Sword radiance arched like a rainbow, piercing through the night sky. Coupled with Qin Ming's bold declaration, the expressions of the four great experts present all shifted.
Slaying Through the Thirty-Six Heavens with a Single Sword—was this not merely his title, but also the very spirit and resolve cultivated in this sword cultivator's heart?
Among them, Marcus the Sword Master felt it most profoundly. In an instant, the fiery ambition he had possessed as a youth—to level the world beneath the edge of his blade—seemed to rekindle within him.
Grand Wizard Karon wore a grave expression. Though he did not walk the path of the sword, he could distinctly sense that vast, unfettered aura: whatever obstruction stood in his way, a single sweep of the blade would clear it!
Laylaya the God Hunter responded by drawing her bow in rapid succession. The destructive power of her invisible arrows was staggering; a single shaft deflected by Qin Ming blasted away a massive chunk of a nearby sheer cliff, sending it crashing down.
Spiritualist Cole shouted, "Work with me, the three of you! Lock him inside the Twilight of the Gods to suppress his range of movement, and we can hunt him down with ease!"
In an instant, the four masters intensified their onslaught, tightening the cordon around the sword cultivator.
Over by Yujing, onlookers could only watch the clash unfolding inside the ruins through the projection cast by the New Board. All of them realized that "One Sword" had fallen into a perilous situation.
On the path of the sword, he was like a deity, having fused eight of the most supreme sword baleful auras. Yet his four opponents were also terrifically formidable and capable of confronting him head-on.
Regrettably, as mere spectators on the outside, they could offer no aid, nor could they even send word to the other entrants.
In contrast, the opposing camp stood in silence. These otherworldly entities could also witness the slaughter within the grotto-heaven remnants through the projection of the black pagoda.
At this moment, their expressions were complicated and their hearts profoundly shaken. The Grand Wizard, the Sword Master, and the others were all legendary figures—lofty luminaries hanging high like the sun and moon. Yet even now, they had failed to bring down that sword cultivator.
Most critically, the legendary expert known as the Blade of the Death God had already been slain by his blade.
They knew full well that their faction's masters had laid a trap beforehand, tampering with the longevity leaves so they could track down that sword cultivator at the earliest opportunity. Yet even after joining forces in an ambush, they had failed to achieve victory.
"If the Grand Wizard, the God Hunter, and the rest cannot bring down this terrifying sword cultivator quickly, the situation will unravel!"
Both sides had sent thirty combatants into the field. While five supreme figures swarming One Sword seemed exhilarating, it meant they were severely understaffed across the rest of the arena.
With figures like Heavenly Immortal, the Bodhi Saint, Changxi, and Withered Tree Greening in Spring leading the other front, who among them was weak?
"Stalling four legends single-handedly... is he the reincarnation of a Heavenly God?" In front of the black pagoda, someone could not help murmuring in disbelief, utterly awed by the spectacle.
"No matter. The four masters have already adjusted their rhythm. If this continues, they will surely pin him down and grind him to dust!"
...
Besieged on all sides, Qin Ming had to stay constantly alert against the invisible arrows, leaving him somewhat constrained.
After a fierce exchange of blood and steel, the four experts forced him into the Spiritualist's blood-red spiritual domain.
Evidently, the God Hunter's arrows played a pivotal role.
This domain possessed the power to corrode a person's essence, energy, and spirit. Moreover, an army of white bones pressed in from every direction, surging toward Qin Ming like a tidal wave.
With a broad sweep of his sword, eight hues of sword baleful aura surged, unleashing a boundless torrent of sword qi. Instantly, all manner of skeletons before him snapped and shattered, raising a blizzard of bone dust between heaven and earth like falling snow.
With a sharp hiss, he melded his numerous sword baleful auras into one, fusing them in a single crucible to emit a blinding divine light. Piercing the sky with one strike, he slashed open the domain of blood-red twilight once more and broke free.
Qin Ming took a sword strike from the Sword Master squarely on his shoulder. Stone fragments flew, but he did not dodge. His eyes gleaming with murderous intent, he charged straight toward the God Hunter. This woman, who far surpassed any ordinary master archer, had caused him no small amount of trouble and was a thorn in his side.
Grand Wizard Karon waved both hands through the air, weaving silver chains of law through the void like the tethers of a deity, casting them down toward Qin Ming.
This was one of Karon's trump cards: the Triple Sigh of Life. Once ensnared, the victim would inevitably plunge through weakness, decay, and death.
Qin Ming led the charge with his Pure Yang flying sword. Terrifying sword radiance ripped through the night sky, clashing against the chains of law. He severed seven links in succession with resounding clangs, sending sparks of Dao rhythm scattering in all directions.
Even so, one chain snaked silently through the void, nearly fastening around the nape of his neck. At the critical moment, his external Heavenly Demon force field held it at bay, twisting the runic tether until it snapped with a sharp twang.
Having shattered the blockade, Qin Ming took flight briefly on the eight-colored sword baleful aura, tracing a brilliant arc as he shot toward the God Hunter.
Laylaya's face fell. In her eyes, this sword cultivator was utterly overbearing and tyrannical, descending like a burning meteor from beyond the heavens, trailing a long tail of light across the night sky as he hurtled toward her.
She retreated at top speed. Though her hands appeared empty, they mimed drawing a bow, unleashing invisible arrows of Dao rhythm one after another!
Sword intent boiled across Qin Ming's form. He seemed to become one with the eight-colored sword baleful aura, his body radiating kaleidoscopic splendor while wrapped in the Heavenly Demon force field.
Furthermore, he wove the techniques of the Geomagnetic Classic and the Silkworm Sovereign Metal-Governing Classic into the fold, transforming his spirit fields into a true sword domain.
Visible geomagnetic field lines intertwined with the golden silks of heavenly light spun by the Silkworm Sovereign, reinforced by sword radiance within the Heavenly Demon force field to perfectly match every characteristic of a sword domain.
Since he could not dodge, Qin Ming chose to meet the God Hunter's specialized invisible arrows head-on.
At the same time, he swooped down astride the sword baleful aura like an authentic sword immortal crossing the sky—blindingly bright and exceptionally sharp. The sword qi he emanated along his trajectory tore open the ground and cleaved sheer cliffs asunder.
Laylaya's invisible arrows closed in on Qin Ming repeatedly, only to be warped and snapped by the geomagnetic lines, the Silkworm Sovereign's golden silk, and the Heavenly Demon force field.
Of course, Qin Ming did not have it easy either. The God Hunter was truly a premier master; the force behind her arrows of Dao rhythm was terrifying, rattling the spiritual consciousness within him.
At last, he arrived, bearing down directly on Laylaya.
The Grand Wizard, the Sword Master, and the Spiritualist were right on his heels, pursuing him relentlessly.
Qin Ming unleashed his most powerful assault yet. The eight-colored sword baleful aura erupted, and the sword domain surrounding him warped the night sky, seeking to imprison his foe.
The God Hunter evaded with all her might, her footwork remarkably nimble and blindingly fast, leaving a trail of afterimages.
However, while a sword cultivator of the third realm could not attack from one or two li away, neither did they need to engage in pure hand-to-hand combat. Once the gap closed to a certain distance, they could unleash their full might across the void.
At this moment, Qin Ming blazed like a multicolored sun, blasting forth boundless divine radiance as if ten thousand swords were discharging in unison!
With no room to evade, the God Hunter swung a translucent greatbow, meeting the frightening bursts of sword radiance.
The bow in her hands was highly peculiar, not a physical object, but forged from mysterious symbols blended with Dao rhythm.
In an instant, sword qi howled through the air like a dense meteor shower crashing down. The God Hunter wheeled her greatbow to resist, sparking sweeping curtains of foreign divine patterns.
Despite her shapely, lithe figure, she possessed immense strength on par with an external body refiner. On second thought, this was only natural; a master capable of drawing such a greatbow to loose relentless invisible arrows would inevitably possess an astounding physique.
Qin Ming appeared to transform from a sword immortal into a sword demon, venting his sword baleful aura with utter abandon. He fought like a madman, regardless of cost and heedless of the pursuers closing in from behind, as if intent on dragging his foe down in mutual destruction.
Sword light fell like rain, filling the world with boundless brilliance. The black night became as bright as day as the multicolored sword baleful aura surged through heaven and earth.
The God Hunter finally could not hold out. Her protective light barrier was pierced, and sprays of blood erupted across her form, leaving bloody, see-through holes in several places.
Moreover, a dense network of crisscrossing sword wounds scarred her skin; she was nearly chopped to pieces.
She could not endure such an assault. Sword qi vented from every wound on her body, threatening to rip her apart.
Only after slamming the eight-colored sword baleful aura toward her brow did Qin Ming swiftly disengage. Behind him, the tempestuous onslaught of the three great masters had arrived, striking with lethal intent.
Qin Ming naturally had no intention of perishing alongside her and sought to pull back.
Not far away, Laylaya's body had been severed into pieces, her head falling from her neck. Yet a golden divine talisman flared at her glabella, deflecting the most fatal strike.
Turning back, Qin Ming caught sight of the scene and wished he could turn right back around to finish her off; he had been just a hair's breadth away from destroying the female archer.
However, Qin Ming was now trapped within Cole's spiritual domain. To execute the God Hunter, he had naturally paid a price in trade.
He had chosen to press his attack on Laylaya rather than immediately flee, and in doing so, he was engulfed by the blood-red domain of spiritualism.
The God Hunter's severed body knitted back together, continually venting sword qi. Though heavily wounded, she had not been finished off.
Bleeding from all seven facial orifices, her black robe hung in tatters. The metal armor beneath was riddled with cracks and had largely fallen away, exposing swathes of snow-white skin.
She truly possessed a stunning figure—long legs and a slender waist, with crimson hair stained in blood tumbling down to her midriff. Yet her condition was dreadful; she coughed up blood continuously, her stitched-together frame stumbling across the ground.
Qin Ming exhaled a breath of turbid air. For now, her threat was severely diminished; there was no way she could draw her bow and fire invisible arrows in rapid succession as before.
"We cannot let him run rampant any longer. Finish him off quickly!" Grand Wizard Karon barked in a deep voice.
He looked toward the Sword Master. "Forget about facing him in a fair sword duel. Right now, he must be slain immediately. Without even looking, our people in the other zones are certainly under immense pressure!"
He had truly never expected that several great masters joining forces and stalling for so long would not only fail to annihilate their quarry, but suffer casualties instead.
Beneath the blood-red twilight, Qin Ming faced the army of white bones, cleaving through them without pause.
He snapped his head up and saw both the Grand Wizard and the Sword Master enter the fray. One shone resplendent in silver robes as if bathed in the radiance of the sun and moon, while the other surged with sky-piercing sword qi like an immortal descending from the nine heavens.
The three great masters were doing everything in their power to keep him locked within this spiritual domain.
This was the price Qin Ming had paid for insisting on slaying the God Hunter: he had landed squarely inside the Twilight of the Gods.
Grand Wizard Karon waved his hands, weaving silver chains of law to seal off the area, intent on thoroughly entrapping his opponent.
Marcus the Sword Master aimed at Qin Ming and slashed out one earth-shattering blade light after another, as though seeking to shatter this land and sink it from high above the Ninth Heaven.
Qin Ming had only one choice: attack Cole, the master of this spiritual domain.
Instantly, the skeleton army was harvested like wheat, falling continuously. Qin Ming fought like a sword-crazed fiend, charging back and forth through a boundless sea of sword qi.
If he could not break the Twilight of the Gods right away, he would eliminate the one who had created it.
Cole was horrified. He was concealed within the skeletal army—how had the other man spotted him? The sword cultivator had carved a path straight toward him with pinpoint accuracy.
In the midst of battle, Qin Ming sorted through his various spirit fields and melded them with his sword baleful aura. He realized that he had truly become a full-fledged sword cultivator in every sense of the term!
Not only had he integrated the Heavenly Demon force field, but he had also incorporated the Sumeru field, converting them all into sword domains that no outsider could distinguish from genuine swordcraft.
Next, he synthesized the illusory domain he had comprehended from the Great Dream Divine Mushroom with the spiritual illusion field recorded in the secret manual gifted by Su Moran, harmonizing them into the Divine Mushroom Illusion Field.
Finally, Qin Ming formally incorporated the source-level spirit fields he had comprehended in the gold and red bamboo grove on Black-White Mountain into his sword domains.
In an instant, four sword domains formed around him, working in tandem with the eight-colored sword baleful aura to extraordinary effect. More and more, he resembled a peerless prodigy who had cultivated the sword since childhood.
Anyone looking upon him would believe he had been born a sword cultivator!
Confronting formidable enemies from foreign realms and witnessing disparate cultivation systems, Qin Ming, spurred by his opponents' pressure, had forged the ultimate techniques befitting a sword cultivator.
His body grew translucent, radiating magnificent sword radiance.
Standing upon the earth, he channeled Dao rhythms through four domains and eight sword baleful auras, extending them into the void and reaching up toward the invisible heavens.
Through this slaughter, Qin Ming underwent such a transformation, deepening his comprehension of the Dao of the sword. His body served as the formation and the field, giving birth to sword domains and unfurling sword baleful auras!
It was precisely because his spirit fields—or rather, his sword domains—had expanded that he captured Cole's location and charged straight for him.
"How has his sword radiance grown even more ferocious?" Cole was thoroughly shaken. His foe had pinpointed him, shattered the skeletal army, and was closing in fast.
The Sword Master called out, "He has integrated sword domains suited to his nature!"
He and the Grand Wizard were responsible for sealing off the spiritual domain, attacking across the distance to rescue Cole.
Brimming with murderous intent, Qin Ming cut through the skeletal ranks and arrived within striking distance of the Spiritualist.
"If that's how it is, I have no other choice!" Cole's face turned icy. His red robe billowing, a treasure banner suddenly appeared in his hand, and he shook it violently.
Instantly, the entire world went pitch black. Ghostly figures flickered and spirits wailed in dense droves. These spiritual entities were far deadlier than the skeletal legion.
In life, these consciousnesses had seemingly all been cultivators. Once refined, they had become savage and bloodthirsty; the moment they were unleashed, they craved only the slaughter of heaven and earth, frantically attacking any living being in sight.
Qin Ming was startled. The aura emitted by this bizarre treasure seemed to surpass the third realm. Its manifestation was terrifying, as if thousands of ghosts were marching through the night amidst a boiling army of the dead.
He slashed with his sword baleful auras and swept with his four sword domains, yet he still sensed danger; killing Cole through this would cost him a massive amount of energy.
"Cole, what kind of sorcerous treasure is this? Why is it attacking us too!" Grand Wizard Karon cried in displeasure. Amidst the wailing of a thousand ghosts, numerous dark specters lunged toward him and the Sword Master.
Spiritualist Cole showed an apologetic expression. "Forgive me. This is a flawed weapon I acquired by chance. It is exceedingly difficult to refine; once activated, it often fails to distinguish friend from foe."
Had this bizarre treasure not gathered dust and suffered a severe drop in grade, it would have been terrifying beyond measure.
"Keep it under control! It's attacking us as well! Where did you get it?" the Grand Wizard demanded, disgruntled yet clearly covetous of the weapon.
"I saved a dying elder. According to him, he came from a powerful cultivation civilization far away. After succumbing to his illness, he left only this behind, calling it the Myriad Gods Banner," Cole answered briefly, then set about directing it to kill the enemy.
"Calling it the Myriad Souls Banner would be far more appropriate!" the Grand Wizard grumbled, now under frantic attack. Having been sealed for ages, these spiritual entities were faded and thin, yet they remained formidable, many possessing power in the third realm.
"Oh?" Seeing this, Qin Ming seized the chaos and decisively soared upward. Using his four domains and eight sword baleful auras, he blasted through the blood-red spiritual domain, tore through the blockade of silver chains of law, and flew free.
"Damn it, kill him!" Cole frantically galvanized the Myriad Gods Banner, forcefully directing hundreds upon thousands of powerful spirits to swarm the escaping sword cultivator.
"What a formidable treasure!" Qin Ming marveled. Astride his sword baleful aura, he repeatedly cut down the flickering spirits. Clearly, they had all been cultivators in life; otherwise, they could not have been so potent.
Carving his way out, Qin Ming charged straight for the God Hunter.
Laylaya's face turned pale. Badly wounded, she had been lurking outside the Twilight of the Gods, merely loosing a few cold arrows when opportunity allowed. Yet the three of them had failed to trap the sword cultivator, allowing this terrifying opponent to break out once more.
For the God Hunter, this was nothing short of a catastrophe.
Regardless of her supreme methods, she could not withstand Qin Ming's charge in her current state. As a sword cultivator, he was even stronger now that he had thoroughly incorporated his spirit fields into sword domains, sweeping through the void like an immortal sword cleaving the sky.
*Slash!*
The God Hunter's head flew into the air, severed clean from her neck.
Next, the eight-colored sword baleful aura pierced through her brow. Blood splattered, blurring her beautiful eyes; her entire world turned crimson before plunging into total darkness.
Yet another legendary powerhouse had met the end of her journey in the third realm.
Before the black pagoda, a commotion broke out among the crowd. With a single sword, this cultivator had slain two of their world-renowned figures in succession. It was simply too terrifying.
Was he human, or a demon? In their eyes, this sword cultivator was monstrously strong, an outright specialist in slaying legends!
Inside the black pagoda, the God Hunter's true body snapped her eyes open, her chest tight. The spiritual will and fleshly essence of her peak third-realm incarnation had been ended just like that, impacting her true self and damaging her vitality, leaving her beautiful face slightly pale.
"Slaying Through the Thirty-Six Heavens with a Single Sword... I will remember you!" Laylaya murmured, her fiery red hair fluttering.
Inside the ruins, Qin Ming snatched up the translucent greatbow and resonated with it, learning that it would completely dissipate before long.
It was a "divine bow" constructed from spiritual essence and Dao rhythm, the product of a specific cultivation technique.
Having resonated with its method of use, he could still borrow it briefly.
In a flash, Qin Ming wheeled around and charged back, maintaining an adequate distance as he drew a bead on Cole the Spiritualist.
The Spiritualist was currently in disarray, unable to master the Myriad Gods Banner. Aside from sparing him, the artifact slaughtered everything in its path, even suppressing its own allies.
Not far off, the Grand Wizard was furious enough to curse him.
"You..." Seeing Qin Ming adopt the posture of drawing the greatbow, Cole instantly sensed danger. He dodged frantically and waved the Myriad Gods Banner, ordering the spirits to slaughter the sword cultivator.
"Come on, let's trade blows!" Qin Ming was confident he could withstand the Myriad Gods Banner, but whether Cole could survive his own strike was another matter entirely.
Now, as he drew the bow, what notched onto the string was an arrow forged of eight-colored sword baleful aura!
Had he been in the fourth realm, he would have had no need to loose sword baleful aura from a bow; for now, he could not yet direct his sword baleful aura to attack over a distance of one or two li.
In an instant, wind and thunder surged. This arrow was terrifying beyond belief; beyond condensing Dao rhythm, it carried Qin Ming's indestructible sword baleful aura, as if capable of punching a massive hole clean through the vault of heaven.
*Crack!* With a sharp snap in Qin Ming's hands, he pulled the greatbow so hard it shattered entirely!
He surged forward at top speed. Along the way, shadowy figures clustered as various spirits attacked him, only to be twisted and shredded by his four sword domains.
"Ah!"
Sure enough, in this mutual trade of blows, Spiritualist Cole was outmatched. Unable to evade that singular arrow, he was forced to meet it head-on. The eight-colored sword baleful aura pierced clean through his flesh, blinding sword radiance shining from the inside out before he burst apart, his head and body blowing to pieces!
Qin Ming had already closed the distance and could sense the eight-colored sword baleful aura. With a single thought, the formless sword aura gathered and dispersed, returning into his body.
Furthermore, he used the eight-colored sword baleful aura to reel in the pitch-black Myriad Gods Banner.
"This thing is no simple trinket—it's wrapped in the distinct aura of sacred baleful energy!" Qin Ming suspected this might be a supreme treasure that had fallen from a higher grade.
Regardless, it was tangled with the power of a sacred baleful aura, making it well worth the harvest. At the very least, he could extract and refine this terrifying sacred baleful aura for his own use.
"Your turn. Let's finish this!" Qin Ming locked his gaze onto the Grand Wizard and the Sword Master.
"Let me cross swords with him once!" the Sword Master spoke up.
Grand Wizard Karon felt like losing his temper. What time was this to duel with swords? Yet seeing the cold detachment in the Sword Master's eyes and his brook-no-argument demeanor, he felt helpless.
He knew this was simply who the Sword Master was. Encountering such a rare adversary in the domain of the sword, he could not resist seeking a fair match.
"One strike to decide the victor!" Qin Ming said calmly.
"Two strikes!" the Sword Master replied.
In an instant, both men erupted with sky-piercing sword intent!
Wielding his greatsword, the Sword Master achieved unity of man and sword. Flesh, spirit, and blade resonated together, transforming into a resplendent divine rainbow that shot toward his opponent with boundless terror.
Nearby, the summit of a low mountain shattered entirely.
Qin Ming's four domains and eight sword baleful auras expanded violently, resonating in all directions. Sword light swept forth like a blazing sun.
*Spurt!*
The Sword Master coughed up a mouthful of blood. The greatsword in his hands snapped in two, his body cleaved in half, and bursts of sword radiance erupted from his mangled remains as he shattered completely.
Before the black pagoda, a deathly silence fell.
Suddenly, across the battlefield, a brilliant sword seed vaulted into the air, shooting straight toward Qin Ming!
"No wonder you said two strikes. You already foresaw the outcome of the first," Qin Ming murmured to himself. Shielded by the eight-colored sword baleful aura, he reached out with his bare hand to intercept the sword seed.
"It carries a rich life force, as well as the distinct aura of a sword baleful aura." Even before the sword seed drew close, Qin Ming already sensed it. Could this be of immense use to him after all?
Chapter 447