Zhou Yin chanted a spell, and the Lingyin Sword flew out, battling the four fire dragons in mid-air.

Chen Yuanzhi and Chen Zhong were pierced through the chest by the fire dragons, and then heavily struck by Fan Lu, shattering their rib cages beyond the help of even immortals.

Zhao Yingchi walked over and searched Chen Zhong's body, retrieving the Jade Spirit Rhinoceros Horn.

Chen Zhong was barely breathing and couldn't even speak, let alone resist.

Chen Yuanzhi's face was deathly pale. She vomited a mouthful of blood, looked at the bloody hole in her chest, and then struggled to glance at Chen Zhong.

Her eyes revealed a complex mix of sadness, pain, bewilderment, and disbelief.

But there was no resentment.

She used to live carefree, doing as she pleased on a whim.

She was once cherished like a precious treasure. Whatever she wanted, her father would make it happen for her. From a young age, she was meticulously cared for and attended to.

Later, when she learned the truth, her world turned upside down overnight.

Her father turned out not to be her biological parent.

She had been used as a bargaining chip.

However, as she neared her end, the past became increasingly vivid in her mind.

The depth of gratitude she felt for her upbringing was as profound as the ocean. No matter what, she considered her debt repaid.

In the next life...

In the next life...

Chen Yuanzhi's eyes gradually lost focus, but her expression became more relaxed, even revealing a hint of a smile.

Zhao Yingchi watched coldly from the side, feeling a tinge of regret, not for her fate, but for the fact that such a beautiful face was dying in vain and could not be used for her own purposes.

Lan Tan and Fan Lu had been injured by Chen Zhong's desperate final attack and were unable to exert their full strength. Now, Zhao Yingchi was the only one left for Zhou Yin to deal with.

Although the Hehuan Sect was not a major sect, both Zhao Yingchi and Chen Zhong were late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, while Zhou Yin, despite his extensive experience, was only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

"If you're willing to join my Hehuan Sect, I won't kill you. What do you say?" She clasped her hands behind her back, looking at Zhou Yin, increasingly reluctant to make a move.

Although the Hehuan Sect prioritized women, there were a few male disciples who existed as male consorts. Since everyone needed to cultivate the Jade Cicada Technique, their appearances were naturally handsome and beautiful, fostering their preference for collecting beautiful people.

Zhou Yin didn't respond. He simply took out the Heaven Washing Brush from his Sumeru Ring and began to draw talismans in the air.

The Ruyi Cat, which had been nestled in Fan Lu's arms, suddenly darted out and meowed at the Heaven Washing Brush in Zhou Yin's hand.

Zhao Yingchi narrowed her eyes. "Since you refuse to take the path to heaven, there's no need to keep you alive."

The talismans were complete, and several columns of water burst from the ground, rising into the air and surrounding Zhao Yingchi.

She let out a cold laugh. "You dare to show off such petty tricks!"

The fire dragons, which had been entangled with the Lingyin Sword, turned and pounced on the water columns. The flames did not extinguish upon contact with the water but instead burned fiercely, turning the water columns into steam.

In the blink of an eye, the Lingyin Sword slipped through the divided water columns, thrusting towards its target.

The Heaven Washing Brush made a horizontal sweep, and with a thunderous roar, a torrent of water cascaded down, crashing onto the Hehuan Sect members!

This was the technique of borrowing water, identical to the method Zhou Yin had used on Tianshu Peak that day. However, last time, Zhegu Lake was nearby, while now, the closest body of water to Lingzhou City was the Ten Mile Lake in the outskirts.

The greater the distance, the more spiritual power was consumed. Although it could achieve a temporary effect, when facing high-level cultivators, it was a desperate gamble with a slim chance of survival.

In an instant, the entire street was submerged in water. Zhao Yingchi leaped into the air, her purple ribbon wrapping around Zhou Yin with one end and entangling the Lingyin Sword with the other. In just a moment, the Lingyin Sword was clearly overwhelmed, forcibly changing direction and turning its blade towards its master.

Zhou Yin not only had to control the Lingyin Sword but also borrow water, and his spiritual power was already stretched thin. Now, with the Lingyin Sword's rebound, he immediately lost the ability to resist.

He was swept up by the surging spiritual energy from the opponent's purple ribbon, his body violently slamming against the brick wall of a residence behind him, causing him to vomit a mouthful of blood.

The Lingyin Sword, carried by the wind, arrived swiftly. He had no strength to defend himself. The blade raced through the air, turning into a streak of white light, and pierced straight into Zhou Yin's chest, pinning him to the brick wall.

The flood instantly subsided, leaving only the muddy ground washed by the water, bearing the traces of the spell.

Blood gushed out from where the sword had penetrated, flowing to the ground and staining the wet soil red. His originally black clothes were soaked in a large patch, becoming sticky and damp.

Nearly all of his spiritual power had been drained, and the excruciating pain in his chest made him feel as if he was reliving the lightning tribulation from his previous life when he had fallen.

Unable to distinguish between sweat and blood, his vision became blurry, and he could no longer clearly see what was in front of him.

This feeling of being at the mercy of others...

Zhao Yingchi retracted her purple ribbon and walked over, pinching his pale chin.

"I've never seen a cultivator as stubborn as you. You could have lived, yet you still chose to die."

Inside his Sumeru Ring was Zhou Chen.

"What kind of magic treasure is this? It doesn't seem particularly remarkable, but the Ruyi Cat actually meowed at it."

He couldn't release it now, or it would be discovered...

"If you're willing to reveal the origins of this magic treasure, I'll grant you a quick death. Otherwise, I'll destroy your spiritual veins, leaving you in a state worse than death, suffering unbearably, unable to live even if you want to, and unable to die even if you wish to. Not everyone can endure such torment."

Now was the moment...

His fingers twitched slightly.

The Heaven Washing Brush transformed into a water arrow, instantly piercing Zhao Yingchi's back!

She cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground.

Not far away, Fan Lu and Lan Tan were shocked and alarmed. Ignoring their injuries, they flew over, their flying ribbons wrapping around Zhou Yin's neck and tightening.

Blood continuously flowed from the corners of his mouth and chest, dripping down the sword, his clothes, and onto the back of his hand before flowing into the Sumeru Ring.

The final strike had drained his spiritual power, leaving him extremely weak.

Even an ordinary person without the strength to truss a chicken could kill him at any moment, let alone a cultivator.

He didn't have the strength to pull out the sword and could only allow the ribbon around his neck to gradually squeeze out his breath.

Everything before his eyes was a dazzling illusion, but his thoughts were clearer than ever.

He thought that he might fall this time.

His mood was as calm as ever, without any fluctuations, not even regretting that searching for Zhou Chen had led to all of this.

As a cultivator, the path of cultivation was inherently fraught with dangers. Even if he narrowly escaped this time, there could be a next time or the time after that.

That's why it has always been said that the Heavenly Dao is heartless. It's not that the Heavenly Dao truly has feelings or is heartless, but rather that cultivators, on their journey to achieve the Great Dao, must overcome obstacles, repeatedly abandon, discard, and let go, until they finally become emotionless and heartless.

He was once such a person, which is why he could accomplish what other demonic cultivators could not.

And now... Then, he suddenly felt everything around him quiet down, all the sounds receding like the tide.

His body went from feeling cold to gradually feeling warm.

A warm cocoon enveloped him, as soft as the finest silk, gently wrapping around him.

Even the pain in his chest was no longer felt.

He opened his eyes.

His vision was still obscured by blood, blurry and unclear.

But he saw a field of golden yellow.

It was as if flames had engulfed the entire world, or as if the gorgeous rosy clouds had covered the sky, making everything seem unreal.

That kind of golden color, red to the extreme like raging flames, was neither the flamboyance of the scorching sun nor the vulgarity of gold. It was purer than any color in the world, as if it had condensed all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, blooming with an indescribable splendor!

The feather that covered the sky soared into the air!

In that moment, in everyone's eyes, there was only a dazzling golden yellow.

Amidst the golden yellow, there were also five-colored glowing lights surrounding it, stunningly gorgeous, with azure thunder resounding.

Ancient books record that when the mysterious bird ordained by heaven emerges in response to destiny, with the phoenix before it and the unicorn behind it, dragon patterns and turtle shells on its back, the world will be at peace if it is pleased, but if it is angered, hundreds of thousands of corpses will lie in its wake.