C902 The Green Shirt Vertical Eye

At the edge of the Jade Peak Mountain Range, where it meets the Rainier Empire, Qi Yunhong and Qin Yun stood by the riverbank, surveying the scene strewn with the bodies of the Wen family and Dragon Servitors. It was clear that a fierce battle had taken place.

Despite having consumed the Star Concealing Fruit, their auras remained undetected.

"The Young Master must have ventured into the Jade Peak Mountain Range by now," Qin Yun remarked, gazing up at the dense forest of the mountains. "This range falls under the Medicine Sect's domain. Surely the Spirit Void Sect wouldn't dare cause trouble here?"

"You're clueless!" Qi Yunhong retorted with an eye roll. "You have no idea about the Spirit Void Sect's true nature! Chu Jing is dead, the Sect Master's beloved. The Spirit Void Sect won't rest until they've settled the score. And while the Medicine God Sect stands behind the Medicine Sect, the Spirit Void Taoist and Zhong Chichen are on good terms."

"The fact that Taoist Xinshang has shown up speaks volumes about the Spirit Void Sect's stance."

With a heavy sigh, Qi Yunhong added, "Chongxiao is deceitful and treacherous, Tianjing is brutally savage, and then there's Taoist Xinshang, whose prowess is unmatched. Without formidable allies, our Master will struggle to find any leverage in the Jade Peak Mountain Range."

"Us?" Qin Yun inquired.

"At this point, our presence would only complicate matters for the Master," Qi Yunhong admitted, a look of resignation on his face. "If I hadn't lost my strength to the Soul Wandering Stage, if my Yang God Body were still intact, I might have taken the risk. But now..."

The once brash and impulsive Qi Yunhong had become cautious and forbearing after his brush with death.

Suddenly, the tranquil river burst into activity as a slender man in a green robe emerged, his thin frame accentuated by a pair of eerie, vertical green eyes.

Clutched in his hand was a black orb of water, within which Yang Chuhe, the current leader of the Seven Divine Sect, appeared tormented, his Yin God crushed as if by a millstone, his soul scattering like broken light.

The green-robed man's other hand, more delicate than a woman's, occasionally dipped into the river, drawing forth a vibrant, crystalline stream. He would solidify it and then savor it in his mouth, relishing it as if it were the finest of delicacies.

Qi Yunhong caught a glimpse of him and felt a piercing pain in his eyes, tears streaming uncontrollably.

The gaunt man with emerald vertical eyes let out a low chuckle, tightening his grip on the black orb of water he held.

Within the orb, Yang Chuhe's face contorted with agony far surpassing that of death. Imprisoned and enduring soul-wrenching torment, Yang Chuhe stared at the sinister figure before him as if he were the most dreadful demon in existence.

"Yang, Yang Chuhe!"

Qin Yun's complexion drained of color in shock. He had never imagined that their old adversaries, who had smuggled the black wooden carriages into the river, would meet such a tragic fate.

"You're heading to the Jade Peak Mountain Range as well, aren't you?"

The man with the vertical eye smiled gently, his voice soothing and melodious.

Qi Yunhong and Qin Yun exchanged stiff, uncertain glances, at a loss for words.

"I'm Lvliu. Thanks to that youngster, Yu Yuan, I managed to break free from Sword Prison," he said, noting their disarray. "Yan Qiling, before departing for the Evil Sect, tasked me with checking on Yu Yuan's situation."

"Lv, Lvliu!"

Realization dawned on Qi Yunhong, and he burst into ecstatic laughter. "Haha! An honor to meet you, Chief Commander! I am Qi Yunhong, and I have severed all ties with the Thunder Sect of the Boundless Land. I..."

"I know who you are." Lvliu's expression remained cool, seemingly unimpressed, as he squeezed the orb in his palm.

With that, both the orb and Yang Chuhe within it burst like a bubble.

Fleeing from the Ice Concubine, Yang Chuhe's Yin God perished in that moment.

As his soul shattered, Yang Chuhe's visage surprisingly reflected a sense of liberation...

The time spent in the clutches of the Green Willow Demon was the darkest and most excruciating period of Yang Chuhe's life, each second filled with the sharpest pain to his soul.

"I, too, practice the Great Dao of Water, and there's nothing I detest more than those who wield water-refining arts that damage the harmony of the world," Lvliu declared.

He inhaled deeply, absorbing the remnants of Yang Chuhe's consciousness, ensuring that the master of the Seven Divine Sect was denied even the chance of reincarnation.

"Come with me to Jade Peak," he commanded.

Qi Yunhong and Qin Yun nodded incessantly, without the slightest inclination to resist.

...

In Chilly Wind Valley, Loong Qi, driven mad by the Evil Demon's formation, displayed his massive hundred-meter-long form, howling in agony. Stinking, vile blood oozed from the crevices of his dragon scales.

The valley's toxic air and miasma penetrated his flesh, inflicting fresh wounds upon him.

Assaults from the Soul Split, Soul Hell, Corpse Mountain, Dead Sea, and Demonic Mist formations targeted the dragon's body, head, and belly from various angles. They either stirred the dark thoughts deep within Loong Qi's heart, caused his dragon blood to congeal, bombarded his dragon soul with a myriad of chaotic, negative energies, or frayed the fabric of his thoughts.

The combined might of the five formations had the Eighth Level green dragon writhing in agony on the valley floor.

Additional clouds of toxic smoke seized the chance to corrode him further, exacerbating his injuries.

"Each formation within the Evil Demon Cauldron can be deployed independently or in concert with others, amplifying their destructive power. The five Evil Demons anchoring the formations are formidable on their own. Under their command, rallying hundreds or even thousands of Evil Demons to subdue an Eighth Level green dragon is hardly a challenge."

Yu Yuan, observing from within the cauldron, watched the battered green dragon with a surge of exhilaration.

The might unleashed by the activated Evil Demon Cauldron surpassed his expectations. Despite the Ice Concubine being ensnared by Tianjing, he hadn't anticipated that Loong Qi would also fall victim to the orchestrated array.

Loong Qi, thrashing on the ground, was further ravaged by the residual venom of the Ghosts Poisoning Array, his condition deteriorating rapidly.

After a thorough examination and a covert probe, Yu Yuan was convinced that with the encirclement of the five Demonic Formations, coupled with the valley's natural hazards, Loong Qi wouldn't be able to cause any significant disturbance.

It was at this juncture that Taoist Chongxiao, Wong Jinlin's mentor and the perennial guardian of Absence Relic, made his entrance.

"This matches my expectations quite closely."

Taoist Chongxiao made his way into the valley, where he was greeted by a barrage of poisonous air, miasma, and lethal winds, all directed at Loong Qi. Observing the Demonic Formations arrayed in the void, summoning the wretched green dragon, he nodded in approval. "To use such a dim-witted dragon to force your hand and reveal your remaining strategies seems quite advantageous," he mused.

With his words still hanging in the air, Taoist Chongxiao alighted on Loong Qi's fierce dragon head, light as a feather. Despite Loong Qi's vehement head-shaking and struggles, his feet remained magnetically glued to the dragon's forehead.

Yu Yuan's mood darkened progressively. The Ice Concubine had summoned the five formidable Demons of the second echelon, and had marshaled thousands of lesser Demons to form their ranks. He had tapped nearly all the power of the Evil Cauldron.

And now, Taoist Chongxiao, a fellow practitioner in the late period of the Yang God Stage from the Spirit Void Sect, approached him with a calm and easy demeanor, engaging in direct conversation.

Yu Yuan's tension mounted under Taoist Chongxiao's cautious approach. Clutching his sword's sheath, he braced himself for what was to come.

"I truly admire you," Taoist Chongxiao confessed with a hint of sentiment. "It's genuine. Despite being the direct disciple of the legendary Medicine God Hong Qi, you've had little to lean on since his passing. You've ascended to your current realm almost entirely on your own merit, step by painstaking step."

"The myriad exotic treasures you possess were seized by your own efforts, not handed down as familial favors."

"It's no surprise that Cao Jiaze of the Profound Sky Sect holds you in such high regard, seeing you as both a peer and kindred spirit."

Taoist Chongxiao's tone was reminiscent of an elder engaging in familial small talk.

Yet, as they conversed, golden dragon scales, each spanning several acres, descended upon the mountain one by one, transforming it into a structure that seemed forged from pure gold.

With a resounding boom, the demonic energy shield of the Evil Cauldron and the frosty layer left by the Ice Concubine shattered in an instant.

The Gold Mountain contracted sharply, inverting itself into a suspended range. Its pointed end, gleaming like a golden pyramid, thrust directly toward the Evil Cauldron.

Scarlet sword beams burst forth from the mouth of the Evil Cauldron, surging skyward like a reverse waterfall, clashing against the inverted golden mountain peak.

The world's most formidable sword energies and lights emanated from that golden peak, erupting into infinite, dazzling radiance.

Yet the upside-down golden mountain range relentlessly continued its descent, unyielding in its pressure.

Puff!

Inside the cauldron, Yu Yuan lost control and coughed up blood, his skin tearing apart as he suffered grievous wounds in a mere moment.

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