The sky gradually darkened, and the night was about to come.

The mountain wind blew, causing the red flames at the entrance of the temple to dance. This fire was the only light and heat in the village.

Saintess Wu Qingxin, who was standing on a flying sword, stood in mid-air, her figure illuminated by the fire.

She wore a white robe that fluttered in the wind, with a tall and extraordinary figure, overlooking the fire below.

Her silhouette faintly resembled the Saintess statue enshrined in the temple behind her, just lacking a touch of the statue’s compassionate and sorrowful essence.

This sight, witnessed by the villagers of Saintess Village, was undoubtedly a miraculous manifestation of a divine being.

The villagers from all around also gathered from afar. They were too scared to come close, so they just looked at the Holy Maiden Temple from a distance and circled around the wildly dancing fire, bowing three times and prostrating nine times.

This fire was the only source of light and warmth in the village at the moment.

If someone who doesn’t know what’s going on sees this scene, they might think it’s a festive celebration in this mountain village, with people gathering around bonfires for a wild carnival.

"The Saintess has truly appeared!"

"The villain who entered the village was burned by the sacred fire and condemned to eternal damnation…"

"The divine fire burns away all earthly sins."

"The earthly realm is full of hardship. The governance of the Great Yan Dynasty is worn out and in a state of despair. Taxation in the capital city is burdensome, but in the mountains, there are no taxes. Only in the mountains can one find the Saintess…"

And in the midst of those raging flames.

Qiao Mu put down the hands that were surrounded by Li’s fire and blocked his vision. He opened his eyes and heard the villagers murmuring and chanting.

"So annoying…"

He lowered his arms and his internal strength as a fourth rank martial artist gradually surged through his entire body, flowing through his meridians and limbs.

When he was in the city of Heyang, he saw people who always sided with the Xuantian Sect and spoke for the Immortal Masters of the Xuantian Sect.

When he was in the city of Yan, he also saw scholars who were too afraid to speak up and those who yielded to the power of Guo Yan and engaged in debates.

But in both Yan and Heyang cities, he also saw soldiers who dared to steal a bowl of Hero Courage Soup and constables who persisted in investigating cases despite the heavy pressure from the Immortal Gate.

He thought that no matter how dark the world was, there would always be a sense of justice within people, even if they were too afraid to speak up.

But this small village hidden in the mountains and forests, this village that revered the Saintess, completely changed his perception.

"In fact, I am getting older now. I should be more steady, otherwise it won’t fit my character portrayal."

He murmured to himself in the fire.

"Originally, I wanted to learn to be discreet and go with the flow, but every time it ends up like this… I can’t control myself."

He lowered his head.

"Let’s meet again next time."

His entire body was filled with strong internal power, shining and blazing like fire.

"Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method!"

He didn’t care at all about the entangled Li fire on his body, isn’t it just death?

Whether it was being burned by Li fire or experiencing death, he had gone through it more than once.

This figure burst out of the fire, like a cannonball, and collided with the white-robed Saintess standing in mid-air, balanced on her sword.

A crisp sound was heard from the area.

The long sword that was burnt by Li fire, with great force, smashed into the flying sword in front of Wu Qingxin in an instant, causing a loud noise.

Wu Qingxin reached out and grabbed the flying sword that was flying backwards, and her figure couldn’t help but fall down, landing at the entrance of the temple that was unaffected by the flames.

The villagers who were kneeling around the sea of fire suddenly stopped praying.

Did the Saintess in the sky fall down because of the evil person burning in the fire?

"Phew…"

Several figures ran out from the flames, with some Li fire burning on their bodies, but it was burning slowly.

The powerful internal strength can temporarily suppress the burning of Li fire, but it can never completely extinguish the fire.

They didn’t immediately join the battle, but watched the scene of Qiao Mu and Wu Qingxin fighting, feeling a hint of luck in their hearts.

"He’s quite a brave guy… I hope he can buy us some time, so that we can figure out how to escape the burning of this Li fire."

Those who are willing to accept the summons of Star Xuan Envoy and come to hunt down Wu Qingxin, a disciple of Martial Saint, are naturally martial artists who have a high opinion of themselves and great ambitions.

Originally, they all had some hidden skills to varying degrees, but due to various concerns, they didn’t use them right away. As a result, they were caught off guard and dragged into Wu Qingxin’s sea of fire.

Their survival instinct made them hopeful, thinking that maybe they could learn from the skilled swordsman with a beard and find another way to get rid of the burning Etching Bones Li Fire on their bodies.

Only Qiao Mu stepped forward to fight to death.

"Die!"

The burning longsword in Qiao Mu’s hand gradually started to deform, and he had to constantly pour in internal strength to resist the burning of the Li Fire, slashing and chopping again and again.

The flames gradually surrounded his whole body, yet he seemed completely unaware, only focusing on his swordplay.

His Shadow Transformation Sword Technique had already reached a certain level of mastery. With each swing of his longsword, it seemed to split into multiple images and left behind several vague flame traces in the air.

"Why can’t you just quietly burn to death?"

Wu Qingxin’s expression remained cold, but she felt a bit irritated deep inside.

The existence or disappearance of the Etching Bones Li Fire was entirely in her control, so as long as she reacted in time, she would not be burned by the flames. However, if this Qiao Mu approached her completely engulfed in fire, even if she didn’t fear the Etching Bones Li Fire, she would still be somewhat cautious.

"I can die!" Qiao Mu, with flames swirling around his feet, seemed like a terrifying demon in the eyes of the villagers, showing a fierce smile.

"You cannot live!"

Using the mastered Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, Qiao Mu, who had just reached the 4th rank, suddenly burst out with internal strength several times stronger. With each sword strike, there was a powerful gust of wind, causing the surrounding flames to sway and dance.

Crack.

After being burned by Li’s fire for a long time, Qiao Mu’s sword in his hand finally deformed and twisted, the blade no longer intact, as Wu Qingxin’s sword cleaved it in half.

"Without a sword, I will use my fists!"

Qiao Mu then decisively discarded the sword in his hand and fiercely punched with both fists.

"Without fists, I still have feet!"

His body was burning, but his movements showed no hesitation or pause.

Compared to Jade and the others who were meditating behind, the figure in this scene appeared more decisive and tragic.

"This Qiao Zhong… is not an ordinary person."

Jade faced Flying Dragon stood up, his eyes filled with sadness.

He had tried every method, but still couldn’t escape the strange Etching Bones Li Fire.

Not only him, but the others also faced the same issue.

And they all failed, unable to succeed.

No matter how hard they tried, the flame was always like a stubborn disease, impossible to shake off or extinguish.

Their hearts were filled with darkness, and despite trying everything, they couldn’t find any hope… until they saw Qiao Mu making another choice.

"We martial artists should be like this."

"Wu Qingxin didn’t leave us any way out, even if it means death, she shouldn’t get away with it!"

"Let’s go together." The swordsman Jade faced Flying Dragon, dressed in white, angrily yelled.

Any martial artist who dares to chase and kill Saintess Wu Qingxin is skilled at the level of the fourth or fifth rank, and their character is not inferior.

Previously, they held onto a glimmer of hope, always feeling that they were different and could find a way to survive death. But now they can’t anymore.

In a situation where all hope is lost, they finally exhaust all their strength and launch a full attack.

"Mount Tai Sword, Opening Mountain Style!"

"Taiyi God Fist!"

"Little Diamond Palm!"

These few people, following Qiao Mu’s lead, in this desperate situation, attack without defense, not seeking to save their lives, only wanting to accompany Wu Qingxin to the afterlife.

"Ripple Stacking Wave Strength, Double Wave!"

Qiao Mu, like the others, stood tall with flames swirling around him and threw a punch.

As the fist struck, a rolling internal strength spread like ripples in water, with waves overlapping.

Ripple Stacking Wave Strength,Double Wave!

With the combined power of a bright and a dark force, multiplied several times by the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, the attacks struck Wu Qingxin’s abdomen, causing her previously calm and composed expression to be thrown backwards into the embrace of the Saintess Temple.

The mountain people were in turmoil, but those whose lives were in imminent danger paid no attention.

"This Etching Bones Li Fire arose because of Wu Qingxin. Hurry up and kill her, there might still be a glimmer of hope!"

Inside the temple, Wu Qingxin fell to the ground, her face pale and her white clothes stained with blood. The stark contrast to the compassionate Saintess behind her was striking.

She glanced back at the Saintess image behind her.

"In the end, is it still a separation between immortals and mortals?"

Over the past twenty or thirty years, she has secluded herself to practice bitterly. Her Qi refining cultivation progress is actually much faster than her fellow disciples, but she has always been stuck at the Foundation Building bottleneck, unable to make any progress.

She had thought that because she was not a true saintess, and didn’t hold a position in Xuantian Temple, she lacked the support of incense and vows.

With great difficulty, she spent many years gradually gathering followers in the mountain village, establishing temples. She had thought that with years of accumulation, she could make a breakthrough in one fell swoop.

But at the critical moment, she was always restless and unable to calm her mind. Even if it meant sacrificing her followers, she could not achieve the moment of ascension she had hoped for.

"If you kill me, do you think you can live? Don’t be so self-righteous."

She gently curled her lips. At this moment, she still had some strength to fight, but her heart was as bleak as the martial artists consumed by the Fire of Li.

"Even a Spirit Refining martial artist of the 3rd rank would be powerless against the Bone-Etching Li Fire of a Qi refining cultivator."

"Even if we take a step back, even if you manage to survive, you will eventually die." Her gaze fell on Qiao Mu and the others, who had arrived at the broken temple.

"After practicing the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique, there was only a dead end ahead!"

"Haven’t you realized something is wrong? How can this secret technique make practitioners have a telepathic connection with each other? No matter how I try to escape, I can’t escape your sensing."

Wu Qingxin drew her sword and continued to fight fiercely against these burning martial artists, all while keeping a big smile on her face.

"What Martial Saint? What telepathic connection? What kind of spiritual refining secret technique that even low-level martial artists can practice?"

"This is the secret technique created by the Martial Saint himself back then, in order to easily track and hunt down practitioners of the ‘Martial Saint Spiritual Technique’."

When they heard this, Qiao Mu and the others were briefly taken aback, and their movements paused for a moment.

Wu Qingxin kept swinging her long sword, occasionally letting go of it, all while continuing to speak, trying to shake their minds:

"After the Inhuman War, the Martial Saint emerged as a revered figure in martial arts, comparing himself to the great sage of Confucianism. It has been forty years since then."

"During these forty years, he traveled through Jiu Province, establishing the Wuji Association and gathering three thousand exceptionally talented martial arts geniuses as adopted children and disciples."

"The Martial Saint taught his best techniques and skills to three thousand disciples, including the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique!"

"Those who were able to practice the Martial Saint Spiritual Technique, whether they were Martial Saint disciples or other exceptional martial artists, would eventually become nourishment for the Martial Saint."

"Decades ago, the Martial Saint had three thousand disciples. Can you guess how many are still alive?"

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