The Tianlan Grand Elder’s eyes carried a mocking look.
The Eighth Elder flew into a rage at these words, blue veins bulging on his forehead: "You’re courting death!"
The Peach Wood Sword suddenly chopped down, and wherever the sword edge passed, the Void was torn open into a ten-thousand-zhang-long rift.
Violent chaotic currents of the Void spewed out from within, turning into tens of thousands of ferocious black dragons that roared as they pounced at the Tianlan Grand Elder.
The Cultivators of the various sects watching from afar all changed countenance and hurriedly activated their Protective Treasures.
"That’s the ’Void Attraction’ secret technique of the Qinghe Sacred Land!"
"The power of this strike could probably sever mountains and rivers!"
Facing this world-annihilating blow, the Tianlan Grand Elder merely gave a disdainful smile.
His withered, twig-like finger flicked lightly, and a strand of emerald-green vine grew out from his fingertip.
Starlike radiance flowed along the surface of the vine, and faintly, countless nebulae could be seen arising and extinguishing within it.
"Star Spirit Vine! That’s the sect-guarding Supreme Treasure of Tianlan Sacred Land!"
A knowledgeable Cultivator cried out in shock.
The vine swelled against the wind, in the blink of an eye stretching to a thousand-zhang length.
Two beams of black and white light burst forth from the tip of the vine, twining and rotating like a yin-yang fish.
Wherever they passed, the violent chaotic currents of the Void melted away in an instant, like snow meeting boiling water.
"Life and Death Secret?!"
The Eighth Elder’s pupils abruptly contracted, and the Peach Wood Sword in his hand trembled violently, as if it had encountered its nemesis.
He bit through the tip of his tongue, spitting a mouthful of Essence Blood onto the sword: "Break for me!"
After the Peach Wood Sword absorbed the Essence Blood, all the runes on the blade lit up, and a golden sword aura that pierced through heaven and earth shot straight into the sky.
Within the sword aura, a vague silhouette faintly appeared, exuding a frightening pressure that made hearts palpitate.
In the distance, the Qinghe Fifth Elder who was watching the battle transmitted his voice excitedly.
"Old Eight, this is your chance! That silhouette is the Divine Artifact’s projection—strike now—"
A cold light flashed in the Tianlan Grand Elder’s eyes.
"Petty trick."
The Star Spirit Vine suddenly accelerated, black and white beams interweaving into a gigantic net that blotted out the sky as it fell down.
The moment the golden sword aura collided with the giant net, heaven and earth fell into a brief silence, then erupted with a blinding glare.
"Crack—"
The crisp sound of shattering resounded through the clouds, the runes on the Peach Wood Sword went dark one after another, and cracks appeared on the blade.
The Eighth Elder’s tiger’s mouth split open, blood dripping down along his wrist.
"Impossible..."
"Bang!"
The Peach Wood Sword completely exploded, countless fragments carrying the remnant aura of the Divine Artifact shooting out in all directions.
The Star Spirit Vine did not slow in the slightest, lashing viciously onto the Eighth Elder’s chest.
"Pff—"
The Eighth Elder spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of his organs, and a bone-deep wound stretched from his left shoulder to his right abdomen.
He crashed heavily onto the ground.
When the dust finally settled, a giant crater appeared before everyone’s eyes.
The Eighth Elder lay at the bottom of the pit, his entire body drenched in blood, and only the faint rise and fall of his chest proved that he was still alive.
"He actually didn’t die?"
The Tianlan Grand Elder raised his brows slightly, looking at the Star Spirit Vine in his hand whose light had dimmed.
"I underestimated that broken piece of wood."
The Fifth Elder’s face was ashen, his lips trembling, yet he couldn’t utter a single word.
The Tianlan Grand Elder swept his gaze around; wherever his turbid eyes passed, Cultivators all lowered their heads to avoid his sight.
His figure suddenly blurred, turning into a streaking Shadow as he shot toward the distant mountain range.
The Great Elder of Tianlan Sacred Land stood before the cave entrance.
Those elders who were normally aloof and high above all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.
The Great Elder turned around and was just about to step into the cave.
The sky suddenly split open with a pitch-black rift.
From within the crack came an earth-shaking tiger’s roar as a gigantic tiger, its entire body a cyan hue, stepped out, trampling the Void to pieces.
Standing on the tiger’s back was a thin old man—none other than the Qinghe Sacred Land’s Great Elder.
"You old bastard, how dare you!"
The Tianlan Grand Elder’s expression changed drastically, his figure transforming into a stream of light as he shot toward the cave.
The Qinghe Great Elder let out a cold laugh, lifting his right foot, which instantly swelled a thousandfold, descending like a mountain.
"Boom—"
The entire great mountain collapsed amid a heaven-shaking roar, dust billowing up into the sky and rubble flying everywhere.
The terrifying shockwave swept across a hundred li in all directions, the ground cracking open into chasms.
"You’re seeking death!!!"
From within the dust cloud came the Tianlan Grand Elder’s hysterical roar.
A gray Shadow burst out from the ruins, hair disheveled, eyes blazing with boundless fury.
The Qinghe Great Elder looked down from above, his voice icy cold.
"Since we can’t capture him alive, then we’ll just kill him directly. Old thing, if you know what’s good for you, scram. Otherwise, today you’ll be buried here!"
"Impossible..."
The Tianlan Sacred Land Great Elder muttered to himself.
"Even if he’s dead, there should at least be a corpse..."
In the distance, experts from the other Holy Lands looked at each other.
The Heavenly Immortal Sacred Land Third Elder narrowed his eyes.
"Something’s off. Could that kid really have escaped?"
"Escaped?"
An elder beside him sneered.
"Right under the noses of the two Great Elders of top Holy Lands? Unless he has a Saint Master–level Space Treasure!"
"Then what’s going on now?"
"Shh... look over there!"
The Qinghe Holy Land Great Elder suddenly raised his hand, a streak of green light shooting toward a certain spot in the ruins.
The ground exploded, revealing a bottomless pit.
"Search for me! Dig three feet into the earth if you have to, but find that brat!"
The Tianlan Sacred Land Great Elder flicked his sleeve, and countless black and white threads flew out from within, drilling into the ground.
Each thread carried his Divine Thought, probing deep into the earth veins.
Experts from the two Holy Lands moved out one after another, turning the entire forest upside down.
Trees were uprooted, mountain rocks blasted to powder, and even the earth veins were forcibly torn apart.
After a full day and night, the forest was completely unrecognizable, yet they had only found a few low-grade Magical Treasures.
"Great Elder..."
The Fifth Elder cautiously approached the Qinghe Holy Land Great Elder.
"Could it be that..."
"Shut up!" the Qinghe Holy Land Great Elder roared. "Keep searching!"
Meanwhile, several dozen li away at the main gate of Qinghe Holy Land, Gu Sheng and Ling Xiao were blended into the bustling crowd.
"You’re sure this will work?"
Gu Sheng lowered his voice and asked. He was disguised as an ordinary-looking young man, even his aura completely altered.
Ling Xiao’s lips curled slightly.
"Relax. I left plenty of misleading traces in the cave and even used a Secret Technique to simulate your aura. Those old geezers are definitely still digging up the ground over there right now."
In front of the towering stone gate, people thronged shoulder to shoulder, the three plazas packed with young Cultivators from all over.
Some of them wore luxurious clothes, clearly scions of a Family; others were dressed simply and plainly, obviously Loose Cultivators at a glance.

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