Gongsun Sheng’s face turned utterly pale as he surveyed the scene of devastation—the ground in ruins, the shattered alchemical furnace, and the mere few drops of golden liquid remaining on the floor.

“Gongsun Bai, what is the meaning of this?” Gongsun Sheng was furious. This entire undertaking was the key to his ascension to the Martial God realm.

It was crucial to remember that refining the Shattering Truth Pill required not only countless rare treasures but also the inner cores of seven Sacred Beasts. Furthermore, these could not be just any Sacred Beasts. Relying on secret techniques passed down through the family, the Gongsun Clan possessed a number of Sacred Beasts artificially catalyzed by medicinal power, but the cores of these beasts were inherently unstable and utterly unsuitable as medicinal catalysts. Only the cores of savage beasts that had reached the Saint realm naturally within the Tiangang Mountain Range would suffice.

The Gongsun Clan had spent decades hunting and lost untold manpower just to capture six naturally formed Sacred Beasts. Now, at this critical juncture, needing only one more Sacred Beast core to complete the Shattering Truth Pill, to see it ruined like this was enough to provoke his rage.

“Big Brother, I truly don’t know. Some monster-like fellow just rushed in from who knows where…” Gongsun Bai’s face was also ashen. He had been directly in charge of the Shattering Truth Pill refinement. Just as success was within reach, the sudden appearance of Liang Xiaoke had caused the entire endeavor to fail, a catastrophe that wrung his heart with pain.

The enraged Gongsun Bai described Liang Xiaoke’s appearance in detail. After hearing it all, Gongsun Sheng’s expression shifted dramatically. He immediately understood; that fellow was the monster who had killed the Violent Ape King previously. What stunned him, however, was the monster’s apparent ability to move freely through the earth—it was simply unbelievable! It rendered any defense useless!

If a Saint-level expert were to emerge suddenly from the ground to assassinate someone, even he himself might not be able to withstand a single strike. If that creature genuinely intended to carry out an assassination, who in the entire Gongsun Estate could possibly stop it?

“Big Brother, what should we do now?” Seeing Gongsun Sheng’s face flicker between grim and uncertain, Gongsun Bai asked cautiously.

Gongsun Sheng’s brow was tightly furrowed. He glanced at the Violent Ape struggling back to its feet and then at the three-eyed White Tiger, letting out a heavy sigh deep within his chest.

To elevate himself and his brother to the Martial Saint realm, they had already sacrificed over a dozen Sacred Beasts. To hunt these six necessary beasts, they had lost more than ten others. These represented the accumulated resources of the Gongsun Clan over a millennium. Now, the family had fewer than a dozen remaining Sacred Beasts, and half of those had been dispatched to hunt Ye Jingyu. Where could they possibly find so many more?

These beasts were the powerful backbone protecting the Gongsun Clan; they could not afford another depletion. Moreover, these particular Sacred Beasts were artificially grown through medicine; even killing them for alchemy wouldn't work, as their cores could never truly condense properly.

“We must abandon this for now. You will accompany me; we cannot remain in this place. For the time being, we must proceed with extreme caution!” After only a moment of deliberation, Gongsun Sheng made his decision. The most critical task now was eliminating Ye Jingyu and his group; achieving the Martial God status would have to wait.

Gongsun Bai opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but looking at the utterly destroyed furnace and the few remaining drops of golden liquid, his eyes were filled with unwillingness. But what good was unwillingness? Things had reached this point; what more could be done? Ten years—ten years of effort gone in an instant. No one could easily accept such a loss.

Was it truly so difficult for the Gongsun Family to produce a Martial God?

The two brothers sighed, then bowed their heads and walked toward the ground.

Setting aside the gloom consuming the Gongsun brothers, Liang Xiaoke, who had just swallowed six inner cores and countless quantities of the treasure elixir, felt as though his body were on fire. The violent energy continually surged through his flesh, threatening to tear his very form apart.

After fleeing three or four li, he stopped within the earth, sat down cross-legged, and began silently reciting the incantation to absorb and consolidate the enormously immense power. He understood that if he could not absorb and suppress this energy, the outcome would be catastrophic self-detonation. Even with his Undying Body, this level of energy was sufficient to destroy everything, including his soul.

After all, this was the energy coalesced from six inner cores. Even though he had already reached the third stage of the Corpse Emperor realm, absorbing this much energy all at once was simply impossible.

Mentally cursing his own greed, he remained buried in the earth, desperately maneuvering his Two Forms True Qi to refine the massive influx of power.

While Liang Xiaoke was struggling under the strain, Ye Jingyu and Bing Ming fled westward. Their speed was incredible, but they were being pursued by Saint-level experts nonetheless. As dawn broke the next day, Ye Jingyu had already covered more than five hundred kilometers.

He stopped only because a figure materialized and blocked his path.

Staring at the handsome man dressed in white before him, sensing the sharp sword aura emanating from him, Ye Jingyu’s brows drew tightly together.

Bing Ming’s figure also appeared. Looking at the young man with long black hair, the iron sword in his hand vibrated continuously, seemingly excited—excited to have found a worthy opponent.

“You go first. If the pursuers behind catch up, you won't be able to leave!” Bing Ming said calmly. They both sensed at least seven or eight powerful auras rapidly approaching their location.

“No, you won't be able to escape alone when they arrive. We just need to hold out until Big Brother arrives!” Ye Jingyu was unaware that Liang Xiaoke was currently trapped and unable to move. Facing nine Saint-level experts, given his and Bing Ming’s capabilities, they stood no chance of resisting; their only hope was Liang Xiaoke’s arrival.

With Liang Xiaoke now at the peak Corpse Emperor Triple Stage, equivalent to a peak Martial Saint, he could handle several Saint-level experts.

“But…” Bing Ming frowned deeply. What if Liang Xiaoke encountered trouble while infiltrating the Gongsun Estate to rescue Xiao Hua?

“No buts. We join forces and take this fellow down first!” Ye Jingyu directly cut off Bing Ming, drawing the Sky Venerable Saber from his back. The Heaven and Earth Second Souls, which had transformed into Gongsun Xiangyi, suddenly flashed and merged directly into his physical body.

To confront a Martial Saint, there was no possibility without the aid of the Heaven and Earth Second Souls.

Seeing the seemingly living Gongsun Xiangyi melt into Ye Jingyu’s body, Xuanyuan Jing’s expression changed. How was this possible? Yet, after only a moment, he realized: this was a soul manifestation. But if a person’s soul leaves the body, how could the physical body maintain its vitality?

Before Xuanyuan Jing could process it further, a blinding arc of saber light ignited in the void…