"It’s true that Xiao Weizhen seeks to attain the [Celestial Fire]."

"But he is channeling the [Celestial Emperor], not the [Ziwei Emperor Star]. He might not receive the acknowledgment of the Position."

Shen Xiyue stated.

Only then did the crowd notice that while the phantom of the Star Mansion behind Xiao Weizhen was solid, it lacked the domineering authority befitting a supreme sovereign.

"The [Celestial Emperor] and [Ziwei] are two sides of the same coin. They merely take turns wielding the [Emperor’s Decree]. What’s the difference?"

Xiao Weizhen chuckled softly.

Qin Xuan felt his entire body grow heavy.

His Divine Soul and Magical Power were enveloped by a vast, compassionate force of subjugation, threatening to drag him into Reincarnation and seal him in the Netherworld!

Phantom Reincarnation Passages opened up all around him.

Three great Earth Element Positional Divine Techniques were unleashed simultaneously!

They almost completely sealed off any chance for Qin Xuan to resist.

The onlookers below turned pale. They knew that against such an onslaught, they wouldn’t last even a single instant.

Qin Xuan was trapped in an unprecedented crisis. He felt his Divine Soul waver, his Magical Power stagnate, and his Flesh Body grow heavy.

At this life-or-death juncture, a sharp glint flashed in Qin Xuan’s eyes as the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile.

’The Sect Leader was right... It worked!’

He spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood.

A fiercely sharp, crystalline, and resplendent blood-red Talisman materialized from thin air, hovering high in the starry sky.

"Break!"

The Blood Talisman radiated a domineering and resolute aura of absolute destruction.

It ignored the subjugating power of the Ksitigarbha Buddha’s Light and shot directly toward the most concentrated point of the Profound Yellow Qi.

SSSHHHK!

This do-or-die strike actually managed to tear a tiny fissure in the Profound Yellow Qi.

At the same time, an ethereal longsword had appeared in Qin Xuan’s hand. It emanated a simple, ancient aura, filled with the terrifying intent to slaughter gods and immortals.

A phantom of Chen Xuanba appeared behind Qin Xuan.

Xiao Weizhen frowned. "Chen Xuanba... you’re not dead?"

"Of course. Xiao Weizhen, we meet again. This time, I will most certainly defeat you!" Chen Xuanba declared with a confident smile.

"You, my defeated foe, dare to show yourself again?"

Xiao Weizhen sneered, "I was able to kill you thirty years ago, and I can do so again today."

Chen Xuanba said, "And what if there are others?"

Xiao Weizhen’s expression darkened.

「The next moment.」

...phantoms of Dugu Hong, Wei Jieyue, Ji Boyan, and Ma Miaoyin, the four great Holy Sect Demon Monarchs from their youth, appeared, all standing behind Qin Xuan.

Qin Xuan’s entire aura changed drastically.

He was like a killing machine, driven by pure, unadulterated slaughter!

"Dugu Hao’s Godslaying Swordsmanship?"

Xiao Weizhen’s eyes narrowed, and a trace of apprehension finally appeared on his placid face.

The Reincarnation Passages formed from the Ksitigarbha Buddha’s Light trembled slightly.

It was as if they had encountered some forbidden power of slaughter that heaven and earth could not tolerate.

Xiao Weizhen raised his hand, about to strike first, but Qin Xuan cut him off.

"Slay!"

Qin Xuan roared furiously.

Suddenly, the towering phantom of a Sword Cultivator with an indiscernible face appeared before him, exuding an air of absolute dominance over the world.

The figure brandished a longsword and decisively slashed downward, unleashing a faint, ethereal gray thread of sword energy.

Blood Talisman: Broken Gold!

Blood Talisman: Godslayer!

Blood Talisman: Ten Thousand Forms!

The void trembled, and flakes of shattered gold filled the air.

It carried a momentum that seemed to pierce the heavens and earth and shake the entire world!

The moment this technique was unleashed, all of heaven and earth fell silent!

It instantly pierced through the suppression of the Profound Yellow Qi, dodged the direct crushing force of the Five Sacred Mountains, and shot straight for the spot between the brows of Xiao Weizhen’s phantom.

A ripple of shock finally broke the placid calm in Xiao Weizhen’s eyes.

The Golden Lotus Platform beneath him erupted with light, and the Ksitigarbha Dharma Aspect manifested in an attempt to block the attack.

But it was too late!

The gray thread of sword energy silently passed through the Buddha’s Light and the lotus platform, striking the phantom between the brows.

Time seemed to stand still.

Xiao Weizhen’s phantom slowly lowered its head.

"What a Godslaying Technique... What a perfect example of using offense as defense. To think you actually broke my Dharma Aspect..."

The gray thread of sword energy had pierced the center of its brow.

And yet, Xiao Weizhen wasn’t angry. Instead, the corners of his mouth lifted into a meaningful curve.

"As expected of Dugu’s personal disciple. You even broke through my Triple Position. The younger generation is truly formidable... Boy, I will be waiting for you in the Daqian Imperial Capital..."

KRAK!

Before he could finish, Xiao Weizhen’s figure disintegrated, scattering into the starlight.

Qin Xuan landed back on the ground, his face pale and his aura fluctuating violently.

That series of explosive attacks had clearly taken a massive toll on him.

A dead silence fell over the Star Tier.

Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the slowly dissipating phantom of Xiao Weizhen.

Then they turned to look at Qin Xuan, a storm of shock raging in their hearts!

"He... he broke through? He actually broke through Xiao Ancestor’s Triple Positional Divine Techniques?"

"What was that final Swordsmanship? It was even stronger than a Positional Divine Technique!"

"A monster... He’s an absolute monster..."

Shock, fear, and disbelief. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

A myriad of complex emotions spread through the hearts of the many onlookers.

This young man had actually fought his way up to the two-thousandth step.

He even defeated the strongest imprint of the past!

It’s unknown who shouted it first.

"Liu Mobai, the Blood Demon Sword Sect’s Demon Child-in-waiting, has even more potential than the current Demon Child, Chen Xuanba!"

"Liu Mobai must die!"

As soon as this was said, all the Daqian Cultivators nodded in agreement, united by their shared animosity.

"Fuck your grandma, that’s not me!"

The real Liu Mobai started cursing, but his voice was insignificant. His protests were completely drowned out by the chants of "Liu Mobai."

Qin Xuan, however, just frowned slightly.

He looked up at the stairs still shrouded in mist, feeling no joy in his heart.

The inexplicable smile on Xiao Weizhen’s phantom’s face as it faded sent a chill down his spine.

The figure of the Vermilion Bird Divine General appeared at the perfect moment.

"Plum Blossom Trigram, you have ascended two thousand steps and now rank first on the Star Ruins Celestial Pride List. You may open a second Star Palace. You are granted the Positional Divine Technique... [Yu Fu Yao]!"

BOOM!

A mass of cyan light, the Positional Divine Technique, sank into Qin Xuan’s body.

With this, Qin Xuan had now obtained a total of five Divine Techniques!

At the same time, Qin Xuan’s ranking on the Star Ruins Celestial Pride List began to skyrocket.

It climbed higher and higher at an astonishing speed.