An instant kill!
Yes, another instant kill!
Against King ranks, Qi Yuan killed in an instant.
Against Sovereign ranks, Qi Yuan still killed in an instant.
In fact, he had not even risen to his feet, remaining seated upon the bluestone.
With merely a casual wave of his hand, seven Sovereigns had collapsed dead.
Just what kind of realm was this? Was he truly only a Supreme Sovereign?
Up on the pavilion terrace, Leng Yue's small face was struck with horror, and the black-veiled woman beside her was equally terrified.
Qi Yuan cupped the fish soup in his hands. "I'd better drink this quickly. It won't do if the stench of blood drifts over here."
As he spoke, he slowly savored the fish soup.
"The flavor is quite good. It's almost on par with my junior sister's spiritual fish soup."
Qi Yuan gave a compliment.
The praise seemed to mean a great deal to her; a sweet smile blossomed on Yue Nü's face, and the crescent moon in her pupils rounded into a full moon.
Yet the young girl seemed to remember something, abruptly breaking into a trot toward the seven corpses to retrieve Qi Yuan's sword.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan chuckled.
"No need to pick it up. Let the sword stay planted right there.
"Those who cross this sword shall all be slain!" Qi Yuan laughed heartily.
In reality, he had been meek and cautious, so frightened by the Black Mountain Sect that he could not sleep at night.
In the game, he naturally had to unleash his wild side and strike with heavy fists.
Otherwise, if he turtled too much and ended up turning into a real tortoise, that would be hilarious.
Up on the pavilion, Leng Yue watched the scene, her eyes brimming with admiration and longing.
"This is a true Sword God!"
The black-veiled woman was also exceedingly agitated. "The Faceless Sword God... he must have walked out from the forbidden grounds."
...
Hundred Cities Alliance.
The fat man seated high above was all smiles.
"The July Branch of the Moon Sovereign Clan—what are your thoughts, gentlemen?"
Seated within the hall were more than twenty Supreme Sovereigns.
"What is there to think about? They can be trampled into oblivion with a snap of our fingers!" one Supreme Sovereign declared, his voice resonant as a bronze bell.
"In the Southern Domain, only this bunch of barbarians is still resisting. Once they are wiped out, the entire Southern Domain will be ours," a female Supreme Sovereign remarked, her voice airy and ethereal.
At that moment, a lean, wiry old man chimed in. "I hear that a Supreme Sovereign has arrived by July Lake. His strength is formidable; with a single sword, he slaughtered seven Sovereigns of our Hundred Cities Alliance. We must remain on guard against him. Regarding this matter, should we report it to..."
Before he could finish, someone cut him off.
"No matter how strong this Faceless Sword God is, can he triumph over the twenty-five of us? Can he defeat our three thousand Iron Pagodas?"
"Indeed. In an affair like this, there is no need to trouble that esteemed one.
"We have three thousand Iron Pagodas, every one of them a martial artist. With us present as well, how could we fail to kill this Faceless Sword God?"
The crowd buzzed with chatter, chiming in one after another.
They had grown cunning with age, fully aware of the Faceless Sword God's immense prowess.
They feared the Faceless Sword God, but they feared the Black-Robed Guards even more.
Whenever the Black-Robed Guards appeared, those who perished were not just their enemies, but they themselves!
To the Black-Robed Guards, they were nothing more than flesh and blood to feed upon.
Before the Black-Robed Guards, all living beings were equal.
Even beings of their standing would be casually devoured of flesh and blood, leaving only a human skin behind in the world.
Therefore, unless driven to absolute desperation, they dared not request the Black-Robed Guards to act.
"In that case, the matter is settled. Ten days from now, we march!
"With three thousand Iron Pagodas, we shall trample the Moon Sovereign Clan flat!
"Their two Saintesses must both be captured and offered as sacrifices... to Heaven!" The fat man, grinning like a laughing Buddha, spoke up to set the tone for the campaign.
...
After slaying those seven blind Sovereign-rank experts, no one from the Hundred Cities Alliance came again.
Qi Yuan continued to sit upon the bluestone beside July Lake day after day.
The young girl, July, sat silently by Qi Yuan's side, also gazing out at the snow-covered lake.
One large and one small, they had nearly turned into two snowmen.
This time, Qi Yuan's fiery warmth helped drive away the cold and keep Yue Nü warm.
Sitting beside Qi Yuan, the little girl felt no chill at all.
During this time, Leng Yue—the disciple of Sacrificer July and the next Sacrificer—came to see Qi Yuan, delivering news that the Hundred Cities Alliance was planning a massive invasion.
She urged Qi Yuan to take the Saintess and flee.
Qi Yuan had looked at Leng Yue at the time and replied, "I am admiring the snow here with her."
Hearing that, Leng Yue said nothing more, merely murmuring dejectedly, "If Senior is unable to hold them off, you may abandon us and depart."
Qi Yuan nodded. "Rest assured. If the target proves too tough, I'll play dead immediately."
Not long after Leng Yue left, the black-veiled woman came.
She knelt upon the ground, bowing courteously to Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan thought of the old acquaintances in the Five Elements Forbidden Ground, saying, "Three hundred years from now, the Demon Slaying Assembly will begin. Barring any accidents, we will eradicate the extraterrestrial demon."
The black-veiled woman departed with tears brimming in her eyes.
The lakeside quieted down once more.
The heavy snow fell continuously for days.
The snow accumulated thicker and thicker.
At dusk, Yue Nü, draped in a plain white shawl, emerged once again carrying a bowl. Her cheeks were flushed red, and each breath she exhaled formed a visible plume of white mist.
Qi Yuan's nose twitched. "It's not fish soup this time? A change of menu?"
Yue Nü uncovered the bowl, and a rich, sweet aroma wafted forth.
Qi Yuan paused for a moment, then chuckled. "Crispy sweet duck—I actually get to eat it after all."
He recalled that he had mentioned it in passing that day, and Yue Nü had taken it to heart.
Qi Yuan took a bite, savoring it carefully.
"You little rascal, your culinary skills are remarkably good.
"Too bad you're just an NPC. Otherwise, I'd have to abduct you back to Seven Colors Peak to be my little chef."
Yue Nü wore a bewildered expression.
Qi Yuan suddenly thought of something and remarked, "You keep cooking meals for me—are you treating me like an NPC to farm quests?
"Out with it. Showing unprompted diligence like this, what's your motive?"
A trace of panic flashed across Yue Nü's face before quickly vanishing. Her small hands tightly gripped the hem of Qi Yuan's clothes. "I don't want to die!"
Qi Yuan looked at her, thinking back to Sacrificer July.
Over the past few days, he had also heard that the Moon Sovereign Clan had two Saintesses.
One Saintess had departed alongside Sacrificer July for destinations unknown.
This Saintess, Yue Nü, was left by his side.
Was she... abandoned?
"I can only protect you for one month," Qi Yuan said.
Or rather, in less than a month, he would leave to truly confront the extraterrestrial demon.
A stubborn gleam showed in Yue Nü's eyes.
Qi Yuan said, "If you don't want to die, you must grow strong yourself and protect yourself.
"During this time, I will occasionally give you some pointers. Pay attention and learn; how much you can comprehend will depend on your own fortune."
Hearing this, the young girl's face flushed with excitement. She nodded vigorously, appearing delighted.
Seeing this scene, Qi Yuan smiled. "Honoring the elderly while neglecting the young is no good.
"Extraterrestrial demon, you are in the wrong."
...
Ten days slipped by in a flash.
The snow did not subside as expected, falling in dense, heavy squalls that grew ever fiercer.
Even the Ancient Qi Toon Tree was enveloped in vast swathes of white.
A thick layer of ice formed over July Lake.
Qi Yuan sat alone on the lakeside.
Suddenly, the rumbling vibrations of the earth traveled over.
Like heavy drums, they beat against the heart.
The ice across the lake trembled, threatening to shatter under the thudding vibrations.
Yue Nü ran out of the wooden hut, dressed in a thin gown, her small face filled with anxiety.
Qi Yuan looked into the distance. In the vast, sprawling snow, colossal footsteps kicked up flurries in wild disarray. Behind the swirling snow, dense ranks of burly, towering silhouettes were growling in low tones.
Three thousand hulking ironclad soldiers clad in heavy armor were advancing steadily toward July Lake.
These were the Iron Pagodas of the Hundred Cities Alliance.
Among the three thousand imposing Iron Pagodas, every single one was a martial artist.
Strongmen among them hoisted over twenty palanquins on their shoulders.
Seated upon each palanquin was a Supreme Sovereign.
At that moment, those Supreme Sovereigns appeared thoroughly relaxed, lounging on their palanquins with carefree ease.
The fat rolls on the face of the laughing-Buddha-like man were creased with a grin. "Do not underestimate the enemy. Let us strike together and suppress him."
"Rest assured, Fat Sovereign. We who survived to the end would never let our guard down."
"Once we offer the Saintess to Heaven, we should secure another ten years of peace."
"What about the other Saintess?"
"Capture this one first, then deal with the second!"
With a casual exchange, the Sovereigns sealed Yue Nü's fate.
In contrast, before July Lake, Qi Yuan remained seated on the bluestone.
He glanced at Yue Nü. "Afraid?"
Yue Nü looked at the massive army and shook her head.
"Go. Draw my sword and hold it in your arms," Qi Yuan instructed.
Yue Nü's gaze hardened with resolve.
In the distance, the grand army surged forward like a tide, trampling the snow flat and kicking it into the air.
Yue Nü's frail, petite body walked slowly toward the longsword planted a hundred meters away.
Alone against the wind and snow, she left behind a neat, even trail of footprints upon the ground.
In the distance, a woman inside one of the palanquins wore a mocking smile. "What is she doing? Going out to die?"
The grin on the smiling fat man's face froze. "Seems like another fool who knows neither the height of heaven nor the depth of the earth!"
Ever since the Black-Robed Guards appeared in the mortal realm, they, the Supreme Sovereigns, were the strongest beings in this world.
As for those at higher realms, should they dare manifest in the world, fishing lines dangling from the vault of heaven would reel away all their flesh and blood, leaving nothing behind but human skin.
With twenty-five Supreme Sovereigns alongside three thousand Iron Pagodas, what did they have to fear?
The snow was deep and thick.
Yue Nü walked up to the precious sword slanted into the ground, extended her tender white hands, and pulled the blade free with all her might.
Cradling the sword that was nearly taller than herself, she stood amidst the wind and snow, gazing at the distant Iron Pagodas with stubborn resolve in her eyes.
The rumbles vibrating through the earth grew heavier.
The snow around Yue Nü seemed to bounce, and snow shook loose from the trees, falling in showers.
The little girl clutched the longsword, watching the approaching Iron Pagodas, and shouted with all her might: "Those who cross this sword shall be shown no mercy!"
Her voice was drowned out by the marching roar of the three thousand Iron Pagodas.
Yet the Supreme Sovereigns, and even the Sovereigns, caught the little girl's words.
They burst into ridicule or wore sneering expressions.
Fat Sovereign was dumbfounded, then sneered, "Even if the Heavenly Domain still walked the earth, they wouldn't dare utter such words."
"That faceless fellow must be terrified, tricking that Saintess!"
"I laugh at the Saintess's foolishness and the Faceless One's lack of wit."
The Sovereigns chuckled and jeered.
In the distance, perched upon the branches of the Ancient Qi Toon Tree, Leng Yue watched the scene with despair welling in her eyes.
"Saintess, I am sorry."
She guessed that the Faceless One had quailed after all, and grief welled within her.
Meanwhile, the army continued its advance without pause.
"Iron Pagodas, kill!"
At the command, the three thousand Iron Pagodas surged forward like stampeding mastodons.
Holding the longsword in her arms, Yue Nü let the snowflakes blur her vision. Facing the charging Iron Pagodas, her slender legs stood firmly planted. "Cross the sword, die!"
Accompanying her crisp, melodious voice, the sword in her embrace suddenly unsheathed.
A surge of crimson killing intent erupted in that instant.
Blood-qi surged skyward, like that of a terrifying demonic overlord.
The sword soared into the air, its boundless blood-qi overpowering the swirling snow.
All at once, the sword transformed into a blood-colored flood dragon, violently plunging into the ranks of the three thousand Iron Pagodas.
The blood dragon rampaged wildly. Wherever it crashed into the Iron Pagodas, hundreds of them were sent flying into the air, their bones snapping and internal organs instantly pulverized.
"Ah!"
"No!"
"A monster!"
The invincible three thousand Iron Pagodas collapsed in an instant the moment the blood dragon slammed into them.
Many Iron Pagodas wailed for their parents, screaming incessantly as they fled in panic.
The once-mighty and dignified army was stripped of all its former majesty.
Meanwhile, the sword, moving like a blood dragon, split into beams of sword light, harvesting lives by the score.
Within a dozen breaths, all three thousand Iron Pagodas were slaughtered right then and there.
By the shore of July Lake, the faceless man seated upon the bluestone had not even looked at the battlefield. He called out softly, "This is the gaming version of the Resplendent Sword I developed over the past few days. How much of it did you grasp?"
The moon in Yue Nü's eyes turned crimson, and her eyes flushed completely red. "I grasped thirty percent."
Meanwhile, within the twenty-five palanquins, the Supreme Sovereigns were seized by utter terror and profound shock.
How could such a mighty expert exist in this world?
How could such a sword strike exist in this world?!
A single sword unleashed, a blood-colored flood dragon, wiping out three thousand Iron Pagodas!
By July Lake, hearing Yue Nü's words, Qi Yuan looked satisfied. "Not bad talent. The remaining NPCs should be enough for you to grasp seventy or eighty percent, right?"
At Qi Yuan's voice, as if answering a summons, the blood-dragon-like sword charged straight toward the twenty-five Supreme Sovereigns!
The twenty-five Supreme Sovereigns were scared out of their wits.
What they saw was no mere sword, but a bloodthirsty evil dragon that had slaughtered hundreds of millions of living souls.
"No!" A glamorous female Supreme Sovereign draped in five-colored feather robes was grazed by the bloody glow; half her body was sliced away, and the remaining flesh rapidly withered as her blood boiled violently.
"A devil!"
Seeing this, how could the other Supreme Sovereigns dare fight back?
They had survived until now not because they were exceptionally strong or brave, but because they were cautious enough and shameless enough.
Unfortunately, the sword resembling a blood dragon had no intention of sparing them.
Streaks of bloody radiance descended like light cast from a blood-moon millstone, slaying the Supreme Sovereigns one after another.
"No!"
Screams and pleas for mercy were swallowed up by the wind and snow.
All twenty-five Supreme Sovereigns were executed one by one.
Finally, the precious sword pierced through Fat Sovereign's corpulent body.
Fat Sovereign collapsed to the ground, his eyes clouded, yet a smile lingered on his face. "The Black-Robed Guards... the extraterrestrial Heavenly God... will never let you get away with this."
With those words, his breath vanished entirely, and he perished on the spot.
Just then, the sword resembling a blood dragon flew back to Qi Yuan's side and plunged into the lake.
Beneath the branches of the Ancient Qi Toon Tree, Leng Yue's face was painted with incomprehensible shock.
This... this surpassed a Supreme Sovereign!
Such strength!
The black-veiled woman was also exceedingly agitated, murmuring under her breath, "My Lord!"
By July Lake, Yue Nü held the scabbard and walked back to Qi Yuan's side.
After a lap through the lake water to wash away the filthy blood, the precious sword slid smoothly back into its sheath.
Qi Yuan looked at Yue Nü, a smile surfacing on his face. "Facing so many enemies for the first time—any thoughts to share?"
Yue Nü's small face beamed with excitement. "Very, very strong."
She was naturally referring to Qi Yuan.
"Now it's my turn to share my thoughts," Qi Yuan said.
It seemed he had asked Yue Nü only so he could deliver this line.
Yue Nü looked up at Qi Yuan earnestly.
Qi Yuan said with disdain, "It's been a long time since I farmed such low-level mobs.
"Trash mobs of this grade shouldn't even exist on my map."
After entering the Five Elements Forbidden Ground, the Yin Yang Forbidden Ground, and Tianjue...
especially the stairway behind Tianjue, what kind of opponents had Qi Yuan encountered?
Heavenly Domains appeared by the hundreds and thousands at a time.
Even Divine Domains were nothing special.
They would arrive three thousand at once.
These three thousand Iron Pagodas and twenty-five Supreme Sovereigns—weren't they just trash mobs?
"I'm going to farm some higher-level mobs. Do you want to come along and watch?" Qi Yuan asked Yue Nü seriously.
Yue Nü nodded, her small face filled with resolve.
Qi Yuan took Yue Nü's little hand. "Let's go. We'll see if the legendary Black-Robed Guards even qualify as elite mobs."
As a player, how could he sit in one spot like an NPC, waiting around for enemies to farm him?
Taking the initiative to strike was his true nature.
At July Lake, he had already obtained his answer.
It was time for him to leave, confront the final boss of this world, and collect all the Heavenly Dao fragments.
But before that, the Black-Robed Guards wreaking havoc upon the mortal world had to be dealt with first.
How could Qi Yuan tolerate mere minor mobs acting so arrogant?
Holding Yue Nü's little hand, the two disappeared into the boundless wind and snow.
...
Hundred Cities Alliance.
A place called the Ten Thousand Graves Cave.
Bleached bones lay everywhere alongside half-rotted corpses.
There was an abundance of flesh and blood, yet no vultures flew down, nor were there wild wolves.
The area was steeped in dead silence.
This was the core forbidden ground of the Hundred Cities Alliance.
It was also the place of greatest terror.
No martial artist dared set foot here.
Even Supreme Sovereigns, catching merely a distant glimpse of this Ten Thousand Graves Cave, would tremble with unexplained dread.
Yet at this moment, a faceless man leading a seven- or eight-year-old girl stepped into this place.
The area was quiet, devoid of any sound.
The faceless man's eyes were free of joy or sorrow. "This map... is pretty pathetic. It doesn't even hold a candle to the Four Great Forbidden Grounds."
The faceless man was Qi Yuan. Bringing Yue Nü along, he had slaughtered his way across the Hundred Cities Alliance.
King-rank experts?
Sovereign-rank experts?
Supreme Sovereigns?
All of them were trash mobs, not even worth a single serious sword strike from Qi Yuan.
Killing gods when gods stood in his way, slaying buddhas when buddhas blocked his path, he had slaughtered the Hundred Cities Alliance until rivers ran red with blood.
Now, he had finally arrived at the lair of the dreaded Black-Robed Guards.
Holding his sword, he muttered softly, "I'm here to clear the map."
As soon as his voice fell, a massive blood-colored sword surged into the Ten Thousand Graves Cave.
Just then, dense swarms of Black-Robed Guards flew out of the cavern, resembling bats emerging from a cave.
Watching these Black-Robed Guards, a complex glint flashed through Qi Yuan's eyes. "Extraterrestrial demon, you truly are a psychiatric patient.
"Devouring their flesh and blood is one thing, but you even fashion their human skin into Black-Robed Guards.
"A big boss like you probably won't ever be discharged in this lifetime.
"Oh, wait—you'll probably die in the mental asylum."
As Qi Yuan's voice fell, his sword plunged toward the Black-Robed Guards.
Blood-light cascaded, slaughter filling the sky.
The sword harvested the Black-Robed Guards one after another.
People viewed the Black-Robed Guards as specters?
No. Qi Yuan was the true specter.
Holding Yue Nü's hand, he asked softly, "How much of it have you grasped?"
"Ninety percent."
"Almost there. Once you reach a hundred percent, I'll be leaving."
Yue Nü tightened her grip on Qi Yuan's hand.
Chapter 76