“Die!”

A trace of savagery flashed through Li Chen’s eyes. The small blue dagger in his hand transformed into a streak of cold light, stabbing straight toward Shen Xian’s heart.

Kick him while he’s down!

In his mind, Li Chen could already picture Shen Xian’s blood splattering across the barren earth. The corner of his mouth curled up in anticipation.

However—

“You have a death wish.”

Shen Xian didn’t even turn his head. He simply let out a cold, disdainful chuckle.

Just as the dagger was about to pierce his vestments, a wall of crimson fire erupted from the ground!

Boom!

The blue dagger collided with the firewall and was instantly incinerated into molten iron.

Li Chen’s expression shattered.

How is this possible?!

Even a cultivator of the same realm shouldn’t be able to react that fast to a sneak attack!

He retreated in panic, stumbling back as Shen Xian slowly turned around. Those icy eyes held no trace of the weakness Li Chen had expected.

“You…” Li Chen’s Adam’s apple bobbed, cold sweat soaking his back.

That weakness just now… was he faking it?!

Shen Xian raised a finger, summoning the [Burning Heaven Cauldron]. A single thread of golden fire shot out.

The thread appeared slender, fragile even, yet it contained a terrifying, concentrated heat. Wherever it passed, the air itself warped and burned.

It carried the faint rumble of thunder, shaking the soul.

Pfft!

The fire thread punched through Li Chen’s right shoulder, leaving a charred, cauterized hole.

“Ahhh!”

Li Chen let out a wretched howl, clutching his shoulder as he collapsed to his knees.

My spiritual power… it’s burning!

To his horror, the golden flame at the wound wasn’t extinguishing; it was spreading along his meridians, consuming his Qi as fuel.

“Fairy Qiu, suppress him! Quickly!” He turned to Qiu Ruoli, his face twisted in desperation. “We had a deal…”

Qiu Ruoli’s expression tightened. Her snow-white Daoist robe fluttered without wind, her black hair cascading like a waterfall down to her waist. With the blood-red cinnabar dot between her brows, her aloof beauty seemed even more detached from the mortal world.

She hadn’t expected Shen Xian to counterattack so viciously, but she was committed now. She immediately slapped a golden talisman into the air.

The talisman unfurled in the wind, instantly splitting into thousands of golden chains, each inscribed with ancient sealing runes.

The chains wove together, condensing into a miniature golden prison that caged the [Burning Heaven Cauldron].

“Seal!”

Qiu Ruoli shouted, her voice clear and commanding.

The golden prison contracted violently. The runes on the chains lit up with piercing light, winding around the cauldron like constrictor snakes. The boiling flames within the artifact stalled, the thunder-light dimmed, and the cauldron let out a metallic groan as its fire patterns faded.

She had actually suppressed a True Spirit Treasure!

At the same time, she flicked her wrist. Seven white lotuses flew from her sleeve. Each one was crystal clear, glowing with a moon-like halo as they traced elegant, lethal arcs through the air, aiming straight for Shen Xian.

“Hmph. You think suppressing my Dharma Treasure is enough?”

Shen Xian’s face was full of disdain.

Between his eyebrows, the [Li Fire True Seal] flared to life.

A far more terrifying inferno erupted from his body. Countless threads of fire shot out from behind him like the spread of a peacock’s tail, but composed of pure destruction. They slammed into the incoming lotuses.

Crack!

The white lotuses shattered one after another.

Qiu Ruoli grunted, forced back several steps. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of her mouth, making her pale skin look even more fragile, like porcelain on the verge of cracking.

Such a powerful fire technique!

She was shaken to the core. This “demonic cultivator” was far more terrifying than she had imagined. Not only did he control evil arts, but his mastery over elemental fire surpassed even the elite of the orthodox sects.

Seeing this, Li Chen’s face turned ashen.

It’s over…

Gritting his teeth, he crushed an escape talisman. His figure began to blur.

“Trying to leave?”

A cold glint flashed in Shen Xian’s eyes. The [Li Fire True Seal] pulsed with blinding brilliance.

A net of golden fire materialized out of thin air, snapping shut around Li Chen’s fading form.

“No… don’t!” Li Chen struggled frantically, the teleportation interrupted.

This fire burns the soul!

He felt his consciousness being scorched away, layer by layer. “Spare me! I am willing to offer—”

“Too late.”

Shen Xian clenched his fist. The fire net contracted.

“AHHH—!!!”

Amidst a shrill scream, Li Chen’s body melted like wax, collapsing into a pile of ash. His soul didn’t even have a chance to escape; it was incinerated into nothingness.

Qiu Ruoli’s face turned deathly pale, her long eyelashes trembling like the wings of a frightened butterfly.

She stepped back, her white robes stained with a few drops of Li Chen’s blood—red plum blossoms on snow, tragically beautiful.

He killed a Golden Core Perfection cultivator in one move…

She knew he was strong, but this? This was a different dimension of power. That flame mark on his forehead… it radiated an aura even more formidable than the Holy Son of the [Li Fire Sect]. She was no match for him.

Regret clawed at her heart. If she had known the depth of his power, she never would have been so arrogant.

Shen Xian casually waved his hand, collecting Li Chen’s Storage Bag and tossing it into his blood jade ring. Then, he turned his cold gaze toward the disheveled woman before him.

Time to settle our grudge.

He raised his hand to strike—

Boom!

Suddenly, the entire dimension violently trembled.

The ground beneath them cracked open, forming countless bottomless fissures. Surging [Profound Nether Heavy Water] gushed from the depths, erupting like geysers.

Each drop weighed as much as a mountain, slamming into the ground with dull, heavy thuds.

“Earth Tribulation begins!” The ancient Daoist voice boomed from the void. “Heavy Water suppresses all. Unite hearts and join forces!”

In the blink of an eye, towering waves submerged the wasteland, turning the world into a vast, dark ocean. The water was pitch black like ink, yet shimmered with a strange, silvery light.

Shen Xian and Qiu Ruoli were forced into the air, but they found they could only hover about ten meters above the surface. Any higher, and the crushing pressure from the [Tortoise-Snake Lamp] phantom above forced them back down.

Shen Xian had to pause his attack.

Expanding his Deity Transformation Divine Sense, he saw countless transparent shadows emerging from the black water—some human, some beast, all silent and deadly.

What is the key to breaking this level? Shen Xian thought rapidly.

The first level was “Burn the Heart, Refine the Soul.” Fire for the heart, trial for the soul.

This level was clearly Water.

Unite hearts and join forces?

He glanced at Qiu Ruoli, who was hovering nearby, vigilant and terrified.

Do we have to work together?

Splash!

The heavy water beneath him suddenly surged, twisting into a ferocious water dragon. It opened a massive maw, lunging to devour him.

Shen Xian channeled his spiritual power to dodge.

He evaded the bite, but he immediately noticed something wrong. His Spiritual Power was draining out of his body like water through a broken dam. The Heavy Water acted like a parasite—every drop near him was greedily sucking his energy.

“This water absorbs spiritual power?!” Shen Xian’s pupils constricted.

With his Deity Transformation perception, he calculated the rate of loss. It was staggering. At this rate, he would be completely drained—oil exhausted and lamp withered—in less than half an hour.

He looked over at Qiu Ruoli.

Her expression had also changed drastically. Her white robes were soaked with the heavy spray, clinging to her body and outlining her curves. The halo of her white lotuses was flickering and dimming. She was being drained just as fast.

“I need to analyze this.”

Shen Xian summoned the [Heavenly Mechanism Disk].

A ripple of profound, boundless power expanded from the artifact. The dragon pearl in the center glowed faintly, runes flowing like data streams as it calculated the nature of the tribulation.

The result appeared in his mind instantly.

[Spirit-Devouring Heavy Water]. Grows stronger when encountering resistance. Those who resist alone consume ten times the spiritual power. Those who cultivate together in harmony can break its momentum!

Shen Xian’s gaze sharpened.

So that’s it.

This Earth Tribulation doesn’t test brute force. It tests… cooperation?