Chapter 165: Chapter 163: The Power of Self-Destruction

Hai Tongtian and Elder Wen nodded, then flew off in different directions. They let out long cries in the air, calling for the disciples of the Sect who had gone into hiding. While these disciples were only at the Celestial, Earth, or even the lower Profound Level, they would all be considered experts in the Mortal Realm!

Paradise Celestial Palace truly couldn’t afford any more losses. At this point, there was little difference between their current state and complete annihilation.

Meanwhile, Le Wuya walked back into the ruins and entered a dilapidated room. This was where Paradise Celestial Palace stored the various treasures it had accumulated since ancient times.

Among them were over five hundred Upper Grade Spirit Stones!

According to the Sect’s rules, one was not permitted to use Upper Grade Spirit Stones without having reached the Celestial Embracing Realm. Therefore, in the entire Paradise Celestial Palace, only Elder Wen could use Upper Grade Spirit Stones to enhance his strength.

But these Spirit Stones were very durable; a single Upper Grade Spirit Stone was enough for Elder Wen to absorb for an entire year.

In fact, Qin Li’s earlier thought—that he would strike it rich if he could just plunder all the Noble Sects in the Mysterious Lands—wasn’t entirely correct. Not every Sect was as wealthy as Paradise Celestial Palace, with so many Upper Grade Spirit Stones.

Paradise Celestial Palace was so rich because there had once been a small Spirit Stone Vein in this Mysterious Land. Although its reserves were not large, the purity of the Spirit Stones was extremely high! The vast majority were Middle Grade or higher, and there had been over fifteen hundred Upper Grade ones!

Over thousands of years, some had been consumed, leaving over a thousand. But then another five hundred-plus were lost, and the remaining five hundred-plus were now Paradise Celestial Palace’s greatest asset for recovery!

Mysterious Lands were full of Spiritual Objects, but any single one was vast in area with extremely complex terrain. It was nearly impossible for humans to explore them completely.

Just as Qin Li had unintentionally hidden behind that waterfall and found a Top-Grade lotus, miracles could exist anywhere. It all depended on whether you had the fate for it!

Qin Li watched Le Wuya go inside. After a moment’s hesitation, his body moved like a ghost through the massive ruins of Paradise Celestial Palace. Confident in his Lightweight Skill, Qin Li believed that even if all three of them—Le Wuya and the others—discovered him, he could still escape, to say nothing of the fact that only Le Wuya was here now!

’If I get the chance, I’ll kill him!’

At this moment, Qin Li was filled with a resolute killing intent toward the people of Paradise Celestial Palace. While he was no saint, he still lived and acted by his own principles. No matter what, Qin Li could never bring himself to do the things Paradise Celestial Palace had done.

Le Wuya was kneeling on the ground. On the altar table before him was a large pile of spiritual tablets. Some of the Spiritual Tablets were already damaged, likely crushed when the palaces of Paradise Celestial Palace collapsed.

"Ancestors of Paradise Celestial Palace, your unworthy descendant, Le Wuya, has failed to bring glory to our sect. Instead, I have allowed it to suffer this great humiliation, destroying the fruits of your life’s work in an instant. Wuya must now lead all the disciples away from here, into the mortal world, to a distant land. I pray that the spirits of our ancestors will watch over Wuya and protect Paradise Celestial Palace, so that one day we may restore our former glory!"

Le Wuya’s expression was devout. With his hands on the floor, he slowly kowtowed.

From behind him, a heaven-shaking Sword Qi suddenly erupted!

When Blood Drinking is drawn, who can contend!

In that instant, the hair on Le Wuya’s entire body stood on end. He threw himself into a sideways roll just as Qin Li’s sword strike blasted the altar of spiritual tablets to smithereens!

But by then, Qin Li’s next sword strike was already upon Le Wuya, giving him no room to breathe!

The power of a Martial Artist at the peak of the Celestial Integration Realm was truly immense. The already dilapidated main hall of Paradise Celestial Palace collapsed further with a deafening crash as Le Wuya’s body slammed into it.

But Le Wuya appeared completely unaffected.

However... he had no chance to get back on his feet!

He didn’t even have an opportunity to draw his weapon!

Le Wuya roared again and again, hoping to attract the other two with the noise.

However, Qin Li’s sword techniques were simply too sharp and relentless.

Streaks of purple Sword Qi swept over Le Wuya’s body. Despite his Celestial Integration Realm cultivation and a body as tough as bronze walls and iron ramparts, dozens of wounds were instantly carved into him!

Blood began to gush out. Le Wuya had already been lightly injured in his battle with the Golden Giant Tiger, and he had not fully recovered the immense stamina he had expended.

Furthermore, he had been ambushed while completely off guard. It had never occurred to him that Qin Li wouldn’t ambush the other two, but would instead target him!

A thick cloud of dust rose over the ruins of the Paradise Celestial Palace’s main hall. Le Wuya’s body was constantly rolling on the ground. The crumbling walls and broken ramparts suffered yet another heavy blow, collapsing with thunderous crashes and sending up billowing clouds of dust. This once handsome and refined middle-aged man now looked no different from a beggar!

What was even more shocking was that no matter how tough his body was, it couldn’t withstand the constant impact of sharp, hard stones. Gradually, his body was covered in wounds, the bleeding worsened, and even chunks of his skin... began to peel off!

Qin Li had long since mastered the Path of the Sword from the "Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable" combat technique. Watching Le Wuya’s aura gradually weaken, Qin Li said coldly, "Die!"

The Blood-Drinking Sword was an Unparalleled Divine Sword, a weapon with its own spirit. It had an innate, immense craving for blood—especially the blood of a powerful expert like Le Wuya. It liked this blood even more!

An indomitable slash of purple Sword Qi, infused with every last bit of Qin Li’s Primordial Power, was unleashed through the Blood-Drinking Sword.

Le Wuya’s rolling body suddenly began to swell. An earth-shattering sense of indignation and rage erupted from him. A peerless expert of his generation, forced into such a desperate state by someone far weaker than himself!

Qin Li was instantly alarmed. Before the sword technique could even complete its motion, his body shot backward like a leaf swept up by the wind.

BANG!

A heaven-shaking explosion thundered out!

With Le Wuya’s self-detonation, the entire ruins of the Paradise Celestial Palace’s main hall were instantly blasted into a massive crater by the world-ending force!

The immense Primordial Power didn’t even leave behind a trace of flesh and blood; in that instant, his body was completely vaporized!

A powerful Sect Leader of an Evil Sect, a peak Celestial Integration Realm master, had just died by self-detonation!

Although Qin Li had retreated with incredible speed, he was still violently thrown into the air by the terrifying force. While airborne, he instantly coughed up a large mouthful of blood. His internal organs felt as if they had all been shattered. If he hadn’t previously consumed the red Vermilion Fruit and the White Jade Lotus, which had greatly increased his strength, he would likely have been gravely injured and knocked unconscious.

But he didn’t pass out. Still, at this moment, Qin Li had completely lost his ability to fight! ’I never thought the self-detonation of a Celestial Integration Realm Martial Artist would be even more devastating than a cannonball!’

’No wonder a powerful Spirit Beast like the Golden Giant Tiger didn’t dare to push those three too far.’ Qin Li had no regrets, though. His body was flung over a thousand meters, landing in a forest. He felt an agonizing pain, as if his entire frame had been disassembled. Without any hesitation, Qin Li plucked a Vermilion Fruit from the top-grade Spirit Grass in his ring, tossed it into his mouth, bit down, and swallowed it whole.

He wasn’t sure if it was because eating the red Vermilion Fruit was less painful after his meridians had been transformed last time, or if he was simply too numb to feel the pain now. In any case, after eating this red Vermilion Fruit, Qin Li didn’t find it as unbearable as the last time.

His internal organs were now searing hot, as if a fire was burning and roasting them from the inside. Qin Li gritted his teeth against the pain and used the Blood-Drinking Sword to support himself as he slowly stood up. The red Vermilion Fruit was truly extraordinary; after consuming one, the severe internal injuries in his body were temporarily suppressed.

However, the red Vermilion Fruit also worked by widening his meridians, an experience that was far from pleasant. Still, it wasn’t as unbearable as the first time.

Step by step, Qin Li walked into the distance.

The heaven-shaking explosion was so loud that not only did Hai Tongtian and Elder Wen hear it, but even the Golden Giant Tiger, hundreds of miles away, instinctively felt a sense of danger. The tiger, which had just returned to find its cave plundered yet again, had been in a rampage for some time. But the massive boom from hundreds of miles away strangely calmed its mood.

At this moment, it finally believed what the people from Paradise Celestial Palace had said. They definitely weren’t the ones who did this. But what did it matter? ’Humans are all rotten to the core anyway!’

’Not a single one!’

The Golden Giant Tiger suddenly felt that this place was no longer safe. It took a deep look in the direction of Paradise Celestial Palace, then began to run toward the depths of the Forest. It decided to go to the edge of this world to try its luck. Who knows, maybe it could find even better Spirit Grass there!

Elder Wen and Hai Tongtian rushed back as fast as they could, but what greeted them was a massive crater, dozens of meters deep! The original ruins of the Paradise Celestial Palace’s main hall were completely gone.

Water was steadily seeping out from the bottom of the crater.

The two of them stood dumbfounded at the edge of the crater. Elder Wen’s voice trembled, his wrinkled old face twitching nonstop. "Sect Leader! Sect Leader, where are you?"

Hai Tongtian’s voice cracked, sounding like a cuckoo crying tears of blood. "Sect Leader, where are you! Where are you?"

At this point, the hundred-odd disciples they had gathered also arrived from two directions. Seeing the scene, they all stood dumbstruck, frozen as if petrified.

’What happened?’ This was the question on every horrified disciple’s mind. ’Weren’t we told the Sect Leader was waiting for us here? But... where is the Sect Leader?’

"You... all of you, spread out! In every direction! Go and find him for me! That brat... must be gravely injured! The Sect Leader... he self-detonated! The Sect Leader self-detonated! Aaaah!" Hai Tongtian roared like a madman, tears of blood streaming from his eyes.