A Pawn's Passage

Back then, Elder Xu created the Xiaoyao Six Void Tribulations Technique because he had drawn inspiration from the Eclipse Method.

The Eclipse Method benefited oneself at the expense of others, absorbing another person’s cultivation to strengthen one’s own. Every gain for oneself meant an equal loss for the other. However, it also had a flaw. Once the practitioner reached the limit of what their body could contain, they could not absorb any more energy and could no longer drain the opponent’s cultivation.

Thus, the Earthly Preceptor created the Xiaoyao Six Void Tribulation, a method that harmed others without benefiting oneself. Instead of absorbing an opponent’s cultivation, it simply destroyed it. Thus, it had no such limitation and could continue endlessly. There were even six variations of this technique. The one Zhang Yuelu used now was merely the most basic form. Beyond it were even more vicious techniques, such as turning the person’s qi into fuel and igniting it.

Zhou Hegang felt the six strands of foreign qi within his body advancing along his meridians toward his Dantians. Alarmed, he only wanted to break free from Zhang Yuelu’s grip. He immediately raised the ancient sword in his hand and decisively severed his own arm. For a Heavenly Being, reconnecting a severed limb was trivial, since it could simply be reattached later.

But to Zhou Hegang’s surprise, cutting off his limb did not sever the invading foreign qi. Instead, the six streams of foreign qi that had already entered his body fused with his own innate qi and vanished without a trace. He had no way to force them out.

As a member of the Daoist Order, Zhou Hegang naturally knew how formidable the Xiaoyao Six Void Tribulation was. Yet this was the first time he had experienced it firsthand. For a moment, he did not know how to counter it.

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Yuelu leaped forward and struck Zhou Hegang’s chest with her palm. Just as Zhou Hegang raised his hand to block, the previously vanished foreign qi suddenly reappeared, disrupting the normal flow of his innate qi.

This made him freeze for a brief instant, allowing Zhang Yuelu’s palm to strike his heart. The force of the Thunder Palm penetrated his body, injuring all five of his internal organs.

Even so, Zhou Hegang had still not lost his ability to fight. Black mist swirled around his entire body, giving him a bizarre and ominous appearance.

At that moment, Zhou Hegang suddenly felt a chill run through him. Someone was striking at him from behind. Feeling the overwhelming force pressing down upon him, he hurriedly turned and swung his sword to block the palm strike. Just then, the six strands of foreign qi surged up again within his body. They shifted unpredictably and moved erratically, mingling with his own innate qi while destroying it simultaneously. Whenever he attempted to counterattack, they vanished again, hiding once more within his own qi.

Zhou Hegang was already no match for this newcomer, especially with the Six Void Tribulations disrupting him. Thus, the newcomer managed to knock away the ancient sword from his hand and struck him on the crown of his head.

Zhou Hegang’s entire body convulsed violently, and blood spurted from his orifices.