Chapter 101: The Demise of Zhou Xuanhong

Zhou Xuanhong carefully examined the divine soul transmission within the jade slip, confirming without a doubt that it came from Xiaona. This meant that she had either been possessed, or the original instinct of her being the Will of Heaven had taken dominance. Neither outcome was something Zhou Xuanhong wished to see.

Final conclusions would have to wait until he saw Xiaona in person. Zhou Xuanhong quickly adjusted his mindset, brushing away his despondency, and looked up at Sect Master Yan Xueying with a calm gaze.

"Many thanks, Sect Master Yan. My situation was merely a misunderstanding. Since the interlude is over, the selection may continue."

Yan Xueying detested Zhou Xuanhong’s air of having everything under control, and she hated even more his indifference toward her charm. She gave him a cold look.

Soon, everyone re-entered the formation. After another round of teleportation that shuffled their positions, the battle began anew.

Just as before, no one dared to provoke Zhou Xuanhong. They even kept their distance; everyone knew that this cunning and treacherous fellow had killed a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator outside the Xingyan Sect.

Shangguan Yixin, as before, headed straight for Ye Haoxuan, appearing as if she would not rest until one of them was dead.

Yin Qimeng was struggling the most. As an artifact refiner, her skills were of little use in the trials of the Great World, far less valuable than Du Wanyue, who was an Immortal Physician. Thus, she had to fight tooth and nail to secure one of the five hundred spots.

Du Wanyue, however, had already been recruited into the Taiyin Corpse Sect by Jing Yuanxun. The importance of an Immortal Physician in the trials was immense, so the other Taiyin Corpse Sect disciples said nothing. They hoped that if they were ever severely injured and encountered Du Wanyue, she might help them—a gamble on a slim possibility.

As cultivators were eliminated one by one, the selection reached its end when only five hundred remained.

Ultimately, Shangguan Yixin secured a spot without surprise, while Shangguan Liming, relying on his status and the treasures provided by his family, also succeeded.

As for Yin Qimeng, though her strength was not outstanding, she possessed many magical treasures and had the protection of Shangguan Liming, which barely earned her a spot. In truth, had she truly encountered danger, Shangguan Yixin would have intervened; there was no helping it, she still had to look after her sister-in-law.

Rather than a test of pure strength, this was a contest of survival skills and foundational resources. No matter how strong you were, if I possessed superior treasures, fatal trump cards, and extensive connections, how could you hope to compete with me?

While strength was the foundation, when the gap was narrow, victory went to those with more trump cards.

Undoubtedly, the most prominent among them was Zhou Xuanhong. He stood at the very center and highest point of the formation, layers of defensive barriers ready to be triggered. It was likely that even if ten Golden Core perfection-stage cultivators attacked, as long as he had sufficient spirit stones in reserve, they would be unable to breach his defense.

The prerequisite was having the spirit stones. Zhou Xuanhong did not have many left, only the three thousand medium-grade stones given to him by Shangguan Ba and Shangguan Yixin. Everything he had gained from the Xingyan Sect had been used to maintain the reversal of the Fusion Formation, and even the remnants had been integrated into his Golden Core.

This was one of the reasons Zhou Xuanhong had revealed his formation skills. Once this ordeal passed, many would surely come to him to have formation disks crafted, and he could make a fortune then.

It is said that alchemy burns money, but arrays are equally expensive. Their operation requires energy as a propellant, and the most suitable source is naturally spirit stones.

After the selection ended, the Inverted Five Elements Trapping Array was deactivated. The five hundred chosen stood on the plain, while the defeated Golden Core cultivators could only return.

Cultivators possess resilient mindsets; they do not despair over failure. Instead, many felt a sense of relief—grateful they had survived the selection. Even those who lost felt perhaps they were not suited for the trial and might have died within it.

Thus, these Golden Core cultivators left the area in small groups. They were young, with infinite futures and status as the elites of their respective sects; a single failure could not shake their resolve.

***

Yan Xueying did not take the five hundred selected into the sect. With less than a month left until the secret realm opened, they had to hurry.

A white-haired old man appeared high in the sky. With a wave of his hand, a palm-sized flying vessel flew from his wide sleeve.

As he tossed it out, the boat grew in the wind, becoming a thousand-foot-long giant raft in the blink of an eye. It was deep blue and exquisitely crafted. Internal formations hummed, and the terrifying fluctuations of the prohibitions made it hard to breathe. Hovering overhead, it gave all the cultivators present the illusion of a sacred mountain pressing down upon them.

At the prow of the raft stood two massive statues of men, releasing surging auras.

Zhou Xuanhong recognized these statues—or rather, there were shadows of these two in Xu Yuqi’s soul memories. They were the founding ancestors of the Taiyin Corpse Sect: True Lord Taiyin and True Lord Jishi. Yet, after founding the sect, they had vanished.

Some said they had passed away, others that they had wandered off, and still others that they had been possessed and reincarnated. No one knew the truth.

The white-haired old man kept his eyes closed and spoke faintly: "Little children, come aboard. I shall lead this trial."

As his voice fell, the disciples of the Taiyin Corpse Sect streamed out and flew toward the raft, faces filled with smiles. They had not expected this person to lead the team—he was the strongest figure in the sect, the First Supreme Elder of the Taiyin Corpse Sect!

The five hundred Golden Core cultivators rushed up as well, but Zhou Xuanhong flew slowly, looking toward the Taiyin Corpse Sect, hoping to catch a glimpse of that graceful shadow.

Instead, another young woman approached him. Bai Youxuan had a smile on her face. For some reason, whenever she saw Zhou Xuanhong, she felt a sense of peace she had never experienced with her own guardian.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, long time no see!"

Bai Youxuan stood upon a green lotus platform, which added a sense of nobility to her beauty. If it were anyone else facing such a beautiful woman smiling at them, they would likely be utterly bewitched.

But Zhou Xuanhong only nodded faintly: "Long time no see. Fellow Daoist Bai, your charm is even greater than before."

Bai Youxuan pouted: "And then? Is there nothing else you want to say?"

Zhou Xuanhong looked behind her and asked: "Where is Xiaona? Is she not participating in the trial?"

Bai Youxuan turned her head away and huffed: "I won't tell you! You talk about Xiaona all day long. Did you put Yixin up to asking about her situation too? Why is your head so full of her!"

Just as Zhou Xuanhong was about to speak, he felt a special gaze fixed upon him. He looked up to find the owner of that gaze standing on the top deck of the raft, looking down at him.

It was a graceful figure wearing a veil. Her eyes seemed devoid of emotion; it was a gaze of thirst for power, an immense desire to control this heaven and earth. Only for an instant, when her eyes met Zhou Xuanhong’s, did they ripple, but it vanished quickly, and she turned and walked into a room.

Ignoring the pestering Bai Youxuan, Zhou Xuanhong flew toward the raft. His eyes seemed to hold only that figure, and everything else was automatically filtered out.

"Hmph! Where am I inferior to her? Zhou Xuanhong, just you wait!"

As Zhou Xuanhong prepared to board the raft, the white-haired old man stopped him. For the first time, he opened his eyes; they were like two stars in the sky, looking down with a benevolent smile that carried an intimidating authority.

"Little friend, please wait!"

Zhou Xuanhong stopped and bowed toward the old man, saying respectfully: "Junior Zhou Xuanhong greets you, Senior. May I ask why you have stopped me?"

The white-haired old man raised a hand toward the plain, and a teleportation array was lifted from the ground. He chuckled: "I admire this about you, little friend—you like to leave yourself a way out. The large-scale spatial fluctuations you caused during the mass teleportation were a front to hide a teleportation array you left underground. Why, are you worried my Taiyin Corpse Sect would make a move on you?"

Zhou Xuanhong was not surprised that the old man had found it; with the strength of a Void Spirit True Lord, it was easy.

"I was indeed worried. Is there anything else, Senior?"

The white-haired old man made a grasping motion toward Zhou Xuanhong. The space around him collapsed, and an invisible hand tightened around Zhou Xuanhong, pulling him before the old man.

"Do you intend to maintain this facade of having everything under control in front of me? You should know that even with a fifth-grade teleportation array, I have the confidence to intercept you."

Zhou Xuanhong smiled coldly: "Since I dared to step into the territory of your Taiyin Corpse Sect, I naturally have my assurances. If you dare to act, the Taiyin Corpse Sect will surely perish within a hundred years. I am not making empty threats."

The white-haired old man laughed loudly: "By you? I see you are a newborn calf unafraid of tigers, thinking that because you destroyed the Xingyan Sect, you are invincible. I will show you what true, absolute power means!"

With that, the white-haired old man did not hold back or show any restraint. He tightened his palm, and Zhou Xuanhong’s body shattered instantly, leaving everyone present stunned.

Seeing this, Shangguan Yixin felt a tearing pain in her heart. She did not even know why she felt such agony at Zhou Xuanhong’s death; perhaps, at some point, his figure had already entered her heart.

Shangguan Liming only sighed, seemingly having foreseen this, though he had not expected it to happen so soon.

Of all those present, the one most deeply affected by Zhou Xuanhong’s death was Bai Youxuan. She stood rooted to the spot, watching as the man who had just greeted her was killed by the ancestor. Looking at his body dissolving into specks of dust, her heart trembled violently. She did not know how to express her emotions—should she cry? But she could not.

At that moment, from the room at the very top of the raft, a graceful figure flew out onto the deck. She wore a veil, her beautiful eyes streaming with tears at the sight of Zhou Xuanhong’s death. Her eyes were no longer emotionless, but filled with deep despair and sorrow, as if in that moment, she had lost everything.

"No!"