Drawing the Sword

Outside the city, a chaotic battle raged across all four directions. Li Hao fought with peerless ferocity, merging three swords together and unleashing the Blood Blade Art. Sword energy shielded his body and nourished his wounds. Time and again, he was encased in ice, only to shatter it, rise back to his feet, launch another counterattack, and strike with his sword! The sword light was menacing and murderous! With a resounding crash, a black-armored warrior was smashed to pieces. Unable to bear it any longer, Li Hao roared furiously, "Get away!" Whether driven by some lingering command or an innate, unyielding obsession to protect commanding officers of the army, several black-armored warriors rushed forward as human shields every time Li Hao was knocked down. Yet a Hundred-Breaker clad in black armor could barely rival a Solar Flare super. Against a mid Rising Light expert, these warriors could not withstand a single palm strike. Not even the black armor itself held up; it shattered under the blow. Such was the sheer power of a Rising Light. These black-armored soldiers were marching straight to their deaths. The first time, the second, the third... Li Hao had felt little at the start. The soldiers inside the armor were already dead long ago. Initially, he had even thought their intervention was helpful—they served as meat shields, keeping his opponent tied down and exhausting his strength. Yet as it happened again and again—as warrior after warrior hurled themselves into the fray without heed for danger, fatigue, or death, only to be crushed each time—Li Hao grew enraged! One black-armored warrior fell after another. Moments later, bronze-armored warriors appeared near Li Hao. "Kill!" A wave of energy rippled outward—a battle cry from a bronze armor. The moment Li Hao was encased in ice once more, a bronze-armored warrior charged forward at the head of several black-armored soldiers, brandishing broadswords and surging fearlessly ahead to slay the foe! "Battle Heaven!" The muffled battle cry seemed to detonate beside his ears! Li Hao instantly shattered the ice around him, but the bronze-armored warrior pressed forward without fear. With a thunderous boom, he detonated himself first. The exploding bronze armor sent Xu Feng stumbling back a step. Though uninjured, his advance was halted once again. Xu Feng was growing thoroughly irritated! Leaving aside the fact that he had failed to kill Li Hao, having these ant-like black and bronze armors—relics of people dead for countless years—relentlessly charging at him was infuriating! So what if you charge? What can you possibly change? Delaying me for a fraction of a second... and then what? Won't I still go right back to crushing Li Hao? Does any of this have any meaning? Meanwhile, Li Hao broke free of the freezing ice and looked toward the shattered bronze armor. They all wore identical armor and gear, yet at that moment... he seemed to recognize the fallen warrior. "Garrison Ninth Division, Seventh Regiment, Third Company Commander Hu Xinwu..." Li Hao felt momentarily dazed, but calmness quickly washed over him. They... were already long dead! They were simply acting on instinct. Even bronze armors retained little sentience. It was solely because he wore silver armor as a regiment commander that these fallen soldiers stepped up time and again, spearheading the charge to buy him time. All for the silver armor. With that thought, Li Hao struck out with his sword! A sword rose like a radiant sun! With that strike, his killing intent surged three shades fiercer. An instant later, Li Hao leaped into the air and swept his blade across the surroundings. Boom! A single sword wave flashed out, instantly butchering several surrounding supers. Nourishing killing intent! Unable to kill Xu Feng, even the Starry Sky Sword seemed anxious. With cold, harsh eyes, Li Hao bolted outward, abandoning Xu Feng to tear toward the distant crowd! "Trying to run?" Xu Feng scoffed coldly. Once I've marked you, you think you can escape? In your dreams! With a flash step, he intercepted Li Hao. But Li Hao remained deathly silent, uttering no sound and making not even the noise of breathing. Twisting his torso, he slipped past Xu Feng and thrust his sword forward, slaying another Solar Flare super. The surrounding supers scattered in sheer terror. Li Hao pursued relentlessly. Gathering momentum! Indeed, Li Hao was gripped by an emotion he could hardly define as rage or something else. Originally, he had only intended to test his limits; success or failure had not mattered, and with Southern Fist watching over him, he had felt no fear. Yet now... he truly wanted to slay this man! Boom! Xu Feng threw another punch, blowing apart a leaping black armor. Without sparing it a second glance, he gave chase once more. Annoying heaps of scrap iron! Shattering the black armor with a single blow, he sped after Li Hao. Meanwhile, Li Hao impaled another Solar Flare. His killing intent no longer bled outward, turning thoroughly restrained as he lunged toward another flank. The surrounding supers fled in panic. Yet the black and bronze armors did not disperse. Instead, they charged Xu Feng in an unbroken wave. The Seventh Regiment commander had told him: *Here, all you need to do is charge!* *You don't need to care about your flanks or your surroundings. As long as the Battle Heaven Army stands... rest assured, your enemy lies only straight ahead!* Spoken as if it were the most natural truth in the world! Li Hao had not felt the weight of those words before, but now, a mid Rising Light expert was hunting him down—and yet, even when Li Hao paused to kill someone, Xu Feng was kept at bay. Led by the bronze armors, the black armors fought like madmen, sacrificing their physical forms to disperse into nothingness just to impede his pursuer's advance. Crash! *Thirty-two!* Li Hao counted silently. Thirty-two Battle Heaven armors had been destroyed by Xu Feng. They were dead men who had perished ages ago... Why? Why bother remembering the dead? Their bones had long turned to dust. All that remained was an obsession! Hum! A sword thrust pierced the air. A fleeing early Three Sols super widened his eyes in horror as a bloody hole punched clean through the back of his head. His corpse thumped to the ground! All around, the rogue cultivators screamed in terror and fled in disarray. Even a Three Sols was dead! Killed in a single strike! Someone roared furiously, "That's not an armored soldier! That's Li Hao, Yuan Shuo's disciple!" "Li Hao, how dare you slaughter the innocent? We aren't with the Three Great Organizations! You bastard, what do you think you're doing?" They didn't belong to the Three Great Organizations and bore no grudge against Li Hao. How could this bastard butcher them? Li Hao's expression remained impassive. *Didn't you kill Battle Heaven soldiers too?* *Didn't you haul their armor away in ecstatic joy, treating them like treasures?* *I am the commander of the Twelfth Regiment... With the three silver commanders fallen, I am the highest-ranking officer here. You slaughtered my soldiers, so why can't I slaughter you?* Hum! The longsword tore through the air, ignoring the freezing power surging behind him. He knew a soldier of the Battle Heaven Army would step up to block it for him. Sure enough, a deafening explosion rang out! A bronze armor detonated. Without looking back, Li Hao seemed to know that bronze armor's name. Earlier, the man had fought alongside him in the outer city. *Garrison Ninth Division, Eighth Regiment, Ninth Company Commander Wu Kaifu!* "Li Hao!" Xu Feng's voice turned icy. "Do you think using these lumps of iron to stall me is amusing? Does slaughtering these weak supers have any meaning? Come face me. I might not necessarily kill you... Strip off that armor and hand it over, and I might even grant you some protection!" In truth, he had little interest in killing Li Hao. What fascinated him was that armor! It was simply too extraordinary! Moreover, it seemed capable of commanding the black and bronze warriors. If he could obtain it intact... such a treasure would rival a Heaven-tier Origin God Armament. And that indestructible sword was likely a supreme treasure as well. The sword of the Li family? At that thought, he recalled the rumors. If it was true, this expedition might yield a colossal harvest. Splat! Li Hao thrust his sword again, piercing through another person. Blood splattered, staining the armor crimson. He did not look back at the fallen bronze armor behind him. Nor did he pay heed to the soldiers streaming in from all directions to protect their commander... He simply kept charging and killing! Stamping his foot, the earth rippled, sending an enemy tumbling toward him, only to be impaled on his blade. A fierce tiger roared. With a deafening bellow, blood leaked from another person's seven orifices. Disoriented and frozen in place, the super was instantly decapitated by his sword! Soaring like an avian beast, he blasted through the line, shattering another super on impact! At this moment, Li Hao tore straight through the defensive line of supers. The true powerhouses were busy dealing with opponents elsewhere. The three silver commanders were fully revived and exceptionally ferocious, forcing the enemy experts on the defensive. Silver Moon's official powerhouses were numerous, yet they were all preoccupied with withstanding the Earth-Overturning Sword's assault. Hong Yitang's aura was growing steadily stronger, teetering on the verge of slipping out of control. Several weaker combatants in the crowd were already gravely wounded. Even outsiders like Hu Qingfeng, despite being Rising Lights, were battered and covered in blood, looking thoroughly miserable. Only Xu Feng continued hunting down Li Hao. In truth, other Rising Lights had wanted to pursue him as well... but they were quickly scared off. Those who refused to give up now lay paralyzed on the ground. One rogue cultivator at early Rising Light was currently pinned beneath Southern Fist's boot. Southern Fist's gaze was cold and indifferent as he stepped on the Rising Light expert and threw a punch! Boom! The Rising Light powerhouse's head was smashed into pulp! He hadn't cared much about killing them, but after a warning, the man had stubbornly pressed on anyway. In that case, he had no reason to show mercy. "Southern Fist!" In the distance, Yuan Xingwu's expression shifted slightly. It was Southern Fist; he recognized him now. Instantly, he realized who was fighting the others... the Earth-Overturning Sword, Hong Yitang! The Silver Moon martial arts world was truly terrifying! He glanced back toward Li Hao, who was slaughtering through the ranks, and Xu Feng, who pursued him. He seemed about to move, but Southern Fist's aura instantly locked onto him. "Yuan Xingwu, isn't it? Whether you mean to help him or harm him... stay right where you are! Otherwise, my fist won't care who you are! Yuan Shuo doesn't acknowledge you as his eldest disciple anyway, so I have no reason to be lenient!" Yuan Xingwu said gravely, "He is no match for Xu Feng. Xu Feng is ranked on the Divine Master Roll, a mid Rising Light. If this chase continues, he will die once he loses the protection of the black and bronze armors! Senior, if you truly wish to help him... why not deal with Xu Feng yourself?" "I don't need you telling me what to do!" Southern Fist ignored him. *Would he die?* *How would they know without pushing him to the brink?* Li Hao was somewhat indecisive—not in his everyday dealings, but in combat. He hit weaklings with overwhelming force, yet hesitated and held back against stronger foes... Where was the fun in that? This time, I'll let you tangle with a powerhouse! Li Hao had a knack for bullying the weak and dodging the strong. Southern Fist had found it rather irritating and wanted to give the boy a taste of hardship. Of course, if Li Hao was truly about to die, he would naturally intervene. At the very least, stepping in to save Li Hao would leave the old man beside him with nothing to complain about. Given the vast gap in strength, even in the old days he would have been justified in lending Li Hao a hand to support and foster the weaker junior. It would also keep martial masters from fretting too much to challenge the strong. ... Li Hao had no time for such thoughts. Slaying another fleeing Three Sols super, Li Hao drew a ragged breath, the presence of the longsword in his hand becoming increasingly restrained. Looking ahead, no one was left. Those who remained had ducked into the outer city to hide, not daring to show their faces. The surrounding supers had largely dispersed; continuing the slaughter would yield few results. From behind, another cracking sound echoed. *Thirty-six!* Li Hao counted silently once more: thirty-two black armors, four bronze armors. The terror of a Rising Light expert was starkly demonstrated on these armored warriors. Even though Xu Feng's primary target had been Li Hao, he had still obliterated thirty-six soldiers of the Battle Heaven Army along the way. Li Hao turned and halted his steps. Breathing slightly heavily, Xu Feng looked at Li Hao and smiled. "Not running anymore?" The black armors in the vicinity were either scattered or slain. The nearest black armor was dozens of meters away, struggling to break through the blockade of supers to rush over. "Li Hao, my offer still stands. Surrender the silver armor, and I have no interest in killing you." Xu Feng smiled faintly. "It's not easy for a martial master to reach this stage. I value talent. You can come work for me. You can also refuse, and I won't hold a grudge. The silver armor never belonged to you in the first place. Hand it over... and I will compensate you with some divine energy stones. What do you say?" Li Hao, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke: "You... killed thirty-six soldiers!" Xu Feng froze, then chuckled. "Li Hao, stop joking. Don't bother stalling for time—it's pointless. Once the three silver commanders fully revive, they will soon be wiped out anyway. I can spare you, but the Three Great Organizations won't. Surrender the silver armor now and you can still flee; there's still time... Otherwise, even if I spare you, you won't have time to get away." "I want to kill you!" Li Hao's tone was deadly serious. "A single life of yours may not be worth theirs. Unfortunately... you only have one life! I rarely waste words on the dead. I'm not certain I can kill you... but I will do everything in my power to end your life!" "Obstinate fool!" Xu Feng lost his patience. "Who do you think you are? Do you truly believe martial masters are all-powerful? Do you think your master Yuan Shuo is formidable? Everything is just what you think! Do you have any idea that the so-called Thirty-Six Heroes of Silver Moon from back then are now nothing more than servants in my household..." What a ridiculous clown! At that exact instant, Li Hao went on the offensive. He stomped the ground, not leaping into the air, but borrowing momentum through the empty space. As his foot slammed down, a surge of power welled up from the earth into his body—the power of the ancient city. Li Hao drew upon the power of the earth. A sword thrust cleaved through the void! Seeing the longsword lunging toward him, Xu Feng snorted and unleashed his ice super energy once more. This time, it differed from before—the ice instantly morphed into mirror-like planes, expanding outward in an instant to seal the surroundings. Frozen World! A radius of dozens of meters was sealed by ice in the blink of an eye. Furthermore, as if worried Li Hao might slip away again or that the black and bronze armors might interfere, he waved his hand and sent a bronze mirror flying out! It was his Origin God Armament. At this moment, the bronze mirror transformed into a colossal barrier, locking down the area completely. His hair fluttered, dusted with frost, as Xu Feng sneered at the charging Li Hao. "Let's see you run now!" *Run, go on!* He threw a punch—a frost fist. *Crack!* The void itself seemed to freeze. Li Hao's sword breached layer upon layer of defense, but in the end, it was frozen solid by countless sheets of ice! *Nothing more than this!* With a low shout, Li Hao unleashed the fierce tiger. A wave of flames erupted. With a bang, the ice shattered. The next instant, the Nine-Fold Forging Force detonated along the sword, breaking through and exploding outward! *Clang!* A deafening metallic ring resounded. A pair of gauntlets suddenly manifested over Xu Feng's fists. A sneer curled Xu Feng's lips. "Origin God Armament... I have more than one!" *Did you think I'd be defenseless without the bronze mirror?* *Li Hao, you are far too ignorant.* Precious Origin God Armaments were rare even in the Xu family. Yet as the most outstanding descendant and an expert on the Divine Master Roll, he had been granted two: a heart-protecting mirror for defense and gauntlets for offense. A perfect balance of attack and defense! This was the confidence that allowed him to use the heart-protecting mirror to seal the perimeter. Otherwise, knowing how sharp Li Hao's sword was, how could he have tossed it out so rashly? However, just like the mirror, the armament spirit inside the gauntlets remained dormant, refusing to emerge. While this stripped the Origin God Armament of some amplifying power and annoyed Xu Feng, it stoked his greed even further. He could faintly sense that the spirit of his Origin God Armament seemed to fear Li Hao's sword. A good thing! It proved the sword was of an exceptionally high tier, enough to suppress the armament spirit's power. *Clang!* Li Hao thrust his sword again. Xu Feng threw a punch, deflecting the blade, while his other hand flattened into a palm and snatched directly at the sword! Though the gauntlets lacked the spirit's support, their material was exceedingly durable. He had nothing to fear. As one hand grasped for the sword, the other deflected it and drove a fist straight toward Li Hao's skull. *Suicidal fool!* At that precise moment, Li Hao, who had remained quiet throughout the clash, snapped his mouth open. An aperture opened in his armor over his mouth, and a blast of inner force erupted—the inner sword burst forth! Boom! Li Hao had held back this breath of inner force sword for a long time. It deflected Xu Feng's fist and lanced straight for his skull. Xu Feng's eyes hardened, and an ice shield materialized before him automatically. With a bang, the ice shield shattered. Fragments of ice scored bloody gashes across Xu Feng's face, but his fist still slammed into Li Hao's head. Dizziness washed over Li Hao, and blinding agony tore through his skull, yet a faint smile crept onto his face. Only at this moment had he finally wounded his opponent. Throughout the fight, Xu Feng had relied on the heart-protecting mirror, the gauntlets, and his formidable ice shields. Li Hao had struck him several times without inflicting harm, but this time, the explosion of sword qi and the shattered ice shield had carved bloody furrows into Xu Feng's face! Xu Feng was enraged! Snorting coldly, he clamped one hand onto the longsword and drove his other fist toward Li Hao! *Bastard!* Li Hao rattled his blade while swinging his other fist, unleashing the Nine-Fold Forging Force. Boom! As their fists collided, Li Hao felt his hand nearly shatter, despite the silver armor encasing it. Ignoring the pain, he channeled sword energy into his body and roared like a pouncing tiger, throwing another punch! *Bang! Bang! Bang!* The two traded over a hundred punches in rapid succession. With a thunderous boom, a hairline fracture seemed to appear on the silver armor. Inside the gauntlet, the flesh on Li Hao's fist was torn to shreds, but the sword energy swiftly worked to mend it. While it could not regenerate lost flesh, it rapidly sealed the wounds, keeping the blood from flowing freely. His left fist grew numb and feeble. His right hand gripped the sword, which vibrated incessantly yet failed to break free from Xu Feng's iron grip. Clutching Li Hao's blade with his left hand, Xu Feng hammered punch after punch with his right. By now, the hand inside his gauntlet was battered and mangled as well, leaving him internally shaken. *This kid can really endure!* Ragged breathing echoed between them. Li Hao panted heavily, and Xu Feng's breath grew ragged as well. Dealing with Li Hao was far harder than fighting an ordinary early Rising Light. How on earth was this kid pulling this off? Meanwhile, Li Hao unleashed the Nine-Fold Forging Force time and again. Punch after punch, holding nothing back. By this point, a surging wave gradually took form, roaring outward. With a boom, the nine folded waves drove Xu Feng's fist back! "The Nine-Fold Forging Force?" Panting, Xu Feng let out a scoffing laugh. "The Liu family's technique from Silver Moon... so it was passed to you. It seems the descendants of Silver Spear are all useless trash..." Li Hao, too, broke into a smile. Trading fists with a mid Rising Light expert with unrestrained abandon felt exhilarating and utterly satisfying. After trading over a hundred punches, his arm felt nearly snapped in half, yet... it felt fantastic. Sure enough, Southern Fist was right—recklessness was the true essence of martial arts! The longsword in his right hand continued to hum violently, yet it remained trapped in his foe's grasp. Li Hao did not mind. The Starry Sky Sword had its own pride and temper; that was a good thing. The surging waves swelled with mounting intensity. After slaying Xie Gang, the water force that he had failed to coalesce was now slowly manifesting. Li Hao exhaled softly, feeling deeply reflective. Among the four forces, the water force had taken him the longest to comprehend. The earth force had been the simplest—born instantly from a flash of insight. The fire force had been slightly harder, but aligning with his state of mind and observing the fierce tiger breaking from its cage, it had manifested smoothly. The metal force had emerged with ease the moment he shattered the Spirit Cleaving Spear. Only the water force was something Li Hao had always known how to manifest—he had cultivated the Nine-Fold Forging Force to its peak, observed the ocean's waves, and watched Liu Long demonstrate it countless times... Yet this deliberate effort to learn had made it all the harder for Li Hao! He had encountered the Nine-Fold Forging Force early on. While it might not seem long to others, to him, it was a technique he had studied from the very start of his martial path. Yet only today, only at this very moment, did this water force finally take shape. It was simply too difficult! The moment the water waves formed, they resembled a water dragon. Waves stacked upon waves as the water dragon struck, yet it did not feel particularly powerful. Xu Feng hardly paid it any mind, shattering the dragon with a single punch! A sneer of mockery surfaced in his eyes. A decent force—perhaps enough to deal with a peak Three Sols. Yet compared to Li Hao's sword momentum, this water dragon... was weak. Even his sword momentum couldn't do anything to Xu Feng, let alone this water dragon. The water dragon disintegrated as if carrying a trace of unwillingness, then re-formed an instant later, only to vanish immediately. Within Li Hao's internal organs, around his kidneys, a chain rattled violently outward, instantly ensnaring the water dragon—locking the force! Locking forces had been arduous in his previous attempts. Yet today, it felt effortless. His fortified five viscera and physical body provided unprecedented foundation, completing the lock in an instant. At this moment, within his five viscera, the lungs locked the metal force, the heart locked the fire force, the kidneys locked the water force, and the spleen locked the earth force. Aside from the liver, four forces were now seated within four viscera. Li Hao and Xu Feng were still trading punches. In the distance, the old martial master frowned and glanced over. Just as he was about to investigate further, he suddenly spun around. At that moment, not only he, but even Southern Fist couldn't help looking back—a beam of golden light was streaking through the distance! The powerhouses of the Three Great Organizations, including Hou Xiaochen and the others, changed color! Golden armor! The golden armor from within the city had actually appeared! "Damn it!" Everyone was shocked. The revived silver commanders had already unleashed terrifying power; each of the Three Great Organizations was struggling against a single silver armor, reduced to passive defense. They had originally assumed that only by entering the city and disturbing the Black Tortoise Seal would they provoke a counterattack from the golden warrior. By then, having dealt with the Battle Heaven Army, joining forces to handle the golden warrior would have been feasible. But now... it was impossible! Just as Hou Xiaochen's expression shifted, his face drained of color once more! Boom! Like Mount Tai collapsing, the world tore asunder. A sword plunged from the heavens, turning heaven and earth upside down. Paying no heed to the golden armor, Hong Yitang seized the moment of their distraction to bring his sword crashing down! Boom! Hou Xiaochen was smashed from midair into the earth, vomiting a mouthful of blood, his eyes flashing with shock and fury. *Hong Yitang!* Over on Kong Jie's fist, a bloody fissure tore open with a sharp crack. Dripping blood, he plummeted to the ground as well. Nearby, several powerhouses were swatted down one after another. Golden Spear coughed up blood, and Chief Steward Yu vomited blood as well... So many powerhouses allied together, yet in this single breath, every last one was cleaved from the sky! Hu Qingfeng suffered an even worse fate. With a sickening pop, one of his arms was blown apart. Pale as a ghost with terror, he scrambled frantically toward Qi Gang. Qi Gang's blood surged as well, coughing blood incessantly as he cursed internally. *Why run to me?* *If I had known, I never would have come to this damned place.* As a figure ranked on the Divine Master Roll, he was nothing more than an extra here, beaten half to death. Had the enemy not refrained from targeting him specifically, he suspected he would have been chopped into ribbons long ago! Silver Moon was simply too dangerous. As he thought this, he too spotted the golden armor flying in their direction. His expression warped as he turned to Hou Xiaochen and Kong Jie. Hou Xiaochen coughed lightly, spitting out another mouthful of blood. Looking at the Earth-Overturning Sword, he panted faintly, "Are you satisfied now?" Hong Yitang remained placid. "You sound like you're asking a child if the fruit tastes sweet. Hou Xiaochen, you can put on an act before others, but before me... if you truly have the ability, then unseal all five viscera completely! I'd like to see, once we are both unsealed... which of us can kill the other!" "Is there any need for this?" Hou Xiaochen looked at him, his face slightly pale—a sign of his internal injuries flaring up. "All these years, I rarely moved against you or the Sword Gate. Last time was merely because unrest was rising across Silver Moon... I needed some leverage. Must you fight me to the death over that?" Kong Jie chimed in as well, "Hong Yitang, that's enough. Without unsealing, we truly aren't your match... Even if none of us unseal, the gap isn't wide, but there's no need to make fools of ourselves before outsiders..." Hu Qingfeng and the others turned deathly pale. These words... had not been concealed in the slightest. The implications were horrifying. Unseal? What did that mean? Could it be... A single Hong Yitang was already terrifying enough to leave them trembling. Could Hou Xiaochen and Kong Jie actually possess similar power? If so, that was terrifying beyond belief! Hong Yitang had intended to say more, but his gaze flickered. Though he found Hou Xiaochen insufferable and wanted to push him into an even more miserable state, he suddenly knit his brows—not toward the golden armor behind him, but toward the distance. An instant later, Hou Xiaochen and Kong Jie whipped their heads around as well. The others were half a beat slower. ... Far away. Li Hao had locked his fourth force. A moment later, the longsword vibrated, and the water force poured into the blade. The old man watching the golden armor snapped his head around. Looking at Li Hao, a realization struck him: Spirit Nourishing! Nourishing the five forces! Without a word, the old man stepped into the air, vanishing from his spot as if teleporting. Yet at that exact instant, a monstrous wave of vital blood erupted! Southern Fist appeared. Striking his own chest, a booming sound echoed as a supernatural lock partially snapped. An instant later, he threw another punch—and the supernatural locks across his lungs and liver partially snapped as well. Having partially broken the supernatural locks across three viscera in rapid succession, a terrifying aura surged forth! It exceeded even his outburst in Mount Cang. Back then, he had only broken one supernatural lock. Now, to intercept the old man, he had partially snapped three. Under the old man's furious gaze, Southern Fist threw a punch! Boom! Heaven and earth seemed to shatter. At this moment, even Hong Yitang and the others in the distance were stunned. Hou Xiaochen's teeth ached. *Has Southern Fist gone mad?* Southern Fist was weaker than Hong Yitang, weaker than them, and strictly speaking, not necessarily a match for Chief Steward Yu... Indeed, mid Rising Light was his normal explosive strength. Chief Steward Yu was actually stronger than an ordinary mid-stage expert at this moment. Yet having snapped three supernatural locks in a row, Southern Fist's vital blood blanketed the world. As his fist drove forward, a colossal fist manifested between heaven and earth! Overbearing, ruthless, maniacal! "He Yong!" the old man bellowed in fury. "Have you lost your mind?" The next instant, a longsword pierced across the heavens, radiant light illuminating the world and reflecting through the void, making it seem as though the entire ancient city was lit ablaze. The longsword spanned the sky, its sword intent reflecting across heaven and earth! "Bright Light Sword... you're the one who's lost his mind!" He Yong barked coldly, "I want to see if you, ranked third among the Seven Swords, are any stronger than Hong Yitang!" Boom! Fist met sword. The punch shattered the void, smashing the phantom longsword to pieces. The old man roared in rage and reached out, conjuring an even mightier sword of radiant light between heaven and earth! *He Yong, you bastard... Xu Feng cannot die...* Seeing him summon an even stronger sword, Southern Fist flew into a total fury. *Are the Seven Swords so great?* *Fine, I'm weaker than the Earth-Overturning Sword, but you're only ranked third! Did you really think you were the foremost of the Seven Swords?* Back then on the Roster of Heroes, Heaven Sword and the Earth-Overturning Sword had been ranked above Southern Fist, but the third-ranked Bright Light Sword had merely been on par with him. *I broke three locks, and you still dare to fight back?* "You're courting death!" With a furious roar, chains seemed to detonate with a resounding crash. A fourth lock was snapped in half. A terrifying power surged forth, making Hong Yitang in the distance suck in a cold breath. *It's over!* *Fuck!* *That madman—once he starts fighting, he ignores all consequences.* Breaking four chains, even if only partially... could easily trigger a chain reaction. Even Li Hao might not be able to mend them. Three was his absolute limit. *Why did you have to push for that extra advantage?* The old man's expression changed as well! Boom! Under a thunderous detonation, the sword was pulverized by the punch. He Yong threw another fist, as if ten thousand punches converged into one. Rumble... The void was beaten to pieces! The old man manifested countless swords of radiant light, but they were detonated one after another. At this moment, the ferocious He Yong was thirty percent stronger than when he had fought the Golden Eagle; he was already nearing the realm beyond Rising Light—or rather, he was essentially there. The old man's cultivation was formidable to the extreme, yet facing the berserk Southern Fist, he was still struck squarely by a punch! With a deafening crash, the old man was sent flying, bones snapping as he spewed a fountain of blood! He was blasted back hundreds of meters, slamming violently into an ancient house. The indestructible ancient house rattled and shook violently under the impact. He Yong hovered in midair, incomparably overbearing! His face was devoid of emotion! The Bright Light Sword was strong; without unsealing four locks, he might not have bested the old bastard. But... *did you dare to unseal?* *I dared!* With a punch of absolute superiority, he had battered the Bright Light Sword into severe injury. *Act arrogant with me, will you? Who do you think you're dealing with?* Behind them, Kong Jie and Hou Xiaochen felt a throbbing headache. *Another one!* If nobody unsealed and they fought fairly, He Yong was the weakest. But right now... this madman was risking his life. With four locks undone, even if they ganged up on him in their current state, they might be pulverized by the lunatic. Simply too brutal! Hou Xiaochen kept his mouth shut, keeping a thoroughly low profile. Hong Yitang hesitated... *Stop posing, you bastard! Go find Li Hao! With four locks broken, if you don't seal them soon, you won't become a super—you'll lose your life! Your five viscera will detonate!* Southern Fist's sudden outburst had momentarily distracted everyone. Yet an instant later, as the Bright Light Sword was repelled, a flash of sword light suddenly erupted! "Sever!" A furious roar burst from Li Hao's lips. Li Hao roared at the top of his lungs, paying no attention to anyone else. What did the Bright Light Sword or Southern Fist have to do with him? His enemy was the bastard right before his eyes! Xu Feng's face twisted in horror. The hand clamping the longsword suddenly fractured, and hairline cracks spread across the gauntlet as well. Inside the gauntlet, an armament spirit materialized, wearing a look of sheer terror. The next instant, the gauntlet suddenly flew off and fled! *The Longevity Sword!* Having lost his gauntlet, Xu Feng's face drained of color. He roared, his supernatural energy erupting. He wanted to dodge, but... he had frozen the surrounding area earlier and sealed it off with the heart-protecting mirror... Now, he had no time to evade. There was nowhere to run! In the distance, the battered Bright Light Sword spat a mouthful of blood, shakily rose to his feet, and flew into the air toward them. With an expression of agony and helplessness, he bellowed, "Li Hao, one thousand divine energy stones—" Before he could finish, Li Hao turned a deaf ear and slashed his sword downward. In this strike, four forces fused, and the Blood Blade Art erupted to its peak! Not only that, all the sword energy within the Starry Sky Sword surged forth, transforming into raw power as the blade cleaved down! What divine energy stones? You think I give a damn? Die! Boom! As the sword descended, countless blocks of ice shattered into dust. The Starry Sky Sword seemed equally furious—enraged at being suppressed by this man for so long—and now blazed with unprecedented brilliance! The sword fell! The golden warrior, who had just flown onto the city battlements, suddenly looked in that direction, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes. *The Sword Venerable's legacy!* Xu Feng roared frantically as his supernatural energy detonated once more, churning into an ice shield in a desperate attempt to block the strike! Boom! The ice shield blasted apart instantly, and blood cascaded from Xu Feng. As the sword fell, Xu Feng threw a desperate punch at Li Hao, slamming into his chest... yet the moment the punch landed, his own arm fractured into spiderweb cracks! Disbelief filled Xu Feng's eyes as he stared at Li Hao. After a moment, he croaked, "Do you know... I am of the Xu family!" Chunks of flesh broke from his cheeks and fell to the ground. Across his body, flesh ruptured continuously. Yet he did not scream in pain, nor did he despair. There was only utter incomprehension: "Do you... know of the Xu family?" The person before him had killed him! Even in the Central Region, not everyone dared cross the Xu family. Even the Nine Departments, even the imperial family, would not casually kill someone of the Xu family. Even the Three Great Organizations would not dare! How did this fellow before him dare? *Cough, cough, cough...* Li Hao coughed up a mouthful of blood and threw a punch. With a thunderous boom, he smashed Xu Feng to pieces! Then came another punch, and another! He threw thirty-six punches in a row, pounding Xu Feng into absolute mince. Only then did he spit blood and sneer contemptuously, "Oh? Does your Xu family... rival the glory of my Li family?" *Bah!* *What garbage!* *I haven't even flaunted my heritage, and you dare flaunt yours?* *Do you have any idea what the Li family of the Eight Great Families represents?* *Do you know how powerful the Li ancestors were?* *Comparing your background to mine... go to hell!* Unless you belong to the family of the Sovereign or the Human King, any other background is a fart. The surroundings fell dead silent for an instant. Xu Feng was dead. And this fellow had desecrated the corpse, beating Xu Feng into mincemeat. Li Hao's silver armor receded, revealing his true features. He smiled at the surrounding supers, then waved toward the Three Great Organizations: "A pleasure to meet you all. Li Hao of the Silver City Li family, Li Hao of the Five Animals Sect... at your service!" Silence reigned. In midair, Southern Fist grinned. *Well done!* The next instant, his expression warped. *Damn it, I can't hold on!* He plummeted to Li Hao's side. By now, the ice had completely melted, and the heart-protecting mirror lay forgotten on the ground. Ignoring it, he grabbed Li Hao's hand and transmitted frantically: *"Save me!"* Aloud, he bellowed, "Li Hao, are you alright? What dogshit Xu family! If anything happens to you, I'll slaughter the whole damned clan!" As his words fell, a surging torrent of vital blood shot straight through the clouds! The vitality was overwhelmingly potent. Even the Bright Light Sword, who had wanted to fly over, paled once more and halted his advance. Too strong! The members of the Three Great Organizations all changed color. Damn it, why were the martial masters in this godforsaken place one more terrifying than the last, one more horrifying than the next? In the distance, several supers felt as though the oppressive vital blood would crush them until they exploded. Pale with fright, they broke into a frantic rout. Yet while Southern Fist appeared ferocious to the extreme, he was transmitting frantically: *"Save me! Save me fast! Hurry, Li Hao, or I'm done for! Quick..."* Li Hao held his hand, his expression stiffening slightly. He transmitted back: *"That energy... is completely drained!"* Beneath his armor, Southern Fist's face drained of all color! *Don't mess with me!* Boom! Vital blood billowed, mixed with traces of supernatural energy. At this moment, the mighty Southern Fist was the brightest presence on the field, overshadowing even the three silver commanders and the flying golden warrior! His face was ghastly white, yet he roared at the top of his lungs, "Battle Heaven Army, kill!" Boom! Grabbing Li Hao, he leaped into the air and threw a punch straight at Hou Xiaochen... Hou Xiaochen's face warped. He tried to dodge, but found it impossible. With a booming crash, he was blasted flying by the punch, vomiting blood with a furious scowl! *Did I provoke you?* The next instant, Southern Fist carried Li Hao atop the city wall and vanished without looking back. *Help!* *He had overplayed his hand!* At that moment, everyone was dumbfounded. The next instant, a giant golden sword cleaved downward without the slightest hesitation. With a thunderous crash, the defending Red Moon forces were crushed under the blade; every Three Sols expert in their ranks was pulverized into dust! Purple Moon, at peak Three Sols, had long fled under the protection of Blue Moon and Green Moon, the three of them vanishing in an instant. The other Rising Light watched helplessly as the trio abandoned him. The hierarchy was laid bare—he was not as important as Purple Moon. With a deafening boom, the great sword crashed down! Boom! He was smashed to pieces by the strike—crushed, not merely cleaved! "Flee!" With terrified howls, the experts of Feitian and Yama fled in disarray. Not only them—even the battered Hou Xiaochen turned pale and yelled, "Retreat!" Boom! The great sword descended, conjuring countless sword phantoms that fell like mountains, crushing supers to death one after another! A voice laden with ancient cadence boomed from the golden warrior: "Battle Heaven Army, advance!" "Insignificant bandits dare flaunt their might!" A mere band of thieving brigands dared invade Battle Heaven City. Had it not been difficult to awaken, every last one of them would have been slaughtered long ago! The next moment, the surviving soldiers of the Battle Heaven Army charged forward in a roaring tide! A sea of black armor, led by one gold and three silvers, pressed forward relentlessly, punctuated by unending screams of agony. The supers broke into a frantic rout. Fleeing to the square was not enough; no longer caring about having to pass through the second pathway to leave the city, they stampeded all the way outside the city gates! Only at the edge of the square did the golden warrior halt. He looked toward the fleeing supers with a murderous glint in his eyes. Alas... ruthless time spared no one; they were long dead. Now, outside the city had become the enemy's sanctuary! A pity, what a pity! Stripped of their original flesh and souls, stripped of everything, even he could not step beyond the bounds of this ancient city. He could only watch helplessly as these people survived the disaster. "Fall back!" With an order given, the remaining soldiers withdrew instantly, retreating toward the inner city to resume their defense. Outside the city, powerhouses gasped raggedly for breath, consumed by terror. The sudden turn of events and the golden warrior's terrifying might had caught everyone off guard. In an instant, aside from three leaders who had escaped, every Three Sols and one Rising Light from Red Moon had been slaughtered on the spot. Prior to this, the defenders' greatest feat had merely been slaying a mid Three Sols... Was this city truly awakening? Hou Xiaochen panted lightly, sighing with a trace of helplessness as he looked toward the city, rendered speechless. Today, he seemed to have suffered several beatings in a row! Southern Fist, the Earth-Overturning Sword... those two bastards!