Chapter 441: The Darkness of Luoyun City

Crack, crack——

Countless bolts of lightning burst open in the high skies, their flashes and peals of thunder weaving through dark clouds like a spider’s web—ferocious and terrifying.

They bathed the pitch-black city, where darkness reigned, in a brilliant glow.

Yet in that moment of radiance, what met the eyes was nothing more than cold, ominous iron armor and the sinister figures of Corpse God Sect cultists cloaked in black hoods standing atop the city tower.

Within the narrow alley.

An icy chill permeated the air, as if time itself had frozen.

XiXi, Yun’e, Jin Taisui, and Zhou Peng, all but children, gathered here—their expressions still youthful yet underscored with an unprecedented gravity.

“What… do they intend to do?”

Zhou Peng was so nervous he forgot even to eat his steamed bun, overwhelmed by the oppressive force.

Yun’e closed her eyes.

Jin Taisui remained silent, his fingers clenching the knife already hanging at his waist.

Meanwhile, XiXi’s fists were balled up, her face turning an ashen shade.

“I heard Father say…”

XiXi’s voice was heavy with worry.

Her gaze shifted outside, spotting the figure leading the black-armored guards.

It was Zhou Chiguo—the former great disciple of Nan Lihuo and Zhou Daoyuan of old!

He was also considered XiXi’s senior brother—a man who once rushed to Jiangnan Dao, determined to assassinate Ji Mo Li on behalf of Master Nan Lihuo, only to end up as Ji Mo Li’s very own blade.

He even joined Ji Mo Li’s ranks, becoming his adopted son.

After one of Ji Mo Li’s sons died, he immediately took his place and was accepted as a son.

XiXi’s impression of Zhou Chiguo ran deep—not for any other reason than the fact that he had once been Nan Lihuo’s disciple, a point that alone was enough to capture her attention.

“Father said that Ji Mo Li’s technique of creating multiple bodies is wicked—formed by condensing blood soul power so that the clones mirror his true self in strength.”

“But this technique requires a medium and a vessel. The medium is the blood soul—the collective blood soul of a city—and the vessel is the one that carries it, flowing with Ji Mo Li’s bloodline: his son.”

XiXi’s fist tightened, her delicate face twisted in a grimace of anger.

Clearly, she had deduced the purpose behind such a massive army amassed at the city gate.

“Gather the blood souls! Empower Ji Mo Li’s clones—forge the medium!”

XiXi exhaled sharply.

Silence, a deathly stillness…

Yun’e and the other two fell into a heavy silence.

They didn’t need to deliberate on how to amass the blood souls—it was plain as day.

It was a massacre!

Just as the blood feud that birthed the seas of vengeance for Nan Lihuo had led Ji Mo Li to shatter one clone, he now needed to consolidate more clones—and for that, a vast reservoir of blood soul power was required.

Now, Ji Mo Li had completely lost his sanity, shamelessly yearning to slaughter.

With the opening of Qitian City, Ji Mo Li had no time to slowly recover; he needed to regain full strength as quickly as possible—so… massacre the city!

And Luoyun City was clearly the chosen target.

“XiXi…”

“Could it be… that Ji Mo Li, knowing we had entered this city, decided to massacre Luoyun City and intends to kill us along with it?”

A trace of worry flickered across Yun’e’s exquisitely beautiful face.

If that were the case, it would be disastrous for them.

At those words, XiXi’s heart trembled violently.

No wonder—the number of assassins from the Corpse God Sect and Lie Shen Pavilion had dwindled in recent days. Perhaps their disguises had some effect, or, as Yun’e suggested, the killers chose a more cunning method to deal with them once they learned of their entry into Luoyun City.

“So… are we the ones who have brought death to this city?”

XiXi’s lips quivered as pain contorted her face.

“XiXi, you don’t need to think like this. Even if you hadn’t come to Luoyun City, Ji Mo Li would have slaughtered another city…” Jin Taisui, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up.

Seeing the torment on XiXi’s face, he offered an explanation to ease her mind.

And indeed, it was the harsh reality.

Even if it wasn’t Luoyun City, among the many cities of Jiangnan Dao, another would always be chosen for slaughter.

“Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that they deliberately chose Luoyun City, and that we just happened to be within it.”

Yun’e provided an alternative explanation.

Both explanations were plausible.

“Massacre… Luoyun City has a population of over a hundred thousand. Would Ji Mo Li really commit such an atrocity?”

XiXi drew a deep breath.

Her small heart was struck by an overwhelming shock.

This foray into the martial realm had exposed a level of evil the world had never seen.

Whether it was the Dengxian Pavilion of Guangling Daocheng,

or a single Dengxian Pill that had once torn families apart—trading a daughter for its price!

Now, in Jiangnan Dao… a whole city was being massacred to gather blood souls for the clones!

How could such atrocities, such cruelty, occur at every moment in this world?

XiXi’s fists clenched tighter, a surge of inexplicable anger rising within her.

Boom——!!!

In an instant,

A surge of overwhelming divine energy suddenly emanated from the direction of the city wall.

XiXi, Yun’e, and the others were startled, hastily concealing their auras as they peered toward the wall.

There they saw Corpse God Sect cultists in black hoods, their bodies swirling with deathly energy; divine weapons shrouded in miasma appeared in their hands and were arranged atop the tower. Soon, formation arrays began to rumble and rotate.

A curtain of blood-red light shot up like a burst of mist inside a transparent sphere, rapidly expanding like raging tides.

The once pitch-black night was suddenly illuminated.

The entire sky over the city turned a ghastly shade of blood.

Light descended upon the darkened city—but it brought only death.

Peeking from the alley, XiXi saw row after row of Corpse God Sect fiends on the city walls, their deathly aura churning as they formed a terrifying slaughter array. Inside, every citizen and cultivator was reduced to a mere plaything, moments away from being ground to dust.

From the center of that grinding array arose a horrifying will, as if an abominable, twisted face emerged, roaring and bellowing across the city.

It was… the Corpse God’s Will!

A Corpse God’s Will of unmatched terror!

At that sight, XiXi understood all too clearly—Corpse God Sect and King Ping Luan’s Ji Mo Li had truly joined forces.

XiXi was no stranger to King Ping Luan. When she was very young, Ji Mo Li’s youngest son, Ji Haihui, had once battled her; since then, their fates had been entwined in bitter enmity.

Her hatred for the Ji Mo Li clan only deepened with each clash.

“XiXi! Let’s go!”

Just as XiXi was lost in thought, a low cry rang in her ears, snapping her back to reality.

Her attention was immediately drawn back from her reverie.

She then noticed that all four of them hidden in the alley were now glowing faintly…

Roar——!!!

Above the Heavenly Dome, amid an immense formation, the grotesque, struggling figure of the Corpse God’s Will suddenly jerked, sweeping toward the alley.

“We’re exposed!”

“They’ve found us!”

A heaviness settled in XiXi’s heart.

Yet she did not panic—as she had already left Qianyuan Divine Sect many times before. From Guangling Daocheng to Jiangnan Dao, she had endured countless battles and perilous situations.

XiXi grasped the Feilei Chess Piece tightly, planning to use it to instantaneously shift away from the city.

But to her shock,

the shimmering streaks of blood light clinging to them seemed to come alive.

“What is this…?”

XiXi’s expression changed slightly.

But there was no time.

Buzz——

The Feilei Chess Piece, which was supposed to cover Yun’e, Jin Taisui, and Zhou Peng so they could all depart together,

ended its shift only to leave XiXi alone as she teleported out of Luoyun City.

She appeared among other chess pieces left outside the city.

In the storm, accompanied by flurries of icy snow, XiXi gripped the Feilei Chess Piece, her face ashen.

“Sister Yun’e, Fatty Zhou, and Jin Taisui!”

She muttered under her breath.

At the next moment, she whirled her head back toward Luoyun City, her face etched with panic and worry.

“I’ve… lost them in Luoyun City.”

“Lost them in that… doomed city about to be massacred!”

XiXi’s eyes filled with desperate anxiety, her heart turning ice cold.

Without leaving any additional Feilei Chess Pieces in Luoyun City, she could not shift back over.

Now, the choice before the seven-year-old was singular:

Escape?

Or… return to find her companions?

Facing an unsurmountable Corpse God’s Will, little XiXi was utterly incapable of fighting it alone.

Even though she once managed to kill the Martial Saint of Tian Dan Divine Sect,

that martial saint was only at his first stage—nowhere near the level of a Corpse God’s Will!

“What would Father do?”

XiXi’s resolve hardened, her little stomach trembling as she began to think.

What would Father have done?

XiXi’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

Surely, Father would never abandon his companions!

Without hesitation, she broke into a run, dashing toward Luoyun City with all her might.

At seven years old, even if she faced the grim ugliness of the mortal world,

she still preserved the purity of her soul.

She might be scared, but she would never give up!

Perhaps,

this was the very meaning of growing up.

……

……

A Flying Sword streaked across the dome of clouds, drawing a silvery flash through the sky.

After informing Lü Taibai to head toward Luoyun City at Wenling Mansion in Jiangnan Dao, Lü Taibai immediately accelerated his sword ride. He had intended to take his time,

but it had been too long since he last saw XiXi. Excitement surged as he looked forward to showing her his new breakthrough into the Divine Calamity realm.

Li Che sat cross-legged on his Flying Sword.

His attention, however, was focused on the images unfolding within the Cosmic Chessboard.

It was the scene of XiXi’s trial by fire.

He saw the little girl clenching the Feilei Chess Piece, attempting to transport Yun’e and the others, but only managing to shift himself out of the city. Li Che frowned.

“XiXi’s primordial spirit isn’t strong enough—the arrival of the Corpse God’s Will only amplified the pressure on the Feilei Chess Piece when trying to carry others away.”

“Most importantly… XiXi and the others have been tainted by the deathly aura.”

As the bearer of the Chess Sage Dao Fruit, Li Che quickly deduced the primary reason for their failed teleportation.

It wasn’t a fault of the Feilei Chess Piece—it was them.

The formation that enveloped Luoyun City, resplendent with blood light, had cast its influence upon them, marking the beginning of their corruption by deathly energy.

By then, the Corpse God’s Will could already affect them.

Thus, the pressure on XiXi, as she tried to transport Yun’e and the others with the Feilei Chess Piece, became overwhelming.

Had XiXi reached the Divine Transformation realm, her Heaven and Earth Soul might have been strong enough to carry them all.

But her cultivation was still only at the Primordial Phase.

In the end, only XiXi managed to teleport out alone.

And now, the choice lay stark before her:

To go rescue her companions and fight alongside them, or abandon them and fight for her own survival?

It was a heart-wrenching decision.

For a seven-year-old, being forced to choose in such a brutal manner was almost unthinkable.

Yet XiXi did not hesitate—one thought was all she needed to decide to charge back into Luoyun City.

The seven-year-old XiXi still possessed a fierce, indomitable spirit deep in her heart!

“Little one, you’ve grown…”

Li Che sighed softly.

XiXi had made the choice she believed was right, but to Li Che, her life was the most precious thing.

In this world, no life mattered more than XiXi’s…

Though XiXi herself remained unaware.

“But there’s not much time to grow.”

Li Che had considered teaching XiXi about selfishness, but decided it was unnecessary.

“As long as I am strong enough, XiXi will never have to face such cruel choices. Why force her to face brutality head-on?”

Li Che recalled Big XiXi’s nonchalant demeanor amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood—a scene etched in his mind from countless hardships, pain, and bitter choices.

XiXi and Big XiXi… were never the same.

Big XiXi had no one to rely on.

But XiXi did.

XiXi—she had Father.

“Ji Mo Li…”

On his Flying Sword, Li Che suddenly opened his eyes. A faint golden smoke unfurled from within them.

A surging, explosive killing intent roiled within him.

“Qitian City is about to open. Looking to fight inside it?

But you’ll have to ask the Underworld if they agree.”

The murderous aura emanating from Li Che instantly alerted the other three on the Flying Sword—Lü Qiankun, Fang Han Shu, and Lü Taibai.

They turned to look, puzzled over whom Li Che’s sudden burst of lethal intent was aimed at.

However, Lü Taibai narrowed his eyes; the excitement in his features was quickly tempered by solemnity.

Li Che’s killing intent…

Could it be because XiXi was in grave danger in Luoyun City?

If that were so…

Lü Taibai’s eyes flashed with lethal determination.

Boom——!!!

The Flying Sword’s speed surged, slicing through the night sky in an instant.

……

……

Luoyun City.

Blood-red radiance poured down relentlessly, and in a narrow alley,

Yun’e, Zhou Peng, and Jin Taisui exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes reflecting bitter resignation.

“It seems XiXi… left us behind.”

Zhou Peng murmured bitterly.

Yet there was no accusation in his tone—only deep regret…

for they all sensed that death was imminent.

“It’s not that she forgot us. There must be another reason. XiXi would never simply abandon us—perhaps something unexpected happened.”

“Is it the blood light on us?”

Yun’e could feel the tremors of the Temple Spirit within her body.

The blood light was being repelled relentlessly—but there was too much of it, and its power was too overwhelming. Even with the Temple Spirit’s help, Yun’e couldn’t entirely dispel it.

Slowly, the blood light converged around their necks, forming a crimson sigil.

It was an eerie, uncanny bloom—a harbinger of death.

“We’ve been marked!”

“Run!”

Yun’e shouted instantly.

At that moment, high above Luoyun City, on the visage of the Corpse God’s Will embedded in the formation array, its twisted, hideous face swept its gaze forcefully over the city.

Roar——!!!

A terrifying, ear-shattering roar exploded in the night sky.

The next moment, as Jin Taisui, Zhou Peng, and Yun’e tried to flee, an immense, dreadful force slammed down upon them.

Bang——

The three were thrown to their knees.

Spinning their heads around in horror, they stared at the masses of citizens in Luoyun City…

Countless people, moving like the undead, staggered out of their shelters—each with a crimson sigil blossoming on their necks.

They appeared as if controlled like mindless corpses emerging from safe havens.

Yun’e and the others looked on in terror at the grisly sight.

Boom——!!

The ground trembled violently.

Yun’e and the others turned to see Zhou Chiguo, clad in resounding black armor, his eyes cold and distant.

“Where is my junior sister?”

Zhou Chiguo’s lips curved into a slight smile as he looked at them.

“What a pity—she fled too quickly, missing the full spectacle of this massacre…”

He raised his hand and pressed down gently.

In an instant, three top-tier Black Armor Guard commanders dashed over and seized Yun’e and her companions.

“I once witnessed a massacre with my own eyes—a spectacle that made me realize how insignificant I was against true power.”

Zhou Chiguo spoke evenly.

“I craved that level of power, so I chose to join.”

He exhaled slowly.

Glancing at Yun’e and the others, Zhou Chiguo said, “Guess what? Do you think my little junior sister will return?”

“Children always have to experience some brutality when they venture out…”

“Innocence and idealism have no place in this world; excessive idealism only brings harm.”

Yun’e struggled, but it was futile against their opponent’s level of cultivation.

Not to mention Zhou Chiguo’s Martial Saint-level power.

“Father is preparing to breach the Divine Calamity realm and compete for fate within Qitian City. Thus, the blood soul of this city is indispensable—Father’s very life depends on it!”

Zhou Chiguo laughed, “And add to that my exceptionally talented little junior sister… Father will be overjoyed and reward me with even more bloodline power!”

He laughed heartily.

“Take her away and display her on the city tower for my little sister to see…”

“She will return.”

“After all, children always cling to a bit of innocence and loyalty, just like…”

“Just like me back in the day.”

……

……

In the hazy twilight amid wind and rain, intermingled with icy snowflakes,

XiXi panted heavily, her blood surging as the Yulian Fenghuo Jingguang Wheel beneath her roared, its clamor sparking fiery sparks that flew wildly as she skimmed along the ground.

Her speed was astonishing!

Winds and rain whipped past her, carrying biting snow that exploded on her face, stinging her skin relentlessly.

But XiXi paid it no mind.

Suddenly, her lean body straightened as the Yulian Fenghuo Jingguang Wheel clanked rhythmically.

She fixed her gaze upon the blood-soaked Luoyun City, instantly spotting three small figures dangling from the city tower.

It was none other than Yun’e, Zhou Peng, and Jin Taisui—bound by ropes, suspended upside down on the wall.

They were not in immediate mortal danger, yet their hanging forms were like succulent bait, a lure meant solely for XiXi.

And that target, without a doubt, was XiXi herself.

From afar, XiXi stared intently, standing atop a golden wheel with her fists clenched and teeth gritted, her twin braids seeming ready to burst like crackers.

Yet, inside, a sense of helplessness surged.

She could see her companions hanging there, but she was powerless to save them.

Not to mention, on the city wall alone were already two Martial Saint-level experts, and on the side of the Corpse God Sect, there were even powerful adversaries at the Divine Transformation and Corpse God levels.

XiXi’s hand trembled as she clutched the Purple-Flame Serpent Spear.

The spear quivered in her grasp.

But…

XiXi felt utterly powerless.

Could she save Sister Yun’e and the others?

In that moment, her craving for power reached its zenith. Her desperate wish to become stronger burned brighter than ever!

“Sister, help me…”

With gritted teeth, XiXi silently invoked the only power she could think of to make herself stronger.

Her call echoed into silence.

XiXi’s face went pale.

She longed to borrow strength, but there was none to be found!

Then, as XiXi stood confused and chided herself for not being strong enough,

high on the city wall,

Sister Yun’e let out a soft sigh.

Then, hanging upside down, her eyes snapped open, as if the moonlight itself danced within her pupils.

“XiXi, Sister Yun’e knows you’re out there!”

“You are a good sister. You’re kind, and you would never give up on us…”

On the city tower,

Two Martial Saint-level Black Armor Guards frowned, ready to silence Yun’e,

but Zhou Chiguo raised his hand to stop them. “Let her speak.”

A slight smile graced Zhou Chiguo’s face as he glanced toward the dark, barren lands beyond the city.

Even Zhou Peng, hanging upside down, looked at Yun’e with a flicker of emotion before staring blankly at her.

Tears streamed down Yun’e’s beautiful face in heavy droplets.

She recalled the first time she met XiXi at Jingguang Prefecture—when the little girl was merely three years old…

So soft, so endearing.

A familiar, almost preordained bond that stirred a deep sense of reliance—etched into the very soul.

Perhaps in a past life, they had known each other.

That was why Yun’e had devoted herself to accompanying XiXi, always seeking that source of familiarity to share as she helped XiXi grow.

But now,

the little one was destined to mature into someone who could stand alone.

“XiXi! Loss is a necessary step in growing up.”

“Perhaps tonight, you must learn to face loss.”

“Escape—don’t come to rescue us! Live well, grow stronger. Only strength can reduce the inevitable hardships of loss…”

“Sister knows you want to be a hero. Perhaps I won’t get to see you become the great XiXi Emperor…”

“Tonight, allow me to be the hero you crave.”

“XiXi, live on!”

Her words echoed across the barren expanse.

Though there was no reply, Yun’e was certain that XiXi was listening.

Deep within the Dense Forest,

XiXi trembled all over: “Sister Yun’e!”

XiXi refused to give up!

Gritting her teeth, XiXi summoned the Guanyin Lotus Main Battle Tank!

But…

Barely had she deployed the Guanyin Lotus Main Battle Tank,

when the dark clouds above parted abruptly to reveal a cool moonlit glow, bathing the earth in cold, clear light.

“Moonlight…”

XiXi was struck dumb.

Then she stared blankly toward the city wall of Luoyun City.

……

……

Turning her head, Yun’e looked toward Zhou Peng, who was gazing at her in rapt attention.

“Zhou Peng.”

“I’m here.”

“Let’s stick together.”

“Hehe, Yun’e, I’ve been waiting for you to say that for so long.”

Zhou Peng suddenly laughed out loud.

Yun’e smiled gently, and in the next moment, the ropes binding her suddenly shattered all at once.

Strands of moonlight burst forth from her body.

An unprecedented, unimaginable divine aura erupted from fragile Yun’e.

Boom——!!!

Moonlight surged upward, instantly dispersing the endless darkness.

A crescent moon reappeared, its cool glow bathing everything in shimmering radiance.

Yun’e’s jet-black hair transformed into a deep blue as her form grew more lithe; the traces of childishness vanished, replaced by an ethereal beauty that could stun the heavens.

Cold, mournful, and breathtaking…

Boom——!!!

The entire Luoyun City tower began to tremble.

Zhou Chiguo, who had maintained a teasing expression moments before, now wore a grave look as his eyes darkened.

A surge of aura exploded from him.

Since his defeat at the Peach Festival against Li Che, Zhou Chiguo had steadily advanced under Ji Mo Li’s tutelage and was now at the Martial Saint Threefold stage!

The will of martial dao swept by like a mountain taking shape, crushing all in its wake.

“This little girl!”

Zhou Chiguo was astonished that a mere Divine Vision-level child could cause such upheaval.

“She has a Temple Spirit within her?!”

“No! Could it be… is she the reincarnation of the Temple Spirit?!”

Zhou Chiguo’s eyes narrowed, “No, a reincarnated Temple Spirit shouldn’t be like this. What is she hiding?”

Boom——!!!

A cold, piercing moonlight cascaded from the sky.

Yun’e transformed into a goddess-like figure, a crescent moon suspended behind her, her transcendent beauty etched with ice and frost.

The moonlight bolstered her aura with every breath, and in mere moments, Yun’e’s aura rocketed into the Divine Transformation realm—and continued to rise…

Elsewhere,

Zhou Peng laughed heartily.

“Hahahahahaha——”

“At last, in this life we will finally die together!”

Boom——!!!

The ropes binding Zhou Peng shattered with a mighty snap, releasing an immensely potent surge of blood and a savage, domineering qi that raged wildly!

High above, as the moonlight mingled with the crashing thunder, fierce lightning roared—an expression of the heavens’ wrath!

It was as though something unclean had been unleashed upon the mortal realm!

Zhou Chiguo’s face contorted!

“A reincarnated Temple Spirit?! Another one?!”

At that moment, Zhou Chiguo couldn’t help but look at the tightly bound Jin Taisui.

That wretch…

Now, Jin Taisui stared blankly at Yun’e and Zhou Peng.

And then—!

Rip—

A powerful force sliced through the ropes binding Jin Taisui.

When Jin Taisui looked toward Zhou Peng, he discovered that Zhou Peng was now engulfed in a wildly surging demonic aura, his body grotesquely swollen; atop his head sat a monstrous boar-like snout.

“Hehehe…”

Zhou Peng, clad in golden armor and sporting that enormous hog head, grinned broadly.

“Little Jin,

stay alive and protect XiXi.”

Then, with a powerful flick, Zhou Peng sent Jin Taisui flying like a cannonball.

After it was done,

Zhou Peng clapped his hands.

A torrent of overwhelming blood, terrifying divine energy, and fierce demonic aura swirled around him in a chaotic dance.

If Yun’e had transformed into a goddess descended from the heavens, then Zhou Peng had become an unparalleled demon lord ruling his domain—a boar-headed beast with floppy ears and flared tusks!

The divine maiden and the beast now hovered above Luoyun City’s walls.

Yun’e’s cold gaze fell upon Zhou Peng as he grinned.

“What a pity…”

“Monk-hunter’s Qitian Temple isn’t far off. But old pig… I can’t see you there.”

Zhou Peng’s flared tusks twitched as he chuckled.

“It’s all my fault—old pig, my own fat grows too slowly.”

Zhou Peng shook his head, his large ears swaying like a fan.

“Forget the past—be the hero for XiXi.”

Yun’e’s voice was cold and emotionless, as frigid as ice.

In the next moment,

Yun’e’s gaze shifted to Zhou Chiguo, whose oppressive presence nearly pinned him to the wall.

Although both had unleashed the spirits of their reincarnated Temple Spirits, neither had truly stepped into the Divine Calamity realm.

Because, in this world, that was forbidden!

Yet even a fraction of Divine Calamity power was enough to completely subdue Zhou Chiguo.

But…

Yun’e’s impassive eyes drifted away from Zhou Chiguo,

settling instead on the swirling, activated death formation array within the city—a grinding mass of death that continued to mark the residents within.

Once the mark was complete, every marked soul would have its head severed by the deathly aura.

Within that grinding array,

the Corpse God’s Will loomed, its hideous gaze sweeping across.

Yun’e’s hands flew open—the little one she had abandoned in the city suddenly took flight, as if launched by unseen force.

Then, that little one transformed into an arrow so sharp it could slice through anything.

Moonlight became the bow, and the little one, the arrow.

Bending the bow…

Firing the arrow.

Moonlight cascaded down in torrents from the vault of the heavens.

One single arrow blasted through the formation!

Destroying the array and the Corpse God’s Will within it!