Chapter 217: Blood as the Path

High in the firmament, Sixth Uncle was laughing.

Yet this laughter carried a heartbreaking, shrill misery, an indescribable sorrow, and even more, a madness suppressed for many years.

Under Sixth Uncle's assault, the Sea Star Clan's ancestor was currently suffering total bodily collapse time and again, in a state of extreme tragedy.

Although this Sea Star Clan ancestor possessed strange divine abilities and could regenerate after each collapse, it was precisely this regeneration that made Sixth Uncle's slaughter all the more frenzied.

Clearly, the more painful the enemy's agony and the louder their wails, the more monstrous the killing intent in his heart became.

Thus, in mid-air, he was practically flaying the Sea Star Clan ancestor alive; vast amounts of flesh and blood scattered, only to be incinerated into fly ash by blue flames.

Yet, the hatred in his heart remained unassuaged.

On the ground, Xu Qing's eyes were blood-red.

He, too, was killing in a frenzy.

From the place where he had descended to the path leading to the Sea Star Clan's ancestral temple, every Sea Star Clan member he encountered could not escape death!

At this moment, Xu Qing raised his right hand, and a malevolent fire dagger instantly manifested. He took a step forward, arriving in front of a Sea Star Clan cultivator in a flash, and slashed fiercely across their throat.

As the head flew into the air, Xu Qing stepped toward another Sea Star Clan cultivator.

He drove the dagger into the opponent's chest, one strike after another, before finally swinging it violently. The dagger flew out, piercing the throat of a third Sea Star Clan member. Xu Qing arrived instantly, grabbed the dagger, and slashed with all his might.

The head fell, and within the collapsing corpse, Xu Qing once again saw the broken, thread-like worms.

These worms were numerous; some were tangled together, others were alone, looking extremely bizarre.

They seemed to be contained within the body of every Sea Star Clan cultivator. Xu Qing had seen too many of them along his path of slaughter, and after he struck, a few even tried to burrow into his own body.

But with his formidable physical body, these thread-worms could not burrow in and were incinerated by the flames spreading from within Xu Qing.

Yet, these worms possessed tenacious vitality; the flames only caused them to shrink and twist, failing to burn them to death immediately.

It was only when the Jin Wu devoured them that they were thoroughly exterminated.

At the same time, Xu Qing also realized that apart from being eerie, these nematodes seemed capable of influencing the will and souls of the Starfish Clan cultivators, as he had clearly seen these worms flash through the eyes of those Starfish Clan cultivators several times.

And every time they flashed, the Sea Star Clan cultivators would go mad, charging forward without fear of death.

Meanwhile, through the Malevolent Fire Soul Devouring, Xu Qing could also feel that the souls he devoured were clearly incomplete, as if they had already been mostly consumed before this.

As for the origin of their life force, it was the same; under the Jin Wu's Refining of Ten Thousand Spirits, while there were gains, they were not significant.

It was as if this entire Sea Star Clan, while appearing normal on the surface, had actually had its inner essence devoured by some force to a great extent.

"Sixth Uncle was right; there is indeed a great secret hidden within this Sea Star Clan." Xu Qing thought of Sixth Uncle's words, but at this moment, that was not important to him.

Xu Qing's body flickered, and the Jin Wu behind him roared as it lunged out, covering the six Sea Star Clan cultivators charging at him. As it devoured them instantly, the black iron skewer where the Jin Gang Sect ancestor resided also pierced through one cultivator after another in the distance.

With every piercing, he would release lightning to blast away their life force.

The shadow was the same; within its coverage, eyes opened in the shadows of numerous Starfish Clan cultivators, devouring frantically. Although in many cases it didn't wait for them to finish devouring before the opponents were killed by Xu Qing and the Diamond Sect Ancestor.

And eventually, there were those it successfully controlled. Often, this was the shadow's moment of glory; it would control the body to suddenly rush out, laugh toward the sky, and then charge directly into the Sea Star Clan group to self-destruct.

Yet, these... were not Xu Qing's sharpest spear of slaughter. What truly shocked the Captain following behind was the black mist surrounding Xu Qing.

This black mist, composed of small black worms, spread out around Xu Qing. Wherever it passed, nothing was indestructible, and nothing was left uneaten. Whether it was coral trees or Sea Star Clan cultivators, once they were burrowed into, they would be frantically devoured and torn apart.

As various shrill screams echoed continuously, even those thread-worms became food for the small black worms. However, the devouring was clearly not very smooth, often requiring a massive swarm to suppress the thread-worms.

But regardless, the pent-up frustration in Xu Qing's heart was thoroughly released on this battlefield. As he moved forward, slaughtering all the way, by the time Xu Qing finally arrived at the Sea Star Clan's ancestral temple, he was covered in blood, with countless corpses behind him.

Outside the ancestral temple, four figures sat cross-legged.

These four figures slowly raised their heads, revealing faces covered in bulging veins. They were also Sea Star Clan members, but they were somewhat different. First was their aura; all four of these individuals had auras exceeding three fires, though they had not reached the appearance of four fires.

Second were the veins on their faces; these veins were squirming, as if thick thread-worms existed within them, moving throughout their entire bodies, which was why these veins had formed.

The moment they looked at Xu Qing, Xu Qing also saw a middle-aged cultivator sitting cross-legged in front of an elixir furnace inside the ancestral temple's gate, refining elixirs with all his might.

This middle-aged cultivator wore a cyan robe embroidered with gold thread, forming complex patterns, exuding an air of nobility, while on his head, he wore something resembling an imperial crown.

His Golden Core cultivation base was constantly radiating from him, and on the center of his forehead was a Sea Star mark.

Looking from afar, this middle-aged cultivator's expression was dignified without being angry. Even though the slaughter outside was monstrous and his clan was facing a life-and-death catastrophe, he seemed unmoved, remaining with his eyes closed, cross-legged, constantly catalyzing the elixir furnace.

It was as if, to him, the entire clan could be gone, and it would be no big deal, as long as the elixir in the furnace was refined.

He was none other than the Sea Star Clan's patriarch, the offspring of the Sea Star Clan ancestor who was currently in such a miserable state in mid-air.

Almost the moment Xu Qing's gaze fell upon this Sea Star Clan patriarch, with killing intent surging in his heart, the four Sea Star Clan cultivators outside the ancestral temple stood up one after another.

Their eyes were cold, as if devoid of any emotional fluctuation, and within their pupils, white lines the thickness of chopsticks were swimming. Then, the four of them moved, whistling toward Xu Qing.

Their speed was so fast that each entered the Profound Radiance state, displaying three-fire combat power as they charged at Xu Qing from four directions.

The moment they approached, huge flesh tumors bulged from their backs, transforming into the shape of a sea star, as if stimulating their physical bodies, causing the four to roar in unison and strike a punch at Xu Qing!

The moment this punch was thrown, the surroundings distorted, and the power was violent, as if nothing could withstand it.

Xu Qing did not dodge; he stood where he was and closed his eyes. The next instant, the Jin Wu behind him screeched and swooped down, enveloping Xu Qing. The black feathers transformed into a black imperial robe, the phoenix-tail flames became a cape, and the raising of the head seemed to crown Xu Qing with an imperial crown.

A roar of violent intent combined with a domineering aura made Xu Qing look like a young divine emperor at this moment, and his eyes suddenly snapped open from their closed state.

A booming sound erupted suddenly. The four Sea Star Clan members around him all shook violently. Their punches struck the area around Xu Qing, failing to shake the Jin Wu's Refining of Ten Thousand Spirits in the slightest, and were instead countered, causing all of them to stagger backward.

But it was too late. As Xu Qing's eyes opened, he took a step and arrived directly in front of one person. He raised his right hand, ignoring the opponent's Profound Radiance state, grabbed their throat, and squeezed fiercely. With a *crack* of shattering, the black iron skewer also whistled over, frantically piercing through their body, shuttling back and forth seven or eight times.

The next moment, Xu Qing let go, and the tail-flame cape behind him whipped violently. His entire person transformed into a long rainbow, appearing directly in front of the second Sea Star Clan cultivator who was retreating rapidly, and slammed into them head-first.

With a *boom*, the Sea Star Clan cultivator let out a shrill scream. While still retreating, Xu Qing's speed was even faster. He slammed into them again, and with a *bang*, the head of this second Sea Star Clan cultivator instantly exploded.

It was not over. At this moment, the mist formed by a large number of small black worms had already permeated the third retreating Sea Star Clan cultivator, burrowing in rapidly and beginning to devour.

As shrill screams echoed, Xu Qing had already arrived in front of the last Sea Star Clan cultivator. Amidst the opponent's terror and horror, the Jin Wu on Xu Qing's body lunged out, and a large expanse of malevolent fire erupted, enveloping the cultivator and burning them alive.

All of this happened in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the four Sea Star Clan members were dead; their life force rose, their souls dissipated, and their flesh and blood were devoured.

But unfortunately, it was just like meat that had been refrigerated for many years and then thawed; it had neither nutrients nor flavor, worse than chicken ribs.

Xu Qing waved his hand, and all the corpses in the surroundings dissipated, becoming fly ash. Some were swept to his front by the wind, drifting past his gaze, but they could not attract Xu Qing's attention.

His gaze was locked firmly on the Sea Star Clan patriarch who was refining elixirs beside the elixir furnace in the ancestral temple.

At the same time, the Captain's figure walked from behind Xu Qing and stood by his side, holding an apple that had turned black for some unknown reason, eating it while looking at the patriarch.

"Wow, Little Junior Brother, look at this person; he looks like he's already dead."

The Captain said with a smile.

And the moment he spoke, the Sea Star Clan patriarch beside the elixir furnace snapped his eyes open, and a divine light shot out from his eyes like lightning!

The next instant, Xu Qing's mind roared, and a massive sense of oppression rushed toward him like a storm. But the next moment, as the pendant hanging on his neck flashed, this pressure dissipated instantly.

The Captain also retreated a few steps, runes shining in his eyes, his expression carrying a touch of madness as he licked his lips, some black fruit pulp stuck between his teeth.

"Xu Qing, let's attack together and kill him, how about that?"

Xu Qing nodded, and the next instant, the two of them charged out simultaneously, heading straight for the Sea Star Clan patriarch who had opened his eyes inside the ancestral temple.

This Golden Core cultivator's eyes revealed a strange glint, and he suddenly laughed.

"Interesting. I didn't expect that in this small place, I would actually see such little sparrows like you who dare to charge and kill upon meeting a Golden Core."

"There is still enough time, so I'll play with you." ===== CHAPTER 218 =====