As Luo Xiu's words, like the judgment of a deity, faded, the clearing fell deathly silent.
It wasn't until a breeze carrying the putrid stench of corpses wafted by that people slowly began to regain their composure.
"This... this Demon Lord is too terrifying!"
"He killed the Fifth Elder, a cultivator at the Respectable Realm, in just a few moments!"
"Can we really kill such a horrifying existence?"
"..."
The members of Shattered Star City were drenched in cold sweat, their legs weak, and they began to doubt the wisdom of today's actions.
Yang Ju's face was ashen, his expression uglier than ever. Despite his extreme reluctance, he had to admit to himself that he could only ever look up to this Descendant of Ghost Valley. Even if he spent eons in cultivation, he would never be able to catch up to him! Perhaps one day, he would even lose the right to gaze up at him from afar. That day must never be allowed to arrive! In this world, it doesn't matter if you're a peerless prodigy or a unique talent throughout the ages... only the one who lives to the end is the true winner!
"Fourth Elder, this boy must die today!" Yang Ju seethed. "If he doesn't die, he will become a great calamity for our Shattered Star City in the future!"
The short-haired elder stared at Luo Xiu and said in a low voice, "The future? He's already a great calamity for Shattered Star City right now! But rest assured, Young Master, he will undoubtedly die today. For now, however, we must retreat."
He desperately wanted to charge forward and tear Luo Xiu to pieces to avenge the Fifth Elder, but he was keenly aware of his own limitations. Even the Fifth Elder was killed by this Demon in a matter of moments; going up himself would only lead to the same result.
Without a moment's hesitation, the Fourth Elder immediately retreated with Yang Ju. At the same time, a dozen or so experts from Shattered Star City charged fearlessly toward Luo Xiu, clearly intending to buy time for their escape.
By the time Luo Xiu finished slaying the Shattered Star City experts, he found that the Fourth Elder, Yang Ju, and the rest of their group had vanished without a trace.
He immediately released his Divine Sense but couldn't find anything. They had clearly used some sort of Secret Technique to evade his search. This must have been the same technique that had prevented him from detecting the Shattered Star City group when he first entered the Unlit Land.
***
The black aura around Luo Xiu dissipated as he reverted from his Grim Reaper Form. Stepping over the corpses, he walked toward Luo Xian.
Luo Xian hurried to meet him, asking worriedly, "Taoist Ao, are you alright?"
Luo Xiu smiled faintly. "These small fry were much easier to kill than those six hundred Emperor Realm cultivators from Sky Divine City."
Hearing this, Luo Xian was rendered speechless, feeling her concern had been entirely unnecessary. "Taoist Ao, these people won't give up this easily. Should we continue exploring the Unlit Land, or should we head back?"
Luo Xiu pondered for a moment. "It seems the person I'm looking for isn't here. But since we've come all this way, we might as well look around for a bit."
He glanced at Luo Xian and teased, "We've come all this way. I can't let our dear Princess Luo return empty-handed."
With that, he held his clenched right fist out in front of her, a mysterious smile on his face. "This is a gift for you. Open it and see."
Luo Xian's face lit up with curiosity and a happy smile. Girls always loved little gifts.
But when she pried open his fingers, she found a sparkling ring resting in his palm. Her pretty face flushed red as she grew flustered. "Taoist Ao, why are you suddenly giving me a ring? We... we haven't... you know..."
Seeing her blushing and stammering, Luo Xiu instantly realized she had gotten the wrong idea. His face darkened. "What are you thinking about? It's a Storage Ring. I just looted it from that old geezer."
Luo Xian was speechless.
Luo Xiu tossed the ring to her. "It belonged to a Venerable One, so it must be full of good stuff. I've already broken the Divine Consciousness Forbidden on it for you, so you can use it immediately."
Luo Xian quickly waved her hands. "No, this is too valuable! Taoist Ao, you should keep it for yourself!"
"Just take it." Luo Xiu gazed at her, his expression carrying a dominant air that brooked no argument. "I said I would take you to find opportunities, and I keep my promises. This ring counts as one such opportunity."
"Then... alright," she relented.
***
「Meanwhile」
Atop a Corpse Mountain concealed by a Formation, the group from Shattered Star City was hiding.
"Damn it! This is infuriating!" Yang Ju slammed his fist into the stone wall. The usually gentle and refined Jade Young Master was now cursing up a storm. "I will tear that demon to pieces to avenge the Fifth Elder and Xing Rui!"
The Fourth Elder walked over and patted his shoulder. "Rest assured, Young Master. The real show is just beginning."
Yang Ju snorted. "Once *that person* makes their move, this demon is as good as dead!"
The Fourth Elder mused, "Although the situation has changed, the boy is still caught in our trap. What I never expected was that this demon had a way to circumvent the Cave Heavens Laws, allowing him to exert the power of a Venerable One."
Yang Ju frowned. "We rely on the Star Temple Great Formation to temporarily shield ourselves from the Cave Heavens Laws. What does he use?"
The Fourth Elder shook his head slowly. "In the end, it's because we don't know enough about him. Otherwise, the Fifth Elder wouldn't have died for nothing."
***
「Before a Corpse Mountain」
It didn't take long for Luo Xian to finish inventorying the spoils in the Storage Ring. She took out and discarded some men's clothing and various daily items she had no use for.
"Taoist Ao, there are a lot of good things in this ring. There are traces of Divine Skills and even what seems to be the Power of Laws. Do you want to see if there's anything you need?"
Luo Xiu looked at her, smiled, and shook his head, indicating he didn't need anything.
Luo Xian muttered, "You gave everything to me without keeping anything for yourself. It makes me feel a bit bad."
"Honestly, how can there be someone as kind as you in this day and age? In this selfish Cultivation World, you're even giving away things like traces of Divine Skills and the Power of Laws." Her words carried a hint of chiding. After all, she was his older sister, and she didn't want Luo Xiu to always be so naively generous, especially not when spending so extravagantly to woo a woman.
Of course, Luo Xiu had no idea what the fairy before him was thinking. He just smiled faintly. "I gave it to you, so it's yours. I never take things from a woman. Except for snacks, of course."
Luo Xian giggled. "Snacks I can provide in abundance!" She then asked, "By the way, Taoist Ao, why weren't you affected by the Cave Heavens Laws earlier? You were able to unleash the power of a Venerable One just like that."
Hearing this, Luo Xiu fell silent. It's probably because the power of my Grim Reaper Form comes from the Ancient God Inner Pill, and this Divine Oracle Cave Heaven is a small world created by an Ancient God. Therefore, when I use the cultivation from the Ancient God Inner Pill here, I'm not restricted by the Cave Heavens Laws.
Seeing his silence, Luo Xian tactfully curbed her curiosity and didn't press the matter.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
At that moment, a terrifying rumble echoed between heaven and earth. Suddenly, the world began to shake!
Before Luo Xiu could react, he stumbled and nearly fell. He looked down in shock to find the ground beneath his feet trembling violently!
"Not good, fall back!"
Seeing the ground cracking and collapsing, Luo Xiu didn't hesitate. He grabbed Luo Xian's arm and shot toward the sky.
But in the next instant, an immense suction force erupted from the chasm below. Locked in place by this force, his ascent slowed to a crawl.
"Taoist Ao, what's happening?"
"I'm not sure, but it's clear a troublesome fellow is about to emerge from underground."
...