To prevent the assassination attempts by the master of the ghosts that might target Yang Tian, that night, he remained ever-watchful near Yang Tian's Spirit Cave, maintaining a state of high alert.

Should anything happen, he would intervene immediately.

Fortunately, the night passed uneventfully, and nothing happened to Yang Tian, who stayed inside the cave.

However, over at Nolan Cheng's side, just after stepping out of the cave, an unusual aura was felt.

"What happened? What's going on?"

He asked his subordinate while slightly furrowing his brows.

The man, upon seeing this, hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Master, something has happened. Kong Xuan… his Soul Token has shattered!"

"What!"

Upon hearing this, Nan Lanxiong froze on the spot!

Who was Kong Xuan?

He was one of the two carefully nurtured geniuses of the Nara Family, raised for a hundred years to excel in this malevolent world!

And now his Soul Token is really broken? How could Nan Lanxiong possibly remain calm?

Yet, even though he was greatly shocked, as someone possessing formidable martial arts at Wu Jizhen's level of magic cultivation, he took a deep breath and immediately asked, "What happened?"

"Master, here's what happened…"

The man detailed the entire incident.

Originally, last night, Kong Xuan began meditating inside the cave early to prepare for today's battle, while those responsible for his safety kept watch outside.

However, by the next morning, when another participant was ready to summon Kong Xuan to pay tribute to Nolan Xiongde, there was no response from within Kong Xuan's cave.

After repeated futile calls, they forcibly bypassed the defensive barrier outside the cave, only to find it empty inside.

At that moment, they realized something disastrous had occurred!

After all, as one of the martial arts participants personally arranged by Nolan Xiongde, Kong Xuan would never leave so casually!

But when they retrieved Kong Xuan's Soul Token, they discovered it had been shattered, signifying that Kong Xuan had perished!

Hence, the atmosphere became grim!

"Trash!"

Hearing the report, Nolan Xiongde, who was cultivating martial magic at the Wu Jizhen level, let out a deep breath. In that instant, his fury erupted, and the men before him immediately dropped to their knees, faces pale with fear.

Yet they knew that although South Blue Lord was known to be a strict but measured leader, he rarely scolded his subordinates without reason.

But now, not only was he scolding them, but his fury was terrifying—clearly, this incident had deeply enraged him.

It took a long while before he finally calmed down.

Because he considered one key fact: the defensive formation around Kong Xuan's cave remained intact, yet Kong Xuan was dead!

There are two possibilities!

First, Kong Xuan disobeyed orders, snuck out, and was killed by someone outside!

But that was entirely impossible!

Being someone meticulously trained by the Nara Family for a century and brought to participate in this demonic ritual, Kong Xuan's loyalty to the family and Nolan Xiong was beyond reproach!

Then, only the second possibility remained!

Someone had infiltrated the cave despite the defensive barrier and guards, killed Kong Xuan on the spot without resistance, or captured him and killed him later!

The guards were merely competent fighters of moderate skill—nothing remarkable.

But the defensive formation had been personally set by Nolan Cheng!

Whoever accomplished this must possess strength rivaling, if not surpassing, Nan Lanxiong!

Thus, the culprit's identity was almost certain.

"Curse it!"

Nalang Shande spat the name "Curse Master" through gritted teeth!

Because only one person came to mind!

What's more, just before the teleportation array had appeared, he and the Curse Master had almost engaged in a fierce battle!

Yet even so, Nan Lanxiong harbored a faint sense of relief. In his view, the Curse Slayer Demon King sought to assassinate Yang Tian during the night.

However, as he had spent the entire night vigilantly guarding Yang Tian's cave under divine mandate, the Curse Slayer Demon King had no opportunity to act, and thus redirected his wrath onto Kong Xuan instead.

"Damn you, Curse Master! You and I are sworn mortal enemies!"

Xiong De let out a cold snort and immediately ordered his subordinates to bring the other participant to him swiftly, lest they too fall victim!

The subordinates, seeing the rare moment of rationality in Xiong Denan's words, breathed a sigh of relief, nodded quickly, and left to carry out his orders.

After they departed, Nan Lanxiong's cold demeanor shifted into contemplation, his brows furrowing deeply.

The loss of Kong Xuan, someone painstakingly trained for a century, was regrettable—though, in his mind, replaceable.

As the lord of the Blue Star, he knew that even though such talents were rare, Blue Star held potential to find two comparable individuals, if not more.

The mystical realm would always have no shortage of gifted individuals; after all, no matter how extraordinary, until matured, a genius was merely an ant!

Only when truly grown to full potential could one inspire fear!

This was an undeniable truth in the realms dominated by demons, Buddhas, and devils.

A monk's cultivation path is one that defies the heavens. To truly attain such heights, a monk must break free from all constraints, advancing step by step to reach the other side of destiny!

But every breakthrough follows an established rhythm, especially in the higher echelons of the Devil World. Who doesn't spend centuries preparing for a single breakthrough?

Now, could Nan Lanxiong believe his own eyes?

Yesterday, Yang Tian exhibited no signs of breaking through, yet today he stood before him, having entered a later stage of cultivation improbable for mortals?

Were it not for Nan Lanxiong's unshakable ability to discern the truth, he might have suspected Yang Tian had hidden his true power all along!

But to his utter astonishment, Yang Tian merely nodded faintly and nonchalantly replied, "Ah, yes, I, uh… carelessly broke through last night."

"Carelessly…?"

Hearing those words, Nolan Kongde almost bit his tongue in disbelief!

Careless? How is a breakthrough possible through carelessness? Could there be two such accidental breakthroughs?

If Yang Tian had been deliberate, could he have advanced to the early stages of Sena?

That was an entirely new realm!

Of course, what Nolan Kong didn't know was that for Yang Tian, breakthroughs were akin to child's play!

After all, the knowledge and practice Yang Tian possessed mirrored a lifetime of experience—yet none of it was ordinary.

It was said that Yang Tian's current state of mind had already transcended to the pinnacle of demonic enlightenment.

The energy had fully aligned. How difficult could breakthroughs still be?

The only deciding factor lay in whether Yang Tian desired it!

If not, then it was simply a matter of waiting for the right celestial phenomena.

After all, one needed abundant spiritual essence to refine worldly energies into mystical forces, enabling Yang Tian to ascend.

This was unattainable in the mortal Cultivation Realm. Yet, in the domain of demons, with enough Magic Crystals, Yang Tian might concoct his own alchemy, dispelling any deficiency of Spiritual Energy.

As for everything else, those depended on Yang Tian's own instincts and talents!

The ultimate technique, "Return to the King of All Things," belonged solely to Yang Tian. This technique, inferred from countless magical methods, was designed to counter the Devil Ancestor.

However, under current constraints of the Devil Ancestor's reincarnation plane, this magic could only elevate Yang Tian to the Monarch level. Beyond that, further advancement would demand time-consuming refinements.

In theory, meanwhile, if Yang Tian practiced alongside ascetics harboring his skill set's painful edges, the accumulated strength would still suffice for genuine demonhood overnight.

If Yang Tian merely indulged his conjectures—possessing an infinite wealth of Magic Crystals—then achieving Monarch status within a single night wasn't entirely impossible!

Yet, Yang Tian refrained from doing so because he understood that, at least for now, the Devil Kingdom's ministry remained its stabilizing factor in his timeline.

In simple terms, it served as a sacred anchor for any weapons or contracts under alliance hierarchies elevating their true capacities somewhat further beyond mastery-level martial merits per-se.

And so, Yang Tian's Magic Treasure of Life could never succumb casually—as such artifacts described, being heirloom clauses, transcendent sacred ends rendered abstract beyond "Heavenly Slash."

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