Since it had fallen, trying to take it back again—did they really think Yi Tianxing didn't exist?
That fishing rod had only just fallen out of the vortex and was still extremely close to it. With the speed of those hooks, a single thought was all it would take to reel the rod back into the depths.
Compared to that, Yi Tianxing was far too distant from the vortex.
But just as the fishing line was about to drag the rod back, a silver-white light gate suddenly appeared beneath it, without any warning. It unleashed an overwhelming devouring force and swallowed the rod effortlessly, making it vanish on the spot.
When it reappeared, it was inside the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower.
Once sealed in the pagoda, no matter how mystical or powerful the rod might be, it wouldn't escape easily.
"Courting death!!"
Several furious roars echoed out from within the vortex.
Their voices were filled with searing rage. Clearly, Yi Tianxing's move to seize the rod had completely enraged the hidden forces. All of their fury now focused solely on him.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Silently and without warning, the remaining eight rods suddenly shifted direction. Every single hook locked onto Yi Tianxing as though they had eyes of their own. His aura was sealed—each hook shot through space like a bolt of lightning, weaving toward him.
Eight lines sealed off all directions.
It was as though a cage had descended. Beneath those hooks, even space and time themselves seemed bound and frozen.
A single hook could steal a soul. But now eight were coming for Yi Tianxing. The mysterious entity behind the vortex was beyond furious—wishing to shred Yi Tianxing into pieces.
These rods were strange and powerful weapons, of the rarest and most difficult type to master. Used well, they were near-invincible. Poorly handled, they could easily backfire.
Each of these rods—its line, its hook—was extraordinary. The hooks could pierce the soul, the lines were sharp enough to shred beasts into fragments. Once entangled, one might be sliced to ribbons in an instant.
Most terrifying of all: the hooks could nail space in place. They now closed in on Yi Tianxing's vital points from every direction.
He felt space around him freeze. An invisible pressure bore down, rendering him immobile.
And the hooks were now upon him.
The next instant, they would pierce his body. Each one glowed with inky black divine light, a sight that made the blood run cold.
Yi Tianxing's Mystic Armor Life Aperture activated.
A set of armor instantly appeared around him, covering his entire body.
But these hooks were too eerie. As they touched the armor, they seemed to turn illusory, passing right through it as though it weren't even there. The armor did nothing to stop them.
As the hooks entered his body, Yi Tianxing clearly sensed a mysterious force that forcibly materialized his previously ethereal soul, merging it fully with the flesh. The hooks drove straight into his soul.
A tidal wave of agony surged over him.
Pain! Pain!! Pain!!!
Soul-level pain was ten times more intense than anything the body could feel—a sensation of being ripped apart from the inside.
All eight hooks had stabbed directly into his soul.
A dreadful power traveled through the lines and the hooks, trying to bind the soul, exerting a violent pull. Even Yi Tianxing's powerful soul trembled violently, as though it might be ripped from his body at any moment—just like the other citizens dragged into the black vortex.
"You think you can fish out my soul? You're not worthy. Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower—Suppress!"
Yi Tianxing remained calm and composed.
From his Divine Sea, the Hongmeng Heavenly Emperor Tower released a surge of energy. It appeared directly upon his soul like a peerless divine mountain, instantly stabilizing the shaking soul.
No matter how the fishing line pulled, the soul stood firm, like the unshakable Sea-Calming Divine Needle.
Boom!!
Yi Tianxing's lips curled into a cold smile. His immense blood essence erupted outward. In that instant, his entire body transformed into a blazing Blood Sun.
If molten iron had been near, it would've been vaporized into liquid steel by the sheer heat and pressure of that blood energy—pure, yang force in its most extreme form.
Within that raging energy, one could vaguely see a black ancient cauldron floating up and down.
A beam of golden light flew out from the cauldron, falling into Yi Tianxing's hand—it was a golden seal.
On the seal, two archaic characters were inscribed: 镇狱 (Zhen Yu / Prison Suppression)!!
Lifting the Prison Suppression Seal, the locked space around him shattered. Golden light burst forth.
ROAR!!
A domineering roar exploded from within the seal. Within the golden light, a primordial dragon-elephant emerged from across time, exuding terrifying might, the will to crush purgatory, and an indomitable aura.
In an instant, it broke through the space constraints imposed by the hooks.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Yi Tianxing's blood essence was like sharp blades. One by one, the taut fishing lines snapped and broke apart.
Under the Prison Suppression Seal, even his blood turned golden. The overwhelming force obliterated the fishing lines.
"Impossible!!"
A startled cry came from within the vortex.
They hadn't imagined anyone could break the lines. Such power was divine, even demonic.
At this moment, Yi Tianxing's body radiated searing vitality, the golden seal in hand. He was like a god or demon walking the mortal realm.
Just the aura he emitted made everyone nearby feel as though their hearts would stop.
"You dare come to Xuanhuang City to fish for my people's souls—do you take yourselves for gods, for judges of the living? Today, I stand right here. Let's see how you judge me!"
"Man walks the earth with feet on the ground and head to the sky. Even gods—must take my blow!!"
"Kill!!"
He raised his eyes to the sky and glared at the black vortex. His hair flew wildly, dancing madly behind him. With every word, he voiced the unyielding, indomitable will of the human race.
You dare steal the souls of my people? I'll smash your face with a single blow.
BOOM!!
The Prison Suppression Seal, glowing golden, rapidly expanded. Yi Tianxing poured in his full blood essence and true essence.
Upon the seal's surface, a colossal dragon-elephant materialized, roaring, as though preparing to crush the heavens.
The massive golden seal surged forward, slamming toward the vortex with raw might.
As it descended, even space warped and froze. The vortex's spinning motion slowed, and then seemed about to be locked in place.
The seal and the vortex collided.
The resulting explosion was indescribable. In Xuanhuang City, countless citizens were knocked flat to the ground by the shockwave.
Many swore they saw a divine, golden dragon-elephant cross the void, stomp down on the vortex—and then, the vortex shattered.
"NO! Xuanhuang City—!"
A furious scream came from within the vortex.
But it couldn't stop its collapse. In an instant, it was as though the sky had been pierced.
Everyone in Xuanhuang City fell silent.
Many gasped audibly.
The exchange had happened so fast.
So fast that before anyone could react, it was already over.
All eyes turned to Yi Tianxing. His blood essence had been retracted, his divine pressure was gone. Yet this ordinary-looking figure now seemed like an immovable mountain, impossible to oppose.
"What technique was that? The blood energy pouring from the City Lord was like a blazing sun. Just looking at it made my eyes tear up—I almost went blind. And that seal! It shattered the sky vortex in one blow."
"Blood like the sun... that's a sign of a body cultivator! The City Lord's physical cultivation is terrifying. That seal—could it be a divine power birthed from the body itself? The strength it released was so tyrannical. I swear I saw a dragon-elephant come to life."
"This is what combat between top-tier cultivators looks like. Life and death decided in an instant. But who are those hidden in the vortex? Those rods—could they really fish for souls? Are they... death gods?"
All around the city, excited and horrified voices whispered.
Whether it was the soul-fishing hooks or the scene of Yi Tianxing smashing the vortex, both had showcased unimaginable power—capable of shaking the heavens and crushing all beneath.
The village chiefs throughout the city felt deep dread.
Without meaning to, many of them lowered their heads. Their minds kept replaying the image of that golden seal smashing the sky.
Their very spirits trembled.
"The black mist above the city is gone. That ominous pressure—it must have come from the vortex. Now that it's shattered, it's disappearing too. So, the being within the vortex was the true disaster... But who were those fishers? Why are they here?"
Master Lu muttered to himself.
Using his Aura-Seeing Divine Art, he gazed at the sky. The black mist was rapidly vanishing.