The wretched figure that charged out of the center of the explosion was, naturally, the Golden Core Middle Stage Ye Yanwu.
As Ye Yanwu fled from Qi Ping, his eyes were still filled with endless terror!
He had almost died just now!
But even though he had narrowly escaped, his current state was far from good.
First and most obvious was a massive gash that had nearly sliced his body in half. Beneath this wound, his bones and internal organs were all exposed and damaged. If not for the tenacious vitality of a Golden Core cultivator, this injury would have been enough to kill him!
The peak strike delivered by ten thousand Rank 2 Late Stage Wind-Blade Bees, utilizing the "Storm Focus" trait and a battle formation, was incredibly powerful!
Next was the fist print near Ye Yanwu's Dantian and his cracked body. Having taken a direct, full-power hit from a Rank 3 physical spirit beast while nearly defenseless, Ye Yanwu was lucky to even be alive.
Despite barely surviving, his physical body had inevitably suffered heavy damage.
But that wasn't the most critical part. The worst thing was that his Dantian and Golden Core had been heavily damaged by the Mountain Sao's extreme punch!
This was the most severe injury. It would not only significantly hinder his ability to use his power, but it would also take countless years and untold amounts of spirit herbs to heal. If it left permanent damage, he might lose the possibility of ever breaking through again. This was what he found most unacceptable!
Among all the injuries, the ones caused by the strongest Yin-Yang Five Elements Grand Array were actually the smallest.
This was primarily because Ye Yanwu had cast a defensive spell behind him at the very beginning!
Although his back had been scourged by the power of the Heavenly Extinction Yin-Yang Array, leaving behind many hideous wounds, they would eventually heal given time.
Unfortunately, he had no time!
Qi Ping would not give him time.
And Ye Yanwu knew it!
So, the instant he escaped the center of the explosion, Ye Yanwu directly summoned one of the Qingyuan Sect's protecting treasures: the Sky-Flame Seal!
The Sky-Flame Seal was one of the nine heritage treasures of the Qingyuan Sect, ranked at the peak of Rank 3!
However, that wasn't the most terrifying part. What made the nine treasures of the Qingyuan Sect truly fearsome was that they were sentient. These treasures had been nurtured for generation after generation, accumulating immense Laws and spiritual energy. Once unleashed, their attacks could reach the level of a Golden Core Perfection cultivator, and some even possessed the power to threaten Nascent Soul stage experts!
This was the terrifying foundation of a great sect like the Qingyuan Sect!
When Qi Ping saw the Sky-Flame Seal in Ye Yanwu's hand, he felt a bad premonition. The thing he feared most had happened!
Having been a disciple of the Qingyuan Sect for so long, Qi Ping was naturally aware of the existence of these treasures. This was why he had gone through such trouble to use himself as bait, hoping to kill Ye Yanwu before a treasure could be used.
Alas, despite revealing all his cards—the Wind-Blade Bees, the Mountain Sao, the Yin-Yang Five Elements Grand Array, and the Demon-Eye Magic Realm—he still hadn't managed to kill Ye Yanwu in one go!
The terrifying combat power of a Golden Core Middle Stage cultivator was truly evident at this moment!
"Despite all my calculations, things didn't go as I hoped!"
Qi Ping sighed in his heart, but he immediately activated his emergency response strategy.
In an instant, the bee swarm split into two parts, surrounding Ye Yanwu from distant and varied directions.
The Mountain Sao did the same, choosing a different angle.
Almost the moment Ye Yanwu escaped the explosion, Qi Ping's forces split into five: Qi Ping himself, two swarms of bees, the Mountain Sao, and the Yin-Yang Five Elements Grand Array!
The attacks of a sect treasure might be powerful, but they usually only had one or two strikes in them!
Therefore, Ye Yanwu could only choose one or two of these forces to kill. Once the power of the Sky-Flame Seal was exhausted, it would be Ye Yanwu's time to die!
So even with the Sky-Flame Seal, Ye Yanwu was still doomed!
Ye Yanwu saw the situation and couldn't help but laugh wretchedly.
He knew he couldn't survive even with the Sky-Flame Seal. He was too heavily injured. Even with the seal, he could only eliminate a portion of Qi Ping's forces. Once the seal's energy was spent, the remaining forces would surely kill him!
Ye Yanwu's heart was filled with desolation. Before coming here, he never could have imagined he would die!
He was a brilliant talent who had dominated the Qingtian Domain since his youth. He never expected to die at the hands of a Foundation Establishment disciple!
When he first heard Qi Ping say, "Disciple Lin Ya invites you to die," he had instinctively found it laughable. But who could have known it would become reality?
A Foundation Establishment disciple had actually slain a Golden Core Middle Stage Elder!
As ridiculous as it seemed, Ye Yanwu, having experienced it, knew he hadn't lost unfairly.
Now, his only chance of survival was for other Golden Core cultivators of the Qingyuan Sect to arrive. But Qi Ping clearly wouldn't give him that chance, for he immediately ordered one swarm of bees to launch an attack!
To Qi Ping, it didn't matter if this clone died, but Ye Yanwu had to die!
This culprit behind all the evil in Starfall City had to die!
Even if this Treant Clone died, the remaining bees would take all the spoils of war and escape underground.
"Although the plan failed at the final moment, I've at least slain the culprit and obtained so much loot and Golden Core remains. It's still a massive profit!"
"It's just a pity that I'll have to find another way to acquire the Qingyuan Sect's cultivation knowledge..."
The moment Qi Ping commanded the bees to attack, Ye Yanwu unhesitatingly activated the Sky-Flame Seal!
Since Qi Ping wouldn't give him a chance at life, he would drag Qi Ping down with him!
"Die!"
Ye Yanwu activated the Sky-Flame Seal with a crazed expression. A terrifying spiritual energy pressure suddenly emerged!
Before this power, the Yin-Yang Five Elements Grand Array, Ye Yanwu, the Mountain Sao, and the bee swarm... all these previously powerful forces became as insignificant as ants!
Facing this power, Qi Ping sighed. Even with all his cards, he wouldn't stand a chance!
"Yin-Yang Seal!"
But regardless, Qi Ping would not give up resisting. To him, personally experiencing such an extreme power would benefit his future cultivation. In his pursuit of immortality, he wouldn't pass up any opportunity for enlightenment.
However, just as the power of the Sky-Flame Seal grew stronger and Qi Ping thought his death was certain, an unexpected event occurred that no one had anticipated!
The Sky-Flame Seal suddenly erupted with a brilliant light and then actually broke free from Ye Yanwu's control!
Before Ye Yanwu could react, the Sky-Flame Seal turned into a streak of light and landed steadily in the palm of Qi Ping's hand!
"The Sky-Flame Seal!"
"This?"
Both Qi Ping and Ye Yanwu were stunned by this sudden turn of events.
"What's going on?"
Qi Ping felt the Sky-Flame Seal, which seemed incredibly friendly toward him. He had no idea what was happening. Just a moment ago, he thought this identity was going to die, and years of planning were about to go to waste!
But now, the Sky-Flame Seal had forcibly broken its contract with Ye Yanwu and accepted his control?
While both were confused, a special message was transmitted from the Sky-Flame Seal.
[Sect Protecting Treasure Basic Protocol: Cannot attack those evaluated as 'Mainstay of the Sect' by the Heart-Questioning Mirror while their soul state is normal!]
[Sect Protecting Treasure Basic Protocol: Those who use a Sect Protecting Treasure to attack a 'Mainstay of the Sect' will lose all eligibility to control the treasure!]
So that was it!
Qi Ping and Ye Yanwu both realized the truth at the same time!
But while Qi Ping felt a surge of joy, Ye Yanwu, after a brief moment of hope, fell back into despair!
This kind of emotional rollercoaster and rapid collapse was precisely what caused the most intense suffering!
At this moment, Ye Yanwu was on the verge of madness and collapse.
"Why is it like this! Why is it like this! AHHHHH!!!"
Having lost all his means, Ye Yanwu was completely driven insane. He not only lost the chance to kill the enemy he hated most, but he also indirectly handed the Qingyuan Sect's protecting treasure over to his foe!
Who could understand this kind of pain?
But he had no more chances. The bees did not stop their attack...
Soon, amidst the bees' onslaught and a piercing, wretched scream, the Golden Core Middle Stage Ye Yanwu, the famous Red Flame Daoist of the Qingyuan Sect... perished!
In the Qingtian Domain, at Starfall City, the Yin-Yang Five Elements Grand Array that had obscured everything finally began to dissipate after enduring one terrifying shockwave after another.
When the familiar figure in white appeared once again, and when people saw the head of Ye Yanwu in the figure's hand, the entire world fell into silence...