Hiss.

Wang Xi’s eyes were bloodshot, his entire body’s Spiritual Qi boiling like water, and his earthy yellow Daoist robe billowed like clouds.

At this moment, in the muddy swamp, the earth-attribute Spiritual Qi had completely dissipated, and he could only use the remaining Spiritual Qi previously infused into the Zhenshan Seal.

He clasped his hands together, his knuckles bursting with dazzling spiritual light, and the Zhenshan Seal hovering in the air trembled violently.

The giant crab’s remains were crushed to smithereens by the mountain shadow, its carapace cracking like firecrackers, and foul-smelling demon blood mixed with mud splattered everywhere.

"Mere ants... Die for me!"

Wang Xi’s mouth overflowed with blood, and he pulled out three blood-colored jade Talismans from his Pregnant.

The Talismans burned, and three mountain shadows condensed in the air, then rapidly plummeted.

Wan Songran gritted his teeth, his body’s Spiritual Qi surging again, and the Yi Wood Spirit Severing Talisman in front of him glowed with brilliant green light.

As the three mountain shadows descended, they continuously disintegrated, but as Wang Xi desperately urged the Talismans, the mountain still crashed down.

Song Yan’s legs were deeply embedded in the earth, his protective Spiritual Qi shattered like thin ice, and a buzzing sound never ceased in his ears.

His entire body’s Spiritual Qi suddenly dispersed, condensing on his Flying Sword.

"Om—"

The Flying Sword, wrapped in spiritual fire and falling lightning, a white Sword Qi met the falling mountain peak.

"Mountain Cleave!"

Boom!!!

The mountain peak’s illusion suddenly paused, then collapsed with a crash.

The peach wood Geng Jin Flying Sword let out a dying wail amidst the lightning and fire, cracks spreading across its body like a spiderweb, and its already struggling sword body finally shattered upon colliding with the mountain illusion!

Bang!!!

A brilliant light flashed, the Flying Sword shattered with a bang, the mountain illusion dissipated in the air, and the earth-attribute Spiritual Qi in the Zhenshan Seal also began to dissipate.

The giant crab’s corpse had not yet stiffened, still struggling beneath the mud, stirring up mud waves.

Wang Xi quickly retreated, about to escape the range of the Yi Wood Spirit Severing Talisman.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

Three broken blades, still bearing lightning and crimson flames, traversed half the battlefield!

In Wang Xi’s horrified gaze, they easily tore through his already unsustainable protective Spiritual Qi, and at the same time, pierced through his glabella, chest, and Dantian.

"Impossible..."

"...able..."

Wang Xi’s throat rolled, and he unwillingly squeezed out a half-sob, the Zhenshan Seal continuously shrinking, mixing into the gravel and falling into the mud.

He knelt on the ground, lightning and fire leaping in the blood hole in his glabella, burning the flesh within to ashes.

Before long, the lightning dissipated, and the flames extinguished.

Profound Origin Sect Inner Sect Disciple Wang Xi, died and his Dao vanished.

"Cough cough..."

Song Yan coughed out a mouthful of fresh blood, swayed, and collapsed to the ground.

With the peach wood Flying Sword shattered, his Divine Sense was greatly affected, his head aching intensely, and he was already at his limit, still controlling the three shattered blades after the Flying Sword broke.

"Hoo... hoo... cough cough..."

Coupled with his previous direct confrontation with Wang Xi, his entire body was covered in injuries, and he now had no strength left, constantly coughing up blood.

Wan Songran, at some point, was sitting on the corpse of the hard-shelled giant crab, toying with the giant crab’s demon core in his hand.

The Yi Wood Spirit Severing Talisman turned into a Waste Talisman, falling into his hand.

"Alas..."

Wan Songran sighed with some heartache, casually tossing it into the mud.

He stood up, looking down at Song Yan.

"Hehe, Daoist Song, what exquisite sword control skills you possess..."

He held the tao tail flute horizontally in his hand, and a strange flute sound rang out.

Song Yan’s heart sank; this person still had the strength to wield the ancient flute... Leaves rustled in the forest, startled sparrows flew, and several green-eyed falcons swooped out from the shadows.

Song Yan rolled several times, barely dodging vital points, but his left arm was torn open by an eagle’s beak, a wound deep enough to see bone.

"Fellow Daoist, do not blame me."

Wan Songran spoke politely, but his smile grew increasingly crazed.

"Since you are the scapegoat the Profound Origin Sect wants, and you’ve seen the wondrous use of my tao tail flute, you must die..."

"If you don’t die..."

"I can’t sleep at night, I can’t eat or rest!"

Wan Songran lightly tapped his short flute, like a general deploying troops, and the falcons flapped their wings, waiting for the opportune moment.

"Don’t worry, I’ll leave you a complete corpse."

"Cave Abyss Sect Disciple Song Yan, seeing Senior Brother Wang’s Spiritual Qi depleted and him being injured, attempted to kill him to seize his treasures, but was exposed by Senior Brother Wang, and ultimately died under Senior Brother Wang’s magical technique."

"It’s a pity that Senior Brother Wang’s injuries were too severe, and he ultimately died and his Dao vanished."

"Are you satisfied with this narrative?"

Song Yan lay collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath and coughing up blood, but his gaze was as calm as water.

"..."

Within his Dantian, that quietly sharp Spiritual Qi was rapidly disintegrating.

A faint, imperceptible spiritual light began to gather along Song Yan’s right hand.

"Hmph, boring."

Wan Songran waved his hand: "Kill him."

A group of three to five eagles, bringing a bloody, ominous aura, swooped in.

As the first wisp of Sword Qi condensed at his fingertip, the speed of the spiritual light gathering suddenly accelerated, like a shark smelling blood.

He remained collapsed on the ground, but used all his strength to shout:

"Xiao He!"

"Hiss—"

A green snake protected Song Yan, spitting poisonous mist from its mouth, forcing the group of eagles back.

"Oh?"

Wan Songran stared at the little green snake demon, his eyes filled with intense interest.

"It’s actually an intelligent spirit beast? Once I kill you, I’ll take this little snake for myself."

An incomparably sharp and solemn Sword Qi had already condensed at Song Yan’s fingertip, without sound, without spiritual power fluctuations.

This was an extremely restrained Sword Dao True Yuan!

Song Yan knew very well that this would be his last chance.

For some reason, at this critical moment of life and death, Song Yan felt no tension or fear.

His heavy breathing gradually calmed down.

"I should really thank you, Daoist Song, for giving me such a great gift before you die!"

"Is that so..."

Song Yan struggled to pull a curve at the corner of his mouth: "Then your thanks... are a little too early..."

"Here with me..."

"...is more than just one great gift."

"Hmm?"

Song Yan gently raised his right hand, pointing with his fingertip.

The sword shadow suddenly broke through the air, and along its path, cyan-gold cracks actually lit up, the air making a crisp sound like shattering glass.

Om—

From Song Yan’s fingertip to the hard-shelled crab demon corpse where Wan Songran was, it was approximately fifteen zhang.

How far is fifteen zhang?

For this Sword Dao True Yuan, it was merely an instant. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Like a ray of morning sun piercing through the clouds.

By the time Song Yan blinked again, the Sword Yuan had dissipated in the distant sky.

Wan Songran’s mouth was slightly agape, his face blank, and he slowly lowered his head, looking at the blood hole in his chest with disbelief.

"...You..."

His expression was very complex.

Confusion, absurdity, disbelief... The green-eyed falcons circling around him awoke as if from a dream, scattering and flying away.

Thud... Wan Songran fell headfirst from the giant corpse of the hard-shelled crab, slowly sinking into the mud.

Silence returned to the surroundings.

Song Yan’s seven orifices bled, feeling the slowly dissipating sharpness.

"Yan Yan, are you okay?!"

Xiao He transformed into human form, rummaging through Song Yan’s blood-stained robes for Medicinal Pills.

"Cough cough... Xiao He."

"Don’t mind me... go... drag him up for me."

Song Yan waved his hand, taking out a hemostatic pill from his qiankun bag.

"Ah? Oh!"

Xiao He hooked her tail, dragging Wan Songran’s corpse, which was about to sink into the mud, onto the shore.

Song Yan took a healing Medicinal Pill, recovered some strength, managed to sit up, then swallowed a few Qi Nourishing Pills, slowly recovering his Spiritual Qi.

Now, with his Spiritual Qi depleted and Meridians torn, Song Yan worried about counter-effects if he rashly took a Huang Ya Pill with too strong a spiritual power.

He only needed to slowly nourish his Spiritual Qi and repair his Meridians.

"Calculating the time, if Wan Songran’s words were not false, the entrance to this Secret Realm is about to reopen..."

Without time for a detailed search, Song Yan broke all the Restrictions on the qiankun bags of Wan Songran and Wang Xi.

The owners of the qiankun bags were dead, their Spiritual Qi dissipated, so it didn’t take much effort.

He didn’t have time to look closely, tossing all the items and a few Talismans from them into his own qiankun bag.

Then he took the jade pendant from Wang Xi’s body and, guided by the spiritual light, dragged his heavily injured body towards the Secret Realm exit. Not long after Song Yan left.

Shao Sichao slowly walked out from the depths of the dense forest, taking a deep look in the direction Song Yan had left, but did not rush to follow.

He extended his Divine Sense into the mud, searching everywhere.

"Ah! Here it is."

Spiritual Qi transformed into water, washing the retrieved item, and the Zhenshan Seal appeared.

"This Junior Brother, he’s a bit too wasteful."