Chapter 601: The Talentless Mediocrity, Slay the Master!

Xu Jiangxian's face showed an intrigued expression.

In the arena!

On one side was Zhu Zhiqian's gathered "Heaven and Earth in Lament," on the other, an identical "Heaven and Earth in Lament."

The two techniques clashed!

Two rivers of blood collided!

You merely smiled and said: "What's impossible about that?"

Zhu Zhiqian roared: "It's all fake..."

The two demonic arts were evenly matched.

The skull heads within the blood rivers smashed into one another, each shattering into fragments.

They canceled each other out!

Demonic energy surged dozens of zhang around them.

Zhu Zhiqian's face wore an insane expression; his blood boiled, and the newly acquired Tianmo blood, spurred by the Blood Shadow Divine Art, began to dissolve, his cultivation base surging higher.

He once again condensed a river of blood before his chest, staring at the demonic art just released by Xie Guan, his eyes bulging with rage.

"Since childhood, I've trained—endured countless hardships, suffered untold torment, lived in what hell... all to crush the nine noble surnames who tower above us."

"What right do you, a pampered scion of a great clan who knows nothing of rice and salt..."

The river of blood before his chest surged again, charging toward you.

"What right..."

You slowly formed a seal in your hand, then gently tapped the air before you—a white void vortex materialized.

Not long after!

The white vortex devoured the river of blood entirely.

A trail of blood surged forward, a bloodied hand magnifying before you.

You clasped your hands in seal—"Dong—" the sound of metal striking stone.

The massive Liuli Buddha hand reappeared!

Another Buddha hand emerged from the ground, lifting you one zhang into the air.

Zhu Zhiqian, stripped of reason, lunged upward, slamming both palms against the Buddha hand.

At that moment, another Buddha palm descended from the heavens, slamming Zhu Zhiqian deep into a crater.

The boy stood atop the colossal golden Liuli Buddha palm, expression calm, eyes serene as he watched the dust rise from the crater below.

This Buddha technique, the "Vajra Realm Free Seal," purifies all things, returning them to primordial qi.

The demonic poison from Zhu Zhiqian's art was purified by it—this purifying power not only neutralized demonic arts but also dissolved the internal energy of any cultivation technique.

As for what other effects this "purification of all things" might hold, that could only be understood later.

The second seal, the "Dharma Realm Seal," anchors the abyss and seals the power of all realms—the white vortex you released was one of its abilities, capable of absorbing an opponent's attack and preserving it in its current state.

Then, when released again, it was precisely what caused Zhu Zhiqian's stunned cry: "How do you know demonic arts?"—you had simply returned his own demonic art to him.

One absorbed, the other released.

Thus forming "using the enemy's method against himself."

The Buddha sect truly deserves its status as the supreme teaching of the world—these two seals hold boundless subtleties.

All in the arena watched, their faces filled with shock.

Xu Xiyue and the others had originally held little hope, believing your chance of victory was slim.

Yet unexpectedly!

This battle, from start to finish, you remained composed, utterly in control, without a trace of frenzy—as if Zhu Zhiqian had no means to even retaliate.

Hearing Zhu Zhiqian's roar—"What right!"—you suddenly recalled the words Lu Hua often spoke on Mount Zhongnan.

You shook your head, gazing into the crater, and smiled faintly, your voice calm: "You're nothing but a talentless mediocrity."

As your words fell, the dust in the crater slowly cleared, revealing Zhu Zhiqian's figure.

His face caked in dirt, eyes bloodshot, lips bitten till they bled, eyebrows trembling uncontrollably—he was consumed by rage.

"Mediocrity...!"

Zhu Zhiqian's hands dug into his own flesh, drawing blood; as he looked up, a black vortex had already engulfed the crater.

Within the vortex, demons danced wildly; skull heads rose from his blood river, shadows of ghosts thick and dense.

Zhu Zhiqian's face twisted in panic—he had long since bled out, with not a shred of internal energy left.

How could Xie Guan still use "Heaven and Earth in Lament"?

A river of blood appeared; skull heads fell like thousand-jin boulders, demonic energy roiled, dust filled the sky.

"Ah—"

A piercing scream.

The Liuli Buddha hand gently lowered the boy, his robes fluttering, the seal in his hands dissolving.

Inside the crater, Zhu Zhiqian's body had been crushed by the skull heads, reduced to half, not a single inch of flesh left unbroken.

His breath was barely detectable!

Had he not cultivated the Blood Shadow Demonic Art, he would have died on the spot.

Zhu Zhiqian had only one eye left, fixed on you; he could barely speak, only one hand extended, emitting the faintest plea for help.

A clapping sound rang out.

"Clap, clap—"

Xu Jiangxian walked forward slowly, smiling: "Brilliant, brilliant!"

"Who would have thought I'd live to witness the Buddha sect's supreme hand seals today."

The old monk also stepped forward, his aura undiminished.

"Master Xu, you've lost!"

The Demon Master nodded: "I've never been one who cannot accept defeat."

A weak cry for help rose from the crater.

"Demon Master, save... save me."

Xu Jiangxian smiled faintly, grasped with his left hand, then released.

The Tianmo blood Zhu Zhiqian had just obtained was forcibly ripped from his body, landing in Xu Jiangxian's palm and merging into his left hand.

"No, don't...!"

Zhu Zhiqian had already been on his last breath, barely holding on.

Now that the Tianmo blood was gone, he could hold on no longer—his gaze dimmed, and the last thing he saw was the blurred white robe of the Demon Master; his breath, like a candle flickering in the wind: "Zhu Zhiqian... is not a mediocrity... not a mediocrity."

These words became his final utterance. As his breath vanished completely, the crater held no trace of life.

He had not yet ignited his divine flame; once the body died, the primordial spirit perished within the dantian.

Only now!

Sima Muqing, watching her "friend" Zhu Zhiqian die, finally returned from the Liuli illusion—her eyes complex, heart filled with mixed emotions; her former hatred dissolved into release.

The three guards exhaled deeply, faces betraying uncontainable joy—they had survived, and even gained a profound Buddha sect technique from misfortune.

Xu Jiangxian glanced at Xu Xiyue, the Sima family's Xu Lady, then said: "Little sister, since you've come to Da Qi, this matter is settled."

"By my name as clan lord, I hereby expel you, Xu Xiyue, and your descendants from the Golden Family. You shall never enter Changsheng Tian again, nor shall the grasslands protect you."

"I retain only your surname!"

Hearing this, Xu Xiyue's eyes flickered with stunned silence, then tears slipped unbidden; she gripped Sima Muqing beside her and bowed deeply:

"Xu Xiyue thanks the clan lord!"

Her voice carried boundless gratitude and release—as if, in this moment, she had finally laid down the heavy burden she'd carried for years.

The Demon Master merely nodded slightly.

At this moment!

The lame old man suddenly vanished into the ground—he had long been gathering his strength, unleashing all his ninth-rank martial cultivation.

He had intended to flee the moment Xie Guan and Zhu Zhiqian's battle concluded.

But the Demon Master had subtly sensed his presence—he dared not gamble on the will of a legendary master who roamed the world.

Only now!

The constant aura locking onto him vanished; the deaths of Zhu Zhiqian and Shen He stirred cold dread within him.

If not now, when?

The lame old man Chang Qi carried a "Wall-Breaking Talisman," gifted by his master; once activated, the ground softened briefly, allowing him to hold his breath and burrow hundreds of meters underground.

Beneath the earth, he gripped a black go stone—this stone resonated with the white stone, and after a short delay, could teleport him nearly fifty li away; he would never dare use it on the surface.

As the black stone's spiritual light flickered, Chang Qi finally relaxed—a void force enveloped him, shifting him like a go piece placed upon a board.

The old monk's white eyebrows twitched slightly: "Master Xu, are you just letting him go?"

Xu Jiangxian smiled: "He's tainted with Tianmo blood—I know where he goes, wherever he runs."

"Master, wouldn't you like to see this next act?"

Only then did a Buddha hand slowly materialize in the void—only then did the lame old man truly escape.

"Excellent!"

"Old monk, your worldly affairs here are done—you may accompany the Demon Master."

Xu Jiangxian smiled faintly, turning around.

"I was just thinking the same."

The old monk walked over slowly and said, "Xie Guan, you are the distant disciple of my closest friend. It is a great fortune that his creation, the Yin Fu Jing, has reappeared in this world."

"Back then, he challenged the Master and warned him: the Master of this age is invincible. But he insisted anyway. I urged him many times, yet could not dissuade him."

You felt a flicker of confusion—why would a high Buddhist monk be a close friend of Master Sanzhen? The later techniques of the Yin Fu Jing were far too sinister.

The old monk seemed to sense your bewilderment. "My friend's heart was, at heart, pure."

"Buddhism teaches: killing to protect life, cutting karma is not cutting people."

You nodded slowly. The use of a technique lies in the user. A sharp sword can kill, but it can also save.

"My friend gave his life for one piece of information. Since you are his disciple, I must tell you."

The old monk clasped his hands gently, and a Liulijie enclosed only Xie Guan and the Demon Master, leaving Xu Xi and the others outside the dharma realm.

Xu Jiangxian's eyes grew more solemn.

The old monk raised his head and spoke slowly: "Kill the Master, and attain transcendence."

The Demon Master's gaze sharpened, and he murmured the words softly.

"Kill the Master, and…"

"Transcend!"

(End of Chapter)