Yu Qinglan arrived right behind her, and with her appeared Hua Caidie.

The people of the Ling Shen Hall were startled by the sight. Kou Xilai’s cultivation was undoubtedly the most formidable, but Mu Xueyi, Long Tiangong, Yu Qinglan, and Hua Caidie were not far behind him; if the four of them struck together, perhaps even two Kou Xilais could not handle them.

[Mu Xueyi, Long Tiangong, Yu Qinglan, Hua Caidie—are you intending to make an enemy of my Ling Shen Hall?] Lu Rong’s face darkened, and he roared sharply.

Mu Xueyi paid no attention to Lu Rong’s clamor, only staring at Kou Xilai and saying calmly, [Hall Master Kou, the five members of Ling Shen Hall conspired to ambush Nie Kong, openly violating the rules of the Heaven and Earth Arena. You expect to leave without offering an explanation? That’s too much!] [What kind of explanation do you want from this old man?] Kou Xilai sneered.

[Since it was five people attacking in a sneak assault, then leave five people behind before you go!] Mu Xueyi’s eyes swept over the Tian Ling experts behind Kou Xilai and Lu Rong.

[Insolence!] [Mu Xueyi, don't think that with that old tree as your backer, your Yin Xu can act with such impunity!] [...] A dozen or so Tian Ling experts were instantly enraged, spitting curses one after another. This Mu Xueyi truly had the audacity to demand that Ling Shen Hall leave the lives of five Tian Ling experts to account for Nie Kong. If they actually complied, how could Ling Shen Hall ever hold its head up on the continent again?

Kou Xilai waved his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down, then narrowed his eyes, his gaze as cold and venomous as a viper’s: [I don't want to keep a single one of you, so what of it?] [Then keep them all!] Just then, Nie Kong, standing in the center of the ruins, suddenly opened his eyes, and his figure instantly vanished.

When he reappeared, he was less than ten meters from Kou Xilai. Before his words had fully landed, a colossal golden palm materialized out of thin air, roaring as it grabbed toward Kou Xilai’s head.

The instant Nie Kong moved, Mu Xueyi, Long Tianyan, Yu Qinglan, and Hua Caidie acted almost simultaneously, four torrents of fierce energy sweeping toward Kou Xilai.

[You guys…] Kou Xilai never expected Nie Kong and the other four to strike him without warning. Anger and shock warred within him, but there was no time for further thought. As these two syllables left his throat, a mass of purple light burst forth from his body, crackling with dazzling lightning that was hard to look at directly.

Immediately after, the lightning around Kou Xilai shattered inch by inch, his face swelling a deep crimson.

Facing the combined assault of Nie Kong and the five others, Kou Xilai was instantly dealt a grave injury. Streams of blood seeped from his pores, drenching his robes until they were soaked in gore. He looked as if he had just been hauled out of a pool of blood, appearing terrifyingly ferocious.

[You think you can kill this old man? Not so easily!] A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and Kou Xilai roared. His sturdy body suddenly began to rapidly dissolve………,

The dissolving matter did not vanish but transformed into dense Thunder God Power, first liquefying his limbs, then his torso and head. In less than a second, Kou Xilai’s form completely disappeared, replaced by a sphere of blazing purple lightning.

[Explode!] A shrill, low growl suddenly rang out. The lightning sphere rapidly expanded, and an incomparably terrifying aura surged outward from its core.

Nie Kong’s pupils contracted slightly. In an instant of thought, the [War God Star Seal] spun out, positioning itself around the lightning sphere.

Mu Xueyi and the others nearby also felt a surge of vigilance. Kou Xilai was, after all, a powerhouse with one foot already stepped into the Ling Shen realm. His deathblow, triggered by detonating all the Thunder God Power within him, was absolutely not to be underestimated. Even with victory seemingly assured, they dared not let down their guard.

[Boom!] As billions of lightning bolts violently erupted, a patch of utterly black void emerged from the center of the sphere, rapidly expanding outward. In a flash, a black hole several meters in diameter was visible to Nie Kong and Mu Xueyi and the others.

A moment later, Nie Kong paused slightly. The raging lightning that swirled around the black hole, despite its ferocious appearance, posed no real threat.

However, the fact remained that Kou Xilai had burned his soul and body, detonating all of his divine power.

[Bad, he’s escaping!] Long Tiangong stared intently at the black hole, his expression suddenly shifting. His right arm shot out like lightning into the black hole at the center of the lightning storm.

Faintly, a low, muffled groan seemed to carry from the infinite, distant void. Long Tiangong retracted his arm. The tips of his right hand’s five fingers were stained with specks of blood, and the black hole and the surrounding lightning quickly dissipated into the void, as if they had never existed.

[I can’t believe he actually got away!] Long Tiangong looked at his blood-stained right hand with a hint of regret. [The Divine Concealment Heart Ethereal Moon—I forgot that Ling Shen Hall possessed such an escape method. What a shame, what a shame.] [Divine Concealment Heart Ethereal Moon?] Nie Kong was slightly taken aback. Mu Xueyi, Yu Qinglan, and Hua Caidie exchanged bewildered glances; it was the first time they had ever heard those four words.

Long Tiangong chuckled, [I only learned of it accidentally from the Dragon Ancestor. The Divine Concealment Heart Ethereal Moon can only be performed by those who have passed the Spirit Tribulation, and it requires burning over ninety percent of one's soul power and all of one's divine power. Furthermore, a mental imprint must be left as a guide beforehand. However, once this technique is used, no matter the distance, one can successfully flee back to the location where the imprint was left.] Nie Kong frowned, [Paying such a heavy price, even if he escapes successfully, his strength will be drastically reduced.]

Long Tiangong nodded, [Precisely. Kou Xilai’s cultivation will be at most late-stage Tian Ling at best, and he will never recover to his level before today. As for Ling Shen? He can forget about that. Generally, no one would choose the Divine Concealment Heart Ethereal Moon unless absolutely necessary.] [Kou Xilai is quite ruthless toward himself,] Nie Kong said with some regret. Kou Xilai was indeed a decisive and ruthless man. Seeing the tide turn, he immediately abandoned the members of Ling Shen Hall and made this choice. Had Kou Xilai hesitated for even a moment longer, there would be no such person as him on the Tian Ling Continent from this day forward.

[If he fled, he fled. The future Hall Master of Ling Shen Hall will never pose a threat to us again. As for these people, how should we deal with them?] Yu Qinglan’s expression was calm as her gaze shifted to Lu Rong and the dozen or so other Tian Ling experts from Ling Shen Hall nearby.

At this moment, shock and disbelief still lingered on the faces of Lu Rong and the others.

The Ling Shen Hall had always occupied a lofty position on the Tian Ling Continent, greeted everywhere by looks of reverence. But today’s events had completely exceeded their expectations. Especially the scene they had just witnessed, which left them dumbfounded.

Even when they were previously engaged in sharp verbal conflicts, they hadn't been overly worried. But the sudden move by Nie Kong, Mu Xueyi, Long Tiangong, Yu Qinglan, and Hua Caidie—as if pre-arranged—to strike Kou Xilai all at once—they had such gall!

This sudden turn of events struck Lu Rong and the others like a massive thunderbolt to the heart, leaving them stunned for a long time.

[Kill them all!] A few emotionless syllables pierced the air. Lu Rong snapped back to reality, shivered involuntarily, and quickly scanned his surroundings. He saw that he and the dozen or so others were already surrounded, and colossal surges of energy were rushing toward them like monstrous waves from all directions…

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