On the long street, in the deep alley.

Two people stood facing each other, one with a smile hiding savagery, the other rigid with concealed vigilance.

The distant clamor had already arrived, boiling like oil in a pot.

But here, it had fallen into an ice-cold silence that chilled one to the bone.

Wuchang Clan, Xing Wu!

Jian Chou’s pupils contracted almost instantly.

The scenes from Pinzi Tower flowed rapidly backwards through her heart.

According to the rules, killing was not allowed in Wrongful Death City.

But when she left Pinzi Tower, the short shopkeeper had specifically reminded her, meaning that although this rule existed, it was practically meaningless.

Moreover, who said Sea-Mountain Market was equivalent to Wrongful Death City?

In an instant, coldness permeated Jian Chou’s spine.

She hadn’t expected this person to come so quickly.

However…

Jade Nirvana?

A ghost cultivator a full major realm above her was actually carrying out a sneak attack from behind?

Frost slowly formed in Jian Chou’s eyes. Her body had already tensed to the extreme, and she only let out a cold laugh devoid of emotion: “Is the prowess of the Jade Nirvana realm in sneak attacks from behind?”

If he hadn’t been tracking her all the way after she left Pinzi Tower, how could Xing Wu have so coincidentally encountered her here, how could he have struck just when no one was around, how could he have hit with one strike?

Jian Chou’s cultivation wasn’t high, but she wasn’t a fool either. She wouldn’t be unable to avoid ordinary attacks.

Besides a sneak attack, what other reason could there be?

This Xing Wu had come with killing intent!

Jian Chou had no doubt about this.

After hearing her cold laugh, Xing Wu’s face showed some anger, but it was quickly suppressed and forcibly transformed into a sinister satisfaction of impending success.

“To achieve one’s goals, by any means necessary. What’s wrong with ambushing you?”

“As long as you die here today, who else will know I did it?”

The laws of this world remained unchanged no matter where one went!

Everything was written by the strong!

Xing Wu stood on that long street, his white robes dancing wildly.

Those originally peaceful eyes now locked onto Jian Chou like a hawk’s, and he slowly took steps toward the deep alley where Jian Chou was.

As a ghost cultivator who could be called “historically the weakest Soul Orb realm,” the soul power surging through Jian Chou’s body was already thin.

At this moment, after being invaded by that sword-qi-like soul power, she was like a dam full of holes suddenly struck by floods.

In an instant, countless torrents burst forth from the rotting dam.

A pain that reached the soul shot up from her limbs and bones the moment Xing Wu stepped forward.

Jian Chou’s complexion turned pale in that instant.

“In this Cauldron Contest, I must obtain Wrongful Death City’s quota. You took the sword I wanted, which means you’ve blocked the path I must take…”

Xing Wu spoke in soft, gentle tones.

“Click,” the last step, he had already entered the deep alley.

At this moment, the entire center of Sea-Mountain Market, the entire Wrongful Death City below, was still in joyful boiling excitement, shrouded by that faint golden light.

Only this deep alley was suddenly filled with countless shadows.

One Jade Nirvana.

One Soul Orb that was practically nonexistent.

How could they contend?

Jian Chou didn’t know.

But Xing Wu knew. His right hand slowly pressed against his left shoulder, as if suddenly pressing a bone, making a clear “crack” sound.

Then, his five fingers moved, and a gray-white long sword was directly pulled from his shoulder!

Weapon Storage!

Storing weapons in the body!

This was a signature technique that all Extreme Domain ghost cultivators possessed after reaching the Soul Orb realm, almost as famous as “Golden Core cultivators can fly” in the Nineteen Continents!

Jian Chou had been in the Extreme Domain for a short time after all. She had only heard the name of this “Weapon Storage” technique, but this was the first time she had truly seen someone use it!

A sense of crisis surged to her heart. Almost the instant that gray-white stone-like long sword appeared, Jian Chou unhesitatingly dodged again!

Xing Wu’s expression was cold. The moment the long sword emerged, he struck with one hand, slashing toward Jian Chou without any flourish!

“Bang!”

Sharp sword qi, accompanied by drifting, swaying mist, instantly enveloped where Jian Chou had originally stood!

Whoosh!

In the deep alley, it was as if a sudden hurricane had swept through.

Jian Chou at the original spot almost instantly transformed into a pale blue ray of light, merging into the wind, ethereal and elusive. In the blink of an eye, she had moved from Xing Wu’s left side to his right side!

The moment her feet touched the ground, severe pain instantly shot from deep within Jian Chou’s mind!

She staggered, nearly falling to the ground.

“Clang!”

The black sword she had just bought was thrust toward the ground in time. The scabbard sank heavily into the ground, also supporting Jian Chou’s swaying body, allowing her to barely remain standing.

Xing Wu’s eyes had already widened.

He almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing—

What was that just now?

How could a Soul Orb realm cultivator possess such terrifying speed?

Previously, when she had avoided the ambush, he thought it was coincidence. But what about now?

Also coincidence?!

Where in the world…

Were there so many coincidences?

There must be something strange about this female cultivator!

Thinking this, Xing Wu’s gaze instantly became fervent.

The Jian Chou before him radiated an aura of weakness throughout her body. Although she was trying her best to stand steady, she still couldn’t stop her body’s swaying sensation, as if she might collapse at any moment.

The black sword he wanted was right before him.

Moreover, this female cultivator had given him a pleasant surprise—

Among the Ten Great Ghost Clans, each had their own cultivation methods.

Good techniques were hard to come by, and calling them priceless was not excessive.

Although he was a promising newcomer favored by the Wuchang Clan this year, Xing Wu could at most cultivate relatively ordinary techniques. The top-tier ones he could only covet.

Like this female cultivator before him, who could possess such amazing speed with such meager cultivation, she must be practicing rare, top-tier techniques!

There was a sword and techniques—this haul wouldn’t be a loss!

Having figured this out, after his strike failed again, Xing Wu actually laughed out loud, with a hint of greedy color flashing in his eyes: “It seems heaven wants me to strike it rich! Hahaha…”

As laughter rose, the gray-white stone sword also suddenly lifted!

Xing Wu pointed his long sword, directly at Jian Chou—

Today, he absolutely wouldn’t give this female cultivator the slightest chance to escape!

Stomping his foot, immediately a circle of spiritual light flashed like ripples.

Xing Wu’s face also seemed shrouded in a strange radiance.

He murmured, and the moment he rose with his sword, a cold wind suddenly blew from the void, condensing onto his long sword!

Wuchang Four Swords!

“Wind Sword!”

“Swoosh!”

Sharp sword qi unhesitatingly rushed toward Jian Chou!

A one-sided brutal battle had just begun.

At this moment, everyone was immersed in the excitement of the impending Cauldron Contest, gathered in the square, looking at those newly emerged rules, discussing among themselves, unwilling to leave.

This included Chen Tingyan.

In Sea-Mountain Market’s square, a huge golden pillar stood in the center, six zhang in diameter and a hundred zhang tall!

Grim skull carvings coiled around the base of the pillar, with hellish karma fire surrounding it, mixing with the pillar’s golden color, radiating a golden-red like sunset’s brilliant shadow.

Countless ancient, simple dark black characters, like insect legs, densely arranged in the pillar’s center, slightly writhing.

This was the “Golden Decree.”

Since the Extreme Domain established the Cauldron Contest, there had been a saying: “When the Golden Decree emerges, the Cauldron Contest begins.”

Once the Golden Decree appeared, it meant only a hundred days remained until the Cauldron Contest.

This was a grand event that made the entire Extreme Domain rejoice. Each session’s rules changed, and as the Extreme Domain gradually developed and strengthened, each Cauldron Contest received increasingly more attention.

Chen Tingyan hadn’t been in the Extreme Domain very long, but through various records, he had already yearned for the Cauldron Contest.

He stood in the crowd, also stretching his neck to look, carefully discerning those densely packed characters.

At first, he didn’t feel anything unusual, but the moment he clearly saw the Cauldron Contest rules, Chen Tingyan felt like he’d been struck by Mount Tai…

Around him, countless ghost cultivators in Sea-Mountain Market also boiled over the moment they saw the rules clearly.

“My Lord Yama, I’m not seeing things, am I?”

“Are they crazy?”

“Hahaha, they’re playing big this year!”

“Who’s going to the Cauldron Contest? Hahaha! Who dares go?!”

“This is a big joke. I’m not going anyway, hahaha…”

“The Eighteen Levels of Hell! Worthy of Lord Qin Guang, the First Yama Lord. What an amazing move, fantastic!”

“…I don’t want to participate anymore…”

…

Countless chaotic voices instantly filled the square.

Chen Tingyan felt his entire brain was about to explode with these sounds.

After staring dumbly at those rules for a long time, Chen Tingyan pressed his chest and couldn’t help swallowing, muttering to himself: “Good heavens, does Lord Qin Guang have a problem with his brain…”

He actually made the Eighteen Levels of Hell one of the Cauldron Contest’s stages?!

The Eighteen Levels of Hell!

That was hell!

The eight Yama Lords each controlled hells specifically for punishing those who had committed sins in the mortal world—skinning, gouging eyes, cutting tongues, climbing mountains of knives, descending into boiling oil…

Just thinking about it made one’s hair stand on end!

Was this trying to scare everyone to death?!

Chen Tingyan thought about how he had also planned to participate in the Cauldron Contest this year, and now he simply had the urge to bang his head against a wall—

Was it still possible to withdraw now?

He shivered violently.

Reaching to touch his neck, wiping away the cold sweat from his nape, Chen Tingyan looked back at this boiling square and couldn’t find his Riyou Clan members at all.

Remembering that Jian Chou was still in that inn, probably still waiting for him, his eyes rolled around, and he directly slapped his fan.

Right, for such a grand event, he should bring Jian Chou over to see it too!

Chen Tingyan suddenly remembered Jian Chou, whom he had temporarily forgotten, and hurriedly squeezed through the sea of people in the square, walking toward the earlier Eight Treasures Tower.

By the long street, in the deep alley.

A one-sided brutal battle also seemed to finally be approaching its end.

Although Xing Wu had just advanced to the fourth realm Jade Nirvana and wasn’t particularly powerful, fighting against an existence like Jian Chou who had almost no combat ability was absolutely one-sided crushing!

The Wuchang Clan’s “Wuchang Four Swords” had considerable reputation in the Extreme Domain.

Xing Wu was quite talented in this path and had received much praise from clan elders. This time was his first real battle using the “Wuchang Four Swords” after breaking through to Jade Nirvana.

Although his opponent was somewhat weak and couldn’t make him completely burn with excitement, that sense of ease that almost exceeded his limits grew stronger!

The excitement would eventually end, and this battle would subsequently be discovered.

So the time left for Xing Wu was actually running short.

He intensified his attacks, one sword after another, interspersed with various other techniques that Jian Chou had never heard of, much less seen, almost instantly forcing Jian Chou into a desperate situation.

Whether in the Extreme Domain or the Nineteen Continents, the principles of cultivation were always the same.

How important a solid foundation was—Fudao Shanren had emphasized this countless times. How could Jian Chou not know?

But after entering the Extreme Domain, she was forced by pressure to break through unwillingly.

So, although she seemed to have entered the third realm “Soul Orb,” in terms of actual combat ability, she was probably only comparable to first realm “Soul Nourishing” ghost cultivators.

How could such a weak and injured Jian Chou contend with a fourth realm Jade Nirvana cultivator?

After several consecutive exchanges, all extremely swift, Jian Chou was completely at a disadvantage.

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

One sword after another, Jian Chou retreated step by step!

However…

Each of her movements was just a bit faster than Xing Wu’s!

Faster by a hair!

Faster by a hair!

Faster by a hair!

Always faster by a hair!

Always just a bit away from cutting down Jian Chou!

Xing Wu’s heart had already developed a feeling of “this is cursed.”

That feeling of being just a tiny bit short each time was extremely frustrating!

The person before him was merely a Soul Orb realm cultivator!

This speed, this reaction—it was simply incredibly fast beyond imagination!

The more he fought, the greater Xing Wu’s anger grew, but his anticipation also increased.

The light in his eyes had already become brilliant, burning: “Fast? How fast can you be! Today I’ll let you see what truly fast means!”

Wuchang Four Swords: Wind, Rain, Thunder, Lightning!

Xing Wu had already used the first three swords. The Wind Sword was agile and fierce, the Rain Sword sharp and mighty, the Thunder Sword imposing and heavy, and the final sword—

Lightning was the swiftest and most dangerous of the four swords!

Raising his hand, his five fingertips swept across the stone sword’s rough surface, immediately injecting a stream of soul essence from his fingertips into the long sword.

“Crack!”

A brilliant deep blue electric light instantly rose from the sword’s center, swift as rushing thunder!

Xing Wu stared at Jian Chou before him.

At this moment, Jian Chou had just barely avoided Xing Wu’s previous strike in the nick of time. The sword qi’s residual force scattered like fragments, piercing into her “fragile” body, giving her the illusion that she might really die here.

But…

Die here?

Impossible!

She had endured the Great Cauldron Body Refinement, survived the Black Wind Tribulation, even withstood the Earth Binding Array’s tempering…

Could these plain, unchanged “Wuchang Four Swords” presume to take her head?

She and this Xing Wu before her truly had no grievances or enmity—it was merely an unnecessary dispute in Pinzi Tower. Yet he wanted to draw his sword to kill, even coveting her techniques?

The cultivation world’s dangers—Jian Chou had long heard of them.

But in the past, she had Yashan behind her. All the most direct and sordid matters seemed separated by a veil, not so real.

But now, wanting to take someone’s life over a single matter or object, to drive someone to death—this appeared so realistically before her eyes!

It was even happening to her!

Ironic to the extreme, and ridiculous to the extreme.

The soul power within her body diminished another layer under these scattering sword qi.

Jian Chou knew this was the best opportunity—she could wait no longer!

Someday, gold and silver riches, copper skin and iron bones, spiritual medicines and precious pills…

All would decay and rot.

Only the word “Dao” would remain forever in the heart!

Her sixth-level Human Vessel body was gone, her Golden Core cultivation from the Nineteen Continents was completely sealed…

But she still had a black sword in her hand, still had her talent for battle, still had that understanding of merging with wind at any time and place!

And…

Her meager soul power that she had painstakingly, continuously accumulated!

Enough for her to deliver the only, and final, strike!

Really, was it just being a bit faster? That simple?

Her heart heated up.

Her blood burned!

The black sword long held in her palm began to tremble slightly.

Jian Chou instantly recalled the feeling when she first obtained this sword, that natural sense of fusion—

Natural unity of human and sword!

It might not be the best sword, but it was absolutely compatible with her!

It was wind’s stone, and she was the person riding the wind!

Five fingers, tight grip!

The moment her fingertips completely pressed against the rough sword handle, an ethereal sound seemed to arise!

As if a breeze had blown across the black long sword, through those round or sharp holes on it, producing a flute-like sobbing sound…

Like weeping, like lamenting.

At that moment, Xing Wu’s long sword had already been raised suddenly;

At that moment, the deep blue electric snake had become a thick purple giant python;

At that moment, the sword tip flickering like a snake’s tongue was pointing directly at her brow!

Wind brushed her face, sword momentum soared!

Xing Wu gave a long howl, already following his sword’s emergence!

As long as this sword struck out like lightning, everything would come to an abrupt end!

The smile at his lips had already naturally curved open, without the slightest doubt about this battle’s ultimate victory…

At this moment, Jian Chou’s brow was only inches from his sword tip!

But also at this moment.

A wind came—

In the deep alley sealed by thunderous sword momentum, that wisp of coolness seemed to break through some taboo, falling on Xing Wu’s face, on Jian Chou’s sword…