Chapter 457 - 463: The Great Elder is Destroyed

At that moment, the Great Elder, who had been imposing his entire life, felt true despair for the first time.

’Fighting someone with an absolute defense—isn’t that just bullying?’

His lips trembled, and he couldn’t utter a single word.

Song Wanning didn’t let her guard down. She approached the Great Elder, holding the Immortal Furnace in one hand.

The Huo Clan Leader was already on his way. She had to end this quickly, deal with the Great Elder, and leave immediately.

She glanced at Baili Shang, who wasn’t far off, and gave him a reassuring look.

She then walked up to the Great Elder and looked down on him.

"Time to die!"

With a sharp cry, she swiftly slashed her longsword at the Great Elder.

The sword light, imbued with a destructive power, filled the Great Elder’s heart with profound despair.

He had already lost the will to resist.

’Now, my death is imminent, and Huo Yang can’t make it in time...’

He sank into deep despair, his heart filled with bitter unwillingness.

’A dignified Integration Stage Cultivator, forced into such a state by two juniors... If word of this gets out, my lifelong reputation will be ruined.’

’If that’s the case, then let’s all go to hell together!!!’

A vicious glint flashed in the Great Elder’s eyes. His body swelled in an instant—he had chosen to self-detonate.

He gave a sinister smile.

"None of you will get out of this alive!!!"

"Go to hell!!"

The self-detonation of an Integration Stage Cultivator was immeasurably powerful.

It could level an entire mountain, let alone these two.

’They will surely be smashed to pieces, their bodies and souls annihilated.’

However, Song Wanning had anticipated this. The moment he began to self-detonate, she slammed the Immortal Furnace down over his head.

In the next instant, his entire body was engulfed by the Immortal Furnace.

The sudden turn of events made the Great Elder’s eyes go wide.

His eyes were bloodshot as he let out a final, indignant roar, "No—"

"BOOM—"

The Immortal Furnace trembled violently, BUZZING nonstop.

Song Wanning dispelled her clone and pulled Baili Shang behind her, her gaze fixed heavily on the Immortal Furnace.

Behind her, Baili Shang leaned against Song Wanning and slowly sat up.

He looked at the Immortal Furnace and, for some reason, felt an urge to laugh.

He curled his lips into a mischievous smile.

’The Great Elder probably never imagined he would die such a stifling death inside the Immortal Furnace.’

’Just now, Song Wanning was deliberately trying to force him to self-detonate...’

Gradually, the Immortal Furnace fell silent.

Song Wanning let out a sigh of relief. She turned and directly popped an Elixir Pill into Baili Shang’s mouth before going to deal with the Immortal Furnace.

She opened the Immortal Furnace and saw only a pile of fragments and a storage ring.

The Great Elder’s body and soul had been blasted to ashes, which scattered in the wind the moment the Immortal Furnace was opened.

She patted the Immortal Furnace with satisfaction. ’A true immortal treasure,’ she thought. ’Even the self-detonation of an Integration Stage Cultivator couldn’t damage it in the slightest.’

Pleased, Song Wanning put away the Immortal Furnace and quickly grabbed the storage ring, completely missing the meaningful look in Baili Shang’s eyes behind her.

He reached up and touched his lips. ’Wan Ning just fed me medicine...’

Suppressing a hint of secret delight in his heart, Baili Shang pushed himself to his feet.

"We can’t stay here long. Let’s go."

The Huo Clan Leader could arrive at any moment; they had to leave immediately.

"Right."

Song Wanning nodded and tossed the storage ring directly into her personal space to prevent anything inside from being used to track their location.

The two fled at top speed and soon vanished without a trace.

「...」

Another major incident had rocked the Huo Family.

The extinguishing of the Great Elder’s soul lamp had alarmed nearly the entire Huo Family.

Huo Yuan was only a Divine Separation Stage cultivator. His fall was unexpected, but still acceptable.

But the Great Elder was an Integration Stage Cultivator! Aside from those in the Mahayana Realm, people like him stood at the very pinnacle of the Cultivation World.

Someone as powerful as him was actually dead!!!!

"Who did this? Could it be an enemy of our Huo Family?"

"The Great Elder left the Huo Family over a month ago. He left in a hurry, as if he had something important to do!"

"Damn it, who would dare to kill even the Great Elder!!!"

This news also quickly reached the ears of the other major families.

Everyone was shocked. It was hard to believe that a dignified Integration Stage Cultivator had actually fallen.

After all, the higher one’s cultivation, the harder it was to determine a victor, let alone kill an opponent.

Meanwhile, Huo Yang, the one who had caused all this, was still rushing toward the forbidden grounds.

But before he arrived, he received a message from another elder in the clan via a Communication Talisman.

Upon learning that the Great Elder had fallen, Huo Yang stopped in his tracks almost instantly.

"What did you say? Who died?"

he asked in a hoarse, disbelieving voice.

"It’s the Great Elder! The Great Elder’s soul lamp just went out!!!"

From the other end of the Communication Talisman came the grief-stricken voice of the other elder.

Huo Yang’s figure swayed, and he nearly lost control of his flight.

"How is that possible... How could they possibly kill the Great Elder?"

Still in disbelief, he paused for a moment before accelerating toward the forbidden grounds.

When he saw the devastation on the ground and his repeated calls on the Communication Talisman went unanswered, Huo Yang finally accepted the reality.

He leaned against a tree trunk. The anger and exhaustion that had built up over days overwhelmed him, and he violently coughed up a mouthful of blood. For a long time, he could not compose himself.

"I’ve failed you..."

Huo Yang’s eyes reddened. The Great Elder was the family member he trusted most. The bond they had formed growing up together over many years was something no outsider could compare to.

That was why he had asked the Great Elder to help him tail them, but he never expected it would lead to his death.

He clenched his fists tightly, endless Evil Qi flashing in his eyes.

However, he didn’t recklessly pursue the pair. Instead, he chose to return to the clan.

’The fact that they could kill the Great Elder means they must have some ability I’m unaware of.’

’If I rashly go after them, I might just be walking into a trap.’

’The best course of action for now is to return to the Huo Family, discuss this, and then figure out a way to get revenge.’

Huo Yang stared into the distance, the killing intent in his eyes churning violently.

"I will kill you... I definitely will..."

「...」

After traveling nonstop for several days, Song Wanning and Baili Shang finally found a place to rest.

She hunted a demon beast in the forest, roasted it until it was fragrant, and handed it to Baili Shang.

Baili Shang took it, bit into it, and smiled at Song Wanning.

Song Wanning took a bite herself, a satisfied expression on her face.

’Looks like I haven’t lost my touch for roasting meat.’

As she ate, she said, "It’s been so long, and the Huo Clan Leader still hasn’t caught up. I doubt he’ll be coming after us anytime soon."

"I didn’t expect the Huo Clan Leader to be such a coward."

They had expected Huo Yang to be enraged and recklessly come after them, but the result was unexpected.

"However, that man is definitely plotting something nasty. He’s trying to figure out a way to deal with us."

Song Wanning lowered her gaze, a trace of Evil Qi flashing through her eyes.

’The Huo Clan Leader is a deep schemer, vengeful over the smallest slight. A man who wouldn’t even spare his own son would never give up on getting revenge against us.’

Hearing this, Baili Shang paused.

"In that case, why don’t we lure the snake out of its hole and turn his own plot against him?"

"Weren’t you looking to steal a Pill Recipe? This is our chance."