C19 I Have a Secret

The Fiend Sect's Sect Master scowled as he summoned the skull back to him.

With swift motions, he tapped several points on his body.

"Puff!"

He spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the black staff, the blood swiftly soaking into the dark runes.

"Ah!"

The skull emitted a wail of agony, as though it were enduring torture in the depths of hell.

The golden dragon regarded the skull with a look of disdain, seemingly tired of its pitiful cries. With a burst of speed, the golden dragon charged at the skull.

Opening its massive jaws, the golden dragon gulped down the skull into its belly.

"Burp!"

A satisfied belch escaped the golden dragon.

Its body then began to writhe, emitting pained wails.

Seizing the moment, the Fiend Sect's Sect Master dashed forward, appearing before the golden dragon in an instant.

He then slammed the black staff with great force onto the dragon's head.

The golden dragon issued a wail of pain as its head started to fissure, then dissipated into thin air.

The Dragon Cry Sword quivered violently, causing Lee Cann's hands to throb with pain.

Lee Cann inhaled deeply, channeling a continuous stream of Genuine Qi into the Dragon Cry Sword. His Genuine Qi plummeted, and he hastily retrieved a recovery pill from his backpack and popped it into his mouth.

With a forceful swing of his arm, he flung the Dragon Cry Sword. It expanded rapidly, halting only when it reached nearly a hundred meters in length, and cleaved towards the Fiend Sect's Sect Master.

The sword's descent was like a force capable of splitting the very void in two, the space around the colossal blade fracturing, the sight was astonishingly fearsome.

"Bring it on."

The Sect Master of the Fiend Sect stood undaunted, his black staff growing to an immense size as he met the attack, ripping through the void itself.

"Boom~"

In the thunderous roar, the massive sword formed by the Dragon Cry Sword shattered, reverting to its original form and knocked back in retreat.

Lee Cann caught the Dragon Cry Sword as it returned, his body shaking, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth.

"What? Cann, a fifth-rank Martial General, still can't defeat him?"

From a distance, Lee Feng watched, his voice laced with alarm.

"What are you waiting for? Use your trump card. I refuse to believe that's all you've got."

The Sect Master of the Fiend Sect bellowed.

Lee Cann fell into silence as he came to a realization: it was time to change his cultivation technique, but the moment had passed—it was already too late. In the marketplace, he had swapped for some recovery pills and popped them all into his mouth. His Genuine Qi began to roil within him.

Gripping the Dragon Cry Sword, Lee Cann hurled it forward once more. Then, he flung every weapon from his backpack into the fray. The Sect Master of the Fiend Sect watched the onslaught of weapons approaching, his mouth twitching in disbelief. Who could possibly carry such an arsenal? Only someone with a spatial treasure could manage that, but even then, who would possess so many magic weapon-grade arms?

Having emptied his backpack, Lee Cann swiftly applied a dash talisman to himself and charged at the Sect Master of the Fiend Sect. He caught up with the swarm of weapons and located a pagoda-shaped magic weapon he recognized: the Infinite Treasure Pagoda, a second-rank magic weapon. Lee Cann channeled his Genuine Qi into it, and a burst of infinite starlight erupted. The surrounding magic weapons were drawn into the pagoda, forming eight stars that spun and grew in power.

The pagoda transformed into the largest star, casting a starlight so vast it spanned miles, completely shrouding the sky above the Imperial Capital in blinding brilliance. Beside this colossal star, eight smaller ones emitted terrifying waves that fractured the void.

The Sect Master of the Fiend Sect retreated hastily, feeling the mounting pressure from Lee Cann's tactic. "Descend, nine stars, and annihilate," Lee Cann commanded, his face contorted with effort. He bellowed, and the nine massive stars, covering miles of space, bore down with crushing force. The void crumbled in their wake, the endless starlight obliterating and suppressing all in its path. The spectacle was so breathtaking that it captivated many onlookers from the counties near the Imperial Capital.

The Sect Master of the Fiend Sect's face grew stern, his eyes narrowing. "Interesting. But still not enough," he declared. With a fierce cry, a boundless black Qi burst forth from his body, shrouding both him and the dark pillar. The display of power rivaled Lee Cann's descent of the nine stars in its intensity.

Spectators from afar continued to gather, utterly stunned by the spectacle before them, their minds reeling in disbelief.

"Shatter!"

In the midst of the awe, Lee Cann, with the power of the nine stars, charged ferociously at the Sect Master of the Fiend Sect.

"They've lost their minds, all of them! Run for your lives!"

Panic painted the faces of the onlookers as they scrambled back, desperate to avoid being caught in the cataclysmic clash.

Two colossal forces, radiating infinite light, collided with a devastating impact.

"Boom!"

In that instant, a blinding white light burst forth, engulfing the world in its brilliance, leaving everyone as blind as if their eyes were shut.

What ensued was a wave of destruction, the magnitude of which was beyond words.

As the white light gradually receded and sight was restored, the crowd was horrified to see that the very earth where Lee Cann and the Fiend Sect Master had dueled was now sheared away.

They searched for the combatants.

The Fiend Sect Master lay in the rubble not far off.

Meanwhile, Lee Cann stood nearby, gasping for breath, having expended all his Genuine Qi in the confrontation.

Only after popping some recovery pills did Lee Cann manage to stow all his transformed weapons back into his backpack.

With the Dragon Cry Sword in hand, he approached the ruins.

"Cough, cough!"

The Fiend Sect Master spat out blood and looked up at Lee Cann.

"Since becoming the Sect Master, I've never encountered an adversary like you. Who would have thought that the Crown Prince, so engrossed in music, chess, painting, and calligraphy, harbored such cunning? You've fooled everyone for years."

"In this chaotic Swallow Cloud Land, for someone like you to achieve such a level of cultivation, the Crown Prince is truly a prodigy."

"But even if I'm no match for you, you cannot kill me."

"I possess a secret of great importance to you."

"Cough, cough!"

Talking seemed to have taken its toll, as the Fiend Sect Master coughed up more blood.

"Oh?"

Lee Cann's interest was piqued by the Sect Master's claim.

"My secret?"

"That's right, your secret. A secret worth my life in exchange for yours. Spare me, and I'll reveal it to you. What do you say?"

The Blood Fiend Sect Master spoke in a feeble voice.

"Fine, I'll spare your life. Now, what secret do you have that's worth your life?"

Lee Cann fixed his gaze on the Blood Fiend Sect Master as he demanded.

"Hehe, are you aware of your mother? She's very much alive."

The Blood Fiend Sect Master chuckled sinisterly.

"Hmm?"

This revelation struck a chord with Lee Cann.

"My mother is alive? Where is she? What have you done to her?"

Lee Cann's hands clamped onto the Sect Master's shoulders, shaking him as he interrogated.

"Hehe, she's been imprisoned in the Imperial Palace, enduring untold hardships. By now, she's likely gravely ill."

Lee Cann's eyes hardened with fury.

"Speak now! Where in the Imperial Palace is she locked up? Speak, or I will end you."

The Blood Fiend Sect Master showed no fear in the face of Lee Cann's threats.

"You wouldn't dare kill me. If you do, your mother will be burned without mercy, joining me in death."

Lee Cann's glare intensified; he loathed threats above all else.

"Puchi!"

The head of the Blood Fiend Sect Master rolled on the ground, his eyes wide with incredulity.

"Ding! You have slain the Sect Master of the Blood Fiend Sect, a super sinner. Reward: 300,000 exchange points."

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for earning the gratitude of 45,961 wronged souls. With the system's aid, they will transcend the cycle of rebirth. You have earned a special reward: 600,000 exchange points."