Billowing mushroom clouds surged upward continuously, the protective barriers on the Haotian Pagoda cracking and shattering under the assault. This Pagoda was the personal artifact of the Great Emperor Haotian, layered with countless seals he had placed upon it. Yet, during the ancient era, something unknown occurred that left the Pagoda severely damaged when Fang Guyou first obtained it. Only after his painstaking repairs could it barely be utilized. Later, in the hands of Xuanyuan Ruoxing, especially after acquiring the Haotian Pearl, the Pagoda’s restoration accelerated dramatically, but even so, the timeframe was far too short for a complete and perfect reconstruction.

Now, struck by Ye Jingyu’s full-force blow, it was teetering on the brink of complete collapse.

However, this was, after all, the Haotian Pagoda. Even if its rank fell slightly short of the Donghuang Bell, the difference was negligible. Even unable to wield its full power, Xuanyuan Ruoxing ultimately managed to withstand Ye Jingyu’s most devastating strike.

Xuanyuan Ruoxing was now spewing blood from all seven facial orifices from the shockwave, yet seeing that Ye Jingyu’s ultimate attack had failed to kill him, a smile spread across his face—a smile of narrow survival, tinged overwhelmingly with smug satisfaction.

“Hahahaha… Ye Jingyu, you still cannot kill me! With the Haotian Pagoda, you are incapable of finishing me! This time, failure is yours alone. Hahaha, I am the true protagonist of this world…” Xuanyuan Ruoxing roared with laughter, his mirth utterly arrogant and brazen, solely because the wounds on Xuanyuan Jing and Gui Jianchou’s chests were rapidly healing.

Once they recovered, Ye Jingyu, in his current state, would stand no chance of resistance. At that point, not only would the Haotian Pearl be retrieved, but the two magical artifacts he carried would surely become Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s spoils. How could Xuanyuan Ruoxing restrain his inherent arrogance under such circumstances?

Magical artifacts of the same caliber as the Haotian Pagoda, or even more potent ones, were always better to possess in greater numbers.

“The Heaven-Flipping Seal! Whether heaven can be flipped today rests on you!” Seeing the utterly presumptuous Xuanyuan Ruoxing, Ye Jingyu unleashed the last artifact within his core—an artifact also not fully repaired: the Heaven-Flipping Seal.

He spat a stream of vital essence onto the black seal, causing it to erupt in brilliant light before soaring into the void, growing to the size of a small mountain as it hurtled downward.

“Rumble…” The Heaven-Flipping Seal slammed down upon the Haotian Pagoda once more. The main body of the seal, forged from the peak of Mount Buzhou, utterly shattered, and Ye Jingyu thought he could faintly hear its mournful cry.

This super-artifact that once stunned the Three Realms, hailed as unbreakable below the level of a Saint, fragmented completely after successive impacts from the Donghuang Bell and the Haotian Pagoda.

Ye Jingyu, now intimately linked with the Heaven-Flipping Seal, immediately coughed up another jet of blood. His complexion turned deathly pale, and his vision swam violently; he nearly blacked out.

The berserk energy slammed into the Haotian Pagoda again. The Pagoda, already on the verge of fragmentation, could no longer withstand such a violent bombardment and fractured simultaneously. The tower structure completely disintegrated, its remnants intertwining with the shattered pieces of the Heaven-Flipping Seal…

Ye Jingyu fiercely suppressed the immense pain, chanting an incantation while rapidly tapping his finger outwards. Strange runes ignited at his fingertips and instantly dissolved into the broken Heaven-Flipping Seal suspended in the void.

Immediately, a patch of black mist enveloped the seal, drawing in not only the fragments of the Heaven-Flipping Seal but also the debris of the Haotian Pagoda.

Moreover, several bolts of lightning descended from the heavens, merging into that swirling black fog. Ye Jingyu was desperate not to allow a heaven-defying artifact like the Heaven-Flipping Seal to vanish entirely; he knew his future enemies would remain formidable, and he would still require it.

The runes writhed like earthworms across the sky, while Xuanyuan Ruoxing, reeling from the shock, lost control and began to plummet from the heavens.

When he was still one hundred and fifty meters above the ground, he abruptly realized his Haotian Pagoda had been utterly pulverized. Disbelief contorted his features. How could the Haotian Pagoda of the Great Emperor Haotian, the supreme ruler of the Three Realms, be smashed? What artifact had Ye Jingyu used that possessed such destructive power?

But at that instant, Ye Jingyu charged forward. The heavily damaged Heavenly Venerate Blade appeared in his hand, and he brought it down in a single slash. The blinding blade light illuminated the entire world, the magnificent edge slicing across Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s neck. A fountain of blood jetted forth as his head shot skyward.

However, perhaps due to enduring Ye Jingyu’s overwhelming force, the Heavenly Venerate Blade itself began to crack, sending countless flashes of lightning that were instantly drawn into the black mist overhead.

The Heaven-Flipping Seal was attempting to reform even as Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s body fell. A spectral shadow erupted from within him, attempting to flee eastward.

That was Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s soul, his Primordial Spirit forged to the Immortal Realm—as long as the spirit survived, he could reconstruct his physical body anytime. Ye Jingyu could not allow him to escape, but now he was grievously wounded, his internal power almost entirely depleted. How could he possibly stop Xuanyuan Ruoxing?

“I don’t care anymore!” Ye Jingyu roared, abandoning concern over whether the Haotian Pearl might escape. He immediately summoned Zhurong, pouring all his remaining strength into destroying Xuanyuan Ruoxing.

The colossal spectral image of Zhurong, having just burst forth from the Twelve Heavenly Witches Annihilation Grand Array, snatched Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s physical body and swallowed it whole. Then, clenching his massive right fist, Zhurong smashed down directly upon Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s fleeing soul.

The Primordial Spirit of Xuanyuan Ruoxing was instantly pulverized into dust.

“Hahaha… You think this is enough to kill me? I tell you, my soul has endured nine Heavenly Thunder Tribulations; my Primordial Spirit is eternally indestructible. You cannot kill me!” Yet, Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s voice echoed from the air, and the Haotian Pearl, previously contained by the Chiyou Banner, seemed to respond to his call, breaking free and shooting into the void.

“Little brat, I’ve swallowed countless weak Primordial Spirits like yours in my day. Do you truly imagine you can escape death?” Zhurong’s majestic voice boomed. Immediately, his body dissolved into an ocean of fire, completely engulfing the shattered soul of Xuanyuan Ruoxing…

“Ahhh…” Zhurong was the progenitor of fire control, and now he contained a spark of the Li Fire, a flame transcendent of the Three Realms. Even though Xuanyuan Ruoxing’s Primordial Spirit had passed the Heavenly Tribulations and was immune to ordinary flames—even the True Solar Fire—it screamed incessantly as it burned in the Li Fire. Zhurong executed an unknown series of hand seals, completely sealing the soul fragments, ensuring not a trace could escape. In mere moments, all sound ceased. The Haotian Pearl, suddenly bereft of its master, drifted aimlessly like a lost puppy, unsure where to go.

(Fourth update complete!) For the readers: Uploaded at 14:55