“I’ve failed Shushan. Failed the world. I’ll repay it one day!”

    With that, Xue Yun pressed a hand to the center of his brow.

    He was about to use his life-bound flying sword to resonate with the Demon Suppression Tower, forcing it open.

    Xue Yun’s life-bound flying sword was deeply linked to the Demon Suppression Tower—it had been born from the tower.

    Only Xue Yun and the Old Sect Leader knew of this.

    Otherwise, not even the past Sect Leaders of Mount Shushan could have opened the Demon Suppression Tower so easily.

    Li Xuanxiao was still struggling. Coughing up blood, he staggered shakily toward Xue Yun.

    “Senior Brother...”

    Xue Yun couldn’t bear to look at him again.

    At that moment, Li Xuanxiao’s spiritual energy was completely depleted, like a candle flickering in the wind.

    “Senior Brother... Senior Brother...”

    He clutched at his Senior Brother’s robes in vain.

    Xue Yun’s face was grave as his entire cultivation surged toward the Demon Suppression Tower—his body and soul poured into it.

    The tower began to shake violently, layers of seals unlocking...

    Suddenly, a flash of white light shot toward Xue Yun.

    The bronze sword cauldron of Mount Shushan activated—its ancient sword seals etched on the body seemed to come alive.

    And the swords at the waists of Mount Shushan disciples all flew three inches out of their sheaths!

    Their blades hummed, sword aura bursting in all directions, as if ready to answer the bronze sword cauldron.

    Faced with this sudden turn, the unguarded Xue Yun had no time to react.

    In an instant, countless strands of sword aura struck like a storm, pinning him firmly to the massive stone stele behind him!

    Li Xuanxiao suddenly looked up, a glint flashing in his eyes—his earlier weakness gone.

    The sword aura nailed Xue Yun to the stele.

    Crane-Beak Silver Needles pierced his acupoints from multiple angles, spreading poison rapidly through his body.

    Mechanism puppets wrapped Xue Yun like a zongzi.

    Li Xuanxiao struck his chest twice in the blink of an eye—Five Poisons Heart-Corroding Art.

    In his palm, a blackened Crane-Beak Silver Needle appeared.

    The moment it emerged, its venom corrupted the surrounding spiritual energy.

    This poison had been refined after obtaining the second half of the Poison Scripture, and with Shangguan Suiyun’s treasury as its base.

    It was a toxin capable of killing a Spirit Transformation Stage cultivator, called Third Watch.

    He had merged it with his life-bound magical artifact, the Crane-Beak Silver Needle.

    When Yama wants you dead by the third watch, you won’t live past the fifth.

    But with great power comes a price—this poison had to enter the body. Against someone with strong defense, it would be useless.

    At this moment, the stele that pinned Xue Yun tightly absorbed his spiritual energy and sword aura.

    Li Xuanxiao drove the needle straight into the soul.

    Using such a treasure left him utterly drained.

    He swallowed a pill and shouted:

    “Uncle!!”

    With Xue Yun no longer restraining him, the Janitor Uncle finally broke free, looking completely disheveled.

    In truth, from the moment Xue Yun appeared outside the Demon Suppression Tower, to Li Xuanxiao suddenly ambushing him—

    It all seemed long, but had happened in just a brief instant.

    Had a single move gone wrong, or had either one hesitated for a moment—

    The outcome might have been entirely different.

    Still, several seals on the Demon Suppression Tower had already been undone.

    How could anyone open Mount Shushan’s Demon Suppression Tower by merely activating their life-bound flying sword!?

    Li Xuanxiao had underestimated just how defiant Senior Brother was against the heavens.

    “........”

    At that moment, inside the Demon Suppression Tower—

    The loosening of its seals was felt.

    The entire tower of demons and monsters went into an uproar.

    The Demon Suppression Tower stood ninety-nine zhang tall, pitch-black, covered in blood-colored runes, forged from ancient beast blood and starfall sand.

    It now sealed more than 103,000 demons and monsters.

    Some had been imprisoned for ten thousand years and still lived.

    Candle Shade’s remnant soul, the Thousand-Faced Ghost Mother, the Dark Turtle Elder...

    “Everyone—together! Break this tower open!!”

    Amid the sharp, heavy clash of chains, the cold steel links collided mid-air.

    Each collision sparked brilliant fire and deafening echoes through the dark chamber.

    The tower’s once-unshakable seals were starting to loosen.

    “Break it!!”

    A furious roar rang out like thunder, filled with wrath and resolve.

    It ignited the long-suppressed desire and fighting spirit of every imprisoned creature.

    “This is our last hope!”

    Another voice followed, urgent and trembling.

    At that moment, these demons, usually bitter enemies, showed unprecedented unity.

    Together, they slammed into the weakening seals with everything they had.

    “Shangguan Suiyun, what are you doing?! Hurry and help!”

    The Right Guardian of Asura Hall shouted.

    Shangguan Suiyun hesitated, murmuring to himself.

    “How could the Demon Suppression Tower be loosening… It’s Shushan. Something’s wrong with Shushan.

    My sister—she’s not in trouble, right...?”

    Right Guardian: (O_o)??

    “..........”

    Then came a thunderous crash:

    RUMBLE—

    It was like a thunderclap shaking the heavens.

    Demons from the first three levels rushed out.

    These levels—Flesh Prison, Bone Prison, Karma Fire Prison—

    Had the weakest seals, far inferior to the other six layers.

    They got lucky.

    But just as the flood of demons burst forth—

    A black shadow dropped from the sky like a ghost and landed atop the tower.

    The figure wore a billowing black robe, face hidden.

    The robe itself was a magical artifact, shielding him from detection.

    The Old Emperor!!

    He gripped the Ten Thousand Souls Banner in his right hand.

    It was pitch black, radiating a soul-chilling aura.

    The surface was covered in twisted, ghastly runes and images, like countless wailing souls in agony.

    Dark mists coiled around it, forming eerie vortices that seemed ready to swallow the world whole.

    “Fellow Daoists, into my soul banner—now!!”

    The demons hadn’t expected to flee the wolf’s den only to fall into the tiger’s jaws.

    Some tried to escape—

    But invisible hands yanked them into the banner in an instant.

    “Ahahaha!!”

    As more and more demons were sucked in,

    The Old Emperor hidden beneath the robe laughed uncontrollably.

    “Fools!!”

    The Janitor Uncle swung his broom.

    The Old Emperor blasted a palm in response.

    His power had grown severalfold, forcing the Janitor Uncle to retreat.

    “Mount Shushan Sword Formation!!”

    Finally, three Tribulation Stage Elders of Shushan arrived, forming the sword formation.

    The Old Emperor, clad in black, used the soul banner to absorb demons while withstanding attacks from four Tribulation Stage powerhouses—

    Yet still didn’t reveal his identity.

    Li Xuanxiao knew who he was, but this was his first time seeing him fight.

    His strength left Li Xuanxiao dumbstruck.

    Most protagonists are still grinding through Golden Core or Nascent Soul at this point.

    Me? I get thrown into schemes involving Tribulation Stage monsters!!

    Couldn’t you follow the standard routine? Send some of your minions first so I can level up?!

    Not just Li Xuanxiao—even the four Shushan powerhouses looked like they’d seen a ghost.

    All four working together couldn’t gain the upper hand.

    If he wasn’t busy controlling the soul banner, they’d already be defeated.

    “Cough, cough...”

    Li Xuanxiao turned to see—Xue Yun had broken free from the stele.

    Hit by the cauldron’s sword aura, poisoned by Li Xuanxiao’s venom—

    And yet Xue Yun stood tall as if nothing had happened.

    His body wasn’t like others. The organs and meridians he should’ve had—

    Were never there since birth.

    Instead, his insides were filled with razor-sharp sword aura,

    Weaving and flowing like spirit dragons, intertwining to form a strange, unique inner world.

    This sword-aura-constructed "organ" system sustained him with endless energy and vitality. Each strand of aura had its own will and purpose.

    They each performed their duty, working in harmony.

    The poison that could kill any Spirit Transformation cultivator had no effect on him.

    “I... what did I do...”

    Xue Yun clutched his head in pain, horrified.

    Li Xuanxiao asked in surprise, “Senior Brother—don’t tell me you just woke up?”

    “I... I had a moment of epiphany at the edge of life and death. I think I saw something that shouldn’t exist in this world. It was like waking from a dream.”

    Only then did Li Xuanxiao realize—his Senior Brother’s aura wasn’t weaker, it was stronger.

    He’s... he’s in the Body Fusion Stage!?

    Screw it—I''m going all in with you geniuses!!

    Xue Yun stood and activated his life-bound flying sword again.

    Li Xuanxiao instinctively moved to stop him—

    But quickly realized:

    This time, Senior Brother wasn’t opening the Demon Suppression Tower.

    He was resealing it.

    The Old Emperor noticed too—he first pushed back the Shushan Elders, then turned and struck with a killing palm.

    Faced with a Tribulation Stage attack—

    Li Xuanxiao felt his mind boil, like waves surging through his spiritual sea.

    But Xue Yun deflected the blow.

    Golden light flowed from his brow, blood pouring from his seven orifices.

    “This started because of me. It should end with me.”

    Li Xuanxiao was forced back.

    Xue Yun stood in front of him and said solemnly:

    “Little Junior Brother. I saw the future and the past. Protect Mount Shushan!”

    Sword aura flowed endlessly from his brow like a river.

    He raised his sword hand high—then brought it down hard.

    This Senior Brother of Silver Sword Peak, who had just stepped from Spirit Transformation into Body Fusion Stage—

    Split his life-bound flying sword in two.

    Half sealed the Demon Suppression Tower.

    The other half entered Li Xuanxiao’s forehead.

    The Heavenly Secrets Elder of Central State once said—he could divine eight thousand years past, five thousand years ahead, and never saw such talent again.

    He was meant to dominate an entire era.

    But now, he fell!!

    “........”

    Outside Central State.

    The Happy Elder let out a long sigh.

    Hundreds of years of planning.

    He had ranked the possible outcomes in three tiers.

    Best: Open the Demon Suppression Tower, release all the demons, Xue Yun dies.

    Second: Partially damage Mount Shushan, Xue Yun dies.

    Worst: Xue Yun dies.

    In all his plans, Xue Yun had to die!!

    Mount Shushan already had one Lingxu. There couldn’t be another like him.

    Especially since compared to Lingxu, Xue Yun might be even stronger.

    To think he actually reached Body Fusion in his final moment.

    Still, he got the second-best outcome.

    Not bad.

    “............”

    At Shushan.

    The Old Emperor, hidden in his black robe, frowned slightly.

    The Demon Suppression Tower was resealed. Damn it! sea??h thё N?vel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    If only I’d had a little more time.

    Time to leave...

    The power of the Ten Thousand Souls Banner could feed directly back to him. Let’s test it on them first!

    The Old Emperor thought to himself.

    His already fearsome aura surged violently, demonic energy boiling like a storm.

    It condensed instantly into a massive black hand!

    It blotted out the sky, exuding overwhelming terror, like it could tear space apart.

    The hand reached down—

    The four Shushan Tribulation Stage cultivators were powerless to resist. Each fell in their own domains.

    The raging demonic aura continued to spread wildly like an unchained beast.

    Wherever it passed—mountains, forests, birds, beasts—all were swallowed in an instant, vanishing without a trace.

    Now, that dark tide of black energy swept toward Li Xuanxiao, about to consume him completely...

    “What do you think you’re doing to my disciple?”

    At that critical moment, a calm voice echoed from behind Li Xuanxiao.

    “........”