Chapter 444: Slaying the Saint

Yin Jiuque’s bright red feathers bristled. Its pupils contracted, and it instinctively recoiled, its divine light dimming. It was clearly terrified.

That was not the true form; it was certain the Saint Master had not personally arrived. So how could it be defeated?

Yet, Yin Jiuque remained deeply unsettled, wishing it could turn and flee, but it could not. It was holding its ground, unwilling to surrender, especially as a sub-saint on the verge of becoming a true saint.

Even though Yin Jiuque was inherently cruel and had killed countless beings, its emotions were now complex, and it felt immense dread. That was the legendary Saint Master, after all.

Back then, with a mere flick of his star-herding whip, the silver-haired man could shatter the cosmos, dim the universe, and fell entire tribes of leaders. To this day, all races blanch at the mention of him.

This was a god-like figure whose terrifying power, unleashed in his final moments, once shook the entire star system, leaving behind endless glorious legends.

"I will become a saint!" Yin Jiuque roared inwardly. At this moment, it could not retreat; it had to defy the heavens and ascend.

The silver-haired man stood within the domain, surrounded by endless runes. With a mere raise of his hand, a beam of light shot forth, shattering Yin Jiuque with a resounding impact.

"How is this possible!?" Yin Jiuque howled in disbelief. It was consolidating its divine light, on the verge of success, and that figure had casually destroyed its hope with a single strike?

In an instant, Yin Jiuque disintegrated, a truly shocking sight.

At the edge of the Solar System, Yang Xuan, Hu Qingcheng, and Qing Lan all froze. What had they just witnessed? Was it truly that person—the Saint Master?

On the ground, countless people cheered, their hearts overflowing with excitement and joy.

Even without knowing who this "Saint Master" was, the people on the ground were incredibly excited, their emotions surging.

The blood-red Vermilion Bird was clearly not benevolent. It had just been arrogant and revealed some past secrets, confirming it was a brutal and bloodthirsty executioner.

In the past, it had been an invader, and now it had returned, intending to slaughter all the so-called "rebel descendants." It was cruel, domineering, and utterly despicable.

"Ah..." In outer space, Yin Jiuque howled, boundless rage consuming it. Its divine light was scattered, all its previous efforts wasted, as it transformed into a rain of blood and feathers.

What had just transpired was too horrifying; it couldn't evade in time.

That was not the Saint Master's true form; it must have been a mere imprint left from the past, controlling specific, powerful domains on Earth, capable of instantly killing it.

Yin Jiuque felt a chill permeate its body. It had few life-substituting artifacts remaining. After painstakingly reforming its blood and instantly recovering, only two of these precious items were left.

However, above Earth's domain, the silver-haired man raised his hand once more, wielding the immense power of the domain, and struck again. In an instant, Yin Jiuque exploded.

Blood spattered, and feathers scattered.

In mere moments, it had been killed twice, leaving no trace of its divine light.

"Well killed! Obliterate him, body and soul!" Chu Feng shouted excitedly from Dragon Tiger Mountain, his heart filled with joy.

Just a short while ago, seeing Yin Jiuque so arrogant and domineering, even attempting to achieve sainthood outside Earth, had ignited a furious rage within Chu Feng's chest, a suffocating anger that made him feel as if he would explode.

Now, witnessing the silver-haired man disintegrate Yin Jiuque's physical body twice in quick succession, he was naturally elated, his blood boiling.

That executioner from the past, who had once shamed Earth and now dared to dream of becoming a saint, had no chance. It deserved to be utterly annihilated!

Indeed, many on the ground cheered, some trembling with excitement at witnessing such a sight, shouting aloud.

Yin Jiuque had come to achieve sainthood, willing to take this risk only after making a deal with beings from the depths of the cosmos.

Otherwise, how could it possess several life-substituting divine artifacts? Even veteran peak saints found it difficult to acquire just one.

Before long, its blood reformed, and Yin Jiuque reappeared!

Now, it had only one life-substituting artifact left.

Yin Jiuque, still half the size of Earth, bore a sinister expression, venomous eyes, and overwhelming malevolence. It declared, "I will become a saint! Even if the Saint Master himself were to appear, I would still achieve the supreme Dao fruit!"

After repeatedly reversing life and death, its divine light re-gathered, even more intensely than before. This surprised it, as it had advanced further, now just a hair's breadth away from becoming a true saint.

"My opportunity for sainthood truly lies on this planet," Yin Jiuque realized with delight, a destiny set many years ago.

Any being wishing to become a saint requires a myriad of specific conditions!

It had slain Earth's ancient inhabitants, accumulating their fortune, having long decided to achieve sainthood here.

If it truly succeeded, those deceased ancient inhabitants would surely never rest in peace.

At this moment, within Earth's domain, the towering figure remained still, gazing down at the massive, blood-red fierce bird.

"Who would have thought that after being annihilated twice by the Saint Master, reversing life and death would bring me even closer, just a hair's breadth from becoming a saint," Yin Jiuque roared with laughter, its voice rumbling like thunder.

Simultaneously, it realized that even if the silver-haired man were to blast its body apart with the domain once more, it would no longer be afraid. This was because if it reversed life and death again, it would directly achieve sainthood.

It knew that its divine light was now intensely concentrated, just a tiny bit away from achieving sainthood.

"Come!" Yin Jiuque challenged.

It was greatly excited; to achieve sainthood through the Saint Master's tempering would make it a legend, forging an unparalleled reputation.

On the ground, people were astonished. Was this crimson fierce bird truly so terrifying? Unkillable!

"Come on, annihilate me one more time! With one last rebirth, I will become a Demon Saint!" Yin Jiuque laughed boisterously.

It also had only one life-substituting artifact left, and it firmly believed it would succeed.

The Saint Master, with silver hair flowing, a handsome face, and eyes as deep as an ocean, did not activate the domain again, but merely gazed at the Vermilion Bird before him.

Yin Jiuque felt a chilling dread and a profound unease in its heart, as wisps of cold air emanated from it.

For it, the silent Saint Master's phantom was more terrifying and unpredictable than when it actively attacked.

"What is there to fear? Let the saintly fruit come!" it finally roared.

In the past, Yin Jiuque was merely a minor knight, not even qualified to gaze upon the Saint Master. Now it dared to fight; what was the big deal?

As a ruthless being, its emotional fluctuations were well-managed.

"Stop it! We absolutely cannot let it achieve sainthood!"

On the ground, countless people prayed, not wishing for Yin Jiuque to succeed; such an outcome was intolerable.

Finally, the silver-haired Saint Master moved. With a raise of his hand, a sheet of silver light flew out—it was a page from the Domain Heavenly Book, a silvery sheet.

In reality, it was not paper, but a very rare material.

Now, the silver light pierced the heavens, illuminating outer space, blinding observers, even more dazzling than a peerless lightning bolt.

"You..." Yin Jiuque's feathers bristled. It resisted with all its might, concentrating its divine light, wishing it could achieve sainthood immediately, for it sensed an immense, apocalyptic crisis.

This time, it did not explode; instead, it was sliced by the silver page of the Heavenly Book, its body cut open but not torn into pieces.

Yin Jiuque let out a prolonged, mournful howl, filled with boundless rage and resentment, its eyes venomous to the extreme. For a sub-saint to be so distraught underscored the gravity of the situation.

"My opportunity for sainthood, ah..." it roared in fury. That elusive, profound chance for sainthood was gone, severed.

What was that? A single page of the Heavenly Book, a silver sheet, had directly cast it from heaven to hell, driving it to insane hatred.

With things having reached this point, Yin Jiuque's dream of achieving sainthood on Earth was shattered; its Dao foundation was directly severed!

The matter was not over. The silver page of the Domain Heavenly Book reversed, flying back again, carrying dazzling silver light, and struck the colossal red fierce bird.

Blood spattered, and Yin Jiuque, horrified, began convulsing, emitting even more bone-chilling screams.

It had been unable to evade; its sub-saint foundation was severed!

Yin Jiuque trembled, chilled to the bone. Its physical body remained intact, but something vital was missing internally; its sub-saint foundation was shattered, rendering it crippled.

"I don't believe it! A sub-saint has fallen!" it roared in anguish.

It had always been the one to kill others, its hands stained with the blood of ancient inhabitants. Yet today, it too suffered catastrophe.

"Did you see that? The legendary event has occurred: a sub-saint has lost its fruit status!"

"Yes, this is an earth-shattering event—a saint-slaying has just taken place!"

At the edge of the Solar System, Yang Xuan, Hu Qingcheng, and Qing Lan were utterly dumbfounded, finding it hard to believe.

Yin Jiuque was not dead, but it felt its cultivation utterly crippled, its power rapidly plummeting.

"Impossible! I am destined to illuminate the heavens and become a titan! How can this be? Ah… will everything have to start over?!"

Yin Jiuque was on the verge of madness; this was more unbearable than being killed.

"Saint Master, are you human or ghost? How can you do this!?" Its eyes were blood-red, and its body began to shrink as it stared at the silver-haired man in Earth's domain.

"Saint Master, what unparalleled grace!"

From afar, Yang Xuan and Qing Lan communicated secretly with their minds, not daring to speak aloud for fear that Yin Jiuque would fly into a rage and retaliate against them.

On the ground, people understood what had transpired. They were all dumbfounded and incredibly shocked, before erupting in excitement.

A terrifying, hostile fierce bird that had once invaded Earth, now attempting to annihilate its inhabitants and even dreaming of achieving sainthood here, was now crippled. The people were invigorated, immensely excited, and joyful.

"Good riddance!" Chu Feng shouted toward the sky from Dragon Tiger Mountain: "Old fellow among the Starry Knights, you blood-soaked criminal, dare to start over! Take the star path; I'll be waiting for you on Earth!"

Yin Jiuque had not yet completely plummeted to the abyss; it still possessed astonishing prestige. Its eyes, comparable to heavenly eyes, overlooked the entire Earth, letting out continuous roars of rage.

Then, it rapidly began to shrink.

"I will not yield! Even if I have to start over, I will become a sub-saint again and break through to sainthood!" It howled hysterically, making a vow.

Chu Feng voiced his suspicion: "This old fellow's fighting spirit is truly high. He won't actually take the star path, re-enter Earth, and start over from scratch, will he?!"

"Take me away!"

When Yin Jiuque shrunk to a hundred zhang in length, it was incredibly weak and spoke to the distant sub-saint Golden Wolf, pleading for his assistance.

The sub-saint Golden Wolf was now closer to the Moon. He finally took a step, intending to approach Yin Jiuque and take it away.

However, just as he moved, a beam of light flew from the Moon, striking him and causing the Golden Wolf to stumble, fly sideways, and then reveal its true form.

A giant golden wolf, its lower half utterly obliterated, a section of its body annihilated by that brilliant light.