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By the Stream, Slaughter's Dance
"No!" The shrill Nan Gong woman screamed, terror in her eyes as Lan An's ghostly figure reappeared beside her ally. She summoned a massive ice shield with a thought, blocking Lan An's advance to protect the man.
"Hmph, Great Flood Kick!" Lan An sneered, undeterred. His strike surged like an enraged ocean, waves crashing against the shield.
Great Flood Kick, an Upper Earth-Grade technique, was simple but devastating. The shield, a mere Lower Mysterious-Grade artifact, stood no chance.
Crack!
The shield shattered, and under the horrified gazes of the Nan Gong trio, the man behind took the kick to his neck.
Snap!
His head spun 360 degrees, eyes wide in disbelief as life faded.
He wasn't weak, but Lan An was a monster. The kick fused Mysterious Water spiritual energy with Third-Turn Body Cultivation strength—death was inevitable.
"Soul Seize!" Lan An's White Moon Soul-Seizing Eye glowed coldly, absorbing the Nascent Soul's soul. He muttered, satisfied: "Another step closer to Late Golden Core Soul Cultivation."
Past kills with Strange Flames incinerated souls, preventing Soul Seize. Otherwise, he'd have broken through long ago.
"Run! He's a nightmare!" the surviving man shrieked, suppressing injuries, soaring skyward with Nascent Soul flight, hoping to escape.
"Think you can flee?" Lan An said calmly, forming a Strange Flame Bullet in his palm and hurling it.
The man sensed danger, shielding himself with an earth-infused sword.
Sizzle!
The Mysterious-Grade sword melted, and the violet bullet, radiating terrifying heat, pierced his chest, warping the air.
"Strange Flame…" His final thought, eyes bulging in horror, before dissolving into ash.
Gulp.
Li Zhu Luan's hand covered her mouth, eyes wide with awe. She knew her man was strong—his beast arena feats left a mark—but this was monstrous.
Killing higher-realm foes like chickens.
Earth, Water, now Fire affinities…
She recalled Mu Zi Yin saying only prodigies from Ninth-Grade powers possessed triple Spirit Roots.
"Lan An, are you from a Ninth-Grade power?" she blurted.
"Not quite. I'll tell you later," he smiled, glancing at the trembling Nan Gong woman, paralyzed with fear.
"End yourself," he said coldly.
"No, please, spare me! I'll do anything!" Nan Gong Yu begged.
Lan An frowned, then asked: "How deep is Nan Gong's feud with Tian Mu?"
"Like fire and water. Since they monopolized the Spirit Stone Mine, countless disciples died on both sides. We're sworn enemies," she said eagerly, hope flickering.
"Your name? Age?" Lan An noted her beauty—large eyes, red lips, tall figure—decent, though not matching his women.
"Nan Gong Yu, 112 years old," she replied, casting a flirtatious glance.
"Surrender your Origin Soul, and I'll spare you," he said.
She hesitated. An Origin Soul was a cultivator's lifeline—handing it over meant total control, her life at his whim.
"Then die," Lan An said icily.
"I'll do it!" Nan Gong Yu gritted her teeth, a translucent soul fragment emerging.
Lan An seized it with a thought, feeling her life in his grasp. Betrayal meant her soul's destruction.
"Does Nan Gong have disciples entering Sacred Lotus Academy?" he probed.
"Yes, Master. Two Saintesses and a Saint Son will enroll," she said respectfully, now his slave, eager to prove her worth.
"Their realms? Ages?"
"All over 20, Mid Nascent Soul."
"Nan Gong's strongest?"
"The Clan Leader and Great Elder are Peak Spirit Blossom. A Void Refinement Early-Stage ancestor, near death, is sealed, only emerging if the clan faces extinction," she revealed.
Lan An frowned. Each clan hid such depths—a Void Refinement foe was daunting. Perhaps the Lan Clan held worse. Revenge required patience.
"Good. Your role in Nan Gong?"
"Nascent Soul cultivators over 100 are Protectors. Spirit Blossom and above are Elders," she said.
"Return to Nan Gong. Gain the Saintess's trust, ensure she brings you to Sacred Lotus. I'll give further orders there," he commanded.
Nan Gong Yu's eyes narrowed, sensing his schemes, but she bowed: "As you command."
"Here's a Beauty Nurturing Pill. Use it to curry favor with the Saintess. Seize this chance," he tossed it, adding: "Complete this, and you'll gain more."
"Thank you, Master! I won't disappoint!" Her eyes gleamed, thinking servitude to this wealthy, powerful man—likely from a Ninth-Grade power—could elevate her.
"Blame the two deaths on Tian Mu. Go," Lan An waved.
"Yes, Master. Until Sacred Lotus," Nan Gong Yu bowed, glancing enviously at Li Zhu Luan, then flying off.
"Give me one!" Li Zhu Luan pouted, extending her delicate hand, blinking cutely.
Lan An chuckled, pinching her nose: "My Trúc Loan's a fairy. Why need a Beauty Nurturing Pill?"
He placed a pink pill in her palm.
Satisfied, she pocketed it, happily clinging to his arm. His identity didn't matter—only that he was hers. But her strength gap saddened her.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I barely helped in that fight…" she bit her lip.
Her talent surpassed most, but Lan An's brilliance dimmed her.
"Silly girl, we'll refine the Devouring Sky Wood together soon. Your strength will soar," he said, not promising empty protection but vowing to empower her.
In this world, personal strength was everything.
"Yes," she blushed, nodding shyly, knowing refinement meant dual cultivation, her heart racing.
"No rush. Let's leave this forsaken place first," he grinned, hugging her waist, vanishing with Phantom Charm Wander Step.
Desolate Temple, Horrors Unleashed
After days of travel, Lan An and Li Zhu Luan escaped the perilous mountains but hadn't reached a human city, still in a barren wasteland.
Sparse trees dotted the flat expanse. Dark clouds veiled the moon, signaling rain.
Using Thousand-Mile Piercing Sight, Lan An said: "Rain's coming. There's an old temple a few dozen miles away, abandoned. Let's rest there."
"Okay," Li Zhu Luan nodded, hugging his sturdy waist.
They sped toward the temple.
Soon, it loomed—a desolate ruin, silent, devoid of even insect hums. Only their breathing broke the stillness.
"Tiểu Nam, it's eerie," Li Zhu Luan whispered, gripping his hand.
"Let's check inside. If it's unfit, we'll disturb Zi Yin in the Spirit Blossom Orb," he said, leading her in.
The entrance was narrow, webbed with dust.
A massive, sealed coffin dominated the hall, halting them.
"Tiểu Nam, whose coffin is that?" Li Zhu Luan clung tighter, her sheltered upbringing fueling her fear.
Lan An scanned with Weak Point Sight. The temple was small: a hall with the coffin and a chipped Buddha statue, a tiny meditation room, and dust-covered floors.
Holding Li Zhu Luan, he used Phantom Charm Wander Step to enter the meditation room without disturbing the dust, saying: "We'll stay here. Something interesting might greet us."
"With you, I'm not afraid," she murmured, lips close.
A small wooden bed stood in the room. They sat, embracing.
Cultivators needed no sleep or food, sustained by spiritual energy.
The moon vanished, clouds cloaking the sky in darkness.
Pat, pat.
Rustle.
Rain fell heavily, wind howling.
Lan An glanced at the coffin, communing with Kim'er: "Is it really in there?"
"Absolutely," Kim'er affirmed.
"Tiểu Nam, did you sense something?" Li Zhu Luan transmitted, perceptive.
"You'll see soon," he said, hugging her, cloaking them with the Shadow Cloak to hide their presence.
Midnight's Terror
"Hour of the Rat approaches," Kim'er said cryptically.
Creak…
Wind rattled the rotten wood outside.
Howl!
A wolf's eerie cry made Li Zhu Luan cling tighter.
In the endless night, three black figures hopped stiffly toward the temple, silent as ghosts, making no sound.
Clack, clack, clack.
The coffin shook violently, its lid sliding open.
"Don't fear, I'm here. You must grow stronger to survive this world," Lan An whispered, holding the trembling girl.
She nodded, suppressing fear, soothed by his steady heartbeat.
From the coffin, a figure sat up.
Naked, bloodless, with long crimson hair, its bones gleamed darkly. Empty eye sockets gaped, skin flayed, a terrifying specter.
The three figures reached the hall.
"Boss, what's your haul?" a grim voice echoed.
"Over two thousand corpses," a raspy, tongue-sliced voice replied.
"Second and I got nearly two thousand. You're the best," a shrill, eunuch-like voice said.
"Blood Slaughter Corpse needs vast blood to succeed. We must speed up," the boss said sternly.
"No choice. Human cities have peak experts. We traveled far to a village for this batch," the third rasped.
Li Zhu Luan steadied, fury replacing fear. She transmitted: "Tiểu Nam, they're crafting evil!"
"Well spotted. Blood Slaughter Corpse, forged with human blood, reaches Sixth-Turn Body Cultivation strength," Lan An replied.
"Sixth-Turn? Void Refinement equivalent? How many lives?" she fumed.
In the hall, corpses poured from storage rings.
The coffin's skeletal figure opened its maw, a suction devouring corpses whole.
Crunch, crunch.
Chewing echoed.
The three brothers stood guard, wary.
Lan An's Thousand-Mile Piercing Sight observed: one, Peak Nascent Soul, lipless, mouth carved away; another, Late Nascent Soul, scarred, bearded dwarf; the last, Mid Nascent Soul, pale youth with blood-red lips and rouged cheeks.
"Enter the Spirit Blossom Orb. I'll handle them," Lan An said, revolted by the corpse-eating horror.
"Okay," Li Zhu Luan nodded, knowing she couldn't fight at this level.
As she vanished, Lan An donned the Proud Smile Mask.
SCREECH!
A defiant cry shattered the night. The temple crumbled to ash.
A majestic phantom, wreathed in violet flames, towered over the terrified brothers.
The Fire Phoenix, reborn in glory.