However, the Heavenly Sword was an Immortal Artifact forged by the Destruction of Heavenly Tribulation. It carried not only Lightning and Wind, but also the Law of Heavenly Wrath. That spiritual Earth wall held for only a fraction of a second before cracking and shattering into pieces, like fragile glass.

  WHUSH!

  The residual energy from the Heavenly Sword's slash struck the three assassins. They were thrown backward, blood spraying from their mouths. The Seal ring in the hand of one of the assassins fell to the ground, its light fading; the artifact had been severely damaged.

  The three assassins had just landed on the cracked red earth when the two other assassins who were tearing the ancient scroll finally finished their preparations. The ancient scroll, made from the skin of a rare Ancient Beast, was completely shredded, releasing a deep red Spatial Slaughter Formation that enveloped the battlefield, locking the spatial coordinates in the Crimson Land Valley.

  "Ten Thousand Shadows Death Formation!" shouted one of the assassin leaders, his voice hoarse and filled with hatred.

  In the blink of an eye, the entire Crimson Land Valley surrounding Zhi Xuan, Ao Sheng, and Xiao Die was filled with fast-moving red shadows, confounding their sight and spiritual senses. These shadows carried a terrifying killing intent, each holding a spiritual dagger ready to pierce.

  Those shadows, which were manifestations of spatial Laws and Blood essence, darted toward Zhi Xuan from every angle. The remaining eight assassins joined in, hiding behind the formation, their movements invisible amidst the crowd of shadows.

  Zhi Xuan snorted coldly. His eyes emitted the frozen light of Extreme Ice. He stood still in the center of that shadow storm, the Heavenly Sword in his hand emitting a fierce Lightning glow. He gazed around him, watching the shadows that were so fast they were almost undetectable by divine sense.

  He closed his eyes for a moment. His silvery hair fluttered gently, even though no wind blew around him. Instead of using Divine Sense to seek movements that would be disrupted by the formation, Zhi Xuan released his Extreme Ice aura.

  WHUMP!

  An invisible wave of cold spread from his body. The aura did not seek to freeze; it simply imposed stagnation upon the space around it. Every red shadow that tried to approach, every shadow carrying the essence of the Eternal Killing Temple, suddenly felt slowed before the will of Extreme Ice. Their insane speed slowed into predictable movements.

  Zhi Xuan opened his eyes. The ice sapphire light in his pupils now shone sharply. He saw the eight assassins hidden behind those shadows—they were shocked. Their speed, which was their only asset, had now been snatched away. Zhi Xuan shot forward sharply with the Heavenly Sword in hand, not waiting for them to release another attack.

  ZHINGG! ZRRTT!

  The Heavenly Sword roared. It surged into the Ten Thousand Shadows Death Formation. Every swing, every slash, was precise, aimed at the vital points of the assassins who could now only move slowly amidst the Extreme Ice.

  Two assassins at the front line, who had just recovered from the strike of the Heavenly Sword, tried to swing their daggers. The daggers felt heavy in their hands, as if enveloped by invisible ice. They only saw a silvery shadow pass by, followed by a lethal pain.

  SRAKK! SRAKK!

  The Heavenly Sword cut two necks with terrifying speed. The blood spurting from their arteries immediately froze for a moment in the air before falling to the red earth. That Five Element blood immediately flowed and was sucked like a spiral into Zhi Xuan's body, becoming Slaughter Seals that now increased and strengthened his physique. Fifty-Two Slaughter Seals.

  WHUSH! ROAR!

  The two Five Element souls floated and seemed bound by a chain, absorbed into Zhi Xuan, shooting into the Soul Lantern located inside the Heavenly Devouring Chalice. Zhi Xuan flinched slightly; his consciousness received a backlash from the souls he absorbed, but it meant nothing after the enhancement of the Heavenly-Blood Body Law.

  "Come," Zhi Xuan hissed hoarsely, stretching his arms as the muscles in his body formed new seals, and the Soul Lantern now devoured two souls. "It has been a long time since I felt such a strong scent of blood. Eight bloods, waiting to be harvested."

  Zhi Xuan did not stop. He was the angel of death moving in the midst of a storm whose silence he had created himself. The Ten Thousand Shadows Death Formation, which was supposed to be a deadly trap for enemies, had now become a harvesting arena for Zhi Xuan.

  The six remaining assassins, seeing their comrades killed in an instant without resistance, felt a deep urge for murder. They were shadows who mastered speed and stealthy attacks, but in the face of Zhi Xuan's Extreme Ice Law, their speed was stripped away, and they were forced to fight frontally—a fatal weakness for the Eternal Killing Temple.

  However, cultivators from the Eternal Killing Temple never knew fear. Their task was judgment, and failure to complete a mission was an unforgivable stain on their Dao of Slaughter. They had accepted payment and carved Zhi Xuan's name into their soul scrolls; their lives were merely tools to achieve that goal.

  "Kill him!" roared one of the leaders, his voice filled with brutal determination, ignoring the pain and helplessness creeping in due to the Extreme Ice slowdown.

  The remaining eight assassins immediately released all their essence. They knew that in the face of Zhi Xuan's frozen will, they could no longer rely on speed or deception. They had to fight as pure cultivators, using their Natural Laws to destroy before the Extreme Ice Law completely locked them down.

  Two of them, who mastered the Laws of Wind and Lightning, roared. They blended their essences, creating a fierce Pure Wind-Lightning Storm—an imitation of the Dao that Zhi Xuan himself mastered. The storm shot toward Zhi Xuan, trying to pierce through his Extreme Ice stagnation defense with opposing energy.

  Three other assassins, who mastered the Earth Law, drove their daggers into the ground. The red earth of the Crimson Land Valley trembled. The dense ancient Earth Law in the valley was immediately manifested, creating a Giant Stone Wall Fortress that loomed around Zhi Xuan, attempting to lock him inside a closed space.

  Meanwhile, the two strongest leaders, who mastered the Fire Law, lifted the other remaining scrolls from beneath their robes. They tore them, and this time, a deep red flame filled with Extreme Yang energy burst out, forming Hellish Embers aimed at the Giant Stone Wall Fortress.

  WHUMP! ZZZRTT! BOOM!

  The coordinated attack released an extraordinary spiritual storm. The Pure Wind-Lightning Storm struck Zhi Xuan's Extreme Ice stagnation wall, creating a deafening Law collision. The Giant Stone Wall Fortress immediately formed, and the Hellish Embers shot forward, ready to burn the fortress and everything inside it.

  Zhi Xuan snorted sharply. He felt the pressure from the Wind-Lightning Storm trying to tear his Law apart and the weight of the Earth Law attempting to lock him in.

  "An interesting game," Zhi Xuan hissed, a smile truly appearing now, the smile of a Devil who had just found worthy prey. He did not retreat. The Heavenly Sword in his hand roared, channeling the Law he had just mastered. He did not attack the Wind-Lightning Storm with the Lightning Law; he attacked with Extreme Ice.

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  ZRINGG!

  Zhi Xuan swung the Heavenly Sword forward. The blade did not release a Lightning slash, but instead emitted a wave of extreme frost. That wave collided with the Wind-Lightning Storm. The Lightning and Wind Laws, which always sought movement, were suddenly struck by a Law that rejected all fluctuations.

  The Wind-Lightning Storm immediately froze completely. The lightning within it became strands of crystal, and the wind became a rigid ice structure. The fierce storm stopped in mid-air, turning into an ice monument for a moment before shattering into pieces. The two assassins who released it staggered, blood spraying from their mouths; they felt their own Dao forced into stagnation.

  Meanwhile, the Giant Stone Wall Fortress surrounding him was complete. Zhi Xuan was locked inside. The Hellish Embers from the two Fire leaders hit the walls of the fortress, and the Earth Law of the fortress began to heat up, ready to purify Zhi Xuan. The fortress moved and swallowed Zhi Xuan within it.

  WHUMP! BAMM! DUGH! WHUSH!

  The fortress completely closed and locked Zhi Xuan inside, filled with Laws that pulled at each other and were heavy to bear. However, from within the fortress, a reddish light protruded from the cracks in the earth, and in an instant, the fortress collapsed, and debris of earth shot out, striking the surroundings.

  DUARR! WHUMP! WHUSH! WHUSH!

  From the center of the crater where the fortress once stood, Zhi Xuan floated slowly into the air, the Heavenly Sword shimmering with runes that seemed hungry for blood. Zhi Xuan raised his sword upward, and from the sky, a black cloud began to gather and twist. His sapphire-blue eyes were decorated with a red circle for a moment; in the air, a flash of lightning struck like the wrath of a God.

  "Enough playing," Zhi Xuan said coldly. The Heavenly Sword in his hand emitted a surge of red light, piercing up into the sky, and two purple-black Dragons appeared. They twisted and roared sharply, carrying the weight of a spiritual wave that suppressed everything in the vicinity.

  ROARRR!

  The roar of the two Dragons enveloped in the Pure Lightning Law and Pure Wind Law tore through the hot sky of the Crimson Land Valley. The two Dragons, which were manifestations of Zhi Xuan's Pure Wind-Lightning Dao, twisted amidst the turbulent black clouds. Their presence suppressed the entire valley, making the scattered red earth debris tremble and even causing the lava to rumble.

  Below, the six remaining assassins along with the two leaders, who witnessed the destruction of the Wind-Lightning Storm and the Giant Stone Wall Fortress in an instant, could now only stare at the two Dragons roaring above their heads with paralyzing despair. The power released by Zhi Xuan was almost like receiving the attack of a terrifying Soul Transformation expert.

  The eight emissaries of the Eternal Slaughter Temple immediately formed a Shield in the shape of a Pagoda. The Pagoda expanded and stood firmly on the ground, rising high to challenge the two Dragons twisting in the sky—a final effort from the Eternal Killing Temple filled only with the desire to kill Zhi Xuan.

  "How amusing," Zhi Xuan hissed cruelly. With a slow movement, as if the Heavenly Sword carried the weight of thousands of pounds, Zhi Xuan swung the sword forward. "Advance!"

  ROARR! WHUMP! WHUSH!

  The two Dragons twisted around each other before shooting down with open jaws. The thud brought flashes of lightning around the two Dragons, appearing like a double arrow shot by a skilled archer. The ground below felt nearly ready to collapse as the pressure of the two Dragons approached the Pagoda.

  DUAKK! WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP!

  The two Pure Wind-Lightning Dragons struck the defensive Pagoda with power that exceeded the Five Element realm. The Pagoda, which was their collective defensive artifact, roared in pain. Cracks spread rapidly across its golden surface. The Earth and Fire Laws channeled by the eight assassins were unable to withstand the combined attack of the Pure Wind-Lightning, which was now reinforced by Zhi Xuan's new Dao.

  The Pagoda held for only a few breaths before exploding into spiritual shards. The eight assassins were thrown in all directions, blood spraying from their mouths. They were now completely exposed before Zhi Xuan's fury. Without mercy, Zhi Xuan delivered two cross-slashes that exploded all their bodies into blood dust.

  Zhi Xuan withdrew the Heavenly Sword. He no longer needed to swing it. The eight bodies of the assassins had become blood dust floating in the hot air of the Crimson Land Valley, their essence instantly absorbed into the Slaughter Seals on Zhi Xuan's body, strengthening his Heavenly-Blood Body Law.

  The spider seal on his chest throbbed. He felt the addition of eight souls of Five Element cultivators absorbed into the Soul Lantern in the Heavenly Devouring Chalice, rapidly increasing his foundation. He now possessed Sixty perfect Slaughter Seals. This increase was so great, even in his body's condition of having just absorbed the Extreme Ice Law.

  The piercing headache from the soul absorption backlash felt familiar, but now it was easier to endure. Zhi Xuan landed slowly, his feet treading on the red earth that was now full of craters and explosion marks, as if gods had fought there. He glanced behind him, where Ao Sheng and Xiao Die stood frozen behind a basalt rock.

  The two children, protected by the Extreme Ice aura and the tortoise armor, were unhurt. However, their expressions were a mixture of wild admiration and deep fear. They had witnessed the power of a Heavenly Devil mastering three major Laws. Ao Sheng, holding his Black Water Dragon King Spear, immediately rushed forward.

  "Senior Zhi Xuan! They are all—they are dead?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly, not from fear, but from the horror of seeing such a total and efficient massacre.

  Xiao Die, now feeling safer because the battle was over, also stepped closer. She looked at the crater left by the explosion, where the Stone Fortress and the Defensive Pagoda had been destroyed. "Senior, the Eternal Killing Temple. Who would dare pay such a price to hunt you?"

  Zhi Xuan snorted; the Heavenly Sword returned to his Sea of Consciousness. He waved his hand, clearing the remaining blood dust and spiritual essence in the air. He truly looked like a Devil who had just harvested his blood crop, standing tall amidst the destruction.

  "Whoever it was, they paid too cheap a price," Zhi Xuan replied coldly. "The blood and souls of these Five Element cultivators are excellent fertilizer for my foundation. They only accelerated my path toward Soul Transformation."

  "Senior," Ao Sheng called out again, trying to guess the meaning of those ten robed figures. "Perhaps they were waiting for us to emerge from the Extreme Ice Mountains. As Senior saw while we were in the mountains, nothing attacked us except for two Crimson Lotus beasts."

  Xiao Die chimed in, starting to understand after hearing Ao Sheng's logical explanation. "Yes, Senior! They didn't want to attack because they knew Senior had mastered Extreme Ice in the mountains; they would have been overwhelmed. And now, the path we will take will surely not be safe, and perhaps these ten emissaries of the Eternal Slaughter Temple were just bait."

  Zhi Xuan raised an eyebrow; a thin smile of appreciation appeared at the corner of his lips. He glanced at Ao Sheng and Xiao Die in turn. Although both had a childish side that occasionally gave him a headache, in terms of instinct and situational danger analysis, they were two sharp children, far surpassing mortal cultivators of their age.

  "Bait?" Zhi Xuan murmured. He sighed; the heat mist of the Crimson Land Valley immediately enveloped him. "Perhaps. The Eternal Killing Temple would never send ten Five Element cultivators on a suicide mission if the target could be dealt with by a single Soul Transformation cultivator. They know I am a Devil, and they know the Heavenly Sword. So, they were testing my Laws, or they were testing my movements."

  Zhi Xuan channeled essence into his hands and carved intricate Detection and Concealment Runes into the ground of the Crimson Land Valley. The runes immediately throbbed with a dimming silver light, merging with the maroon dust. He did not want the fluctuations of this battle to attract the attention of other factions, especially the Ancient Beasts in this valley.

  "Whoever ordered this killing, they are a very wealthy figure with great patience," Zhi Xuan continued. He looked at the sky of the Crimson Land Valley, shrouded in heat mist. "They let me consolidate the Extreme Ice Law, and they waited for me to enter a highly opposing environment, the Crimson Land Valley, where the Fire and Earth Laws dominate. This is not just an assassination attempt; this is an attempt to hinder my Dao."

  He turned toward the two children, his cold and firm Devil aura overshadowing them once more. "We will not move carelessly. The Crimson Land Valley is a harsh territory. Here, the Earth Law will try to sink you, and the Fire Law will try to burn you from within. Your tortoise armor only provides physical defense; it does not provide Dao understanding."

  Zhi Xuan took a step forward, and although the ground beneath him felt very dense, his steps left no trace. The Extreme Ice Law within him resonated subtly, rejecting the suffocating pressure of the Earth Law, while his Heavenly-Blood Body Law neutralized the hidden heat.

  "You two little ones, this is what you need to know about the Laws in this place," Zhi Xuan commanded, his voice returning to the tone of a Master giving a lecture on the Dao. "The Earth Law in this Crimson Land is not soft Earth, but the manifestation of Primal Strength—heavy, stable, and possessing the will to lock down. It rejects movement, yet unlike Extreme Ice, Earth locks with weight, not with stagnation."

  He pointed to a crack in the ground emitting a faint red flame. "The Fire Law here is Primal Fire, fire born from the earth's core, not ordinary mortal fire. It does not just burn; it purifies and destroys foundations. If Primal Fire seeps into your Ancient Blood, it will try to alter your bloodline or even burn your essence dry."