Boom!
With a single palm strike from Wu Ming, the void shattered, spreading outwards, and the hundreds of yards of white jade plaza before him turned to dust in an instant.
The Dragon-Phoenix Xuan Turtle, incarnated by Dugu Ao, roared as illusory mountains flickered around it before shattering in an instant. Dense cracks spread across its shell.
Compared to the colossal beast the size of a small hill, Wu Ming now seemed like a tiny speck.
Yet, this tiny speck had managed to suppress this ancient beast, leaving numerous wounds on it despite the extreme disparity in strength.
Had it not been witnessed firsthand, no one would have believed it.
“You managed to withstand so many of my attacks. Truly worthy of being a descendant of gods and demons!”
Wu Ming gazed at the still-resilient Dugu Ao, his eyes revealing a flicker of admiration: “If you can withstand three more moves from me, I shall spare your life!”
As he spoke, his palms struck in succession, and boundless light emerged behind him, within which faintly appeared the illusory form of the Temple of the Sovereign Deity.
Crack!
The void shattered once again! This time, drawing upon the power of the Temple of the Sovereign Deity, the range of the shattered void was more than ten times what it had been before!
The Dragon-Phoenix Xuan Turtle let out a mournful cry as its massive body was once again consumed by the destruction.
Boom!
No one knew how long had passed when, amidst the wreckage, Dugu Ao’s figure reemerged.
At this moment, he had transformed back from the savage beast into human form, in a pitiful state—missing an arm and a leg, his aura extremely feeble.
“Voluntarily ending the transformation to escape death, huh?”
Wu Ming slowly approached: “But… in your current state, can you still withstand my next move?”
Dugu Ao opened his mouth to speak, but instead spat out a large amount of blood.
At this moment, even a child could have felled him with a single finger.
Dugu Ao had lost!
“Cough… I lost…”
Despite his wretched state, Dugu Ao still stood straight, his bloodied face revealing a glimmer of unyielding pride: “A defeated man… deserves only death!”
“Wait!”
In a flash of blue, a young girl suddenly rushed into the battlefield, standing protectively in front of Dugu Ao—it was Biquiu.
“If you wish to kill the young master, you must kill me first!”
Biquiu gritted her teeth, fearlessly meeting Wu Ming’s gaze. Her eyes clearly showed her determination to die.
“Fascinating… You seem to be a hidden agent of the Tianji Mansion? Previously, you even poisoned Dugu Ao? So why have you turned sides now?”
Wu Ming sighed.
Human emotions were indeed the most complex things in the world. Even with divine wisdom, how could one ever fully comprehend the human heart?
“Despicable!”
Dugu Ao, however, was furious: “Do you think this young master needs your pity?”
With a roar, a series of crisp sounds erupted from his body. Dozens of holes appeared, bursting open in sprays of blood mist. In an instant, his hair turned white, and he aged to the brink of death!
Surviving the shattered void had already been sheer luck, but it had drained much of his vitality and essence.
Now, in a fit of rage, his very essence and spirit scattered, resulting in an immediate loss of power and death.
“Master… you truly are still the same confident and proud person as before!”
Biquiu gazed at Dugu Ao’s corpse, her eyes brimming with deep emotion. Suddenly, she drew a crystal dagger and plunged it into her own heart.
“Sigh…”
Unbeknownst to them, Yan Cangxuan and the Azure Lotus Holy Maiden had already arrived beside Wu Ming, gazing at the two corpses with a sigh: “Senior, may we ask how we should handle these two?”
Wu Ming looked around. After Dugu Ao’s death, the disciples from the two great Holy Lands—Tianyuan and Di Ji—immediately lost their will to resist, while the Azure Lotus Sect and other Holy Lands were tidying up the battlefield.
“This man was indeed a formidable warlord of his time. Bury him properly!”
Wu Ming said: “I know that the blood and bones of a god-and-demon-level martial artist are supreme treasures, but Dugu Ao had overexerted himself before his death, causing his essence and vitality to dissipate completely…”
“We understand!”
Yan Cangxuan and Shui Ling’er immediately replied respectfully.
Otherwise, given their hatred for Dugu Ao, the moment Wu Ming turned his back, they might have reduced his corpse to ashes and used every last drop of his essence.
“Also, take me immediately to the treasure vault and scriptorium of the Tianyuan Holy Land… You haven’t forgotten our previous agreement, have you?”
At Wu Ming’s piercing gaze, sweat immediately appeared on Yan Cangxuan’s forehead.
After witnessing Wu Ming’s terrifying power, how could he dare to offend a martial artist capable of shattering the void?
He immediately replied: “No problem at all! As long as Senior gives the order, the Eight Holy Lands and all martial artists across the world will gladly serve you!”
“Good! Very good!”
Having secured this assurance, Wu Ming naturally left all the trivial matters to Yan Cangxuan and the others, immediately immersing himself in the scriptorium of the Tianyuan Holy Land.
“Banished Immortal…”
Ding Jiao watched from afar, too afraid to step forward and greet him.
Even he had previously only considered Wu Ming a Celestial-level martial artist, but today, he had witnessed Wu Ming’s strength, which had surpassed even the god-and-demon level. Even Dugu Ao had ultimately been defeated by him.
The unfathomable power and techniques Wu Ming displayed left Ding Jiao utterly astounded.
Of course, the biggest reason he dared not approach was because he and Wu Ming now belonged to entirely different worlds.
“I suppose, before long, the name of Banished Immortal Wu Ming will spread throughout the entire Divine Martial Continent, revered and admired by countless martial artists…”
Ding Jiao murmured, gazing at the ruins of the Tianyuan Holy Land alongside his old friends, Lan Pizi and Heimianshen, remaining silent for a long time.
They naturally understood that, with the prestige of defeating Dugu Ao, a younger, more mysterious, and even more powerful number one martial artist would soon rise on the Divine Martial Continent!
…
Soon, the events that transpired at the Tianyuan Holy Land swept across the entire Divine Martial Continent like a hurricane.
Dugu Ao’s wedding had originally stirred the winds of the world, drawing countless gazes. Any minor incident surrounding it would have spread rapidly across the continent. Now, with such earth-shattering events, the news was even more explosive.
Five Holy Lands turned against him, attempting to kill Dugu Ao!
Dugu Ao ascended to the god-and-demon level, sweeping all opposition!
The Banished Immortal emerged, preventing a martial catastrophe!
…
This series of shocking events left the martial artists present in awe and continuously discussing them with great interest.
Wu Ming’s name was repeatedly praised. Alongside the title of Banished Immortal, he now gained the new title of the number one martial artist in the world, becoming a new legend of the martial world!
Countless young martial artists and novices just entering the martial world took Wu Ming as their role model, embarking on their own passionate journeys through the martial world.
Unfortunately, they did not know that the mighty martial expert they imagined—graceful and imposing, like a mountain—was now very unceremoniously buried in books and treasure hunting, scouring the treasure vaults of the Tianyuan, Di Ji, Qianshan, and other Holy Lands for any information related to the Emperor’s Enlightenment Seal.
“The Nine-Xiang Martial Art? Another martial emperor’s legacy technique…”
Inside a quiet chamber, treasures lay scattered at Wu Ming’s feet, most of them imperial secrets from ancient times, now discarded like trash.
He played with a cinnabar-threaded qilin paperweight in his hand, his divine consciousness extending into it, revealing golden martial texts.
“Pity… This is of no use to me!”
With a casual flick of his wrist, the treasure, which countless martial artists would fight to the death for, rolled aside, the qilin’s luster dimming in a comically pathetic manner.
“I have read through the scriptures of the three sects and scoured their vaults, discovering a few martial emperor legacies, but they are all martial techniques… As for the Enlightenment Seal, it’s rarely mentioned, and there’s no clue to its whereabouts…”
He paced back and forth, then suddenly walked outside.
“Banished Immortal Senior!”
Shui Ling’er and Yan Cangxuan were already waiting in the courtyard, their postures humble and respectful, even with slight dew on their clothes, indicating they had been waiting for quite some time.
Seeing Wu Ming emerge, their eyes lit up as they hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.
“Oh? You two busy people, what brings you here instead of dealing with the remnants of the Tianyuan Alliance?”
Wu Ming teased slightly.
At this, Yan Cangxuan and Shui Ling’er both showed slight embarrassment.
As leaders of the Holy Land factions, the aftermath of such a major event had kept them extremely busy.
If possible, they wouldn’t have dared to disturb Wu Ming. After all, the weight of the number one martial artist in the world was enough to claim a significant share in the post-war distribution of power, including the reallocation of interests and the division of spoils.
Who could have imagined that this mighty martial artist was so easy to please? Naturally, the other Holy Lands were overjoyed and tacitly ignored Wu Ming.
Moreover, the Banished Immortal always traveled alone, showing no sign of any supporting faction, which secretly pleased them.
Unfortunately, now the situation was critical, and they had no choice but to seek Wu Ming’s help.
“To be honest, we have indeed come seeking your assistance!”
Yan Cangxuan’s face showed slight awkwardness: “After taking over the Tianyuan Holy Land, we discovered that Dugu Ao secretly used a strange martial technique called the ‘Dual Extremes Talisman’ to control many martial experts. This talisman is intangible and invisible, yet it hides within a martial artist’s body, undetectable and irremovable under normal circumstances. However, when it activates, it causes unbearable torment, making death seem like a mercy…”
“He used this evil technique to manipulate many martial experts into becoming his loyal followers… We have already dealt with some of the more heinous cases, but there are still some who haven’t committed serious crimes and should be saved…”
He left unsaid another part.
His master, Tianfeng Zunzhe, had previously made a casual false claim, stating that the Immortal Physician of Eternal Life and the Ghost Physician of Nine Nether had jointly developed a method to remove the talisman. Unfortunately, it turned out to be entirely fabricated.
When the actual healers were summoned, Yan Cangxuan was horrified to discover that the Dual Extremes Talisman was so potent that even the greatest healers of the Divine Martial Continent were unable to remove it. With the activation date drawing near, Yan Cangxuan felt as if he were sitting on a volcano.
“The Dual Extremes Talisman, named after the Dual Extremes, must be a martial technique combining both Heaven and Earth…”
Wu Ming mused: “Have you not sought any clues from it?”
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