Foolish Disciple, Your Master Told You Long Ago: When Out in the World, Don't Be Too Arrogant, Don't Be Too Proud.

Rumble—

The pillar of fire continued to erupt, and the surrounding rock walls began to collapse on a massive scale.

Countless giant boulders tumbled into the sea of fire, turning into magma without even a single bubble.

The entire Third Mining Area shivered under this power.

The surviving mining slaves in the area were already scared out of their wits. Each of them wished they could grow two extra legs, running outward for their lives.

"Run!"

"Who is fighting to cause such a commotion?!"

"Can we take advantage of the chaos to escape the mining area?"

...

However, as the initiator, Su Ji was not as relaxed as one might imagine at this moment.

"Pfft—!"

A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed directly onto the scalding spear shaft, instantly evaporating into a bloody mist.

Su Ji half-knelt on the ground, his hands gripping the Fallen Dragon Spear in a death grip, his knuckles pale from overexertion.

Pain.

There was not a single place on his entire body that did not hurt.

Although that borrowed power was tremendous, its side effects were equally terrifying.

His meridians felt like they were being scraped by countless small knives, and his dantian felt as if it were about to burst.

"Senior Brother!"

In Su Ji's mind, Su Jiu's anxious voice carried a hint of crying.

"If this continues, your body will collapse!"

"I can't stop..."

Su Ji gritted his teeth, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth.

He stared dead ahead at that sea of fire, a crazy light flickering in his eyes.

"He's not dead yet..."

"That bastard... I don't know why, but he's not completely dead yet!"

Although he couldn't see it.

But he could feel it.

In the very center of the fire pillar, within that all-destroying high temperature, there was still a stubborn aura struggling.

That was the aura belonging to Zhao Teng.

Although weak and battered, he was indeed still alive.

A Soul Formation cultivator's life was indeed tougher than a cockroach's.

"Just... die!!!"

Su Ji let out a beast-like roar.

He forcefully squeezed out the last trace of potential in his body.

Boom!

The pillar of fire, which had already shown some signs of waning, surged wildly again!

Its color changed from dark red to deep purple, and the temperature rose to an appalling level.

In the center of the sea of fire.

Zhao Teng's current appearance was completely unrecognizable as human.

The golden armor on his body had long since melted, turning into scalding molten gold plastered over his skin.

His hair, eyebrows, and clothes were all reduced to ashes.

His entire person looked like a piece of charcoal thrown into a furnace.

But he was still moving.

In his hand, he tightly clutched a jade pendant that was already covered in cracks.

That was a life-saving magical artifact.

It was the final trump card left to him by his alcoholic master.

It was precisely by relying on the faint light emitted by this jade pendant that he barely protected his heart meridians, avoiding sudden death on the spot.

"I don't believe it..."

Zhao Teng's vocal cords were already destroyed, so he could only roar madly in his heart.

"I am Zhao Teng... I am the one destined to become an Immortal Venerable..."

"How could I die here?!"

"How could I die at the hands of an ant from the lower realm?!"

He was unwilling!

A strong desire to survive made him erupt with his final bit of strength.

He tried to break through the blockade of this sea of fire, tried to escape this hell.

But just as he took a single step.

Crack.

A crisp shattering sound rang in his ear.

That was... the sound of the jade pendant shattering.

Zhao Teng's movements froze.

He lowered his head, looking at the jade pendant in his hand that had turned to dust, and the last trace of light in his eyes completely extinguished.

The next second.

The purplish-black flames, like a ferocious beast that had starved for ten thousand years, roared and pounced on him.

It instantly swallowed him completely.

There was no scream.

A heaven-chosen genius of his generation, the Qilin son of the Zhao family, the self-proclaimed superior Zhao Teng.

Just like that.

At the hands of this ant whom he had never looked at properly.

He was turned into a handful of flying ash.

Not even a complete corpse was left behind.

"Phew..."

Sensing that the aura had completely disappeared.

The taut string in Su Ji's mind finally snapped.

The sky-filling flames, like a collapsing skyscraper that had lost its support, crashed down.

The fire pillar dissipated, and the heat wave receded.

Only scorched earth remained, along with the pungent smell of sulfur permeating the air.

Clang.

The Fallen Dragon Spear slipped from his hands and fell to the ground.

Tired.

Too tired.

He didn't even have the strength to move a single finger.

But he was smiling.

The corners of his mouth curled into an extremely ugly arc, looking up at the sky obscured by smoke and dust.

"This time... I really put my life on the line..."

His vision began to blur.

His consciousness began to sink.

Su Ji wiped the blood and dirt from his face, preparing to plop down on the ground and rest for a while.

His gaze accidentally noticed...

The Destiny that should have disappeared with the end of the battle was still flashing a piercing light at this moment.

Derived Destiny: The Wind Stops but the Intent Remains Restless!

Destiny Grade: Red

Special Effect: Ignore death, set up the Cosmic Form Nether Wind. The Cosmic Form will rapidly decay over time. If the source of the fatal blow is killed before the Cosmic Form shatters, the user can break free from this death, entering a state of extreme weakness, blood loss, exhaustion, and spiritual energy depletion, and this Destiny will be removed.

Su Ji's pupils suddenly shrank to pinpricks.

His heart skipped a beat.

According to the description of this entry, this Destiny would be removed after killing the source of the fatal blow.

But now...

It was still lit.

It was shining so brightly that it made one panic.

The wind...

Had not yet stopped.

There was no time to think at all.

Not even time to turn around.

A chill capable of freezing the soul instantly locked onto his back.

It was too fast.

So fast that even his divine sense hadn't had time to capture the opponent's trajectory.

Su Ji only felt his back tighten.

The expected severe pain of a sharp blade piercing flesh did not come.

Instead, a soft, warm body carrying a familiar faint fragrance slammed fiercely into him.

Or rather... she was forcefully stripped from his body, and Su Jiu blocked his back.

SquELCH.

That was the muffled sound of flesh and blood.

Immediately after.

An overwhelming and terrifying tremendous force erupted with a bang.

"Ugh..."

Su Ji only heard a desperately suppressed muffled groan from behind.

The next second.

The two of them were like being fiercely hit by a high-speed heavy armored train, flying forward uncontrollably.

The wind howled in their ears.

The scenery rapidly retreated.

Boom—!

Su Ji smashed heavily against the distant rock wall, his internal organs shifting out of place, and he could no longer suppress a mouthful of old blood, spraying it directly out.

But he couldn't care about his own injuries.

He climbed up using both his hands and feet.

Su Jiu's face was as pale as paper, a glaring trail of blood hanging from the corner of her mouth. That originally radiant pink phantom figure was now so dim it was almost transparent, as if it would dissipate in the wind at any moment.

"Don't... don't mind me..." Su Jiu struggled to open her eyes. Those fox-like eyes that always carried a bit of slyness were now filled with anxiety. "Look... look ahead..."

Su Ji suddenly looked up.

In the smoke and dust ahead, a twisted figure was taking stiff steps, step by step.

Tap, tap, tap...

With every step taken, a scorched footprint was left on the ground, accompanied by the sound of viscous liquid dripping.

When that figure walked out of the smoke and dust.

It was Zhao Teng.

At this moment, how did he still have even the slightest appearance of the noble and precious young master from before?

That proud golden body armor of his had now completely melted.

The golden liquid had completely fused with his flesh and blood. After cooling, it formed a bizarre dark golden crust that covered his charred body.

His hair was gone, and his scalp was burned into a pitted, uneven mess.

The flesh on the left half of his face had completely vanished, exposing ghastly white cheekbones and gums. One eyeball was missing, leaving only a pitch-black hole.

The remaining right eye, devoid of an eyelid to cover it, bulged out rigidly.

There was no sanity left in it.

Only a kind of... most primal, beast-like venomous resentment.

Su... Hao...

His throat had probably been burned out as well.

The voice that came out was no longer that clear male voice, but a piercing noise like two rusty iron plates scraping against each other.

His head tilted; several muscles in his neck had been severed by the fire, leaving his head to droop bizarrely on his shoulder.

But he did not fall.

Because behind him, something was floating.

It was a translucent phantom.

A Scruffy Daoist wearing a tattered Daoist robe, with a large wine gourd hanging at his waist, and hair as messy as a bird's nest.

This Daoist did not seem to possess the majesty of a supreme expert.

Instead, his face was full of sorrow, sighing heavily at Zhao Teng's gruesome, unbearable appearance.

How troublesome...

The Daoist phantom shook his head, his tone filled with the helpless frustration of a disappointed teacher.

Silly disciple, your master told you long ago, when you are out in the world, do not be too arrogant, do not be too proud.

I told you to run away quickly if you encountered someone with a wicked nature, but you just wouldn't listen.

If he doesn't know what's good for him... then let him die here today.