The sky seemed to split open as a blazing meteor streaked across it!
An Yi, gripping a shattered greatsword, descended from the heavens wreathed in swirling flames!
Boom!
The deafening impact stunned everyone present.
The sheer force of the collision carved a massive crater into the ground, shockwaves rippling outward.
The two ghostly apparitions hovering in the air didn’t even have a chance to resist—they were cleaved into nothingness by the broken blade, scattering into the void.
Que Feng, drenched in blood, collapsed.
Alive or dead—no one could tell.
An Yi landed unsteadily, his clothes in tatters, the Dragon Fang dagger in hand. Step by staggering step, he advanced, his gaze icy.
At the last moment, the bastard had used his blood scythe to block, absorbing most of the impact.
Otherwise, An Yi was seventy percent certain he could’ve reduced him to dust.
"Watch your back!"
Chen Bing’s warning rang out from a distance.
An Yi’s instincts flared.
A one-armed Taoist lunged at him, hurling a whisk straight at his face!
Boom!
A blinding explosion erupted.
"Damn it!" An Yi cursed.
The same trick again!
What kind of evil Taoist spent his days throwing bombs? Was this really acceptable?
Lin Chen reacted swiftly, conjuring four or five air barriers in front of An Yi.
The blast roared, sending shockwaves that even knocked nearby fighters off their feet.
As the dust settled—
Thousand Taoist and Que Feng were gone.
An Yi frowned. "They got away."
Chen Bing kicked a bloodied severed hand on the ground, his tone indifferent. "That demonic Taoist has some tricks up his sleeve."
Dark Crow Wusu—instantly killed by Lin Chen.
Demonic Monk Yu Tian—smashed into a wall by Fang Jueming, fate unknown.
Que Feng, the envoy of the Hundred Ghosts Sect—defeated by An Yi.
Thousand Taoist, now missing an arm, had fled with Que Feng in tow.
Only the Corpse-driving Old Ghost remained, fighting desperately.
But his resolve was crumbling.
He was already looking for an escape.
Seizing the moment, Bai Xiu struck like lightning, his spear piercing the old ghost’s throat.
With the Corpse-driving Old Ghost dead—
The four corpses, each with the strength of a martial master, collapsed with a thud.
Qin Shan gasped for breath. "Finally… that old bastard’s done for."
Bai Xiu flicked his spear, sending the old ghost’s unnaturally light body flying—only for it to burst into splinters midair.
He said flatly, "A decoy. We’ve been fighting a wooden puppet this whole time."
Liu Dachao groaned. "Damn it, they still escaped! Old Bai, you really dropped the ball here."
Bai Xiu yawned, unfazed.
With the masterminds of the Hundred Ghosts Sect gone—
The remaining underlings lost all courage to stay, scattering like roaches, terrified of catching An Yi’s attention.
An Yi picked up the combat dagger he’d thrown earlier and muttered, "Didn’t expect him to slip away."
Shangguan Qianqian stated with certainty, "That Que Feng is already dead."
An Yi’s brow twitched.
This woman… was strange.
What was her background? And why was she considered a "Child of Destiny"?
---
Thousand Taoist sprinted away from the battlefield, Que Feng slung over his shoulder.
Blood dripped steadily from his empty sleeve, leaving a trail behind him.
Finally, he stopped to hastily bandage his wound.
Then, with a grim expression, he checked Que Feng’s pulse.
Nothing.
No movement at all.
"Dead?"
Thousand Taoist shook his head.
Leaning against a wall, he closed his eyes in exhaustion.
Dealing with An Yi, he hadn't been careless—he had mobilized nearly all the resources at his disposal. Yet, in the end, this was the result.
"Why hasn’t Immortal Lu arrived yet?" Thousand Taoist murmured, calculating the time with a frown.
At that moment.
In the coastal city of Yangcheng, in the southeastern province.
An old man with a wine-stained nose and a massive bronze gourd strapped to his back glared darkly at the young man before him.
For the first time since coming to this world, the old man felt fear.
A soul-chilling, bone-deep terror!
"Who are you, sir? Why are you opposing the Hundred Ghosts Sect?" Immortal Lu clenched his teeth and demanded in a low voice.
The young man regarded him indifferently and replied leisurely, "I am Long Aoyun."
"Master of the Divine Halls! The War God of Xia Country!"
Immortal Lu's face paled as he realized he had kicked an iron plate.
In all of Xia Country, Long Aoyun was undoubtedly among those he never wished to cross.
This man had transcended the limits of humanity. No one knew just how powerful he truly was!
To stand a chance against him, at least two of the Eight Immortals would need to join forces!
Long Aoyun's eyes were icy as he spoke calmly, "The one you're targeting—An Yi—is my prey."
Immortal Lu hesitated, taking two steps back and bowing respectfully. "Since he is the War God's target, this old man has overstepped. I beg your forgiveness, Lord War God. I shall take my leave!"
With that, he turned to flee.
"Did I say you could leave?"
A lean, shadow-cloaked figure materialized behind Immortal Lu as if emerging from the darkness itself.
Immortal Lu's expression twisted in shock.
He hadn’t sensed this man’s approach—not even the slightest warning!
"Why are you stopping me?!" he cried, turning to Long Aoyun in alarm.
Then, realization dawned on him. "Could it be… because of An Yi?"
Long Aoyun stood atop a jagged reef.
Waves crashed against the shore, surging over the rocks.
Yet, the shimmering seawater seemed to part unnaturally, avoiding Long Aoyun entirely before splashing down.
"The Hundred Ghosts Sect has grown rather bold lately," Long Aoyun remarked coolly.
Immortal Lu’s gaze hardened.
This man was known as the Guardian Deity of Xia Country—a foe not to be trifled with.
Knowing escape was unlikely, he gritted his teeth and formed a sword-hand seal. The massive bronze gourd trembled in response, emitting a resonant hum.
"Go!"
At his command, the gourd blazed with golden light and hurtled toward the black-clad man.
"Not bad for one of the Eight Immortals. Interesting."
The black-clad man’s eyes gleamed with an eerie blue light.
His figure shot forward like lightning, steel claws extending from his fingers, glinting coldly as they clashed against the bronze gourd.
Night waves rolled, carrying a chilling breeze.
Thud.
Immortal Lu collapsed onto the beach, his reed-white hair disheveled, his body drenched in blood. The enormous gourd lay beside him, its glow extinguished. A gaping hole marked his back—his lifeless eyes wide with disbelief.
The black-clad man licked the blood from his claws and sauntered back to Long Aoyun, grinning. "Lord Hall Master, Immortal Lu is dead."
"Hm."
Long Aoyun gave a slight nod and leaped down from the reef.
"My Lord, what about that kid An Yi? Should we eliminate him while we're at it?" The black-clad man’s voice dripped with killing intent.
Long Aoyun shook his head. "No. Let him live for now. He still has his uses."
"As you command, Lord Hall Master," the man replied deferentially.
"Let’s go. Ting Ting will be upset if I’m late. I need to return early to make her soup."
Long Aoyun spoke plainly as he walked away.
Watching his retreating figure, the lean man opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he only sighed deeply.
The night grew colder, and the corpse of Immortal Lu drifted gently with the undulating waves.
--