Undying Life

Chapter 949: The Demon-Summoning Banner

Bai Qi's path was one of slaughter, and his terrifying killing intent had condensed into a peerless divine weapon. His willpower was exceptionally resilient—among ancient immortals, there were likely no more than a handful with a resolve as unyielding as Bai Qi's. Yet despite his strength, he moved like a puppet, controlled by some unseen force.

Who could possess such power?

Bai Qi fixed his gaze on Zhong Shan's direction. In an instant, a surge of overwhelming killing intent shot forth from his eyes. At the same time, the peerless, murderous blade in his hand descended from the heavens with a fierce and tyrannical slash.

The blade's momentum, infused with intense killing intent, fell like a demonic apparition. The white blade light transformed into the colossal phantom of a demon, cutting towards the peak where Zhong Shan stood with unparalleled ferocity.

With this single strike, the heavens and earth seemed to change color.

Countless ancient immortals felt a chill in their hearts. The power was terrifying—if it were them, could they avoid it?

The ancient immortals were only concerned about evading the strike; none considered whether they could block it. Such a domineering blow was impossible to withstand.

It was over—Zhong Shan and Luo Xingchen were doomed.

Yet, Zhong Shan on the mountaintop continued to stare at Bai Qi, seemingly oblivious to the terrifying blade's momentum. Only Luo Xingchen moved at this moment.

A flash of blue from the sapphire on Luo Xingchen's forehead sent beams of green light shooting towards Bai Qi's fearsome blade.

"Slow," Luo Xingchen intoned deeply, raising a hand skyward.

In that moment, Bai Qi felt as if he had slowed down. The once domineering slash now seemed to move at a fraction of its speed, reduced by threefold.

Even though it remained imposing, in Bai Qi's mind, the slowed strike felt cumbersome and lethargic.

"Time Confinement!" Luo Xingchen shouted again.

The slowed blade suddenly halted. The massive momentum still lingered, but Luo Xingchen's hand had seized Bai Qi's fierce blade forcefully.

"Boom～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!"

The immense killing intent blew down, snapping many trees in its wake. Though the powerful slash was stopped, the oppressive momentum persisted.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

In the void, Luo Xingchen's hand reached towards the sky, stopping Bai Qi's terrifying blade with a single hand—Luo Xingchen!

The onlookers were left agape. As Bai Qi's blade descended, nearly everyone had declared Zhong Shan and Luo Xingchen dead. But Luo Xingchen had actually blocked the strike?

Was Luo Xingchen truly this formidable?

"Roar～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!"

Bai Qi suddenly let out a thunderous roar. His blade twisted, shattering Luo Xingchen's "Time Confinement." The massive blade regained its freedom, and Luo Xingchen's large handprint shattered explosively.

Just as everyone thought Bai Qi would go berserk again, he suddenly thrust his blade into the ground before him.

Clutching his head with both hands, Bai Qi's eyes turned blood-red, veins bulging.

"Get out～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!"

With a deafening roar, a powerful explosion erupted around Bai Qi.

"Boom!" A burst of white light shattered around him.

Bai Qi's body sagged as he leaned on the hilt of his blade, panting heavily. The crowd couldn't comprehend what had just happened, but Zhong Shan knew. Bai Qi had regained control—not through anyone else's help, but by the sheer force of his own formidable will, dispersing the powerful intent that had been controlling him.

After ten breaths, Bai Qi straightened up, looking around before finally fixing his gaze on Zhong Shan and then Luo Xingchen.

"Saint King Zhong, my apologies for earlier!" Bai Qi said with candid straightforwardness, admitting his mistake without any pretense.

"No harm done, you were also a victim!" Zhong Shan nodded.

Bai Qi gave Zhong Shan a deep look, then offered a slight bow before turning and heading back the way he had come.

The turn of events was so bizarre that many were left bewildered. What just happened with Bai Qi? He had rushed over, slashed at Zhong Shan, failed, then bowed in apology before leaving?

The confusion was palpable, especially among the disciples of the Snow Plum Patriarch, who were the most aggrieved. One of their own had died—someone who had sought trouble only to get killed for nothing. He was the fourth disciple to die because of Zhong Shan, and they all glared at him with hatred.

Though the surrounding experts couldn't grasp the full situation, one thing was clear: Luo Xingchen was immensely powerful. He had forcefully intercepted Bai Qi's fearsome strike!

Luo Xingchen had returned to Zhong Shan's side, but the lingering sense of his strength left a lasting impression on everyone.

"The Dazheng Kingdom is truly formidable!"

"Senior Brother, why would someone as strong as Luo Xingchen join the Dazheng Holy Court? Isn't it the weakest of the Holy Courts?"

"Weakest? Who told you that?"

"Everyone says so!"

"But if Dazheng can produce an obscure figure who matches the strength of the leaders of other sects, do you still think it's weak?"

All around, people voiced their confusion, with the experts from Fengzhong Domain being the loudest. At this moment, the once-weak image of the Dazheng Holy Court was transformed in everyone's minds.

In the distance, Bai Qi returned to the peak where he had stood earlier, surrounded by his murderous aura. Had he been a puppet?

Bai Qi's expression turned somber, knowing that only a sage could control someone so subtly and without notice. A sage?

Silent and grave, Bai Qi scanned his surroundings.

"Boom～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～!"

Suddenly, a deafening explosion resounded from the sky, shaking the entire Nüwa Realm as if the world were about to collapse. Fortunately, the tremors lasted only a moment before the realm stabilized.

The explosion originated from the clash between Ying and Zhuangzi.

The blast left some low-level cultivators bleeding from their ears, it was so overwhelmingly powerful.

Everyone's eyes widened as they looked towards the source of the explosion.

Ying and Zhuangzi had separated!

The endless butterflies and stars abruptly vanished.

The two stood a great distance apart, and between them, space rippled with powerful waves. At the very center, a pitch-black void had formed.

A black hole—a true black hole from the Grand Thousand World.

No one dared to test the strength of that black hole. The clash between Ying and Zhuangzi had torn open a massive rift in space, causing the entire Nüwa Realm to tremble.

As the black hole slowly shrank and healed, many onlookers gazed at Zhuangzi and Ying with deep-seated fear.

Strong! Unbelievably strong!

Two individuals capable of ripping open space itself!

The violent spatial tremors had reduced the surroundings to a desert-like wasteland, except for the mountain peak where Bai Qi stood, which remained intact. As the black hole shrank and finally vanished, Ying and Zhuangzi stood facing each other from a distance.

"Who won?"

"No idea!"

"We'll find out soon enough!"

People were fixated on determining the victor between the two.

"Daqin? A truly powerful dynasty, I'm looking forward to it!" Zhuangzi remarked with a deep breath.

"Looking forward? Then watch carefully!" Ying replied nonchalantly.

"Very well, Zhuang Zhou will keep these eyes open to witness the might of the supreme dynasty!" Zhuangzi nodded.

"Indeed," Ying acknowledged with a nod.

"Sages have arrived; I won't interfere any longer. Take care of yourself," Zhuangzi said, casting a deep look at Ying.

Ying remained calm but nodded in agreement.

With a wave of his hand, Zhuangzi and a group of his disciples ascended into the sky, disappearing in a flash of light.

"Who won?"

"Still no idea!"

"Can't tell!"

The battle between Ying and Zhuangzi left no clear outcome. Neither had used their full strength, and their confrontation seemed more like a test of skill than a decisive fight. The result? Inconclusive. But the fact that Ying could contend with Zhuangzi ensured that today's battle would be remembered and talked about for ages.

Ying glanced around calmly before landing on the mountain peak. With Zhuangzi gone, who else would dare to step forward?

The gathered ancient immortals exchanged wary glances, but none dared approach.

The Snow Plum Patriarch and other powerful figures fixed their intense gazes on the mountain.

Ying landed at the peak, and Bai Qi greeted him with a respectful bow but said nothing.

At that moment, the black mist on the mountain suddenly converged, revealing a figure at the center.

A man in black robes, holding a thirteen-colored banner.

"Saint King, mission accomplished!" Guiguzi said calmly.

Mission accomplished? Countless experts in the distance looked puzzled.

Ying reached out and took the Demon-Summoning Banner.

When Ying unfurled the banner, it radiated thirteen colors, with numerous totems of demonic beasts imprinted on it.

"Good," Ying nodded.

The three of them ascended into the sky, with all eyes fixed on the Demon-Summoning Banner in Ying's hand. Yet no one dared to make a move to snatch it.

Such dominance—holding the Demon-Summoning Banner without fear of anyone taking it!

Ying surveyed the surrounding experts before suddenly tossing the banner into the sky. It soared upwards.

"Let's go," Ying said calmly.

With that, Guiguzi and Bai Qi followed him, turning into streaks of light and disappearing into the distance.

The crowd watched in astonishment. Did Ying really leave? Did he abandon the Demon-Summoning Banner?

The area fell into silence as everyone stared at the banner slowly descending from the sky. Why would Ying, after so much effort and even offending three ancient immortals, abandon the banner?

What was going on?

People were bewildered. However, some recalled Guiguzi's words, "mission accomplished," indicating that Ying's goal had been achieved during the delay. What had Guiguzi done?

After a moment of silence, attention shifted back to the descending Demon-Summoning Banner.

Below, a man in purple robes stood—the leader of the Purple Heaven Dao Field.

As the Purple Heaven Leader realized the banner was falling directly towards him, he was momentarily excited. Was this destiny?

Destiny? The thought of destiny quickly chilled his excitement. Over the past months, the leader had become terrified of "destiny," plagued by misfortune and bad luck. Was the banner's descent a blessing or another curse?

Filled with dread, the Purple Heaven Leader looked around, seeing the greed and malevolence in the eyes of countless experts fixated on him.

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