As Bai Yaoyi watched with surprise, golden lightning suddenly struck the grey corpse, turning it into a pile of white ash in a flare.

Han Li frowned in silence for a spell before calmly saying, “Let’s go. It seems I was being too paranoid.” He then strode off with large steps.

Bai Yaoyi followed him with an unconcerned smile. Shortly after, the two continued on their way through another passage.

When the two were far away, a purple light overwhelmed the black Yin winds blowing nearby, producing a inky silhouette from underneath the stone pillar in the cavern. The silhouette was jet-black and had vague features as if it were completely made from shadow. All it presented was a pair of glowing green eyes.

It glanced at the remnants of the Calamity Ape at the entrance and turned to look at the ashes of the dried corpse before pouncing off the ground and producing an astonishing scene. It blurred and summoned every speck of the corpse’s ash into its body, to then let out a soft cry and releasing black Qi that completely wrapped around its body.

The Qi coiled and blew away to reveal an exact imitation of the corpse that had been destroyed.

It didn’t remain still or lifeless. Instead, it approached the entrance of the cavern and blew out a Yin wind to sweep up the remains of the ape.

In the black wind, the ice thawed at a visible rate, and the remains fused together to form an intact Calamity Ape.

The beast snarled before immediately lying down at the dried corpse’s feet, resembling the behavior of a dog. The corpse then extended its black claws and stroked the beast’s head before staring into the passage out of the cavern, as if lost in thought.

...

Thunderous explosions and screams of agony echoed from a manor on the top of a giant mountain in Nanjiang. There were nearly a hundred black-robed cultivators attacking a faint yellow barrier with their magic treasures and tools. The barrier of light covered most of the manor and protected a dozen yellow-robed cultivators, each waving various-colored spell flags with their utmost effort in an attempt to strengthen their only defense. Because their numbers were so few, the barrier still swayed before their terror-struck eyes.

A kilometer in the sky above, there was a middle-aged cultivator with an imposing appearance. He wore yellow robes and his complexion was completely pale.

There were five white smoke-like figures that surrounded him in a circle.

“Sect Brother, will you not release the He Clan? I have met the Ghost Sect Master several times. So long as you agree to stay your hand, I am willing to have the clan withdraw from the cultivation world and never to appear again. Furthermore, this is Nanjiang. If you act to imprudently, you will provoke trouble.” Although the middle-aged cultivator knew that matters were bad, he still held on to a trace of hope.

A mysterious voice intermittently sounded out from every direction, “Your He Clan has already agreed to submit to our Yin Sifting Sect, but when the time came, you betrayed us. Do you think we’re a joke? Don’t think that we wouldn’t be able to find you just because you moved to Nanjiang. For our sect’s reputation, we will have to make your clan disappear. And your severed head will be useful in properly bringing our other subordinates into line. Will you end yourself, or have me personally settle this? If I use my Unbroken Cinque Devils, there won’t even be a skeleton left behind.”

When he heard this, the yellow-robed cultivator’s heart sank.

Then, a worldshaking explosion sounded out from below and the yellow-robed cultivator quickly looked down in great alarm. He saw that the barrier protecting the manner had shattered into fading specks of light. 

The last of the color on his face had completely disappeared.

The Yin Sifting Sect cultivators surrounding the manor began to cheer and a glow filled the air, fully suppressing those inside.

“You dare...” Without another thought, the yellow-robed cultivator slapped his storage pouch and released a ten-meter-long yellow python down towards the ground.

“There is no need for you to interfere with our junior’s affairs. How about you show me the power of your Heaven-mixed Brick instead?” After this mysterious voice spoke, one of the white silhouettes surrounding the yellow-robed cultivator began to stir and quickly pursued the python with near-instantaneous speed.

An ominous glint flashed from the yellow python’s eyes and it widely opened its mouth, moving to swallow the white silhouette.

The figure silently trembled and transformed into a pure-white, three-meter-tall skull. In the python’s alarm, it attempted to stop, but it was already too late.

The skull cackled in cacophony and shot out a thread from its mouth, quickly and firmly restraining the python’s head.

Terror-struck, it struggled with all its might and swung its tail like a mace, quickly smashing it against the skull, but it hadn’t done the slightest damage. In response, grey light flashed from the skull’s mouth and traveled along the thread.

An inconceivable event followed.

The grey light spread across the python’s body and turned its body dim and shriveled. In the blink of an eye, the python’s flesh had completely disappeared, leaving only bone behind. 

However, the skull didn’t stop there. It shook the white thread and took the remains of the python into its mouth before chewing in a crunchy galore.

After seeing the death of the python he nurtured for some many years, a trace of resentment was betrayed from his face. He then looked at the white silhouettes that still surrounded him and slapped the back of his head, spitting out a sparkling yellow brick that was several inches large.

He formed an incantation gesture and pointed to the brick with heavy bearing.

The brick flew a circle in the air and massively increased in size as it glowed. In the time of a single breath, it grew to the size of thirty meters above his head. It shined with dazzling light and had talisman characters wandering across its surface, releasing a truly astonishing pressure.

The concealed cultivator sighed and asked, “This is the Heaven-mixed Brick? I am somewhat disappointed; it doesn’t live up to its reputation. It seems I’ll just simply have my cinque devils deal with you.”

Just after this was said, the five figures stirred and slowly floated towards the yellow-robed cultivator.

The man paid no heed to the disdainful words and swept his gaze past the silhouettes before letting out a resounding roar, causing the brick above him to spin in the air. With the brick’s mass, it created a tornado in an instant, concealing the cultivator within it.

However, the white silhouettes ignored this and shot into the tornado without another thought.

“You’re courting death!” Countless streaks of yellow light shot out from the wind, revealing themselves to be foot-long bricks. In sounds of rolling booms, the white silhouettes were pelted by the lights.

During this display, a yellow streak shot out from the tornado and rushed across the sky, travelling over sixty meters in an instant.

Then, a bone-chilling snort sounded out followed by several pops. The four white silhouettes shot after him before later disappearing in a blur.

A fluctuation suddenly appeared in front of the yellow cultivator, and the four white silhouettes appeared in a flash of silver light. They then silently charged towards the cultivator.

Greatly alarmed, he came to a sudden stop and hastily formed an incantation, suddenly commanding a ten-meter-large brick to smash them, but the silhouettes blurred and phased through the brick as if it weren’t there, arriving in front of him in the blink of an eye.

The lone cultivator was thrown into a panic, and he hastily waved his hand, releasing a shining blue pendant that he had prepared beforehand.

The trinket blurred and discharged a glowing blue mist, stopping all of the white silhouettes in their tracks.

However, the man wasn’t relieved in the slightest as the white silhouettes began to roar in strange laughter, dispersing a blue mist around them. He inwardly cursed when he saw this and hastily covered himself in light as he prepared to flee.

But before he could take off, white Qi phased in front of him and the white silhouettes passed through his protective light without resistance and disappeared into his body.

Without the time to react, he suddenly felt his Nascent Soul tense and his body grow hot as if his blood was boiling. This was the last sensation he would feel in this world.

Had any others been nearby, they would’ve seen the flesh of the yellow-robed cultivator quickly shrivel away into a dry husk. As for the Nascent Soul, it had been cleanly devoured by the white silhouettes when they entered his body. They soon flew out and turned into skulls, ferociously crunching portions of his body as a meal.

The other white silhouette had eventually flown back and five figures were standing side by side.

The manor down below was completely silent and a black-robed old man flew up.

He arrived in front of the white silhouettes and respectfully saluted them, “I pay my respects to the great elder! The He Clan’s seventy-two cultivators are all dead. They leave behind three hundred mortals, I await your decision.”

“Kill them all,” a voice curtly spoke.

“It will be done,” the old man then quickly withdrew.

The mysterious voice sullenly commanded, “Wait, Elder Ge had previously mentioned that the cultivator who killed our sect’s fourth elder and seized the Ghost Sifting Banner is possibly in Nanjiang. Since this matter is dealt with, all cultivators are to investigate this person’s whereabouts. I will be keeping watch here for a year. If there are any traces of him, I will set off. How could I allow our sect’s signature treasure to fall into an outsider’s hand?”

The old man’s expression froze and then he respectfully replied, “Yes, Martial Nephew will carry out your orders.” Afterwards, he flew down in a black streak.

“Since he was able to kill my Fourth Junior Martial Brother who wielded the Ghost Sifting Flag and escape pursuit of the Endless Sky Temple, he should prove more difficult than exterminating the meager He Clan.” The voice muttered to themself with a trace of interest.