Chapter 171
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Chapter 171: Ruthless Extermination
The Purple Palace Steward instantly recognized the voice as belonging to the Nascent Soul True Immortal overseeing the treasure ship’s top level.
Truth be told, he’d considered this course earlier but hesitated to act. The Mo Sect loomed like an indomitable colossus—should news leak of their ambush against Mo Sect disciples, their entire crew would face capture and surrender without the sect needing to lift a finger. Their sole path to survival now lay in silencing every witness through bloodshed.
Upon receiving the order, the Steward’s gaze turned murderous. Without warning, he swiped his hand through the air, unleashing a crimson dragon-shaped qi force that clawed viciously toward Fang Lie.
Though the attack bordered on treachery, Fang Lie stood ready. He swiftly summoned his Demon-Subduing Golden Bowl, bathing himself in protective Buddhist light.
The dragon qi collided with the golden radiance in an earth-shaking explosion. The corridor disintegrated into rubble, walls of foot-thick Scarlet Fire Copper reduced to twisted wreckage.
Bystanders scrambled for safety behind hastily conjured treasures, shouting curses: "You aiming to kill us all?!"
"Madmen! Attacking Mo Sect’s Inner Elite Disciples—do you court annihilation?"
"If the Mo Sect remains ignorant, they’ll face no consequences!"
"Then they’ll slaughter us all to bury the truth!"
In the cutthroat Wanxing Sea where brothers betrayed brothers over scraps of profit, none needed explanations. Over a dozen seasoned cultivators dove through sea-facing windows within seconds, fleeing the doomed vessel. Others followed like startled fish abandoning a sinking net.
The treasure ship’s master reacted too late. By the time he activated the ship’s defensive Formation, dozens had already escaped—the secret now beyond containment.
"HA!" A bloodied Fang Lie emerged from the debris, his Healing Art already mending shattered bones. Though his Fourth-tier Magical Item had crumpled under the Purple Palace realm cultivator’s assault, the youth smirked through cracked lips. "Fools! The Mo Sect’s thunderous wrath will hunt you to the ends of the earth. How’s it feel to be branded black market butchers?"
Despite Fang Lie’s strained relations with his sect, his status as candidate Token Lord of the Benevolence Token meant the Mo Sect would raze mountains to avenge him. Honor demanded nothing less.
The Steward trembled with apocalyptic rage. Condemned to life as a fugitive, he pointed a shaking finger. "This is YOUR doing, whelp! You should’ve died quietly!"
Fang Lie barked a laugh. "So it’s my fault you chose robbery and murder? Should I have knelt for the blade?"
"Enough!" The Steward’s voice cracked. "I’ll wander like a starved cur, but not before skinning you alive!"
As he spoke, he attacked again without hesitation. This time, he not only struck head-on with dragon-shaped qi force but also secretly manipulated a Fourth-Rank Flying Sword to ambush from behind.
Being a rookie with limited battle experience, Fang Lie fell into the trap instantly. While the Demon-Subduing Golden Bowl blocked the frontal dragon-shaped qi force, he was caught off guard by the flying sword that sliced him at the waist.
This was no ordinary blade but a Fourth-tier Magical Item infused with terrifying Sword Energy. When it cut through Fang Lie, the invasive energy shredded his body like countless tiny knives. As a mere Qi Sea Realm cultivator, Fang Lie couldn’t withstand the Purple Palace realm cultivator’s assault. His body became riddled with wounds, blood gushing from every orifice.
The fatal injuries left him unable to muster any Magic, even for the Healing Art. With a thunderous boom, his body erupted into flames once more. Yet before dying, Fang Lie summoned his last resolve to teleport all his treasures back to the Cycle of Fire, leaving nothing but tattered clothes behind.
The Purple Palace Steward initially felt triumphant seeing Fang Lie’s obliteration, but his relief turned to panic. Rushing to inspect the scene, he discovered no trace of Fang Lie’s treasures or Sumeru Bags.
"Damned!" the Purple Palace cultivator exclaimed. "Where are the two Fourth-tier Magical Items he used? They’ve vanished!" His subordinates searched frantically but found nothing.
"Strange," the Purple Palace Steward declared to the crowd. "You all witnessed me kill him, yet no treasures remain. I didn’t steal anything!"
Terrified of suffering Raynor’s fate—being accused of corruption by his master—he sought confirmation. The onlookers hastily agreed: "We testify! You killed him, but nothing was left!"
Just as the steward sighed in relief, his master’s divine sense pierced his consciousness sea: "Fool! I watched everything myself. Do you fear false accusations?"
"N-no, Master! I merely—"
"Enough!" his master interrupted. "The ship’s in chaos. Suppress the passengers. Kill them all!"
"All?!" The steward recoiled. He’d planned to eliminate dozens, not hundreds. Though some had disembarked at docks, over 400 remained—disciples from major sects, local elites, fugitives, and scattered cultivators. Such slaughter would invite catastrophe.
The ship’s Immortal master snarled, "We’re past retreating! Kill them and flee. Their Sumeru Bags will fund our escape!"
Understanding, the steward barked, "Understood!" and led the assault.
The treasure ship became a hellscape. Triggered Formations in cabins slaughtered meditating or sleeping cultivators. Those who escaped faced the Taiyi Divine Lightning Towers’ lethal net of fifth-rank power. The strongest—two Nascent Soul True Immortals—had already fled, leaving Purple Palace and Golden Pool realm cultivators helpless against the towers’ strikes.
Survivors retreated deeper into the ship, battling crew and evading mechanical puppets and restrictions. But Wanxing Sea’s hardened cultivators fought desperately—some using disposable treasures, others Self-harm Dao Magics, many resorting to Self-Detonation. Their counterattacks inflicted heavy losses on the assailants.
