Old Refining Spirit

"Zhao Wuji, the cold-faced Buddha and commander of the Demon Suppression Division of the Great Abyss Dynasty." Li Xuangeng stopped below the Altar of Longevity, tilted his head slightly, and the white silk was facing the high and mighty scarlet figure.

In the vision of the [Human Emperor's Aura Observation Technique], a "crippled dragon of national destiny," stained black with deathly aura and resentful blood, was hovering above Zhao Wuji's head. But this was only an appearance.

Through that disgusting facade of national destiny, Li Xuangeng clearly saw Zhao Wuji's true colors.

"Everyone thinks that the Cold-Faced Buddha has cultivated the top-level hard qigong, the 'Indestructible Vajra Body'." Li Xuangeng's lips curled into a deep mockery, and his voice was as loud as a bell, reverberating throughout the entire square.

"But in the blind fortune-telling school, an abundance of metal and water in the four pillars without fire is called 'stubborn metal and dead water.' This body of yours is not that of a living person at all! You are a 'Thousand-Handed Copper Corpse' who was drained of its three souls and seven spirits by a secret method, filled with mercury and corpse poison, and buried in an extremely yin corpse-nurturing ground for three hundred years!"

Li Xuangeng's words were like a bombshell, exploding loudly in the crowd.

Mu Wanjiao gasped in shock. The Commander of the Demon Suppression Division, the highest-ranking law enforcer representing the imperial court in exorcising demons and monsters, was actually a zombie?!

Having his secret exposed in public, Zhao Wuji's bronze-cast face finally revealed an expression of extreme cruelty and rage.

"You wicked Taoist priest spouting nonsense! Slandering an official of the imperial court—a capital offense!"

Zhao Wuji roared and ripped his purple python robe off his body!

"Sizzle—"

A horrifying scene unfolded! On Zhao Wuji's broad back, flesh exploded like flower petals. Accompanied by viscous green venom and a pungent stench of decay, hundreds of steel arms covered in bluish-brown rust, like spider limbs, wildly extended from his spine!

Each bronze hand held a broken magical artifact stained with dried blood. And in the very center of his chest cavity, what beat was not a heart, but a "array core" pieced together from countless infant skulls!

This is the true core of the "Nine Netherworld Heaven Stealing Formation"!

"Having seen my true form, you're doomed to hell!"

Zhao Wuji plummeted from the thirty-meter-high Altar of Longevity like a shooting star. Hundreds of bronze arms swung through the air, creating terrifying sonic booms that blocked all of Li Xuangeng's escape routes. With a force powerful enough to shatter a small mountain, they crashed down with a deafening roar!

Faced with this mountain of steel and flesh pressing down on her, Mu Wanjiao felt as if she could not breathe. The accompanying high-dimensional corpse poison almost made her faint on the spot.

However, Li Xuangeng, who was at the center of the storm, let out a pleasant chuckle.

"Finally, you're willing to serve the main course?"

Li Xuangeng made no attempt to dodge, nor did he employ any magic to defend himself. The instant Zhao Wuji's hundreds of bronze arms slammed down, he simply and brutally raised his seemingly weak and pale right hand!

"Taoist School, Tai Chi Shakes Mountains!"

"Boom—!!!"

Two figures, one large and one small, one in green and one in white, collided violently in the very center of the square!

A visible, violent shockwave spread outwards in a ring, blasting away all the bluestone slabs within a hundred meters. Even the sturdy Altar of Longevity cracked with huge fissures in the terrifying aftershocks of the impact!

As the smoke cleared, everyone stared wide-eyed at the center of the arena in disbelief.

The ground beneath Li Xuangeng's feet had collapsed, creating a massive crater three meters deep. He maintained his posture of supporting himself with one hand, his white robes spotless.

Zhao Wuji's massive body, weighing tens of thousands of pounds, was actually held aloft in mid-air by Li Xuangeng's single hand! The hundreds of bronze arms that were frantically slamming down were blocked by an invisible layer of [Creation True Qi] just three inches above Li Xuangeng's head. No matter how hard Zhao Wuji exerted himself, he could not advance an inch further!

"How is this possible?! My Thousand-Handed Copper Corpse can even shatter a Taoist Celestial Master, how could you, a blind man, possibly block it with your physical body!" Zhao Wuji roared in disbelief.

"Not only is it of poor quality, but it's also ignorant."

Li Xuangeng raised his head, his face beneath the white silk revealing an icy, divine quality.

"Since you like using your hands so much, then I'll remove your claws first, so they won't take up space when you go into the furnace later."

Before he finished speaking, Li Xuangeng's left hand shot out like lightning!

He didn't use any weapon; he simply formed his five fingers into claws and grabbed Zhao Wuji's thick bronze arm, which was slamming down at the front!

"Give this poor monk a break!"

"Snap!!!"

A piercing metallic snap echoed across the plaza. Li Xuangeng's technique was brutal and savage to the extreme; he had actually torn the bronze arm, as thick as a bucket, off entirely using pure physical force!

"ah--!"

Zhao Wuji let out a piercing scream, and green blood gushed out like a fountain from his severed arm.

But this is just the beginning.

Li Xuangeng transformed into an emotionless shredder, his hands becoming countless afterimages. Under the crushing force of absolute reason and terrifying power, Zhao Wuji's proud "Thousand-Handed Copper Corpse" body became the most laughable toy.

"Sizzle! Crack! Bang!"

"This one was overcooked, it broke!"

"This one, tainted with the stench of too many lives, is to be destroyed!"

In just ten breaths, Li Xuangeng tore apart, snapped, and crushed all of Zhao Wuji's hundreds of bronze arms one by one, like pulling up radishes!

The broken bronze arms and foul-smelling green blood scattered all over the ground had completely transformed the once sacred square into a scene of carnage.

"Bang!"

Li Xuangeng launched a flying kick, slamming it heavily into Zhao Wuji's already bald chest. This arrogant imperial envoy monster was sent flying like a broken sack, embedding itself heavily in the stone wall of the Longevity Altar, unable to move any further.

"Grand Preceptor... the Grand Preceptor will not let you go..." Zhao Wuji gushed out large amounts of green foam as he made his last desperate struggle.

"The Imperial Advisor? He's nothing but a mutated, nine-tailed fox who's lived for three thousand years. Once I reach the capital, I'll naturally skin him alive."

Li Xuangeng dusted off his Taoist robe and walked step by step toward Zhao Wuji, who was embedded in the wall.

Behind him, the towering, dark golden phantom of the [Creation Furnace] descended with unparalleled, terrifying heat!

"There are too many cancers in this world, and I have a good appetite. Now, it's your turn."

Li Xuangeng opened his hands, and the dark blue Samadhi True Fire instantly engulfed Zhao Wuji and the array core on his chest.

The agonizing screams lasted only half a second in the fire before abruptly ceasing.

"Ding! High-level Royal Aberration (Thousand-Handed Copper Corpse) defeated!"

"Purification complete! Obtained a top-grade elixir: [Dragon Vein Golden Pill] x1!"

"The Qingzhou 'Nine Netherworld Heaven-Stealing Array' has been completely shattered!"

Li Xuangeng held the golden pill that emitted a purple dragon aura and swallowed it.

A thunderous roar of raging true energy erupted from within him. He turned around, facing the stunned people of Qingzhou and Mu Wanjiao, and the gentle smile on his lips reappeared.

"With the head chef dead, I, a humble Taoist priest, must personally take the seat at the head table of this banquet in the capital."