The sky was awash with blood. Amidst this sea of crimson, Feng Zikang felt an endless torrent of frantic sword qi surging towards him.

"Starfall Great Extinction Sword Style!" Feng Zikang knew this sword qi divine ability intimately, yet he hadn't expected the 'Zhai' to unleash it with such ferocity. ECH was in a shut-down state.

Killing intent, resentment, annihilation. These negative emotions crashed like monstrous waves, clinging to the crisscrossing sword qi that filled the sky, destined to extinguish anything and everything!

Feng Zikang closed his eyes, leaned back, and fell backward, using the momentum to rocket away at high speed. Normally, according to the effect of the imitation Core Formation Pill given by Julier, he should have already lost consciousness and combat ability by now.

Seizing this chance, Feng Zikang disengaged from the fray. Why not simply watch the tigers fight from the mountain?

Wasn't that the better option? Ghost King Tu roared and gestured with a hand.

A surging river of water burst forth, coiling like a water dragon, blocking the space between her and Julier. "The Nether River Divine Ability?

Hardly worth mentioning! Break for me!" From within the sea of blood came a chilling, mournful cry—the cold howl of the Iron Masked Man.

He had lost his physical form, now just an apparition condensed from foul blood. Innumerable sword shadows, honed by blood energy, sliced inwards.

The Nether River summoned by Ghost King Tu splashed violently, gradually drying up. "Using this surging Blood Fiend Qi to fuel the Starfall Great Extinction Sword Style—it is indeed ruthless and sharp." Feng Zikang distanced himself from the battle, his eyes half-open, half-closed, yet constantly monitoring the situation.

Though heavily wounded, the Iron Masked Man, Liu Yuansu, had cast aside his physical body. He merged his flesh with the collective resentment of his forty-eight slain sons, pushing this sinister, terrifying, and venomous technique to its apex.

The resentment pierced the heavens, possessing the power to shatter creation. In contrast, Ghost King Tu and Jasmine were jointly manipulating several Nether Rivers, holding back the invasion of the Blood Fiend Sword Qi.

They were struggling just to maintain their defense, showing no intention of counterattacking. It seemed they had both seen that the Iron Masked Man’s current might could not last.

They intended to stabilize themselves first before planning a strike. Overall, though the Iron Masked Man held the advantage at this moment, his current state meant he could not sustain it for long.

Once the vital blood energy dissipated, he would only grow weaker. "Ghost King Tu, are you only capable of hiding behind your apprentice?

Why don't you crawl out here!" "Heh heh, truly laughable. Old Fiend Iron Mask, how much more blood do you have left to spill!" While trading blows, their verbal sparring was equally intense, neither giving ground.

The Iron Masked Man felt increasingly agitated. The Blood Fiend Sword Qi grew denser, relentless.

He had destroyed his physical shell, merging his flesh with the blood and malice of the forty-eight sons he had slain and consumed, reaching the ultimate stage of this heretical art. However, without a physical body, it could not last.

He had hoped to deliver a crushing, thunderous counterattack to eliminate all three of them. Alas, that brat in the Qi Induction Stage was blasted away in one move, but Ghost King Tu, that old turtle, was stubbornly clinging on, dragging things out.

This fueled his rage. But the master and disciple duo held fast, refusing to initiate an attack, relying on the multiple Nether Rivers to shield themselves impenetrably, like a pair of turtles.

This left him with boundless sword qi that he couldn't effectively apply, forcing him into a slow attrition. The sword qi was ferocious, but the Nether River defense was equally rigid.

Although constantly shredded by flashes of bloody sword light, the master and disciple worked in tandem; whenever one river was destroyed, another immediately took its place. For the time being, they were unassailable.

Feng Zikang watched, nodding subtly. He gained considerable insight from the ebb and flow of the offense and defense.

After all, combat at the Foundation Establishment stage was different from before. Although he had killed several Foundation Establishment cultivators, this was his first time witnessing a formal battle between them.

Their applications of technique were indeed varied and subtle. This protracted entanglement lasted for half a day.

The blood-colored sword light that once obscured half the sky was now reduced to barely half its original density, and within the bloody clouds, the Iron Masked Man’s silhouette of foul blood gradually became clearer. Simultaneously, Ghost King Tu and Jasmine, the master and disciple, also appeared pale.

Of the Nether River divine abilities they wielded, only seven broken rivers remained. "Master, this old fiend Iron Mask is terrifyingly strong!" Jasmine whispered timidly, her face filled with apprehension.

"No need to panic." Ghost King Tu panted heavily, her ample chest heaving. Although her form had shrunk to that of a mere two-foot-tall imp, her features remained unchanged.

"This old monster won't last much longer. This strange sword technique consumes massive amounts of blood energy.

Even if he killed dozens of sons, the blood wouldn't be enough!" "Pfft!" Another sword light struck, slicing through a Nether River. Ghost King Tu shuddered violently, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

"That vicious old monster!" She gritted her teeth, waved her hand in anger, and brought another Nether River forward to block the fierce sword qi. Suddenly, joy flickered across her face.

"Apprentice, rest assured, this old monster is at his limit. He actually struck this Nether River without causing any ripple—ha!

That's excellent. Once I find an opening, I'll use the Imp Striking Heart Divine Ability, and we can surely defeat him in one go." "'Imp'...

Imp Striking Heart?" Jasmine's face paled. "Master, if we use that divine ability, I will..." "Nonsense!" Ghost King Tu glared fiercely at her.

"How important is this Profound Realm? We have such a rare opportunity.

Do you still care about mere appearance? Did your Master willingly refine herself into an Imp?

Everything is for this Profound Realm! Once we master this place, we'll naturally find a way to recover slowly." "Yes..." Jasmine dared not retort, softly agreeing, but then she heard Ghost King Tu call out loudly, taunting, "Old monster, you're finished!

This one sword qi didn't even cause a ripple. You might as well just die obediently!" "Seeking death!" The Iron Masked Man was enraged.

The sword qi surged, gathering the blood clouds from the sky into a single, poised strike. "Now is the time!" Ghost King Tu's expression shifted abruptly, and dark light flashed in her eyes.

"Apprentice, you manage the remaining six Nether Rivers. Just protect my body, and that old fiend won't escape our grasp." Her body suddenly vanished, transforming into a mass of black energy that shot straight towards the Iron Masked Man’s figure within the vast blood cloud.

Jasmine hesitated slightly, then the six Nether Rivers roared and circled, completely enveloping Ghost King Tu's mass. Under the fierce assault of the sword qi, the heavenly river howled, and Ghost King Tu let out a piercing shriek, sounding like a vengeful ghost!

In an instant! The black energy pierced through the blood cloud, solidifying into a terrifying monster, its gaping maw wider than its body, ready to swallow the Iron Masked Man whole.

The Iron Masked Man couldn't dodge in time and had half his body bitten off. Amidst the pain, ten thousand swords erupted!

At this moment, the Imp had also sunk its teeth into his chest! Striking the heart!

The Iron Masked Man's form suddenly stiffened. All the blood qi seemed to be sucked away, flowing ceaselessly into the body of the monster the Ghost Imp had become.

Simultaneously, Jasmine's expression shifted slightly. Her hands, which had been continuously waving, suddenly paused.

A massive gap appeared in the six Nether Rivers protecting Ghost King Tu! The sword qi seized the opportunity and surged forward!

"Good apprentice!" Ghost King Tu roared in fury. But it was too late to evade.

Under the ten thousand swords, she was sliced into fragments! The bloody humanoid figure had by now been largely consumed by her, slowly dissipating into nothingness, and the bloody clouds overhead vanished without a trace.

"Ugh!" Jasmine half-knelt, spitting out a mouthful of black blood, and slowly collapsed to the ground. Before losing consciousness, a strange smile touched her lips.

The Iron Masked Man was dead. Ghost King Tu was also dead.

Although losing the Imp meant she suffered a severe backlash, this Profound Realm ultimately belonged to her, Jasmine! She fainted with a satisfied smile.

※ Tranquility returned to the Profound Realm. Feng Zikang opened his eyes slowly, a hint of sarcasm on his lips, and soared on his sword light towards the location of the recent battlefield.

The sea of blood transformed by the Iron Masked Man, Liu Yuansu, had vanished without a trace, and the Ghost Imp formed by Ghost King Tu was reduced to mere wisps of black energy. She would likely have her cultivation utterly destroyed, destined to remain merely a small imp refined by her apprentice, with no chance of recovery.

As for Jasmine, she lay unconscious, still wearing that smile, probably dreaming sweet dreams of dominating this Profound Realm. The outcome of today's battle had exceeded Feng Zikang's expectations.

In terms of raw power, the Iron Masked Man was the strongest. If he had used the Blood Fiend Qi creation method earlier, perhaps even six Foundation Establishment cultivators working together wouldn't have fared well.

Unfortunately, he was wounded by a sneak attack and ultimately perished when his strength gave out. In terms of cunning, Ghost King Tu was formidable for being willing to refine herself into an Imp and hide among the others.

Regrettably, she trusted the wrong person; her apprentice turned out to be an ingrate, stabbing her in the back at the critical moment, causing her to fail completely. Jasmine's hidden patience erupted at the end, thinking herself the ultimate beneficiary, the oriole waiting behind the mantis.

She hadn't factored in the presence of Feng Zikang, the hawk above. Such is fate; one cannot blame destiny.

Feng Zikang drew his iron sword, about to strike off Jasmine's head. "Wait… wait a moment!" From the few strands of black energy that remained where Ghost King Tu was shattered, a faint shadow reappeared.

Ghost King Tu's face was ashen, her hair disheveled, blocking Feng Zikang. "Oh?

You haven't died yet?" Feng Zikang stopped, examining her closely. Ghost King Tu’s cultivation was entirely destroyed; she was now just an ordinary wandering spirit, someone he could crush with one hand.

"Since I transformed into the Imp, as long as the Ghost Mother is not dead, I naturally cannot die either…" Ghost King Tu glared fiercely at the unconscious Jasmine on the ground, then turned back to Feng Zikang. "Young man, it seems you are the ultimate victor.

But I beg you, do not kill my wicked apprentice. Spare this old one's life!" Of course, she wasn't trying to save Jasmine.

This treacherous disciple had brought her to this state; she longed to tear her apart. But the dilemma was that the Imp and the Ghost Mother now shared a symbiotic existence; if Jasmine died, she would perish too.

She had no choice but to appear and plead. "You want me to spare her?" Feng Zikang pointed his sword tip at Jasmine, smiling.

"It's not impossible, but I fear she'll cause trouble later. If you want me to spare her life, what benefit will you offer?" "This..." Ghost King Tu now lacked even a life, existing as almost nothing but a phantom.

How could she offer any benefit? Feng Zikang laughed heartily.

He already had a plan forming. He summoned the four Demonic Gods and first used the Four Symbols Demonic Prison to firmly restrain the unconscious Jasmine.

He himself would first search for the Soul of the Profound Realm. That wisp of ethereal blue flame!

The immediate priority was securing the inheritance of this Profound Realm!