Mu Zhi’an could sense that her life force was fading.


    Is this girl that determined…? Mu Zhi’an was stunned.


    The Jade Pool Holy Maiden was clearly using some secret technique to forcefully increase her cultivation level. However, after this, her lifespan would be greatly affected.


    If she couldn’t successfully reach the Nascent Soul Realm and extend her lifespan, she might die prematurely.


    However, all Mu Zhi’an saw in her eyes was resolute determination.


    How can I run away now…? Mu Zhi’an sighed inwardly.


    Then, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.


    “Move aside,” he transmitted his voice.


    A hint of doubt flashed through the Jade Pool Holy Maiden’s mind before she saw Mu Zhi’an raise his black sword.


    All the Spiritual Energy in his Vessel vanished in an instant, flowing into the Lone Star Sword.


    The ground trembled slightly, and the Nascent Soul cultivators fighting nearby also noticed the change. Fu Yuan’s expression changed, and he shouted urgently, “Get back!”


    However, his warning came too late. As his voice fell, Mu Zhi’an’s sword slashed down from the sky.


    Focusing on a single point, reaching the pinnacle!


    Boom!


    The sword erupted with a blinding light like a star, creating huge cracks in the ground around Mu Zhi’an. The cultivators in front of him didn’t have time to dodge and were instantly obliterated by the starlight.


    The clamor at the exit fell silent. The Jade Pool Holy Maiden’s red lips parted slightly in astonishment.


    Such power was completely unlike something a second-grade Core Formation cultivator could unleash.


    “Go!” Mu Zhi’an transmitted his voice, snapping the Jade Pool Holy Maiden out of her daze.


    His Vessel was completely drained of Spiritual Energy; he couldn’t run even if he wanted to.


    The Jade Pool Holy Maiden looked at Mu Zhi’an deeply, then turned and fled towards the exit of the Jade Pool Sacred Land without hesitation.


    Mu Zhi’an withdrew his gaze, his eyes downcast, a shadow of sadness in them.


    When the Jade Pool Holy Maiden had told him to leave, he had wanted to.


    But Sister Mengrou was still here… He felt that if he left, he would live the rest of his life haunted by the choice he made today.


    He was never a saint, but in this life, he didn’t seek to be a savior; he only sought to live without regrets.


    “Let’s work together to send out a signal about the situation in the Jade Pool!”


    Several Jade Pool elders exchanged glances and, without hesitation, burned their life force. This was a secret technique of the Jade Pool, and since the Jade Pool Holy Maiden could use it, so could they.


    Boom!


    The barrier shook violently, but it remained intact.


    “Hmph!”


    Elders from the two Sects attacked, blocking the path of the Jade Pool elders.


    At this moment, Mu Zhi’an suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and blood splattered from his body.


    He slowly looked down and saw an emerald green flame blade piercing through his heart.


    The man in the green robe had a grim expression. He hadn’t expected that, despite their meticulous planning, a mere Core Formation cultivator would cause so many casualties among their disciples.


    “I told you, you would die a horrible death,” the man said coldly.


    Mu Zhi’an didn’t speak, coughing up blood.


    “Damn it, why doesn’t anyone play by the rules in this world? Nascent Soul enemies popping up everywhere when I’m just at the Core Formation Realm… How am I supposed to survive?”


    At this moment, past memories flashed through Mu Zhi’an’s mind like a runaway film projector, until finally, his eyes gradually dimmed.


    At the entrance of the Jade Pool Sacred Land, countless gazes were fixed on Mu Zhi’an. After an unknown amount of time, someone finally spoke.


    “He’s dead…?”


    “…Long live the Sect Master!”


    “Kill him! So what if he has an Innate Celestial Vessel? It’s useless in battle!”


    The disciples who had been paralyzed by the Lone Star Sword earlier recovered and shouted angrily.


    Mu Zhi’an’s vision blurred. He looked at everything before him: the mocking smile on the man in the green robe’s face, the clashing of swords in the distance, and the jeering cultivators in front of him.


    These sounds and images seemed to merge in his mind, then accelerate until finally, his brain ceased to function.


    Mu Zhi’an slowly closed his eyes.


    …


    Two Polarities Sect, Garden of Heavenly Harmony.


    Lin Ling, who was sitting in the courtyard eating meat buns, suddenly froze and subconsciously turned her head towards a certain direction.


    Her red eyes were filled with confusion.


    Then, as if sensing something, her eyes widened, her pupils reflecting the entire sky.


    “What are you looking at, Senior Lin Ling?” Bai Ruoxi, with her elegant and gentle demeanor, noticed Lin Ling’s unusual behavior and asked softly.


    Words appeared on the table. Bai Ruoxi looked over and saw: His life force has vanished.


    “He…?”


    Bai Ruoxi muttered softly. When she saw more words appear on the table, she looked over again, her gaze freezing.


    The name on the table was: Mu Zhi’an. sea??h thё novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    …


    Boom!


    A violent clash erupted in mid-air. The Jade Pool Empress Mother’s lips were pale, and she stumbled back a few steps, her chest heaving.


    Facing three Nascent Soul cultivators, empowered by ancestral artifacts, she couldn’t handle them alone.


    If it weren’t for the fact that all three were wary of her desperate counterattack before death, she would have already collapsed.


    The Jade Pool Empress Mother circulated her Spiritual Energy, her gaze sweeping across the ground before landing on the young man at the entrance of the Jade Pool Sacred Land.


    His chest was pierced with a large hole, his robes stained with blood. At his feet lay the corpses of cultivators, slain by the focused power of the Lone Star Sword moments ago.


    The Jade Pool Empress Mother abruptly looked up, her face filled with rage. “You—”


    “What about us?” The man in the green robe sneered. “Mu Zhi’an committed suicide out of guilt. What does it have to do with us?”


    “Besides, who can stand up for him after the Jade Empress dies?”


    A mere young cultivator, lucky enough to know the Jade Empress. But the Jade Empress was still in the process of condensing her Vessel. Although five Nascent Soul elders from the Jade Pool Sacred Land were guarding her, the ones who had attacked were the Primordial Demon Emperor’s subordinates.


    They had naturally prepared before taking action.


    Even if the Jade Empress survived this time and successfully condensed her Vessel, they would have already shielded their fate and escaped from the Eastern Realm with the medicinal pill.


    Boom!


    A thunderous sound echoed in mid-air. The man in the green robe looked up and saw a Jade Pool elder, his lifespan nearing its end, bombarding the barrier in the sky. A mocking smile appeared on his face.


    “I told you, the barrier is unbreakable. Only the caster can undo this formation.”


    The Jade Pool elder, with his white beard and aged face, had golden flames burning in his eyes. He abruptly turned and lunged at the Sect Master of the Profound Sky Sect.


    However, in the next instant, Fu Yuan moved. His speed was astonishing. The radiant light from his ancestral artifact shone as he grabbed the Jade Pool elder by the collar and slammed him onto the ground.


    The Jade Pool Empress Mother, restrained by the other two, glared at Fu Yuan furiously. “Fu Yuan!”


    “Calm down. Your current condition isn’t good. Be careful not to let anger consume you.”


    A cold smile appeared on Fu Yuan’s face as he drew a sharp blade from thin air.


    The Jade Pool elder could only watch helplessly as the blade descended, his eyes filled with indignation and despair.


    At this moment, a crisp cracking sound suddenly came from within the sealed Jade Pool Sacred Land, causing Fu Yuan’s hand to freeze mid-air.


    Everyone’s hearts skipped a beat as they instinctively looked up.


    The ground shook violently, and a giant palm print descended from the sky, grabbing onto the barrier. Then, under countless shocked gazes, it squeezed!


    The indestructible barrier shattered into pieces!


    Sunlight poured into the gloomy Jade Pool, and a woman in a green dress stood suspended in the air, bathed in sunlight, overlooking everything below like a deity.


    “You’re quite bold, aren’t you?”


    As her ethereal voice rang out, it felt as if time itself had frozen.


    The man in the green robe and the others stood motionless, like statues.


    Their minds went blank.


    Why is the Jade Empress here…?


    The remnants of the previous Demonic Cultivators were supposed to be stopping her from condensing her Vessel… Why is she here?! Fu Yuan and the others screamed inwardly.


    The Jade Empress stood in mid-air, looking down at the ground indifferently.


    Seeing the carnage in the Jade Pool, a hint of coldness appeared in her eyes for the first time.


    These people had been plotting to seize the Heavenly Phoenix Fruit from the very beginning… Not just the remnants of the previous Demonic Cultivators, but even cultivators from the Southern Wilderness were involved.


    Their goal was to prevent her from returning to the Dao Integration Realm.


    Because the Eastern Realm was already too strong, and with the addition of the Jade Empress…


    However, they probably never expected that a young cultivator at the Core Formation Realm would change everything.


    No one could have imagined that the enhancement from the Innate Celestial Vessel would accelerate the Jade Empress’s Vessel condensation process to such an extent.


    The Jade Empress gracefully descended from the sky, her gaze sweeping across the scene before her.


    Most of the corpses here weren’t from the Jade Pool Sacred Land but from the two Sects.


    This gave her some comfort.


    As she was about to look away, something caught her eye, and her body stiffened.


    She stared silently. After a brief pause, her body trembled slightly. She floated down from the sky and slowly walked towards the entrance of the Sacred Land.


    The silence was deafening, as if everyone’s heartbeats could be heard.


    Under countless gazes, she finally arrived at the gate of the Jade Pool and silently looked at the black-robed young man who had lost his life force.


    The indifferent expression she had always maintained finally crumbled.