Chapter 353: Extinction Heavenly Pearl

As his ‘sword net’ took shape, Xiao Wuyi's speed surged dramatically. He transformed into a black beam of light, hurtling forward. Among the four major sects, the Xiao Sect was unparalleled in its profound movement techniques, and Xiao Wuyi's speed, in particular, was truly astounding. His sword shadows, weaving across the sky at incredible velocity, were dazzling and overwhelming.

Yun Che's eyes narrowed. He had never held an advantage in speed, yet he never feared enemies who vastly outpaced him. No matter how astonishing the speed or how elaborate the moves, his approach was always... a single, simple sword strike!

Utilizing the 'Star God Broken Shadow' technique, Yun Che casually stepped forward. As his phantom image elongated, he instantly covered a distance of twenty body lengths, unleashing a single sword strike towards Xiao Wuyi's sword formation.

"Boom boom boom boom... boom!!" Xiao Wuyi's sword shadows, like raging torrents, seemed to tear the very space, making it unstable. Yun Che's heavy sword strike, however, was like a powerful dragon surging through a storm of sand and waves, sweeping upwards with an air of defiance. In an instant, the myriad sword shadows shattered. The blade and the Dragon Fault collided head-on, producing an ear-splitting clang. Xiao Wuyi grunted and was sent tumbling. When he landed, he frowned and raised his sword, astonished to find dozens of nicks, large and small, scarring its blade.

Xiao Wuyi's face twitched. Before arriving, he had, of course, heard about the terrifying power of Yun Che's heavy sword and the warning not to confront it directly. Yet, as a lofty King, he refused to let himself be intimidated by a junior. But after just a single exchange with Yun Che, both his arms were numb from the impact, and his cherished sword, which had accompanied him for decades, was utterly ruined, beyond any hope of full recovery.

Xiao Wuyi retracted his long sword, clenching his hands tightly until his knuckles cracked. "So, you do have some skill," he muttered. "It seems I need to take this a bit more seriously."

"Rip!" With an explosive sound, the phantom eagle behind Xiao Wuyi suddenly tore apart, transforming into a massive, swirling vortex. This vortex then rapidly expanded with incredible speed, spreading to encompass an area nearly thirty zhang around Xiao Wuyi.

"Wind Extreme... Domain!!" A deep voice still resonated as Xiao Wuyi subtly shifted his feet. In an instant, he abruptly appeared directly in front of Yun Che. This burst of speed was like a bolt of lightning, several times faster than his previous movements. Everyone present, including Yun Che, only caught a fleeting glimpse of a sudden, blurring shadow.

The swirling wind moved with Xiao Wuyi's form, instantly enveloping Yun Che. With a furious roar from Xiao Wuyi, the vortex suddenly turned violent. Within a thirty-zhang radius around Yun Che, the area transformed into a maelstrom of wind, with every wisp morphing into a razor-sharp blade. It swept forth like raging green waves, fiercely engulfing Yun Che.

Yun Che's expression flickered, but he remained utterly calm. With a roar, he unleashed the Dragon Fault in a furious upward sweep. A deafening dragon's roar instantly drowned out the violent wind vortex, reverberating into the distant sky. The surging heavy sword's aura, like a roaring evil dragon, forcefully tore into the wind vortex. Its terrifying might seemed capable of piercing even the very void...

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish... A chaotic green light coalesced, as sounds of impact and tearing assailed everyone's eardrums. The wind vortex within the Wind Extreme Domain raged, attempting to shred Yun Che like a thousand knives. Yet, upon contact with the Dragon Fault's sword aura, these wind currents were utterly pulverized into nothingness. Amidst the dragon's roar, a gap over a zhang wide was ripped through the thirty-zhang Wind Extreme Domain. Yun Che's figure flickered, instantly breaking free. Before he even landed, his body sharply spun, and he swung the Dragon Fault repeatedly, unleashing seven 'Phoenix Break' attacks. These strikes, imbued with the scorching heat of Phoenix flames and the heavy sword's immense power, crashed down upon Xiao Wuyi.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom... The Wind Extreme Domain, potent enough to crush all, could not withstand the Dragon Fault's overwhelming might. Seven breaches were instantly torn open. Phoenix flames surged through these openings, burning with the force of the wind. In the blink of an eye, the entire Wind Extreme Domain transformed into a raging sea of Phoenix flames. From within this fiery inferno, a figure frantically shot out, landing awkwardly and disheveled. Most of his cloak had been incinerated, revealing his full face. He stared at Yun Che, his eyes wide with utter shock.

Only by personally clashing with Yun Che did he truly grasp the terrifying extent of Yun Che's power, and genuinely understand why the entire Burning Heaven Sect had been brought to the brink of destruction by him. The sheer horror of the heavy sword in Yun Che's hand far surpassed all his expectations. His formidable domain, unleashed with the power of a King, had been so effortlessly dismantled. He couldn't even conceive of anything else in the entire Azure Cloud Continent that Yun Che's heavy sword couldn't obliterate!

Yun Che's unexpected terror both shocked and chilled him to the core. This encounter only hardened his resolve to kill Yun Che today, no matter the cost. Otherwise, given Yun Che's vengeful nature, the Xiao Sect could very well become the second Burning Heaven Sect!

Unseen, Xiao Wuyi's hand secretly clutched a Heaven Extinguishing Pearl.

"Heh..." Xiao Wuyi rose to his feet, a low, cold sneer on his lips. "You truly are formidable; it's no wonder you pushed the Burning Heaven Sect to such a state. But if you believe that's enough to defeat me, you are gravely mistaken... How could I, Xiao Wuyi of the esteemed Xiao Sect, possibly be defeated by a mere junior like you!"

Xiao Wuyi's gaze hardened. With a sudden roar, he erupted forward, all his strength converging into his right hand. A massive, emerald-green wind vortex enveloped his entire body as he lunged directly at Yun Che.

"Hmph, overestimating yourself!" Even the Yun Che from two days prior, without activating Hell, would have been sufficient to handle Xiao Wuyi, let alone with his recent new breakthrough in power. He raised his arm, about to retaliate, when suddenly his heartstrings tightened violently. A powerful sense of danger washed over him, causing his attacking motion to halt instantly.

At the same moment, Jasmine's urgent cry echoed in his mind: "Quickly, dodge! There's an unusual energy fluctuation in his hand... Get out of the way, now!"

At that very instant, a sinister grin spread across Xiao Wuyi's face. His tightly clenched palm suddenly opened, and a faintly purple light shot out. "Die!"

Xiao Wuyi's speed was already exceptional, but the Heaven Extinguishing Pearl launched from his hand was impossibly fast. At such velocity, and with less than twenty zhang separating them, even a King would have no possibility of evasion.

The purple speck of light rapidly expanded in his pupils. Anything that could trigger such a strong sense of danger was far from ordinary. Without a second thought, his body sharply swayed.

Whoosh!! The Heaven Extinguishing Pearl struck Yun Che's body, but before Xiao Wuyi's sinister chuckle could even escape his lips, he suddenly witnessed the pearl passing straight through Yun Che's form, continuing its trajectory behind him. Yun Che's true body had already appeared ten zhang away, diagonally above.

While wielding his heavy sword, Yun Che was at a distinct disadvantage in terms of speed. However, his 'Star God Broken Shadow' technique granted him unparalleled abilities for instant evasion and sudden assault, almost perfectly compensating for the heavy sword's main drawback. Watching Yun Che's illusory form slowly fade from view, Xiao Wuyi, despite his shock, reacted with incredible swiftness. In the very next moment, he locked onto Yun Che's new position and fired another Heaven Extinguishing Pearl through the air.

Two pearls, one after another, launched with less than a tenth of a breath between them. This time, Yun Che, still airborne, had absolutely no way to evade. He gritted his teeth, his profound energy surging wildly throughout his body... "Cloud Locking Sun Sealing!"

Boom!!!! Two colossal roars, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, reverberated simultaneously. The surrounding Burning Heaven disciples, despite frantically shielding themselves with profound energy, still suffered agonizing ear pain, some even bleeding from their eardrums. Two fiery explosions, accompanied by the hiss of lightning, erupted skyward. Everything within dozens of zhang of the impact point was instantly reduced to ash. The closer Burning Heaven elders were all forcibly propelled away by the resulting shockwave. They swiftly circulated their profound energy, their faces contorted with terror. The sheer dominance of the aftershock alone was horrifying; its true power was simply unimaginable!

Such devastating power was more than enough to gravely injure a true King! As for Sky Profound practitioners, or even those at the Half-step King Profound realm, survival against such destructive force was utterly impossible!

From beneath the thunder and fire, dense plumes of smoke slowly ascended. Strangely, they did not disperse with the storm; instead, they gathered at a certain altitude, lingering persistently. The smoke's color was an eerie green... a lethal, blood-sealing poisonous mist!

Xiao Wuyi swiftly retreated, observing the fiery explosion. A sinister smile finally spread across his face, and he threw his head back, laughing maniacally. Fen Yijue's tense expression also eased, while Fen Duanhun and the other elders all showed signs of pleased surprise. They had all witnessed Yun Che being directly struck by the Heaven Extinguishing Pearl. Such immense power guaranteed that even if Yun Che survived, he would be gravely wounded on the spot; and if, while severely injured, he then inhaled the potent poisonous mist, death would be inevitable!

"Is he dead?" an elder of the Burning Heaven Sect asked, overflowing with excitement. This terrifying devil was finally about to meet his end before their very eyes, and the elder was so overjoyed he was nearly weeping.

"Hmph!" Xiao Wuyi scoffed proudly. "The Heaven Extinguishing Pearl possesses unparalleled power; even our sect's Grand Supreme Elder wouldn't dare confront its might directly. And that last pearl struck Yun Che precisely in the chest... He is undeniably dead!"

"Oh? Is that so?" A mocking voice suddenly echoed from within the dissipating smoke. "My apologies, but it seems I'm still quite alive and well."

"Wh-what?!" The voice, like claps of thunder, resounded in everyone's ears, causing their eyes to widen in unison and their hearts to suddenly clench.

As the voice faded, Yun Che's figure slowly emerged from behind the smoke. His eyes were piercingly cold, a mocking sneer played on his lips, and a subtle aura of anger mingled with chilling killing intent emanated from him. "So this thing is called a 'Heaven Extinguishing Pearl,' is it? Tsk, tsk, that name is truly boundlessly arrogant, and its display of power is rather impressive... What a pity it's completely useless!"