrets Calculation can calculate the heavens, the earth, and all living beings, but he cannot fathom Lin Yan, who is backed by countless forbidden emperors!

"cut!"

The golden Primordial Spirit Heavenly Blade carries the supreme mysteries of the "Former Word Secret," and a faint phantom of a Celestial Venerable can be seen standing proudly behind Lin Yan, wielding a corner of the future and locking onto the trajectory of all things. In a sense, it shares a similar essence with the secrets of heaven. Once the "Former Word Secret" is revealed, the secrets of heaven are obscured, and variables are cut off. No matter how much you calculate the heavens and earth, it can never compare to seeing that corner of the future scene in reality.

Boom boom boom!

The continuous crashing sounds echoed through the void, shattering the starlight into pieces.

On the Heavenly Mystery Dao Disc, the originally brilliant and full star patterns dimmed and cracked at a speed visible to the naked eye, becoming covered with dense cracks.

Zhou Xuanji's extreme offensive, achieved by forcibly burning his divine soul essence and lifespan, was utterly ineffective against this forbidden imperial technique. His cultivation at the peak of the fourth rank, accumulated over decades, was rapidly depleted. His blood and qi flowed in reverse, his withered meridians crumbled inch by inch, and dark red pus and blood continuously gushed from his mouth and nose.

His extraordinary martial arts, which enabled him to dominate the world, are being crushed and destroyed.

Wang Jianjun, who was watching the battle from the sidelines, was already on edge. His pupils contracted as he stared intently at the scene in the center of the battlefield, his heart filled with turbulent emotions.

He had been in charge of the Jiangcheng Martial Arts Department for many years and had seen countless prodigies rise and veteran powerhouses clash, but he had never seen such a battle situation that overturned his understanding of martial arts.

In a battle between a third-tier and a peak fourth-tier opponent, not only did he hold his own, but he also achieved a dimensional crushing victory at the level of Dao principles.

Zhou Xuanji did not lose because of his cultivation level or the strength of his moves, but because of his level of Dao!

The path cultivated by the young man transcends the martial arts of Blue Star and the ancient inheritances; it is the true supreme path, overwhelming in dimensions and unbreakable.

"I am not reconciled!!!"

Zhou Xuanji let out a hoarse and shrill roar, his voice filled with endless madness and despair.

He endured half his life in silence, bearing the infamy of countless generations, sacrificing his own kind, colluding with other races, and defying fate, all to break free from the shackles and ascend to the fifth level, escaping the dual constraints of lifespan and the Great Dao. Now, his grand plan has failed, his lifelong scheme has collapsed in an instant, and he can't even glimpse the Dao root of the young man before him. This outcome has driven him completely mad.

Now that he had been completely exposed, Zhou Xuanji no longer held back any trump cards. A burst of blood-red mist suddenly erupted from his body. It was a strange technique of the Blood Soul Clan from beyond the realm, which merged with his own depleted Heavenly Secret Dao Power.

In an instant, the tattered Heavenly Secrets Dao Disc suddenly swelled several times in size, its blood-red color staining the starlight. The eerie intertwined lights enveloped the heavens and earth, and a terrifying aura of decay, bloodlust, and defiance of humanity rose wildly.

"The vile magic of those extraterrestrial races! You have indeed colluded with the Blood Soul Clan, betraying your own kind and country!"

Li Cang's gaze suddenly turned cold, his eyes filled with a chilling killing intent.

At this point, Zhou Xuanji could no longer be considered a human cultivator; he was a complete traitor to humanity, a claw from beyond the realm, and a beast in human skin!

"I have been trapped in the fourth tier for half my life, my Great Dao severed, my lifespan exhausted! With no path to the righteous road, I will take the evil path! If the mortal realm forbids it, I will venture beyond the realms!"

Zhou Xuanji appeared as if he had gone mad. His body was slightly distorted under the erosion of the Blood Soul Dao Law. His withered body swelled up a bit, and his skin was covered with dense, blood-red patterns, like lurking blood-red venomous insects crawling all over his body.

"A blood sacrifice to all spirits, transcending the will of Heaven! The Great Dao beyond the realms, break my shackles! Today, I will wager this crippled body against the heavens, and even a slight victory over Heaven is not impossible!"

He formed forbidden blood seals with both hands, and his whole body transformed into a streak of blood-red light. No longer adhering to his defensive deductions, he risked the destruction of his soul and body by activating the forbidden technique of the Blood Soul Clan, carrying the power of heavenly destruction, and fiercely attacked Lin Yan.

This was a desperate last-ditch effort, exhausting all resources. At the same time, a strange light flashed deep in Zhou Xuanji's eyes.

"This physical body is meant to be used by me."

He actually had the idea of ​​possessing someone else's body!

The countless crimson starlight converged at a single point, condensing into a pitch-black, scarlet, world-destroying blade. The blade emanated a strange aura that devoured the very essence of all living beings. Wherever it passed, the void distorted slightly, and all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was completely consumed.

This attack had already surpassed the limit of the fourth rank, unleashing the power of the fifth rank. Li Cang was so shocked that he almost couldn't suppress his urge to attack. However, seeing Lin Yan, who remained calm and motionless, he silently restrained himself, but his body remained tense, ready to attack at any moment.

Faced with this frenzied final counterattack, Lin Yan remained unmoved, neither dodging nor avoiding. His sea of ​​suffering churned, his life spring surged, and the Devouring Heaven Array patterns around his body quietly revived, slowly flowing. Dense, profound Dao patterns covered every inch of his skin, absorbing and exhaling the chaotic energy of heaven and earth, evolving into an eternal Devouring Heaven force.

At the same time, he pushed the "Former Word Secret" to its limit, and the phantom of one of the nine Heavenly Venerables from the era of the mythology of the world stood in the sky, looking down at the mortal world with a disdainful gaze. He slapped out a large hand, slowly and steadily meeting the fierce weapon.

"scold!"

It was as if an ancient celestial being was whispering, and instantly, an invisible force of heaven and earth suppressed all directions, exuding an overwhelming imperial might that covered the past, present, and future.

The array patterns of the Ruthless Empress and the secret text of the Transcending Tribulation Heavenly Venerable—these two emperors, who stood at the pinnacle of the ancient history of Shrouding the Heavens, created a Dao and a Law that unleashed unprecedented and earth-shattering power on Blue Star, enough to allow Lin Yan to fight enemies beyond his level and unleash combat power far exceeding his actual realm.

Click!

The first to shatter was Zhou Xuanji's blood-red blade, which he had painstakingly refined. When the forbidden blood soul power met the supreme imperial might, it was like ice and snow meeting a bright fire, instantly melting and disintegrating without even causing a ripple.

Immediately afterwards, the cracked Heavenly Mystery Dao Disc exploded, and the star patterns in the sky were completely annihilated. The Dao that he had devoted his entire life to comprehending and refining was now completely cut off from his path and destroyed at this moment.

boom!

Zhou Xuanji's body trembled violently, and the blood-red patterns all over his body exploded inch by inch. He was like a person being hit by a divine hammer, flying backward and crashing heavily onto the broken bluestone ground. The blood soul Dao principles, heavenly secrets, and martial arts foundation in his body were crushed layer by layer under the combined crushing of the imperial formation and imperial techniques.

All the madness, violence, and resentment vanished instantly in the face of such an extreme disparity in strength.

He struggled to get up, but his body went limp uncontrollably. His blood-blurred eyes stared intently at the approaching boy, filled with utter fear and despair.

"So this is... the Young Emperor? I see... I see..."

He murmured intermittently, and in the moment when his life was about to end, a bright light flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly realized something.

Why can't I fathom the secrets of heaven, and why do all my deductions come to nothing? Why was my lifelong tradition completely crushed? Why did all my scheming, which I devoted half my life to, seem like nothing more than a laughable farce in the eyes of the other party?

This is the insurmountable gap between mortal martial arts and forbidden imperial paths, the difference between ants and the heavens, and the outcome was predetermined from the very beginning.

"I was wrong... I shouldn't have betrayed humanity, I shouldn't have been so stubborn, I shouldn't have... provoked you..."

Zhou Xuanji's aura rapidly weakened, his lifespan, soul, and origin rapidly diminished, and his body became withered and decayed at a visible speed.

Lin Yan stood before him, his gaze cold and devoid of any pity; he only knew that he was about to die.

He committed countless crimes, including sacrificing his own people, slaughtering the people of Great Xia, colluding with foreign powers, and wreaking havoc on the world. His sins were so heinous that he deserved to die.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, and a wisp of dark, heaven-devouring power quietly fell from his fingertips, gently touching Zhou Xuanji's brow and devouring his life essence.

"How unjust is Heaven! Why wasn't I the one to have this opportunity?"

Suddenly, a piercing divine light burst forth from Zhou Xuanji's turbid eyes. After roaring a few times to the sky, he returned to eternal annihilation.

This monstrous human, who had lurked in the shadows of Jiangcheng for decades, has fallen.

He didn't die at the hands of a fifth-tier national-level expert, a level he had never been able to reach in his entire life, but rather at the hands of a third-tier youth.

On the battlefield, all the riotous forces gradually subsided, and the blood-red mist and shattered star patterns in the sky all disappeared.

Li Cang slowly retracted the fifth-order Dao Prison, his indifferent gaze sweeping across the battlefield before landing on Lin Yan, whose posture was upright and whose aura was steady. His eyes were filled with admiration and shock.

The battle has ended, and he has completely defeated the fourth-tier peak traitor. He was calm and composed throughout, his Dao principles were overwhelming, his magic was restraining, and his mental state was terrifyingly calm. He grasped the opportunity perfectly. More importantly, he cherished his life, with the protection of the country and the Imperial Array by his side.

It should be noted that since the revival of spiritual energy, Great Xia has produced many outstanding talents who have impressed people. Some of them even made Li Cang himself feel inferior. However, in the end, he became the protector of the country, while those others perished early and failed to truly grow up.

"Good! Good! Good! You've given me one surprise after another!" Li Cang praised softly, his tone full of approval.

Wang Jianjun, standing to the side, let out a long sigh of relief. His tense muscles finally relaxed, and his back was already soaked with cold sweat. He quickly stepped forward, looking at Zhou Xuanji's corpse on the ground, his heart filled with mixed emotions. Who could have imagined that this seemingly frail and indifferent Zhou family patriarch was actually the culprit who had stirred up the undercurrents in Jiangcheng for decades? And who could have imagined that his nephew would be so extraordinary?

"Old Li, Ayan, the crisis has been averted, and the traitors have been executed."

Wang Jianjun spoke in a deep voice, his expression then becoming solemn, "Zhou Xuanji has been lying low for many years, secretly plotting blood sacrifices. There must be many filthy secrets and evidence hidden deep within the clan's territory. We must immediately conduct an in-depth investigation and eliminate all hidden dangers."

Li Cang nodded slightly: "Let's go together, investigate all the filth, and cleanse all the sins."

The three of them strode towards the core forbidden area deep within the Zhou family's territory.

The deeper one ventures into the clan's territory, the stronger the stench of decay and blood becomes, nauseatingly so. What was once a serene and elegant Zhou clan territory, filled with ancient trees, has turned into a living hell.

As they passed through layers of carved ancient corridors and bluestone courtyards and stepped into the heart of their clan's territory, the scene before them caused Li Cang and Wang Jianjun, who were used to life and death and had fought many battles, to freeze abruptly, their hearts trembling and filled with sorrow.

Here, stands a blood-red altar identical to the underground cave, its surface covered with dense, eerie blood-red patterns—the blood sacrifice array of the extraterrestrial Blood Soul Clan. The array's patterns penetrate the earth, absorbing the endless essence of life; it could not have been built in just a day or two.

Around the altar, in the forbidden courtyard, and in the corners of the corridors, there were mutilated corpses and dried bones everywhere.

There is not a single intact body here. All members of the Zhou clan have had their life force, essence, and soul drained, becoming nourishment for the blood sacrifice array.

What you see is shocking.

An elderly man with white hair and in his twilight years lay curled up on the ground, his body withered like a dead tree, all his life force and vitality plundered; a member of the Zhou clan, in his prime and supporting the family lineage, lay with cold bones, still bearing the marks of his painful struggle before death; and a naive and inexperienced young man, who had not yet cultivated his skills, lay silently in a pool of blood, dying innocently.

What sends chills down your spine and evokes pity most are the few small, tender skeletons in the corner.

Those were children still in their early teens, and even infants still in swaddling clothes, who had never opened their eyes to see the world.

They were innocent and naive, born as members of the Zhou clan, never involved in any conflicts or knowing any secrets, yet they ultimately became sacrifices to Zhou Xuanji's defying fate, cruelly offered up, their bones covered in dust, and buried in the filth of the clan's territory.

From the very old to the very young, the entire Zhou family suffered a calamity, slaughtered in a very short time by their most respected ancestor!

The evening breeze swept through the corridor, whimpering like the low weeping of countless innocent souls.

The entire territory was deathly silent and desolate, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.