“Hmph, how arrogant!”

Ye Lang sneered, placing one hand on his hip, his posture radiating absolute confidence in his domain.

“Haven’t you noticed your spiritual energy draining away? Once inside my Black Demon Immovable Bell, no matter what tricks you have, you won’t be able to use them. Submit quietly to your death, and perhaps I’ll consider leaving your corpse intact!”

“Spiritual energy draining?”

Han Lie focused inwardly.

Amidst the surrounding cold and sinister aura, which pressed against his skin like wet silk, his spiritual energy did indeed show faint signs of leakage. It was as if the bell itself was a leech, sucking the vitality from the air.

However!

Faced with these dark and malevolent forces, his Pure Yang Sacred Body automatically activated its protective mechanism.

Hum.

Pure Yang energy, hot and brilliant as the sun, formed a comprehensive shield within his meridians and dantian. It blocked the erosion of the cold, sinister aura instantly, sealing his essence tight.

If it were any other Golden Core Stage cultivator trapped inside Ye Lang’s domain, they might have been helpless meat on a chopping block.

But… this was the Pure Yang Sacred Body! The ultimate, supremely Yang physique, specifically designed by the heavens to counter all sorts of flashy, sinister tricks!

“It seems that way on the surface,” Han Lie said, his lips curling slightly. “But this senior has no intention of resigning to fate just yet.”

“No matter!” Ye Lang shrugged, his tone mocking. “Often, when a cat catches a mouse, it doesn’t eat it right away. It toys with it first. The mouse’s futile struggles are part of the fun. Since you want to add some amusement to my hunt, why would I refuse?”

Immediately after.

Ye Lang focused his mind.

The vast, surging dark spiritual energy permeating the interior of the Black Demon Bell roiled and twisted. It condensed into hundreds of spectral figures wielding large, jagged blades. They shrieked silently, lunging at Han Lie with menacing claws and teeth!

Han Lie showed no fear.

Gripping Crimson Oath, the blood-red blade humming in his hand, he charged forward to meet them head-on.

Hum!

The moment the dark specters came into contact with the Pure Yang spiritual energy radiating from Han Lie, they let out piercing shrieks before rapidly disintegrating like snow thrown into a furnace.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

With every swing of Han Lie’s saber, hundreds of dark specters perished beneath its edge. The slightly slender figure of Han Lie seemed completely unaffected by the bell’s drain. Facing the overwhelming tide of darkness, he moved as if strolling through his own garden!

Witnessing this scene, Ye Lang’s brow gradually furrowed.

The situation didn’t seem quite right…

But soon, Ye Lang shook off the doubt. Inside this Black Demon Bell, he had never been defeated before. Today would be no exception!

Ye Lang manipulated the vast dark energy above, generating another horde of specters that surged towards Han Lie like a tidal wave.

Right after, he tightened his grip on his large cleaver. With a light tap of his toes on the empty air, he hid behind the wave of ghosts and charged.

“Soul Sever!”

Not daring to be negligent, Han Lie unleashed another Soul Severing slash.

Boom!

Wherever the fiery red saber radiance passed, the army of dark specters was completely annihilated. Even the cold, sinister aura permeating the bell was significantly dispersed by the heat.

Faced with the terrifying momentum of Han Lie’s slash, Ye Lang instinctively chose to avoid its edge for now, dodging to the side.

Clang!

The remaining saber radiance collided with the dark wall of the bell, producing a deafening reverberation that shook the entire pocket dimension. The dark spiritual energy covering the wall dimmed noticeably.

Noticing this, Ye Lang’s eyes narrowed sharply.

This old bastard’s spiritual energy is off… This kind of ultimate Yang and rigid energy is practically my natural counter! This won’t do; I need to finish this quickly!

This time, Ye Lang dared not hold back any longer.

He mobilized all the spiritual energy within his body and drew heavily from the reserves of the Black Demon Bell itself.

With a fierce swing of his blade!

“Dragon Blade·World Destruction!”

Roar!

A dragon’s roar resounded as a terrifyingly eerie black dragon instantly materialized. It was massive, filling the bell with its suffocating presence, its claws tearing at the fabric of space.

Han Lie’s eyes blazed. He did not retreat. Instead, he gathered every ounce of his Pure Yang energy into Crimson Oath.

“Soul Devouring Saber Art, Final Form: Unity!”

A short while earlier.

Outside the ten-thousand-zhang Black Demon Immovable Bell standing tall upon the earth.

Two figures sped over from the horizon and hovered nearby.

They were Qin Lianyi and Mu Feng.

“Heh heh, Princess Lianyi, it seems the Daoist Lin you were counting on is likely to meet his end here,” Mu Feng said cheerfully, fanning himself with exaggerated ease.

From this distance, even he could sense the extremely dangerous aura of death radiating from the black construct. He didn’t believe that Han Lie—a mere mid-Golden Core cultivator—could withstand a domain technique unleashed by a peak Golden Core expert.

“……”

Qin Lianyi couldn’t be bothered to respond. But her tightly knitted brows betrayed her inner turmoil.

Ye Lang’s move was ruthless. Trapping the opponent inside with no escape route, fighting on his home ground with a superior cultivation base… she couldn’t fathom how Han Lie could possibly survive.

Clang!

Suddenly, a deafening, dull roar erupted from inside the bell. The sound wave distorted the air around it. Qin Lianyi felt her heart skip a beat.

“It seems the battle inside is quite intense. I just wonder if that Daoist Lin is still in one piece? Heh heh,” Mu Feng remarked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Qin Lianyi ignored him, her eyes glued to the vibrating surface of the bell.

“Hmph! Putting on airs now? Just wait until you see Han Lie’s corpse; let’s see how you keep up this act then!” Mu Feng sneered internally.

Shortly after.

Clang!

Another heavy, dull roar sounded out. The entire Black Demon Immovable Bell violently shook, ripples appearing on its dark surface.

Then.

Both Qin Lianyi and Mu Feng saw cracks appearing on the obsidian shell.

In just an instant, the cracks spread like a spiderweb, glowing with chaotic red light from within.

Fearing the backlash, Qin Lianyi and Mu Feng didn’t dare linger, hurriedly retreating at full speed.

Boom!

Finally, accompanied by an earth-shattering explosion, the entire Black Demon Immovable Bell abruptly shattered!

An abyssal sea of fiery red spiritual energy and eerie dark spiritual energy formed a twisted tornado that shot skyward, piercing the clouds!

The two energies intertwined, eroded each other, and annihilated everything they touched!

The terrifying aura they emitted caused shock to flash across both Qin Lianyi and Mu Feng’s faces.

Boom!

When both energies had nearly consumed each other, a secondary explosion, far more astonishing than the first, erupted from the core.

At that moment, two figures were sent flying out from the epicenter like cannonballs.

They were none other than Han Lie and Ye Lang!

“Who won?!”

As the energy storm dissipated, Qin Lianyi and Mu Feng held their breaths, their gazes fixed on the two combatants.

They saw Ye Lang, who had been sent flying, deeply embedded into a mountainside. His clothes were tattered strips, his hair was a bird’s nest of dishevelment, and blood stained his face and body. It was a shocking sight—he looked utterly wretched, his aura feeble and flickering like a candle in the wind.

Han Lie wasn’t unscathed either. His face was pale, a trace of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His robes were slashed, and his aura was weakened.

However, he was still standing in the air.

Seeing this scene, Mu Feng couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air.

His pupils contracted sharply; his mind was shaken to its core!

He couldn’t believe his eyes.

That Han Lie—at only the mid-Golden Core Stage—could clash so fiercely against the peak Golden Core Stage Ye Lang and… seemingly force a draw? Or even gain the upper hand?

This damn guy… is really just at the mid-Golden Core Stage?!