Seeing Tang Shedu's halberd thrusting straight toward Li Yuanjiao's back, Tu Longjian frowned deeply. Bringing his hands together, his spiritual sense flared. At last, the black-and-red token reluctantly released a streak of gray light, pushing the

Binding Ring

aside.

The black-and-red token rose upward as a hazy radiance enveloped it. The six carved patterns on its back faintly glimmered with light.

Tang Shedu, his arm outstretched, exuded an aura of menace. A low buzzing filled the air as the fiery white glow of his golden armor intensified, blindingly radiant as it repelled nearby dharma artifacts. Like a deity descending, he bellowed, "Prepare to die!"

Li Yuanjiao suddenly felt a tremendous force pushing him sideways in midair, forcibly moving him out of the way of the halberd's lethal strike.

Still, a cold sensation spread across his abdomen as a brilliant white blade of light emerged from his front. Almost simultaneously, sharp, golden energy burst forth from the light blade, surging toward his internal organs.

Li Yuanjiao spat out a mouthful of blood. Summoning his River Crossing Torrential Step, he staggered several steps forward while activating a Blood Escape Technique to create distance. Desperately, he pulled out a

Wanling Blossom

, which he hastily shoved into his mouth.

The flower dissolved instantly, releasing a refreshing sensation that spread through his body. The golden energy threatening his internal organs paused, as though losing its direction, and remained dormant near the wound.

With the help of the

Six Ding Merging Fire Token

, Li Yuanjiao barely escaped Tang Shedu's attack range. Yet he dared not relax. He pulled out his last Foundation Establishment Realm talisman, activating it to produce a glowing white shield around himself.

"Damn it!" Tang Shedu, having failed to kill Li Yuanjiao in his initial strike, lost the upper hand. Furious, his eyes flared with incandescent white light, and his golden armor shimmered brilliantly. The light rippled outward like molten liquid, revealing that he had activated some sort of trump card.

Clang!

The halberd collided with Tu Longjian's golden hammer, sending it flying. Reversing his grip, Tang Shedu spun the platinum halberd, intercepting and deflecting a streak of golden light, which dissipated into an arrow of astral gold.

The halberd's gold-and-white glow stirred up violent winds in the air. As the light in Tang Shedu's eyes dimmed rapidly, he seized the remaining power from his strike and lifted the halberd over his shoulder, hurling it with full force.

Li Yuanjiao, in the distance, had just conjured a cloud of Profound Patterned Spirit Mist. But his chest suddenly went cold. The Foundation Establishment Realm shield in front of him shattered with a loud crack, and the mist he had summoned dispersed into thin air. His mana felt as though it were trapped in a formation, trembling and unsteady, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

What a clever spirit artifact!

Behind him, ten zhang away, a faint stream of light flickered—none other than the Purple Mansion Realm spirit artifact

Cloudsunder

. It had lain in wait, striking just as Li Yuanjiao attempted to conceal himself in the mist, piercing through his chest.

As the spirit artifact's power activated, his Immortal Foundation instantly fell silent, and his mana froze in place like stagnant mud. The golden qi near his wound began to stir ominously.

With his mana locked down, even the wind beneath his feet seemed unsteady. At last, Li Yuanjiao understood why Tu Longjian had been so lethargic after being struck by this artifact. Anyone else in his position would have already fallen from the clouds.

In that fleeting moment, a single thought surfaced in his mind,

At least Yu Muxian is already dead… My death can silence the doubts of others.

The next moment, a blazing gold-and-white light pierced through his chest. Tang Shedu's halberd, with its dual blades spanning over three chi, burned through Li Yuanjiao's torso. His shoulders and head were severed entirely, flying upward.

Boom!

Tang Shedu, having prepared more than a dozen talismans in advance, flung them in every direction, creating a dazzling display of light. In two swift steps, he reached Li Yuanjiao's lifeless body, effortlessly retrieving the halberd as he rode the wind forward.

Without glancing back, Tang Shedu was certain Li Yuanjiao was as good as dead. Pierced through the heart by

Cloudsunder

, he was already at death's door. Whether he dies now or later is irrelevant. Even the intervention of a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator wouldn't save him after his chest was incinerated.

At least his death will satisfy Master's expectations… Just as this thought crossed his mind, a wave of intense heat surged behind him. Startled, Tang Shedu turned abruptly, only to see roaring flames descending from above. Tu Longjian stood engulfed in fire, his hands pressed together, his eyes blazing with rage that seemed ready to overflow. ɌÅΝȮʙΕS̩

Tu Longjian's mastery of

Molten Fire

produced flames that were hazy on the outside yet bright at their core. The flames scattered individually, spreading densely across the sky. Streams of gray Merging Fire intertwined with them, creating a fearsome display.

Yet Tu Longjian remained half a step weaker. One hand still clutched at the wound left by

Cloudsunder

in his abdomen. Tang Shedu sneered coldly, retreating while a deep sense of satisfaction tempered his hatred. Yet, for some reason, he couldn't resist taunting, "If you could do anything, you would have saved him already. All you are doing now is venting your frustration at your own powerlessness!"

However, his momentary pause gave others an opportunity. Tu Longjian, like a god of fire, glared at him coldly. Then, seizing the chance, he spat out a bright orb of fire from his mouth.

Tang Shedu felt a surge of danger rising within him. Yet, lacking Yu Muxian's genius-level control over spiritual energy and his meticulous spiritual sense, he could only retreat with all his strength.

The two figures, one in pursuit and the other fleeing, soared through the air for several li. Unbeknownst to Tang Shedu, the six carved patterns on the

Six Ding Merging Fire Token

had been lighting up one by one during the chase. Suddenly, the fiery orb, which had shifted laterally by dozens of zhang, materialized directly in front of him. Tang Shedu's expression changed drastically, and he cried out in alarm, "I…!"

He barely managed to utter one word before the orb erupted into a violent explosion. Bright light filled its core while hazy radiance swept outward. Tang Shedu, like a bird with broken wings, spiraled erratically before crashing into the clouds.

Tu Longjian, having unleashed the fiery orb, spat out a mouthful of blood. His hand, already soaked in blood from clutching his abdomen, trembled as he stood silently, watching Tang Shedu vanish. His spiritual sense twitched as waves of energy rippled from the black-and-red token,

I know you are angry, but do not chase him! You are far too impulsive! If you keep this up, will our plan even be able to proceed?

Tu Longjian hovered in midair, his fiery anger slowly fading into deep melancholy. The black-and-red token pulsed anxiously, as though fearing he might act recklessly, and continued to plead,

You have already done all you can! That man… that Li Yuanjiao deliberately sacrificed himself to ensure Yu Muxian's utter demise! A ruthless man… truly ruthless… Damn it… Someone like him, if he lived in ancient times, might have stirred up great upheaval across the world.

"Shut up!" Tu Longjian snapped coldly, his gaze icy, "I will deal with you once we are outside!"

With a dark expression, Tu Longjian rode the wind and left. Flames slowly dissipated in the air behind him.

Below the clouds, a faint blood-red glow rose from Tang Shedu's battered figure before vanishing into the sea of clouds. His golden armor appeared scorched, emitting black smoke as he flew onward, his head bowed. His heart churned with both hatred and fear,

What the heck! He has only cultivated for a few short years… Could he be another Guo Shentong? If the situation were not so unstable, I should have killed him outright before leaving! Now I have left a lingering threat.

Though Tang Shedu appeared disheveled on the surface, he quickly stabilized his injuries. Having cultivated for over a century, his methods far surpassed those of younger cultivators. After consuming a medicinal pill, he landed atop a mountain peak to recover.

Only now did he have a moment to look up. Gazing at the distant, pale-green rain, an intense frustration gripped his heart. He wished desperately that the grotto heaven would never close, allowing him to remain here forever and avoid the outside world.

"It is over… it is all over…" A voice suddenly rang out, breaking the silence.

Tang Shedu's eyes, initially vacant, suddenly sharpened. Drawing his halberd, his expression turned fierce as he growled coldly, "Who goes there?"