Chapter 445: Annihilation

"Hehehe!"

"The outside world only knows that in my prime, I dominated the cultivation realm thanks to the Jade Pendant Golden Light Mirror."

"Though the Jade Pendant Golden Light Mirror is immensely powerful, the price it demands is beyond your imagination."

"What they don't know is that this 'Nine You Bone Fire Sword' is my true life-affiliated magic treasure."

The White Bone True Person gripped the bone sword, his aura surging violently, radiating an invincible presence.

In an instant, the spiritual pressure in the hall surged to rival that of a Nascent Soul powerhouse, causing Zhou Yu and He Kang of the Flame Palace to turn pale with shock.

"This aura surpasses even Golden Core peak."

He Kang's expression flickered uncertainly; he had already begun to consider retreating.

Because the top-tier magic treasure he brought from the Flame Palace—the Golden Dawn Sun Pearl—was naturally hostile to ghostly entities, yet it had absolutely no effect on the White Bone True Person, something he never anticipated.

But the White Bone True Person gave them no time to react.

BOOM! He swung the Nine You Bone Fire Sword toward He Kang—instantly, the entire hall's space was sealed by an inexplicable force.

In the air, countless white bone flames appeared, stretching out tens of thousands of threadlike strands.

As if the very void had been sliced open by the flame-tinged sword qi.

He Kang produced an ancient blue talisman, radiating the spiritual energy of a third-rank Jipin item, and without hesitation slapped it onto his body.

The next moment, a blue barrier formed around him.

PUFF!

"AHHH!!!"

The barrier shattered, blood spraying everywhere.

An arm flew off, then froze and was devoured by white bone fire, sliding into the White Bone True Person's mouth.

The White Bone True Person extended his tongue, licking the blood from his lips, wearing an expression of deep satisfaction.

He Kang's face twisted with terror; he had activated multiple life-saving techniques just now, yet still could not withstand a single slash from the enemy.

"Brother Zhou, this White Bone True Person is not right."

"Prepare to retreat—use the people behind us in the Southern Wastes as a shield for a moment."

He Kang now fully understood the gulf in strength between himself and the White Bone True Person before him.

He secretly sent a mental message to Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu understood immediately—he realized He Kang's elder brother meant to use Qing Xuan and Wei Wuyi and the others as decoys to buy time for their escape.

Wei Wuyi and Qing Xuan True Ancestor, having witnessed that scene, were filled with horror.

They never imagined even He Kang, a Golden Core peak cultivator, could not block a single slash.

How terrifying was the White Bone True Person's power! Even with so many Golden Core cultivators attacking together, they still could not subdue him.

Zhou Yu received He Kang's mental message, hesitated briefly, then shouted to Qing Xuan and the others:

"Fellow cultivators, attack him together!"

Qing Xuan True Ancestor and the others assumed the two emissaries from the Flame Palace still had some hidden, ultimate technique unused.

Upon receiving the order,

they immediately poured all their strength into their magic treasures, preparing for a desperate last stand.

But when the three of them reached the White Bone True Person's front,

they saw the two Flame Palace cultivators suddenly shoot backward toward the hall's entrance!

Wei Wuyi and the others never expected the two Flame Palace emissaries would do such a thing.

They realized they had been betrayed, and instantly erupted in shock and fury.

But the arrow was already on the string—it was too late.

Just as Wei Wuyi and the others faced despair, they saw the White Bone True Person's Nine You Bone Fire Sword leap past them and slash toward He Kang and Zhou Yu at the hall's entrance! SWISH! PUFF!

A thread of white flame stretched across the space.

At the hall's entrance, the two battered Flame Palace cultivators were struck again by the White Bone True Person's sword.

…

…

Outside the Taihu Ruins.

The Golden Toad True Ancestor revealed his true form, unleashing his full power, transforming into a black giant toad dozens of zhang tall.

A scarlet tongue shot out like lightning, sweeping toward Qin Ming—the air cracked with sonic booms from the tongue's passage.

As Qin Ming dodged mid-air, his gaze sharpened; he gripped the air with five fingers, and six Wood Emperor Nails materialized, then he pointed at the Golden Toad True Ancestor.

Six emerald-green beams vanished into the void.

Seeing this, the Golden Toad True Ancestor's eyelid twitched, and a chilling sensation gripped its heart.

It knew Qin Ming had unleashed some formidable magic treasure, and dared not be careless—it immediately formed a black armor across its skin.

Then it kicked off with its powerful hind legs, dodging the Wood Emperor Nails.

SCRATCH!

The Wood Emperor Nails appeared mysteriously beside the Golden Toad True Ancestor; two of them pierced its massive body at blinding speed.

Where they struck, the wounds burned like molten lava, spewing thick black smoke.

The Golden Toad True Ancestor's aura plummeted instantly, like a deflated balloon.

Its cultivation base dropped straight to Third-Rank mid-stage.

"Solar Essence Flame!"

The Golden Toad True Ancestor's eyes widened in terror—it finally panicked.

It recognized the attack embedded in the Wood Emperor Nails; being struck had clearly weakened its cultivation power.

It was Solar Essence Flame, naturally hostile to ghostly beings.

Qin Ming's gaze turned icy—he had no intention of prolonging the fight.

Strike while the iron is hot! He unleashed all his blood qi and true Gang, and behind him appeared a hundred-zhang-long green dragon phantom.

ROAR! The green poison dragon phantom opened its vertical pupils, locked onto the Golden Toad True Ancestor, and leapt through the air toward it.

"Heavenly Demon Body Transformation!"

"So it was you who killed the Green-Faced Poison Dragon!"

The Golden Toad True Ancestor stared at the towering green dragon phantom, its composure shattered, eyes filled with disbelief.

Qin Ming sneered, ignoring its reaction entirely.

He pressed his green dragon claw downward, instantly stirring wind and clouds, warping even the void itself.

The Golden Toad True Ancestor, already wounded by the Wood Emperor Nails and stripped of half its power, took the full force of Qin Ming's dragon claw—its abdomen was torn open in a gaping hole; its soul-body instantly dimmed.

"Young friend, I was wrong before—I apologize profusely. Let us call this off!"

"My master has fully awakened—if you surrender the mirror, there's still room for negotiation," the Golden Toad True Ancestor pleaded weakly.

This Golden Toad True Ancestor, on the brink of death, still tried to bluff him with the White Bone True Person—did he think he was that easily fooled?

Qin Ming's expression twisted with disdain, a flash of cold light in his eyes.

He pressed his dragon claw downward again, seizing the black giant toad's head.

Then he unleashed all his strength, crushing the Golden Toad True Ancestor's skull! The toad never even had time to scream—its soul-body began to disintegrate.

WHOOSH! From the black mist, a sliver of the Golden Toad's soul fled in panic.

But just then,

Before it, a black mystical light suddenly rose, sealing the entire void.

"Where are you running?"

The Devouring Rat's figure slowly materialized in midair; its trident locked onto the Golden Toad's residual soul, and a black beam shot out, instantly annihilating it.

Thus, the Golden Toad True Ancestor was utterly obliterated.

The Devouring Rat collected the Golden Toad True Ancestor's storage bag and extracted a pitch-black soul pill from its body.

It walked awkwardly up to Qin Ming, handed over the items, and said, "Uh, Master, that short little runt still got away."

"That old bastard had a Great Teleportation Talisman—and he activated it at the cost of damaging his Golden Core's origin."

"But even if he's alive, he's probably crippled."

Qin Ming took the items, then gazed gravely toward the direction of Taihu.

Of all these figures, aside from the Golden Toad True Ancestor, none mattered—what truly decided the fate of the Southern Wastes cultivation world was what lay within the underground palace.

Yet, deep within his heart, Qin Ming felt an ominous premonition.

(End of Chapter)