Perched high above, He Qing gazed down upon the earth, her eyes tracing the scars that stretched for dozens of miles. Her face was expressionless, but she secretly let out a sigh. The power of Xing Tian's Magic Sword far exceeded her expectations. Had the force that split the earth fallen entirely on Cliff City, less than one in a hundred of its inhabitants would have survived.

Though the city was still in chaos and disarray, she was ready to shoulder this responsibility. Of course, this was all under the premise that the matter of Cliff City was truly resolved.

Her eyes flickered, and she reached out, making a grasping motion in the air. The Primordial Qi within a ten-mile radius trembled intensely. Compared to the difficulty of controlling Xing Tian's Magic Sword, the Law Sky Prison was more obedient. The intricate net of Primordial Qi had long since locked onto its target. Now, all she needed to do was to reel it in.

"Boom!"

As Xing Tian's Magic Sword struck the center of the ground, clouds of dust rose several feet high. A shadow broke through the fog, and in a flash, it was five miles away. Its speed was simply unimaginable. By now, the net of Primordial Qi had been drawn in, but the night sky was filled with clouds of Qi, a phenomenon caused by the target forcibly breaking through the Primordial Qi seal.

"Monk Yi Xin!"

Someone below exclaimed in surprise. Under Xing Tian's Magic Sword, the Golden Body was shattered. Was the Monk still alive?

He Qing remained calm, as if she had anticipated this. She merely nodded slightly, "The Golden Body is easily obtained, and easily relinquished. And this Dapeng Light and Electricity Technique, one of the top ten escape techniques in Buddhist teachings, you relied on it to escape death back then, didn't you? I knew you didn't have the heart to die, otherwise, you wouldn't have struggled to survive for a hundred years."

As she spoke, He Qing turned to look into the distant blue sky. The silver-grey mist made the expression of this new Divine Servant elusive, but she made her stance clear in the most direct way.

She waved her hand, and five beams of light descended from the sky, each bearing a different color. The colors flowed and changed ceaselessly. The timing of the descent of these five beams was just right, blocking Monk Yi Xin just as he broke through a layer of the Primordial Qi seal and intended to accelerate again. As soon as he accelerated, he collided with the beams.

With a "bang", the five-colored beams shattered, and the colorful light scattered, just like the previous Primordial Qi seal, unable to withstand a single blow. But in the next moment, the scattered colorful light coalesced in the void, transforming into five colorful rings. In the blink of an eye, one was placed on each of his limbs, and the last one fell around Yi Xin's neck, tightening abruptly!

Monk Yi Xin let out an angry roar, but it was cut off halfway through. The people here could clearly see the distant shadow making a rigid movement, then like a falling star, it plummeted to the ground, crashing into the dust.

"What a Five Elements Circle."

He Qing applauded in admiration. Having Minglan step in was undoubtedly another test of character, but it couldn't be denied that after exhausting all her strength to summon Xing Tian's Magic Sword, her own attempt to capture the enemy would not have been as efficient as Minglan's.

"Thank you, Master Ming, for your assistance."

This was a belated expression of gratitude, symbolizing that the relationship between the Lichen Sect and the Rakshasa Sect had finally been smoothed over.

Minglan responded with a smile, making no further move. The multicolored light ring encircled Monk Yi Xin, slowly drifting back. The monk struggled in vain.

"Captured alive?"

Yu Ci made a cryptic comment, but at this moment, everyone's attention was focused on Monk Yi Xin, even Gan Shi Zhen was no exception. Yu Ci's gaze swept over Minglan and Monk Yi Xin, suggesting, "Shall we go over and see?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, but Yu Ci was reminded of another pressing matter. "Let's not all flock there. The issue within the city needs to be resolved..."

As soon as he spoke, many faces in the crowd darkened. The disaster had struck suddenly, and massive casualties were inevitable. Even during the siege by the Demons and the destruction of the White Sun Mansion, Cliff City had not suffered as severely as it was now.

Cliff City was the base of sects like the Thousands Spirits Sect. It was crucial for someone to control the situation there. In comparison, the matter of Monk Yi Xin was of a higher level, but it had become unrelated to Shi Song and others. After some discussion, the leaders like Shi Song hurried back to pacify the city, leaving only a few people like Hu Dan behind.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

As the epicenter of the impact, the temple ruins had become a death zone except for Yu Ci and his group. The feeling became more pronounced after Shi Song and others left. Yu Ci sighed, assigned a few people to take care of the unconscious survivors, and then, along with Gan Shi Zhen and Hu Dan, took to the air towards He Qing. At the same time, Minglan moved closer to this side.

"Congratulations, Master Ming."

Yu Ci nodded in greeting, his gaze sweeping over her youthful face. Considering the dramatic differences in their appearances over their few encounters, how could he not feel moved? However, at this moment, Cliff City was facing perhaps the greatest disaster since its establishment, and the culprit was right in front of them. His attention inevitably shifted entirely.

When his gaze fell on Yi Xin, Yu Ci couldn't help but gasp.

At this moment, no one could better embody the severity of the recent battle than Monk Yi Xin. Currently, Monk was bound by the Five Elements Circle, his body rigid as a log, further highlighting the extent of his injuries. His once neatly arranged monk's robe was now tattered, soaked with fresh blood. From top to bottom, countless deep wounds, some revealing bone, were split open. The most severe was in the center of his forehead where not only flesh but also skull had been blown open, the dark wound causing one to question how he could still be alive.

Monk Yi Xin's face was stained with blood, yet he appeared relatively calm. However, the light in his deliberately squinted eyes was no longer the virtuous clarity, but a cold as chilling as ice and snow, mixed with an impressively dark gray color.

"Blood Monk Tu Ling?"

He Qing spoke in the tone of interrogating a criminal. Monk Yi Xin surprisingly cracked a smile, revealing a grin with blood-stained teeth, yet he remained silent.

He Qing didn't get angry. She looked him over and calmly said, "You are full of evil deeds, and should have descended to the Eighteen Levels of Hell a hundred years ago. But you still refuse to die. You must explain the matter of the Sky Rift Valley..."

Before she could finish, a sudden flash of blood-red light reflected in her eyes.

"What are you doing?"

Monk Yi Xin was still smiling, the bloody glow spreading outward from his body, making the air sizzle. He Qing reached out to control him, but when True Sha fell, Monk spewed out a mouthful of blood, and the blood light became much thicker. Monk's body shrunk dramatically, accompanied by a series of bone-crushing sounds. Amid the hair-raising noise, Yi Xin finally spoke:

"Immortal He spoke well. I've been clinging to life for too long. A hundred years ago, I held onto my broken body. A hundred years later, I give it up to the flames, turning to ashes and scattering. It's not a big deal."

"Stop him!"

In the rush, it was unclear to whom He Qing was issuing the order, but the clear blue response from the computer was very clear: "He should have died when Xing Tian's Magic Sword fell. He just suppressed his injuries with the Self-Sacrifice Technique. Now that he's removed it, the damage from Xing Tian's Magic Sword will return tenfold. He's beyond saving!"

"Try to lock his Yang Spirit!"

He Qing suddenly waved her sleeve, a gust of wind wrapping up the expanding blood light and pushing it a mile away. Inside, the colorful light of the Five Elements Circle kept flickering, faster and faster, until with a "bang", it burst open.

"Merge!"

Just as the Five Elements Circle shattered, He Qing activated the Curse Sound. Primordial Qi from all sides gathered and instantly condensed into a thick Yuan Qi Fortress, just like before with the cracked Phantom Demon Golden Tower. But this time, even with the mobilization of Primordial Qi from ten miles around, they couldn't completely seal the spreading red light inside. The night sky seemed to be lit by a poisonous fire. Yu Ci inhaled accidentally and almost set his lungs on fire.

Then, he heard the hearty laughter of Monk Yi Xin. The laughter grew louder and sharper, reaching an apex as if a needle was thrown into the air, and then abruptly ceased.

"What a ruthless disposition."

He Qing let out a long sigh. The Yuan Qi Fortress hadn't dissipated yet, and she only cast her gaze towards the bright blue. The bright blue, however, shook its head, indicating that the effort to lock and retain the Yang Spirit had failed.

Gan Shi Zhen murmured regretfully, "A generation's villain, this is his end."

At this moment, He Qing closed her eyes, channeling her divine intention, searching for any possible remnants of Yi Xin within the pervasive Primordial Qi of the universe. After a while, she opened her eyes and shook her head:

"He is truly annihilated, body and soul."

With that, she put away the Law Sky Prison. A golden light fell from the sky, disappearing into her sleeve. Yu Ci looked towards the center where red light burst forth, where nothing remained. Monk Yi Xin had truly been reduced to nothing.

He Qing's voice reached his ears, "Though it wasn't a clean finish, at least this matter is finally concluded..."

Her words paused there, the expression on her face remained unchanged, and she said no more, heading downwards. Yu Ci was puzzled about where she was going when he heard her voice:

"Xing Tian's Magic Sword is a sacred artifact of the Sect, don't neglect it. Come and pay your respects with me."

Yu Ci was startled but quickly responded, going to where the dim blue light had landed. He Qing was already standing there, her eyes closed in silent prayer. Yu Ci followed suit, closing his eyes and reciting the Taoist Scripture in his mind, not just going through the motions. By the time he finished the sixth recitation, a "clang" sound vibrated in his ears, as if the sound wave had spread through his entire body in an instant.

At the same time, his body's qi meridians also trembled, spontaneously condensing into the "Half Mountain Mirage" Sword Energy, resonating with the sound.

But this change was fleeting, and the Sword Energy within his body dissipated immediately. He opened his eyes in surprise, only to see a Long Rainbow shooting northeastward, disappearing in a flash.

He Qing also opened her eyes and was looking at him intently, "Your ability to resonate with the Sword Energy shows that you have a connection with our Sect..."

Yu Ci was still somewhat puzzled and was about to ask when his Divine Soul suddenly trembled, a strange feeling coming from not far away.

...