With a flick of Ding Jingyi’s wrist, his longsword shattered, reforming into thousands of fragments. These fragments no longer tried to clash head-on with Xiao Mo’s long saber. Instead, as if they had a life of their own, they nimbly bypassed the crescent arc of light and shot toward Xiao Mo from all directions like a swarm of bees.

Each fragment contained a sharp Sword Intent and a sliver of Spiritual Power blessed by the Divine Stone Statue.

Xiao Mo’s pupils contracted. He brandished his long saber, forming an impenetrable, blood-red curtain of saber light before him.

"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"

A dense volley of collisions rang out, like rain drumming on banana leaves.

Sparks flew as Saber Qi and Sword Intent frantically wore each other down.

Xiao Mo’s screen of saber light blocked all the sword fragments, but he was forced back continuously by the relentless assault, his internal energy and blood roiling within him.

Spotting an opportunity, Xiao Mo’s gaze sharpened, and he ignored several of the sword fragments.

Xiao Mo broke through the curtain of swords.

The longsword fragments carved wounds deep enough to reveal bone.

But Xiao Mo paid them no mind.

He forcibly stabilized himself, gripped his saber with both hands, and thrust it violently into the empty space before him!

The sixth form of the Blood Demon Saber Technique—Blood Prison!

Centered on the point where his long saber pierced the void, an endless expanse of blood-red light spread out.

It instantly enveloped him, Ding Jingyi, and the thousands of sword fragments, trapping them within a crimson prison.

The air filled with the thick stench of blood and a frenzied killing intent.

Empowered by Heaven and Earth Illusory Red, Xiao Mo’s Saber Intent had reached its peak.

"I know a thing or two about the Blood Demon Saber Technique of your Blood Sin Peak lineage. How long can you possibly sustain both Blood Prison and Heaven and Earth Illusory Red at the same time?"

"Long enough to kill you," Xiao Mo’s voice echoed through the Blood Prison.

His figure blurred, as if melting into the crimson expanse.

The next moment, dozens, even hundreds, of Xiao Mo’s afterimages appeared simultaneously from every corner of the Blood Prison.

Each Xiao Mo brandished a long saber, attacking Ding Jingyi from all sides in an overwhelming assault.

Trapped within, Ding Jingyi formed a Sealing Technique with his hands.

The thousands of sword fragments ceased their scattered attacks and flew back swiftly, rotating at high speed around his body to form a massive, impenetrable sphere—a storm of blades.

"Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Stream, defend!"

Following Ding Jingyi’s low shout, countless streams of Saber Qi slashed against the storm of blades, erupting in a continuous, deafening roar.

Suddenly, all of Xiao Mo’s afterimages merged into one, and his true body appeared directly above the storm of blades.

The long saber in his hand was no longer blood-red but had turned a deep crimson, like congealed blood. Tiny arcs of black lightning even crackled along the blade.

At the same time, pairs of scarlet eyes began to appear in the sky above the Wandao Sect.

Dao patterns flowed within each of these eyes.

Any Cultivator who looked at these eyes would fall under Xiao Mo’s control. The duration of the control depended on the target’s Realm and willpower.

Over the years, Xiao Mo had not only practiced the Blood Demon Saber Technique but had also mastered Yu Yunwei’s Illusory Heaven Technique.

But Xiao Mo didn’t want to control them; he was trying to counteract the technique Ding Jingyi had used on them.

Sure enough, Zhou Rushi and the others regained a moment of clarity.

"Master?" Blood Demon gripped his long saber, looking at the pale-faced woman before him.

"Blood Demon, this grand-disciple you’ve taken in is truly remarkable..." Zhou Rushi smiled faintly. "It’s just a pity that Master can’t stay with you any longer. Remember! Do not let Its seal be broken!"

Seizing this brief moment of lucidity, Zhou Rushi and the others burned away all they had and charged into Xiao Mo’s Blood Prison to lend him their strength.

"Slay!"

Within the Blood Prison, the dark crimson light of Xiao Mo’s saber fell. It lacked the earth-shattering momentum of his previous attacks, instead carrying an ultimate, contained destructiveness.

Wherever the saber light passed, the space of the Blood Prison itself began to destabilize, showing signs of cracking.

Ding Jingyi sensed a fatal threat. He focused his mind, and the storm of blades unfolded in reverse, like a blooming lotus.

Countless blades shot upward to meet the attack.

At the same time, the Divine Stone Statue behind him flared with brilliant light, and a solid golden beam shot into the Sword Lotus.

The dark crimson saber light and the dazzling Sword Lotus collided violently.

There was no sound.

First, there was an absolute silence, as if time and space had frozen solid.

But at that very moment, Zhou Rushi and the others poured everything they had left into their final attacks, striking at Ding Jingyi together.

"BOOM!"

Xiao Mo’s Blood Prison shattered inch by inch like colored glass.

In the silent shockwave, several surrounding mountain peaks were also affected, collapsing as rivers were cut off.

Qing Yuan and the other battling Immortal Realm Cultivators were all forced to stop fighting by the terrifying impact. They all retreated, using Protective Techniques to stabilize themselves.

The blood-red light dissipated.

Xiao Mo knelt on one knee in mid-air, using his saber to support himself as he coughed up a large mouthful of blood.

His face was as pale as paper, his aura weakened to an extreme degree.

His body was covered in wounds torn open by Sword Qi and the backlash from his own technique.

Zhou Rushi and the others gave Xiao Mo’s group one last, worried look. But their fates were sealed; they all dissolved into motes of Spiritual Power, returning to the Great Dao.

Ding Jingyi stood at the forefront. A gaping hole had been torn in his chest, and his Life Fire flickered like a guttering candle. The sword fragments around him were dim and lustreless, most of them scattered.

"No, I haven’t lost! I won’t lose! It’s impossible for me to lose!"

Ding Jingyi staggered toward the statue, his tone almost pleading. "Help me! Let me live, I don’t want to die... I’ll do anything you ask, I..."

Before Ding Jingyi could finish his last sentence, the statue suddenly burst with a dazzling radiance.

Streams of light poured into Ding Jingyi through his five orifices.

"AHHHH!"

Ding Jingyi screamed in agony. He convulsed uncontrollably as his eyes turned completely black, then filled once more with a golden light.

Ripples of golden Spiritual Power spread out across the Wandao Sect.

Xiao Mo and the others had never felt such pure Spiritual Power, completely devoid of impurities.

When Ding Jingyi’s screams faded, his head suddenly drooped.

Everyone held their breath, watching Ding Jingyi nervously.

"Impressive... Truly impressive."

Ding Jingyi snapped his head up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and looked at Xiao Mo with an expression of admiration in his eyes.

"To think you could injure an Ascension Realm Cultivator who’d received a mere fraction of my power to this extent... I’d expect nothing less from you. You’re as detestable as ever..."

As he finished speaking, Ding Jingyi slowly raised a hand. The scattered sword fragments were summoned once more, trembling as they flew back to him. Though many were missing, they still coalesced in his hand to form a longsword.

Ding Jingyi walked toward Xiao Mo step by step, his eyes filled with mockery.

Xiao Mo tried to stand, but his body swayed and he nearly collapsed again.

He looked at the approaching Ding Jingyi without a trace of fear in his eyes, only confusion. "You’re not Ding Jingyi."

"Indeed, I am not."

"Ding Jingyi" smiled faintly. Though in a man’s body, his every move carried a feminine grace.

"I’m really not used to a man’s body, and a Human Race one at that. I feel filthy just possessing him, but whatever. It’ll have to do."

"Ding Jingyi" looked toward the statue. "After I kill you all and offer you as a sacrifice, it should be enough to break the seal on my true body."

"Ding Jingyi" crouched down, smiling at Xiao Mo. "Speaking of which, you really are detestable. You’ve always been so infuriating, no matter the occasion."

"You know me?" Xiao Mo’s eyes narrowed.

"Hehehehe..." The woman’s laughter, coming from Ding Jingyi’s body, had an androgynous quality. "Of course I know you. I know you all too well..."

"Ding Jingyi" stood up, raised the longsword high, and looked at Xiao Mo as if he were a cockroach. "This is all because of you! Go to hell, you bastard!"

With that, "Ding Jingyi" thrust the sword down at Xiao Mo!

"CLANG!"

Just then, a streak of blood-red Saber Qi slashed toward "Ding Jingyi."

A red shadow flashed past. Blood Demon pulled Xiao Mo onto the Vermilion Bird’s back, and Qing Yuan directed the creature to fly away from the Wandao Sect.

"Trying to run? It won’t be that easy."

"Ding Jingyi’s" lips curved into a smirk.

Although It had just awakened, its strength was far from its peak, and It was unable to regain control of Its own authority.

But stopping them would still be a simple matter.

"Sister... rest assured..."

It raised Its head, gazing at the heavens.

"Your little sister is about to kill this heartless man!"