Annihilation

The Demon-Extinguishing Cauldron was spiritually connected to the Grand Patriarch of the Demon Heaven Sect. The moment the holy weapon shattered, the backlash crashed into his soul meridians like a tsunami.

He felt a sudden tightness in his chest as the metallic taste of blood surged up his throat. His internal organs felt as if they were being crushed by an invisible giant hand, and even his scream was caught in his throat.

Before he could even fall, Little Black's scarlet vertical pupils suddenly focused. A faint black aura shot out from its sharp beak, accurately piercing through his glabella.

The last trace of ferocity in the patriarch's eyes instantly dissipated. The fire of his life was like a candle blown out by a fierce wind, completely extinguished upon the scorched earth.

The fate of the Blood Soul Sect's patriarch was even more tragic.

Little Black gently flapped its wings, and a faint black sonic wave swept across the Blood Soul Banner like a sharp blade. The vengeful spirits on the banner, which had once torn apart the souls of countless cultivators, suddenly seemed to be choked by an invisible giant hand. Before they could even let out a twisted scream, they turned into wisps of black smoke and dissipated.

The dark red banner pole snapped in response, the cross-section smoking with black scorch marks from the sonic wave, while simultaneously erupting into a violent spiritual energy storm.

The surrounding demonic cultivators had no time to dodge before they were torn to shreds by the storm. Even the rock face on the western side of the valley was cracked with fissures hundreds of feet deep.

Seeing this, he was scared out of his wits. He turned and tried to channel his spiritual energy to flee, but just as he took a single step, the residual power of the sonic wave brushed past his shoulder.

Half of his body was instantly reduced to ash, as if corroded by strong acid. His remaining ruined body smashed heavily onto the ground. His fingers vainly clawed at the dirt before he finally lost all signs of life in utter despair.

The remaining three patriarchs were completely terrified.

The demonic robes of the two Demon Heaven Sect patriarchs were torn in half during their panic, their exposed skin still stained with their companion's blood. They stepped on their flying artifacts and madly rushed out of the valley, unable to even distinguish their direction.

But Little Black merely raised its bird claw slowly and grabbed at the empty air. An invisible force instantly locked onto the bodies of the two, squeezing these two peak King Realm experts in its palm like ants.

With a crisp crack, the sound of shattering bones echoed clearly through the valley. The two could not even spit out a word of mercy before their bodies were annihilated between the claws. Even their souls were burned to nothingness by the black flames lingering on the claw tips, leaving not a single wisp of a remnant soul behind.

Seeing no way to escape, the last Blood Soul Sect patriarch flashed a trace of madness in his eyes. He clenched his fists tightly, and the blood-colored spiritual energy around him surged uncontrollably. A burning sensation of an impending explosion faintly came from his dantian.

But Little Black simply gave a cold look, opened its sharp beak slightly, and shot out a condensed black beam of light, accurately piercing through his dantian.

The explosion triggered by the out-of-control spiritual energy was as weak as a candle flame before the beam of light, failing to stir up even the slightest ripple, let alone harm a single feather on Little Black.

In the end, a mist of blood scattered across the scorched earth, leaving only a blurred pool of blood to prove that this patriarch had ever existed.

Having dealt with the five patriarchs, Little Black's scarlet vertical pupils slowly turned, its gaze accurately locking onto the trembling Demon Heaven Sect Master Mo Luo and Blood Soul Sect Master Xue Wushang in the crowd.

Mo Luo's demonic energy was in complete disarray, his former arrogance entirely gone.

Looking at the corpses of the patriarchs and disciples littering the ground, and the fragments of the Demon Heaven Sect's holy weapon being burned by the black flames, his mind was left with nothing but endless regret. If he had known their trump card was this terrifying, he would never have dared to provoke them!

The five King Realm patriarchs, hundreds of elites, and the sect-suppressing holy weapon, the Demon-Extinguishing Cauldron, which the sect had accumulated over endless years, were destroyed in just three breaths. The foundation of the Demon Heaven Sect was completely severed, and he, the Sect Master, had become a complete sinner!

Xue Wushang stared fixedly at Little Black, his eyes full of panic and unwillingness.

The Blood Soul Sect's Blood Soul Banner was broken, the patriarchs were dead, and the elites were gone. The current Blood Soul Sect had lost all its foundation, becoming lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

He wanted to flee, but his legs were as heavy as lead. Little Black's gaze was like tangible shackles, nailing him firmly to the spot, making him unable to move even a single finger.

In the instant the two were swallowed by fear, Little Black moved.

It flapped its wings fiercely, its figure turning into a black shadow that swept through the air, its speed so fast that its trajectory could not be seen.

Just as Mo Luo tried to channel his last trace of demonic energy to escape, he felt a chill on his neck. A faint black claw mark instantly appeared. Before he could even scream, his head rolled to the ground, his eyes still retaining the un-dissipated regret.

Seeing this, Xue Wushang completely broke down. Losing even the courage to detonate his dantian, he turned and tried to dive into the dense forest.

But how could Little Black give him the chance?

Opening its sharp beak slightly, another black beam of light shot out, accurately hitting his back.

Xue Wushang's body suddenly stiffened, his spiritual energy instantly dissipating. He smashed heavily onto the ground, completely devoid of breath.

The entire process took no more than three breaths.

The five peak King Realm patriarchs, two sect masters, two sect-suppressing holy weapons, and the elite disciples who had once struck terror into the hearts of all sects in Xuan State, were thus annihilated.

After Little Black finished off Mo Luo and Xue Wushang, its scarlet vertical pupils slowly swept over the crowd on the outskirts of the valley.

That gaze carried a soul-originating coercion, like an immemorial ferocious beast looking down upon ants, causing all the cultivators present to instantly freeze in place, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Yun Canghai of the Myriad Laws Pavilion subconsciously held his breath, the green bamboo staff in his hand pressed hard against the ground, his knuckles turning white from the exertion.

He had once seen a Great Saint Realm expert from a Middle Domain holy land make a move, but he had never felt such a terrifying sense of oppression. Little Black's casual glance almost stagnated the spiritual energy in his body, making him not even dare to entertain the thought of circulating his cultivation technique.

The Great Elder beside him was even worse off. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his legs trembled slightly. If he wasn't forcefully holding himself up, he would have already fallen to his knees.

Lie Tianxiong of the Burning Heaven Palace was half-supported by two disciples, yet he still could not help but shrink behind them. The bruised purple bump on the top of his head was particularly glaring in the sunlight.

He looked in Little Black's direction, a bitter taste rising in his throat. His previous hatred for Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu had long been replaced by fear.

At this moment, only one thought filled his mind: he must absolutely not be targeted by this immemorial ferocious bird, otherwise, not even a speck of dust would remain of his life.

The rogue cultivators were even more frightened out of their wits. Many directly slumped to the ground, their hands tightly covering their mouths, not even daring to let out a whimper.

A young rogue cultivator had just tried to quietly crawl backward, and the rustling sound of the grass leaves instantly attracted Little Black's gaze.

The rogue cultivator stiffened all over, his face as pale as paper. His body was unable to move as if frozen, and tears flowed uncontrollably down his face. He couldn't even squeeze out a word of mercy.

Little Black merely gave him an indifferent glance before withdrawing its gaze, making no further move.

But it was this brief look that made the rogue cultivator feel as if he had been granted amnesty. He slumped on the ground, panting heavily, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

The entire valley fell into a dead silence, leaving only the howling of the wind blowing across the scorched earth, and the occasional roar of demonic beasts in the distance, yet no one dared to be distracted by it.

Everyone knew clearly that if Little Black wanted to attack, no one present would survive. The five King Realm patriarchs and the two sect masters couldn't even last a single breath. Before Little Black, these cultivators didn't even have the qualifications to resist.