"Boom!"

Outside Azure Flame City, deep within a remote forest, a massive explosion shook the surroundings, sending birds and beasts fleeing in every direction.

The blast was so powerful that, had it not been such an isolated place, it would've surely drawn the attention of nearby cultivators.

Just the wide, empty, and charred circle surrounding the area was enough to show how terrifying that explosion had been.

"Cough… cough…"

At the center of the crater, a figure lay sprawled on the scorched ground, coughing weakly. His dark robe was torn to shreds by the explosion, revealing a lean, blood-streaked body that still held traces of youth.

His breathing was shallow, each gasp sounding more like a struggle than a sign of life. The pool of blood beneath him hissed softly, evaporating under the lingering heat of the explosion.

It was clear that he was barely clinging to life.

"Cough… y-you…"

Although the figure was on the verge of death, his face still couldn't hide the shock.

"D-Divine Body… n-no wonder."

Han Luo muttered in disbelief, his eyes trembling as he stared at the fiery aura surrounding Tianyu; spiritual energy blazing like the sun itself.

He had never imagined that the nameless disciple he tailed from the Divine Cauldron Sect after the auction would possess a Divine Body.

Although it seemed incomplete and not awakened completely, it was still a Divine Body. Otherwise, how could his fiery aura easily break his Foundation Realm barrier?

He was totally caught off guard.

"W-wait… you cannot kill me. Cough… you don't know who I am!"

Han Luo suddenly shouted, seeing Tianyu preparing yet another attack.

Now that he was severely injured, he had less than ten percent of his strength left. He no longer had the ability to withstand another strike.

Unfortunately, Mo Tianyu had no intention to heed his words and continued to condense his fiery spiritual energy, the air around him growing hotter and hotter.

Since his physique wasn't fully awakened, Tianyu could only use the Sun Body twice.

Of course, he would never let this guy go. He wasn't that stupid.

"W-wait… no-Cough… I'm not lying! I'm Han Luo from the Han Family of the Eminence Sect! You cannot kill me!"

Feeling the air around him grow hotter, the murderous aura thickening, and death rapidly approaching, Han Luo suddenly panicked.

He had never imagined he would face such a situation so suddenly. Now, he deeply regretted his decision to leave his family in search of experience.

"Han family of the Eminence Sect?"

Fortunately for him, when Tianyu heard his words, he suddenly stopped for a moment.

"Cough!… yeah… the Han Family… one of the three pillars of the Eminence Sect."

Han Luo coughed out a mouthful of blood, his voice trembling yet laced with pride.

Seeing Tianyu finally pause, he let out a shaky breath of relief. He thought his life was now saved.

After all, anyone who knew the Han Family also knew their terror.

Unlike other sects, the Eminence Sect was founded through the union of several noble families, and among them, the Han Family stood as one of its three unshakable pillars.

Since his surname was Han, if he were to die here, his family would never let the murderer go, not until his soul was scattered and his corpse turned to dust, literally.

"L-look, this was all a misunderstanding. There is no need to kill for such a small thing, is there?"

"In fact, since you now know where I came from, how about you joi— wait… WHAT?"

"Crimson Sun Burst!"

"Boom!"

Han Luo thought Tianyu might hesitate, but the pause lasted only a heartbeat before he was engulfed in blazing fire like an inferno, more powerful than before.

Before he could even react, his body was reduced to cinders, and a shrill, agonizing cry tore from his throat as he vanished into smoke and ash.

He couldn't even plead this time.

"Tch… since you're from an aristocratic family, I cannot leave you alive even more."

After seeing the foundation-realm cultivator finally fall, Tianyu let out a long sigh of relief.

Using his Sun Body twice had taken a tremendous toll on his body; he already felt so weak that even standing was difficult.

Yet, despite the exhaustion, a smile never left his face.

After all, he really killed a foundation-realm cultivator with only his Qi Condensation Realm, even if it was an early stage.

'Heh… with such power, was my loss yesterday really a loss? Master was right.'

Tianyu thought in high spirits and began to move forward, intending to search the area for any storage rings, when suddenly he heard a sharp shout from his master.

"Tianyu, watch out!"

'Swoosh!'

As soon as he heard his master, he saw a streak of light shot from the dying blaze, aimed straight at his chest.

It moved so fast he couldn't react as it was already near his chest, ready to pierce through.

"Boom!"

Fortunately, Master Xueyin appeared just in time. Her transparent palm collided with the deadly attack, obliterating it into scattering sparks before it could reach Tianyu.

"This is bad."

Xueyin's expression didn't ease even after dispersing the unknown attack, though.

Her gaze instead turned solemn as she looked toward the far end of the forest, where another streak of light was flying rapidly.

Tianyu, dumbfounded, could only hear an extremely shrill, furious cry echoing in the entire forest:

"Bastard! I will remember this grudge! Damn it… wait… I will definitely take revenge!"

Surprisingly, the voice came from Han Luo, who should have died in the previous explosion.

Tianyu had no idea how the man had survived such a devastating attack.

---

"..."

"Fellow Daoist, where is… its head?"

Mo Zhiran stared at the carcass of the beast lying on the stall, speechless, and asked the shopkeeper.

After running through the crowded market, dodging carts and shouting merchants, he finally found the corpse of a fresh beast that was at the peak of the Qi Condensation realm.

But before he could get excited, he saw that the beast was headless.

In fact, it was the only piece missing from the corpse, as if someone had smashed its head to kill it.

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