Chapter 437: with translation of chapter title

The whole venue fell into dead silence.

Everyone inhaled a gasp of cold air, and the once eager Heaven‑proud contenders now all wore faces of terror.

"Idiot. The ancient Heavenly Court's heroic spirits practice the purest combat methods, with not a iota of magical waste. How could you greenhouse flowers who only know how to stack immortal veins for raw power compare?"

Lei Qianjue let out a cold laugh, his eyes full of contempt.

"I'll go!"

Lei Qianjue stepped forward and landed on the second arena.

His opponent was a massive Heavenly Court giant wielding a pair of war hammers.

The battle erupted in an instant.

Lei Qianjue was not the slightest careless; he immediately activated ninety‑eight immortal veins, manifesting the true form of the Thunder Emperor, and violet‑black thunder poured out like an ocean.

The Heavenly Court giant swung his hammers, and somehow he hammered a passage through the sea of thunder.

Yet Lei Qianjue was, after all, the Thunder Emperor's direct grandson, his combat power defied the heavens.

After a grueling hundred‑plus exchanges, he finally spotted a flaw and his "Thunder Punishment Spear" pierced the giant's chest.

"Pass!"

The Heavenly Court giant dissipated, and the second Celestial Vine emitted a gentle glow, guiding Lei Qianjue upward.

Seeing Lei Qianjue succeed, Feng Lingyun and Mo Wuxin also stepped forward in turn.

Feng Lingyun's movements were bizarre; she transformed into countless wind blades, entangling a sword‑mastering Heavenly Court heroic spirit.

In the end, she sacrificed a protective celestial artifact, using an invisible wind blade to sever the heroic spirit's karmic thread, and cleared the stage.

Mo Wuxin became even more ruthless.

He faced a female general heroic spirit.

He did not force a direct clash, but continuously emitted pink, languid demonic aura, corroding the spirit's fighting will.

In the end, he bizarrely employed the Yin‑to‑Yang Demonic Technique, forcibly draining the purely energetic heroic spirit and turning it into his own nourishment.

"Heh heh heh, the Heavenly Court's heroic spirits taste pretty good," Mo Wuxin licked his lips and stepped onto the Celestial Vine.

Three top‑tier Heaven‑prides passed in succession, rekindling hope among the others.

However, the ensuing tragedy poured cold water on their hopes.

Over a dozen Heaven‑prides took the stage one after another, and without exception each was mercilessly slashed by the Heavenly Court heroic spirits.

The combat awareness of those spirits was terrifying, truly machines born for slaughter.

"A bunch of trash."

Hun Yuan Xue sneered, turned her head toward Gu Yuan, and a flash of heat sparked in her eyes:

"Yuan, you go first, or shall I, Miss, go first?"

Gu Yuan bowed slightly, about to speak.

Boom——!!!

The Heavenly Dome of the third layer space suddenly emitted a deafening tearing sound.

Immediately after, waves of terrifying murderous aura, as solid as matter, poured down from the fissure like a breached floodgate.

"Who dares to touch my Yaochi people?!"

A cold, haughty female voice, brimming with endless murderous intent and madness, rang across the entire third layer space.

The void shattered.

A large contingent of cultivators clad in cloud‑patterned white robes descended like heavenly soldiers and divine generals.

There were dozens of them, all uniformly stronger than the True Immortal Realm.

Among them were even five whose aura was as deep as an abyss, having reached the pinnacle of True Immortal, the half‑step Immortal King level.

Surrounded by these strong ones, a woman of flawless beauty yet an aura as cold as ancient black ice stepped gracefully out of the void.

A golden lotus seal was etched on her brow, and she wielded a Bagua treasure mirror engraved with ancient Dao patterns, her gaze cutting the crowd below like a blade.

The contemporary chief saintess of the Yaochi Sacred Land, Yao Qinglian!

"People of the Yaochi Sacred Land? Why did they suddenly rush in like madmen?"

Lei Qianjue stood on the Celestial Vine, looking down at the scene with a tightly knit brow.

"Judging by their stance, they come with ill intent."

A flash of brilliance flickered in Feng Lingyun's eyes.

Yao Qinglian ignored the others; the Bagua mirror in her hand trembled violently, emitting a blinding scarlet beam.

This mirror was a tracing artifact bestowed by the Yaochi Saint Lord, containing a wisp of Yao Wushuang's vital energy from before his death.

Although Gu Yuan himself wore the Deceiving Heaven Cloak, cutting off all cause and effect, the mirror could not pinpoint the true culprit.

However, when Yao Qinglian descended into this space, the mirror reacted with a strong repulsion toward a completely different yet equally bizarre and extremely evil aura!

Guided by the scarlet beam, Yao Qinglian's icy, bone‑piercing gaze instantly locked onto the dark‑clad youth standing behind Hun Yuan Xue—Gu Yuan!

"Found him."

Yao Qinglian's voice was ice‑cold.

She cared not why the mirror pointed at this native; after receiving the Saint Lord's near‑mad death‑order, only one thought occupied her mind: better to kill a thousand by mistake than let a single one escape!

Anyone bearing a suspicious aura, anyone possibly linked to Yao Wushuang's death, must be seized and have their souls searched!

"Encircle them!"

Yao Qinglian gave the order.

Dozens of Yaochi Sacred Land True Immortal masters instantly spread out, forming a massive encirclement that trapped Hun Yuan Xue, Gu Yuan, and the natives under their command at the center.

Five elders of half‑step Immortal King rank even sealed off the surrounding spacetime, a terrifying pressure bearing down like a hundred thousand mountains.

"Yaochi Sacred Land, what do you mean by this?!"

Hun Yuan Xue's phoenix eyes blazed with anger; she, the esteemed young lady of the Hun Tian Holy Land, when has she ever been surrounded like this?

The large 'Hun' banner above her head fluttered loudly, blocking the opponent's pressure.

"Hun Yuan Xue, this matter has nothing to do with you. Make that native in black clothes behind you get lost."

Yao Qinglian looked down on Hun Yuan Xue from on high, her tone devoid of any politeness.

"He bears extremely strange evil qi; this holy maiden suspects he is related to the death of my Yaochi Holy Child Yao Wushuang. I will take him back to Yaochi, extract his soul and refine his spirit, to uncover the truth!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole place erupted in an uproar.

Yao Wushuang died?!

Lei Qianjue, Mo Wuxin and the others felt shockwave-like turmoil in their hearts.

Yao Wushuang was the Yaochi Holy Lord's most beloved grandson, yet he actually died in this true immortal battlefield?

No wonder the Yaochi Holy Lord just now disregarded everything and lowered his heavenly eye; it turns out he's gone mad!

Bullshit!

Hun Yuan Xue swore outright, standing before Gu Yuan like a tigress protecting her cub, pointing at Yao Qinglian's nose as she scolded:

"Yao Qinglian, have you taken water into your brain? What does the death of that good-for-nothing Yao Wushuang have to do with us? Yuan has always been by my side; when would he have time to kill that good-for-nothing!"