Fu Chaosheng, struck down by the Execute Evil seal, fell all the way from above the Extreme Domain into the eighteen layers of hell, crashing through several levels. Xie Buchen and the others followed down through the cracks he had smashed, passing through four layers of hell without finding any trace of him.

Instead, after reaching the fourth layer, he pondered briefly and said to the others: “I suspect someone will follow down to rescue this demon. Her strength has suddenly changed and may not be something we can match. Master views this demon as a grave threat to his heart, so we naturally should eliminate this trouble for him. Moreover, this hell’s scope is truly vast. Why don’t we split into two groups and search ahead? If we find traces of the demon or encounter danger, we can notify each other?”

Hell was truly too vast, and the dangers behind were unpredictable. Kunwu’s people were all considered intelligent among cultivators, instantly understanding the reasoning and mostly nodding in agreement.

Only Wang Que frowned.

He looked at Xie Buchen with some contemplation, but having his own considerations, he didn’t object either.

So these half of Kunwu’s disciples all separated, with Xie Buchen leading one group and Wang Que leading another, each pursuing forward.

Xie Buchen’s cultivation had already entered the mortal realm, so naturally his investigation range was broader.

He only knew that deity Shaoji, with just that thread of remnant body, could escape from under the noses of many mighty cultivators. Fu Chaosheng probably wouldn’t be much weaker. If they delayed too long, they might not find him and let him escape instead. So he simply didn’t wait for others and directly pursued forward alone.

Because Jian Chou had been delayed for a moment confronting Hengxu Laoguai, when she pursued from behind, she had already lost track of everyone. Fortunately, her cultivation was high enough, and now she was also the Ninth Hall Yama King of the Extreme Domain. Racing through this hell was like entering an uninhabited realm. She didn’t bother with where Kunwu’s cultivators were searching, but looked for Fu Chaosheng following the direction of his fall.

Kunwu wasn’t important—Fu Chaosheng was.

She had to rescue him before everyone else.

Her massive consciousness sensed in all directions, while beneath her feet she used the earth-shrinking technique unique to bounded realm cultivators, quickly passing through the first four layers of hell.

In the fifth layer of hell, she encountered Wang Que, Wu Duan and others on a narrow path.

Without even leaving them a chance to speak, Jian Chou’s figure had already leaped past, simultaneously swinging out a sword light with her backhand. Though it didn’t harm their lives, it carved a deep crack between spaces—only bounded mighty beings who could command spatial power could cross it, temporarily blocking this group from advancing further!

When Wang Que and the others reacted, she had already gone far.

Going down another two layers of hell, she finally discovered traces of Xie Buchen in the seventh layer’s Ox Pit Hell.

It was right beside that Black Wind Sky Pit she had encountered when participating in the cauldron contest long ago.

The old sky pit had been extremely vast and broad. Now, struck by rock and earth layers falling from the upper levels of hell, it had actually been destroyed by more than half.

Half the sky pit had been smashed beyond recognition.

Standing at the sky pit’s edge was like standing on a crescent-shaped cliff edge. One step to the side, and below was the eighth layer of hell like an abyss.

Xie Buchen seemed to have finished investigating but hadn’t yet had time to act.

Then he looked up and saw Jian Chou.

Jian Chou had already detected his traces when she first entered this layer, and also sensed Fu Chaosheng’s aura on this level. For a moment she gripped her sword tightly, but not knowing how much Xie Buchen had discovered, she concealed her emotions without showing any signs, only landing on the other side of the sky pit.

The black wind that had once raged terrifyingly had vanished without trace. The pit walls still bore the messy traces of Little Marten and Kui Ox’s great battle from before, and the pit bottom had also collapsed by half, like ruins.

In the empty wilderness, only the two of them gazed at each other from afar.

A clear breeze came, lifting their robes.

Faintly like that first meeting in spring wind long ago, watching all the beauty in peach blossoms, letting years pass by—her beauty unchanged, the young master as before.

Xie Buchen also seemed in no hurry to act, only feeling the invisible long wind blowing through this place, saying lightly: “Clear wind but no bright moon—what a pity…”

“Young Master Lantai, how could you understand Zhuangzi’s natural sounds?” Jian Chou laughed mockingly, sword in hand. “Fine wind and beautiful moon—giving them to you would be waste!”

As her words fell, truly neither showed the other any courtesy!

Those who didn’t know might have thought these two were about to discuss wind and moon, but just the next moment, they simultaneously attacked each other without hesitation!

Though their strength differed greatly, Xie Buchen actually wasn’t afraid.

From the Kunwu disciples she had encountered along the way who had split into two groups, Jian Chou could tell that Xie Buchen had originally intended to use everyone to delay her time and had anticipated she would come. Now daring to compete with her using mortal realm cultivation, he probably calculated that she was pressed for time and couldn’t afford delays!

After all, besides Fu Chaosheng, she also had the severely injured kun in her sleeve.

Not to mention, the spatial crack from before could only trap those Kunwu people for a while. When they arrived, the consequences would be unthinkable!

Thinking of this, Jian Chou felt infinite disgust for Xie Buchen’s omnipresent scheming and struck even more mercilessly!

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

“Bang!”

…

In an instant of contact, they had already exchanged more than ten moves!

Jian Chou had broken through to bounded realm, but after first slaying Lord Qin Guang and then fighting deity Shaoji multiple times, her strength was somewhat depleted. Moreover, after forging her chaotic body, though her original dao seals remained, when it came to using them, they strangely weren’t as handy as before.

The ghost ax and Book of Life and Death were excellent for dealing with Lord Qin Guang and Shaoji, having natural restraining power.

But for dealing with ordinary cultivators, the Thread of Sky was naturally more appropriate.

Xie Buchen was also no saint.

The various cultivation essentials and technique methods left by that mysterious master in the old residence at Wrongful Death City—he had already read them all during this period of attacking the Extreme Domain. With his extremely strong natural talent and exceptional gifts, through integration and comprehension, his realm had directly approached Void Refining!

Not to mention the various dao techniques from the “Forty-Eight Records of Green Peak Temple” he had learned in those four hundred years in the mustard seed!

Even if he couldn’t defeat Jian Chou, he could still delay for quite a while.

The two sometimes fought above the sky pit, sometimes pressed close to the pit wall covered with wind-swallowing stones, turning and maneuvering, neither yielding to the other.

Xie Buchen desperately responded to each of Jian Chou’s moves and techniques.

But Jian Chou was constantly judging his strength through these rapid collision exchanges, seeking to glimpse an opportunity for a fatal strike!

The Thread of Sky’s sharpness and killing aura were beyond what ordinary cultivators could bear.

Jian Chou continuously used spatial power to pressure Xie Buchen, reducing his maneuvering space. Finally, when he held the Human Emperor Sword and turned to avoid her sword edge, she found the perfect moment!

The two figures crossed paths in a flash!

Jian Chou’s chaotic power surged within her body, actually forcibly activating the Wind Thunder Wings. Red-gold radiance surrounded her as wings spread like blade edges, sweeping toward Xie Buchen’s neck the instant her figure brushed past his!

This was a battle variation, with even Jian Chou herself acting on opportunity—it should have been impossible for anyone to anticipate this move.

Yet Xie Buchen showed no panic at all!

On the contrary, in that lightning flash when they crossed paths and met face to face, his gaze swept over Jian Chou and he actually frowned.

“Boom!”

The next moment, sudden changes erupted in the sky pit!

Countless wind-swallowing stones exploded simultaneously, bursting out an extremely strange wind force. In all directions, countless spirit stones lit up—clearly a great formation already laid out!

At this moment, Jian Chou had already crossed paths with Xie Buchen. When she sensed something wrong, half her body was already covered by this formation. When she wanted to turn and counterattack, she was shocked to see that Xie Buchen’s other hand not holding the sword was behind his back, tightly gripping an ink ruler!

It was what she had glimpsed on the battlefield before!

A rare sense of crisis struck her heart. Without need for elaboration, Jian Chou’s heart sank, knowing she had been careless and fallen into a trap.

The Human Emperor Sword was withdrawn, the ink ruler emerged!

The strange and mysterious formation used the sky pit as foundation, bizarre wind force penetrating the entire pit, trapping Jian Chou within the formation. Despite her previous comprehension of the wind-riding dao seal, she couldn’t merge with this wind to escape. Not to mention that oppressive force that shouldn’t have descended!

It was as if this formation possessed different rules from this heaven and earth!

Xie Buchen gripped the ruler tightly, like holding a sharp blade, drawing it toward her head!

One ruler is one heaven and earth!

Who says following rules rigidly means staying in place, means being bad?

Sometimes, holding to oneself is actually rare.

Being one’s own school—one self is one unique corner of the world!

Though Jian Chou could see this formation’s depths, she couldn’t see this ink ruler’s depths. Though trapped in the formation, since the Wind Thunder Wings were out, she didn’t plan to withdraw them!

She simply charged through forcibly!

Actually risking being trapped in the formation herself to seize the opportunity to slay Xie Buchen!

Xie Buchen also hadn’t expected that even at this point she still wouldn’t retreat even half a step. He had originally wanted to wait for her to withdraw momentum before limiting her with the ink ruler, but if he didn’t defend now, before he could succeed, this head would fall!

With his cultivation, he could at most severely injure Jian Chou.

But if injured by Jian Chou in this situation, the strength gap would bring him the most fatal danger—only death awaited him.

Xie Buchen ultimately had to be careful, forced to defend. When the Wind Thunder Wings spread toward his neck, he actually reached out his hand!

His palm seemed to hold a bright moon, ten thousand sword intents flowing between his fingers!

His gaze swept over these Wind Thunder Wings, inevitably recalling his feelings when he first learned these wings appeared on Jian Chou years ago.

Five fingers exerted force, forcibly grasping them!

He suddenly laughed, his other hand flipping between fingers. The ink ruler underwent unpredictable transformations, actually gushing forth millions of ink-wash energies!

Falling ruler like blade, falling ink like sword!

Sliding across Jian Chou’s Wind Thunder Wings!

Simultaneously, that right hand gripping the wings forcibly pulled outward—

“Puff!”

The Dijiang Wind Thunder Wings dao seal originally tightly attached to Jian Chou’s shoulder blades was actually forcibly stripped away by this strange ruler’s power!

Along with it, the other dao seals around her body all swayed precariously!

Even a chaotic body, built resembling human form, still had awareness and feeling.

The instant the dao seal was stripped away, bone-deep pain like flaying a living person transmitted throughout her entire body!

That massive and dangerous wing was actually torn off by Xie Buchen forcibly!

Blood splattered the long sky!

Jian Chou had never seen the techniques and power of Xie Buchen’s mysterious weapon before. Suddenly receiving this strike, she was indeed somewhat caught off guard. But the reaction speed long brewing in her consciousness made her grit her teeth and forcibly endure the severe pain from her shoulder blades, thunderously slashing her sword toward a corner of the sky pit!

“Boom!”

The sword carried spatial power, instantly surpassing that entangling wind force, striking several wind-swallowing stones and spirit stones, immediately shattering them. The entire formation also thunderously collapsed at this moment!

The sky-filling strange wind issued sharp roars, scattering toward the high sky!

Jian Chou staggered beneath her feet, turning to land at the sky pit’s edge.

Her shoulder blades were already a mass of bloody flesh, fresh blood dyeing the magnificent mountain and river patterns on her back. Though the wound wasn’t considered severe, it looked truly shocking, revealing some unspeakable tragedy.

Xie Buchen stood in the void, the bloodied Wind Thunder Wings without their master’s support transformed back into a dao seal.

Clear wind blew his blue robe, aloof and otherworldly.

He held the dao seal at his fingertips, golden light flashing, like a celestial being standing on jade towers reaching for stars.

Turning his gaze toward Jian Chou, his expression held no much joy at success, only watching her and saying: “You appear calm but actually care leads to confusion, and confusion leads to errors. What I set up was originally trivial technique, obvious enough—you shouldn’t have been unable to see through it.”

But Jian Chou only observed, not answering this statement or showing any unusual emotion, only saying: “Worthy of being the famed ‘Purple Micro Dao Child.’ Fu Chaosheng blocked primordial tribulation punishment power for Hengxu yet still received heavy injuries; though your cultivation isn’t just this surface level, under tribulation punishment power, you’re still merely ordinary, yet you could escape completely unharmed—truly inconceivable.”

She had seen through it.

Xie Buchen smiled, the ink ruler turning. His gaze was lightly indifferent, but his manner sharp as a blade. Shaking his sleeves, his cultivation originally at mortal realm peak suddenly surged upward!

In an instant, he had broken through limits, reaching Void Refining!

Seeing this, Jian Chou wasn’t surprised at all, even showing some mockery in her eyes, only saying: “I’m afraid besides cultivation, that cauldron was also key?”

“Oh?”

Xie Buchen raised his eyebrows, somewhat interested.

He truly wasn’t hurrying to act, neither panicked nor rushed, as if he could stand here chatting with her until the end of time.

Jian Chou then said: “If Hengxu had this object, he probably wouldn’t have given it to you—he would have used it himself when triggering tribulation punishment. For elites like you and me from a sect, the focus of the world’s attention, where we’ve gone and what we’ve explored are all in others’ eyes. Each time, each place, the purpose is never simple. Calculating your whereabouts, when you went to the snowy domain together to explore the esoteric sect, I suppose I didn’t mind and actually let Daoist Xie obtain ‘opportunity.'”

She guessed completely correctly.

The Nine Doubts Cauldron had long been in Xie Buchen’s hands.

Before going to the snowy domain that year, he had received Hengxu Laoguai’s instructions to bring back this magical artifact that could avoid ten thousand tribulations, to use for helping him cross the heart-questioning dao tribulation.

But he had told Hengxu upon return that this object had fallen into Jian Chou’s hands.

Whether Hengxu suspected, he didn’t know, but subsequently having to cross the heart-questioning dao tribulation, he had no choice but to force himself to endure it, actually losing some of his own cultivation.

Thinking that when he sacrificed the Nine Doubts Cauldron today, this master of his probably wouldn’t be calm inside?

Xie Buchen smiled at her while counting past events: “The snowy domain journey, much thanks to Daoist Jian Chou’s blessing—first using the Blue Kingfisher to lure out Garan, allowing me to successfully obtain the Nine Doubts Cauldron; then because of your actions, mistakenly entering the mustard seed, borrowing four hundred years from heaven out of thin air, learning exquisite dao techniques. In the past, it was always you seizing my qi fortune and stealing my opportunities—first killing in the Red Small Realm to fight for this Dijiang dao seal, then the Three Thousand Small Gathering snatching the lone platform, later the hidden realm journey constantly opposing me, tearing away notes, destroying my body and soul… The good things in this world can’t all be taken by you, daoist friend.”

Seizing qi fortune, stealing opportunities?

What did this amount to?

Though Jian Chou’s cultivation far exceeded his, and though she had lost the Wind Thunder Wings dao seal, she still didn’t take him seriously. Only at this moment she laughed mockingly, with some deep meaning: “What I’ve taken from you is probably more than you think.”

“…”

In an instant, dangerous killing intent was about to burst from his eyes.

But barely suppressed.

Xie Buchen knew her too well. Earlier being calculated by him was indeed her caring leading to confusion, but once suffering this loss, she had completely calmed down, her planning and considerations probably even more thorough than his.

This statement was clearly provocation and testing.

His thoughts flowed, ultimately not revealing the slightest flaw, only gently loosening his hand. That Wind Thunder seal dao seal scattered like sand meeting wind at his fingertips, then slowly looking at her, word by word: “You care about him… excessively…”