Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 482 - 128: Purple Flame Burning Skull

Chapter 482: Chapter 128: Purple Flame Burning Skull

Holy Daughter Jiang Yuning almost instantly sensed the unrivaled danger, without any hesitation, she unleashed the Undying Rebirth Technique.

The rebirth method was beyond terrifying, the moment it was deployed, it triggered a shocking upheaval that burst forth from the surrounding Light Paths.

Numerous skulls were struck directly, and in an instant, they let out agonizing wails and disintegrated into shattered glimmers of light that vanished into thin air. However, a considerable number of skulls had already rushed towards Jiang Yuning’s side.

"Fire!"

Zhou Yan’s heart jolted with alarm and anger.

At the same moment, his gaze erupted with an unparalleled brilliance, and in the next instant, the power of Purple Flame Void surged out, sending massive waves of Purple Flame skyward like a surging flood, rolling towards the endless skulls.

Holy Daughter Jiang Yuning’s body stiffened, then immediately burst forth with Nirvana Fire. This flame, deriving from Feng Jiu Xian’s Nirvana Ancient Scripture, wasn’t as pure as that of the Undying Fire Phoenix Clan, but it was incredibly powerful. It proved greatly effective against such vile creatures.

The skulls that had just made contact with Jiang Yuning’s body had no chance to bite down before they burst into flames. All the skulls were sent flying, and the flames on their heads burned fiercely like dry wood catching fire. In an instant, they were reduced to wisps of Tribulation Ash.

As more skulls retreated, Zhou Yan’s Purple Flame erupted, rolling towards these skulls.

Freed from the shackles of a physical body and wielding the power of his soul, Zhou Yan felt like the sovereign of the world, filled with the terrible feeling that Only I Am Supreme. His immense confidence allowed him to spontaneously unleash an unparalleled fire that enveloped nearly a thousand skulls in its flames.

"Crackle and pop—"

Nearly a thousand skulls were captured in one fell swoop, letting off chilly, bone-piercing screeches. The sound was so mournful that a single cry could scare someone into shivering, make their scalp tingle, and even break into cold sweat.

However, this situation lasted only for a moment, and after that brief time, nearly a thousand skulls were completely refined by the Purple Flames.

The terrible power of the Netherworld suddenly entered Zhou Yan’s soul.

His previously wounded soul almost instantly recovered, and he felt that his spiritual body now held not just the terrible Power of Destruction but also an even purer Netherworld Power.

This purity of Netherworld Power had even surpassed that which was refined by the Purple Flame Void before, as if the Netherworld Power had been purified countless times over on its previous basis.

With his body filled with endless Netherworld Power, Zhou Yan felt a bloodthirsty urge. It seemed like he wanted to brutally kill and torture anyone.

A sense of inexplicable irritation arose in his soul, and Zhou Yan felt his eyes burn as if they had turned the color of flames.

Even without mimicking the appearance of the Lei Yan King, at this moment, his appearance and aura were undoubtedly that of the Lei Yan King.

Zhou Yan took a deep breath; despite the soul not needing to breathe, he still used this method to calm the agitation and brutal intentions in his soul.

The Light Paths returned to tranquility.

There was still a bone-chilling cold wind blowing.

When the wind swept by, black snowflakes fluttered between heaven and earth: these were impurities left after the essence of blood from geniuses was refined away, combined with inferior Netherworld Power to form snowflakes, which could even be toxic to the flesh.

However, these substances could no longer harm the soul and posed no threat to the three from Tianji Mountain or the Holy Daughter who was protected by flames.

Quiet returned to the world, and no one dared let their guard down even the slightest, as everyone’s spirits were extremely tense. All Cultivators understood that the slightest oversight could mean that they would most likely be the ones to die next.

The world was silent, and no Cultivator on the Light Path dared to take that step forward, as no one knew what even more terrifying dangers awaited ahead.

There were many people here, yet the silence was deafening, and the atmosphere oppressively maddening.

Inside, Zhou Yan was filled with boundless confidence, as if no danger could bother him anymore.

Under the complex gazes of the crowd, he was the first to take that step forward.

With that step, all the light on the Light Path suddenly converged, focusing entirely on Zhou Yan. He immediately became a person made of light.

But this light being, as if shattered into a million pieces by the light, seemed unable to harm Zhou Yan, as if he no longer cared about his soul being shattered to pieces.

Any Cultivator understood that to endure such soul-shattering pain would surely lead to their immediate demise; but Zhou Yan withstood it.

The more talented they were, the quicker they died here, but Zhou Yan managed to survive. Those Cultivators who didn’t know of Zhou Yan’s prowess felt somewhat astonished by his good luck and apparently weaker strength.

"Cut the nonsense! I am here to seize the Yuan Ci Secret Realm, open up for me!"

Zhou Yan roared in anger; had he not experienced the sensation of being torn to shreds in the Illusion Realm, he would have likely died immediately, but surprisingly, he let the light shatter his soul while his core remained unaffected.

Not only that, but the suppressed rage he held suddenly exploded, drawing upon the Purple Flame of the Purple Flame Void, directly burning towards the surrounding light.

"Boom—"

A terrifying collision of energies erupted, turning the world upside down. As if all was being annihilated, massive energies surged like tsunamis, obliterating everyone, including Zhou Yan.

The deafening sound, the roar of heaven and earth shattering and destroying, endless vibrations burst forth, and the entire world became extraordinarily terrifying.

Everyone was annihilated by the explosion, including Zhou Yan himself, who was suddenly enveloped within and violently thrown out.

...

The world that had been filled with incessant roars finally began to quiet down. Zhou Yan stood up, exhausted, and surveyed the world around him with a scrutinizing gaze.

This world was devoid of light, as well as of darkness, and was shrouded in a murky gray, akin to a chaotic world.

Around him, Zhou Yan also saw the residual souls of various cultivators, yet those that could be seen were now all dead. The explosion had destroyed the souls of many genius cultivators,

With perhaps one in ten cultivators surviving the blast.

Merely by judging the remnants of these souls, Zhou Yan had already come to a conclusion.

This was tantamount to him indirectly killing so many cultivators.

In the past, he would certainly feel some loss and regret in his heart, but now, for some reason, he only felt a sense of ’refreshment’ and not the slightest guilt.

"Is it the influence of the Netherworld Power, or is it the influence of the Power of Destruction from the Eye of Destruction? Or, am I no longer the person I used to be?"

Zhou Yan harbored a hint of doubt in his heart, but this sliver of doubt was immediately slain by his firm mental state.

"I, Zhou Yan, am the Zhou Yan from the Zhou Family, the Emperor Qi Sword Body Zhou Yan. No matter how formidable the Thunderflame Sword Body is, it is just an auxiliary power! Throughout, I am Zhou Yan of the Great Zhou Family; nothing can change that! Regardless of a previous life, two lives, or even more, in this life, there is only one me! With me, invincible, Only I Am Supreme!"

Zhou Yan’s will immediately became incredibly resolute, no longer harboring any doubts about whether his changes were normal. Amidst these continuous soul transformations, he firmly grasped onto his self.

Zhou Yan, with a determined mind, immediately gathered his scattered thoughts, and his soul’s gaze swept around as if it were corporeal.

This place was peculiar. Souls could be used freely as if they were physical bodies, and the six senses of the soul were even more useful than those of the physical body, as if this was a world entirely governed by the soul.

Thinking this, Zhou Yan suddenly recalled the Netherworld Life and Death Bridge cultivation technique. With a thought, an eight-carried sedan chair appeared beside him.

Eight pure souls without consciousness or emotional fluctuations respectfully carried the sedan, waiting for him to take a seat.

"This—"

Zhou Yan was taken aback. He immediately wondered whether the Netherworld Heavenly Road had any connection to the Netherworld Life and Death Illusion Realm.

Then, the Yuan Ci Secret Realm might be an extraordinary treasure for the Netherworld, or perhaps the Yuan Ci Secret Realm even surpasses other secret realms and is highly suitable for humans and the Netherworld to inhabit together!

Zhou Yan’s heart raced uncontrollably. If this was the case with the secret realm, and if one could use any cultivation technique here without restriction, it meant that the Heavenly Dao of this place could even surpass the Sword Burial Ancestor Star, surpassing the Netherworld Life and Death Illusion Realm!

Surpassing the Sword Burial Ancestor Star was not much, but surpassing the Heavenly Dao of the Netherworld Life and Death Illusion Realm was defying the heavens.

The Netherworld Life and Death Illusion Realm exists in every universe, meaning that it transcends the universe and reaches the level of a plane.

If the Heavenly Dao of the Yuan Ci Secret Realm surpasses the Netherworld Life and Death Illusion Realm, then the Supreme Dao of all universes could be used here, and if so...

The more Zhou Yan thought about it, the graver his mood became. To possess such a place is to defy the heavens, but this place would also undoubtedly be coveted by all cultivators!

Zhou Yan now only hoped that this immense secret was unknown to others because otherwise, even a Saint might not be qualified enough. When the time comes, even divine-level experts would definitely appear.

Possessing the memories of his Master, Zhou Yan knew of the countless powerful beings that existed beyond this universe.

Just the Sword Burial Ancestor Star alone housed at least a hundred Nine Origin Sword Saints, and it was a planet evolved by the Thunder Origin Sword God at his peak. This shows that the presence of divine-level experts elsewhere isn’t an impossible matter.

Not to mention, once the news of such a precious secret realm leaked out, even more terrifying beings might appear.

At this moment, Zhou Yan’s mood was extremely heavy. This contest for the Yuan Ci Secret Realm could potentially be disastrous; his power and realm had been constantly suffering and transforming. If he now recovers the abilities of the Emperor Qi Sword Body and regains the Great Perfection of the Emperor Qi Sword Body and the Thunderflame Sword Body, he would only be at the peak realm of a Second Transformation or Third Transformation Sword Void, still far from the Sword Ancestor Realm.

Besides, above the Sword Void Realm, one must start facing tribulations, and it is uncertain whether or not one can survive the great tribulation.

The stronger the accumulation, the crazier the Heavenly Tribulation—this is an unchanging truth that every cultivator understands.

After analyzing and extrapolating these possibilities, Zhou Yan, despite his overflowing confidence, couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.