BOOM!

The Blood Sea churned incessantly, and the gigantic blood-colored sword that pierced through heaven and earth went straight to meet the attack of the Golden Flower Old Mother. Wave after wave of devastating shockwaves burst forth, resembling thunder exploding from the Nine Heavens. The momentum was imposing and surging, making the heavens weep and the earth tremble; corpses were strewn for thousands of miles, and a boundless Blood Sea, an ominous and extraordinary spectacle, kept manifesting amidst the clashing blows. Two attacks, capable of annihilating heaven and earth, seemed like a Great Halberd stirring the primordial chaos. They transformed into tangible forces of destruction that wildly obliterated everything around, turning this region completely into a wasteland filled with ruin and death!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The Sword Gourds above Qi Xiu's head kept exploding. With each blast, his complexion turned a shade paler.

To confront a Dao Expert while only at the Initiate Realm. Even if one could only hold out for an instant, it would be enough to be proud of.

Yet, Qi Xiu, with these nine Sword Gourds that had accumulated endless blood-fiend energies, was actually able to achieve a stalemate with the Golden Flower Old Mother.

"Let's see how long you can last!"

With a cold snort, the Golden Flower Old Mother slightly raised her hand. Her body suddenly shone with Divine Marvel light, her exquisite form glowing, emitting layer upon layer of an ancient aura from endless eons past.

Time was running out!

She had to eliminate this malefactor in one fell swoop!

Sensing that the Heavenly Will's expulsion of her had reached its limit, the Golden Flower Old Mother looked down from above. The terrifying power from the Outer Realm Evil God began to revive, bursting forth with a sky-filling golden brilliance. This power carried the force to wither all life and obliterate everything, transforming into a massive tidal wave rolling towards Qi Xiu.

BANG!

The last Sword Gourd shattered. The immense Blood Sea sword, which pierced through heaven and earth and enveloped boundless blood resentment and fiendish aura, also started to crack and crumble. The surging Blood Sea evaporated continuously, transforming into a sky-full of blood mist, roiling and tumbling.

Without the power to resist any longer, Qi Xiu was immediately corroded by the Golden Flower Old Mother's attack. Tainted with an ill omen, his flesh rapidly withered and aged, and he stepped into his twilight years in an instant.

With Divine Marvel techniques, she plundered his life force. Under this power, Qi Xiu's body grew old, his skin dulled, and his flesh sagged.

He aged at a speed visible to the naked eye, becoming extremely frail.

CRACK—

Having seized all of Qi Xiu's vitality, the Golden Flower Old Mother's body, along with the twin Daoist Spirits manifestation beneath her feet, suddenly split into two.

The Heavenly Will's expulsion reached its peak!

The Golden Flower Old Mother could no longer resist and was about to be blasted out of the Home Realm.

However, having successfully slain the malefactor who disrupted her plans, even though the Golden Flower Old Mother was still disgruntled, she could only accept her fate.

"A pity. If only I had more time, I would have crushed your soul as well, to rid myself of this hatred in my heart..."

Listening to the Golden Flower Old Mother's still resentful words, Qi Xiu, who had turned into a decrepit old man, slowly lifted his head. His turbid, yellowed eyes revealed not a hint of panic or fear, instead conveying a trace of slyness.

"What kind of look is that?"

"In a moment, you'll find out."

Before Qi Xiu's words had fully fallen, a figure appeared from the west. With each step, the ground shook as if a weight of a thousand jun were landing.

"Buddha above, Your disciple has arrived."

Wrapped in a Kasaya, White Bone Bodhisattva Hua Sheng brought his hands together in prayer. His head was crowned with a halo of Buddha Light, from which faintly emanated the sound of Sanskrit hymns and Zen chants.

White Bone Bodhisattva leaped up and sat cross-legged in the void. His form rapidly dissolved, transforming into a glistening white, perfectly round White Bone Relic that radiated with pure Buddha Light.

"Flesh and bone, living and dead; only through seeking does the Buddha reveal the truth."

From the ether, a series of devout, echoing chants could be heard.

The White Bone Relic hovering in the void suddenly transformed into a beam of light that surged into Qi Xiu's body.

The moment the White Bone Relic entered him, Qi Xiu's life force ceased completely. The light in his eyes extinguished, and he sat cross-legged on the ground like a withered tree, devoid of any sign of life.

"Merely feigning profundity."

Glancing at Qi Xiu, whose life force had completely faded, rendering him utterly dead, the Golden Flower Old Mother's body disintegrated. Torn apart by the force of the Heavenly Will, she was expelled from the Home Realm, her heart filled with unwillingness.

...

Darkness!

Emptiness!

Chill!

Staring at the endless, abyss-like void before him, Qi Xiu scratched his head.

Is this the world after death?

There were no Ox-Head and Horse-Face, no Black or White Impermanence either.

Just... all black?

Glancing around, Qi Xiu tried to find something to provide a sliver of comfort, but looking in all directions, there was nothing but boundless darkness.

The endless nothingness surged toward him, inducing an inexplicable sense of loneliness and panic.

Logically speaking, with the White Bone Relic having entered my body, it should spare me from death once. I just don't know how long this process of being spared will take.

Qi Xiu lay down languidly, his hands cushioning his head, his toes tapping unconsciously.

His life force had ceased; he was theoretically dead. Yet, having arrived in this inexplicable dark space, he actually felt an unprecedented sense of peace and calm.

After all, I'm already dead. Everything returns to zero. What can anyone do to me now?

He hummed a tune, "Look ahead, dark and deep, it must be the thieves' lair. Wait 'til I charge forth and slaughter them all..."

Humming the tune softly, Qi Xiu realized something. Ever since awakening his Divine Marvel and starting his cultivation, many years had passed since he had rested so simply.

Perhaps it was because he had always lacked a sense of security deep within his heart.

Even after joining the Shenxiao Sect and gaining the protection of its masters and elders, he still trained desperately every day, striving only for greater power and higher Cultivation to protect himself.

But now, unbound by the fetters of life, he had completely let go.

Power, Cultivation, Realm—everything had lost its meaning.

Instead of toiling so hard, it seems better to take this time to rest well...

Lying in this darkness, Qi Xiu's expression grew increasingly indolent. He lay flat on the ground, his eyes like a pool of stagnant water—still, lifeless, dull, and empty.

Without any pressure, all his pursuits seemed to have lost their driving force as well.

Rest, just rest a while...

Covering his mouth as he yawned, Qi Xiu felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier, as a surge of sleepiness whispered relentlessly in his ears.

Sleep then. Since I'm already dead, what else is there to worry about?

Have a good sleep, a deep slumber that blots out the heavens and the earth.

It doesn't matter if I don't wake up; after all, just sleeping away like this would be quite pleasant...

His thoughts up to this point had been fairly normal, but as that last notion surfaced, Qi Xiu, who had been on the verge of sleep, saw his expression abruptly change, and his drowsy eyes snapped wide open.

He sat up abruptly, scanning the encompassing darkness, his expression stern, his brows tightly furrowed.

Something's wrong!

There's a problem here. A moment ago, I almost completely fell asleep.

Once I fall asleep, I fear it will be just as that thought suggested—I'll never wake up again.

His heart sank. Qi Xiu raised his hand to use Thunder Magic, but the lightning that would usually come at a moment's call showed no response at all.

My Cultivation...

His body was utterly empty; not a trace of True Gang remained.

The Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body, the Hunyuan Apertures, the Shenxiao Thunder Skill, the Gourd Sword Skill—everything had disappeared.

Is everything gone?

Facing such a situation for the first time, Qi Xiu let his arms hang down, his gaze pensive.

The surrounding darkness, as if sensing the change in his psyche, began to creep up his legs, climbing and seeping in little by little.

"No! That's not right! Everything else might be gone, but there is one thing that will always remain!"

As he watched the "darkness" spread to his thighs, the young Daoist's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had remembered something.

He lifted his right hand and, using his finger as a brush, wrote in the air a radiant golden character that seemed to overwhelm the world!

SUPPRESS!

The moment the "Suppress" character appeared, a brilliant light burst forth!

It was like a great sun rising in the east, instantly illuminating this endless, heart-corroding darkness.

"AAAH!"

From the unseen, a scream emerged. The "darkness" that had reached his thighs rapidly receded, hissing and emitting white smoke.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Qi Xiu's pupils focused sharply.

He saw that within the receding, tide-like darkness, numerous vicious, ugly faces surfaced. Brimming with resentment and unwillingness, their malevolent stares were fixated on him as they continuously uttered Curses.

Quite a few faces even tried to break free and pounce on him once more.

"We are waiting for you! You will come back for sure, you definitely will!"

"So what if I come back? If I can suppress you once, I can suppress you a hundred times!"

With a cold snort, Qi Xiu remained entirely fearless in the face of these eerie threats.

He drew in the air with one hand, and 'Suppress' characters manifested continuously. Endless radiance shone and reflected, completely transforming this dark place into a brilliant Great World of light!

As the darkness faded, a winding, narrow path appeared, meandering toward an unknown destination ahead.

Gripping the golden, infinitely bright "Suppress" character, Qi Xiu flung his long sleeves and strode boldly forward.

With the "Suppress" character in hand, all his anxiety and fear were thoroughly quelled.

Even if this were the Emperor's den of pleasure today, I, Qi Someone, would still storm through it!

Following this solid, long, and winding path, Qi Xiu walked for an unknown duration until the narrow trail beneath his feet transformed into a wide and expansive avenue. The previously empty surroundings now featured mountains, rivers, blue skies, and white clouds.

The once void and empty world was now becoming more tangible at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At this moment, two figures seated opposite each other at a stone table appeared at the edge of his vision.

"Hmm? This Daoist friend looks very familiar."

Approaching the stone table and looking at the Daoist of the Taiyin seated on the right, Qi Xiu raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Since you're already here, don't be polite. Have a seat."

With a light chuckle, the Daoist of the Taiyin waved his sleeve. A stone stool and a cup of steaming, fragrant tea suddenly appeared before Qi Xiu.

Sitting down naturally, Qi Xiu picked up the hot tea from the table, glanced at the smiling Daoist of the Taiyin, and then turned his gaze to the other side.

"What, you don't recognize me?"

As if sensing Qi Xiu's gaze, the figure on the left spoke indifferently.

This person wore a snow-white robe. His tall, straight stature seemed to blend with heaven and earth. The powerful aura emanating from him was enough to make anyone feel numb and fill them with awe at a single glance.

As his voice faded, a massive, colorful tiger with entirely purple fur emerged from behind this person. It stepped out leisurely and lay down lazily by Qi Xiu's feet, opening its great maw in a yawn.

And most crucially, this person had a face identical to Qi Xiu's!

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