Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 371 Nirvana
The two men, one on the left and one on the right, almost simultaneously crossed a distance of several dozen feet, pointing directly at Song Yan's corpse.

They had even extended their spiritual power from a distance, transforming it into a giant hand, to seize the Qiankun bag at Song Yan's waist and the sword box behind him.

"Wow—!"

Just then, a high-pitched bird cry suddenly rang out, echoing throughout the entire Nangong clan territory.

The sound seemed to come from the clouds, and the cultivators found it deafening.

Those with low cultivation levels in the Qi Refining stage even felt a vague sensation of their soul leaving their body.

Almost the instant the bird's cry was heard, a massive, pure flame burst forth without warning in front of Qin Feiyu and the man in the yellow robe.

boom--!
In an instant, the two large hands formed from spiritual energy were completely burned away by the flames.

"what?!"

The man in the yellow robe froze for a moment, then quickly flew back several feet.

The raging fire forced Qin Feiyu to retreat.

Even so, the two were still scorched by the edge of the golden flames.

Qin Feiyu was taken aback at first, but showed no joy; his eyes held disbelief.

It seemed that the moment they saw the flames, they had already guessed what was going on.

His protective aura was instantly dissipated by the golden flames, his Taoist robe and sleeves turned to ashes, and his skin felt a burning pain.

The man in the yellow robe was even more terrified. The moment his small shield magic weapon came into contact with the golden flames, it lost all its luster and its surface melted and deformed.

A surge of intense heat penetrated his body, making him feel a sweet taste in his throat, almost causing him to spit out blood.

"How could this happen?!"

This flame was completely different from ordinary spiritual fire; within its extreme gold color, there was a faint hint of red.

This brief probing made it clear to Qin Feiyu and the man in the yellow robe that if they were burned by this spiritual fire, they would be severely injured even if they didn't die.

The two landed several dozen feet away, still shaken, and looked toward the source of the flames.

Golden flames burned fiercely, but did not spread wildly; they merely surrounded a figure.

At this moment, Qin Xijun was engulfed in flames, completely different from before.

The bloodstains and soot that had stained her once delicate face were now slowly receding under the scorching of the golden flames.

Her eyes were golden-white, revealing no emotion.

The aura emanating from him was no longer within the realm of the late Foundation Establishment stage. Although it did not yet reach the true power of a Golden Core cultivator, it was enough to make Qin Feiyu and the other pseudo-Core cultivators feel uneasy.

She took a step forward and stood in front of Song Yan's corpse, the two rings of fire that had surrounded her now hovering beneath her bare feet.

Golden flames rose up, and behind them, the faint phantom of a gigantic divine bird, looking down upon all living beings, appeared.

Its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky, and its eyes are like the blazing sun!
Qin Feiyu hesitated, then his expression darkened, and he slowly said, "Divine Phoenix Nirvana Fire..."

Although he didn't roar hysterically like before, all the cultivators present could sense that Qin Feiyu was truly enraged.

The reasons behind this are probably only known to a few high-ranking members of the Qin family.

The cultivation technique that Qin Xijun practices is called "The Divine Phoenix True Essence Essentials," which was passed down from the first ancestor of the Qin family to embark on the path of immortality.

There is a story behind this secret technique.

Legend has it that the Qin family's ancestor was once just a Qi Refining cultivator who, by chance, saved a cultivator from the Central Region who was in distress.

To express his gratitude to the Qin family ancestor, the cultivator passed on a fragment of a cultivation technique called the Colorless Great Hua Wheel.

According to that cultivator, this cultivation technique originated from a major sect in the Central Region called Luofu, and it is a rare divine technique that can be cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage.

Unfortunately, he only obtained fragments, including the first two layers and more than half of the third layer.

However, this was already an incredible opportunity for the Qin ancestors back then.

Later, generations of Qin family cultivators practiced and refined the technique, eventually managing to roughly complete the third level of the cultivation method.

The idea of ​​generations of Qi Refining and Foundation Building techniques completing a complete Nascent Soul cultivation manual would probably be a laughing stock if told to others.

But there was nothing that could be done. After all, if Qin Yang didn't count, the Qin family would never have produced a single Golden Core cultivator throughout its history.

The Qin family cultivators were also feeling guilty, fearing they might tarnish the reputation of this technique. In the end, they renamed the three-layer technique "Divine Phoenix True Essence Essentials" using the original terminology.

Therefore, the third level of this technique has a major problem.

Not only is it unknown whether this cultivation method can lead to the Golden Core stage, but one of its secret techniques has severe side effects, ranging from complete loss of cultivation to death and dissipation of one's spiritual essence.

This is the secret technique Qin Xijun is currently using: Divine Phoenix Nirvana Fire.

This method can be used by cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage or lower, allowing them to burn their spiritual energy and true essence to significantly increase their strength over a relatively long period of time.

Originally, this method was a normal secret technique. After it was used, one could recover in a year at most.

Unfortunately, the third layer has a major problem, so once this method is implemented, there is no turning back.

There are only two possible outcomes: either all of one's cultivation is lost, or one dies.

As the Qin family gradually developed, this cultivation method was no longer practiced by anyone for a long time.

Until Qin Xijun suddenly appeared.

"How many exceptionally talented individuals from the Qin family died on this dead-end road, for the sake of the family's rise and fall..."

"And you."

Qin Feiyu gritted his teeth: "He's gone mad, he's really gone mad..."

"For the corpse of an outsider! You're willing to risk your own life to fight against the very people who gave you life and raised you?!"

His words were righteous and eloquent, but his body language betrayed him as he slowly retreated, shouting sternly at the same time.

"Qin family cultivators! Stop this traitor! She won't last much longer!"

Qin Feiyu didn't know how long this secret technique could last with Qin Xijun's current cultivation level, but he valued his life.

Upon hearing this, the remaining Qin family cultivators and those who had attached themselves to the fake core cultivators gritted their teeth and hastily set up a combined attack formation.

Various colored lights slowly lit up, attempting to form a barrier.

Unexpectedly, Qin Xijun suddenly laughed.

Her laughter grew increasingly wild, showing no sign of the pain, resentment, or regret that would result from the backlash of the secret technique. Instead, it was as if she had finally broken free from some long-standing shackles.

Golden flames surged like a waterfall, and Qin Xijun hovered in the void, her aura growing increasingly intense.

"Outsider? Heh."

"Isn't this good? I've returned all my cultivation to the Qin family..."

She stared at Qin Feiyu and said with a sneer, "Old dog, listen up."

"I, Qin Xijun, am no longer a member of the Qin family!"

"you……"

Qin Feiyu was furious, but Qin Xijun interrupted him.

“But now, the Qin family killed my apprentice, and this feud is far from over.”

The phantom of the Fire Phoenix shone brightly, and golden flames coalesced into a short sword in Qin Xijun's hand.

"Even if I die, I will make you pay with your lives!"

boom--

With a single swing of the sword, the surging flames collided violently with the spiritual light of the combined attack array!
The chaotic and scorching spiritual energy swept out, destroying everything in its path.

Chen Cheng was the first to be hit. The moment his small, light blue shield came into contact with the golden flames, it let out a mournful cry, unable to bear the weight.

The shield instantly turned black and cracked, and terrifying destructive power rebounded along with the spiritual energy.

He groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and was thrown into the ruins.

Another cultivator at the Pseudo-Core Formation stage summoned a small fan and waved it frantically, trying to sweep away the sea of ​​flames. However, the yin wind was like a mud ox entering the sea, failing to even create a ripple.

He was terrified and retreated hastily, but a streak of flame still scorched his left arm. His protective aura shattered instantly, and his entire arm burst into flames. The excruciating pain caused him to let out a shrill scream.

The combined attack formation crumbled in the blink of an eye under Qin Xijun's all-out attack.

Several Qin family cultivators in the early and middle stages of Foundation Establishment didn't even utter a sound before turning into ashes in the flames!
Everyone was shocked, but they dared not be careless again.

Although the Nangong family's fate was sealed, if Qin Xijun continued in this manner, it wouldn't be easy for them to escape unscathed. All the Qin family's pseudo-core cultivators, along with their reinforcements, swarmed in, determined to work together to kill Qin Xijun.

A total of twelve pseudo-Core Formation Realm cultivators!

In an instant, the battlefield changed once again.

Above were Golden Core cultivators still fighting for their lives.

On one side of the ground were the Nangong clan members who were putting up a stubborn resistance and fighting to the death, and on the other side was Qin Xijun, who was fighting twelve fake core cultivators alone.

The battlefield once again fell into a stalemate.

At that moment, unnoticed by anyone, a furtive figure was creeping toward Song Yan's corpse.

This person was Chen Cheng, who had just pretended to take a hit from Qin Xijun and then flew out.

He had planned to seize the treasure, but he didn't expect Qin Xijun to be so terrifying that he almost got seriously injured.

He glanced casually at Qin Xijun's terrifying aura amidst the flames.

"Hmph, Qin Feiyu, do you think I'm a fool?"

At this moment, the secret technique has just been used, which is when Qin Xijun is at her strongest. If she does not avoid its sharp edge, will she just wait to be slapped?
Chen Cheng decided to seize Song Yan's belongings as soon as possible, and then find an opportunity to leave this place ahead of time.

He concealed his form and aura and came to Song Yan's side.

"Hehe, I never expected that these treasures would end up in my hands."

He looked closely and a little doubtful.

Amidst the ruins, Song Yan's robes were tattered, and his body was covered in black patterns. He vaguely remembered that he hadn't looked like this when he died.

"Why is it so dark? Could it be caused by the demonic energy of that Golden Core old monster?"

Upon closer inspection, the blackness resembled a living thing, or perhaps a mist, seeping out from beneath his shattered body, wrapping around his limbs, and even forming eerie patterns on his face.

He hesitated for a moment, then looked up at the sky and saw Qin Yang still fighting with Zhang Cheng.

"Is this the power of a demonic cultivator at the Golden Core stage? The remaining demonic energy is still so fierce and domineering, condensed and not dissipating."

He felt a chill creep up his spine, and the demonic energy gave him an extremely ominous feeling, so he instinctively wanted to retreat.

However, a quick glance revealed that the Qiankun bag was right to the left of Song Yan's corpse.

"The Qiankun bag is still here... and the sword box is still here too. Although this demonic energy is malevolent, as long as we don't directly touch his body and are careful, we shouldn't be contaminated..."

Chen Cheng licked his chapped lips, forcibly suppressing the fear in his heart.

He took a deep breath, his eyes filled with nothing but a fervent desire for the treasure.

Without further hesitation, he mobilized his remaining spiritual power, covering his body with a thin layer of earthy-yellow spiritual light as a form of protection.

A slight attempt to manipulate it remotely yielded no change to the Qiankun Bag, indicating that Song Yan had only recently died and the spiritual imprint had not yet dissipated.

So he reached out and grabbed it.

His fingers were only inches away from the Qiankun bag, and he was so overjoyed that he almost lost his mind.

Right now.

Changes occur suddenly.

A jet-black left hand emerged from the demonic flames and suddenly grabbed Chen Cheng's wrist.

The protective spiritual energy was rendered useless by this grab.

"Uh?!"

The palm was pitch black, extending all the way to the forearm. Looking up, the normal skin color on the shoulder was also gradually being swallowed by black.

Chen Cheng's greed and ecstasy froze instantly.

Instinctive fear overwhelmed him, and he wanted to back away.

Almost at the same instant, he suddenly felt a blur before his eyes and a cold, empty feeling in his chest.

"Ho..."

Fresh blood was already flowing from the corner of his mouth.

He lowered his head in disbelief, looking at his chest.

But then he saw that a right hand, equally black, had pierced deep into his chest, and the forearm had completely disappeared into his body.

Having passed through the terrifying blood hole, his heart had emerged from his body and was now gently pulsating in Song Yan's right hand.

"This...how...can this be..."

bang——

His heart was crushed, and a large cloud of blood mist exploded in Song Yan's right hand.

Instead of dissipating in the wind, it instantly gathered again in the palm of that black right hand.

It transformed into condensed blood energy, flowing from his palm and gradually merging into Song Yan's black body.

Chen Cheng's body convulsed violently, and the last glimmer of light in his eyes went out completely.

His body went limp and he fell backward.

The demonic shadow did not spare Chen Cheng's corpse. It reached out again, passed through his dantian, and took out a round bead from it.

Chen Cheng's body then fell to the ground with a thud into the ruins.

Blood gushed from beneath him, quickly staining large swaths of land red.

The bead was crushed by the demonic shadow with a bang, and a lot of spiritual energy escaped from it, slowly flowing into the demonic flames.

"Ho..."

The demonic figure tilted its head slightly, as if enjoying the ethereal energy.

This sudden change left everyone on the battlefield dumbfounded.

He's not dead? How is that possible?

How could someone be so easily defeated by a Golden Core cultivator's finger strike...?

No, that's not right, he has no life.

Is this... a zombie coming back to life?

Song Yan slowly and stiffly sat up, his body burning with even more intense black demonic flames as he greedily absorbed the surrounding blood and demonic energy.

Qin Feiyu and the others also noticed this change and looked towards Song Yan.

His face was swallowed by darkness, and his eyes were empty voids in the darkness.

Beneath the body covered in demonic flames, the faint sounds of flesh tearing and writhing could be heard.

Song Yan stood up, his body convulsing intermittently, as if some part of his flesh had exploded, before returning to calm.

so repeatedly.

"Song Yan..."

High in the sky, Qin Yang, who was engaged in a fierce battle with Zhang Cheng, suddenly narrowed his bloodshot eyes.

That demonic aura felt both familiar and strange...

It seems that something has happened that is beyond his control.

At this moment, among the twelve fake core cultivators besieging Qin Xijun, the yellow-robed cultivator was closest to Song Yan.

He subconsciously took a few steps back, wanting to get a little further away from Song Yan.

However, the face covered in demonic flames suddenly turned towards him.

The yellow-robed cultivator was startled and sensed something was wrong. He was about to use a spell to escape.

With a blink, the shadowy figure suddenly vanished from sight.

"?"

His shoulder slumped as he felt a cold hand touch the top of his head.

(End of this chapter)