Boom.
The heavy doors of the side hall slammed shut, cutting off the last sliver of retreat.
The surrounding bluestone floor cracked inch by inch as hideous arms covered in dark green keratin violently thrust out from within.
They tore through the earth with teeth-grating scraping sounds, as if crawling straight out of hell.
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of Weapon God Altars completely surrounded the side hall, leaving no gaps.
The Witch King's cold, hoarse laughter echoed through the hall.
"The bond between you all is truly touching!"
"This King is almost moved to tears by you."
High up outside the hall, the fake Li Xingyun, the Khitan Queen Shuliduo of Mobei, the envoy of the Zoroastrian Cult from the Western Regions, as well as top experts from the Tongwen Manor and various major factions, all revealed themselves.
They were like spectators looking down at prey in a colosseum, their gazes cold and full of mockery.
This was a despair-inducing dead end.
The air seemed to solidify, pressing down so heavily that it was hard to breathe.
Youchuan suddenly turned around, blocking in front of Li Xingyun.
The scimitar in his hand reflected a resolute, cold gleam in the dim hall.
"Witch King, what you are doing will destroy Miaojiang! It's not too late to stop now!"
His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally firm.
"Li Xingyun, hurry and leave! I will buy you a sliver of a chance to survive."
With that said, he prepared to push his cultivation to the limit and charge toward the monsters surging forward like a tide.
However, right at this critical moment.
Without any warning, the entire Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, and even the ground within a hundred-mile radius, began to faintly glow red.
An indescribable, scorching heat rose from deep within the earth's core.
The earth seemed to turn into a red-hot branding iron.
Then, an explosion occurred, blowing apart a large number of Weapon God Altars.
Immediately after, an incredibly tall figure tore through the dome of the side hall, descending from the sky like a meteor.
Boom—!
Where he landed, the entire hall trembled violently, and over a dozen Weapon God Altars were sent flying by the terrifying impact.
The newcomer had a physique as massive as a mountain, his muscles bulging and knotted. His skin was a bizarre dark green, and magma seemed to flow within his eyes.
Just by standing there, he forcefully blasted open a gap for everyone.
"This... this is..."
Li Xingyun was so shocked by this sudden turn of events that he was left speechless.
"If you're going to fight, then fight. Making it all smoky and fiery like this is truly tasteless."
A slightly disgusted voice complained.
Hou Qing's figure had gracefully landed in the combat ring at some unknown point.
He was still dressed in spotless white clothes, completely out of place in the bloody and chaotic environment.
He even had the leisure to adjust his sleeves.
"Truly tasteless."
Despite his words, he raised his hand and waved, sending out an invisible sword aura that forced several enemies attempting to approach to stumble backward.
The battlefield had thus gained new variables.
"Hey, everyone, long time no see."
A figure with flowing pink hair and a graceful posture slowly walked out, waving her robes to strike an extremely handsome pose.
Then, she was choked into a coughing fit by the dust kicked up by Hanba.
At the same time, a seemingly innocent young girl with cute short hair and two small braids skipped inside.
"Big sister is here!"
The Four Great Corpse Progenitors of the Xuanming Cult, after so many years, had actually gathered together today in Miaojiang.
The expressions of the fake Li Xingyun's side instantly turned incredibly ugly.
"Attack!"
The Holy Lord of the Tongwen Manor, Li Siyuan, made a prompt decision. Ignoring the thick-skinned Hanba, he personally led a team and charged toward Hou Qing.
The subordinates behind him actually brought out massive leather sacks.
"Splash it!"
At Li Siyuan's command, countless streams of viscous blood rained down toward Hou Qing like a torrential downpour.
"Damn it! You tasteless bastards!"
Hou Qing's face instantly turned pale. The true qi of the *Blood Weeping Record* had not yet been completely neutralized, and his aversion to blood was still etched into his bones. Unable to dodge in time, he was forced into a miserable retreat.
On the other side, the Prince of Qi, Li Maozhen, turned into a blur and intercepted Jiangchen.
"Playing the devil."
Li Maozhen's *Phantom Melody Art* was unpredictable, sending sound blades surging toward his opponent like a tide.
Jiangchen, however, possessed bizarre movement techniques, strolling leisurely through the dense barrage of attacks.
"Little handsome brother, you almost hit me."
"Oh my, missed by just a bit again."
Her nonsensical provocations caused the usually composed Li Maozhen to burn with anger, making his attacks even more fierce.
Meanwhile, the young girl Yinggou was entangled by Aogu, who had come from Mobei.
The Gu arts duel between the two summoned a sky full of venomous insects and thick black mist, making the scene incredibly eerie.
The most ferocious Hanba was also tightly surrounded by dozens of Weapon God Altars, who felt no pain and feared no death.
Every punch he threw could shatter a monster, but more monsters immediately filled the gaps, making it difficult for him to break free for the time being.
Although the appearance of the Four Great Corpse Progenitors was shocking, they were quickly divided and pinned down by the enemy.
The true crisis once again fell upon Li Xingyun.
The Witch King sneered, personally leading a massive number of Weapon God Altars and several Great Heavenly Position experts to surround Li Xingyun's trio once more.
"This time, let's see who else can save you!"
"Zifan!"
"Senior Brother!"
Zhang Zifan and Lu Linxuan resisted desperately, pushing their lifelong cultivation to the limit in an attempt to create an opening for Li Xingyun.
However, the Witch King merely struck out a casual palm.
"Urgh—"
The two immediately spat out fresh blood and flew backward, instantly suffering heavy injuries.
"You guys!"
Li Xingyun's eyes widened so much they nearly tore.
The *Tiangang Art* and *Qi Sutra* within his body were pushed to their absolute limits. Golden qi flames shot into the sky, and his strength skyrocketed in an instant.
But two fists were still no match for many hands.
Several Great Heavenly Position experts attacked simultaneously from different directions.
Bang!
Li Xingyun's body trembled violently as he was struck by several palm strikes at once. Unable to hold on any longer, he was sent flying backward. He crashed heavily onto one knee, violently coughing up a mouthful of scalding blood.
"It's over."
The Witch King raised his withered hand high, gathering a lethal dark green Gu poison in his palm, preparing to completely end this final bloodline of the Li Tang Dynasty.
Right at this moment.
A sound of something piercing the air rang out, so sharp it felt as if it could tear one's eardrums.
An ordinary-looking black bamboo hat flew in from an unknown direction.
It traced a profound trajectory that was difficult for the naked eye to discern.
Wherever it passed, whether it was the fearless Weapon God Altars or the battle-hardened Great Heavenly Position experts, all felt a tremor originating from the depths of their souls, causing them to frantically dodge out of the way in a sorry state.
The bamboo hat effortlessly dispersed the Gu poison in the Witch King's palm, breaking his sure-kill strike.
Then, it carved an arc and flew back.
A hand reached out from the darkness, steadily catching the edge of the bamboo hat.
That hand slowly placed the bamboo hat atop a head.
The figure stepped out of the darkness, one pace at a time.
Accompanied by his deep, hoarse, yet supremely majestic voice, it echoed throughout the entire Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.
"The world is but bait, and only this Commander holds the rod."
"This Commander is not dead yet. Who gave you the courage to jump out?"