Without the restraint of the Demonic Qi, Yun Nian's body instantly collapsed to the ground. However, there was no time to waste; she immediately used Spiritual Qi to seal the wound on her wrist, then looked up towards Xi Mo.

"Originally, time was short, and I was planning to let you off for now, you stinking brat. But this time, you delivered yourself right to my doorstep!" The man gritted his teeth and suddenly struck out with a palm toward Xi Mo.

A palm strike carrying the full power of a Devil Cultivator at the Soul Emergence Stage would shatter every bone if it landed. Fortunately, Xi Mo's Movement Technique was decent, and he barely managed to dodge, but the residual wind still knocked him to the ground.

The difference between Half-step Golden Core and the Soul Emergence Stage was immense. That man could kill Xi Mo with a mere flick of his finger. Seeing him rush toward Xi Mo again, Yun Nian's eyes flashed; she immediately summoned the wanghen blade and slashed at the Formation on the ground.

Halfway there, the man noticed the Formation trembling, his expression instantly changed, and he immediately stopped his momentum, rushing toward Yun Nian instead.

"You bitch, stop right now!"

That Formation was the result of three hundred years of painstaking effort; if it was damaged, all his hard work would be wasted. He absolutely would not allow the Formation to suffer the slightest harm, and Yun Nian had realized this, using it to restrain him.

Seeing the man rush over, Yun Nian instantly dodged. Just then, Xi Mo also flew up beside her.

"Run toward the city gate!" Yun Nian whispered to Xi Mo.

On this side, Qi Rou agilely dodged the corpse qi stirred up by the Formation, her brows furrowing tighter.

"How is it?" Song Li immediately asked.

"It's no good. The corpse qi on the Formation is too dense. If we want to break it quickly, there's only one way!" Qi Rou said with a heavy heart, her gaze involuntarily falling upon Elder Xu Xu, who stood silently to the side.

"What way?" Elder Xu Xu spoke indifferently.

Qi Rou gritted her teeth: "Find the Formation Core. As long as the Core is damaged, the Formation's operation will fail. At that point, with just one Shattered Star Sword strike, this great Formation will surely collapse!"

As she finished speaking, Elder Xu Xu's Phoenix eyes slightly brightened: "How do we find that Formation Core?"

Qi Rou suddenly fell silent.

If she could find it, she would have already broken this great Formation.

"The Formation Core... isn't here," Qi Rou's eyes flickered, "it's on the other side of the Formation."

The two moved through the stagnant corpse masses. Yun Nian struggled to hold up her body, but the prolonged suffering still slowed her movements by a few degrees.

"Yun Nian?"

Noticing her movements slowing down, Xi Mo couldn't help but turn to look. Just then, the man had caught up. Intense Demonic Qi surged up around Yun Nian, binding her like iron chains, and quickly flew back along the original path.

Xi Mo's pupils suddenly dilated. He gritted his teeth, raised his sword again, and thrust toward the man.

"Hmph!" The man snorted coldly, violently threw Yun Nian onto the ground, and redirected the Demonic Qi toward Xi Mo. "I'll deal with you, annoying fly, first!"

Looking at the Demonic Qi rushing toward him, Xi Mo tightened his grip on his long sword and held it horizontally in front of himself.

Using the power of Half-step Golden Core to resist a mighty Cultivator at the Soul Emergence Stage.

Overestimating one's abilities.

At this moment, a surge of unprecedented Sword Intent rose from Xi Mo, circling him and transforming into streaks of sword shadows, standing firm and unmoving.

The Demonic Qi rushed forward. Against absolute power, Xi Mo's body still could not resist, and he quickly crashed to the ground, leaving a trail of blood several meters long. Injuries now covered his entire body, bleeding profusely, and the Spiritual Qi around him was weak, yet the solemn Sword Intent from earlier did not diminish—it intensified!

The man landed and walked toward Xi Mo.

"To be able to comprehend Sword Intent at a time like this, you truly are a good prospect for a Sword Cultivator. But today, you are destined to die here!" He finished speaking and stomped his foot onto Xi Mo's chest.

As her Divine Sense entered Chaos, Yun Nian's fingertips trembled slightly, and a Red Talisman slipped out from her sleeve.

The man vented all his resentment onto Xi Mo, pressing down hard with his foot. The distinct sound of bones shattering emanated from Xi Mo's body.

"You mere ants dare to obstruct my plan!" The man gritted his teeth, his wide left eye glaring at Xi Mo.

Xi Mo had slowly closed his eyes. Just then, a faint noise came from Yun Nian's direction. He forced himself to endure the pain and looked over.

Yun Nian struggled to stand up from the ground, pouring all the Spiritual Qi in her hand into the Red Talisman.

It's useless.

Xi Mo's brows furrowed tightly.

Once this Talisman is used, it's gone. It can only force the Devil Cultivator back temporarily. He is certain to die today; she might as well save the Talisman and find another way out.

"Don't be afraid..." As Yun Nian spoke, blood trickled down the corner of her mouth. She looked toward Xi Mo and curved her lips slightly.

Xi Mo no longer had the strength to speak, and the look he gave Yun Nian was complicated.

It's unnecessary. There's no need for both of them to die here.

He was a disciple of a prestigious family and the Righteous Path. Since he said he would take Yun Nian out, he absolutely could not retreat in a moment of crisis.

Even if it costs him his life—

Yun Nian's lips curved upward. Although she was battered, her smile was as beautiful and dazzling as a Lycoris radiata blooming from a barren grave. A red light flashed in her hand, and the Red Talisman flew toward the city gate, specifically toward the Black Stone Stele she had mentioned seeing before.

"I found the Formation Core."

Contained within the Red Talisman, the full-force strike of an Soul Emergence Stage mighty expert violently blasted the spot. The city gate instantly collapsed, and stones fell continuously. If the stones bearing inscriptions were reassembled, they would clearly form three large characters.

City of the Dead.

The appearance of the Black Stone Stele caused the Qi of the entire City of the Dead to shake violently.

"What!" The man's expression changed abruptly. With his panic, the pressure under his foot involuntarily eased for a moment, giving Xi Mo a chance to breathe. At the same time, he roared incredulously at Yun Nian: "How could you possibly discover this place!"

However, he no longer had time to think, because a cold, long sword was already stabbing toward him from behind.

The great Formation collapsed, and all the zombies lost control, starting to move around chaotically. As familiar figures began to appear, Yun Nian finally slowly let out a breath.

Where Shattered Star passed, fierce winds erupted, and all Demonic Qi was cut apart. This was the first time Yun Nian had seen her Master truly fight. Although he only possessed Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, relying solely on the long sword in his hand, he suppressed even the Soul Emergence Stage Cultivator, rendering him unable to resist.

A sense of respect suddenly rose in her heart. So the so-called Sword Immortal was not just an empty title. Among those in the Cultivation World, few who cultivated to this level could be as free and unrestrained as him.

Rare in the world.

High above the sky, even though his Elder robe was still loose and sloppy, it could not conceal the demeanor of a Sword Immortal.