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In the night sky, Gu Dun Di fled frantically, pushing Wind Rider Leap to its limit. Though far from the battlefield, his divine sense still caught the terrifying aftermath of Spirit Fusion Palm. Swallowing hard, sweat pouring, he inwardly praised his decision to flee.
"Damn it, that little beast fused three spiritual energies! Unthinkable! If he isn't eradicated, Qing Yun Sect is doomed. How will I face our ancestors in the afterlife?" Gu Dun Di's mind churned, but his speed didn't falter, racing toward the sect to activate their grand formation and perhaps awaken their slumbering ancestor.
Lan An, however, wouldn't let such plans bear fruit. Gu Dun Di knew too much—Strange Fire, Strange Wood, his combat prowess. If word reached Qing Yun Sect, Lan An's only recourse would be to slaughter the entire sect to silence them. But a Seventh-Grade sect with millions of disciples? Even lined up for execution, he couldn't kill them all. His goal was surgical—eliminate the sect's leadership, forcing its dissolution.
The Big Dipper Bow materialized in his hands. Aiming at the elder's fleeing silhouette, a blazing arrow of Purple Heart Void-Burning Flame formed.
Whoosh!
The arrow's screech sent Gu Dun Di into a panic, his bleeding stump draining his stamina. "Little beast, you've pushed me to the edge!" His eyes blazed with fury as he produced a pill.
"Another of those pills?" Lan An frowned, recalling Gu You's use of a similar drug to boost his realm. As expected, Gu Dun Di swallowed the Spirit-Seizing Pill, his aura surging to Perfection-Stage Spirit Transformation.
Yet, Gu Dun Di felt no joy. The pill doomed his cultivation to stagnate forever at this level, shattering his dream of Void Refinement. Hatred consumed him, craving Lan An's blood. "Cloud-Splitting Slash!"
His Perfection-Stage aura erupted, the slash's speed dizzying even Lan An.
Boom!
The Wood Turtle materialized like a mountain, shielding Lan An. The sword aura pierced, cracking the turtle's shell despite Devouring Heaven Wood absorbing much of its power.
"Each minor realm in Spirit Transformation is a chasm. Die, little beast!" Gu Dun Di's confidence surged, preparing another strike.
"No more delays," Lan An's face hardened. His hands clasped, channeling Fire, Water, and Earth energies again.
"Damn it, that move again? How can he spam such a powerful art?" Gu Dun Di paled. Knowing evasion was futile, his newfound Perfection-Stage confidence drove him to gamble everything. "Come, little beast! You can't fathom Perfection-Stage power!" He roared, gripping his Supreme Earth-Grade sword, drawing all wind spiritual energy within a hundred miles.
"Ka Mê Ka Mê Ka Mê!" Lan An's chant grew louder, hands drawn to his side, body crouched. The energy orb swelled, its tri-colored hues blending impossibly.
"Hmph, playing tricks!" Gu Dun Di snorted, unease mounting. Feeling his wind energy insufficient, he spat a drop of lifebound blood onto his sword, amplifying his art. Whirlwinds intensified, merging into a hundred-zhang tornado, shredding clouds in a doomsday spectacle.
Onlookers scattered, fearing collateral damage. Below, the earth turned barren, ancient trees pulverized, thousands of spirit beasts perished.
"Worthy of Perfection-Stage, even wounded," Lan An mused, a mere ant before the tornado. "Ka Mê Ka Mê Ha, Spirit Fusion Palm!*"
The orb reached its zenith. Lan An roared, unleashing a tri-colored beam. Space shattered, piercing the tornado like tissue paper.
"How?!" Gu Dun Di screamed. Having seen Spirit Fusion Palm before, facing it head-on revealed his folly. Though narrower than Great Wind Tempest, its concentrated power was unmatched, evident in the collapsing space it left.
"Little beast, I'll make you down with me! Great Fire Tempest, explode!" Gu Dun Di's final act detonated the tornado as the beam erased him, body, soul, and Nascent Soul obliterated.
The explosion's wind energy crushed everything, engulfing Lan An. The Wood Turtle roared, Devouring Heaven Wood absorbing some force, but it crumbled under the Perfection-Stage onslaught.
Below, the earth cratered endlessly. Lan An stood at the epicenter, refusing to hide in the Spirit Realm Pearl, fearing damage to it and its precious occupants. Speed Shift's short range couldn't outrun the blast's vast scope, requiring hundreds of uses.
As wind blades flayed his skin, Lan An prepared Eight Trigrams Revolving Palm. "Young Master, this is a perfect chance to temper your body!" Jin Ni exclaimed.
Lan An snapped awake. Body cultivators thrived on grueling trials, and this tornado was ideal. Storing the White Horse Battle Robe, his undergarments shredded, leaving him bare. Flesh tore, blood flowed, but he endured, the pain paling compared to refining Strange Fire. Activating Three-Turn Body Cultivation, he adapted, forging his body, healing wounds.
Gu Dun Di's life-ending Great Wind Tempest became Lan An's training ground. If the elder knew, he'd spew blood in rage.
Within Qing Yun Sect's main hall, two guardians knelt, foreheads bleeding from kowtowing. Despite their blamelessness, no disciple or elder dared defend them. All knew a scapegoat was needed to quell the fury of the man on the throne.
Gu Fei Tian, Sect Master, a Perfection-Stage Spirit Transformation swordmaster, radiated elegance in his azure robe, hair flowing freely. But his usual composure was gone, replaced by twisted rage and chilling killing intent. The hall's atmosphere crushed weaker disciples, their hearts pounding, legs trembling.
Moments ago, the guardians reported the shattering of Gu Dun Di and Gu Zheng's soul tablets, a seismic blow to the sect. Many couldn't believe it—Gu Dun Di, a godlike figure, master of Green Breeze Sword Art and Great Wind Tempest, a revered guest in any Seventh-Grade sect, fallen so soon after leaving?
"Explain!" Gu Fei Tian's hoarse, fury-laden voice shook the hall.
The guardians exchanged glances, chilled. Facing the crowd's indifference, one steeled himself, replying, "Sect Master, we only guard the soul tablets and know nothing of external events."
"Useless! Why do I keep you?" Gu Fei Tian snarled.
Whoosh.
A head rolled, blood spraying. No one saw him move, but a guardian lay dead, his partner screaming, "No, Old Zhong!"
Their thousand-year bond, deeper than family, shattered. The surviving guardian laughed maniacally, tears streaming. "What a fine Qing Yun Sect! Facing external threats, we don't unite but slaughter our own. Such a sect deserves extinction. Old Zhong, I'll join you!" His body swelled, primed to self-detonate.
Disciples' hearts clenched, loyalty waning as they eyed Gu Fei Tian. "Hmph, you don't even deserve to die by your own hand," he sneered, his aura crushing the guardian immobile.
Whoosh.
Another head fell, cleaved by Gu Yan, the Second Elder, Mid-Stage Spirit Transformation, stronger than Gu You. "Such trash is worthless. Sect Master, I propose summoning the ancestor to resolve this," Gu Yan said respectfully.
Gu Fei Tian was the sect's sky, unquestioned. His eyes flickered, nodding. "This crisis threatens our foundation. It warrants awakening Grandfather." The ancestor, Gu Fei Tian's grandfather, a Void Refinement Early-Stage expert, secluded to seek a breakthrough as his lifespan waned.
Gu Fei Tian declared, "Prepare the sect to welcome him. I'll personally request his emergence."