Chapter 2081: Ambushing the Strong in the Temple

Despite his current strength, he found himself unable to discern the opponent's exact cultivation level. Up to this point, the most powerful False Gods he had encountered were Han Jianqiu of Lingyun Sword Pavilion, Fu Chenzi, and the middle-aged man. However, compared to the old man before him, their cultivation seemed significantly weaker.

The old man emanated a power that seemed capable of devouring the heavens and the earth. The surrounding darkness and starry sky appeared to spread from within him, ink-black and inescapable, making it impossible for anyone to break free or flee.

"You've tamed four False God realm immortal beasts and slain Fu Chenzi and Ying Chen," the old man stated. "No wonder my master holds you in such high regard and instructed me to act quickly the moment you appeared..."

Without denying it, the old man looked at him and said, "I didn't expect you to reach such a level in just over ten days. Even for me, capturing you easily will no longer be simple!"

"You know I killed Fu Chenzi and that middle-aged man?" Zhang Xuan asked, his heart tightening.

Ying Chen was likely the middle-aged man from the Spirit Temple; his name had never been revealed before, so Zhang Xuan hadn't known it. Zhang Xuan had killed three False God realm experts in total, and this particular individual, mentioned alongside Fu Chenzi, was indeed one of them.

However, he had killed these two in the City of Vacuity, sealing off the surroundings to prevent detection. How could the old man possibly know? Moreover, he had secretly tamed the four immortal beasts while using the identity of Liu Yang. The old man's casual mention of this implied he had even discovered Zhang Xuan's identity as the Sect Leader of the Seven Star Pavilion.

Was this the power of the Spirit Temple? Their intelligence network was terrifying.

"If the Spirit Temple wishes to know something, there is nothing it cannot discover!" The old man stated calmly, looking at the young man. "Come with me. Even with your four beast companions and a False God realm artifact from the Spirit Temple, you still stand no chance against me!"

"How will I know unless I try?"

Raising an eyebrow, Zhang Xuan wasted no words. His four False God realm immortal beasts instantly appeared before him, charging towards the old man. Simultaneously, ten peak Immortal Monarch longswords transformed into streaks, carving through space as they descended.

The combined might of the four divine beasts, ten Immortal Monarch longswords, and the False God realm artifact chain seemed capable of shattering the very starry sky. Yet, inexplicably, they could not reach the old man. Though only a few steps away, the distance felt as vast as the ends of the earth.

"Spatial particles?" Zhang Xuan's pupils contracted. His soul travel technique relied on navigating the minuscule gaps between spatial particles. He had encountered a similar phenomenon back on the Master Teacher Continent, where space transformed into particles, making it impossible to approach, no matter how fast one traveled.

Could this old man have achieved something similar, shattering the space in front of him into individual particles? This would cause anyone to sink into them as if into quicksand, rendering even immense cultivation useless.

"No, that's not right. It's not spatial particles," he quickly realized. "This starry night around him acts like a domain. Once you're inside, you must obey his rules. If he doesn't allow proximity, you cannot get close unless your strength surpasses his!"

Spatial particles shouldn't possess such immense power; a False God realm cultivator's diffused immortal energy should be able to counter it. Yet, he couldn't now, indicating it was something else—a far more potent ability. It bore a striking resemblance to Master Kong's unique ability: "A single word sets the rules, and all phenomena follow."

This meant that within the starry expanse he had been drawn into, the old man was dictating the rules. How could he possibly fight under such conditions?

"Little Chick, are you dead?" Knowing he had underestimated the Spirit Temple's super-expert, Zhang Xuan could no longer hold back and summoned the little yellow chick from his beast pet pouch. If anyone could contend with the old man, it was probably this creature. Though typically unreliable and only interested in eating, its abilities were undeniable.

Silence. The chick lay motionless in the beast pet pouch. After secretly consuming a drop of divine blood, the creature had remained inert for over two days. Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth in frustration, but he was helpless. What a nuisance.

"I can't rely on this fellow; I can only rely on myself..." Zhang Xuan thought, raising his eyebrows.

The old man remained still, standing silently like a painting, a faint smile on his face as he watched. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the Black-backed Turtle, Great Shark, and other beasts simply could not approach him. Even their attacks seemed to be frozen in time and space, unable to reach their target.

"There's no need for futile efforts," the old man said with a faint smile. "Here, even if you truly possess False God realm strength, you cannot harm me..."

With a slight smile, the old man suddenly slammed his palm. *Thud!* The Black-backed Turtle and the other beasts instantly collapsed onto the sea, as if immense boulders were pressing on their backs. They couldn't move, let alone launch an attack.

"This is a treasure of our Spirit Temple; I shall reclaim it..."

With the four divine beasts incapacitated, the old man gently reached out. The iron chain, which had been suspended in the air, poised for a surprise attack, flew into his open palm.

"Now!" Zhang Xuan exclaimed.

Seeing the chain in the old man's palm, Zhang Xuan felt no disappointment; instead, he sighed in relief, his eyebrows shooting up.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!* Two False God realm corpses suddenly materialized, one in front and one behind.

*Boom! Boom!* Two massive explosions immediately distorted the space, causing it to collapse inwards. The stars, previously fixed in the sky, seemed like a night curtain being torn, revealing folds and cracks.

The old man had not anticipated Zhang Xuan's ruthlessness: refining the corpses of False God realm experts for direct self-destruction, and even using a False God realm divine weapon as bait—disregarding its destruction! After such an explosion, that weapon was surely heavily damaged, almost ruined.

"Damn it! I didn't intend to kill you..." the old man roared, his eyes bloodshot, his face splattered with blood.

"Truly formidable..." Zhang Xuan murmured, seeing that the old man was only heavily injured, not dead.

The two False God realm corpses had been specially refined into soulless golden figures on his journey. Though single-use, they were absolutely worth it if they could deal with an expert he otherwise couldn't counter. He had calculated extensively how to get these two close, deliberating for a long time before deciding to attach them to the iron chain. That iron chain was an immensely valuable defensive artifact of the Spirit Temple. Zhang Xuan knew the old man, upon seeing it seemingly loyal to him, would attempt to subdue it by other means. Thus, he had sealed the two corpses within a narrow space at the tail of the chain, using the principle of a storage ring, to detonate them the moment the old man seized it.

The plan had indeed achieved a miraculous effect. However, he hadn't anticipated the old man's sheer power. Two False God experts simultaneously self-destructing at such close range—a blast even the four immortal beasts might struggle to withstand—yet the old man was merely injured. No wonder only one individual had come to confront him this time. It seemed the Spirit Temple knew that sending ordinary False Gods would be futile, so they dispatched their most powerful. Facing such power, he was fortunate to have prepared in advance; otherwise, escape would have been impossible.

With a roar, the old man in the air charged towards him. The moment he moved, space twisted, and a large patch of black mist appeared. These mists, like thick smoke from a fire, made it impossible to discern direction. The recent explosion had caused fissures in the old man's domain-like artifact, allowing these mists to spread.

"Do you truly believe a mere containment formation of this level can stop me?" the old man snarled, having identified the type of formation. "As long as it can't trap me, even with severe injuries, I can still kill all four of your immortal beasts and drag you back to my master. Besides, this kind of injury is nothing!"

*Rumble!* Immortal energy surged, and spiritual qi from the surroundings rapidly poured into him. The old man's injuries visibly recovered. He had employed a special secret art, forcibly suppressing such severe injuries.

"I know your recovery ability is strong, and I know your master must be even more formidable," Zhang Xuan said with a faint smile, seemingly having anticipated the old man's actions. "But... do you truly believe this is just a simple containment formation?"

"It's not?" The old man froze, then his pupils contracted, and his body involuntarily trembled. "You brought the Qi of Decay from the City of Vacuity and fused it into the formation?"

"Indeed," Zhang Xuan replied. "If you hadn't been injured, this Qi of Decay couldn't have harmed you. Even with severe injuries, given your control over power, it might not have inflicted deep wounds... However, you wanted to capture me and rapidly recover, and to do that, you had to absorb a large amount of spiritual qi. This made it simple: these black mists, carried by the spiritual qi, have now entered your meridians and infiltrated your vital organs!"

After visiting the City of Vacuity and discovering the immense power of the Qi of Decay, he naturally collected some. However, this substance behaved like a slow-acting poison; if the opponent shielded themselves with power, it would take a long time to infiltrate, and the effect would be underwhelming, failing to address the immediate threat. Therefore, he had to force the old man to seek healing. Once healing commenced, spiritual qi would be needed, requiring absorption from the surroundings. This was akin to consuming a slow poison while simultaneously taking a potent tonic. In an instant, these peculiar energies infiltrated all his meridians, just as if he had spent an extended period in the City of Vacuity.

The old man coughed up three consecutive mouthfuls of black blood, trembling uncontrollably, feeling as if his entire body was about to explode. He had arrived full of confidence, believing that even if Zhang Xuan possessed some cleverness and decent strength, confronting him would lead only to death. He had never dreamed of such an outcome!

*Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!* The Qi of Decay coursed through his body, worsening his injuries. His vision blurred, and he swayed uncontrollably, appearing as if he might fall from the sky at any moment.

"You are ruthless," the old man gritted his teeth, "but even with severe injuries, you cannot kill me..." Realizing that he could no longer hope to kill Zhang Xuan in this state, the old man gritted his teeth, suddenly shot upwards, and flew straight into the sky. His mission was incomplete, and he was gravely injured. He had no choice but to return as quickly as possible, hoping his master could help dispel the Qi of Decay. Otherwise, he wouldn't last half an hour before succumbing completely and turning into a corpse as black as charcoal.

"Trying to leave?" Zhang Xuan said with a faint smile. "It's too late..." As he spoke, a long spear instantly tore through the air, plunging towards the old man's head. *Puh-tch!* It pierced through his shoulder, impaling him and leaving him suspended in mid-air.