Cultivation: When you take things to the extreme

Feeling the spirit, vitality, and soul contained within the folding fan inside his body, along with the lifespan and fortune ominously stripped away, the old man in black clothes was filled with unbearable heartache.

This book is named "King Yama's Writ," a sinister treasure he acquired by chance, capable of performing the Curse Killing Skill. It can invoke the pathways of life and death, sapping people's life essence and fortune, boasting the imposing manner of "When King Yama decrees your death at the third watch, who dares keep you alive till the fifth."

But imposing manner is just that, as in reality, it did not possess such might because he lacked the corresponding Curse Skill. He could only rely on King Yama's Writ to forcibly cast spells, reducing the opponent's lifespan at the cost of ten to a hundred times his own.

Yun Tianhe, being a Mahayana cultivator like him, required a hundredfold price to perform the curse, sacrificing a hundred years of his own lifespan to reduce just one year of the opponent's life essence. He certainly wouldn't use it unless it was a critical moment of life-and-death importance.

And now was that critical moment.

Yun Tianhe was beyond saving, and Li Cangwu was ferociously pressing the attack.

Hence, he had no choice but to employ this treasure to cut short Yun Tianhe's remaining lifespan.

"Huuff!!!"

As the Curse Skill was cast, a chilly wind blew.

Yun Tianhe, caught within the array, suddenly felt an inexplicable unease, followed by a coldness enveloping his entire body as his vitality rapidly drained away, his scant remaining life essence perilously close to its end.

"This...!"

Yun Tianhe's pupils contracted, and just as he was about to cry out in alarm, everything before his eyes turned dark, and a tide of death energy engulfed everything.

"Master!!!"

Li Cangwu broke through the array and was about to attack the Xuan Yin Old Ancestor when he saw Yun Tianhe falling from the sky. His heart skipped a beat, and he hastily moved forward to catch Yun Tianhe's body.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing this, the Xuan Yin Old Ancestor let out a cold laugh and, without another word, intensified his assault on Li Cangwu.

With Yun Tianhe gone, Li Cangwu, merely an Integration, although a Heaven Sword Cultivator with extraordinary combat prowess, was still no match for him within this Profound Yin Array.

...

"Boom!"

A sword light burst forth, accompanied by the roaring thunder and fire, escaping the array's confines.

"This...!"

"Elder Brother?"

Seeing the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords break free, yet the Profound Yin Great Array remaining intact, the South Sea Sect cultivators felt a sudden surge of unease.

"It's hopeless, retreat quickly, I'll cover our withdrawal!"

Li Cangwu revealed himself, no longer speaking, simply releasing the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords to intercept the ghostly tide of the Xuan Yin.

Witnessing this, although the South Sea immortals were alarmed and their faces blanched with fear, they dared not linger and turned to leave.

In a moment, their defeat was as swift as a landslide, impossible to recover from.

...

Several months later, at Lingbao Island, Ten Thousand Swords Pavilion.

"The South Sea Sect, having failed in their fierce assault, returned in great defeat!"

Lu Mingyu reported early upon arrival, her expression solemn, not mentioning the bet, only watching for Xu Yang's reaction.

"Is that so?"

Xu Yang smiled, still composed: "How were they defeated?"

"It is said that the Xuan Yin Old Ancestor used a sinister secret treasure to ambush the South Sea Sect's ancestor."

Lu Mingyu said with a grave voice: "This time, the South Sea Sect launched a desperate attack on Mysterious Yin Island, relying entirely on their ancestor's self-sacrificial tactics to drag Mysterious Yin Island down with them. However, they did not expect to be counterattacked by the Xuan Yin Old Ancestor, failing in their strong offensive and suffering from its consequences."

"Oh?"

Xu Yang smiled: "What's the situation now?"

"After the great defeat of the South Sea Sect, Mysterious Yin Island took the opportunity to not only rebuild and expand their hold over the various strategic locations previously destroyed by the South Sea Sect but also called upon friends and allies, attracting evil cultivators from all directions to besiege Cloud Dragon Island of the South Sea Sect."

Lu Mingyu shook her head: "Even if the South Sea Sect isn't destroyed by this, they'll only be able to hold up in their sect. Unless Li Cangwu and the others can advance from Integration to Mahayana, they will no longer be able to contend with Mysterious Yin Island. The situation in the South Sea... is settled."

"Perhaps it is!"

Xu Yang shook his head and chuckled lightly: "But I still feel it's too early to make a definitive conclusion at this point."

"Oh?"

Lu Mingyu's eyes sharpened with curiosity: "Friend, what makes you so confident?"

Xu Yang smiled, his expression inscrutable: "Heavenly Secrets must not be divulged!"

Lu Mingyu: "..."

What do you mean, 'Heavenly Secrets must not be divulged'? Just say you sneaked off to watch the battle.

However, this defeat of the South Sea Sect is indeed somewhat abrupt.

Could it be...

On Cloud Dragon Island of the South Sea Sect.

The Great Dark Heaven, with the moon hidden and stars dimmed.

Countless Underworld Ghosts and an array of Demons surrounded this spiritual island, like dark clouds oppressing the city.

In the South Sea, there were few of the Righteous Path and many of the dark paths; when the South Sea Sect was in power, the path of righteousness thrived and demons waned.

But the situation has now reversed. Following their defeat in this battle and with the fate of their Mahayana Ancestor unknown, Mysterious Yin Island rose to power. By rallying friends and using threats and enticements, they naturally attracted evil demons from every direction to support their encirclement.

With Mysterious Yin Island's forces bearing down, the South Sea Sect's Great Array was activated, the Yuan Spirit rising like a dragon, swallowing clouds and exhaling mist to fend off the gazes of the demons amassed.

It was the South Sea Sect's Cloud Dragon Great Formation, also a Sixth Rank, at the absolute pinnacle of powerful arrays.

Outside of the Cloud Dragon, Yin Qi surged eerily, and presiding over the main array was the Xuan Yin Old Ancestor, regarding the situation with cold amusement, steady as Mount Tai.

He was in no hurry to act. After all, he did not want to be caught off guard by a desperate counterattack, like the previous example set by the South Sea Sect.

This time, his aim was merely to besiege them!

As long as he waited for Yun Tianhe to die, he would be able to advance confidently, using his own Mahayana powers and expertise in Sixth Rank Array Formations to break through the Cloud Dragon Great Array and annihilate the South Sea Sect, his sworn enemy for ten thousand years, in one fell swoop.

In so doing, among the various paths of the South Sea, Xuan Yin would reign supreme!

The more he thought about it, the more content he felt. The frustrations accumulated over ten thousand years seemed to dissipate at this moment.

This millennium of life essence was truly not spent in vain!

Suddenly...

A strange palpitation struck, and the Xuan Yin Old Ancestor's gaze sharpened as he took out the "King Yama's Writ" once again.

Flipping open the tome, he saw that the once fresh red letters "South Sea Sect Yun Tianhe" were gradually fading, eventually turning black and white, with only a single stroke outlined in bright red.

"Success?"

"Hahahaha!"

"Old Ghost Yun, your day has come!"

With this sight, the Xuan Yin Old Ancestor burst into laughter, the last vestiges of frustration in his heart being swept away.

He's dead, at last dead—the old ancestor of the South Sea Sect, who had suppressed him for over ten thousand years, has finally perished.

"From this day forth, in the South Sea Cultivation Realm, I shall be the supreme!"

"Hahaha!"

The Xuan Yin Old Ancestor laughed uproariously but refrained from taking action, instead coldly watching Mysterious Yin Island, while his voice boomed out, "Yun the Ghost is dead. If you resist stubbornly, you'll meet nothing but death. Better to come over to my Mysterious Yin Island, and this old ancestor guarantees your lives will be spared."

In response to these words, there was silence in Cloud Dragon Island.

"Hmph!"

The Xuan Yin Old Ancestor let out a cold snort, "Fools who know not life from death!"

Having said that, he didn't speak again and simply waited.

As a Sixth Rank Array Formation Grandmaster and a Mahayana cultivator, unless the Cloud Dragon Great Formation was supported by another Mahayana cultivator or a Formation Master of the same rank, it couldn't hold him back at all.

Even so, he refrained from being rash, maintaining the siege while waiting for the right moment.

Truly steady!

And so...

Three months later, the tight encirclement remained.

Suddenly, a shocking roar erupted from Cloud Dragon Island.

"Ao!!!"

The spirit of the Cloud Dragon howled, shaking all directions, attacking the surrounding demons.

Moreover, a sword light flashed, alarming the winds and clouds, thundering and roaring, aimed straight at the Xuan Yin Old Ancestor.

"Hmph!"

The Xuan Yin Old Ancestor snorted coldly and threw out the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, which obscured the sun and skies, enveloping the wind and thunder.

Without the assistance of Yun Tianhe, the Mahayana cultivator, how could he fear Li Cangwu, who had not yet fully mastered the Heavenly Sword?

As the two fiercely clashed, Cloud Dragon Island itself shone with streaming light, scattering in all directions.

Seeing this, the Xuan Yin Old Ancestor grew even more certain, shaking the Ten Thousand Souls Banner while his voice thundered in all directions, "It seems Yun the Ghost truly is dead. Fellow Daoists, follow my lead and exterminate the remnants of the South Sea Sect."

"Respect the Old Ancestor's decree!"

His words immediately boosted the morale of the surrounding Evil Cultivators, who began to intercept and kill the scattering South Sea Sect cultivators.

The fleeing cultivators of the South Sea Sect indicated that Yun Tianhe, the old ancestor, was indeed dead. The remaining disciples couldn't resist the Xuan Yin Old Ancestor—a Sixth Rank Array Formation Grandmaster—with just their formation, leaving them no choice but to fight desperately and flee for their lives.

Therefore, from the Xuan Yin Old Ancestor down to the surrounding Evil Cultivators, everyone let go of their last concerns and embarked on a massive killing spree.

Kill, kill, kill—the scene was chaotic, filled with the sounds of slaughter.

"Boom!!!"

The Heavenly Thunder Double Swords surged forward. To seize a slim chance of survival, Li Cangwu went all out, attacking the Mahayana True Immortal with both swords.

"Hmph, hmph, hmph!"

The Xuan Yin Old Ancestor chuckled repeatedly, swinging the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, absorbing every ray of the Heavenly Thunder Sword Light.

"Heavenly Sword?"

"You mean the Thunder Sword?"

Looking at Li Cangwu, who forced his way forward, the Xuan Yin Old Ancestor sneered, "Such talent in a young one, yet sadly, too proud and lofty. The path of the Heavenly Sword is hardly mastered by anyone in the world. Where did you get the courage to walk this path? Had you changed your approach, you might have reached Mahayana by now. Why bring about your own downfall today?"

His words were half sincere, half false, meant to crush the spirit. Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire

Li Cangwu didn't respond, instead integrating both swords into one and with a mighty force, struck directly at his enemy's head.

"Hmph!"

The Xuan Yin Old Ancestor snorted and rolled the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, transforming it into a huge spear that carried a fierce torrent of ghostly energy to meet the Heavenly Thunder Sword Light head-on.

"Boom!!!"

When the two forces met, a tremendous boom erupted, with thunder ripping apart everything and a sword unleashing itself.

An illusory sword, an intangible sword.

"Li the Ghost, it's time to die!"

A fierce shout rang out, and the sword emerged from the Primordial Spirit, instantly reaching the front and entering between the eyes of the forehead.

"How can this be!?"

The Xuan Yin Old Ancestor's pupils shrank, frozen in place, unable to move.

"Master!!!"

Li Cangwu, seeing the dramatic turn, leapt up with both swords, the Sky Strike Thunder Flame merging into an unrivaled sword light, drawing upon the thunder as it thrust forth.

"Boom!!!"

A loud explosion ensued, and the Sky Strike Thunder Flame, tearing through the body.

The Xuan Yin Old Ancestor, standing stiffly, eyes filled with disbelief, was already powerless to reverse the tide.

"Boom!"

Another explosion; the physical body burst apart, and the Primordial Spirit turned to ash. The colossal figure of the wicked path fell to the thunder.

"Kill!!!"

Li Cangwu retracted his swords, turning back to attack, his eyes filled with blood and tears as he slaughtered the surrounding demons.

The fleeing cultivators of the South Sea Sect, witnessing this, also turned back, launching a desperate counterattack.

"This..."

"The Old Ancestor!"

"Run!"

"The South Sea Sect, Li Cangwu!"

At this, the host of demons also began to dissipate in an instant, scattering like birds and beasts.

How could they not flee? The Xuan Yin Old Ancestor had been slain by Li Cangwu's single stroke. Without this Mahayana combatant, who could withstand the Heavenly Thunder Double Swords?

The situation reversed once more; the air was filled with shouts of killing that shook the North Sea.

Miles away in the sky filled with clouds, two figures stood side by side, observing the battlefield.

"The Sword of the Primordial Spirit, a strike to seal one's fate!"

"Yun Tianhe of the South Sea, worthy of being the founder of a sect, a true mentor!"

Xu Yang, watching from a distance, couldn't help but express his admiration.

Lu Mingyu stood beside him, her expression complex and indescribable, finally managing to say, "Xuanyuan my friend, with eyes sharp as swords and vision bright as torches, in this wager, it is Mingyu who has lost. I shall accept whatever you decide!"

"Joking words, Fairy need not take them seriously,"

Xu Yang shook his head and turned towards the north, murmuring, "Moreover, this matter is far from settled. I fear there may still be twists and turns!"