Erase

Elder Xuan coughed up blood in disbelief as he staggered to his feet. The toxins in his body relentlessly corroded his internal organs, and even his spiritual power couldn’t suppress them.

Last time, it was that eerie intangibility. Now, it was this strange poison.

Just how many hidden cards did this brat have?!

"This… this…" Nearby, Ling Xu and Liu Canglan, who had been watching the battle, were utterly dumbfounded.

What were they witnessing?

A cultivator at the Hualing realm was beating a Wudao-realm expert like a dog?

Talented individuals could challenge those above their realm, but they had never heard of someone at the Hualing realm overwhelming a Wudao-realm master to the point of helplessness.

After all, even the weakest Wudao-realm expert was someone who had reached that level through innate talent—there was no such thing as being "weak" at that stage.

"You’ve got some skill, brat," Elder Xuan muttered, finally realizing the gravity of the situation.

Someone with this level of talent would inevitably become a major threat to his sect in the future.

No matter what, even if it cost him his life, he had to ensure this kid never left here alive!

"RAAAAAAAAH!!!" Elder Xuan roared, and the transparent threads controlling the space around them began to soak in his essence blood, their razor-sharp edges gleaming as if they could slice through reality itself.

"Heaven and Earth—Ensnaring Net!"

With a hand seal, Elder Xuan transformed the threads into a massive crimson web that descended upon Ye Chuan.

"You really think I’m the same as before?" Ye Chuan said coolly, watching the approaching net. "Just a Wudao-realm expert? Pathetic."

As he spoke, a pale gray energy surged from his palm, coalescing into a colossal sword dozens of meters long.

"Perfect. Let’s test the power of the Root-Severing Slash."

Ye Chuan swung the sword, unleashing a crescent of gray-white energy. The moment the slash appeared, the world seemed to lose its color.

The space around the arc distorted and shattered, disintegrating as if melting away. Though the slash moved slowly, the moment it collided with the crimson net, the web dissolved instantly under its corrosive force.

"What?! What kind of monstrous technique is this?!" Elder Xuan’s pupils shrank in horror.

The gray-white slash didn’t stop. It surged forward like an unstoppable force, swallowing Elder Xuan’s body whole.

"NOOOOOO—!!!"

Elder Xuan’s body disintegrated within the slash, his flesh and bones dissolving without resistance. Even his soul couldn’t escape—it withered rapidly, unable to withstand the annihilation.

"Spare me! No, please—!"

His terrified screams echoed briefly before Ye Chuan, startled by the sheer destructive force, quickly reeled the energy back in.

Damn, his main soul!

If this kept up, nothing would be left.

As the gray-white energy dissipated, only a faint, translucent remnant of Elder Xuan’s soul remained, his face twisted in absolute terror.

"Still something left, huh?" Ye Chuan observed before pulling out the Soul-Stealing Banner.

The black banner unfurled with a sharp whoosh.

Blood-red runes on the banner writhed like molten lava, and an oppressive, bone-chilling aura instantly filled the air. Countless twisted spectral figures howled as they burst from the banner, circling overhead like a storm of vengeful spirits.

Elder Xuan’s face twisted in recognition. "That damn banner again?!"

He hadn’t expected Ye Chuan to actually intend on refining him into a main soul.

"Soul-Stealing Banner? You really don’t know quality when you see it," Ye Chuan scoffed before slamming the banner into the ground.

A deep hum resonated as the crimson runes flared, and the spectral figures surged toward Elder Xuan like a tidal wave.

These were the souls of cultivators Ye Chuan had slain before. Individually, they were far weaker than a Wudao-realm expert, but their sheer numbers and ferocity made up for it. The moment they reached Elder Xuan, they latched onto his soul, tearing at it with ravenous hunger.

"You vile creature!"

Elder Xuan roared, trying to shake them off, but the spectral figures clung like parasites. Even when he destroyed some, the banner instantly replenished them, sending wave after wave of spirits at him.

Worse yet, wherever the spirits passed, Elder Xuan’s movements grew sluggish, his power waning.

After all, he was now just a soul—and the banner was the bane of all souls.

Ye Chuan watched calmly, not even bothering to summon the banner’s chains to restrain him.

"Liu family! What are you standing around for?!" Elder Xuan bellowed at Liu Canglan and the others in desperation.

Liu Canglan, whose legs had turned to jelly from fear, snapped out of his daze at the shout and rushed toward Ye Chuan.

"Truly blind to the situation," Ye Chuan remarked coldly, glancing at the Liu family members.

Only then did realization dawn on them.

Wait a second—

But before they could retreat, chains shot out from the banner, impaling the Liu family cultivators in an instant.

Liu Canglan felt an icy force invade his meridians before his body collapsed to the ground. The next moment, his soul was violently ripped out, dragged toward the banner by the chains.

"No! Elder Xuan, save us!" Liu Canglan’s soul shrieked in despair, but Elder Xuan was in no position to help—he was too busy struggling against the chains pulling him in.

Some of the Liu family members tried to flee, while others charged recklessly forward, but the banner’s chains pierced them all. Screams filled the air as one soul after another was sucked into the banner, its crimson runes glowing brighter with each addition, staining the air with a bloody haze.

With the Liu family dealt with, Ye Chuan turned his attention back to Elder Xuan.

The old man thrashed wildly, but it only slowed his inevitable fate. His soul was already in tatters, his face a mask of terror and hatred.

"Who… who the hell are you?! Killing a member of the Holy Land—they’ll never let you live!"

"The Holy Land?" Ye Chuan smirked as he raised the banner again, its runes blazing. "Perfect. My banner could use a few more souls."

Elder Xuan mustered the last of his spiritual power in a futile attempt to resist, but it was like an egg smashing against a rock. With a final, agonized scream, his soul was dragged into the banner, writhing briefly before being fully absorbed.

As the last of Elder Xuan’s soul vanished, the banner’s crimson light reached its peak before gradually dimming.

"Not bad," Ye Chuan mused, scanning the dense array of enhanced attributes. "A Wudao-realm main soul… Hm?"

He noticed something unexpected—after devouring Elder Xuan, the banner hadn’t just gained a massive boost in power. The spectral chains could now be manipulated like the threads Elder Xuan had once controlled.

"Interesting."

Ye Chuan hovered in the air, while Ling Xu and the others stood frozen in shock, their minds unable to process what they had just witnessed.

But Ye Chuan’s thoughts were already elsewhere.

Bai Qianshuang had been teleported away. He needed to catch up quickly.

But before that—

Ye Chuan rose higher, the banner in his hand radiating a sinister crimson glow.

"The Liu family… shall be erased from this continent."