Zhi Xuan's roar was no longer a human sound; it was an echo from a bottomless abyss, capable of shaking the spiritual foundation of every living being. The crimson mist exploding from his body contained the essence of the Mark of the Annihilator, now entwined with the darkness of the Demonic Heart he had unleashed.

  "Ugh! What is this?!" Ming staggered in mid-air, his once-sharp eyes suddenly blurred by horrific visions of the past. He saw thousands of lives he had once cut down now crawling out of the earth, clawing at his golden robes with rotting hands.

  The silver-haired woman shrieked; the golden net fell from her hands as she saw her soul-mirror crack. Zhi Xuan’s Demonic Thoughts seeped into the recesses of their minds, exploiting every crevice of doubt and sin they had ever committed.

  For peak-stage Soul Transformation experts, the Dao Heart is everything; yet before the pure madness triggered by thousands of pieces of Heavenly Jade and the blood curse, their inner fortresses crumbled like sand on a shoreline.

  "Do not be deceived! This is but a mental illusion!" the axe giant roared, though his voice trembled. He tried to swing his axe, but his movement slowed by one crucial heartbeat.

  Zhi Xuan stood in the center of the shattered cave crater. His dark purple hair now fluttered down to his waist, swaying in a gale that carried the acrid scent of brimstone. On his forehead, the Mark of the Annihilator was no longer merely glowing; it had formed a small vortex that sucked in the moonlight from above.

  "You speak of sin..." Zhi Xuan stepped forward, his feet not touching the ground but treading upon a thick, bloody mist. "Then let me show you what a true hell looks like."

  Zhi Xuan grinned widely. His dense demonic aura was not like the Ancient Devil Monument; it was something the Devil itself radiated. To allow the Dao Heart to be shrouded by Demonic Thoughts was fatal, causing one to fall into an endless madness of uncontrollable bloodlust.

  His half-devil physique pulsed with rippling Slaughter Seals. His blood—built upon the foundation of the Ancient Heaven race and partially tainted by a Celestial Devil—now seemed to forget the thirst for essence, replaced by a pure, murderous intent that sought to swallow the entire world.

  Zhi Xuan stomped the air; his eyes spun as a ruby-red hue began to creep across them. He looked up fully, draped in crimson mist with every movement. This was a madness that would bring forth a Calamity.

  "To seize the will of the entire universe," Zhi Xuan’s voice was heavy, echoing with an ancient tone that carried a blood-chilling thirst. "To annihilate ten thousand Daos, to swallow every form of life and death—though your Dao Heart be strong, a single Demonic Thought is enough to shatter it."

  The Demonic Thoughts released by Zhi Xuan spread like poisonous vines, entangling the consciousness of the three peak-stage experts. The air around them froze—not from ice, but from a terror that locked their meridians.

  Ming, the guard leader, felt his short sword grow as heavy as a mountain. Every time he tried to gather his inner solar essence, Zhi Xuan’s Demonic Thoughts would whisper failure, showing him the emptiness of all he had achieved over centuries of cultivation. His Dao Heart, once as solid as a reef, began to show fine cracks radiating pitch-black light.

  "N-No... this is impossible! I am an Envoy of the Rising Sun!" Ming screamed, but his voice was drowned out by the roar of the slaughter-wind Zhi Xuan had created.

  Zhi Xuan raised his blackened left hand, the sleeve covering it tearing away completely. His five fingers elongated, forming sharp claws of dense, dark energy. With one raking motion through the air, he unleashed a soul-rending claw strike.

  SRAAAKKK!

  It wasn't their physical bodies that were wounded, but the spiritual threads connecting their Divine Spirits to the universe. The silver-haired woman spat out a mouthful of dim, silver soul-essence. She felt as if the entire world had turned its back on her, leaving her alone in the eternal cold created by Zhi Xuan’s presence.

  "One thought to become a Devil... ten thousand years to become dust..." Zhi Xuan’s voice rumbled.

  He shot upward, piercing through the crimson mist like an arrow of death. His speed was no longer limited by his wounded physical frame; driven by the madness of the Demonic Heart and the wild nourishment of the Heavenly Jade, Zhi Xuan became a figure of insanity that terrified the Soul Transformation realm.

  DUAK!

  Zhi Xuan’s fist, now wrapped in wildly pulsing Slaughter Seals, slammed into the axe giant's chest. The golden armor, which should have been able to withstand an attack from a cultivator of the same rank, shattered into pieces of mortal metal. The giant was hurled into the sky, vomiting blood that was instantly sucked into the vortex on Zhi Xuan’s forehead.

  "Blood... essence... give it all to me!" Zhi Xuan whispered, his ruby-red eyes glinting with inhuman greed.

  The Mark of the Annihilator on his brow responded to this bloodlust by glowing even brighter. The mark acted like a third eye, looking down upon its prey. The red light it emitted was no longer just a tracker; it became an active curse that began to burn the clothes and skin of the three experts with the fires of karma.

  The silver-haired woman tried to flee, but the shadows beneath her rose, turning into giant hands made of gripping twilight essence that seized her ankles. "Release me! Let me go, you monster!"

  Zhi Xuan appeared before her in the blink of an eye, his face only an inch from hers. The cold breath exhaled by Zhi Xuan made the hair on her neck stand on end.

  "You came seeking justice for your kingdom," Zhi Xuan hissed, his voice carrying the echoes of thousands of tortured souls. "Then I shall grant you justice... in the form you desire."

  Zhi Xuan gripped the woman's neck, and with one breath, he began to forcibly drain her peak-stage spiritual essence through her pores. The woman convulsed, her silver hair fading to a dull gray as her inner being was cruelly hollowed out.

  "STOP!" Ming roared, triggering the combustion of his own Divine Essence to break free from the influence of the Demonic Thoughts. He lunged with his short sword, which now radiated a blinding white light, attempting to pierce Zhi Xuan’s back.

  Zhi Xuan did not turn. He simply flicked his hand, drenched in blood-red color. The strike created a storm of energy that snapped Ming’s slash and threw him back to the ground with a force that collapsed the remains of the cliff.

  The cave that was once a sanctuary had now turned into a lawless slaughterhouse. Xiao Die and Ao Sheng could only freeze in the deepest rock crevice, trembling as they watched their Senior transform into a living Calamity.

  They no longer recognized Zhi Xuan; standing there was an Ancient Will that knew only destruction. Zhi Xuan released the body of the silver-haired woman, who had now become a withered mummy stripped of essence. He turned toward Ming and the axe giant, who were still trying to stand amidst the ruins.

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  "The entire southern region... will remember this day," Zhi Xuan said, his voice now calm yet carrying a horrific weight of destiny. "The day your sun was extinguished, and my shadow swallowed the horizon."

  Zhi Xuan clasped his hands together, triggering the hundreds of remaining Heavenly Jade pieces around him to explode simultaneously. The exploding jade energy spread like an ocean enveloping Zhi Xuan, entering his body and being absorbed by the wounded Divine Soul within him. He felt no pain; the Demonic Thoughts made him numb and fueled his demonic insanity.

  The simultaneous explosion of the Heavenly Jade created a green glow so blinding it eclipsed the moonlight over the mountains. However, instead of heavenly peace, the sacred energy was violated by Zhi Xuan’s twilight aura, forced to merge with the inner darkness now occupying his throne.

  Zhi Xuan stood in the center of the vortex; his physical body swelled momentarily, the veins in his neck bulging like small dragons crawling under his skin. Every shattered piece of jade sent a wave of purification that was immediately swallowed by the Devil’s hunger.

  The Divine Soul within his mind, previously transparent and fragile, now absorbed the energy voraciously, patching every crack in its eclipse wings with thick jade light stained blood-red.

  "Ahhh... this power..." Zhi Xuan sighed, a sound that carried a frequency vibration shattering the stones around him.

  Ming, standing with a shaking body and a cracked sword, stared at the sight with indescribable despair. He saw that Zhi Xuan was no longer absorbing energy as a practitioner, but as a black hole devouring the laws of nature.

  "He... he is no longer human. He has swallowed the 'Heart of Heaven' into the 'Belly of the Devil'..." Ming whispered through parched lips.

  Zhi Xuan turned his gaze to Ming. Those ruby-red eyes no longer held any flicker of mortal emotion—there was only a void demanding submission or death. With a flick of his finger, the space around Ming froze, leaving a pressure that rendered him unable to move.

  "You wail for the destruction of your caravan," Zhi Xuan’s voice echoed through every inch of the air, "yet you did not wail when destiny dragged thousands of lives into the abyss of your faction's worship. Today, I am the karma you sowed yourself."

  Instantly, the crimson mist around Zhi Xuan formed thousands of small sword-blades made of blood essence and corrosive jade energy. With one mental command, the thousands of blades launched like a red meteor shower toward Ming and the remaining axe giant.

  TRATATATATA!

  The axe giant tried to raise his weapon to protect himself, but the thunder axe—his pride—shattered into pieces upon contact with the blades. His massive body was pierced by hundreds of energy swords, which did not just tear his flesh but shredded his spiritual foundation into dust. He fell to his knees, his eyes turning white, and his final breath was forcibly inhaled by the Mark of the Annihilator on Zhi Xuan’s forehead.

  Ming, the last envoy remaining, watched his companion fall like an old tree hollowed by termites. The arrogance of the Kingdom of the Rising Sun he had carried was now nothing more than a wet sheet of paper before a storm. He tried to summon a shred of dignity, flowing his remaining Divine Essence into his cracked sword, but his hands shook violently. Zhi Xuan’s Demonic Thoughts had planted a seed of doubt that had now grown into a giant tree within his Dao Heart.

  Zhi Xuan landed softly, a few steps in front of Ming. Every footstep left a scorched purplish mark on the shattered stone ground. The heat radiating from his body distorted the air, creating a harrowing mirage of death.

  "Your sword wavers, Envoy," Zhi Xuan hissed. His voice sounded dual—one his own hoarse voice, and another a heavy, ancient voice full of demonic authority. "How can you split the world if your own mind is split by fear?"

  "Y-You... You will be hunted by every great faction... the Heavens will not allow your existence!" Ming raved, his eyes bulging as he saw Zhi Xuan raise his hand.

  "The Heavens?" Zhi Xuan laughed, a cold laugh that made the distant river stop flowing. "The Heavens you worship are cowardly, only daring to send pawns like you. If the Heavens wish to punish me, let them descend themselves. Until that time arrives, I am the heaven above your head."

  Zhi Xuan gripped the air in front of Ming’s face. Instantly, Ming’s remaining spiritual essence was forced out of his seven orifices, forming a clump of pure but fading golden light. Ming’s body began to shrink, his skin shriveling like a fruit losing water, while his soul shrieked silently within the invisible prison created by the Demonic Thoughts.

  Once the essence was fully absorbed into Zhi Xuan’s forehead, Ming’s body collapsed, a heap of lifeless flesh that turned to ash as soon as the night wind touched it. Zhi Xuan stood tall in the void. Three peak-stage Soul Transformation experts had vanished, leaving a silence far more terrifying than the sound of battle. He looked up at the moon, which now appeared bloody through the red mist still cloaking the area.

  "Senior...?"

  Xiao Die’s small voice broke the silence. She and Ao Sheng stepped out of the rock crevice with extreme caution. They stared at Zhi Xuan’s back—a back that now seemed broader, yet utterly alien. The aura radiating from it was so wild and uncontrollable that it felt as if they moved even an inch closer, their souls would be swallowed by the madness.

  Zhi Xuan did not turn. The Heavenly Samsara Wheel within him still spun wildly, trying to assimilate the Heavenly Jade energy clashing with the bloodthirsty Demonic Thoughts. He stretched out his hand, summoning the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron. "Enter. I will take you to kill people without letting you see it."

  Hearing the command carrying an ancient vibration, Xiao Die and Ao Sheng did not dare to argue a single word. They felt that behind the body they knew as Zhi Xuan, there now resided a will far older and more bloodthirsty.

  With trembling steps, both flew into the mouth of the bronze cauldron, which glowed a dense olive-green, allowing themselves to be swallowed by the dimensional space within.

  Zhi Xuan clenched his fingers, and the cauldron shrank, vanishing into his Sea of Consciousness, which now roiled like an ocean of red fire. He stood alone atop the ruins of the mountain that had lost its soul.

  "To kill without seeing..." Zhi Xuan hissed, his lips curling into a horrific grin. "Because mortal eyes would not be able to bear the sight I am about to build on this land."

  WUSH—!

  Zhi Xuan shot off like a crimson flash of lightning splitting the horizon. He no longer cared for hiding. With the Mark of the Annihilator burning on his brow, he intentionally radiated a beacon of death, inviting anyone who dared hunt him to come toward their own grave.

  His first destination was the remnants of the Rising Sun Kingdom's caravan guards still scattered at the foot of the mountain. The Five Element practitioners who were trying to collect the carriage wreckage instantly froze as the sky above them turned ruby-red.

  "T-That Devil! He’s still alive!"

  Zhi Xuan descended from the heavens not with his feet, but with a mental pressure that crushed bones. As soon as his feet touched the ground, a wave of Demonic Thoughts swept through a radius of a thousand zhang. The golden-armored soldiers had no time to draw their swords; they instantly fell to their knees, clutching their heads while screaming hysterically. In their eyes, the world had turned into a sea of blood where monsters from their past sins rose to demand vengeance.

  "Death is a grace too luxurious for the arrogant," Zhi Xuan’s voice echoed, cold and heartless.

  He raised his right hand, and from the shadows of the soldiers, black thorns made of corrosive essence emerged. The thorns impaled their bodies from below, piercing hearts and crowns, but not allowing them to die instantly. Zhi Xuan let the Mark of the Annihilator suck in every drop of their suffering and fear, turning it into nourishment to strengthen his Demonic Heart.

  Throughout that night, Zhi Xuan moved like an unstoppable plague. Every small sect or great faction outpost in his path vanished in a harrowing silence. There was no sound of clashing weapons, only the sound of snapping bones and mental moans swallowed by the red mist.

  Every life he took, every essence he swallowed, made his dark purple hair longer and glossier with an unnatural light. His once-gravely injured divine physique was now patched by the combination of Heavenly Jade and the blood of his enemies, but the price was steep: his Dao Heart was now truly drowned in the ocean of Demonic Thoughts.

  Inside the cauldron, Xiao Die and Ao Sheng could only feel shock after shock. They could not see what was happening outside, but the acrid smell of blood seeping through the energy gaps of the cauldron was enough to tell them the world outside was being drenched in slaughter.

  "Senior... he has truly crossed the line," Ao Sheng whispered, his hands clenched so tight his dragon claws pierced his own palms.

  Toward dawn, Zhi Xuan arrived at a place in the southern region bordering the Forest of Eternal Death. Before him stood a border gate guarded by a middle-stage Soul Transformation defense formation.

  Zhi Xuan stopped, his chest heaving with breaths that carried the steam of fire. He stared at the gate with a blank yet murderous gaze. Within him, the Heavenly Samsara Wheel spun with a roaring sound, trying to assimilate the thousands of souls he had just devoured.

  "Who goes there?! Identify yourself or die!" shouted a gate guard from atop the wall.

  Zhi Xuan did not answer with words. He unleashed his Heavenly Sword, which had turned jet black and now appeared even darker with the blood-red streaks of lightning runes. He swung the sword in one straight slash that split the air.

  A sword light dozens of zhang high shot forth, not only destroying the gate and the defense formation but also splitting the ground to create a bottomless chasm. The guards vanished without a trace, crushed into the basic dust of the universe before they could even feel pain.