"This youngster is likely the best practitioner of Thunder Magic among all of us examinees!"

Amateurs watch the excitement, professionals watch the technique.

The other candidates simply felt that Qi Xiu's True Gang was profound and almost immeasurable.

But Li Guanqi, with his dark circles under his eyes, had discerned the true terror of Qi Xiu's Thunder Magic.

That thunder light was pure and surging.

His mastery of Thunder Magic was not just because of his vast True Gang, which made it formidable. It was because he had penetrated the essence of the Palm Thunder scriptures.

The patterns of his thunder had reached the realm of flawless pearls.

He could draw upon a wisp of the Heavenly Thunder's essence from the void!

To cultivate that Thunder Magic to such a level in just one year was simply inhuman!

As he watched Qi Xiu use Thunder Magic to exterminate five aberrations with each move, the man with squinty eyes carrying a longbow smiled, removing the huge, simple, dark-red bow, about a zhang in length, from his back.

This bow was incredibly wide and large.

The bow's body had not a single decoration or pattern, its surface smooth and finely textured, and the bowstring, as thick as a thumb and shining with brilliant colors, appeared extraordinary.

Five-Thunder Piercing Heart Arrow!

He drew the bowstring fiercely, and as it twanged with a resonant clang, the squinty-eyed man gathered shallow red thunder light on the bowstring, condensing it into five sizzling thunder arrows with terrifying momentum!

WHOOSH!!!!

The five arrows shot out simultaneously, and the deafening sonic boom tore through the sky, leaving a strong scent of burnt air.

They carried with them the overbearing aura of annihilating all evil.

The ground was instantly plowed with five long trenches.

SPURT!

Like a hot knife through butter, the arrows instantly penetrated the aberrations' bodies.

The extreme destructive power shattered everything; dense, charred black lines covered the aberrations' entire bodies, gradually turning them into charcoal.

"Phew, I'm so exhausted."

After releasing the bowstring, the man with squinty eyes grimaced, shaking his shoulders as if drawing the bow had taken a great deal of effort.

No sooner had the squinty-eyed man finished dealing with the aberrations than Dong Xingzhou, holding a huge sword as large as a door, strode towards them, clearly intending to fight the aberrations in close combat.

One man versus five aberrations!

All eyes were fixed on Dong Xingzhou, especially in comparison to the techniques used by Qi Xiu and the squinty-eyed man. Slaying five aberrations in hand-to-hand combat was certainly more astonishing.

The aberrations' bodies were extremely tough and had strong regenerative powers; without special methods like Thunder Magic, they simply couldn't be killed.

BOOM!

The charge of the five aberrations approached with thundering roars and waves of turned soil, as if to crush Dong Xingzhou to death!

With a calm demeanor, Dong Xingzhou suddenly swept his giant sword horizontally. The terrible Sword Qi roared and created a storm, like a giant flinging the five aberrations fiercely into the air.

Leaping onto the head of an aberration that resembled a giant elephant with unusually long tusks and eight eyes, Dong Xingzhou lifted his giant sword.

SQUELCH!

The massive blade, as large as a door, plunged to the hilt into the aberration's skull!

"ROAR—"

Screeching deafeningly, the giant elephant-like aberration convulsed, its enormous body visibly shriveling at a rapid rate. Meanwhile, Dong Xingzhou's sword began to shine with a soft glow, becoming increasingly clear.

"Life and Death Demon Sword Dao! He is the son of King Slaughter Dong Yinhai, Dong Xingzhou!"

Someone among the candidates suddenly cried out in alarm. Pointing to Dong Xingzhou, who had slaughtered the aberrations with a sinister method, they uttered a name that made everyone's faces change.

A flicker of interest crossed Qi Xiu's face as he touched his sleeves, his eyes narrowing slightly.

King Slaughter Dong Yinhai!

That title was not a noble rank conferred by the imperial court. It was a moniker given to Dong Yinhai, one of his five formidable generals, by Zhu Shanhe, the Military Governor of Xiangchu, during a banquet. He had publicly praised Dong Yinhai as being a king in the art of slaughter.

Thus, King Slaughter became Dong Yinhai's famous title.

The reason Dong Yinhai received such high praise from Zhu Shanhe was all thanks to his fortune in obtaining a fragmented scripture from a grand sect of the Near Ancient Era, the Sword Sect.

This scripture contained a Dharma Gate known as the Life and Death Demon Sword Dao.

With this Dharma Gate, Dong Yinhai had achieved numerous military exploits, gradually becoming one of Zhu Shanhe's five great generals. This Life and Death Demon Sword Dao had also become his signature Dharma Gate.

In today's world, apart from Dong Yinhai himself, the only person who could use this Dharma Gate was his only son, born when he was seventy years old: Dong Xingzhou!

"Rumor has it that the Life and Death Demon Sword Dao is a ferocious and wicked Sword Dao Dharma Gate created by a Grand Elder of the Sword Sect, imitating the Ancient Demon Sect's Food Demon Sect's principle of seizing the fortune of heaven and earth to nurture one's own Dao Path.

"It's said that to cultivate this Dharma Gate, one must first use their own vital blood and essence soul to forge a demon sword. Henceforth, the sword and its wielder are united, sharing one mind. The demon sword can absorb an enemy's essence, blood, and flesh, converting them into the two qi of life and death. The qi of life rejuvenates the sword's master, strengthening them. The qi of death accumulates within the sword, honing its edge. The longer one cultivates, the more death qi accumulates in the demon sword, and the more terrifying its power becomes. However..."

Watching Dong Xingzhou wield the demon sword to slay and devour Exotic Beasts, the squinty-eyed man stroked his chin:

"There are rumors that the Life and Death Demon Sword Dao in Dong Yinhai's possession is incomplete, missing the essential secret of the conversion of life and death, the complement of yin and yang. The death qi accumulates more and more heavily within the demon sword. Over time, it's feared there will be signs of a backlash.

"This Dong Xingzhou, the noble son of King Slaughter, is joining us to take the Shenxiao Sect's assessment. I suspect these rumors must hold some truth. Dong Yinhai must have already sensed the possibility of the demon sword's backlash, or perhaps has already suffered from it. To prevent his son from following in his footsteps, he sent him to Dianchuan Province to take part in the Shenxiao Sect's assessment, hoping to use the upright and vast, supremely firm and yang Shenxiao Thunder Skill to suppress the demon sword's backlash!"

Hearing the squinty-eyed man's analysis, Qi Xiu thoughtfully looked at his own palms.

This Life and Death Demon Sword Dao had quite a few similarities with his own Star Absorption Skill. However, compared to this Demon Sword method, his Star Absorption Skill was even more perfect, derived from the Divine Power of the Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery; there was no need to worry about the possibility of a backlash.

Wielding the Demon Sword, Dong Xingzhou moved as if unimpeded, his physique immensely formidable under the nourishment of the Life and Death Demon Sword Dao. He could even go toe-to-toe with massive aberrations! And as long as they were stabbed by his Demon Sword, its eerie and bizarre divine ability would manically devour the aberration's blood, flesh, and vital essence, rapidly turning the aberrations into withered skeletons.

After slaying all five aberrations, Dong Xingzhou, with the Demon Sword on his shoulder, showed not the slightest sign of weariness or weakness; instead, he appeared even more robust and vigorous.

CLANG—

As the giant sword hit the ground, the surrounding area shook with a thunderous vibration, trembling for tens of meters around.

Sitting down cross-legged, Dong Xingzhou held the sword in one hand and slowly digested the vitality fed back by the Demon Sword.

With Qi Xiu and his two companions stepping in, the urgent crisis had been resolved. But now, the looks people gave them were somewhat peculiar. After all, given the combat strength they had just displayed, they seemed to be on a different level.

With such formidable power at their disposal, why had the earlier battles been...

Sensing the change in people's gazes, Li Guanqi stepped forward in time. Waving his hand, numerous images appeared in the void. They were scenes of their battles from the previous few days.

In these images, it was clear that whenever someone was about to be killed by an aberration, Qi Xiu and his two companions would always come to the rescue in time, exterminating the aberrations. Otherwise, with the brutal eight-day assault, how could there have been no casualties at all?

With Li Guanqi's maneuver, the strangeness in everyone's eyes gradually subsided.

But at this moment, another question arose.

Could just the three of them, Qi Xiu's group, endure the final two days?

「Shenxiao Sect.」

The majestic mountain peak was shrouded in mist.

Two old Daoists, one wreathed in green smoke and the other sporting two afro-like hairstyles, glared at each other unyieldingly. On the normally serene mountaintop, giant craters were now visible everywhere, faintly accumulating thunder light within them.

"Martial Uncles, that gentleman from the Cheng Family has come again,"

Just as the two old Daoists were rolling up their sleeves, preparing for another round, a Daoist child, looking about seven or eight years old, dressed in a gray Taoist Robe and riding a streak of lightning, arrived at the summit of Thunder Pond. He saluted the two old Daoists and reported.

"Him again? Is he never going to stop? Didn't we tell him, our Shenxiao Sect is not responsible for any deaths or injuries during the assessment. We also can't possibly hand these candidates over to him for investigation. Tell him to hurry back." The old Daoist with a goatee showed impatience.

What is the Cheng Family anyway? Are they daring to think they can threaten our Shenxiao Sect just because they have connections with the Gao Family?

"That Mr. Cheng says he's willing not to pursue the murderer, but the Magic Artifact lost by the Cheng Family must be recovered. He says it was… borrowed from the Gao Family."

"The Gao Family?" The old Daoist, who had been ready to act, paused at the mention, turning around with a hint of suspicion. "He must be trying to trick us."

"Hmm… Mr. Cheng has sworn with his Dao Heart, so it should be true. Martial Uncle, concerning this matter, you should probably go take a look yourself," the Daoist child said softly after a moment's thought.

Exchanging glances, the goateed old Daoist snorted and flicked his sleeve. "When I get back, we'll finish our fight."

The elder with the twisted beard smirked. "As if I'm afraid of you?"

With that, the goateed old Daoist hurriedly followed the Daoist child to a boundless lotus pond with countless giant lotus leaves. Every lotus flower bloomed in radiant colors—red, pink, white, yellow, and others—casting a charming light in the sunlight. They floated on the water surface as if dancing, blending harmoniously with their surroundings.

In the center of the pond was a small, verdant courtyard surrounded by clear water. A middle-aged man, dressed in a scholar's robe and wearing a scholar's headband, was waiting quietly in the yard.

Sensing the rumbling thunder outside, as if a dark, heavy thundercloud was drawing near, the middle-aged scholar slowly stood up. Just as he turned, he saw the goateed old Daoist frowning as he walked in.

"This junior, Cheng Lin, pays respects to Daoist Priest Yunqing."

"Stop with these empty formalities. Is your Cheng Family never going to stop? The path of seeking the Dao, how can it be without death and injury? If Cheng Hua knew the risks of the assessment, he should have been prepared. Now that someone from your Cheng Family has died, you come bothering us at Shenxiao Sect over and over again. Do you truly believe our Shenxiao Sect is so good-tempered? Hmph?!"

The goateed old Daoist gave a light "hmph." Suddenly, thunder resounded all around, booming incessantly, deafeningly. The sky darkened at a visible rate, and countless bolts of lightning flashed and roared within the clouds. It seemed as if any second, a Sea of Thunder would descend, destroying everything in its vicinity!

"Please don't misunderstand, Daoist Priest Yunqing. Cheng Hua died because his skills were insufficient; the Cheng Family has nothing to say about that. However, the Magic Artifact he carried was indeed borrowed from the Gao Family. We agreed to return it after a year. Cheng Lin is willing to swear by his Dao Heart for this. We will not pursue the death, but we still hope that your esteemed sect can help us retrieve that Magic Artifact."

Seeing that Cheng Lin spoke with sincerity and was willing to swear by his Dao Heart, the goateed Daoist Priest Yunqing frowned and glanced at him. "What kind of Magic Artifact is it exactly, that the Gao Family would fall out with you over it?"

"It's Prince Qingyuan's Five-Color Auspicious Qi Fan."

"Damn..." His pupils suddenly constricted, and the goateed old Daoist raised a thumb. "Your Cheng Family has some nerve. You truly don't know how the character for 'death' is written, do you?"

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