Chapter 368: Boring

The crimson figure, known as the Crimson Calamity, was an omen of endless carnage during the Great Yu era, his very appearance causing all who beheld him to shudder in terror and pray for a swift demise.

Watching the wretched, pleading masses below, the crimson figure felt a surge of pure exhilaration, utterly intoxicated by this lofty vantage point of absolute dominion over life and death.

Yet now, it was his turn to taste the bitter dregs of fear.

The oppressive weight radiating from the woman before him surpassed even that of the Grand Imperial Preceptor; who on earth was she?

He had thoroughly scouted Qingzhou beforehand, and it possessed not a single cultivator of the Tribulation Transmutation stage, so how could such a terrifying entity possibly exist here?

Even if she were a Tribulation Transmutation expert, rushing to Qingzhou should have taken considerable time.

Furthermore, how had she materialized here so utterly without sound or sign?

And how had she managed to completely bind him, a master of spatial manipulation?

To which great faction did she belong?

Question after question erupted uncontrollably within his mind.

"Who... who are you?" he finally realized, to his horror, that absolute terror had reduced his voice to a trembling, frantic pitch without his even noticing.

Yun Zhi had no intention of answering her enemy's queries, nor did he deserve a response.

She extended a jade-like hand, the bells upon her alabaster wrist chiming in a gentle rhythm.

With a sickening thud, the chest of the crimson figure violently collapsed inward as he was blasted backward, half his teeth shattering into the air.

The sheer force of the shockwave ripped away his cowl, exposing an ancient countenance patched together from human skin.

He felt as though he had been struck by a force as vast and boundless as the roaring ocean, or as if a cascade of celestial stars had broken from the cosmos to crush the mortal realm—an unmatched, immeasurable power of ultimate might.

"Flee!"

Being thrown back proved to be a hidden blessing, as it shattered his spatial confinement; paying no heed to the two ancient Integration stage cultivators who stood frozen in utter shock, he lashed his long whip, tearing open the fabric of space to escape into the distance.

As the whip struck and a spatial rift tore open, Yun Zhi’s figure materialized seamlessly on the other side of the fissure, gazing expressionlessly at the crimson figure.

"Die!"

Lightning coiled around the long whip as it slashed toward Yun Zhi, a single bolt possessing the power to cleave an entire city in two.

Yun Zhi completely ignored the raging lightning on the whip, seizing the weapon mid-strike and delivering a crushing kick directly into the crimson figure.

Another agonizing crunch echoed as the struck flesh dissolved into a bloody blur, and the crimson figure spewed a torrent of blood, staggering back two steps before collapsing heavily to his knees.

The Governor watched, entirely dumbfounded; this adversary was a legendary Tribulation Transmutation expert, yet in Yun Zhi’s hands, he was treated like a mere toddler, incapable of raising even the slightest ripple.

He knew that Yun Zhi was the Acting Sect Master of the Dao Questioning Sect, and that anyone in that position must possess a combat strength no weaker than the Daoist Buyu, but he had truly never imagined her power would be this terrifyingly absolute.

Below them, Lan Ting, Bai Ming, and Yan Tianzhi stood with their mouths agape, shocked into a prolonged silence by the spectacle.

An opponent of the Tribulation Transmutation stage usually demanded the intervention of a grand patriarch of a supreme immortal sect, so how could a junior, whose generational standing was lower than even the immortal sect masters, defeat such a foe with such crushing, invincible dominance?

Lan Ting finally understood why her master always avoided speaking of Yun Zhi; the woman’s strength had already ascended to an unimaginable zenith.

"Wait, if Senior Sister Yun Zhi decides to force me into a marriage with Lu Yang, what should I do?" At this thought, a sudden surge of joy bloomed in Lan Ting’s heart.

Bai Ming felt he ought to return and persuade his master that there was really no need to constantly harbor a grudge against the Dao Questioning Sect; after all, they were all fellow Daoists of the immortal sects, and sitting down to talk things over was perfectly reasonable.

If the Dao Questioning Sect chose to sit while the Five Elements Sect stood during the discussion, that would be perfectly acceptable too.

However, the Second Elder of the Dao Questioning Sect had set his sights on his grand-master, which was rather problematic; on second thought, it was probably best to just keep harboring a grudge against the Dao Questioning Sect.

Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, well aware of Yun Zhi's true strength, showed no surprise at the scene; it would be far stranger if a Tribulation Transmutation cultivator could actually stir up any trouble in their Eldest Senior Sister’s hands.

Xia Qun finally understood why his ancestral patriarch had personally gone out to welcome this senior from the Dao Questioning Sect.

Yet, the one consumed by the deepest terror was Vice Cult Leader Shi.

He knew that Yun Zhi had suppressed the four great immortal sect masters during the Immortal Sect Tournament, but he had never expected her to suppress the crimson figure with such effortless ease.

"The crimson figure should be at the early stage of Tribulation Transmutation, yet she suppressed him so effortlessly; could it be that the Eldest Senior Sister of the Dao Questioning Sect is already a half-immortal entity, equal to the ancient ancestors of the Dragon and Phoenix clans? Just how old is she? She is a absolute monster..."

"Wait, the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Court Sect fought this kind of monster to a complete standstill?"

He suddenly recalled another matter, which meant that the hidden foundations of the Heavenly Court Sect far exceeded his wildest estimates!

"Ancient geniuses that even immortals fear, Nine Heavenly Kings, a half-immortal Cult Leader... what else is there that our Nine Netherworlds Cult remains ignorant of?"

"As expected, what we are permitted to know is merely what the Heavenly Court Sect wishes for us to know; their true depths must be far greater than this!"

"Choosing cooperation over antagonism with the Heavenly Court Sect was indeed our wisest decision."

"As for the reincarnation of Cult Leader Qin... it is best to let her remain with the Heavenly Court Sect; she is the former cult leader after all, and once she regains her memories, she should still harbor some affection for our Nine Netherworlds Cult."

Suddenly, Vice Cult Leader Shi’s expression shifted drastically, and he hurried away.

"Damn it, the one-month deadline has arrived again!"

Blood welled up in the crimson figure’s throat, making his voice muffled and raspy, his bloodshot eyes burning with unhinged madness.

"Heh, to think I would encounter a half-immortal entity; even if I die, I will drag you down with me!"

The crimson figure descended into a frenzy, and countless crimson, alluring flowers erupted once more beneath his feet, their blossoming heralding the arrival of absolute death.

The exotic flowers detonated in a deafening, continuous roar that shook the very heavens and earth, instilling a primal dread of the blossoms deep within the souls of all present.

"If you dodge, the explosion of my Mandaravas will reduce half the province into a barren crater!"

Yun Zhi remained entirely unmoved, not even lifting an eyebrow; the crimson figure’s words failed to elicit the slightest reaction from her.

"Boring."

A successive volley of explosions reverberated through the world, producing a dense shroud of smoke that blocked all perception, leaving everyone blind to the outcome of the battle.

"Could that supreme expert be harmed?" Hearing the threat of the crimson figure, the cultivators attending the grand assembly could not help but worry; no matter how powerful this saving grace of a cultivator was, it seemed impossible to withstand an attack of this magnitude completely unscathed.

Whether one spoke of the Tribulation Transmutation stage or half-immortals, these were realms far beyond their ability to comprehend.

"There must be some other method to block it," a companion offered, though his voice lacked all conviction.

"Let us hope so."

The remaining cultivators at the assembly shared similar anxieties; the oppressive weight the crimson figure had exerted upon them was too immense, a pressure that felt capable of bringing about the end of the world.

Just as panic began to spread, Yun Zhi emerged, slowly walking down from the high sky while dragging the crimson figure behind her, stepping through the air until she stood before Lu Yang.

Lu Yang, fully aware of his Eldest Senior Sister’s peerless might, had not doubted her safety for a single moment.

Curious, he craned his neck to look at the crimson figure trailing behind her; the man could no longer be described as a crimson figure, for the mysterious red robes had been torn to shreds by the blast, and his body was charred black beyond recognition, stripped of all human semblance.

"Dead?"

Lu Yang thought to himself that Eldest Senior Sister had truly been ruthless, leaving not even a soul behind.

Within his mental space, the Immortal Fairy pouted slightly: "Only a corpse remains; his soul has already fled."

Yun Zhi’s expression remained unchanged.

"I know; I want to see where he runs to."