Fang Yuan's mouth curved upwards; he tossed the Ten Thousand Souls Banner into the air, and his entire body shot up, steaming, transforming into a meteor that crashed down with a roar.
Gongyang's eyes narrowed slightly, and he raised a fist to meet it.
Crack—
The sound of bones breaking.
Fang Yuan's knee was shattering little by little.
"Again!"
Fang Yuan roared, switching to his other leg, and brought it down in a high chop.
Bang—
Gongyang raised his hand to block, the stone slabs beneath his feet cracked into pieces, and his legs sank into the rubble.
On the other side, Qin Hao also erupted with astonishing power; currents of air swirled around his fists, forming A fist mark, all blasting towards Gongyang.
In an instant, the entire platform was enveloped in dust and smoke, with continuous booming sounds.
From within the smoke, a figure shot skyward, grabbed Fang Yuan's calf, and slammed him into the ground; then, the figure flickered, appearing beside Qin Hao, and with five fingers forming a claw, crushed Qin Hao's arm.
"Close-quarters combat? I've never been afraid of anyone!"
Qin Hao completely ignored the pain in his arm, grabbed Gongyang's collar with his other hand, and pulled him sharply forward.
Gongyang hadn't expected Qin Hao to be so reckless, not even blinking when his arm was crushed; caught off guard, Qin Hao actually succeeded.
Bang—
Qin Hao's forehead slammed hard into Gongyang's face, and nosebleed instantly gushed out.
Bang, bang—
Four consecutive blows, leaving Gongyang seeing stars and utterly disheveled.
The Golden Core Stage cultivators are not much stronger than Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators in terms of physical body; their strength lies in the application of spells and their comprehension of natural forces.
Gongyang's attempt to defeat Fang Yuan and Qin Hao physically put him completely on the defensive.
Fang Yuan and Qin Hao were notoriously ruthless individuals in Hua Xia Sect; having died many times, they had grown accustomed to the pain before death.
Compared to them in terms of ruthlessness, Gongyang was still too green.
Even though Qin Hao's forehead was fractured, he showed no intention of stopping.
The final heavy blow landed on Gongyang's forehead.
Bang, both flew backward.
As Gongyang stabilized himself in mid-air, a sound of rushing air followed closely.
He hastily turned to block, forming a hand seal to cast a spell, but Fang Yuan interrupted him with a kick.
A dense blur of leg shadows appeared in everyone's eyes until Fang Yuan's right leg broke, and Gongyang's defense was finally shattered.
Fang Yuan pressed on, closing the distance, and inexplicably, a dagger appeared in his hand, which he plunged fiercely into Gongyang's chest, then slashed forcefully.
A jet of blood sprayed out, accompanied by Gongyang's pained screams.
It was this strike that completely enraged Gongyang.
As a direct disciple of the Hehuan Sect, his ferocity was naturally beyond question; he immediately counterattacked with speed, precision, and ruthlessness.
Pfft—
Fang Yuan's chest was pierced through by sharp claws.
Seeing this scene, everyone was greatly astonished.
Fang Yuan and Qin Hao's performance had far exceeded their expectations.
They were ruthless to their enemies and even more ruthless to themselves, especially in combat; they never dragged things out, with every move being fatal.
This 'fatal' included both their enemies and themselves.
And the path pursued by the Demonic Cult was precisely this.
Therefore, upon seeing Fang Yuan's chest being pierced, the old woman and Min Hong and the other elders immediately grew anxious, all soaring into the sky.
It was at this moment that they saw Fang Yuan's mouth curve upwards, and with his remaining strength, he plunged the dagger into Gongyang's heart.
At the same time, Qin Hao, bathed in blood, broke free from the rubble and flew out, opening his bloody mouth to bite Gongyang's neck, then pulled hard.
Rip—
Blood sprayed like a fountain, wantonly scattering in mid-air.
Thump, thump—
Everyone's hearts pounded fiercely, beating wildly.
"Quick, save them!" the old woman anxiously shouted.
All the elders were startled awake by the sound and simultaneously flashed before the three, forcefully pulling their bodies apart.
Fang Yuan's body was almost completely wrecked, with only one arm still able to move.
Min Hong quickly pulled out a pill from her storage ring, stuffed it into his mouth, and then channeled spiritual power into his body to repair the damaged nerves.
"Hehe…" Fang Yuan spat out a large mouthful of clotted blood and grinned at Min Hong.
"You little lunatic…" Min Hong murmured softly, her eyes filled with admiration.
Qin Hao on the other side was even worse; both his arms and legs were completely crippled, and his head had a large indentation, his breathing almost stopping.
If not for the old woman and a Nascent Soul Stage Elder arriving in time, his life would have ended there.
As for Gongyang, there was no need to mention him; he had walked a circle around the gates of hell and was forcibly pulled back by several elders, currently in a coma.
Fan Xiaomei broke free from Zhao Mubai's hand, stumbled, and knelt beside Fang Yuan, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at the dying Fang Yuan.
"Good girl, go see your Brother Qin Hao, don't disturb Brother's flirting," Fang Yuan pouted.
Fan Xiaomei softly hummed in acknowledgment, then ran to Qin Hao's side, calling his name repeatedly.
Qin Hao struggled to open his eyes and forced a smile to offer comfort.
Fan Xiaomei silently shed tears, then raised her head, looking at the unconscious Gongyang, a hint of hatred flashing in her eyes.
"That's enough for today; all new disciples will follow Elder Lu Qing's arrangements and await their mountain assignments," the old woman waved her hand, picked up Qin Hao from the ground, and quickly left.
Min Hong was also preparing to leave with Fang Yuan but was stopped by a figure.
"Elder Min, could you hand this person over to me?"
Fang Yuan, currently squinting and leaning against Min Hong, heard the voice and couldn't help but curiously turn his head.
The one speaking was precisely that mysterious woman.
Min Hong slightly frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Niece Liu, what is the meaning of this?"
The mysterious woman bowed slightly, her voice still calm: "Elder Min, please do not misunderstand; this person's temperament and comprehension are quite good, perfectly meeting my Master's requirements for recruiting a cauldron, and my Master is currently at the most crucial stage of breaking through to the Transformation God Realm, so I hope Elder Min will part with him."
"Sect Master Sister is about to break through?" Elder Min Hong exclaimed in surprise.
The mysterious woman nodded slightly.
Fang Yuan quietly observed the woman: a flawless white forehead, a pair of peach blossom eyes shining like stars, two strands of hair falling on either side of her face; even without seeing her full face, Fang Yuan could determine that the woman was definitely a peerless beauty.
Liu Meiqing's eyes moved slightly; she glanced at Fang Yuan, with a hint of coldness in her indifference.
"Oh, she's a cold immortal fairy, isn't she?" Fang Yuan chuckled to himself, his mind rapidly turning, and a plan targeting Liu Meiqing quietly formed in his mind.
Min Hong pondered repeatedly, but did not give up on Fang Yuan, and said apologetically, "This child has a connection with me, so I ask Niece Liu to inform Sect Master Sister that I cannot comply."
Upon hearing this, Liu Meiqing said nothing more and turned to leave.
Fang Yuan was somewhat curious about what Liu Meiqing had just said, and couldn't help but ask, "Min Jiejie, what did she mean just now, that I meet her Master's requirements?"
Min Hong lowered her head and said grumpily, "It means to drain your essence dry."
Fang Yuan was stunned and subconsciously blurted out, "Drained to death?"
"Something like that; anyway, if you went, it would be a dead end," Min Hong nodded in affirmation.
"Holy crap, this little girl wants to harm me!" Fang Yuan exclaimed, his wound pulling, making him grimace in pain.
Min Hong carried him and flew up, saying with a faint smile, "Let me advise you: be more polite to Liu Meiqing in the future, otherwise, you won't even know how you died."
"Even you can't protect me?" Fang Yuan felt slightly surprised.
Min Hong lowered her head slightly, licked her red lips, and her voice was seductive: "That depends on whether you have the ability to make me protect you, little brother~"
"Oh? How about we spar a bit?" Fang Yuan showed an untamed expression.
Min Hong chuckled softly, about to continue teasing him, but before she could speak, a tingling sensation suddenly came from her chest.
"Behave!" Min Hong scolded playfully.
"Will you protect me or not? Hmm?" Fang Yuan mumbled indistinctly, his teeth pressing a little harder.
Even though Min Hong had lived for over a hundred years, being teased in such a situation still made her old face flush, and she feigned anger, saying, "You're dead meat later!"
Upon hearing this, Fang Yuan became even more defiant, snorting twice and saying disdainfully, "I'm just afraid you'll die first!"
Their eyes met, full of gunpowder, with an air of 'it's either you or me'.