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An endless surge of blood-red sword intent condensed into one, transforming into a massive blood-colored greatsword, several dozen meters long. It surged forward, and wherever the blade passed, the space split like fragile paper. Unlike typical rifts that resemble branching streams, these fissures were straight and clean. This wasn't because the sword's power was weak—it was because all the sword energy had been concentrated into a single force with no dispersion.
"Boom!"
Sword and claw collided violently in midair, unleashing a storm of berserk energy. Even the clouds in the sky were torn apart by the force of their clash.
From the head-on collision, a powerful force burst forth, sending Qian Renhan hurtling backward hundreds of meters. His blood and energy churned within him. After all, Huang Tian was a peak Five-Star Dou Saint, and his original form was a Sky Demon Phoenix. In every aspect—cultivation, physique, and techniques—there was a significant gap between the two.
As for Huang Tian, the damage he sustained was negligible. His seemingly indestructible claws bore only a faint sword mark.
"If this is all you've got, then prepare to be torn to shreds by this king!" Huang Tian said coldly, glancing at his claw. A golden glow surged across it, instantly healing the minor sword wound.
"The Three Thousand Great Daos—Time reigns supreme, but Space is king. Don't think that the spatial power I painstakingly comprehended through my Sword Domain is only good for escaping."
With a flick of his sleeve, Qian Renhan shattered the surrounding space. His Sword Domain, spanning thousands of meters, flooded the fragmented void with frenzied blood-red sword intent. Ripples formed around Huang Tian as several long blood swords, identical to the earlier one, shot toward him.
By merging space with his Sword Domain, Qian Renhan was able to temporarily unleash the full might of his sword intent.
"If you think this alone can defeat me, then allow this king to show you—the ultimate Dou Techniques rely on one thing: speed. Witness the mystic Phoenix Steps of my Sky Demon Phoenix Clan!"
With a sneer, Huang Tian flapped his wings. A deep, thunderous boom echoed across the sky as he vanished from sight, moving at a speed beyond the human eye. As two blood swords honed in on his wings, he twisted mid-air and slipped through the narrow gap between them. His movements were so swift that even his afterimages were nearly imperceptible.
"Let me show you what true strength looks like. This king doesn't need to control space—this king shatters space!"
In the sky, Huang Tian's fists blurred into motion, forming countless golden afterimages. The space before him shattered under the sheer force of his blows. A dense barrage of fierce fist winds tore through space, enveloping every inch of Qian Renhan's body.
BOOM—
A thunderous explosion followed as the terrifying punch winds consumed Qian Renhan. The space within a hundred-meter radius was completely reduced to fragments!
It was over.
As the remnants of the Sword Domain dispersed around him, this was Huang Tian's first thought. A human at the late Four-Star Dou Saint level could not possibly withstand over a hundred full-strength blows from him.
But just then, a chilling murderous aura suddenly appeared behind Huang Tian. The Sword Domain erupted once more. A blood sword tore through space and slashed across Huang Tian's back, right between his wings, leaving a deep and bloody gash.
"Argh!"
Huang Tian cried out in pain. He immediately spread his wings and used the Phoenix Steps to create distance. Whipping around, he glared at the blood sword and the scarlet illusion of Qian Renhan behind it.
"So this is Human-Sword Unity? You became one with your sword? Then what I destroyed just now… was merely your clone?!"
"You humans… Very well! Very well! It's been far too long since this king has tasted pain. But don't expect to get lucky again!" Huang Tian roared in fury.
Inside the ancient ruins, Xiao Yan and his group, including the Little Medical Fairy, had successfully harvested the Soul Infant Fruit and were preparing to flee. The Dou Saint-level battle raging in the skies above the Skeleton Mountain Range had shaken the entire relic space. It was then that Xiao Yan's group unexpectedly encountered Gu Xun'er and her party.
Xiao Yan stared at Gu Xun'er like a man gazing upon a long-lost love, his eyes filled with sincerity and longing. He said excitedly, "Xun'er, you've grown up. Do you still remember me?"
Gu Xun'er studied Xiao Yan, her elegant brows furrowed slightly. After some thought, she shook her head and said, "I'm sorry, my friend. I don't recognize you. Have we met before?"
Hearing this, disappointment flickered across Xiao Yan's face. With a bitter smile, he said, "Even if I've matured, you shouldn't have forgotten me… I'm Xiao Yan."
"Xiao Yan, I'm sorry. I've lost all my memories from the past. I don't remember you. Regardless of what we were to each other, until I recover my memories, could you please not call me 'girl'? Just use my name—Gu Xun'er," she replied.
Her response offered Xiao Yan a measure of respect while maintaining the poise of a noble young lady, along with the dignified distance she usually kept when dealing with men.
"You don't remember me… You don't remember me… Girl, you've lost your memory—what happened to you?!"
Hearing those words, Xiao Yan staggered back two steps, his once-steady heart beginning to collapse. What had he been training so hard for all these years? With Yao Lao resurrected and the Soul Infant Fruit obtained, nine-tenths of his goal had already been achieved. Now only one thing remained—becoming powerful enough to stand before the Gu Clan with dignity and to see Xun'er again.
Upon hearing the word "girl" once more, a flicker of displeasure flashed across Gu Xun'er's beautiful eyes. Just as she was about to respond, a tall man in flowing violet robes stepped forward. It was none other than Lingquan.
Lingquan glanced at Xiao Yan with undisguised disdain, his gaze filled with bottomless contempt, as though he were looking at a piece of garbage. He sneered and said, "Miss, you don't need to bother with this guy. He's just the well-known trash of the Xiao Clan—the place you lived as a child. A useless piece of filth like this isn't even worth your breath."
At the word trash, both the Little Medical Fairy and Venerable Tian Huo narrowed their eyes slightly. Xiao Yan, meanwhile, stared hard at Lingquan, bloodshot lines creeping into his eyes. Flames of fury roared to life within him—not just because of the insult, but because it awakened bitter memories: how the Gu Clan had once traded away the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Jade for nothing more than a low-tier Xuan-level cultivation method.
Now, Xiao Yan understood at least some of the truth: the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor's Jade was connected to the secret of becoming a Dou Emperor—an exceedingly rare and priceless artifact across the entire Dou Qi Continent. According to his teacher, Yao Chen, a low-tier Xuan-level technique was nothing more than street trash to the Gu Clan, the kind that no one would even bother picking up.
This meant the Gu Clan had exchanged a piece of worthless junk for a treasure of unimaginable value. If the major families and sects of the continent—especially the ancient eight clans—found out about the Xiao Clan's once-glorious status and this trade, they would laugh the clan into oblivion. It would become the ultimate joke—a disgrace far more humiliating than Nalan Yanran's withdrawal of the marriage engagement.
Indeed, after pulling off such a dirty trade, the Gu Clan saw the Xiao Clan as absolute rubbish. If not for concerns about face, and the fear of being publicly scorned by the other six ancient clans, the Gu Clan would have spread the news themselves, and perhaps even advocated to rename the "Ancient Eight Clans" as the "Ancient Seven Clans."
(End of Chapter)