In the heart of the Shǎn Léi Clan’s territory, amidst a chaotic expanse of endless lightning, on one of sixteen cultivated stars, a calamitous event unfolded!

Xǔ Lìguó, now a swirling vortex of dark mist, desperately fled with a beautiful woman whose face was twisted in a sneer. His voice, a mix of terror and malice, echoed through the storm.

“You cannot escape! The moment you captured me, you invoked the wrath of the heavens! A mere elder sends you scurrying like a craven. Soon, my father will emerge from seclusion and transmute you into a soul-thunderbolt, to suffer torment for ten thousand years! Only then will my hatred be satisfied!” The woman’s eyes glinted with scorn as she spat out the words.

“Silence your prattle! Your Grandfather Xǔ has weathered storms far greater than this petty tempest!” Xǔ Lìguó’s black mist formed a hand that struck the woman’s face, his voice a furious roar.

The woman’s gaze flashed with deadly intent as she spat blood. A deafening thunderclap then ripped through the sky, the sound echoing like the roars of enraged celestial beasts. The very earth trembled, and within their secluded grottos, the Shǎn Léi Clan cultivators cowered in fear.

The sky turned an ominous shade of indigo, but in an instant, countless silver serpents of lightning danced within it, creating a web of terrifying beauty that mirrored the doom that was descending.

From the heart of this storm strode an aged figure clad in robes of verdant green. With each step, he traversed impossible distances.

“A mere sword spirit dares defy me? You slipped through my grasp once before, but this time, your end is assured!” With a flick of his aged fingers, the elder invoked a spell, and the countless lightning bolts converged, transforming into a legion of silver vipers that lunged towards Xǔ Lìguó.

Xǔ Lìguó shrieked, spinning with the woman in his grasp. He brought his hands together, unleashing a torrent of ethereal swords that illuminated the heavens. These blades, radiating chilling energy, clashed against the incoming thunder.

The heavens themselves groaned and shifted as the cataclysm raged. A wave of pure force swept across the land, causing Xǔ Lìguó to cough up essence, weakening his form, but propelling him backward in a desperate retreat with the woman still clutched in his grasp.

“Release me, and perhaps your punishment will be lessened. But if you dare…” The woman, wounded by the chaotic energies, glared at Xǔ Lìguó, but her words were cut short when the fleeing wraith grabbed her with a lecherous hand and squeezed her breast.

“Hold your tongue, wench! Even in death, I shall see you ruined!” Xǔ Lìguó snarled, his grip causing her face to pale with agony.

But the pursuing elder, witnessing this act of desecration, bellowed in rage. He had hunted this spirit for an age, and each time, the elusive creature had slipped away. Now, witnessing such depravity, he was driven to the edge of madness. Raising his hand, he slammed it downward. A sigil on his brow flared, releasing a sphere of obsidian lightning.

The orb hurtled through space, obliterating all before it, aimed directly at Xǔ Lìguó.

“Not that again!” Xǔ Lìguó cried, releasing the woman. He transformed into black mist, scattering in every direction just as the lightning orb struck. The earth trembled in a deafening explosion that rent the sky, unleashing a cascade of thunder.

It all happened in a blink, an incomprehensible tempest of destruction. The mist coalesced again in the distance, revealing Xǔ Lìguó’s form, wounded and fading. Yet, his hand still clutched the beautiful woman.

Three tendrils of darkness then snaked out from the dissipating orb, each containing power enough to shatter the world. They hurtled toward Xǔ Lìguó, but with a cruel grin, he hurled the woman into their path. The tendrils faltered, altering their course.

Seizing the opportunity, Xǔ Lìguó fled, shouting, “You old fool! Your Grandfather Xǔ has seen worse than you! Even with your cultivation, you’re no match for my master. When he returns, he’ll flick you away like a fly!”

The elder’s face turned ashen, consumed by fury. Never in his long life had he encountered such vile and unrelenting vitriol. Even his stoic heart was roiled by the storm of insults.

“When I have you, I will ensure your torment knows no end!”

“Old man, can’t you find another phrase? You’ve said that a hundred times! A hundred times! Are you trying to watch me take advantage of this wench? With your cultivation, you could catch me easily. Do you want to see it a hundred times?” Xǔ Lìguó bit out as he teleported away.

“Very well, your Grandfather Xǔ will grant your wish!” Xǔ Lìguó snarled, tearing at the woman’s robes, revealing her alabaster skin.

“I will kill you!” she screeched.

“Silence, wench! Provoke your Grandfather Xǔ again, and I’ll possess your body. As a spirit, possession is easy! And then, I’ll begin undressing!” Xǔ Lìguó said, his voice laced with malice, but his heart was heavy with despair.

“Master, if you do not return, your Xǔ will perish! You unleashed me, and now you abandon me! Master, I beg you, appear!”

The woman blanched, falling silent, her face ashen. The elder, hearing Xǔ Lìguó’s words, choked with rage and pursued him even more relentlessly.

As the chase wore on, Xǔ Lìguó grew weaker, but his stream of insults never faltered, driving the elder to the brink of madness.

“A sharp-tongued spirit! I shall see what words remain when your essence is drained and you are cast into the body of a pig or a dog!” A voice broke the cacophony.

A man in azure robes stood before Xǔ Lìguó.

“Father!” the woman cried.

“A perfect state!” Xǔ Lìguó hissed, stopping. The man lifted a hand, dissolving Xǔ Lìguó into a swarm of wisps. The elder arrived as well.

The wisps coalesced, forming a form more fragile than before.

“Hahaha, looks like the woman’s pimp is still young! Tell me the truth, aren’t you just her lover?” Xǔ Lìguó sneered as the man reduced him into wisps.

“I will not kill you quickly. I will keep destroying you so that you experience death over and over!” the man said softly as the woman glared at Xǔ Lìguó.

“Master, you are my only hope!” Xǔ Lìguó prayed.

“So you have a master? I want to see the fool who took you in!”

But then a frigid voice chilled the world.

“I am the fool.”

The man’s face froze as he looked around. He was unable to detect anyone.

The sky was suddenly filled with thunderstorms!

From the sky walked a man.

“Master!” Xǔ Lìguó cheered.

The elder was about to stop Xǔ Lìguó.

But his hand stopped in midair, a hole in his head.

The man’s face paled, and he retreated.