Otherworldly Affairs Office

In the distance, Jin Qiongyu's angry shout echoed, accompanied by a soul-stirring thunder array that startled Pelidron to his core. His wings flapped wildly as he plummeted toward the ground, but his speed was no match for the Golden-winged Roc. Before the echo of Jin Qiongyu's shout faded, he had already descended above Pelidron with an endless Thunder Prison.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Each time the Golden-winged Roc above Pelidron flapped its wings, wind and thunder crashed down on Pelidron. This repeated over a dozen times, until the thunderclouds in the sky dispersed as they were exhausted. Pelidron, charred like a roasted chicken, fell straight toward the ground.

Thud! After creating a deep pit in the ground, Pelidron's body twitched a few times as he attempted to flap his charred black wings to take off again. Seeing this, Jin Qiongyu circled once in the air and swooped down, extending his razor-sharp claws.

Knowing he was defeated and his life was at risk, Pelidron refused to die without resistance. He stubbornly lifted his head and let out a mournful cry, swinging his antler-clad head toward the abdomen of the descending Golden-winged Roc. Jin Qiongyu saw this, flapped his wings to stabilize his form mid-air, and watched as the antlers pierced the empty space. His wings flapped fiercely, and countless steel feathers tilted down and pierced Pelidron's body.

After the wail, Pelidron lowered his proud head and his massive body fell to the ground with a thud, covered in steel feathers with blood flowing like a stream, staining the surrounding ground red. He breathed heavily from his nostrils, his body twitching, death imminent.

However, the enraged Jin Qiongyu was not ready to let the challenger off easily. He landed and dug his steel-hook-like claws into Pelidron's body, his beak tearing at the flesh like a chick pecking at rice, gouging out his eyes until Pelidron finally died completely.

Throwing aside the dismembered corpse, Jin Qiongyu scanned the battlefield. The battle involving the Dragon Race Prince Salafam wasn't going well. Even with the secret treasure gifted by his father, he couldn't gain an advantage over his uncle. Fafnir, having been forced to activate his modified bodily potential, seemed furious and stronger, nearly overwhelming his nephew.

Seeing Salafam's wounds covered in blood from his battle, Jin Qiongyu felt a headache. When she departed, the elders of the clan had warned her of this mission, assigned by the Dragon King, meant to mend relations between the two realms' divine beasts. She had been instructed to follow orders and protect his safety.

Though she harbored much discontent and resentment, for the sake of the clan's interests, she couldn't stand idly by. With that thought, she flapped her wings and leapt into the fray, joining the battle with one dragon and one roc against Fafnir.

In stark contrast to the victory with the Investigation Hall and the golden roc, Cao Jiu Zhou from the Daoist Realm and Shen Yuanzhou found themselves driven to the brink.

He and Shen Yuanzhou originally exchanged blows with wins and losses. But unexpectedly, a giant iron meteor summoned by a rogue dragon from the Magic Realm fell right where Cao Jiu Zhou was standing. Seeing this, Cao Jiu Zhou hurriedly used his cultivation technique to evade.

However, Shen Yuanzhou took a risky move, advancing aggressively while making use of the opponent's confusion. He launched a series of sneak attacks, leaving several wounds on Cao Jiu Zhou while holding him in place, both of them taking the impact from the meteorite.

Emerging from the ruins, both appeared in a miserable state. However, Cao Jiu Zhou was badly injured due to the opponent's desperate act, gradually falling into a disadvantage in the subsequent battle.

"Old Dog Cao, living the comfortable life in the Immortal Palace for so long, you've lost the courage to put your life on the line! You've become a useless fool who forgot how to fight!" After yet another clash where they separated, Shen Yuanzhou stood with his longsword in his right hand, grabbed a wine gourd with his left, uncapped it, took a hearty drink, and tossed the empty gourd aside, smirking defiantly at the heavily injured Cao Jiu Zhou.

Standing on the ice not far away, Cao Jiu Zhou trembled uncontrollably. His clothes on one side were soaked by blood and sweat, and the blood flowed down his sword-wielding hand, forming a stream on the ground. Behind him, his clothes were ripped by a terrifying sword wound that slashed from his right shoulder down to his waist, the exposed flesh blackened as if scorched.

Hearing Shen Yuanzhou's taunts, Cao Jiu Zhou didn't retort. Indeed, the comfortable life as a Tributor made him lose the spur-of-the-moment courage for a life-and-death fight. This slight hesitation led to his current predicament, but he knew better than to argue.

Taking out a pill supplied by the palace, he swallowed it whole. Cao Jiu Zhou lifted his head, his cold eyes locking onto the complacent Shen Yuanzhou. Yet, if Shen Yuanzhou thought he had won so easily, he was too naive. Who was he! He was an elder of the Clear Wind Talisman Transformation Sect of the six Immortal Palace halls! He was Cao Jiu Zhou!

Seeing the resolute look in Cao Jiu Zhou's eyes, Shen Yuanzhou sensed danger. It seemed his taunt had pushed the old dog to plan for a desperate fight, prompting Shen to increase his vigilance, ready for the final showdown.

He saw Cao Jiu Zhou tear off the blood-soaked robe sleeve with his longsword, casually tossing them aside, and pointed at the void to fetch a crimson talisman. Before Shen Yuanzhou's astonished gaze, he closed his eyes and swallowed the talisman whole.

"You're insane!" Shen Yuanzhou shouted incredulously at Cao Jiu Zhou's actions. In the Daoist Realm, reaching their level, death wasn't truly feared. They had various ways to seek rebirth, although with strict conditions and limited times, along with significantly reduced strength, as long as their soul wasn't harmed, there were ways to prolong life.

Even in his fight with Cao Jiu Zhou, Shen never expected to destroy the opponent completely, as merely inflicting severe injury requiring him to retreat and recuperate for years would be the best outcome. Yet, Cao Jiu Zhou was unexpectedly unmoved by provocation, willing to fight to the death over a few words.

He could recognize that talisman! It would summon the spirit of any former Sect Leader from the Clear Wind Talisman Transformation Sect, capable of incredible power but with an obvious downside. Because it disturbed the ancestors' spirits, using the talisman would consume the caster's considerable soul energy to be stored in the sect's Spiritual Tablet. Any carelessness during battle could lead to the caster's ultimate demise.

Seeing Spiritual Qi gathering within Cao Jiu Zhou, Shen Yuanzhou refused to wait idly and roared, infusing his longsword with red energy as he lunged forward.

Thud! With a sound of collision, Shen Yuanzhou stopped abruptly five meters before the opponent. An invisible wall of force blocked his longsword from advancing further.

Cao Jiu Zhou suddenly opened his eyes, shooting out cold gleams, and shouted lowly.

"The Clear Wind and Bright Moon fill Penglai!"