Amidst the wailing of ghosts and the howling of gods, Xu Ping’an’s voice was not loud, yet it possessed a peculiar penetrating power that echoed clearly through the area.
The spot where his fingertip pressed was precisely the base of the Imperial Jade Seal of Great Qi, where eight seal script characters were engraved in the most ancient and solemn style—“By Mandate of Heaven, Longevity and Eternal Prosperity.”
In an instant!
The eight archaic seal characters suddenly burst forth with a dazzling golden light, like ancient firewood being ignited!
That light was not a sharp, aggressive radiance, but rather gentle, heavy, and grand, carrying a vast aura of receiving the mandate of Heaven to rule over all directions!
The golden light shot up into the sky, appearing like a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth, and sounding like an ancient horn awakening a slumbering giant beast!
“Boom—!”
In the unseen depths, a vast and boundless “power,” indescribable in words, was triggered! In the eastern sky, the pale golden dragon shadow—previously strangled by black lines and appearing withered and spent—seemed to sense a summons from its bloodline and legitimate origin.
It suddenly let out a sorrowful yet resolute dragon roar that shook the very soul!
“Roar—!!!”
Amidst the dragon roar, the Dragon Qi—already scarred and dimmed by the erosion of the Shamanic Fiend’s black lines—actually forced itself to break free from a portion of its constraints at this moment. Ignoring the risk of completely dissipating, it carried the remaining, final, and most fundamental Nation’s Destiny of the Great Qi Dynasty.
It transformed into a somewhat illusory yet still divinely majestic golden torrent, tearing through space and rushing toward the Swordsmith Peak venue, toward the shining golden Imperial Jade Seal of Great Qi!
Simultaneously, on an even more ethereal yet ubiquitous level, the vast providence belonging to the entire Human Tribe—which had endured through heritage and tribulation without ever being extinguished—seemed to be stirred by the Daoist charm of “By Mandate of Heaven” on the seal.
It bestowed a microscopic yet essentially supreme “gaze” and “blessing,” merging into the rushing torrent of Dragon Qi!
Dragon Qi!
The legitimate dynasty’s destiny!
Though broken and heavily damaged, it was still “Dragon Qi”! It represented the order of human rule recognized by Heaven and Earth, carrying the beliefs and expectations of millions of living souls!
It was absolutely not something that could be easily resisted or desecrated by the Inner Power of ordinary cultivators, or even the devious and sinister baleful death energy of the Shamanic Fiend!
At this moment, using the seal as a guide and his own understanding of the path of providence, Xu Ping’an temporarily “borrowed” a sliver of attention from the remaining Dragon Qi and Human Race Providence!
The torrent of filthy skeletons and resentful souls surging toward Xu Ping’an and the cultivators of various sects bore the brunt of it, colliding violently with this grand golden torrent of Dragon Qi that carried the majesty of the human way!
“Sizzle—!!!”
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only the sound of intense melting, like hot oil poured on snow! Wherever the golden light passed, those grayish-white skeletons, twisted resentful souls, and filthy blood fiends met their nemesis.
They let out even more shrill wails, emitting black smoke as they rapidly faded and dissipated! The golden torrent moved with unstoppable force, washing directly toward the Shamanic Fiend in mid-air, who held the Myriad Filth Bone Banner!
“What?! Impossible!”
Within the Shamanic Fiend’s deathly still eyes, a look of unbelievable horror and a hint of… panic appeared for the first time!
He had calculated everything: the hidden depths of the Liuyun Sect, the strength of the masters from every sect, and he had even accounted for the possibility of hidden old monsters.
Yet, he never expected someone would use this method to trigger the dynastic Dragon Qi that was supposed to be under his plot and heading toward decline, let alone stir a counterattack from the deeper Human Race Providence!
Dragon Qi!
Furthermore, it was Dragon Qi carrying the imprint of the Human Tribe’s legitimate providence!
This was precisely the ultimate nemesis of an “anomaly” like him, who was condensed from battlefield Baleful Qi and death energy, having usurped the corpse of a Great Shaman!
That brilliant celestial majesty, that belief of ten thousand people, and that power of legitimate order exerted a fundamental suppression on him, a being that “should not exist”!
In his haste, he could no longer afford to attack Xu Ping’an and the people below. He frantically shook the Myriad Filth Bone Banner, spewing out even denser, almost tangible filthy Baleful Qi to condense thick, grayish-black barriers in front of him.
At the same time, his figure retreated rapidly, wanting to temporarily avoid the brunt of the attack! However, the Dragon Qi torrent came too fast! Too fiercely!
The blessing of the Human Race Providence—triggered by the seal and carrying the Daoist charm of “By Mandate of Heaven”—was far beyond his expectations!
“Rumble—!!!”
The golden torrent slammed ruthlessly into the grayish-black barrier! The barrier twisted violently, making an unbearable cracking sound. After supporting itself for less than a breath, it shattered with a bang! The remaining golden Dragon Qi, like a red-hot iron, washed harshly over the Shamanic Fiend’s grayish-green, shriveled body!
“Ah—!!!”
A shrill scream erupted from the Shamanic Fiend’s mouth, completely different from his previous indifference and hoarseness; it was filled with agony and shock!
His body, nurtured from the corpse of a Great Shaman and supposed to be incredibly tough, actually emitted sizzling white smoke under the golden light.
The dark red patterns on its surface twisted and dimmed like living things, as if being purified and burned!
The grayish-black Baleful Qi churning around him melted rapidly like ice and snow under Sunlight!
His aura plummeted instantly, becoming chaotic and disorganized. The light of the Myriad Filth Bone Banner in his hand also dimmed; he was clearly severely wounded!
Now was the time!
A sharp light flashed in the eyes of Xu Ping’an, who had been calmly observing everything!
This was the opportunity he had been waiting for! The moment the Shamanic Fiend was heavily injured by the backlash of the remaining Dragon Qi and Human Race Providence, his mind shaken and his defenses greatly reduced!
Without moving his body, he simply flipped his wrist, and a strange Elixir—the size of a dragon’s eye, chaotic in color, with three natural cloud patterns on its surface—appeared between his fingertips.
No medicinal fragrance wafted from this Elixir; instead, it held a dangerous fluctuation restrained to the extreme.
This was the only Spirit-Locking Meridian-Severing Pill he had secretly refined during these days, utilizing several special medicinal materials he had requested from Pei Qingxuan, combined with his own understanding of “Qi,” “poison,” and “seals”!
This pill had no grade or rank; it did not increase cultivation or heal injuries. It had only one purpose—to seize the opportunity to invade when the target’s spiritual power or energy circulation fluctuated violently or was wounded, forcibly locking down the core energy flow nodes and cutting off the possibility of mobilizing power!
It was extremely difficult to refine, the materials were demanding, and the duration was limited. But for the Shamanic Fiend at this moment, it might just be his nemesis! Xu Ping’an flicked his finger!
“Whiz—!”
The chaotic Elixir transformed into an almost invisible streak of light. Taking advantage of the interval where the Shamanic Fiend was screaming in pain, his mind distracted, and his Baleful Qi barrier shattered, it shot with unerring precision into his wide-open mouth!
The pill melted upon entry, instantly merging deep into his torso!
The Shamanic Fiend’s body suddenly stiffened! He felt an extremely strange power—one that did not belong to any known spiritual energy or toxin—frantically spreading, penetrating, and condensing along his meridians scorched by Dragon Qi and his Baleful Qi core!
Everywhere it passed, the vast and cold shamanic power of the Baleful Qi within his body acted like a frozen river, its circulation speed abruptly dropping by over ninety percent! Several key energy nodes even transmitted the sluggishness and intense pain of being forcibly “welded shut”!
“You… what did you do to me?!”
The Shamanic Fiend was both shocked and enraged. He tried to urge his power to force out the strange object, but found that mobilizing his strength had become exceptionally difficult and slow; he couldn’t even utilize ten percent of his power!
This caused him more fear than his physical wounds!
And below, how could Pei Qingxuan, who had long been prepared, miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
“Strike!”
Her cold shout echoed through the venue! Pei Qingxuan, having long broken free from most of the pressure and constraints, transformed into a Sword Light and was the first to soar into the sky! The Longsword in her hand erupted with unprecedentedly dazzling brilliance. Countless fine and sharp sword energies wove into a massive sword net, ignoring the remaining Baleful Qi around the Shamanic Fiend and directly shrouding his body, limbs, and head!
The sword net was not primarily for killing, but rather contained the most profound Seal and restriction runes of the Liuyun Sect. Once it fell, it could imprison his movements and power layer by layer!
At the same time, Perfected Master Yun Yi of the Heavenly Sword Sect, The Master of Mysterious Dust of the Mystic Pavilion, Master Miaoyin of The Hall of Compassionate Navigation, Taoist Huoyun of the Blazing Fire Valley, and other sect leaders who had regained their composure also shouted and attacked!
“Heavenly Sword Demon-Lock!”
“Mystic Mechanism Interdiction!”
“Quiet Mind Brahma Chains!”
“Li-Fire Spirit Sealing!”
Streaks of light, chains, runes, and restrictions—some sharp, some profound, some merciful, some blazing—whistled from different directions.
Like an inescapable net, they coordinated with Pei Qingxuan’s sword net to bind the Shamanic Fiend, who had just suffered a heavy blow and whose internal power was mostly locked by the strange Elixir.
They tied him up tightly, layer upon layer!
“No—!! I have planned for ten thousand years! How can I be destroyed by the hands of you ants!!”
The Shamanic Fiend let out an unwilling roar, struggling desperately.
But his current state was too poor; the heavy injuries from the Dragon Qi backlash had not settled, and his internal power was temporarily sealed by the Spirit-Locking Meridian-Severing Pill.
How could he break free from the multiple restrictions laid down by dozens of top righteous path masters?
His struggle quickly became futile.
The grayish-black Baleful Qi was completely suppressed back into his body.
The Myriad Filth Bone Banner flew out of his hand, flicked away by Pei Qingxuan’s sword, and sealed in a special jade box.
That grayish-green shrivelled body, bound by countless glittering restriction chains, fell heavily to the ground from mid-air with a dull thud.
He could no longer move; only his deathly eyes still burned with the flames of resentment and unwillingness, staring fixedly at Xu Ping’an as he slowly descended from the sky.
Inside and outside the venue, there was a dead silence.
Everyone looked at the “Shamanic Fiend” who was suppressed by heavy restrictions and no longer possessed his previous overwhelming ferocity, then looked at the young disciple in green robes who stood calmly and had changed the battle situation in the blink of an eye.
Their eyes were filled with shock, lingering fear, and deep disbelief.
Xu Ping’an landed, his footsteps staggering slightly, his face even paler than before.
Forcing the guidance of the Dragon Qi, activating the seal, and accurately throwing the pill—each step had consumed a massive amount of mental energy.
He stabilized himself, walked to the suppressed Shamanic Fiend, glanced down, and then turned to the complex-faced Pei Qingxuan, who was walking over quickly.
He let out a soft breath: “It’s… temporarily resolved.”
Pei Qingxuan came to his side.
She didn’t look at the Shamanic Fiend on the ground; her gaze was locked tightly on Xu Ping’an’s slightly pale face.
Her eyes held lingering fear, deep concern, and an indescribable throb of emotion.
She opened her mouth, but in the end, she only held his hand firmly.
Her fingertips were cold, yet they carried an unquestionable firmness.
At this moment, the remaining Dragon Qi torrent in the sky, after completing this “fatal blow,” rapidly dimmed.
It became even more illusory, letting out a weak, infinitely exhausted dragon roar, slowly dissipating and returning to its main body strangled by black lines.
The golden light on the Heirloom Seal of the Realm had also long since faded, returning to its appearance as a piece of warm Ancient Jade.