Xu Shan and Zhang Biao returned the way they came.

An hour later.

Two figures descended from the sky from different directions. One wore black robes, the other purple.

The purple-robed elder had a sinister face. In his hand, he held a bloody head, the blood from which was flowing back into his palm.

The blood was absorbed in an instant. The purple-robed man tossed aside the desiccated head and sneered at the man in black. "My good disciple, how did it go on your end?"

The black-robed man gave a slight nod. "The pursuers have been led away... It seems Master is also unharmed."

The purple-robed man smiled and turned to walk into the main hall, the man in black following closely behind.

Gazing at the empty bowl on the altar, the purple-robed man murmured, "To think the Ancient Immortal Marrow was completely absorbed in just two months..."

The black-robed man was amazed. "It's just as we predicted. I never thought something as useless as a Nether Spirit could actually be transformed into a Spiritual Root... The methods of the Ancient Immortals are truly mysterious and unpredictable."

The purple-robed man released his divine sense, which instantly swept the entire area around Chiyun Temple.

A smile touched the corners of his lips. "Good. It seems to have been successfully nurtured. Even my own divine sense can't detect him."

"Go find the Living Spiritual Root. Once my work is complete, we, master and disciple, will surely dominate the Cultivation World!"

"Disciple congratulates Master. From now on, Master will surely have a place of honor in the Demonic Path," the black-robed man said, kneeling in congratulations.

The purple-robed man smiled, just about to speak.

Suddenly, the black-robed man's five fingers formed a claw, wreathed in thick black energy, and shot towards his master as fast as lightning!

In his haste, the purple-robed man only had time to cover himself in a thin membrane of blood.

What seemed like an ordinary strike unleashed a suffocating might!

The blood membrane was torn apart, and the claw struck the purple-robed man's body with its full force.

A burst of explosive energy, carrying a plume of black smoke, tore through the roof and shot into the clouds as the main hall shattered with a deafening roar.

The dust and debris that were kicked up completely enveloped Chiyun Temple, obscuring everything from view.

When the smoke cleared, the center of Chiyun Temple's main hall had been utterly obliterated. A trench several meters deep was gouged into the ground, with only small sections of the hall remaining on either side.

The two figures gradually became visible, the man in black and the man in purple standing at opposite ends.

The black-robed man summoned his Dharma Treasure. An inky-black bladed wheel spun behind him, gathering power as specks of black light condensed upon it.

It heralded an attack of unparalleled might!

His master was already at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul realm. Although he was injured, his strength was so formidable that a single strike would never be enough to defeat him.

The purple-robed man coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, yet his face showed no sign of weakness. Instead, he laughed wildly. "Good disciple, you've graduated! Aren't you afraid of drawing the pursuers back?"

The black-robed man gave a faint smile. "Master jests. Haven't the pursuers already been dealt with? I don't believe any cultivator in this area has the ability to see through the restriction formation Master left behind."

The purple-robed man coughed up another mouthful of blood, staining both rows of his teeth crimson.

He maintained his savage grin. "Treacherous disciple! I, your master, led you through the Ancient Immortal's tomb, helped you seize the Ancient Immortal Marrow, and fled all the way into the territory of the Righteous Path. How many times did I save you along the way?"

"If it wasn't for you, you fool, leaking your aura and scaring a bunch of mortals to death, bringing the pursuers down on us, we wouldn't have missed the process of the Nether Spirit transforming into a Spiritual Root! Did I ever blame you for it? You ungrateful beast!"

The bladed wheel behind the black-robed man continued to spin, its black light now covering nearly half its surface.

*This Dharma Treasure is great in every way, except its charge-up time is too slow...*

Anxious, the black-robed man prepared to fend off an attack at any moment while stalling for time with his words. "Master misunderstands. Your disciple is only thinking of Master's well-being."

"Has Master forgotten the Ancient Immortal's last words? The method for nurturing a Living Spiritual Root was merely his theory. The Ancient Immortal Marrow was created by him refining his own living body, all to have his descendants verify his results. Does Master truly trust someone so insane?"

"I don't trust it... The Great Dao within the Ancient Immortal Marrow is profound and inscrutable. It could be a method for the Ancient Immortal to possess someone. Why not let your disciple test it for you, Master? It would save you from a great deal of danger."

The purple-robed man coughed violently. After steadying his breath, he said, "Enough of your sanctimonious nonsense. If you leave now, for old time's sake, I can spare your life. Go back to the Southern Border on your own."

The black-robed man sneered.

Return to the Demonic Path in the Southern Border? After fighting for the Ancient Immortal Marrow in the tomb, they had crossed the Chenling Sea to escape their enemies and ended up deep in the territory of the Righteous Path.

If not for his master's exceptionally clever concealment techniques, he would have likely died on the road long ago.

There was no way he could make it back to the Southern Border alone. Besides, for someone from the Demonic Path, being in the territory of righteous cultivators was ten times more dangerous than being in the Southern Border.

His only chance of survival was to break through to a new cultivation level and change his aura. The only way to do that was the Living Spiritual Root.

Right now, he had no idea if his master's weakened state was real or an act.

But it didn't matter. The floating bladed wheel behind him was now completely covered in a dark glow. He just needed to take two more steps forward to guarantee a one-hundred-percent hit.

The black-robed man stepped forward slowly. "Master's injuries have never healed, and you've just taken a blow from your disciple. You must be a spent force, right? Otherwise, why haven't you made a move yet? How about I give you a chance, Master? I'll let you leave first."

The purple-robed man stared at him and sneered, "Heh heh, not only are you not retreating, you're walking towards me?"

"If I don't get closer, how can I show my filial piety to you, Master?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the bladed wheel behind the black-robed man shot forward like a black meteor, circling around him. It abruptly expanded from the size of a millstone to several meters wide, then hurtled with ferocious, unstoppable momentum toward the purple-robed elder's face!

Wherever the black light from the wheel shone, plants withered and turned to dust.

At such a close distance, the purple-robed elder had no way to dodge.

But... it seemed he had no intention of dodging at all.

He just stood there, his body slightly hunched.

Seeing this, a sense of foreboding rose in the black-robed man's heart.

But the killing move had been unleashed with all his power; there was no possibility of retracting it.

Just as the dark, glowing bladed wheel was about to strike the purple-robed man's body, a sudden change occurred.

The seemingly indestructible wheel, along with its incredibly solid black light, inexplicably shattered.

The fragmented wheel, along with the surging black light, recoiled like a raging flood filled with countless sharp blades!

Before the black-robed man could even react, he was engulfed by the shattered wheel and the black light.

Once again, dust filled the air... then settled.

Only the purple-robed elder was left standing in the center of the clearing. He smiled faintly, straightened his back, and walked toward where the black-robed man lay.

At this moment, the black-robed man was on the verge of death, lying on the ground and gasping for breath on pure instinct.

His skin was gray and wrinkled, his body was covered in countless penetrating wounds, and his entire right arm had been severed by the shattered blades, yet not a single drop of blood flowed out.

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The purple-robed man stood before him, a hint of pity in his eyes. "I was indeed a spent force. A simple spell or two from you probably would have been enough to finish me."

"Why did you have to use such a powerful killing move? You... you're just too cautious, always thinking people are more complicated than they are."

*So he outsmarted me after all?*

Despair filled the eyes of the black-robed man, who had only a single breath left.

...