“Caw.”
The shrill cries of crows echoed, rising and falling, resounding throughout the Yin Burial Mountain Range.
Countless crows surged from every corner of the range, filling the sky, blotting out the sun in a terrifying spectacle.
Almost simultaneously, vast streams of holy path rules burst from Yan Wushen and Blood Demon, forming two mighty rivers that collided in midair.
Both had cultivated over ninety million holy path rules, each exceptionally resilient and indestructible.
“Boom.”
The two rivers of holy path rules clashed relentlessly, shattering the surrounding space. The Yin Burial Mountain Range crumbled rapidly, exposing countless bones that were ground to dust.
Yan Wushen and Blood Demon, in perfect sync, refrained from invoking heavenly rules or the power of heaven and earth, relying solely on their cultivated holy path rules for this duel.
The strength of one’s holy path rules largely determined their overall power.
The key lay in the type of path cultivated. Those who reached the Saint King realm typically mastered at least one or more Great Paths.
To reach the Nine-Step Saint King realm, one often needed to master one or more Supreme Holy Paths.
Mastering an Eternal Path, however, offered far greater potential.
Within Yan Wushen’s river of holy path rules, hundreds of thousands of thick, prominent rules stood out, cultivated from an Eternal Path.
If Zhang Ruochen were present, he’d recognize these as spatial rules, for few knew Yan Wushen was a Space Controller—a fact explaining his keen interest in taking Chi Kunlun as a disciple.
Blood Demon’s river of holy path rules also contained numerous robust rules, exuding an ancient, weathered aura. Though not from an Eternal Path, they rivaled one in power.
The nine Eternal Paths were widely regarded as the strongest, transcending the mundane.
Yet, throughout history, certain forces had emerged capable of rivaling the Eternal Paths. These were immensely difficult to master, with few succeeding, and by now, they were largely forgotten.
Blood Demon had mastered one such ancient force from the Nether Ancient era—the power of the “Witch”—the cornerstone of his invincible prowess.
Both Yan Wushen and Blood Demon were peerless prodigies: one a master of an Eternal Path, the other heir to ancient Witch power. Their achievements left countless holy path cultivators in awe.
Moreover, over half the rules in their rivers were derived from Supreme Holy Paths and Great Paths.
Typically, Path-Approaching realm cultivators’ holy path rules were dominated by minor paths, resulting in relatively weaker strength.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to comprehend Great or Supreme Holy Paths, but doing so was exponentially harder, often requiring several times the effort with no guaranteed success.
“No wonder you cultivated all nine Heavenly Demon Stone Carvings simultaneously and mastered Witch power. You’re comparable to the Heavenly Palace’s Four Heavenly Kings,” Yan Wushen said loudly.
Blood Demon replied, “You, the Infernal Court’s top powerhouse below Great Saint, haven’t disappointed me either. This trip was well worth it.”
As they spoke, their rivers of holy path rules underwent dramatic changes, manifesting terrifying phenomena.
From Yan Wushen’s river emerged a towering Yanluo phantom, standing astride the Yellow Springs, holding the Book of Earth, ruling over the life and death of billions.
From Blood Demon’s river surged a colossal Heavenly Demon, nine layers of dark demonic light stacked behind its head, exuding ancient, wild, domineering energy—lawless and chaotic.
“Boom.”
The Yanluo and Heavenly Demon phantoms clashed fiercely, as if two ancient beings had crossed endless spacetime to meet here, each striving to suppress the other.
“Now’s the chance!”
Seeing Yan Wushen and Blood Demon locked in a stalemate, Qiu Yichi sprang into action.
“Swish.”
Qiu Yichi and Yan Liren moved, darting toward Yan Wushen at top speed.
With Blood Demon keeping Yan Wushen occupied, it was their perfect opportunity.
“Want to snatch someone from under my nose? You’ll need the skill to back it up.”
Yan Wushen laughed, unleashing a surge of Infernal Yanluo energy that engulfed the approaching Qiu Yichi and Yan Liren.
“Swish—”
The Infernal Yanluo energy coalesced into nine hundred ninety-nine avatars, each radiating formidable power, comparable to seasoned Saint Kings.
“The Thousand-Headed, Thousand-Bodied Yanluo Technique—a forbidden art of the Yanluo Clan. Yan Wushen hasn’t even reached Great Saint, yet he’s mastered it.”
Qiu Yichi and Yan Liren found themselves surrounded by these avatars.
The nine hundred ninety-nine avatars, their expressions impassive, unleashed identical holy techniques.
Beams of eerie light converged, forming nine hundred ninety-nine mottled stone bridges, exuding a sinister aura that seemed to draw souls from their bodies.
“Nairuo Bridge.”
An ancient voice faintly echoed in the void.
Qiu Yichi’s expression shifted. With a wave, dozens of figures appeared around her.
All were Nine-Step Saint Kings, each with a fearsome reputation, but all controlled by Qiu Yichi’s Heart Path and Blood Soul Technique.
Yan Liren remained unchanged, his demeanor still grim, radiating intense negative emotions.
As a blood cocoon shed from Yan Liren’s true body, fused with ten thousand negative emotion thoughts, he was essentially a clone.
“Attack.”
At Qiu Yichi’s command, the dozens of Nine-Step Saint Kings struck.
A barrage of powerful holy techniques and holy weapons unleashed dazzling light, nearly tearing the heavens apart.
Yan Liren moved, his negative emotions intensifying, spreading in all directions.
He extended both hands, forming two massive palms that seemed capable of plucking stars, executing the high-tier Blood God Five-Finger Seal.
Unlike Xue Lingxian’s version, Yan Liren’s palms not only condensed vast blood fiend energy but also infused terrifying negative emotions, corroding both flesh and spirit.
“Bang.”
The Saint Kings’ holy techniques and weapons blocked some stone bridges, while the rest were caught in Yan Liren’s palms.
“Not bad,” Yan Wushen said lightly.
His focus was on Yan Liren; the other Nine-Step Saint Kings didn’t warrant his attention.
“Buzz.”
Suddenly, a strange fluctuation emanated from Qiu Yichi, spreading at unimaginable speed.
Instantly, Yan Wushen’s nine hundred ninety-nine avatars froze.
“Boom.”
All the stone bridges shattered, unleashing a devastating shockwave. The encirclement broke, creating an opening.
Seizing the moment, Qiu Yichi transformed into a streak of blood light, rushing to Yan Wushen’s side and grabbing Chi Kunlun.
“Hmph.”
Yan Wushen’s true body let out a cold snort, casually striking with a palm.
Qiu Yichi, prepared, unleashed the Heart-Seizing Pearl given by the Blood Empress. A bizarre psychic force slammed into Yan Wushen’s mind.
The Blood Empress’s mastery of the Heart Path far surpassed Qiu Yichi’s. Even a sliver of her psychic power sealed in the pearl held terrifying might, capable of overwhelming most Great Saints.
As expected, the pearl’s psychic assault caused Yan Wushen’s movements to pause momentarily.
“Go!”
Qiu Yichi didn’t linger, fleeing with Chi Kunlun at top speed.
“Mere Heart Path dares to shake my mind? Stay!”
Yan Wushen roared, condensing vast Infernal Yanluo energy in his palm and striking at the fleeing Qiu Yichi.
“Swish.”
Yan Liren appeared, countering with a palm of his own.
Immense blood fiend energy surged, forming a towering Nether King phantom, exuding ferocious aura.
“Bang.”
The Nether King phantom trembled, nearly collapsing, but it blocked Yan Wushen’s furious strike.
As Yan Wushen prepared to attack again, Blood Demon struck.
“Yan Wushen, take my Heavenly Demon Nine Transformations!”
Blood Demon roared, unleashing endless world-destroying demonic energy.
The Heavenly Demon phantom solidified, radiating overwhelming demonic might.
The nine layers of demonic light behind its head rearranged into intricate, esoteric demonic patterns, glowing with eerie brilliance as they blasted toward Yan Wushen.
Yan Wushen’s eyes sharpened. His Infernal Yanluo energy surged, merging with his river of holy path rules.
The Yanluo phantom solidified, resembling the Yanluo Clan’s progenitor crossing distant spacetime. A strange mark appeared on its forehead, like a deep starry sky or an infinite black hole, devouring all.
“Boom.”
Space warped and shattered, drawing in all the eerie energies within thousands of miles, sweeping them away.
The earth split, countless rocks and bones rising, pulverized by destructive force.
After a long while, the devastation subsided, leaving the outer Yin Burial Mountain Range in ruins.
Yan Wushen stood atop the peak, which, under his protection, miraculously survived.
Blood Demon and Yan Liren had vanished.
Yan Wushen locked onto Qiu Yichi’s escape direction, ready to pursue, when he sensed something and paused, a strange glint in his eyes as he looked to the distant horizon.
“Prajna? I didn’t expect this Destiny Temple upstart to be so bold.”
Yan Wushen murmured, then moved, chasing toward the sensed direction.
