Grandmaster Shuiyue heard Elder Yinpeng's dying warning, and her mind seized up as a sudden wave of helplessness washed over her. She could hardly believe that this boy, Jiang Chen, had improved so quickly?
Back at Erdu Pass, he was a mundane mortal whom Chu Xinghan had nearly killed. In just a few short years, he had improved this much? Facing the three of them—three powerhouses at the ninth level of the Spirit Realm—he had dispatched two in the blink of an eye.
And she, Grandmaster Shuiyue, now stood with her life hanging by a breath.
In this moment, a genuine flicker of regret passed through her heart.
Suddenly, she felt that she had paid too great a price for a single Long Juxue. And now, she herself was about to pay with her very life!
"Shuiyue, the massacre of my Jiang Clan, the robbery of the Medicine Hall—you played your part in all of that, didn't you?"
Having dispatched Elder Yinpeng, Jiang Chen turned and closed in on Grandmaster Shuiyue.
His bone club fixed unerringly on her.
Grandmaster Shuiyue's face was ashen. The regret flickered and passed in an instant before her eyes blazed with madness. "Jiang Chen, I admit you're a genius! But so what? Today, I'll drag you down with me!"
Drag him down with her?
Jiang Chen smiled coldly. His eyes condensed once more into the Evil Golden Eye, and a violent beam of golden light shot forth, locking unerringly onto Grandmaster Shuiyue's spiritual sense.
The Evil Golden Eye excelled precisely at breaking through an enemy's defenses when they least expected it.
Back when he had slain Elder Longluo, it was because the elder had underestimated him and failed to guard against the divine power of this Evil Golden Eye.
And Grandmaster Shuiyue, at this very moment, was in a state of mental turmoil—her Dao heart at its most unstable.
Jiang Chen saw it at a glance: this was precisely when her mental defenses were at their weakest.
And precisely when the Evil Golden Eye could exploit the opening most easily!
Grandmaster Shuiyue had already slipped into madness, preparing to detonate her Spirit Sea and fight Jiang Chen to the death.
Suddenly, a beam of golden light struck. Grandmaster Shuiyue felt a tyrannical force pierce straight through her eyes and plunge deep into her soul.
Though she cultivated ice-type martial techniques and divine abilities, in this moment she felt as though she had fallen into a pit of ice.
She tried to activate her Spirit Sea, only to discover that her spiritual sense seemed to be sealed—her will could no longer control her own actions.
This realization sent Grandmaster Shuiyue's soul scattering in terror, her eyes flooding with intense fear. In that instant, she remembered Elder Longluo!
"Curse it—I've fallen under that devilish trick again!"
Grandmaster Shuiyue let out a desperate shriek, trying to break free of the Evil Golden Eye's bind. But she had no idea what technique had been used on her, so there was no question of countering it.
Jiang Chen smiled coldly, his figure flickering as the bone club appeared in his grasp once more.
"Shuiyue, the greatest mistake of your life was digging up Long Juxue! Now, let me send you on your final journey!"
On Grandmaster Shuiyue's once-graceful face, fear now reigned supreme. Regret, fear, despair, hatred—every conceivable emotion flooded her chest.
All she saw was a flash of golden light before her, and then Jiang Chen's bone club had already struck.
"Vile beast, stop!"
A sharp shout suddenly tore through the void. The voice was clearly some distance away, yet it ripped through the space between and struck Jiang Chen's ears like a clap of thunder.
"That's Old Freak Zhuiyang!" Jiang Chen was all too familiar with this voice.
Though Grandmaster Shuiyue's soul had been pinned by the Evil Golden Eye, she still retained some consciousness. Hearing that the old ancestor had arrived, a flicker of joy surged through her heart, and she let out a series of shrill cries, calling out to Old Ancestor Zhuiyang for help.
The aura of a Yuan Realm old freak was indeed terrifying. Though separated by a great distance, that single roar infused with powerful true essence was enough to make Jiang Chen's attack hesitate ever so slightly.
"Jiang Chen, if you dare lay a finger on Shuiyue, I will stop at nothing to slaughter you with everything I have!"
Old Freak Zhuiyang's voice was urgent and savage, laden with deep concern.
Grandmaster Shuiyue was his subordinate, but in private, she was Old Freak Zhuiyang's forbidden treasure. The two had long shared an ambiguous relationship that defied easy description.
They were of different generations, however, and could not openly cultivate together as partners.
But Grandmaster Shuiyue was the one who held Old Freak Zhuiyang's heart above all others. Their relationship was so deeply hidden that no one within the sect knew of it.
Earlier, when Old Freak Zhuiyang had just emerged from seclusion, he had felt a sudden unease. Upon making inquiries, he learned that Jiang Chen had escaped from the Undying Spirit Mountain and even attacked the Shangyang Kingdom, and that Grandmaster Shuiyue had taken two elders and gone there first.
This news had shaken Old Freak Zhuiyang to his core. He knew that his unease must be because Grandmaster Shuiyue was about to face mortal danger.
And so, Old Freak Zhuiyang had barely paused before leading the sect's entire upper echelon out in full force.
He himself had rushed toward the Shangyang Kingdom at the fastest speed he could muster.
By the time Jiang Chen's bone club struck toward Grandmaster Shuiyue, Old Freak Zhuiyang had already sensed it. But the distance was too great for him to intervene, which was why he had shouted his warning first.
Though Jiang Chen's attack had hesitated for a moment, the killing intent in his heart only intensified.
So what if it was a Yuan Realm?
Even if the next moment brought Old Freak Zhuiyang's wrath, Jiang Chen would not hesitate for an instant.
His right arm swung, and the bone club came crashing down.
BOOM!
It struck Grandmaster Shuiyue square in the face, killing her instantly.
Grandmaster Shuiyue's body went limp, her eyes fixed on Jiang Chen in death—unable to close them. She clearly could not believe that she had perished the very moment Old Ancestor Zhuiyang was about to arrive.
"Beast! How dare you!"
When Old Freak Zhuiyang saw this scene, his very innards seemed to tear apart. He watched helplessly as Grandmaster Shuiyue fell, far too late to save her.
He threw his head back and let out a heaven-shaking howl, like a berserk tide that sent a catastrophic tsunami surging across the sky.
"Jiang Chen, today I will flay your skin and pull out your tendons, grind your bones to dust and scatter your ashes to the wind—or I swear I am no man!"