Chapter 70: A Tooth for a Tooth

Faced with the combined assault of the Shadowy Spirit and the Qiongqi Beast from both directions, Qingxu could not help but reveal a trace of anxiety on his face. He sighed inwardly and was about to use the Supreme Celestial Talisman, never expecting that the invading force within his body would be so fierce and unruly, far beyond his imagination. Even when he tried desperately to suppress it with his avatar’s power, he was losing ground step by step. It wasn’t that his strength was lacking, but because he had previously poured all his energy into deploying the Fire Net of Heaven and Earth, leaving him unable to muster much power in haste—less than one percent of his usual capacity. It was like a strongman who could easily lift a thousand-pound barbell, but if he tried to do so with just his index finger, would he still be able to move it? No matter how vast and boundless his power, if he couldn’t use it, it was all in vain.

In just this brief moment, Qingxu’s Dao body had suffered grievous injuries: nearly all his meridians were severed, his organs displaced, bones and muscles damaged. Even if he could spare a hand, he could not employ his Daoist arts—otherwise, the surge of immense power and celestial essence would immediately shatter his body to pieces.

The invading force surged toward his neck, tearing through the resisting power, its target the vital center of the Mud Pill Palace, poised for a lethal strike.

“There’s no other choice. I must rely on the Three Pure Avatars to slay Qiongqi and then aid in my healing.” With this thought, his spiritual sense controlled the Supreme Celestial Talisman, preparing to summon the avatars to defend himself. Yet, at this very moment, an unexpected event occurred.

Almost simultaneously with the Qiongshi’s primordial spirit leaving its body, a blood-red blade shot from behind, piercing through its chest. In a flash of crimson light, the Qiongshi’s body was torn apart and dissolved into a shower of blood that merged with the blade. It all happened so quickly—just an instant from the blade’s movement to the body’s explosion.

The blade was neither quite a sword nor a knife, three feet six inches long, four or five inches wide, two inches thick. The left edge was straight like a sword, the right slightly curved like a knife, with a blood groove running down the center. Its hilt was carved into the maw of a wild wolf, lifelike and ferocious, its eyes savage and ruthless.

“The Blade of Yazi?”

Witnessing this sudden turn, Qiongqi halted its attack on Qingxu, turning all its attention to the newcomer. Upon recognizing the weapon that had annihilated the Qiongshi, it cried out in shock, its face drained of color.

Yazi?

Hearing Qiongqi’s exclamation, Qingxu was stirred as well. In both his past and present lives, this name was familiar to him—a famous figure among the Nine Sons of the Ancestral Dragon, and reputedly the strongest of them all. Yazi was said to be exceedingly brutal, bloodthirsty, and vindictive, so much so that later generations carved his likeness onto sword hilts and knife guards, honoring him as a god of slaughter.

“Qiongqi, I’ve long despised you. Who would have thought you’d betray our uncle and go against our fifth brother? You’re simply courting your own destruction.” With a cold and vicious voice, a figure soared from afar, resembling a dragon’s head atop a wolf’s body, about three or four yards in length, its mouth crimson, eyes cold and chilling, its entire body covered in blood-red fur, as if stained with fresh blood.

Even before it drew near, a terrifying aura of slaughter and violence swept over, making Qingxu turn pale. The force he was struggling to suppress within his body grew even more excited and fierce in response to this killing aura, suddenly breaking through the resistance and surging up to his neck—a situation now perilously critical.

Even as his own predicament reached its peak, Qingxu still found time to ponder Yazi’s words.

Betraying their uncle?

As the second among the Nine Sons of the Ancestral Dragon, Yazi’s uncle was not hard to guess, for the Ancestral Dragon had only one brother.

Zhuo Dragon? Could it be that the master behind the Four Ferocious Beasts is Zhuo Dragon? Qingxu had always believed their master to be the Ancestor of the Nether River, but never imagined it would be Zhuo Dragon instead. For a moment, his thoughts raced. Compared to the Ancestor of the Nether River, Zhuo Dragon was far more formidable. As the second most powerful among the ancient dragon tribe—the strongest of the three primordial races—Zhuo Dragon’s cultivation surpassed many innate deities and ancient demon gods. The dragon tribe ruled the four seas, possessing endless treasures and likely countless innate spiritual artifacts.

Though the dragon tribe had declined, as the saying goes, a dead camel is still bigger than a horse. Zhuo Dragon’s cultivation was profound, and with the aid of spiritual treasures, the prospect was terrifying. He could easily surpass even the likes of Emperor Jun, Taiyi of the Golden Crow, or the Twelve Ancestor Witches.

“You’ve met Taotie?” Qiongqi asked, though his tone was certain. At this moment, regret filled his heart. Had he known, he should have killed Taotie long ago or hidden his identity to trap him. Otherwise, where would all this trouble come from? He was so close to reuniting with the body of the Devouring King Beast. Once he seized the masterless beast and gathered the scattered energies, he would have nothing to fear—even the supreme Hunyuan Saint would be no match, and he could retreat unharmed.

He could either stand as an equal to the saints or venture into the chaos and primordial void to create a world of his own—a realm over which he would rule, enjoying absolute freedom.

Alas, now calamity had struck. Qiongqi knew Yazi all too well; as the strongest among the Nine Sons of the Ancestral Dragon, Yazi’s cultivation had reached the early stage of True Immortal of the Grand Unity. Most terrifying of all, Yazi could wield 120% of his strength, and with the innate killing treasure, the Blade of Yazi, Qiongqi truly was no match at all.

Previously, when facing Qingxu, the Shadowy Spirit had already suffered serious wounds, and the Deadly Yin Abyss had no effect on Yazi. In these circumstances, neither the Shadowy Spirit nor the Qiongqi Beast could hope to rival Yazi.

“Escape would not be difficult, but with the broad road to success right before me, abandoning it now would be too great a loss. Especially since I have already betrayed Zhuo Dragon and have no way back. The Devouring King Beast is now my only hope—otherwise, when Zhuo Dragon hunts me down, what chance would I have to survive?” Having realized his situation, a flash of madness flickered in Qiongqi’s eyes.

“If I didn’t have a special connection with my fifth brother, you wretch might have succeeded.” Yazi also felt a twinge of fear in his heart. Among the nine brothers, he was closest to Taotie, often together, mainly because Taotie liked to take advantage of him. Yazi’s frequent slaughter left corpses everywhere—a great temptation for Taotie, who followed him to feast without effort. No amount of scolding or beating could drive him away, and over time, they formed a deep bond.

Having nearly lost his dearest brother to Qiongqi, Yazi’s hatred was profound. Upon hearing of Qiongqi’s betrayal of their respected uncle, the violent and vengeful Yazi could no longer restrain himself, charging in with fury, inadvertently aiding Qingxu.

“Yazi! What I said to Taotie before was only a joke. How could I truly dare to betray Lord Zhuo Dragon? This was all just acting to deceive the Daoist. You don’t understand! This Daoist killed Hundun, the ferocious beasts Taotie and Zhaowu—his cultivation is unfathomable. I had no choice but to resort to this strategy. It was only a temporary measure, just a temporary measure, please don’t take it seriously!” Qiongqi tried to talk his way out of it.

“Whether it’s true or not, you’re dead today. That way, I’ll have an explanation for uncle.” Yazi’s words nearly made Qiongqi choke with rage—it was clear he wanted to seize the opportunity to kill him.