Chapter 134: The Collapse of the Ghost Realm (10,000-word update 4/5)

Song Yan certainly knew he had no such qualification.

However...

From the very beginning, he had never once intended to refine that damned treasure map.

He only wanted to avenge the eight hundred and forty-odd innocent mortals of Shiguping, the dozens of fellow cultivators from the six sects...

And the fleeting moment of freedom he had once lost.

Feeling his body begin to dissolve, Jin Tianya’s face froze in an expression of utter disbelief.

He was not the only one.

Outside of Shiguping, everyone stared blankly at what was unfolding.

"What did he just do..."

"He... he killed Jin Tianya..."

Did he not want the Deification-level masterpiece at all?!

Of course he wanted it.

But hadn't Jin Tianya himself said that he lacked the qualification?

He certainly couldn't just hand the treasure map over to Shen Yu, could he?

Song Yan did not have the habit of returning evil with kindness.

In the distant sky, the phantom of the Hell Transformation Map gradually faded, soon vanishing entirely. The ink-colored energy surging across the heavens suddenly seemed to lose its strength, falling from the sky and settling onto the land of Shiguping.

It slowly transformed into a massive painting.

"Hmm?"

The crowd gathered outside the boundary whispered in confusion: "Is that the Hell Transformation Map?"

"Master," Cong Yuzhen stood beside Fu Xiao and asked, "Could it be that now that Song Yan has slain that demonic soul, the treasure map has returned to its original state?"

"No... that’s not it."

Fu Xiao frowned deeply, denying it at first, though she sounded uncertain.

"I don’t know either."

"This treasure map was never a magical artifact or tool to begin with; it is merely a painting."

"It only triggered the phenomena of heaven and earth because it held the insight into the Great Dao of a Deification-stage master."

"That demonic cultivator forcibly bound himself to this painting. Now that he has been killed by that young man, logically speaking..."

Before she could finish her sentence!

Jin Tianya’s body dissipated inch by inch, meeting his final end.

At the same time, the Mountain of White Bones finally began to collapse!

Song Yan stood in his white robes, which fluttered in the wind; there was no trace of panic on his face.

As the Mountain of White Bones sank, a rupture appeared at the very center of the entire scroll.

Almost the moment it appeared, countless cracks spiderwebbed from its edges, rapidly spreading outward!

"What is happening?"

Liu Ciming’s face showed panic as he looked toward the scene: "Why is the treasure map cracking?!"

In truth, everyone saw it.

In the blink of an eye, the dense, intersecting cracks had reached the edges, covering the entire scroll.

Every gaze was fixed upon it.

For a fleeting moment, this world was deathly silent.

"Boom—"

The next instant, the scroll shattered with a thunderous roar!

It broke into dozens of ink-colored fragments that drifted into the air and vanished in the blink of an eye.

One of them darted into Song Yan’s palm with incredible speed.

The ink transformed into a jade pendant.

Feeling the cold sensation in his palm, Song Yan hid it within his large sleeve.

At this moment, Shiguping finally returned to its original appearance.

However, the entire mountain village was now desolate and lonely, with only Song Yan remaining.

No mortal could have survived such a catastrophe.

The eight hundred and forty-six souls of Shiguping had all perished, without exception.

"..."

The crowd outside the boundary was deathly silent.

Now that the treasure map had shattered and dissipated, the matter was truly settled.

"Song Yan! You will die a miserable death!"

Seeing the treasure map he was about to obtain shattered and all his efforts come to nothing, Shen Yu’s emotions finally erupted.

He was furious: "Today, you shall not leave here alive!!"

Cong Yuzhen was about to speak, but saw Fu Xiao step forward: "Elder Shen, it was your disciple from the Xuanyuan Sect who struck at him first."

"Now that he has destroyed the map to save his own life, I find nothing wrong with that."

Fu Xiao sneered inwardly.

The Xuanyuan Sect had been acting high and mighty for too long, treating themselves like the uncrowned kings of the Chu Kingdom.

Seeing Song Yan ruin their plans, Fu Xiao felt a sense of satisfaction.

Shen Yu stared at Fu Xiao with a grim expression: "Elder Fu, are you saying you intend to stand with the Dongyuan Sect?"

The crowd erupted into an uproar at these words.

With matters having reached this point, the demonic cultivators of the Huangquan Path, led by Liu Ciming, had originally felt as if they were mourning their parents and had no reason to stay. But seeing the six major sects on the verge of infighting, they and the forces from the Corpse Bone Abyss remained in place.

*Hum—*

Before Fu Xiao could reply, a violent surge of spiritual energy erupted in the arena!

Everyone looked toward the source and saw three streaks of spiritual light manifesting above Xu Ziqing’s head.

They appeared like three flower petals.

A formidable pressure burst forth, startling even the demons and the practitioners of the Corpse Bone Abyss.

What kind of secret technique was this?!

Shen Yu had not expected this; he hurriedly channeled his spiritual energy to protect himself.

Veins bulging on his forehead, he shouted: "Xu Ziqing! Have you lost your mind?!"

He was genuinely afraid that this man would throw his life away to drag him down.

"Shen Huai, a disciple of the Xuanyuan Sect, attempted to ambush and kill Song Yan, a disciple of the Dongyuan Sect, within the containment formation."

Xu Ziqing’s voice was devoid of emotion.

"He failed in his assassination and was killed in return."

"The elder of the Xuanyuan Sect, having failed to seize the treasure, now seeks to murder my sect’s disciple."

"Every cultivator from the six sects present has witnessed this."

He suddenly waved his sleeve, pointing toward the nearby demons and monsters: "Even these demons can testify!"

Testify?

A sense of absurdity washed over everyone, including the demons themselves.

What exactly was this man made of?

Seeing that Song Yan had survived, Xu Ziqing felt both relieved and disappointed.

Relieved that his disciple was alive, yet disappointed that he lacked a sufficient pretext to kill Shen Yu right there.

Fortunately, Song Yan had managed to slay a Xuanyuan Sect disciple in the process.

"Preposterous!"

Shen Yu roared, his chest heaving with rage.

The monks of the Huadu Temple never participated in the disputes between sects. The Lingfu Sect had also been distancing themselves from the Xuanyuan Sect for some time, likely maintaining a neutral stance.

Among the six major sects, only the Xuanjian Sect remained on good terms with his Xuanyuan Sect. The Sheyang Sect had now truly sided with the Dongyuan Sect.

Even if he were to join forces with the members of Xuanjian Mountain to kill these few, the losses would certainly be heavy.

And there were still demons lurking on the sidelines.

Shen Yu took a deep breath, his expression softening, though his eyes remained cold and resentful: "I hope the Dongyuan Sect remembers today’s events."

"If it were not for the presence of these demons, I would have severely punished you without fail."

"And who do you think you are?"

Xu Ziqing raised an eyebrow: "To speak of 'severe punishment'—it’s enough to make one laugh their teeth out."

"You..."

"Enough."

Fu Xiao intervened at the right moment, cutting off their exchange: "The demons are still here; whatever grievances you have, set them aside for now."

However, the demonic cultivators of the Huangquan Path were unusually decisive. Seeing that the six sects were not going to fight, Liu Ciming quickly produced a treasure talisman and crushed it.

A massive spiritual formation slowly expanded, enveloping the demonic cultivators.

Faint spatial fluctuations began to appear in the surroundings...

"Not good!"

The first to sense that something was wrong was, unexpectedly, the demonic ape Hu Ruifei from the Corpse Bone Abyss.