Chapter 211: The Edict of Extermination

Xu Qing gently turned his head, his bloodshot eyes gazing at the team card beside him.

"Little Ah Qing, life is truly a unique experience, filled with bitterness and sweetness, sorrow and joy. It's not a single color, nor can it ever be. Even the gods in heaven cannot change this, because we are human, not beasts. So... I understand your sadness, I understand your killing intent. What I want to tell you is: do what you want to do. Follow your heart and forge your own unique path in life."

The captain smiled, his smile brimming with sunshine. This ray of light entered Xu Qing's eyes and resonated within his mind, which was filled with murderous intent, stirring a ripple of emotion.

Xu Qing remained silent. He rarely heard such words. The last two people who lectured him on life's principles were Captain Lei and Grandmaster Bai. After a long pause, Xu Qing looked seriously at the captain, nodded heavily, and then turned his gaze to Sixth Grandmaster, who was performing soul-searching, awaiting his answer.

He only provided the Starfish race princess. As for the You race individual, Xu Qing didn't hand them over; he hadn't tormented them enough. Moreover, that person knew too much information about him, making their release inconvenient. Since the hidden forces behind the plot had likely been identified, the information from one Starfish race princess was enough.

Indeed, as the soul-searching progressed, Sixth Grandmaster's body began to tremble slowly. Veins bulged on his forehead, blood vessels appeared in his eyes, his breathing became rapid, and he emitted guttural, primordial roars, as if his rage had reached its absolute limit. In the very next moment, Sixth Grandmaster seemed to uncover a crucial memory. His entire body shook, his emotions turning to extreme grief and indignation. With a loud bang, the Starfish race princess's body instantly exploded into a spray of blood. Her soul was directly extracted by Sixth Grandmaster, who then threw it into his mouth and chewed it fiercely.

As he chewed, the blood vessels in his eyes became even more pronounced.

Then, without a word, he quickly pointed a finger towards the sky. Immediately, the Seven Blood Pupils Grand Formation roared. Streams of light descended directly from the formation's dome, heading straight for a specific location in the main city. The main city trembled, the ground seemed to churn, and amidst the echoing, shrill screams, figures were actually pulled into the air by the power of the formation.

From a distance, there were approximately two hundred of these figures, all Starfish race cultivators. Among them were three Golden Core cultivators, whose eyes were now wide with panic and shock. But no matter how they struggled, it was useless. Under the immense power of the Seven Blood Pupils formation, they were utterly incapable of fighting back. In an instant, with Sixth Grandmaster's eyes burning red, they were all grabbed.

Over two hundred Starfish race cultivators instantly appeared in the air before Xu Qing and the others. Their speed was so immense that many bodies couldn't withstand the force, collapsing and exploding. The remaining cultivators trembled greatly, emitting panicked cries and a cacophony of noise.

Sixth Grandmaster's eyes gleamed with ruthlessness. He opened his mouth wide and inhaled sharply. Instantly, the world changed color, winds and clouds swirled backward, and the surrounding eight directions seemed to shake. The over two hundred cultivators in the air let out piercing screams. Their bodies rapidly withered before the naked eye, and their souls were all extracted by Sixth Grandmaster's single inhale. Wisps of soul shadows could be seen rapidly dissipating from the seven orifices of these Starfish race cultivators, rushing directly towards Sixth Grandmaster. This included the three Golden Core cultivators. It seemed that to Sixth Grandmaster, there was no difference between Golden Core, Foundation Establishment, and Condensing Qi cultivators!

In an instant, over two hundred souls surged forth and were swallowed by Sixth Grandmaster. As he chewed and as more information was acquired, the blood vessels in his eyes became even more numerous. Finally, amidst the desperate screams of those souls, Sixth Grandmaster swallowed them all.

Then he closed his eyes. After a few breaths, Sixth Grandmaster's eyes opened, now filled with overwhelming murderous intent. He took a deep breath and looked at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing endured the terrifying pressure from the Nascent Soul expert and gazed at Sixth Grandmaster.

"Xu Qing, I owe you a favor. Later, if Old Seventh doesn't take you as a disciple, I will take you as my personal disciple!"

After speaking, Sixth Grandmaster raised his hand and produced a blue communication jade slip. This jade slip was completely different from any Xu Qing had seen. It didn't seem to be made of spirit stones; rather, it appeared to be forged from something even more precious than spirit stones, with its very casing containing an aura comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator.

Holding the blue jade slip, Sixth Grandmaster spoke calmly. "Old Seventh!" He could have actually communicated telepathically without opening his mouth. But he knew that Xu Qing had uncovered this matter, and he also knew Xu Qing's initial reason for investigating. Therefore, Sixth Grandmaster chose to speak aloud rather than transmit telepathically, so that Xu Qing would understand the full story.

"This matter has been thoroughly investigated. Many years ago, the Starfish race obtained the upper portion of the Grand Yin Transformation Pill, and consequently began secretly capturing prodigies from various races. This was done very discreetly, and countless were captured over the years. My eldest son, back then, was one of them. Now, their main ingredient for the pill has been formed, but they lack the lower scroll. This is why Grandmaster Bai was assassinated. In reality, this matter must have been planned for a very long time, only unfolding now. And the Starfish race's current visit to Seven Blood Pupils was actually a secret mission to provide support. On the surface, it seems the Starfish race is ambitious and dared to undertake such a grand scheme. Both the kidnapping of prodigies years ago and the taking of the lower scroll of the pill formula from Grandmaster Bai were personally ordered by the Starfish clan chief. But in reality, the Starfish race is weak. On the surface, they don't even have a single Nascent Soul cultivator. Even if their ancestor is suspected of being in hiding, such a race could not possibly possess the audacity to commit such a monstrous act, nor could they have carried it out with such meticulous planning that I remained unaware for so many years. Behind this matter, there must be another secret. What do you think?" Sixth Grandmaster spoke calmly.

Xu Qing, standing by, breathed rapidly, his eyes burning with rising murderous intent, which then dissipated slightly. He heard that the mastermind was the Starfish race chief, and he also heard Sixth Grandmaster mention that there was another secret behind the matter. What that secret was, Xu Qing believed he would soon know, but at this moment, his strongest desire was to kill that Starfish race chief!

As Xu Qing's heart was filled with murderous intent, a low voice from Old Seventh emanated from the blue jade slip in Sixth Grandmaster's hand.

"The Starfish race betrayed the alliance. They should be annihilated, and quickly. But I cannot return at this moment. No need to wait for my return. Please ask the Ancestor for me: may I act on my impulses regarding this matter? I've been suppressed for many years; I want to kill with vengeance."

The murderous intent in Sixth Grandmaster's eyes, like Xu Qing's, was almost impossible to suppress. There was no sound from the jade slip until, after about a dozen breaths, a gloomy, hoarse voice suddenly emerged from within.

"Sixth, listen."

"Ancestor!" Sixth Grandmaster immediately spoke with reverence. Xu Qing and the captain, along with the others, all bowed their heads.

"These past years, you've suffered... Go and exterminate the entire Starfish race, leave not one alive!"

Sixth Grandmaster looked up, madness shining in his eyes. Xu Qing also looked up, murderous intent erupting in his own.

"I obey the Ancestor's decree!"

Sixth Grandmaster took a deep breath, looked up at the distant sky, and let out a long laugh. This laugh held no joy; instead, it was filled with endless sorrow and madness, becoming almost a sob by the end.

Then he violently waved his hand. Instantly, the distant Sixth Peak roared. At that moment, the entire mountain peak stirred up countless clouds of dust, spreading outwards. This mountain, soaring into the clouds, actually lifted directly into the air!!

An earth-shattering sound resounded, shaking all directions, and at the same time, an indescribable, immense sense of oppression spread in all directions with the arrival of the entire Sixth Peak. Furthermore, on this Sixth Peak, various cave dwellings now opened, and Sixth Peak disciples emerged one after another. Many Golden Core cultivators were among them, and countless Foundation Establishment cultivators. Figures kept appearing.

Although most of the Sixth Peak disciples had gone to the Sea Corpse race battlefield, for Sixth Peak itself, what it didn't lack were magical artifacts and puppets. So, in the next instant, as this terrifying mountain body rumbled, puppets flew out from within the mountain, filling all directions, densely packed and numbering no less than several thousand. Subsequently, large war artifacts also began to form on this Sixth Peak.

From a distance, this immensely colossal Sixth Peak in the sky radiated dazzling light and exuded an overwhelming aura. Its oppressive presence made the very heavens and earth change color. It floated in the sky like a terrifying and vast war fortress!

Sixth Grandmaster stepped forward, his body flickering, and headed straight for this war fortress. As he approached, the entire Sixth Peak vibrated. The thousands of puppets surrounding it, along with the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators remaining within the peak, knelt down one after another.

"Greetings, Peak Lord!" Their voices boomed like a flood, echoing in all directions and roaring through the sky.

Xu Qing's mind also trembled. The captain beside him widened his eyes and muttered softly. "The old man said that Sixth Martial Uncle was a prodigy of his generation, equally famous as him, but that he'd been suffering and wasn't keen on cultivation these past years... This is called 'not keen on cultivation'? He's practically refined the entire Sixth Peak! This is unprecedented! He didn't even put in this much effort when fighting the Sea Corpse race!"

In the sky, Sixth Grandmaster paused, looked down with a cold glance at the captain. The captain flinched. Sixth Grandmaster then shifted his gaze to Xu Qing, and his expression softened, a rare occurrence.

"Xu Qing, I give this to you for protection." As he spoke, he picked up the wine gourd he always carried and gently shook it. Instantly, a blue light flew out from within, heading straight for Xu Qing. It arrived in an instant, transforming into a blue gemstone pendant that floated before Xu Qing. The gemstone pendant emitted a brilliant radiance and contained an astonishing protective power. To Xu Qing, this protection felt boundless and immense, causing his mind to tremble, feeling like a Nascent Soul's protection.

The captain, standing beside him, widened his eyes and let out a surprised cry, his eyes revealing intense envy as he gazed wistfully at Sixth Grandmaster in the sky.

"And Xu Qing, go to your 176th Harbor. Take the four characters gifted by the Ancestor. The Ancestor's calligraphy contains divine abilities. With the Ancestor's words in your hand and the protection I've given you, this time, you shall come with me to the Starfish race. Kill to your heart's content, exact your revenge to the fullest!! Both of us need to properly vent the accumulated bitterness in our hearts!" Sixth Grandmaster took a deep breath, then headed straight for Sixth Peak and stepped onto it.

Xu Qing nodded heavily, his body trembling with intense murderous intent. He yearned to kill—to kill every Starfish race member he could see, to kill the Starfish race chief, to unleash a torrent of blood, to unleash boundless madness. Otherwise, the pent-up bitterness in his heart would be impossible to dispel. Otherwise, it wouldn't be enough to serve as a burial offering for his teacher.

"I obey Sixth Grandmaster's command!" Xu Qing cupped his fists and headed straight for the Seven Blood Pupils' harbor. Upon reaching the museum, with the nod of the two Golden Core elders inside, he took down the calligraphy gifted by the Ancestor and turned to rush towards Sixth Peak. Finally, he joined the captain who was waiting for him there.

As the two of them stepped onto Sixth Peak, the entire world began to twist with the roaring of the massive mountain in the sky. Sixth Peak tore through the air, heading straight for the Forbidden Sea. And in the very instant it shot forth, the mountain blurred, instantly teleporting!

It charged towards the Starfish race!