The brows of the dozen or so middle-aged men standing before Peng Hua furrowed slightly.

The characteristics of the bloodline ran deep. When they were young, the power they gained through cultivation far outstripped the strength inherited through their lineage. But once they reached a certain age, the power of their bloodline would rapidly surge, gradually overtaking the mana they had painstakingly cultivated.

The young men who had dueled Peng Hua in the first wave were generally at the realm of Taihuang Huangzeng Tian. Their bloodline strength was likely approaching the peak level of a Five Tribulation Loose Immortal. As for the middle-aged men before him now, the vast majority were at the peak level of Taihuang Huangzeng Tian, with a few achieving the strength of a Second Grade Celestial Immortal in the Taiming Yuwantian. However, the inherent power contained within their physical bodies—their inherited bloodline strength—universally surpassed Taiming Yuwantian, nearly reaching the level of Qingming Hetong Tian, or Third Grade Celestial Immortal.

These men were truly formidable opponents for Peng Hua!

Squinting, Gu Xichen’s eyes, where points of black and white light spun rapidly, showed he was already prepared to summon the Primordial Yin Mystic Orb and the Primordial Yang Mystic Orb. Relying on the formidable might of these innate supreme treasures, if he truly chose to unleash everything in one desperate strike, he should be able to shatter the defensive formation on the stage and instantly kill all the men confronting Peng Hua.

While preparing his attack, Gu Xichen turned his head and leaned in close to Patriarch Lu’er, whispering, “Did you see that? Something is wrong with that woman.”

Patriarch Lu’er’s face was utterly grim. He watched the Desire Demoness press herself even closer to an elderly man roughly his own age. That old man’s skin possessed a strange, mottled greenish hue, and two sharp protuberances, about the length of a thumb, jutted from his high forehead. This man was the patriarch of the Ensi family, another major lineage within the Star Alliance whose status was equivalent to the Patriarchal family. Patriarch Lu’er couldn't fathom why Patriarch Ensi, whose status was equal to his own, had also fallen victim to the seductions of that young woman.

Shaking his head slightly, the masters of the Patriarchal family in the grand hall began to advance toward the Desire Demoness. We cannot allow this dangerous woman to cause any more trouble. Yet, they were momentarily helpless against her; the young woman clung tightly to Patriarch Ensi’s embrace, showing no intention of moving. Patriarch Ensi, with a benevolent smile akin to a doting grandfather, gently patted the Desire Demoness’s shoulder, his greedy gaze constantly sweeping over the expanse of pale white skin revealed by her slightly disheveled robes.

On the stage, one of the middle-aged men was already charging breathlessly toward Peng Hua. As he closed within five meters, he suddenly slapped the back of his head, and three fist-sized white pearls shot up from his Tianling. One pearl unleashed a blinding, ten-thousand-foot radiance aimed at Peng Hua’s Tianling; another emitted clouds of intensely fragrant white smoke, swirling around Peng Hua and continuously enveloping him in the thick vapor; the third plummeted down like thunder, its momentum suggesting it intended to cleave the seas apart.

Peng Hua felt a tingling, scorpion-venom-like sensation seep into his Tianling, causing his primordial spirit to momentarily seize up, rendering his body immobile. Immediately following was a thousand needles of fragrant poison penetrating his pores, spreading a deadly toxin capable of dissolving an ordinary person into blood and water wherever it traveled. Coupled with these bizarre assaults came a piercing sound of air being torn apart overhead. A faint pressure from above whipped his long hair into a frenzy, causing it to lash about like iron whips in the ensuing shockwaves.

“Hmph.” With a subtle shift in his thoughts, Peng Hua summoned the Profound Origin Water Control Banner, which manifested as a thin black mist barely a foot in circumference, emerging from above his Tianling. A cluster of white lotus blossoms drifted weakly out of the black mist, rigidly blocking the ten-thousand-foot radiance from penetrating his Tianling. The blinding light surged as if it could shatter the white lotus at any second, but though the lotus continuously shed petals, it endured like a cockroach—no matter how many fragments fell, new petals spontaneously regenerated.

The falling white petals swirled lightly around Peng Hua’s body, completely intercepting the encroaching white smoke. A faint spiritual light flickered within the petals, and they began to absorb the toxic smoke that had already seeped into Peng Hua’s body.

Then, Peng Hua’s body tensed. Like an arrow released from a bow, he brandished his twin heavy hammers and lunged forward.

Whether referred to as zombies or flying night-ghouls in Daoist lore, neither employed many mystical arts in combat, save for certain unique innate divine abilities. True strength and speed, coupled with an incredibly resilient physique and a fierce, tyrannical combat instinct—that was the true nature of the zombie. Facing the charging middle-aged man, Peng Hua chose a head-on collision!

The pearl descending from above scraped past the back of Peng Hua’s neck as it cleaved downward. The white light surging around the pearl vibrated his robes into dust, but it narrowly missed his flesh, slamming into the stage instead. Peng Hua’s skin didn't even redden; instead, the stage was gouged with a pit several feet in diameter and of unknown depth. The pearl’s destructive power was immense. Although the stage appeared unharmed, the grand hall beyond shuddered faintly, and hundreds of hairline cracks webbed the ground surrounding the fighting area.

With two dull thuds, Peng Hua smashed one hammer into the middle-aged man’s face and the other into his lower abdomen. The hammers, each weighing over twenty thousand jin, descended with violent gusts of wind. The three thousand six hundred Azure Nether Lightning Laws sealed within the hammers erupted violently. Dozens of thumb-thick arcs of azure lightning shot out amid deafening thunder. The middle-aged man shrieked once before being sent flying backward, smashed by the hammers. His face was no longer a face, but a black, flattened disk. His abdomen was no longer an abdomen, but a gaping black hole.

With a backhand grab, Peng Hua snatched the three pearls out of the air. His divine sense swept over the treasures, and a gleam shone in his eyes. He unceremoniously tucked the pearls into his robes, simultaneously using a plume of corpse qi to sever the middle-aged man’s connection to his natal magic treasures. The man, reeling from the bombardment of lightning infused with the essence of the Nine Heavens Azure Nether, suddenly spat seven jets of blood from his flattened, blackened face—Gu Xichen and Peng Hua couldn't even discern where the streams originated.

“Hahaha! You fools think you can stand up for someone?” Peng Hua slammed his twin hammers onto the ground, extended his middle finger, and hooked it toward the grim-faced middle-aged men opposite him. “I won’t say I’m bullying you by using hammers. Next, I want to get intimately acquainted with you using only my fists.”

His robes, having been shattered by the vibrations, were promptly disintegrated by a burst of corpse qi. Peng Hua was left wearing only a tiny pair of briefs. With a deliberate pose common to bodybuilders, he turned, showing off his physique—a collection of powerfully defined muscle masses, each the size of an infant's head. Beneath his pale skin, which faintly shimmered with a metallic reddish light, these knots of muscle subtly pulsed. Though not excessively large, they projected an overwhelming visual impact—a sense of hardness and resilience akin to blocks of alloy.

Peng Hua raised an eyebrow at Gu Xichen, a clear gesture of complete showmanship.

Gu Xichen felt a bit dizzy. What in the world was this guy thinking? He was facing masters of the Taiming Yuwantian realm on the stage. Even if they were mentally befuddled by the Desire Demoness and retained less than ten percent of their combat power, and even if Peng Hua was protected by three innate supreme treasures, including the top-tier Profound Origin Water Control Banner, he shouldn't be this arrogant!

While Gu Xichen was muttering internally about Peng Hua’s audacity, a middle-aged man with pale purple skin sneered and suddenly stretched his arms out toward Peng Hua. This man, whose cultivation method was a mystery, transformed his arms the moment they extended. They became skeletal structures glittering purple, like crystal. The two hands, swelling to a diameter of twenty feet, brought dozens of extremely fine purple wisps and streams of smoke down to snatch Peng Hua. With two crisp crashes, the man’s arms snapped off cleanly near his shoulders, the two spectral hands flying toward Peng Hua in mid-air.

Patriarch Lu’er suddenly exclaimed, “So that’s how the (Alagu) family utilized those two arm-shaped weapons they were embarrassed about last time? Fusing the weapons into the body? Hmm, interesting.”

Gu Xichen’s ears twitched; he clearly heard Patriarch Lu’er’s murmur. Did that mean the middle-aged man’s two arms were actually a pair of Immortal Artifacts?

Just as he was about to warn Peng Hua, Peng Hua burst into loud laughter. He snatched up one heavy hammer and flung it toward the middle-aged man who had launched his two spectral arms. Peng Hua’s strength was immense, and the hammers were engraved with the ‘Cloud Chasing Formation’ to enhance their flight speed. The moment they left his grasp, the hammers transformed into a cloud of white mist, hurtling toward the purple skeletal hands at a speed at least ten times faster. With a dull boom, the hammer suddenly expanded to several dozen feet wide, striking the middle-aged man like a bowling ball, not only sending him flying but also knocking four or five of the men surrounding him clean off the stage. Thousands of azure lightning bolts roared from the white cloud, and the ejected men fell to the ground, charred and convulsing.

A commotion rose from the grand hall. A brash, hot-headed young man jumped up indignantly, pointing at Peng Hua and shouting, “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t use weapons?”

Peng Hua, who was nonchalantly tucking the two uncontrolled skeletal arms into his possession, turned back with a shameless, cold sneer upon hearing the accusation. “Oh? Where is your evidence?”

The guests in the hall paused, but the young man pressed his attack, roaring, “Everyone heard you say it!”

Peng Hua glared back, bellowing with unwarranted belligerence, “That’s because you colluded to set me up! Do you think I’m an idiot? Duel without weapons? You think I’m stupid?”

When shamelessness reigns supreme, one is truly invincible. Faced with Peng Hua’s thick hide, the young man retreated in frustrated defeat. The guests in the hall simultaneously rolled their eyes at Peng Hua. Some even began whispering, trying to ascertain which family this shameless fellow belonged to. Others started analyzing the corpse qi emanating from Peng Hua, sensing connections to several obscure lineages.

Gu Xichen listened to the surrounding gossip, thoroughly speechless. He hadn't expected the people here to be such gossips!

Back on the stage, Peng Hua recalled the hammer he had thrown and mockingly spat at the several charred middle-aged men lying below the platform. “Pah! I thought your bloodline inheritance power would make you tougher. Turns out, I just accidentally hit you with a hammer, and you guys are finished!”

Hearing Peng Hua’s taunts, Gu Xichen almost scolded him aloud. Those two hammers were top-grade Immortal Artifacts. Forget those at the early or mid-stage Celestial Immortal levels; even a Great Golden Immortal, unless they had cultivated top-tier physical arts to harden their bodies like iron netting, wouldn't dare accept a blow from someone of equal power wielding such artifacts. Immortal Artifacts for an Immortal are like a submachine gun for a mortal—they are matters of life and death!

Another middle-aged man stepped forward, muttering curses in a low growl before twin beams of blazing red light shot from his eyes. His body expanded rapidly, tearing his clothes to shreds. Large sheets of black carapace erupted from beneath his muscles. Illuminated by the hall’s lights, this armor, resembling insect chitin, reflected a dark sheen. On every piece of armor, a palm-sized formation woven from demonic script had naturally formed, radiating waves of intimidating heat.

Soon, the man’s body swelled to a height of ten meters. Clad entirely in black armor, he spewed forth scorching red flames. The high-temperature, high-pressure flames formed a visible red tide that surged outward in all directions, crashing against the stage’s defensive formation like waves against reefs, emitting continuous, deafening roars. Large bursts of firelight shattered against the flickering barrier, causing the entire stage to tremble faintly.

Four giant wings, each over twenty meters wide, erupted from the man’s back. These four fiery red wings flapped heavily, stirring the chaotic flame torrent on the stage into numerous blazing vortices of varying sizes. The dense, nearly solidified flames surged across the platform, dozens of fiery whirlpools grinding against each other, producing the deafening clash usually heard only when steel strikes steel.

At this moment, the aura released by this man completely exceeded the realm of Taiming Yuwantian, having firmly reached the power level of Qingming Hetong Tian, or Third Grade Celestial Immortal. What further astonished, and even seemed absurd, to Gu Xichen was that the middle-aged man’s colossal form moved with surprising agility on the stage. He executed the Seven Star Step, brought his hands together into a sword seal, and mumbled a lengthy, entirely orthodox Daoist incantation.

After roughly the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, the middle-aged man suddenly stood firm. He stomped his right foot hard nine times, then formed a hand seal and pointed fiercely at the void, shouting, “By order of the Grand Supreme Elder, as swift as the law commands! I summon the true body of the Southern Fire Virtue Star Lord to descend!”

Gu Xichen’s hand twitched; he almost dropped the Five Water Dragon Whisker Fan.

Peng Hua froze, then burst into belly-aching laughter. “Aiyo, what trick is this? Spirit Possession? Huh? Spirit Possession? Hahahaha! Can a side-path scoundrel like you summon the Southern Fire Virtue Star Lord? Go look in a mirror! The Southern Fire Virtue Star Lord—he is—uh, uh—”

A sudden, profound anomaly manifested on the stage. Peng Hua stared in shock at the transformed middle-aged man, unable to utter another word.

An enormous power poured in from the void and infused the man’s body. This power was so terrifying that the floor of the grand hall spontaneously ignited with flames several feet high. The fierce blaze burned so intensely that the floor, made of special materials, began to show signs of melting. This sudden red flame was incredibly potent, possessing the quality of setting ablaze almost anything it touched. In the blink of an eye, several hundred of the weaker guests screamed as their legs were scorched away, terrifying them into leaping into the air.

Patriarch Lu’er’s mouth twitched with rage. He glared viciously at the mutated middle-aged man on the stage, laughing through his fury. “Very good! Using such a powerful forbidden technique at my Patriarchal family’s banquet—I shall remember the hospitality of your Fa’er family!” Fa’er family? Gu Xichen narrowed his eyes. The Crimson Dragon Blazing Flames—the imperial family name included ‘Fa’er’; the name Crimson Dragon Fa’er Blazing Flames. Could this Fa’er family be the origin of the Yanlong Empire’s royalty?

As a fiery aura filled the hall, the middle-aged man’s body on the stage began to melt, resembling glass being consumed by heat, slowly liquefying into a pool of transparent red liquid. Great plumes of golden-red flames jetted from within his body. His figure twisted and writhed rapidly, shrinking until it finally coalesced into a phantom image: a head crowned with a tall coronet and clad in the flowing robes of an official.

An overwhelming aura spread from the figure. A colossal divine sense locked onto Peng Hua’s body. Peng Hua sensed that the figure before him was no longer the middle-aged man but a powerful entity from some unknown realm.

“Die!” A dry, emotionless voice emanated from the figure. A mass of golden flame shot skyward, transforming into a palm print a hundred meters wide that slammed down mercilessly on Peng Hua. The instant this golden flame appeared, the stage’s defensive formation shattered with loud crackling sounds. The surging heat wave rushed outwards, scorching hundreds more guests in the hall. As for the other middle-aged men on stage who had been preparing to duel Peng Hua, they were already reduced to ashes by the golden flame due to their proximity.

“Peng Hua, dodge!” Gu Xichen roared lowly. The power of that golden flame was immense; it was unlike any flame Gu Xichen had ever known—not the Solar Blazing Flame, nor the Lunar Profound Flame, not the Golden Crow Celestial Fire, nor the True Solar Fire, nor the Samadhi True Fire, nor any other common flame. Although this flame was arguably lower in intrinsic grade than the Solar Blazing Flame Gu Xichen controlled, it emitted a terrifying might that seemed to command all flames across the world.

To put it in perspective: the Solar Blazing Flame is the source of all pure-Yang flames, immensely powerful and unparalleled. But because the Solar Blazing Flame is too high-ranking, too unique, few can truly command it. This golden flame, however, acted like the Emperor among pure-Yang flames—while derived from the Solar Blazing Flame, it possessed greater controllability, able to command all flames in existence—with the sole exception of Gu Xichen’s aberrantly powerful Solar Blazing Flame!

Contained within this golden flame was a strand of rule power. Gu Xichen clearly sensed this rule governed all pure-Yang flames in the world, save for the Solar Blazing Flame!

Although Peng Hua had fused with a strand of the True God of the Sun’s innate holy blood, his fundamental being remained a zombie, a creature born of extreme Yin in the cosmos. He could not withstand this golden flame. That was why Gu Xichen yelled for him to move; Peng Hua could not endure the attack. Even the tiny trace of True Solar Fire already within him would be triggered by this golden flame, incinerating his flying night-ghoul body to ash. The power of this golden flame was simply too great for Peng Hua to resist.

The scream originating from Peng Hua’s sea of consciousness confirmed Gu Xichen’s assessment. A voice shrieked, “The Natal True Fire of the Southern Fire Virtue Star Lord? And it contains the divine ability, the ‘Fire Spirit Seal,’ comprehended by the Fire Virtue Star Lord? This—this is the divine ability to control all flames in the heavens and earth! Dodge the flame, and drain that fellow’s vital essence!”

Peng Hua spread the two massive wings on his back, sweeping his body sharply to the side, narrowly avoiding the golden hand slamming down from above.

Then, with a furious screech, he unfurled his wings and charged toward the humanoid figure. His long golden fangs extended from his mouth, his jaws widening enough to swallow a man’s head whole. Ignoring the blazing flames coiled around the figure’s body, he snarled and bit down fiercely on the figure’s neck.

With a sharp rip, a faint golden flame erupted around Peng Hua, and his skin was instantly scorched clean.

Gu Xichen roared in anxiety and stepped forward sharply, leaving two afterimages as he arrived on the stage. The Fire Crow, currently huddled on his shoulder, silently opened its small beak and swallowed the golden hand descending from the sky—the Natal True Fire of the Fire Virtue Star Lord. With a muffled boom, golden flames erupted from the Fire Crow’s body, and immediately afterward, golden flames, seemingly solid, spewed forth from Gu Xichen himself.

This was because the Fire Crow could not absorb the energy of the Natal True Fire immediately. It shunted the vast majority of that energy directly into Gu Xichen’s body. This Natal True Fire offered little benefit to Gu Xichen; the Solar Blazing Flame circulating subtly within him devoured the golden flame completely, resulting only in a slight thickening of Gu Xichen’s cultivation base.

Stepping up beside Peng Hua, Gu Xichen looked at the sizzling, charred Peng Hua and sneered, “With innate supreme treasures protecting you, why fight so desperately?”

Peng Hua was stunned, then let out a roar from the depths of his throat: "Why didn't you say so sooner? I truly am a complete idiot!"

A hazy golden light erupted from beneath Peng Hua's feet. The Innate Supreme Treasure, the Nine-Petaled Golden Lotus Platform, transformed into several delicate, small petals that affixed themselves to his ankles. The golden light flowed over Peng Hua's body, and wherever it passed, the golden flames vanished. His body, nearly incinerated, instantly regenerated.

Four sharp golden fangs were fiercely embedded in the figure's neck. Peng Hua strained with all his might, trying to drive the fangs into the figure's flesh, but this silhouette possessed immense power. Though it seemed to have lost its sentience, its sheer physical defense prevented Peng Hua's teeth from even scratching its surface.

Gu Xiechen snorted, then tucked the Five-Water Dragon Whisker Fan into the collar of his robe and seized the figure's neck with both hands. "Screech...!" he roared. "Behave, let my disciple thoroughly enjoy the essence and blood of your being. Heh heh heh, this is truly a marvelous Spirit Invocation technique. This body has temporarily transformed into a half-clone of the Star Lord of Fire Virtue. Senior Brother, you are in for a treat today."

Zao Mian cackled from within Peng Hua's body: "Yes, drain all his essence and blood. That is equivalent to absorbing the essence and blood of the Star Lord of Fire Virtue. Of course, it might not be as pure as his, but it's enough to transform your Postnatal Corpse Body into a Congenital Divine Body. This is a divine body, a genuine divine body!"

A wisp of Yin energy and a wisp of Yang energy blasted into the figure's body. The Yin energy extinguished the flames around the figure's neck, allowing Peng Hua's four fangs to immediately sink deep into his flesh. The Yang energy ignited the terrifying Natal True Fire of the Star Lord of Fire Virtue within the figure. All the fire power erupted simultaneously but was then compressed and condensed by the Yin energy. This supremely terrifying power rapidly compressed inward, squeezing the figure's original flesh, blood, and vital essence into dozens of drops of golden blood, each the size of a sesame seed.

Peng Hua inhaled sharply, immediately feeling a stream of sweet, warm essence flowing ceaselessly into his body. His form underwent marvelous changes; currents of deathly, stagnant corpse qi spewed forth from him. In no time, the deathly aura covering him vanished entirely. At that moment, Peng Hua looked no different from any ordinary cultivator.

This was Peng Hua's great fortune. If the Temptress Demoness hadn't provoked that middle-aged man into challenging Peng Hua to a duel, this man wouldn't have entered a trance and revealed the unique ultimate skill he had hidden for many years. If he hadn't recklessly cast the forbidden spell that drew down a sliver of the Star Lord of Fire Virtue's residual essence in this universe into his body, his form wouldn't have temporarily transformed into a Congenital Fire God Body, almost identical to the Star Lord of Fire Virtue's true form. Only then would Peng Hua have received such immense benefits.

Pity the middle-aged man, Wei Yun, who had obtained the ancient Spirit Invocation technique for True Spirit Possession. He had labored in cultivating this method for untold years, only to have everything snatched away by Peng Hua today.

To cultivate this Spirit Invocation technique for True Spirit Possession, one required a specific, peculiar bloodline to prevent their own consciousness from being utterly overwritten by the consciousness of the invoked true god. This middle-aged man clearly lacked that unique Fire God bloodline, which is why, upon executing the technique, his consciousness was immediately usurped by the true spirit of the Star Lord of Fire Virtue he summoned. Due to certain unknown reasons, the wisp of true spirit of the Star Lord of Fire Virtue he summoned lacked true sentience; it was merely an almost instinctual surge of Natal True Fire power. Thus, the Congenital Fire God Body he ultimately coalesced was merely an empty shell—possessing immense power but being incapable of using it—a state of idiocy.

To then have Gu Xiechen use the malevolent method from the Great Desolation Sutra to condense all the essence, blood, and spirit within that body into dozens of drops of Fire God True Blood for Peng Hua to absorb, the benefit Peng Hua received was astronomical. Using these few dozen drops of Fire God True Blood as seeds, Peng Hua could slowly transform his own flesh, blood, and essence toward a Congenital Fire God Body, provided he was willing to put in the effort and his cultivation reached the necessary height. He could genuinely become an existence nearly on par with the Star Lord of Fire Virtue. The Southern Vermillion Fiery Star Lord of Fire Virtue was one of the Five True Sovereigns of the Heavenly Court's Congenital Five Vapors, representing the power of the Congenital Five Elements Primal Qi. How could he be compared to ordinary figures?

In the blink of an eye, Peng Hua had completely drained the essence and blood from the body. Along with this essence, a trace of the Star Lord of Fire Virtue's comprehension regarding the Fire Spirit Divine Seal divine ability flowed into Peng Hua.

Peng Hua narrowed his eyes, contemplating the changes within himself, then suddenly let out a long sigh: "Do I even count as a zombie anymore?"

Gu Xiechen smiled, narrowing his eyes: "Perhaps a slightly enhanced one?"

Nodding vigorously, Peng Hua suddenly glared at Gu Xiechen: "Why do I feel like you're calling me an effeminate man?"

Gu Xiechen ignored Peng Hua's jab. By now, the grand hall had descended into utter chaos. The previous burst of flames had injured over a thousand guests to varying degrees, and a few unfortunate souls were utterly incinerated, leaving no trace behind. Those attending the banquet today were either important figures from the major families of the Star Alliance or high-ranking executives from several Six-Star civilizations. Even though the number of deaths wasn't high, this was still a monumental incident.

However, no one was currently concerned with troubling Gu Xiechen and Peng Hua. Everyone was pursuing the Temptress Demoness as if playing a game of 'eagle catching chicks.' Thousands of people attacked chaotically within the hall, colorful lights flashing and shooting everywhere. The Temptress Demoness darted about with her characteristic look of innocent, pure, and utterly bewildered panic, narrowly weaving past countless streaks of sword light.

Gu Xiechen quickly located Patriarch Lu'erfa, who was hopping around anxiously, and inquired about what had just transpired.

Patriarch Lu'erfa offered only a brief explanation. Gu Xiechen and Peng Hua simultaneously narrowed their eyes. They nearly burst out laughing.

During the previous stage fight, beams of golden light soared and flames shot out. The extremely high temperature of the flames deterred anyone from daring to approach. Furthermore, this was the Natal True Fire of the Star Lord of Fire Virtue; even spiritual consciousness could not draw near, as this golden fire would burn even the mind sense. The guests in the hall muttered amongst themselves in confusion. Using the unique communication method shared among those of shared bloodlines, all their spiritual senses instantly connected into a massive mental net. Even the elder, who was entangled by the Temptress Demoness and currently somewhat incoherent, instinctively linked his spiritual sense to this mental network.

This method was akin to Ducart and Xiao Xiao merging their spiritual power. Once the senses of thousands present linked into one entity, not only did their communication speed increase exponentially, but their analytical ability, comprehension, and control over their own minds were also enhanced by thousands of times. The patriarch of the Zu'ensi family, who had been somewhat dazed by the enchanting spell, roared within the mental network, informing all the assembled guests about how he had inexplicably fallen under the Temptress Demoness's control.

With that rapid, almost abnormal speed of analysis, the assembled guests suddenly realized that the provocations starting from those youths towards Peng Hua and Gu Xiechen had been orchestrated by the Temptress Demoness.

But what shocked the guests was that not a single one of them could discern how the Temptress Demoness had controlled those individuals. Everyone appeared perfectly normal; apart from their gazes seeming slightly fierce due to "indignation," they exhibited no other abnormalities.

However, the guests reacted swiftly. The patriarch of the Zu'ensi family casually grabbed a handful of the Temptress Demoness’s chest. As the Demoness looked at him with an expression of "naive innocence," the old Zu'ensi man drew a strangely shaped golden net blade and fiercely struck her in the middle of her back. This blow tore a luminous hole the size of a bowl in her back, revealing her purple-hued, chillingly cold bones beneath.

The Temptress Demoness shrieked, and in return, she grabbed the old Zu'ensi man's lower body. With that casual, light grasp, the old man, who possessed the cultivation of a Third Grade Celestial Immortal, felt his vital yang energy burst forth uncontrollably. The old man shrieked in terror and scrambled backward in a sorry state. The hole in the Temptress Demoness's body had already mended itself. In a panic, she fled towards the main entrance of the hall.

But the experts from the Patriarchal Family had already blocked the exit. Thousands of guests simultaneously unleashed their personal weapons, attacking the cornered Temptress Demoness.

Gu Xiechen, after assisting Peng Hua in draining the essence and blood from that silhouette, was met with the sight of the Temptress Demoness scrambling about like a stray dog.

There were thousands of guests in the hall, yet fewer than a third possessed Immortal Artifacts. Moreover, it was evident that these artifacts had come from low-level Immortals; the number of inscribed Immortal Formations was limited, and their grade was insufficient, only barely meeting the standard of an Immortal Artifact. It was clear that even the core high-ranking members of the Star Alliance suffered from a scarcity of superior Immortal Artifacts.

The weapons refined by a First Grade Celestial Immortal from the Grand Sovereign Heavens were Immortal Artifacts; the weapons refined by a top-tier Grand Unity Golden Immortal from the Pure Jade Heaven were also Immortal Artifacts. The disparity between Immortal Artifacts could be vast. Generally, those refined by Celestial Immortals were Low-Grade Artifacts, those by Golden Immortals were Mid-Grade, those by Great Unity Golden Immortals were High-Grade, and those by Grand Unity Golden Immortals were Ultimate-Grade. Yet, there were immense gaps in strength even between Celestial Immortals, Golden Immortals, Great Unity Golden Immortals, and Grand Unity Golden Immortals. Thus, the quality tiers of Immortal Artifacts were widely spread out.

From the specialized perspective of Gu Xiechen, who inherited the Heavenly Artifact Collection, the Immortal Artifacts used by the guests in the hall were all low-grade goods refined by Immortals from the Grand Sovereign Heavens and the Grand Clarity Jade Perfection Heavens. The number of inscribed Immortal Formations in each artifact did not exceed twelve, and the level of these formations was merely introductory. They were incomparable to the two great hammers Peng Hua had just used, which were inscribed with three thousand six hundred manifestations of the Azure Nether Thunder Law. And those hammers were merely the upper echelon of Mid-Grade Immortal Artifacts, still far removed from true High-Grade Immortal Artifacts.

Therefore, even though thousands of people were attacking the Temptress Demoness simultaneously, she weaved through the torrent of flying Immortal Artifacts with ease. Her movement technique was elusive; a faint white light trailed behind her as she darted past. The speed of these introductory Immortal Artifacts was not even faster than her light evasion skill, making it impossible for them to strike her body.

Occasionally, dozens of Immortal Artifacts would converge into a net and descend together, piercing a few small holes in the Temptress Demoness, but these caused her no fundamental damage. She would simply use her unpredictable steps to crash into areas dense with people, eliciting a chorus of agonizing screams from the crowd.

Among the assembled guests, those who had reached the cultivation level of the Grand Sovereign Heavens or above, along with the experts of the Patriarchal Family—excluding those unfortunate souls eliminated by Peng Hua—numbered only about one-fiftieth of the total, roughly seventy or eighty individuals. Aside from these, the next tier of higher cultivation included a group of Loose Immortals ranging from the Third Tribulation to the Fifth Tribulation. It was apparent that achieving a Heavenly Tribulation in the Star Alliance was quite difficult; there were only about three hundred Loose Immortals present. The remainder consisted of younger elites from various factions, including over a hundred who had reached the Tribulation Transcendence stage, with the rest ranging from the Golden Core stage to the Void Realm.

The cultivation of the Temptress Demoness was at least at the level of the Grand Clarity Jade Perfection Heaven—a strength equivalent to a Second Grade Celestial Immortal. Relying on her lightning-fast, slippery evasion technique, she darted into the crowd. Who among them could withstand her sneak attacks? Under her slender, delicate, pale claws, even top-grade Spiritual Artifacts protecting others were torn apart at will. Afterward, she would haphazardly snatch up a man and pivot away, simultaneously pressing her mouth to the man's face, spitting out a beam of white light that shot into his mouth. Onlookers watched in horror as the man's body rapidly withered away.

It took the Temptress Demoness perhaps only one breath to completely drain a man's vital essence and spirit, reducing him to a dried corpse and tossing him carelessly aside. The crowd had been surrounding and attacking her for barely the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, yet dozens of desiccated corpses already littered the ground, each having its entire essence, blood, and spirit sucked dry, all absorbed into the Temptress Demoness’s cultivation.

A demonic laugh suddenly rang out. The Temptress Demoness, while slickly maneuvering through the countless streaks of sword light, sighed mournfully: "Why must you force me to this point? I merely sought a lover; is that not allowed? How could you bear to strike a weak woman like me? You people are truly going too far."

At some unknown point, the Temptress Demoness had rushed back to the vicinity of that old man from the Zu'ensi family. Because his yang essence had been damaged, the Zu'ensi patriarch was leaning breathlessly against a clansman, using all his effort to suppress the surging lust-fire within him, which churned like a minor tidal wave. This was a lust-fire capable of burning his yang essence to ash. He felt like a suckling pig on a spit, the flames slowly squeezing out the essence within him, turning it bit by bit into dust.

Because he had to concentrate all his attention on suppressing the chaotic energy, the Zu'ensi patriarch had severed his mental connection with others.

The Temptress Demoness keenly noticed this situation, giggling as she lunged toward the old man. Her bell-like laughter transformed into a visible ripple that struck the old man.

"Dear Old Grandfather Zu'ensi, didn't you just promise to care for me and cherish me for a lifetime, never to leave my side?"

The old Zu'ensi, who was fully focused on suppressing the turbulent energies in his body, suddenly shuddered. His concentration shattered instantly. The Demoness’s cry was filled with a terrifying power capable of shaking the soul. The old Zu'ensi was nearly struck deaf by her full-throated coquettish cry, almost shattering his primordial spirit. His golden net blade, a Buddhist Dharma tool, instantly dissolved into a burst of golden light upon contact with the Demoness's coquettish sound, shielding the old man and barely protecting his soul from dissipating.

But a sharp light flashed in the Temptress Demoness's eyes. She suddenly shrieked: "Dear Old Grandfather, do you truly have the heart to kill me? Just now... you praised how smooth my skin felt!"

The Vajra Gate exploded into dust. The Zu'ensi patriarch spat blood from all seven orifices and collapsed onto the ground. The Temptress Demoness laughed maniacally several times, her body soaring over the fallen patriarch. She grabbed him in one hand, and with a casual blade-strike from her other hand, slit the throat of the clansman the old man had been leaning on.

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