Chapter 441: When the Dust Settles

Heavenly Palace, third layer.

Under everyone's horrified stare, Yao Qinglian's body withered away at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In just a dozen or so breaths, the peerless, lofty Yaochi Saintess turned into a desiccated corpse of skin and bone, which Gu Yuan casually tossed onto the ground.

"Taste... is average."

Gu Yuan's (clone) licked his lips and hoarsely remarked, his gray‑black eyes slowly sweeping over the remaining trembling Yaochi disciples.

"Run!"

Someone let out a desperate scream.

The dozens of remaining Yaochi disciples scattered like startled birds and beasts, caring no longer for the sanctity of the holy ground or any brotherly grudges, fleeing in all directions like frightened rabbits.

Gu Yuan did not pursue.

He slowly turned, walked back to Hun Yuan Xue, bowed slightly, and the strange, handsome face once again wore the stiff expression belonging to the "Yuan".

"Miss, even the flies are taken care of."

Hun Yuan Xue stared at him, opened her mouth, but could not utter a single word.

Her mind was a blank.

Shock, fear, and a hint... of a pathological excitement she herself had never noticed.

This is the henchman she wanted!

No, this is no longer a henchman; this is a true demon god!

"Damn... well done."

After a long while, she managed to squeeze out that sentence through clenched teeth, her gaze extremely complicated.

"We... shall continue."

She pointed at the still‑empty arena.

Gu Yuan nodded, said nothing, and walked straight toward one of the arenas.

He needed a slot to enter the fourth layer.

His performance was not over yet.

And his true goal was about to be achieved.

As Gu Yuan's clone stepped onto the arena, everyone's hearts rose to their throats.

They wanted to see what terrifying power this peerless demon, who had just torn a true immortal limb‑by‑limb and devoured a saintess, would unleash against the unknown depths of a Heavenly Court Heroic Spirit.

Buzz!

On the arena, a flash of brilliance formed a Heavenly Court Heroic Spirit clad in heavy armor, wielding a massive shield and war axe.

The spirit's aura was as heavy as a mountain, brimming with iron‑blooded resolve and protection, starkly contrasting Gu Yuan's destructive, evil annihilation power.

"Kill!"

The Heavenly Court Heroic Spirit gave no idle words, let out a low growl, and launched a charge.

Each step he took made the entire arena tremble; the massive shield seemed capable of blocking any attack, and the war axe in his hand swung down with world‑splitting force.

Facing this unrivaled blow, Gu Yuan's (clone) face showed a hint of contempt.

He didn't even employ his terrifying demonic aura.

He simply raised his right fist.

Then, a fist thundered out.

Bang!

Fist meets axe.

There was no earth‑shattering roar, only a dull thud, as if striking a broken leather.

Under everyone's incredulous gaze, the war axe in the spirit's hand cracked inch by inch.

Immediately, Gu Yuan's fist, still full of momentum, slammed into the supposedly invulnerable shield.

Crack!

The shield shattered in response.

Finally, the fist, wrapped in gray‑black currents, firmly stamped onto the spirit's chest.

The whole process flowed smoothly, a single breath.

The spirit had no time to react; its massive body exploded, turning into countless specks of light that vanished.

Another punch.

Another instant kill!

If the earlier instant kills of true immortals could be explained by strange demonic techniques,

then now, a single punch shattering a Heavenly Court Heroic Spirit made of pure law energy leaves only one possibility.

Purely crushing force!

"Gulu."

A Heavenly Pride strained to swallow, watching the black‑clad figure slowly descend the arena and step onto the Sky‑Reaching Vine, stared in awe: "Is this... truly a power only a true immortal realm can possess?"

"What is his flesh forged from? Even the offspring of a giant immortal king couldn't be this?"

Hun Yuan Xue watched Gu Yuan's back, her beautiful eyes flashing with strange colors.

She suddenly felt that forcibly taking in this native had been the wisest decision of her life.

With such a killing god, any thunderous technique or heartless demon is just a cheap trick!

Who else besides Hun Yuan Xue deserves the ultimate destiny of the Heavenly Palace?

As Gu Yuan successfully cleared the trial, the remaining slots were few.

The other Heavenly Prides no longer dared to hesitate, gritting their teeth as they leapt onto the arena.

One brutal clash after another began at this point.

The might of the heavenly court's heroic spirits far exceeded their expectations.

Each heroic spirit embodied the pinnacle of a combat style; they possessed no flashy celestial arts, only the purest, most efficient killing techniques.

Ah!

A Heavenly Pride had his head blown off by an arrow from a heroic spirit adept at archery.

I am unwilling!

Another Heavenly Pride fought a heroic spirit proficient with twin blades for hundreds of rounds, but ultimately, due to insufficient celestial essence, was beheaded with a single slash.

Death became the dominant theme here.

Finally, when the last wail fell, all sixteen Tongtian vines had already lit up.

Sixteen figures stood atop the vines, overlooking the failed ones below and the corpses strewn across the ground.

Aside from Gu Yuan, Hun Yuan Xue, Lei Qianjue, Feng Lingyun, and Mo Wuxin, the five most elite Heavenly Prides,

there was also Jin Tuo Zi of the Western Heaven Buddhist Sect, who, using a technique called the "Great Compassion Demon Curse," forcibly converted his opponent and won without fighting.

The young master of the Valley of Ten Thousand Demons, a golden‑winged roc whose bloodline had reverted to its ancestors, claimed victory with extreme speed.

A descendant from the Ancient Divine Mountain, born with divine strength, clashed fiercely with heroic spirits in mortal flesh and achieved a grim victory.

The other few were also renowned figures in their respective Immortal King lineages; each was a ruthless character who fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.