The Abyssal Fire blazed with the brilliance and heat of a solar flare, impossible to ignore.
In the market at the foot of the mountain, the activation of the Formation Arts triggered a frantic response. Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators and above soared into the air on their flying instruments, while Qi Refining Stage disciples scattered like startled birds and beasts, fleeing for their lives.
High above, the Three-Legged Golden Cauldron, now swollen to a diameter of ten meters, unleashed its mysterious flames. Though the descent appeared slow, it was in reality devastatingly swift.
The instant the Formation Arts faltered, a surging torrent of liquid fire crashed down upon the market.
A violent, abrupt chorus of screams erupted. On the ground, only a handful of Peak Qi Refining Stage cultivators with exceptional speed managed to survive. The rest were annihilated by the fiery deluge—their bodies instantly vaporized and their souls utterly annihilated.
In mid-air, three Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators had barely taken flight when the Abyssal Fire splashed onto them. Initially unconcerned, they attempted to extinguish the flames with spells.
But to their horror, they soon discovered that once touched by this fire, no spell could quench it. The flames burned ever brighter, and even their Divine Souls within their Sea of Consciousness had begun to ignite.
In the blink of an eye, their physical bodies and divine souls burned together, turning to ashes. Even the magic artifacts and treasures beneath their feet were consumed by the eerie flames.
The scattered flames spread rapidly, forming a vast, ever-burning inferno that sent shivers down the spines of onlookers.
Han Yi couldn't help but retreat a few steps, and he wasn't alone; the other Profound Pill Sect cultivators hovering in the air on their instruments followed suit.
"Damn it! It's Huo Ming of the Profound Pill Sect!"
"Shit!"
"Kill them all!"
The first two exclamations came from the cultivators who had ascended from the market, while the final battle cry was Huo Ming's thunderous roar.
With a flick of his fingers, the Abyssal Fire cascading toward the ground reversed its course. In the void, it transformed into a crimson waterfall that surged toward the lone Golden Core cultivator who had taken flight from the market.
Clearly wary of the Abyssal Fire, the Golden Core cultivator constantly shifted his position while unleashing a magic treasure to clash with Huo Ming.
"No need to hold back. Finish this quickly. Annihilate them all!" an elder of the Profound Pill Sect commanded. Han Yi recognized him as Shen Ping, a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator from Azure Dragon Peak ranked ninth on the Earth Ranking.
The other Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators who had stormed out of the market were similarly consumed by murderous intent, their Magic Artifacts flashing through the air as they launched their attacks.
In an instant, the skies above the devastated market erupted into a chaotic melee that soon spilled onto the ground.
Boom!
Spirit Energy exploded, shattering the heavens.
This wasn't Han Yi's first clash with Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. Outside Huainan City in Luofeng County, he had briefly exchanged blows with Gu Zhijing. However, back then, Han Yi had only just entered Qi Refining, while Gu Zhijing was a decaying Foundation Establishment cultivator—an exceptional case.
Now, Han Yi faced Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators at the peak of their power. Gu Zhijing couldn't possibly compare to these Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators from the Heavenly Soul Sect or Blood God Sect.
But Han Yi was no longer the same man he once was.
Having achieved Foundation Establishment with a First-Grade Immortal Foundation, his Spirit Sea was now vast, eighty-eight times larger than before. The explosive surge in his Mana had transformed his Skills, unleashing them with unprecedented might.
For Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, selecting their opponents had become instinctive.
Gu Yu, who had been standing in front of Han Yi, was already locked in fierce combat with a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
An elderly cultivator spotted Han Yi, his eyes flashing with silver light that reflected his undisguised delight.
"Kill!"
With a thunderous roar, the old cultivator charged toward Han Yi. To his experienced eye, Han Yi's aura clearly marked him as a newly advanced Early Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator—one whose energy hadn't yet stabilized.
Such inexperienced cultivators, still fighting like Qi Refining practitioners, would be easily overwhelmed by a seasoned Foundation Establishment expert. While the old man was also at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage, his long life and accumulated combat experience gave him a decisive advantage.
The old cultivator's Top-Grade Magic Artifact was a silver ruler. He tossed it upward, and the ruler expanded into a massive, thirty-meter-long weapon. A silver light screen shimmered across its surface as it slammed down toward Han Yi.
The giant ruler's friction with the air created a deafening sonic boom. Its edges glowed with a deceptive, ethereal light—beautiful yet lethally sharp.
Any ordinary newly advanced Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator would have been paralyzed by the ruler's overwhelming presence, their very soul trembling in fear.
But Han Yi was far from ordinary.
Boom!
The giant ruler shattered the void as it crashed into the ground, the impact sending tremors through the earth.
"Hmm?" The old cultivator murmured in surprise as he descended. With a flick of his wrist, the giant ruler shrank back into its original form and landed in his palm.
The Giant Ruler had clearly missed its target. The old cultivator raised his gaze to see the young cultivator had shifted about ten meters sideways from his previous position. It was this instantaneous sidestep that had allowed him to evade the crushing blow.
"Not bad," the old cultivator sneered, though a warning bell had already rung in his mind. Those who lived long not only accumulated experience but also cherished their lives more, naturally becoming more cautious of danger. They never foolishly assumed that mere longevity equated to greater strength.
In mid-air, Han Yi had already landed after dodging the Giant Ruler's horizontal slash. His expression was grave, but utterly fearless. The old cultivator before him was stronger than Gu Zhijing, but only marginally. In Han Yi's eyes, he was hardly worth his attention.
However, as the first enemy he faced since his Foundation Establishment Advancement, Han Yi wouldn't take him lightly. He himself had encountered many careless cultivators in the past—their graves now overgrown with grass several meters tall.
"Kill!"
Without further preamble, Han Yi uttered a soft cry, pinched his fingers together, and released the Green Ripple Sword. In a Kshana, the blade shattered the sound barrier. As the sonic boom erupted, the cyan-black sword light reached the old cultivator's throat.
"What?"
The elderly cultivator jolted in surprise.
So fast! He had expected his opponent to need a moment to adjust after landing before striking, since even he couldn't effortlessly unleash such a perfectly charged attack.
More importantly, the strike was terrifyingly swift.
Ninety percent of a Sword Cultivator's power resides in their sword, and seventy percent of the sword's might stems from its speed.
Speed conquers all.
Despite his shock, the elderly cultivator's vast experience kept panic at bay. He swept his giant ruler horizontally, condensing its massive shadow into a solid form to obliterate the incoming sword light. Then, he pressed forward, intending to crush his opponent to dust.
The next moment...
Thwack.
The faint tearing sound of chopsticks piercing paper suddenly echoed. Though not loud, it sent a jolt of alarm through the elderly cultivator's heart.
A fatal sense of danger surged through him. Without hesitation, he rolled aside. Though undignified, the maneuver proved lifesaving.
Shriek.
A streak of sword light tore through his arm, scattering a spray of blood blossoms. Terrified, the elderly cultivator scrambled forward. As he did, the cyan-black sword light reversed its course, piercing through the very spot he had just vacated.
The sword light retreated, its power completely exhausted.
Han Yi, standing dozens of meters away, was genuinely astonished.
This old man's sense of danger is shockingly sharp! In all his past battles, Han Yi had never encountered a cultivator with such a refined instinct for self-preservation.
A chilling realization struck him as a second sword artifact, radiating a silvery-white glow, surged after the fleeing elderly cultivator.
The Clear Spring Sword.
With the establishment of his First-Grade Immortal Foundation and the condensation of the first layer of his Ninefold Soul Tower, Han Yi's Divine Soul had become unprecedentedly powerful.
He had previously tested his limits and found that he could effortlessly wield up to four Top-Grade Magic Artifacts simultaneously. However, his optimal state was three, allowing him to unleash their full destructive potential.
After his desperate dive, the elderly cultivator sprinted onward. Glancing sideways as he fled, he spotted a silvery-white blur closing in rapidly. At the same time, he heard the clear, gurgling sound of a flowing spring near his ear.
With a flick of his right hand, he flung a piece of black cloth, which snapped forward, enveloping the Clear Spring Sword.
Shriik!
The silvery-white light flashed through, instantly tearing the cloth in two.
"So powerful?" The elderly cultivator cried out in despair.
The black cloth he had just destroyed was his second Top-Grade Magic Artifact, a defensive one at that. An ordinary Early Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator would never have been able to cleave it in two so easily.
This man wasn't just freshly ascended to Foundation Establishment; he was a full-fledged God of Slaughter.
A fierce glint flashed in the old cultivator's eyes as he lunged sideways. Clutching the Giant Ruler, now pierced by the Green Ripple Sword, he channeled energy into it, causing it to swell with a destructive aura.
Han Yi's heart tightened. The old bastard's desperate! He's going to self-detonate his artifact and take me with him!
The tip of the Clear Spring Sword rose swiftly, angling upward to evade the impending self-destruction of the Top-Grade Magic Artifact.
In the next instant, the destructive aura vanished completely. The old cultivator had already sprinted three hundred meters away. The previous display had been a meticulously crafted deception, designed to fool even fellow cultivators of his rank.
Han Yi's eyelid twitched as he stood rooted to the spot.
Twice now.
This old cultivator, in Han Yi's first battle since his Foundation Establishment Advancement, had given him two such shocking surprises.
No wonder he had lived so long—he was cautious and cunning beyond measure. Deeming the distance too great to risk further complications, Han Yi recalled his two Top-Grade Sword Artifacts. Stepping onto the Clear Spring Sword with the Green Ripple Sword strapped to his back, he soared into the sky.
A kilometer away, Han Yi saw Gu Yu, drenched in blood, plummeting from the sky.
The crimson sea of clouds before him had been torn asunder by a colossal blade qi.
The blood-colored blade qi radiated savage intensity, conjuring an illusory sea of blood around itself. Within this crimson ocean, countless demonic creatures rose and fell, dissolving and regenerating in an endless cycle of annihilation and rebirth.
With a sweep of his Divine Sense, Han Yi rescued Gu Yu, bringing him before him.
"Han Yi, flee!" Gu Yu's face was grim, his eyes burning with a resolute death wish.
Every cultivator from the Profound Pill Sect had prepared to sacrifice themselves for the Sect before joining this battle, Gu Yu included. Kill as many as you can. If you can't, drag them down with you.
A flash of silver light erupted as it collided with the massive blade qi in mid-air.
Boom!
The blade qi shattered, its illusory sea of blood instantly vanishing. A young cultivator emerged from behind the dissipating aura.
!
The cultivator was also young, his expression calm as he wielded a blood-red longsword. The blade itself was only an inch wide, completely crimson and devoid of any embellishments.
The youth's gaze pierced through the air, settling on Han Yi with a flicker of interest.
"A Sword Cultivator."
"A newly advanced Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator from the Profound Pill Sect?"
"Interesting."
"I recall your sect once had another newly advanced Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator who drew his sword against me. However, he didn't survive three of my strikes. I hope you can offer me a more satisfying challenge."
The cultivator had witnessed Han Yi's earlier actions from below. Han Yi's aura, unmistakable to fellow Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, clearly marked him as newly advanced.
"Mo Wen?" Han Yi's eyebrow twitched.
Three strikes to fell a Profound Pill Sect cultivator? Only one name came to mind: Mo Wen.
Years ago, You Wu of the Profound Pill Sect had drawn his sword against Mo Wen at the Dragon-Slaying Temple in Taibai County. The Blade Cultivator Mo Wen had responded by cutting You Wu down with three strikes. You Wu's body shattered, his soul dissipated, and his Fire Inversion Sword shattered into fragments. Supreme Elder Zhuge Wuyou had personally retrieved the broken blade and stored it within the sect's armory.
"Oh, you've heard of me? Then you must know the fate of the Sword Cultivator who challenged me."
"Come on, give me a surprise." Mo Wen licked his lips, a hint of madness flickering in his eyes.
Before his words could fully fade, the Blood Blade in his hand descended in a sweeping arc. A massive blade light erupted, unleashing a torrential sea of blood that surged forth like a tidal wave, crushing everything in its path.
Gu Yu, his body ravaged by grievous wounds, desperately squeezed out every last drop of mana. The shattered crimson sea of clouds reformed and surged forward, colliding with a deafening roar.
The strike worsened Gu Yu's already critical condition. Struggling to rise, he realized he was too weak to continue fighting. The torn sea of clouds began to churn violently, clearly preparing to self-destruct in a desperate attempt to take Mo Wen with it.
"Senior Brother Gu, wait!" Han Yi shouted, stepping forward, his heart heavy with dread. Even if Gu Yu detonated his magic artifact at this point, it would pose little threat to Mo Wen, merely leaving him slightly disheveled—a futile sacrifice.
Their opponent was terrifyingly strong.
Mo Wen's pale golden eyes reflected the aura emanating from the indistinct sea of blood looming behind him, as if he were one with it.
This was a God of Slaughter who had emerged from the carnage of a blood sea.
Though merely at the Early Foundation Establishment Stage—the same cultivation realm as Gu Yu and Han Yi—Mo Wen's aura far surpassed theirs.
You Wu, upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage, had quickly become a formidable force within the Early Foundation Establishment realm. Yet, at Taibai County's Dragon-Slaying Temple, when he pointed his sword at Mo Wen, he had fallen in just three strikes.
Clearly, Mo Wen was no mere stepping stone for others to overcome through higher cultivation realms.
Han Yi flashed forward, positioning himself in front of Gu Yu. Without a word, he extended his hand and pressed it against the void, unleashing a point of spirit light from his fingertip.
The Spirit Void Finger.
The spirit light streaked across dozens of meters in an instant, blazing before Mo Wen.
Mo Wen's expression remained unchanged. With a casual flick of his long blade, he prepared to deflect Han Yi's spell.
However, the mana compressed within a Spirit Void Finger cast by a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator far surpassed that of a Qi Refining Stage practitioner, both in quality and quantity.
Bang!
The spirit light exploded. The Blood Blade faltered momentarily, and a demonic creature reflected in the surrounding sea of blood suddenly burst apart, sinking into the crimson depths, never to resurface.
Mo Wen shook his head. "This spell might work on other Early Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators, but it's hardly a match for me."
Yet, the next moment, his eyes narrowed.
Before him, a torrential rain of spirit light descended, resembling a swarm of locusts blotting out the sky.
"Intriguing," Mo Wen murmured, a smirk playing on his lips. His Blood Blade slashed downward with ferocious force. Though merely a Top-Grade Magic Artifact, it was among the finest of its kind.
Even among Top-Grade Magic Artifacts, there were distinct differences.
The Top-Grade Magic Artifacts used by Legendary Qi Refining cultivators are typically the most common type. Those used in the Early Foundation Establishment Stage are comparatively stronger, while the pinnacle of Top-Grade Magic Artifacts is reserved for the Mid Foundation Establishment Stage. A rare few powerhouses in the Late Foundation Establishment Stage even possess Magic Treasures. Huo Ming, for instance, already wielded the Abyssal Fire Cauldron, a Magic Treasure, during his Late Foundation Establishment Stage.
Mo Wen's Blood Blade was no ordinary artifact. Its extraordinary origins allowed him to challenge cultivators a stage higher than himself, even those in the Mid Foundation Establishment Stage.
As the Blood Blade descended, its terrifying blade qi clashed with the Spirit Light that filled the sky.
Within the radiant light, a dazzling golden radiance erupted. The Spirit Light coalesced into a shuttle-like form, instantly closing the distance to within ten meters of Mo Wen.
Yet Mo Wen showed no panic. Instead, a ferocious grin spread across his face.
"No, not enough. Not nearly enough."
For the first time, the long blade in his hand soared into the air, transforming into a blood-colored dragon soaring through the void. Its head held high, the dragon unleashed a crimson breath of fire, the blade's tip leading the charge.
Boom!
The golden radiance vanished in an instant.
The Blood Blade shattered the Golden Light Shuttle, sending it flying. Han Yi reeled from the impact, involuntarily spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Weak. Pathetically weak."
Mo Wen shook his head, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. He regarded Han Yi as if staring at a corpse.
With a flick of his arm, the Soaring Dragon Blood Blade hurtled downward like a meteor, its sonic boom trailing behind it.
Just then...
Within the still-churning Spirit Void Finger storm, two sword lights intertwined and soared skyward like a dragon ascending to the heavens—a breathtaking spectacle.
One was cyan-black, the other silver-white.
Yet both radiated a fiery, pale red glow, their trails streaking with crimson light, resembling twin comets hurtling through the heavens.
Whoosh!
A flicker of surprise crossed Mo Wen's eyes. He had assumed the Golden Light Shuttle was Han Yi's sole trump card. After all, for a cultivator who had just reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, possessing even one Top-Grade Magic Artifact was exceedingly rare.
Yet here was Han Yi, wielding three such treasures: the Golden Light Shuttle and two Top-Grade Sword Artifacts. This fleeting astonishment was the only emotion Mo Wen had shown since his victory over Gu Yu.
"Intriguing," Mo Wen murmured, a faint smile playing on his lips. His Blood Blade descended, colliding with the two ascending sword lights.
The void trembled. From the point of impact between the blade and the swords, a Spirit Energy Storm erupted outward.
Whoosh!
The air convulsed violently. Han Yi retreated over twenty meters, pulling Gu Yu with him. They didn't stop until they had put fifty meters between themselves and the chaotic energy.
Simultaneously—
Whoosh!
Amidst the raging Spirit Energy, the two sword artifacts were hurled back. Guiding them with his divine sense, Han Yi summoned them back to him.
The cyan-black sword hovered intact above his head, while the silver-white blade bore a visible crack.