"Bang!"

A fine head exploded right in front of Hu Dan's eyes, blood splattering all over the ground. Yet, more brain matter turned into rising steam, enveloping the soaring Black Thread Flame Snake, disappearing in a flash.

"Save me, save me!"

A monk, clutching his head, cried out and ran towards him, but he was still some distance away from the ruins of the Treasure Yan Tower. The same scene repeated itself. A black thread of fire burst out from the skull, and the corpse fell to the ground, sliding far away.

Not just in front of him, similar situations were happening in every corner of the temple. At first, it was an isolated incident, but in a matter of moments, the entire temple was filled with wailing, and the fire threads bursting out of the skulls even ignited nearby buildings, causing a fire.

Under the soaring Black Flames, the temple had turned into a sea of blood.

The monks of the Pure Water Sect, no matter how arrogant they had been before, had now all become meals in the mouth of the demon - only the legendary demon could have such terrifying methods that made one's flesh creep!

"What... what's going on?"

Shan Jiao, standing beside him, had already lifted her hood, revealing a delicate but pale face. The scene within the temple reflected in her eyes, casting bizarre and chaotic colors, gradually eroding her courage. Both of them were standing on the ruins of the Treasure Yan Tower, surrounded by the elite forces they had summoned. With their strength, they could easily control the situation in the temple. However, facing the current situation, they were all at a loss, not knowing what to do.

Hu Dan, however, managed to remain calm. He had already collected firsthand information from all sides and had sorted out the general situation: "Covering the entire temple, almost no blind spots, our people are unaffected, the first to die was an inconspicuous guy, but in the blink of an eye, it became uncontrollable. The fire threads bursting from the skulls are agile like snakes, capable of harming people. Four of our people have already died under the engulfing fire threads..."

As he spoke, two more monks screamed and rushed out in his field of vision, running for hundreds of feet, but they couldn't escape the fate of dying from their skulls bursting. Hu Dan's eyes twitched twice, recognizing one of the dead as a well-known Nature-Connecting Cultivator in Cliff City, but he didn't struggle any longer than the others.

"Damn it!"

Hu Dan punched his palm. In fact, he could be sure that the horror in the temple must have something to do with Monk Yi Xin in the distance, as the Black Flames were clearly carrying the aura of "Amritakundalin's Method." But he really couldn't figure out how Yi Xin did it, and why he did it?

"How else could I attain the Arhat Realm again?"

Buddhist teachings equate the Arhat Realm with the Daoist's Realm of the True Being. At this moment, Monk Yi Xin was enveloped in the soaring Black Flames. His exposed skin was covered with bizarre Rune Patterns, with a faint golden light flowing on the patterns. He smiled slightly and said:

"In my early years, I suffered from several devastating injuries that were beyond recovery. My Golden Body was destroyed, and even reincarnation was unattainable. If I were to heal and cultivate in the conventional way, I fear that I would never be able to regain my former self in this lifetime. Fortunately, over the past few decades, I have taught hundreds of monks using the 'Clumsy Fire Method', enabling their Primordial Qi to subtly connect with my 'Amritakundalin's Method', serving as my nourishment. With hundreds of people aiding one, timely harvest can help me rebuild my Golden Body!"

Regardless of the expressions on the faces of those around him, as the last word left Monk Yi Xin's lips, a surge of Black Flames engulfed him, leaving only a faint silhouette visible from the outside. But what met the blurred vision was a rapidly expanding circle of sound waves.

"Om!"

It was as if a giant bell was ringing, its heavy sound waves spreading miles around. The first to be hit were Yu Ci and the others. Thanks to Gan Shi Zhen's lingering Sword Energy, they were able to block it. However, the ground churned like waves, even rocks that stood in the way disintegrated instantly, demonstrating an unparalleled might. Half a moment later, a great fire broke out in the area, with even the soil and rocks seeming to become fuel, burning incessantly.

"Fall back quickly!"

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Gan Shi Zhen uttered in a low voice, patting Yu Ci's shoulder and infusing him with True Sha to aid his retreat. Shi Song and the others also did not attempt to resist, retreating one after another. Gan Shi Zhen was the last to hold the line. She looked up and called out, "Aunt Qing!"

High in the sky, He Qing no longer appeared as relentless as before. She looked down at the churning Black Flames with a detached expression. In response to Gan Shi Zhen's call, she merely waved her hand slightly and made no other gesture. Gan Shi Zhen's brows furrowed tighter, but she didn't say anything more, her sword flashed, and she caught up with Yu Ci and the others.

Yu Ci, supported by a Godspeed Talisman, didn't worry about falling behind, but he couldn't understand the current situation. "Why hasn't Immortal He made her move yet? Striking now, in the midst of this chaos, would be the perfect timing!"

Gan Shi Zhen fell silent for a moment before replying in an even softer voice, "Aunt Qing is on the verge of breaking through. One more step and she will become a Taoism Immortal. At this time, she needs to find more references..."

This whisper, barely audible, only reached Yu Ci's ears, illuminating his understanding. For a moment, Yu Ci didn't know what to say, after a long pause, he finally asked, "If the Monk does achieve the Golden Body, can she withstand it?"

"Yi Xin has been recklessly forcing his cultivation level, causing instability in his realm. Perhaps Aunt Qing can handle it."

"Perhaps?" Yu Ci almost let out a curse. However, upon reconsidering, he thought about the inscrutable mind of He Qing. He was uncertain, as she didn't seem like someone who would act impulsively. She was more the type to plan before acting, which was more in line with her usual style.

So, in the end, he just rolled his eyes, "She's playing with fire!"

His words were blunt, and Gan Shi Zhen bowed her head without responding.

Seeing Gan Shi Zhen's demeanor, Yu Ci felt a bit awkward. In front of this gentle female cultivator, he might have been too casual, completely disregarding respect and hierarchy. Fortunately, he was always able to catch himself in time and restrain his behavior.

Glancing towards He Qing's location, Yu Ci knew that this level of battle was beyond the reach of ordinary people. Looking back at the temple, the flames were still raging, and Black Thread Flame Snakes were still darting across the void, heading towards the blazing Black Flames on the wasteland. Clearly, the "harvest" was not yet over. He simply took over command and ordered:

"Retreat to the temple and resolve the problem there first!"

Not many people cared about what the "problem" was. The fire on the wasteland had already surpassed the one in the temple, with countless Black Thread Flame Snakes leaping within it. At this moment, what people heard was not the explosion of burning flames, but the hissing of thousands of snakes.

Staying here required great courage and foolishness.

The group swiftly crossed several miles and returned to the ruins of the Treasure Yan Tower in the temple, where they met up with Hu Dan and others.

After quickly understanding the situation, Yu Ci didn't hesitate to call over Shi Song and others, saying solemnly: "The monks in the temple have been practicing the 'Clumsy Fire Method', and although they fell into Yi Xin's trap, there are individual differences. Not all the fire snakes have gone, so we need to plan how to intercept the remaining ones..."

At this point, he paused, recalling information about the Pure Water Sect, and made a judgement: "There are about seven to eight hundred monks residing in the temple, among which there are eight Nature-Connecting Cultivators, ninety-seven with clear apertures, and three hundred and twenty Long Breathing cultivators. These people, to varying degrees, show 'snake-like' characteristics. Those with successful cultivation levels are these people, and those who are dead are also these people!"

As he spoke, his mind was racing, processing at an incredible speed. More importantly, today he had his Divine consciousness starlight stored within a few individuals in the Brain Palace. At this moment, there were two that were still responsive, providing him with invaluable information for his consideration. This was something that Gan Shi Zhen, Shi Song, and the others were unaware of. They only saw Yu Ci making swift decisions:

"Find people, those who have survived. Once found, immediately seal off their Divine Souls and halt the circulation of Qi and Blood... It's dangerous, but we're already facing death, so there's no point in being cautious!"

Shi Song and the others solemnly obeyed, then dispersed to carry out their tasks.

"Hold on."

Yu Ci pointed to the ruins below and shook his head, "Don't forget, there's one more down there."

After they rescued Monk Zheng Yan from beneath the rubble, the search within the temple progressed. The various sect Cultivators managed to restrain over forty surviving Monks. Among them were three from the Nature-Connecting Realm, including Zheng Yan.

All of these people had their Qi and Blood circulation halted and their Divine Souls confined, each one appearing as lifeless as a corpse. They were all placed next to the ruins of the Treasure Yan Tower. Despite being an eyesore, Yu Ci's method proved to be effective. None of those who were restrained had their skulls cracked open by the fire line.

Of the two individuals in whom starlight was stored, one had tragically died before they could be rescued. However, Yu Ci still had two sources for reference, including Monk Zheng Yan.

Compared to the temporary storage in the Brain Palace, the starlight sensation implanted in the Divine Soul was evidently richer and more detailed. Yu Ci valued this greatly, and specifically invited Gan Shi Zhen to join him in examining Zheng Yan's condition from both inside and outside, to see if they could obtain any relevant information about Monk Yi Xin.

As they were investigating, the night sky suddenly brightened, and a hot wind blew in from the distance.

The battle had finally begun over there.

Yu Ci glanced up, then quickly refocused his attention: rather than worrying about the situation over there, it was better to calm down and figure out the problem at hand.

Monk Zheng Yan's Divine Soul condition seemed to be an extremely unique one!

...