Chapter 1049: Magic Spirit Shattered and Decayed

The land, spanning ten thousand miles, was covered in cracks, like a shattered mirror. Black flames surged from these fissures, transforming the vast ten-thousand-mile expanse into a sea of fire. As it burned, countless human souls trapped within let out piercing wails. Unable to break free, they were bound within the fiery inferno, circling the long spear at its center.

Mount Tiandong was gone; where the mountain once stood, only a colossal spear remained, impaled deep into the earth. A figure stood atop the spear, like a demon descended to the world. As his red hair swayed, seven brilliant orbs of fire burned intensely within him. It was none other than the Western Demonic Son.

Xu Qing's attention, however, was fixed on the illusory Heavenly Demon behind the Western Demonic Son. This was the source of his alarm and sense of danger. Though this Heavenly Demon was ethereal, its towering, majestic form, clad in dark yet ornate armor, exuded an overwhelming sense of oppression. Its deep, cold eyes gleamed with an evil light that seemed to pierce straight into one's soul. Its long, curly hair resembled flames in the darkest night, emanating an eerie glow. Its fingers were long and sharp, appearing capable of effortlessly tearing through any obstruction. Most notably, its body was covered in intricate runes, which not only signified its source of power but also seemed to conceal some mysterious curse.

As it descended, darkness encroached upon the void around it, storms roared into existence, and lightning flashed with earth-shattering brilliance. All these phenomena underscored its immense power and majesty.

Authority!

A sharp glint flashed in Xu Qing's eyes. As he gazed at the demonic shadow, he felt a strong surge of Dao Mark fluctuations, indicative of its authority. He instantly realized that this was no ordinary authority.

"My authority is named 'Demonic Spirit Decay'!" the Western Demonic Son spoke calmly, gazing down at Xu Qing. "Whether you are Blood Dust Son or not, your answer holds no meaning. I represent the Seventeenth Sovereign Mountain, and I will battle you. To avoid accusations of bullying, I will only use three divine techniques in this fight. If you perish, Lü Lingzi cannot hold it against me. But if you survive, consider it your good fortune, and I will spare your life."

With that, he raised his right hand and pointed at Xu Qing. Instantly, the void before Xu Qing tore open, and a spear, several feet thick and dozens of *zhang* long, whistled forth, ripping through space directly towards him. As it passed, rules and laws crumbled, a testament to its astonishing power. Its world-shaking might caused cosmic shifts and was infused with the essence of authority. It swept forward destructively, locking onto Xu Qing's mind, carrying a terrifying aura, and unleashing power infinitely close to that of a Sovereign.

In a flash, it was upon him.

Xu Qing's eyes narrowed. The Western Demonic Son's power surpassed all other Incarnated Gods Xu Qing had encountered. He was, without a doubt, the strongest foe at this cultivation level Xu Qing had ever faced. Without hesitation, Xu Qing stared at the rapidly approaching spear, his body retreating in sync with its speed. But the moment Xu Qing recoiled, a second spear emerged from another direction, emitting a piercing whistle and carrying identical might as it lunged towards him.

The assault didn't end there; more were coming. In the blink of an eye, a third, fourth, and fifth spear, totaling nine terrifying, earth-shattering spears, appeared around Xu Qing from different directions, forming a deadly, inescapable formation that sealed off all his potential movements. They were poised to pierce him, but it was clear the Western Demonic Son didn't know much about Xu Qing. Or, more accurately, even if he knew about Blood Dust Son, he knew nothing about Xu Qing himself. Thus, while each of the nine spears in his attack possessed power infinitely close to that of a Sovereign and blocked all directions, creating a seal-like situation—he failed to seal sound.

And so, in that instant, as the nine spears erupted with overwhelming power and descended with deafening roars, piercing through Xu Qing's original position—Xu Qing's figure blurred; what was pierced was merely an afterimage. His true body had merged with the sound, vanishing without a trace. He reappeared in mid-air, behind the Western Demonic Son, and without a moment's hesitation, unleashed a palm strike. However, the Western Demonic Son's combat experience was exceptionally rich, and his reaction was astonishingly swift. Almost at the exact moment Xu Qing appeared and attacked, his figure also blurred.

Xu Qing's palm struck only air. He abruptly looked up, where the Western Demonic Son's figure materialized high above. The Demonic Son gazed down at Xu Qing, a strange glint in his eyes.

"Quite interesting!" he spoke, and his right hand rose again, pointing at Xu Qing.

Instantly, the black sea of fire covering the land below erupted. Countless flames surged skyward, and the human souls trapped within twisted and transformed into numerous long spears. Tens of thousands of spears soared from the earth alongside the fiery sea, forming a spear rain that hurtled directly towards Xu Qing. Even more terrifying was that, upon emergence, each of these tens of thousands of spears split again, multiplying their number tenfold to a staggering hundred thousand! They ascended from below, blanketing a ten-thousand-mile radius. Though incredibly fast, their flight was eerily silent, controlled to produce no sound. While individually less powerful than the previous spears, their sheer numbers made their lethality far greater. Silently, this constituted the Western Demonic Son's second ultimate killing move.

In an instant, they crashed onto Xu Qing.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, thoughtful. He didn't dodge. After his internal qi and blood surged, he simply closed his eyes. The next moment, a hundred thousand spears continuously assailed him from all directions. Earth-shattering sounds reverberated throughout the area, and where Xu Qing stood in mid-air, light blazed intensely. All rules shattered, all laws dissipated, the void fractured, and world-shaking flames erupted. Yet, Xu Qing's figure remained steadfast within the onslaught. One could even see that each spear that struck him, despite causing a resonant roar and inflicting damage, ultimately shattered itself from the recoil before breaking through his defenses. They could not breach Xu Qing's physical defenses.

This sight caused the Western Demonic Son's eyes to narrow, but it wasn't particularly surprising. He had long heard that his opponent excelled at defense. His decision to attack in this manner, even knowing this, had its own purpose. The shattered spears, upon disintegration, released even more black fire. This fire was peculiar, as it adhered directly to Xu Qing's physical body. Instead of burning, it formed numerous small, rapidly spinning flame vortices on his skin. Seeing this, a murderous glint flashed in the Western Demonic Son's eyes. The moment had arrived.

He abruptly lunged from high in the sky, hurtling directly towards Xu Qing. As he neared, his right hand rose. The illusory Heavenly Demon behind him also raised its hand, its eyes glowing eerily, as complex incantations reverberated from its spectral mouth. Every word was distinct, yet within the cosmos, their meaning remained incomprehensible. However, all the black flame vortices on Xu Qing's body, driven by the reverberating incantation, converged and moved directly towards his glabella. The spears that hadn't yet disintegrated on his body also simultaneously exploded. This created even more black flames and flame vortices. All of them converged at Xu Qing's glabella, instantly overlapping to form an incredibly deep, pitch-black vortex.

As this vortex rumbled and spun on Xu Qing's glabella, the Western Demonic Son reached out with his right hand. In his palm, he held a wisp of his own soul. He was about to unleash his ultimate killing move. This ultimate move, however, was not meant for killing. All his previous words and actions had merely been a setup, a deception, paving the way for this precise moment.

Soul Exchange!

To be precise, he didn't seek to defeat Xu Qing. He had rushed back from the battlefield, enduring great hardship, not for the reputation of the Seventeenth Sovereign Mountain. His true goal was the Underworld Flame Secret Art. He intended to extract the Underworld Flame Secret Art from Xu Qing. For anyone else, achieving this would be incredibly difficult. However, his authority was unique. The destructive power contained within "Demonic Spirit Decay" was merely one manifestation of its "decay" aspect. This authority also possessed another, deeply hidden ability: Soul Exchange. It was a forced transaction. He would use a wisp of his own soul to forcefully exchange for the opponent's secret art. This wisp of soul could not be acquired or learned by the opponent; it would automatically return the moment the transaction was successful. This was a Heavenly Demon's transaction.

Yet, in this world, things are often relative. When you plot against others, they might also be plotting against you.

Just as the vortex rumbled at Xu Qing's glabella, and the Western Demonic Son, holding a wisp of his soul, was about to initiate the exchange, Xu Qing, who had been standing with closed eyes, suddenly opened them. His eyes gleamed with a chilling light. His "Six Thieves Delusional Life" authority instantly erupted, enveloping the surroundings. Simultaneously, threads of the seven emotions and six desires, visible only to Xu Qing, materialized on the Western Demonic Son's body. These threads instantly connected to Xu Qing himself. With this, the Six Thieves served as a pathway. This path led straight to the soul.

Xu Qing's soul, taking a step within his Sea of Consciousness, followed this path, directly flying out from his glabella to meet the Western Demonic Son's outstretched right hand. Moreover, a black carving knife circled Xu Qing's soul form. His soul, now wielding the carving knife, ignored any notion of transaction or technique and unleashed a brutal slash. With that single strike, the wisp of the Western Demonic Son's soul in his right hand let out a piercing cry and instantly split in two.

Xu Qing's assault didn't end there. His soul, still wielding the knife, surged into the Western Demonic Son's body, invading his Sea of Consciousness. The Western Demonic Son's Sea of Consciousness was vast, filled with rising black flames, encircled by seven great worlds. Above the flames, a Heavenly Demon sat cross-legged, grasping a long spear. The moment he saw this Heavenly Demon, Xu Qing's killing intent surged. He raised his knife and charged forward. The Heavenly Demon abruptly opened its eyes, rose, and stepped down, its long spear erupting with full power as it parried Xu Qing's incoming attack. The carving knife and the spear collided directly. Amidst the roar, the carving knife remained unscathed, but the spear shattered into countless fragments. The Heavenly Demon, too, was forced backward.

Xu Qing was about to give chase, but then a sense of grave danger suddenly arose within his soul. Behind the retreating Heavenly Demon, an ancient, rusty bell began to rise, and as it swayed, a terrifying power emerged. Xu Qing's soul eyes flashed. Without hesitation, he instantly retreated. The moment he left the Western Demonic Son's Sea of Consciousness and returned to his own body, that terrifying power also spread outward, erupting in the external world.

In mid-air, Xu Qing and the Western Demonic Son's physical bodies each recoiled, creating a hundred-zhang distance between them. A hundred *zhang* away, the Western Demonic Son's expression was grim. Recalling the preceding peril, he felt a tremor in his heart. Staring at Xu Qing, he spoke coldly.

"You knew my plan all along."

Xu Qing's expression remained calm as he spoke softly. "Though I didn't know the specifics, it wasn't hard to deduce from your previous actions and words that your intent wasn't pure slaughter."

Hearing this, the Western Demonic Son cast a dark glance at Xu Qing before turning to leave. Xu Qing raised a hand, and the void instantly trembled. A storm materialized in front of the Western Demonic Son, blocking his path. The Western Demonic Son paused, looking at Xu Qing, his expression growing even graver. "Three moves have passed, and I offered to spare your life. Are you perhaps seeking your own demise?"

Xu Qing shook his head. "I never said I'd spare *your* life."

As he spoke, Xu Qing took a step forward. His killing intent erupted.