Chapter 321: Saint Yun Zi, Deceased

It wasn't over. Xu Qing's eyes were bloodshot, filled with a crazed killing intent, and he caught up instantly.

At the same time, the sky roared even louder. Seventh Master's face was grim, his eyes brimming with a towering killing intent. Like Xu Qing, he, too, needed to vent the self-reproach in his heart.

For some time now, his self-reproach had been intense. He believed that this mishap occurred because he hadn't accurately accounted for everything.

He thought his abilities were still insufficient, which led to such a tragedy.

He believed his combat strength was still lacking, and thus, when this situation arose, he was powerless to reverse it.

He didn't want this. He couldn't accept it. He absolutely could not allow a similar scene to happen again to those he cared about.

Therefore, his attack contained his inner killing intent and the venting of his repressed emotions. He didn't bother using any profound techniques because they wouldn't bring him the satisfaction he craved.

He wanted to use his fists to suppress and kill everything before him.

As he struck, heaven and earth roared, winds and clouds distorted, and space itself fractured. Each punch unleashed a hidden power, as if to suppress all eternity.

All of this utterly terrified the colossal stone giant. It retreated uncontrollably again and again, letting out shrill roars, its eyes filled with terror, apparently greatly fearing Seventh Master's combat prowess.

And its body, under Seventh Master's relentless onslaught, continuously shattered. Its left arm crumbled, its legs collapsed, its torso disintegrated, scattering countless boulders that fell to the ground with booming sounds.

As for the two core members of the Candlelight Sect, their expressions changed too, their eyes revealing intense horror, and they each coughed up blood.

Their masks had already shattered, and their bodies were severely wounded. Had most of the force not been blocked by the stone giant, they would surely have perished by now.

"Spirit Repository Great Perfection!!"

The two exclaimed in shock, their scalps tingling. Now, seeing the stone giant continuously crumble, they swiftly retreated.

And higher up in the sky, Blood Refiner stood there, coldly observing everything.

With him overseeing, this battle wouldn't deviate.

And he was waiting—waiting for the Candlelight Sect to send reinforcements, or for them to display greater power. That would be the moment for him to make his move.

The sky was in battle, and the earth was in battle.

Xu Qing's eyes were ablaze with killing intent as he pursued fiercely. Meanwhile, Saint Yunzi was spewing blood as he stumbled backward. He realized his one hundred and twenty-one spirit apertures had collapsed, and the eighth illusory Heavenly Palace, the upper limit of the Golden Core realm, had vanished. He let out a wretched laugh, his eyes growing increasingly wild, a strong resentment rising within them as he stared fixedly at Xu Qing.

He hated Xu Qing, hated him to the bone!

He also envied Xu Qing, envied him to the extreme!

In the past, he was originally the Alliance's foremost prodigy of his generation, embodying countless honors and expectations. Externally, he shone brilliantly; internally, he suppressed an entire generation.

Yet fate was exceptionally unfair to him. He clearly possessed unparalleled talent, was exceedingly handsome, and should have been born towards the light, destined for an infinitely beautiful future.

But he was born a conjoined twin, ugly and repulsive!

But he didn't give up. He endured countless slights and numerous disgusted glances, constantly striving, continuously cultivating, and struggling. He ultimately devoured his younger brother to make himself whole.

Through his own efforts, he surpassed all his peers and reached the peak of his own mountain.

All the suffering and torment during this period, only he, who had experienced it firsthand, savored alone in the depths of midnight.

But at this point, he noticed a hint of greed in his grandfather's eyes amidst the expectation. He couldn't refuse, nor could he refuse his grandfather's decision to integrate the double-edged Fate Lamp into his body.

Everything that followed made him feel that fate was even more ruthless. He had reached the most brilliant heights, achieving unprecedented brilliance within the Alliance.

He had thought that by achieving so much, his destiny should improve. Yet, in his grandfather's eyes, he saw even more greed.

Saint Yunzi wasn't foolish, but he could only remain silent. Until the Fate Lamp was seized by Xu Qing, severely wounded, he appeared miserable, but deep down, he felt a sense of relief. However, he never could have imagined that to survive, he would again be favored by the Alliance Leader and parasitic to the Golden Crow.

All of this pushed his inner madness to its limit, causing it to twist.

He couldn't resist his grandfather, but he could hate Xu Qing. He couldn't resist the Alliance Leader, but he could resent Xu Qing.

Why should Xu Qing have light within him? Why shouldn't you be miserable like me? Why shouldn't you die with me!

This thought transformed into venomous resentment, continuously erupting within Saint Yunzi's heart. And ultimately, the reason for his extreme bitterness towards Xu Qing was the gnawing jealousy!

He envied that someone like Xu Qing could actually have light within him.

He envied that Xu Qing could possess two Fate Lamps that truly belonged to him.

He envied that Xu Qing could obtain everything that belonged to him without enduring the same torment he had suffered.

He even more envied that Xu Qing had a master who would openly protect him, and an ancestor who wouldn't be greedy for his possessions.

What he envied most was that after the events of that snowy, rainy night, the Xu Qing he saw today seemed to have regained vitality within him and could still display such persistence, giving him the feeling... that there was still light!

So he was even more envious and even more resentful.

What did it matter if he had opened one hundred and twenty-one spirit apertures? What did it matter if his Golden Core's upper limit had risen to eight illusory Heavenly Palaces? What did it matter that he had gained the right to use the Golden Crow with his master's help? What could any of that change?

"Only by becoming a god can I suppress everything!" Madness surged in Saint Yunzi's eyes. This wasn't something he said aloud, but screamed from the depths of his heart.

This was his only hope, and the reason he willingly joined the Candlelight Sect. Although the Seven Blood Eyes' arrival was too swift and sudden this time, preventing many plans from unfolding, Saint Yunzi's belief still hadn't collapsed.

Even if his one hundred and twenty-one spirit apertures collapsed, and the resulting upper limit—the eighth illusory Heavenly Palace—vanished, he still felt that he was already on the path to glory.

So, the next instant, when Xu Qing arrived with the speed of thunder and unleashed another punch, Saint Yunzi smiled, a ferocious expression appearing amidst the madness in his eyes. A low growl escaped his lips as he, too, struck out with a punch.

But the enormous difference in combat strength between them meant that Saint Yunzi at this moment was no match for Xu Qing at all. The next instant, Saint Yunzi's entire body trembled, his right arm spontaneously collapsed and exploded. As a horrific shriek escaped his lips, his body was sent flying backward again.

Yet he continued to retaliate. His left hand rapidly formed hand seals, and immediately, streaks of sword light reappeared.

The first sword descended from the sky: Profound Heaven Blood Fiend.

The second sword swept across: Soul-Cleansing Demon Suppressor.

The third sword transformed into a ghost figure carrying a sword: Northern Ghost Asking Heaven.

But this time, Xu Qing simply ignored them. With a wave of his hand, the sword descending from the sky crumbled inch by inch, the sweeping sword shattered into segments, and the eight ghosts, before they could even draw their swords, let out horrific wails, their bodies twisting as they were erased by the aura emanating from Xu Qing.

Xu Qing's eyes gleamed with intense killing intent. His speed didn't falter as he instantly caught up to the retreating Saint Yunzi, giving his opponent no chance to react. Ignoring all of Saint Yunzi's defenses, the moment he drew near, the "Ghostly Seizure" technique activated.

His right hand instantly became illusory and plunged deep into Saint Yunzi's body!

A familiar scene flashed through Saint Yunzi's mind. His body trembled and struggled violently, but it was useless. As his eyes widened with madness and he lunged headfirst towards Xu Qing, Xu Qing's right hand had already extended into Saint Yunzi's sea of consciousness, touching his Heavenly Palace!

Heavenly Palace Golden Core cultivators manifest illusory Heavenly Palaces upon promotion, which determine their upper limit. To genuinely form combat power, they need to transform the illusory Heavenly Palaces into substantial ones.

Like Saint Yunzi at this moment, his upper limit was once eight Heavenly Palaces, but only one Heavenly Palace had been transformed from illusory to substantial.

After Xu Qing penetrated, he seized Saint Yunzi's Golden Core within that Heavenly Palace!

With a fierce pull!

This Golden Core contained countless resentments and simultaneously emitted considerable fluctuations. As Xu Qing pulled it, amidst Saint Yunzi's agonizing shriek, it was abruptly yanked out!

Countless blood threads could be seen缠绕 around this Golden Core, connecting to Saint Yunzi's violently trembling body. Wails of agony spread in all directions at this moment, as Xu Qing's eyes blazed with intense killing intent, and he suddenly crushed it.

With a boom, this Golden Core disintegrated, transforming into countless nutrients that rapidly integrated into Xu Qing's body. At the same time, Xu Qing violently headbutted Saint Yunzi's forehead.

With a thunderous sound, Saint Yunzi's entire body violently shook, his facial features were a bloody mess, and his skull was caved in. Yet, the madness and fierceness in his eyes were still considerable.

Xu Qing's face was also covered in blood; it was Saint Yunzi's.

There was also madness in his eyes—that was his own!

The next instant, the Golden Crow behind Xu Qing roared skyward, suddenly descending and fiercely sucking towards Saint Yunzi.

Saint Yunzi let out a wretched laugh. Behind him, a Golden Crow also materialized, uncontrollably being torn apart and devoured by Xu Qing's Golden Crow. The two Golden Crows in mid-air immediately became entangled.

Devouring each other, intertwining, and roaring at each other, Xu Qing's eyes glinted with cold light. His killing intent needed to be vented at this moment, to erupt. He grabbed Saint Yunzi's hair, raised his right hand to Saint Yunzi's chest, and punched, punched, punched.

With each punch, a part of Saint Yunzi's body would collapse, shatter, and dissipate.

His soul was likewise rapidly crumbling, being greedily absorbed by the nearby Vajra Sect Ancestor.

After three punches, half of Saint Yunzi's body was on the verge of exploding. Finally, after Xu Qing's fourth punch landed, accompanied by a thunderous sound that echoed in all directions, Saint Yunzi's horrific screams abruptly ceased.

His body from the neck down completely collapsed and exploded amidst the roar, splitting into countless fragments, bones and flesh turning into innumerable pieces, scattering all around.

As with his body, so too was his soul.

Only his head remained in Xu Qing's grasp. Its open eyes still retained traces of unwillingness and madness.

But with no source, it was slowly dimming.

Saint Yunzi, dead!

The ground was covered in blood, and shattered flesh lay all around. Saint Yunzi's head, like Sixth Master's head back then, was dripping blood.

Meanwhile, the Golden Crow in mid-air, which Saint Yunzi had been controlling in reverse, at this moment, already having lost its source and being weakened, gradually couldn't hold on. Amidst the roars of Xu Qing's Golden Crow, it was swallowed whole.

After devouring the Golden Crow controlled by Saint Yunzi, Xu Qing's Golden Crow's body violently trembled, releasing endless flames, erupting violently in all directions with booming sounds. As it swept across the land, its tenth tail formed, followed by the eleventh, twelfth, and finally, the thirteenth!

The imperial-grade cultivation technique, "Golden Crow Refines Ten Thousand Spirits," at this moment, finally broke through, reaching the second stage!