"Artifact Spirit ancestor, if it really comes to that, we could just temporarily submit to them. After all, when facing the Shura Master back then, we did the same thing. These cultivators have such short lives; if we endure for a few hundred years, they will die off on their own, and then we can regain our freedom!" the Blood-colored Skull suggested, growing more smug as it spoke.

"That's right, we'll outlive them!" the red-clothed woman immediately agreed.

"Hmm, what you're saying isn't a bad idea at all," the Artifact Spirit mused thoughtfully.

Yuan Ming heard this and couldn't help but be speechless.

These old timers had been locked up for thousands of years, they must have gone senile in their captivity. Even if they outlasted the next owner of the Shura Blood Devouring Map, the treasure would certainly be passed on. Especially if it fell into the hands of a major sect like Chang Chun Temple, they could forget about ever escaping again, even after tens of thousands of years.

Once the three Artifact Spirits had reached an agreement, they shouted out, "Fellow Daoists with incredible Divine Skills, please cease your attacks. This venerable one is willing to follow you and leave."

The Blood-colored Skull and the red-clothed woman each swiftly retracted their Magic Treasures and crisply flew back into the bloody screen.

The Shura Blood Devouring Map was now completely exposed within the Sword Array, showing not the slightest defense.

Wan Qi Hong was overjoyed to hear this and quickly stopped the Golden Sword Formation to avoid damaging the Spiritual Treasure.

At that moment, a burst of blood blossomed from his lower abdomen, and a hazy white silhouette emerged from his stomach, piercing through the Dantian, revealing itself to be a white long sword.

The fierce Sword Qi exploded, instantly shredding Wan Qi Hong's Dantian and severing all his meridians with Sword Qi.

And behind Wan Qi Hong, at some unknown time, had appeared a shadowy figure like a ghost—it was Dugu Feng.

Lei Ming and Jin Xi were both shocked at the sight. The soundless movement technique of Dugu Feng, as well as the speed of that white sword, were astoundingly fast, far surpassing Dugu Feng's previous performance.

"Ghost Shadow Escape! Black and White Dual Swords! You are not Dugu Feng, you are the Ghost Shadow Swordsman Jing Wusan..." Wan Qi Hong spat out a mouthful of fresh blood and struggled to speak.

"Jing Wusan is Dugu Feng, and Dugu Feng is Jing Wusan. Rest assured in your journey to the afterlife, Fellow Daoist Wan Qi. The Black Desert Alliance will make good use of this Shura Blood Devouring Map!" Dugu Feng laughed heartily as the white long sword sliced upwards, releasing a snow-white blade of Sword Qi.

Wan Qi Hong's body split in two, his head no exception.

Lei Ming's eyes flickered, as if he wanted to say something.

"Is that so?" A cool voice came from the side. Wan Qi Hong was surprisingly standing several meters away, startling Lei Ming and Jin Xi, who hurriedly looked towards Dugu Feng.

The corpse of Wan Qi Hong that had just fallen turned into a torn black paper effigy, which looked strikingly realistic, covered in various talismans and runes.

"Death Replacement!" Dugu Feng's brows lifted, showing no surprise.

"Unexpectedly, you know of our sect's Death Replacement. Then why bother wasting your efforts and attempt a sneak attack?" Wan Qi Hong said, somewhat surprised by Dugu Feng's reaction.

"I have long heard that the cultivators of Chang Chun Temple are the premier sect in the Central Plains, evergreen for ten thousand years. I wanted to test if your strength truly lives up to this reputation," Dugu Feng said, placing the white long sword horizontally before him and lightly stroking the blade with his fingers.

Now that he had revealed his true identity, a sense of pride shone through Dugu Feng's brows, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor.

"And after the test, what are your thoughts?" Wan Qi Hong smiled and asked.

"You do have some skills," Dugu Feng said indifferently.

"It is an honor to be commended by the Ghost Shadow Swordsman. It's said that the Ghost Shadow Swordsman's escape technique is astonishing, and the Black and White Dual Swords are even more formidable. The Black Sword ensnares souls, fast as lightning, killing without need for a second stroke, while the White Sword reaps lives, twice as fast as the Black Sword. Combined, their power doubles. I wonder how they compare to my Flame Sun Sword Formation?" Wan Qi Hong chuckled, forming hand seals, as the Golden Sword Formation started up again.

Countless Sword Qi appeared out of thin air, each strand aglow with golden flames, turning the area within hundreds of meters blisteringly hot in an instant, as if suddenly brought into the middle of a volcano's magma.

Seeing this, Lei Ming and Jin Xi realized that neither of them was a match for Dugu Feng nor Wan Qi Hong. As the two were about to clash again, they both flew backwards.

"Great Sun Golden Flames! Truly formidable. But my mission has already ended, and now I shall simply watch from the sidelines!" Dugu Feng suddenly turned around and flew off into the distance, evidently not planning to continue the fight with Wan Qi Hong.

Wan Qi Hong was taken aback, but he wouldn't allow Dugu Feng to leave just because of a few words. Countless blades of Sword Qi rained down, filling the void with the terrifying sound of cutting through air.

However, at that moment, he suddenly clutched his head and screamed in agony, his forehead's veins bulging as if he was suffering extreme pain.

All the Sword Qi became wildly erratic and then vanished, as the Golden Sword Formation collapsed with a bang, and the nine Flying Swords fell to the ground.

Lei Ming and Jin Xi looked on in astonishment, not knowing what kind of attack had stricken Wan Qi Hong. They quickly summoned their Magic Treasures to protect themselves.

"This is..." Yuan Ming frowned from within the red-clothed woman as he witnessed the scene unfolding before him.

The three beings within the Shura Blood Devouring Map were also stunned; they had been prepared to surrender, but now these cultivators had started killing each other!

"These cultivators really haven't changed in three thousand years, delighting in fratricide. The Sword Array has disappeared, Artifact Spirit ancestor, let's escape quickly!" the Blood-colored Skull exclaimed joyfully.

The Artifact Spirit hummed in agreement, and the Shura Blood Devouring Map turned into a Blood Shadow and shot towards the distance.

"Since Your Excellency has decided to surrender, why attempt an escape? Better to stay," said a black shadow that emerged in front of the Shura Blood Devouring Map, the very Black-clothed Monk from the Black Desert Alliance.

As he spoke, he waved his hand and shot out the Black Key once again, striking it at the center area of the Shura Blood Devouring Map.

The Artifact Spirit of the Shura Blood Devouring Map let out a muffled groan. The blood light on the blood-colored screen flickered erratically, and the Inner Strength restrictions became instantly chaotic. The Flying Escape was forcefully interrupted.

"Damn it, that key again! Curse that old Shura, dead and still haunting us!" raged the Artifact Spirit.

"It's him!" Yuan Ming recognized the newcomer with a shiver.

The Black-clothed Monk didn't allow the red-clothed woman and the Blood-colored Skull to act. He formed a gesture and pointed into the air, sending a solid-looking black light from the Black Key in his hand. It was filled with many runes and merged into the Shura Blood Devouring Map.

The blood light from the Shura Blood Devouring Map became even more chaotic, and new black patterns appeared on the screen, rapidly spreading across the entire map to form a Sealing pattern, rendering the map utterly immobile.

Yuan Ming, possessing the red-clothed woman's body, was unable to see the outside situation with the Shura Blood Devouring Map being sealed. He could only faintly sense the aura outside.

The Black-clothed Monk put away the key and slowly flew up to where Wan Qi Hong was.

"Master," Dugu Feng greeted the Black-clothed Monk from a distance with a respectful salute.

Thunderbolt Ancestor and Golden Dawn Fairy were stunned by the sudden development before them and took a fresh look at the previously silent Black-clothed Monk.

"The thing in my Sea of Consciousness... was it you... who planted it?" Wan Qi Hong asked, lifting his head with difficulty, glaring at the person before him.

"Correct, it is my soul leech! I took the opportunity to plant it when you were pierced by the White Sword and your Dantian was ruptured. Although Chang Chun Temple's Death Replacement can swap out the host's injuries, it needs half a breath's time to take effect, which was enough time for my soul leech to Parasite," said the Black-clothed Monk slowly.

"Soul leech! You are..." Wan Qi Hong's eyes widened in realization.

"It seems you have guessed my identity, so you should also know why I must kill you. Now go on your way!" The Black-clothed Monk raised his hand and a black giant palm several zhangs across materialized out of thin air, smashing towards Wan Qi Hong's head.

The black palm emitted five rings of light that felt suffocating. The space all around solidified and then quickly collapsed, as if the whole world was pressing down. There was simply no room to escape.

Wan Qi Hong was in extreme pain and had absolutely no strength to dodge as the black palm struck him.

With a "bang," Wan Qi Hong's head and the majority of his body exploded into pieces.

However, in the next moment, he turned into yet another shattered Death Replacement.

Wan Qi Hong's figure appeared about a dozen zhang away, his form unhesitatingly aiming for the Shura Blood Devouring Map.

The Black-clothed Monk was startled and immediately gave chase, urging the soul leech in his mind.

A thin silver bug appeared in Wan Qi Hong's Sea of Consciousness, winding around his Nascent Soul and burrowing towards it, sending waves of intense pain.

However, a white talisman appeared inside Wan Qi Hong's Sea of Consciousness, placed atop his Nascent Soul. A white light enveloped both the Nascent Soul and the silver bug, slowing down the bug's movement significantly, as if it were sealed.

Wan Qi Hong's expression eased slightly, and he made a pulling gesture with his hands.

Nine Flame Sun Swords flew in, fusing into one large golden sword that lifted his body.

In the next instant, Wan Qi Hong's speed surged, and in a blink, he was beside the Shura Blood Devouring Map.

The giant golden sword exploded with a roar, transforming into nine Flying Swords suspended at various positions around the blood-colored screen, with fierce Golden Flames igniting from each blade.

"Stop! If you dare to move a step closer, I'll self-destruct my Flying Swords. We can all perish together, and nobody will get the Spiritual Treasure!" Wan Qi Hong halted his flying figure, shouting at the Black-clothed Monk who was in hot pursuit.

The Black-clothed Monk stopped a dozen or so zhang away, sizing up Wan Qi Hong before speaking, "You're just a Magic Practitioner, and yet you've suppressed my soul leech? You must have used some kind of Divine Soul talisman or treasure."

Dugu Feng caught up as well and stopped behind the Black-clothed Monk, his expression changing before he gave a cold laugh, "I don't believe you have the heart to destroy such a Spiritual Treasure!"

"Facing an ancient demon like Your Excellency, I only wish to escape with my life. Whether it's a Spiritual Treasure or an Immortal Treasure, they're not as important as my own life!" Wan Qi Hong scoffed coldly, without any hesitation, he pointed a gesture.

The Flying Sword shone with a sun-like luminance as its aura fluctuated violently, then it suddenly burst apart!

A golden sun appeared out of nowhere, enveloping the blood-colored screen.

The blood-colored screen was submerged by the golden light. After several breaths, it reappeared with one corner scorched black, showcasing a series of cracks.

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