When Chen Mo looked upon that pale, delicate face filled with pleading, the killing intent raging in his heart wavered ever so slightly. Her words and actions were not without effect on him—after all, deep down, he had already come to see this woman as his own.
Besides, in the original story, her teacher had also been slain.
At that very moment, time itself seemed to freeze. Countless gazes were locked unblinkingly upon the young figure hovering in the sky—his next action would determine the fate of the entire Yunlan Sect.
Within the ranks of the Snake-people Tribe, every hand clenched into a tight fist. When they noticed Chen Mo's black sword hesitate for a fraction of a second at Yun Yun's desperate cry, many of them nearly leapt in frustration, wishing it were their hand gripping that blade.
"Do it! Cut him down!"
The world seemed to fall into utter silence. On Die's beautiful face was deep sorrow—this single moment told her everything she needed to know. The relationship between Chen Mo and the woman named Yun Yun was anything but ordinary. Otherwise, he never would've faltered, not even for an instant.
Yue Mei and the other tribal leaders widened their eyes, their breathing heavy and uneven. Their hearts pounded wildly—they too longed for that blade to fall.
After all, countless Snake-people had perished at the hands of Yun Shan and his followers—people like Du Qianteng and Yan Ci among them.
Across the heavens, countless gazes—each filled with varying emotions—intertwined as they focused on Yun Shan's impending fate.
Chen Mo's eyes briefly flicked from Queen Medusa's face to Yun Yun's, pale and fragile yet still full of stubborn resolve. In that instant, a trace of softness flashed through his gaze.
Yun Yun caught that fleeting change in his eyes, and the deathly pallor on her face softened just a little. She knew that speaking up now, trying to dissuade him, was selfish and inconsiderate of his feelings… but she couldn't help it.
She was a member of the Yunlan Sect—his disciple—and Yun Shan was not only her teacher but also her benefactor.
She couldn't just stand there and watch him die.
Queen Medusa and Die, even Yue Mei, felt a pang of disappointment. Medusa's and Die's hearts tightened painfully.
So it's true—humans will always favor their own kind.
But the next moment, Chen Mo's gaze hardened again. That fleeting softness vanished entirely. Yun Shan was Yun Shan, and Yun Yun was Yun Yun. He could not, and would not, disappoint Queen Medusa.
Murderous intent once again surged within Chen Mo's eyes, sharp and resolute.
"Forgive me," he said coldly. "But he must die today."
His indifferent voice echoed through the skies.
Queen Medusa, Die, and Yue Mei's eyes blazed with renewed light.
Yun Yun's already pale complexion turned ghastly white once more. Her delicate body trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes welled with tears.
The moment Chen Mo's words faded—his demonic blade swept down.
Yun Shan's head flew.
[Ding! Affection —3.]
"No…"
Yun Yun's face lost every trace of color as she watched her teacher's head tumble from the sky. Her body swayed weakly in midair, and she covered her mouth as a pained sob escaped.
[Ding! Received 5 Affection Coins.]
[Ding! Received 5 Affection Coins.]
Yun Shan's falling head, Chen Mo's decisive strike, the glimmer in Medusa's and Die's eyes—the world fell silent. Only Yun Yun's quiet sobs echoed faintly through the air.
Han Feng, the Gold and Silver Elders, and Fang Yan's faces changed drastically.
Han Feng, in particular, felt his heart go cold. Are we really going to have to flee again…?
Just when everyone thought it was over, Chen Mo raised his sword once more and aimed it at Yun Shan's corpse.
He knew—Dou Zong experts didn't die so easily. There was still the soul to deal with.
But just as he was about to strike, a fiery chain burst forth from the sea of flames above, piercing through Yun Shan's body like lightning.
With a violent pull, a translucent soul was wrenched from Yun Shan's corpse and dragged straight into the inferno.
The spectators gasped in shock, eyes darting toward the now-shrinking sea of fire, no more than ten meters across.
"Ninefold Soul Devouring Flame!"
A cold, eerie voice echoed from the flames, followed by the disturbing sound of gnashing teeth.
"Boom!"
A moment later, a surge of terrifying energy rivaling the inferno's own exploded outward. The sea of fire detonated, collapsing into a sigil the size of a palm that shot straight into Chen Mo's body.
As the firestorm cleared, a charred, barely human figure stumbled out, burned beyond recognition—its voice the only clue to its identity.
"Th-That's… Protector Xuan?" Han Feng exclaimed uncertainly.
The burnt man's next words confirmed it.
"You little bastard! I'll tear you limb from limb! Your formation is broken—let's see how you'll stop me now!"
Red light flared in Protector Xuan's eyes as his hands formed a seal.
At once, a black armor appeared over his body. The armor pulsed like a living thing, and three distorted faces began to emerge from its surface, contorted in eternal agony.
Everyone present recognized them instantly and gasped in horror.
"He… he devoured Protector Wu, Elder Ying Shan, and Yun Shan's souls?!"
"How ruthless!"
The instant those three spectral faces appeared, eerie wailing filled the skies. Cold wind swept through the battlefield, chilling everyone to the bone.
Protector Xuan's aura surged violently—rising from a Three-Star Dou Zong to the peak of a Five-Star Dou Zong in an instant.
A crushing pressure spread across the heavens, freezing everyone in place.
The situation had turned again.
Han Feng and the others, who had begun to retreat, halted at once and charged toward Die and the Snake-people once more.
Protector Xuan sneered, his tone dripping with malice. "I'll admit, you're powerful, boy. If you hadn't hesitated when killing Yun Shan because of that woman, I might not have had time to consume Protector Wu's soul. You would've killed me with your inferno."
His grin widened. "But now, it's over. Let's see what else you've got."
With a thought, his figure vanished, reappearing before Chen Mo in the blink of an eye.
"So fast!" Chen Mo's pupils shrank. He tried to evade, but Xuan's punch slammed into his chest before he could react.
A thunderous boom!—and Chen Mo crashed into the city wall below like a falling meteor.
"Because of me…"
Yun Yun's tears stopped. Her already pale face turned deathly white. Protector Xuan's words were the final straw that broke her will.
Looking down at Chen Mo's motionless body, she broke completely. Her vision went dark, and her body fell limply toward the ground.
"Chen Mo!"
"Chen Mo!"
"Chen Mo!"
Queen Medusa, Die, and Yue Mei all screamed at once. Even the Amethyst Winged Lion King, guarding Medusa, let out a low, worried growl.
The demonic sword, Mo Yan, transformed into its sword spirit form and streaked down toward the ruins.
When the sword took on a human shape, countless people were dumbfounded.
Today's events had already surpassed their understanding—shock after shock left them speechless.
All eyes turned to the collapsed wall, ignoring Yun Yun's fallen figure.
She hit the ground hard, the pain snapping her back to consciousness. Her gaze also lifted toward the wall.
The wall had crumbled, its debris burying Chen Mo beneath a haze of dust.
As the smoke cleared, a white-robed figure, supported by a shadowy form, slowly rose to his feet atop the ruins.
"He's alive!"
The entire battlefield erupted in astonishment.
Queen Medusa, Die, Yun Yun, and Yue Mei all exhaled in relief. Medusa coughed, spitting up another mouthful of blood—her earlier fury had worsened her injuries.
Protector Xuan frowned. "You're a stubborn one, boy. Let's see how long you can last."
In an instant, he lunged again.
Chen Mo's expression hardened. A peak Five-Star Dou Zong—this was a whole different level from an ordinary Dou Zong.
As Protector Xuan closed in, Chen Mo stomped the ground, shattering the stone beneath his feet. His crimson battle armor flared with energy.
"Great Sage Art, First Transformation — Demon Form!"
Boom!
His body swelled, muscles bulging, armor expanding to match. Two sharp fangs extended from the corners of his mouth, and his crimson cloak billowed without wind.
His aura surged—from a One-Star Dou Wang to mid-Two-Star Dou Wang in an instant.
"Not enough."
"Great Sage Art, Second Transformation — Devil Form!"
His body expanded again. Crimson horns sprouted from his head, black scales covered his arms, and dark mist seeped from his eyes.
His aura spiked past Three-Star Dou Wang—then the peak—and broke through to Four-Star Dou Wang.
A primal roar erupted from his throat, shaking the battlefield.
"He—he's a magical beast?!"
Everyone froze in terror, clutching their heads at the deafening sound.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King's eyes widened in shock.
Only Medusa and the others, who had seen similar transformations before, remained composed. Yun Yun, however, could only gape.
Boom!
Protector Xuan's next strike came crashing down, his fist aiming straight for Chen Mo's unprotected head.
Chen Mo clenched his fist, feeling the overwhelming power coursing through him, and counterpunched.
BOOM!
Two monstrous forces collided. The explosion that followed was like thunder, distorting space itself.
The surrounding air twisted violently, swallowing both fighters in a storm of energy.
No one could tell who had prevailed.
As the destructive energy faded and space stabilized, the battlefield was revealed—hundreds of meters of wall and stone had been reduced to dust.
Chen Mo knelt on one knee, blood trickling from his lips, his body trembling—but alive. Across from him, Protector Xuan stood, blood at the corner of his own mouth.
Chen Mo had blocked the attack.
No—he had injured a Five-Star Dou Zong.
The world fell silent.
Too strong… what monster is this man?
Protector Xuan's face darkened. He wiped the blood from his mouth, glaring coldly.
"Damn brat… I underestimated you. But that was your strongest blow, wasn't it? Impressive—but this ends now."
"Myriad Spirits Devour the World — Execution!"
As he spoke, the three tortured faces on his armor unleashed torrents of dark mist. The faces twisted in agony as a massive skeletal head, tens of meters wide, formed behind him, wailing in unholy resonance.
Its sinister aura made the entire battlefield tremble.
With a flick of Xuan's finger, the skull lunged toward Chen Mo.
"...Sword, come."
Chen Mo exhaled, right hand poised at his waist.
A sharp cry rang out as Mo Yan, impaled in the rubble, shattered into countless demonic fragments and flew to his hand, reforming into a three-foot-long black sword.
As he gripped it, streams of black and white Dou Qi poured into the blade. A sky-piercing sword aura burst forth, stronger with every heartbeat.
And when the colossal skull reached him—
Chen Mo swung.
"Heaven-Slaying Sword Draw!"
A radiant sword light, hundreds of meters long, roared forth like a dragon unbound—unstoppable, devastating, absolute.
****
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