Chapter 44: Righteous Qi Solely Crushes Defiance!

Wang Shan's roar seemed to burst from the deepest part of his chest, laced with blood, with despair, and with the madness of a final strike! The sound tore through the lingering smoke, slamming into everyone's eardrums!

Wang Zhize, the man who had been pressed and beaten by two Body Refining Seventh Layer opponents, his whole body drenched in blood, almost unable to hold on, when he heard his father's roar, his whole being seemed injected with scalding lava!

He had been waiting, enduring! The Talisman in his chest had long been soaked by sweat and blood, its edges curled, digging painfully into him, yet also reminding him of his final mission!

Now!

Without any hesitation, not even time to wipe the blood off his face, Wang Zhize gritted his teeth, endured the searing pain in his shoulder, and with a reverse hand pulled the Talisman from his chest!

It was a pale gold Talisman, which even on the dim battlefield emitted an indescribable sheen, warm and solemn.

He exhausted the last ounce of strength left in his body, his arm muscles bulging, veins popping, and hurled it with force at Wan Hong, who was about to strike his father!

"Die, you old dog!!"

The radiant Righteous Qi Talisman flew from his hand!

Swoosh—!

The Talisman sliced a dazzling golden line through the air, fast—fast beyond belief—like a golden bolt of lightning, tearing the gloomy sky and streaking straight toward Wan Hong!

Wan Hong sneered, his right hand's Black Fiend Claw had already condensed to its limit, the thick, unbreakable black Demon Qi nearly dripping ink, poised to crush Wang Shan's skull!

He paid no heed to Wang Zhize's movement; a junior at the tail end of a strong crossbow could hardly stir any waves.

However, when that golden light rapidly approached the proud protective Demon Qi that enveloped him, a sudden change erupted!

Buzz—!!

A grand buzzing, as if from the heavens above, rang out!

The thin Talisman, the instant it touched the black Demon Qi, erupted in a towering blast of golden light!

Yes, a ten‑thousand‑zhang golden light!

The radiance was so pure! So upright! So resplendent!

In an instant, the entire Wang Family Courtyard—no, nearly half of Luo Bay County—was bathed in the sudden golden blaze! It was like a sun compressed countless times over, suddenly appearing at the center of this blood‑soaked battlefield!

All dark corners, all filthy bloodstains, all sinister auras, before this overwhelming golden light, could not hide at all!

"Sizzle— sizzle—"

It was like hot oil meeting cold water, or ice meeting scorching sun! Wan Hong's surrounding ominous Demon Qi, which would intimidate ordinary cultivators, under the golden illumination emitted a harsh, burning, purifying sound, and dissolved and shattered at a visible speed!

The first to bear the brunt was Wan Hong's Black Fiend Claw, condensed to its limit, its power soaring to the peak!

That terrifying, ragged black energy claw, as if able to tear everything apart, under the impact of the Righteous Qi, met its destined nemesis!

It offered no resistance at all!

The black claw first twisted violently, its surface black vapor evaporating wildly, emitting a sharp, brief wail full of resentment and fear, then… a "Bang" thud, completely exploding, turning into pure energy that dissipated into the air!

Finished?

No! Not yet!

This golden light is literally chasing Wan Hong!

The Black Fiend Claw shattered, only the beginning! The Righteous Qi, like a tide of gold, surged unabated, roaring forward, and in an instant engulfed Wan Hong entirely!

The ominous Demon Qi that had enshrouded his body, cultivated for decades, was swept clean by this supremely rigid, yang force! It was as if a powerful degreaser had scrubbed centuries‑old grease clean, root and all!

His years of painstaking Black Fiend Art, the yin‑evil power that had seeped into his marrow and soul, before this ultimate pure Righteous Qi was nothing but a joke! It was utterly ineffective, as fragile as paper!

The technique was shattered! The evil qi was forcibly purified!

What does this mean for Wan Hong, whose very cultivation is deeply bound to that technique?

Counter‑Devouring!

The most terrifying Counter‑Devouring descended in an instant!

Wan Hong felt as if an invisible, weighty primordial divine mountain slammed into his chest! It was also like a red‑hot branding iron thrust into his innards, violently churning!

His Meridians, his dantian, everything, under the onslaught of this Righteous Qi, let out strained moans!

"Puff—!!!"

A mouthful of scalding reverse blood, no longer restrained, erupted violently from Wan Hong's mouth!

The blood was not only bright red but also laced with numerous nail‑size, foul‑smelling black clots! Those were the lingering ailments from years of practicing evil arts, now violently expelled by the Righteous Qi!

"Ah—!!!!"

Immediately after came a scream of extreme anguish, utterly unlike any human cry!

The wail was filled with pain, horror, and a bone‑deep terror!

Wan Hong's aura, at this moment, surged like a breached dam, wildly collapsing! The previously rock‑solid Body Refining Ninth Layer Peak began to loosen, hinting at an imminent drop to a far lower realm!

His whole body felt as if his bones had been pulled out, and as if an invisible massive force had snapped him like a kite's string, hurling him toward the distance at a speed even faster than Wang Shan's earlier flight, in a more ragged manner!

"Boom!"

A deafening crash sent Wan Hong's body crashing into a remaining courtyard wall in the distance, shattering stones, sending dust billowing, sending him farther and heavier than Wang Shan's earlier leap! For a moment, life and death were uncertain!

Silence!

A death‑like stillness!

The entire battlefield seemed to have hit the pause button at that moment!

Whether it was the four remaining subordinates of Wan Hong, including the Offering who had reached Body Refining Eighth Layer, or Chen Tianfeng perched on a distant tree, eyes wide and nearly falling, or the surviving Wang Family youths who had already fallen into despair, ready to sacrifice themselves…

Even the scouts of various factions hidden in the farther darkness, silently watching and gathering intelligence…

Everyone was stunned!

One by one they opened their mouths wide, eyes bulging, minds blank!

What happened?

What just happened?!

What… what was that golden light?!

Why… why could it in an instant render the Body Refining Ninth Layer Peak, the arrogant Wan Hong Helmsman, completely useless?!

This script is wrong! What about the promised annihilation of the Wang Family? How did an earth‑shattering twist suddenly appear?!

This is simply… simply feels like Jia Baoyu warming wine and slashing Hua Xiong! No, it's a terrifying feeling!

The Wang Family… actually still hides such a terrifying trump card?!

Who could have imagined that?!

In a sea of deathly silence, only one person is an exception.

That is Wang Shan, leaning against the broken wall, both arms in excruciating pain, almost unable to move.

He watches the distant haze of smoke and dust, that figure lying motionless, barely breathing; in his clouded old eyes flashes a bone‑deep hatred, a glimmer of understanding, and a… indescribable exhilaration!

"Vast righteous qi… Heavenly Confucian Academy… truly the nemesis of demonic arts!" he mutters, his voice hoarse yet carrying a sense of relieved ease.

Xuan Qing! My dear grandson! You did not sacrifice in vain!

That Vice Dean we have never met… thank you! The Wang Family records this debt!

This information gap, this surprise, is simply a stroke of divine brilliance!

Wan Hong, that old dog, could never have dreamed that his most prized Black Fiend Claw was precisely sealed tightly by this Talisman!

The vat is ready, just waiting for the turtle to arrive! Now, that old turtle is completely doomed!

Wang Shan jerks his head upward; the intense pain makes the veins on his forehead bulge, yet he pays no mind!

Wan Hong suffers severe injury! His strength greatly diminished! His breath erratic! He may even drop a cultivation realm!

This is absolutely a once‑in‑a‑thousand‑years opportunity!

It is the only chance to reverse‑kill this old dog and avenge the dead clan members!

Miss this chance, and after he recovers, or when the Wan family's follow‑up support arrives, the Wang Family will truly be beyond redemption!

All or nothing!

Wang Shan clenches his teeth, his mouth filled with the scent of blood; he endures the excruciating pain in his nearly broken arms, mustering all his strength, inch by inch, struggling to crawl up from the ground!

His movements are slow and arduous; each motion drags unimaginable pain.

But he still managed to stand up!

The hunchbacked spine, at this moment, seemed to straighten anew!

A previously unseen, bone‑chilling murderous intent erupts thunderously from his weather‑worn body!

He stares fixedly toward the direction of the collapsing house, where Wan Hong is struggling!

"Old dog… it's my turn!"