Chapter 1165

Han Wuxian and Yun Chen exchanged a glance, their expressions growing even more solemn.

The Flowing Cloud Star Vessel lowered its altitude, gliding silently. Finally, the outline of a massive city appeared on the horizon.

Falling Star City. The city walls towered high; the walls that should have been shimmering with formation light were now dim and dark, even collapsed in places. The city gate stood wide open, no guards in sight, only chaotic bloodstains and scars from spell bombardments. Inside the city lay deathly still, like a ghost realm.

Elder Chu's face turned iron-gray as he controlled the star vessel to hover high above the city; his powerful divine sense spread like mercury, scanning the entire city carefully.

"There are faint signs of life left in the city, concentrated in the eastern district… but there are extremely strong concealment formations… and traps!" Elder Chu said in a low voice, "Yun Chen, take three people and sneak in through the west gate, scout carefully, create a disturbance to draw attention. Little Friend Han, follow me through the east gate straight to the heart of the matter, rescue the people! The rest stay aboard the star vessel, set up the 'Little Big Dipper Formation', and be ready to support!"

Netherworld Dao Soul-Hook Envoy

Seven Slaughter Netherworld Lord

Yun Chen led three disciples skilled in formations and concealment, slipping down from the star vessel like a spirit cat, soundlessly vanishing into the ruined walls west of the gate.

Moments later, several violent explosions and spell booms came from the west gate direction, along with a few deliberately shouted cries of anger!

Flowing Cloud Star Vessel

"Go!" Elder Chu barked, his body turning into a gray sword light that shot straight toward the eastern city; Han Wuxian followed closely, his movement like lightning.

The two instantly broke through the damaged formation barrier at the east gate and rushed into the city. What met their eyes was nothing but carnage: shattered magical artifacts and corpses littered the streets, walls covered in dried bloodstains and claw marks, many corpses shriveled from having their essence and blood drained—a hallmark of the Heaven Slaughter Sect's Blood Slaughter Devilish Art! Other corpses were bluish-black, their souls scattered, clearly slain by the vicious methods of the Netherworld Dao.

Elder Chu's face sank like water; following the faint life signal, he lunged straight toward a relatively intact grand manor in the eastern part of the city, which should have been the City Lord's residence of Falling Star City.

Around the manor lay a faint concealment formation that emitted a chilling soul-power fluctuation.

"Break!" Elder Chu pointed with finger like a sword; without even drawing the ancient sword at his back, a strand of incredibly condensed Geng-metal sword qi shot out and easily tore apart that concealment formation!

Soul-Hook Envoy

Inside the manor courtyard stood a flesh-and-blood altar piled high with countless corpses and vengeful spirits! Several pallid soul banners hovered above it—implements of the Netherworld Dao! Around the altar knelt dozens of terrified cultivators and mortals, bound in black chains and with their cultivation sealed; they were the source of the faint life, apparently about to be used as sacrifices in some evil rite!

Several cultivators dressed in black and red, their bodies reeking of mixed slaughter and ghostly qi, stood guard by the altar; one of them was none other than the Heaven Slaughter Sect Foundation Establishment leader who had earlier escaped from Han Wuxian's grasp! He was now bowing and scraping to a Netherworld Dao Soul-Hooker clad in pale attire.

"Sure enough, it's the scum of the Heaven Slaughter Sect and the monsters of the Netherworld Dao!" Elder Chu's hair stood on end with rage; the ancient sword at his back rang out "zheng" as it was drawn, transforming into a golden rainbow that rent heaven and earth, slashing straight at the altar! "Geng-metal—Dispel Evil!"

How terrifying is the fury-filled sword of a late Void Refinement cultivator? Wherever the golden sword rainbow passed, space itself was sliced with rift after rift!

The faces of those demonic cultivators changed drastically, horrified to the point of despair! They never imagined a late Void Refinement powerhouse would come charging straight at them!

Blood Slaughter Devil Technique

Netherworld Ghost Hand

At the altar's center, the several pallid soul banners suddenly stirred without wind; the countless wailing ghost faces upon them abruptly merged, forming a huge, distorted visage of a ghost king emanating Unity-stage fluctuations, which opened its mouth and let out a piercing soul-wail!

Blood Escape Secret Technique

The invisible sound waves struck like billions of poisonous needles, fiercely piercing the souls of Elder Chu and Han Wuxian! Moreover, they arrived first despite being launched later, slamming into that Geng-metal sword rainbow!

Early Spirit Transformation

Soul attack and Geng-metal sword blade clashed violently! The sword rainbow shuddered violently, actually being blocked for a moment by that soul-wail! Elder Chu grunted, obviously having taken a slight loss—this ghost king visage turned out to be a one-time life-saving item crafted by a Unity-stage cultivator!

Peak Spirit Transformation

Void Refinement

Above the altar, space suddenly twisted; a pitch-black hand forged from Netherworld deathly qi tore through the void once more, viciously grabbing for Elder Chu! Though not as terrifying as the Seven Slaughter Netherworld Lord, it still reached the peak of Void Refinement power! This was the Netherworld Dao's reserved trump card!

"Hmph! Hiding your head while showing your tail!" Elder Chu remained calm in the face of danger; his ancient sword turned, transforming into a sky-full of golden sword shadows that tangled with the Netherworld ghost hand, sword qi and ghost qi crisscrossing and exploding, laying waste to the entire courtyard!

Meanwhile, the Heaven Slaughter Sect leader and the Soul-Hooker seized the opportunity, grabbing several of the nearest "sacrifices" and turning into escape lights, intending to flee through the side gate!

Pale Soul Banner

He took a single step, his form like a phantom, instantly blocking the two escape lights! Without even deploying the Star-Chasing Torch, he simply pointed his finger like a sword, unleashing a finger-sword that fused his new insight into the Stellar Silence Extinction intent!

Blood Flesh Altar

At his fingertip, a point of utter darkness condensed, seeming able to swallow all light, within which specks of starlight flickered into being and out again, bearing the dual artistic conception of termination and purification!

The Heaven Slaughter Sect leader at Golden Core stage had no time to react; his protective slaughter qi was pierced like paper, a scorched black hole instantly appearing at his brow, his eyes instantly dimming as his body slumped limp! Even his soul was instantly obliterated by the Silence Extinction intent!

The Soul-Hooker, whose cultivation was slightly higher, having reached late Nascent Soul, in shock flung out a white bone shield to block in front of himself!

Infinity

The Meteor-Strike Finger power landed on the white bone shield; that fine-quality spiritual tool instantly turned ashen and brittle as if corroded by ages, then cracked with a "crack!" The residual force slammed hard into the Soul-Hooker's chest!

"Pfft!" The Soul-Hooker spat a mouthful of black blood, his chest caved in, and he flew backward, his eyes filled with incredulous fear! Though his opponent was clearly only an early Void Refinement cultivator, that finger's power was eerily terrifying, rendering this late Nascent Soul cultivator utterly unable to resist!

Han Wuxian was about to step forward to deliver a finishing blow and seize, but from behind came a muffled grunt from Elder Chu! That netherworld ghost hand was extremely hard to entangle, and taking advantage of the moment it broke through the sword net, leaving a wound on his shoulder deep enough to see the bone, entwined with netherworld deathly qi!

Han Wuxian frowned, had no choice but to turn around, and with his fingers he pointed repeatedly; several strands of star sword qi containing the purifying power of the Patrol Star Torch shot out, temporarily forcing Elder Chu's ghost hand back.

Just then, the severely wounded Soul-Hooker struggled to his feet, crushed another jade talisman, his figure instantly becoming blurred, about to flee into the void!

"Stay!" Han Wuxian would not let him escape, he struck out with a palm from afar, the Silence Extinction palm imprint enveloping him!

However, it was still a beat too slow! The Soul-Hooker's half body had already sunk into the void; he only had time to turn his head and glare venomously at Han Wuxian, shouting hoarsely: "The Star Pivot Pavilion! And you! Lord Nether Monarch will never let you off! Your stellar core… will ultimately return to the netherworld!"

Before his words even faded, the void closed up; this person actually employed some immensely costly blood-escape secret technique and fled!

At this moment, Elder Chu also finally unleashed his full power, the Geng Metal Sword Domain unfurled, completely crushing and annihilating that hard-to-entangle netherworld ghost hand!

Within the courtyard, only a mess littered the ground, the shaken survivors, and the corpse of the Heavenly Slaughter Sect's leader.

The battle had temporarily ended, but the atmosphere grew even heavier.

Elder Chu's face grim as he tended to the netherworld wound on his shoulder, his gaze sweeping over the corpse of the Heavenly Slaughter Sect's leader, then toward the spot where the Soul-Hooker had vanished, finally settling on Han Wuxian, his eyes complex: "What strange finger strength… it can actually extinguish vitality, corrode magical treasures… young friend, your methods truly astonish this old man."