419: Duan Yulong fled

Yu Qingchen's voice was icy, every word sounding as if it carried the clang and killing intent of clashing metal.

Holding his sword in his left hand, the tip pointed diagonally toward the ground. A terrifying Sword Domain silently permeated outward from him, locking Duan Yulong firmly in place.

The remaining gravel and wood shavings on the street silently turned to dust and scattered under the shroud of this Sword Domain.

Duan Yulong's heart sounded a loud alarm.

Damn it! Why did I run into Yu Qingchen here?

The essence spirit he had just devoured had not been fully refined, and now, invaded by that bizarre Destruction Sword Intent, his Demonic Energy circulation was sluggish.

"Yu Qingchen of the Taixu Sword Sect? Meddling where you don't belong!"

Duan Yulong suppressed the surging blood Qi, his eyes turning incredibly venomous and fierce.

He knew he could not afford a prolonged fight; he had to end it quickly, otherwise attracting a stronger entity would spell trouble.

"Spoiling my plans, I'll devour you too!!" He grinned wickedly and formed a strange hand seal with both hands.

"Nine Nether Blood River!"

Rumble!

The ground beneath Duan Yulong violently trembled and cracked open, and the phantom image of a dark red river roared skyward!

Blood waves surged, and countless twisted, struggling faces of resentful spirits floated and shrieked within it, emanating a terrifying Aura that defiled Souls and eroded Dao Foundations.

The Blood River transformed into a gigantic Demonic Dragon, opening a massive maw composed of countless skulls. It charged toward Yu Qingchen from above, carrying the defiling power to sweep away everything!

Everywhere it passed, even the air was stained a sickening dark red.

"Heretical Evil Path!"

Yu Qingchen's gaze sharpened; he showed no fear.

Facing this foul, towering Blood River Demonic Dragon, he stepped forward half a pace with his left foot. His body was like a fully drawn bow, and the long sword in his left hand hummed and vibrated as its Destruction Golden Light surged!

"Taixu Seven Absolutes—Heaven Severing!"

He softly called out, and the long sword in his hand swept upward from below, tracing an incomparably profound trajectory!

A crescent-shaped, golden-red Sword Gang, carrying the will to sever the firmament and shatter all techniques, fiercely met the foul Blood River!

Hiss—!

That imposing, foul, towering Blood River Demonic Dragon was actually split in two by this crescent-shaped Sword Gang!

The destructive Sword Intent acted like the most scorching sunlight, frantically burning the corrupt blood and vengeful spirits.

The severed Blood River let out a piercing wail, rapidly dissolving and evaporating like boiling water splashed onto snow, turning into a sky full of foul, stinking black smoke!

"What?!"

Duan Yulong's face turned pale with shock.

This Blood River Great Technique was one of the strongest area-of-effect killing moves after he cultivated the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Great Technique. It contained the characteristic of corrupting and breaking techniques, yet it was destroyed by the opponent's single sword strike?!

The golden-red Sword Gang's momentum did not wane. It tore through the residual blood mist and slashed fiercely toward his true body!

Duan Yulong let out a strange cry, no longer daring to hold back. The not-yet-fully-formed Nine Nether Sacred Body Embryo within his body vibrated wildly, squeezing out a torrent of Origin Demonic Energy carrying an ancient Netherworld Aura, far exceeding his own Realm!

"Nine Nether Body Shield!"

A dark shield, deep as an abyss and covered with flowing ancient demonic patterns, instantly materialized before him.

Clang—!

The golden-red Sword Gang fiercely struck the dark shield, emitting a massive sound like a great bell!

A violent energy shockwave exploded in a ring, completely leveling the remaining structures within a hundred-zhang radius!

Duan Yulong felt as if he had been hit by a heavy hammer. The protective shield flickered violently, nearly collapsing. He was sent flying backward by the immense force, crashing heavily into half a ruined wall. A sweetness rose in his throat, and he spat out another mouthful of Demonic Blood, his Aura instantly weakening.

Yu Qingchen, however, only swayed slightly. The left arm holding the sword was as steady as a rock, and his eyes were still as sharp as ever, though a barely perceptible seriousness flashed across his brow.

That final burst of power from the opponent... it was cold, ancient, and exceptionally troublesome.

"Damn it! This one-armed madman!"

Duan Yulong was filled with shock and anger, mixed with a trace of fear.

The cultivation he gained from devouring the essence spirit seemed so fragile in the face of this Destruction Sword Intent!

The sharpness of the opponent's swordsmanship and the purity of his will far surpassed any peer he had ever encountered.

If he continued fighting, he might truly be cut down by this man!

Not to mention that Destruction Sword Intent constantly eroding his Demonic Energy, causing him unbearable pain.

Escape! Must escape immediately!

The thought arose, and Duan Yulong hesitated no longer.

Using the momentum of being thrown back, he suddenly slapped a nondescript black leather pouch at his waist.

Instantly, a thick, dark green mist—the Corrupt Soul Nether Mist—carrying strong corrosive properties and mental interference, surged out like a breached floodgate, instantly enveloping most of the ruins!

This mist not only obscured vision but could also corrode spiritual shields, paralyze Divine Sense perception, and cause sensory confusion, dizziness, and vertigo.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Yu Qingchen shouted sternly. His Destruction Sword Intent erupted, forcefully pushing the incoming poisonous mist back several feet.

He shook his left arm, and the long sword moved rapidly before him.

"Taixu Seven Absolutes—Seven Shadow Fatal Strike!"

In an instant, seven golden-red sword shadows, imbued with Destruction Sword Intent, split off and shot out like lightning toward seven different directions within the dark green mist!

Thud thud thud thud!

Several dull thuds sounded from within the dense fog, seemingly hitting something, but no cultivator's scream followed.

Immediately after, a resentful and faint roar came from the depths of the mist:

"One-armed bastard! I remember this debt today! I will surely refine your Soul and grind your bones to dust another day!"

The voice quickly faded into the distance, becoming ethereal and indistinct.

Yu Qingchen frowned deeply. He swung his left-handed long sword, and a majestic wave of Destruction Sword Qi swept out, like a golden-red hurricane, forcefully dispersing a large area of the Corrupt Soul Nether Mist.

However, at the spot, besides a few patches of foul-smelling, corrupt blood and a few pieces of torn fabric shredded by the Sword Qi, there was no sign of Duan Yulong?

Only an extremely faint afterimage, mixed with the scent of blood and the Netherworld Aura, was fleeing toward the vast mountain range in the southeast at astonishing speed, vanishing into the deep twilight in the blink of an eye.

"What a bizarre escape technique... what a sinister Demonic Technique!"

Yu Qingchen did not pursue.

He stood holding his sword above the ruins, gazing at the direction where the demonic shadow had vanished. His eyes were sharp as knives, but his heart churned with suspicion.

This person's cultivation seemed to be at the Tong Tian Realm Tenth Level, but the power he erupted with was extremely strange, especially that ancient, cold Aura—it was definitely not from an ordinary Demonic Technique.

And that poisonous mist, that Blood River... his methods were endless, vicious, and ruthless; he was certainly not an ordinary demonic cultivator!

"Who exactly is this person? Which Demonic Sect does he belong to? He massacred so many cities just to Cultivate that evil technique..."

He lowered his gaze to the speck of dark, demonic blood staining his sword. The malice and evil contained within that blood made him feel a wave of disgust.

Although he had stopped the catastrophe in Qingshan City in time, the area near the East Gate had suffered immense casualties, with cries of misery everywhere.

The survivors, still shaken, looked at this one-armed swordsman in green robes who descended from the sky, their eyes filled with gratitude for surviving the disaster and deep-seated fear.

The evening breeze whimpered, sweeping up the ashes and the scent of blood from the ruins, and also bringing the faint cries from the distance.

Yu Qingchen sheathed his sword, the sleeve of his right arm flapping in the wind.

He knew that a terrifying demon had fled into the darkness, and his knowledge of this demon was limited only to the glimpses of brutal methods and that vague, ominous, blood-colored afterimage.

This bloody storm in Tianxiao Prefecture was far from over.

He had to relay the news back to the Sect as soon as possible and continue tracking this demon's whereabouts.

He cast one last look toward the mountain range where the demon disappeared, his expression cold and resolute, before turning to walk toward the survivors who needed help.

Night completely descended, enveloping the small city that had just endured catastrophe, and also shrouding a bloody path lurking in the darkness, currently stretching toward more corners of the Eastern Region.