Li Hao fell back, but Hong Yitang was sweating profusely.
His mastery of the Heaven-Turning Earth-Overturning Sword was nothing short of miraculous!
Swordsmanship extended in all directions, sealing off every approach like an inverted giant bowl. Only now did Li Hao have the composure to examine it closely, and upon doing so, he had to admit the defense was truly impenetrable!
A full thirteen Rising Light experts were hammering them with relentless attacks.
Originally there had been fourteen, but Li Hao and the others had eliminated one. None of the remaining thirteen were individuals to be trifled with. Perhaps out of wariness, or perhaps wishing for others to clash first, whatever the case, Hong Yitang was effectively taking on thirteen opponents alone—an astonishing display of sheer might!
Only upon falling back inside could Li Hao truly feel the danger and crushing pressure.
Even Hong Yitang's bronze armor looked slightly warped, subjected to immense compression!
Vaguely, Hong Yitang had already begun unsealing his restraints, entering an unsealed state. Yet his unsealing was not as reckless as that of others, whose releases invariably meant snapping supernatural locks.
Whether at Mount Cang or in Battle Heaven City, Hong Yitang had never shattered his supernatural locks on a massive scale; rather, his unsealing was quiet and subtle, moistening everything without a sound. Such an unsealing was actually far more terrifying.
It signified that he was already able to control the release of potential from his supernatural locks.
At this moment, Li Hao caught his breath as well.
He did not rush to assist immediately.
This time, he set his sights on Xu Zhen. Xu Zhen was one of the five surviving late-stage experts present, but his identity was unique—another late-stage expert and a peak Rising Light expert had accompanied him here.
If this man died... the people from the Duke of Dingguo's Residence would either fall into complete despair and fight to the death, or be scared out of their wits and flee on the spot.
Yet, as the son of the Duke of Dingguo, he would not be easy to bring down.
Li Hao exhaled and fixed his gaze on Xu Zhen.
At that moment, a faint force swayed to life, drifting like willow catkins.
The Willow Catkin Sword.
The force born of this sword technique lacked the vigorous vitality of other wooden swords, devoid of their majestic life force. It possessed only a gentle lightness, drifting away at the slightest breeze, seemingly timid yet boundless and inexhaustible.
Li Hao's sword momentum originated primarily from two sources: first, the Willow Catkin Swordsmanship, and second, his comprehension of the little tree's origin power.
Woven into the willow catkins were the traits of the little tree.
What was the little tree's nature?
Clamping firmly onto the green mountain without letting go!
Persevering, continuous, and inexhaustible.
Standing alone outside the temporary palace for tens of thousands of years, once committed to a single purpose, it held true for a lifetime, never turning back.
Li Hao now felt a deeper appreciation of the little tree's Dao. Its Dao seemed identical to that of the big tree—perhaps pure inheritance or rebirth rather than treading an alternate path.
Father to son, legacy passed on. In Li Hao's comprehension, its Dao had always been the growth history of the big tree. And though the big tree had perished, the little tree had taken root and sprouted, endlessly carrying forward their mission.
"Li Hao!"
Hong Yitang barked another low warning. His defensive perimeter was shrinking, yet Li Hao seemed lost in contemplation and was about to drift outside of it. Once he left Hong Yitang's protection, Li Hao would be in grave danger!
Like a willow catkin, Li Hao drifted lightly backward several paces.
Nearby, the Bright Light Sword's face was pale yet flushed with a touch of color; she seemed close to waking.
Hong Yitang lamented bitterly inside.
These two were truly unreliable.
Never mind the Bright Light Sword, but as for Li Hao—Hong Yitang had a rough idea of what he was doing, but damn it all, it was going to kill him!
Meanwhile, within Li Hao's liver, a small tree seemed to take root and sprout.
It was as though a willow branch had been thrust into soil, spreading outward.
The little tree began to grow. Chains surfaced like root filaments, no longer binding the tree, but spreading alongside its roots to blanket the entire liver.
At this moment, curious entities had taken up residence in all five viscera.
The fierce tiger in the heart, the surging waves in the kidneys, the grand mountain in the spleen, the golden sun origin point in the lungs, and now the newly sprouted little tree in the liver.
Within the liver, the little tree was the most fragile.
The other four forces were distinctly stronger.
The others had been bolstered by either the Heavenly Gold Lotus or Spirit Nourishing Fruits, whereas this willow branch was exceedingly frail, having only just been born.
Right then, Li Hao coughed lightly, and a golden lotus seed appeared in his hand.
This was what Hong Yitang had given him back then. Li Hao had already consumed the petals of the Heavenly Gold Lotus, but he had kept the seed until now.
The petals could strengthen forces, but what about the seed?
Li Hao did not actually know, but he wanted to try it now. Perhaps the effect would be just as potent. If possible, he hoped to strengthen the willow tree; an imbalance among the five forces would easily cause complications during fusion.
The golden lotus seed entered his mouth, melting and vanishing in an instant.
A cooling energy even more potent than the petals rushed through him. Li Hao's spirit jolted—the seed possessed the exact same effect, and it felt even more powerful.
Li Hao immediately guided this energy into his liver.
As if receiving nourishment, the little sapling instantly began to flourish.
Gradually, the little tree grew taller.
Thump!
At that very moment, Hong Yitang's heartbeat accelerated. Heavy pounding echoed as a fiery energy seemed to seep outward. Li Hao snapped to full awareness and looked at Hong Yitang, whose face looked as though it were on fire.
One of his supernatural locks seemed to have broken.
The immense power allowed his defensive ring to expand slightly, but the simmering fire energy appeared to cause him great distress, as if his heart were burning.
Even back in the city when facing Hou Xiaochen and his group, he had never experienced such a condition.
Seeing the Bright Light Sword's eyelids flutter as if she were about to open her eyes, Hong Yitang shouted, "Keep recovering! Don't waste the Spring of Life!"
Clearly, the Bright Light Sword had sensed the crisis and felt Hong Yitang's waning strength.
If this continued, Hong Yitang would follow in her footsteps.
Yet Hong Yitang also knew that she was still in the middle of recovery. The moment she struck out, all her newly healed injuries would collapse at once. Not only would the Spring of Life be squandered, but Li Hao would likely have no way to heal her again.
She had to wait a little longer—until the energy of the Spring of Life fully permeated her body and her wounds closed—before she could fight.
The Bright Light Sword struggled against her fluttering eyelids, but gradually settled down again.
The Earth-Overturning Sword seemed to provide everyone with an immense sense of security.
Even Li Hao could cultivate with total focus because he knew the Earth-Overturning Sword was still there, lending him confidence deep down.
***
Meanwhile, the surrounding attackers were shaken to the core.
Had they gone all out?
No.
At least the two metamorphosis-stage experts had not given their full effort. Under these circumstances, going all out and making oneself the Earth-Overturning Sword's primary target was not a wise move. They were not a single unified faction, but many different factions.
Even so, there were thirteen top-tier experts. Even in the Central Region, they were peak existences whose combined might was enough to wipe out powerful organizations.
Yet today, they could not breach a single man's defense. It was unbelievable!
Of the two metamorphosis-stage experts, one wore a mask, while the other wore black armor resembling the black armor of ancient times, yet slightly different. At this moment, the armored expert could not help but exclaim in admiration, "Of the Seven Swords of Silver Moon, the Earth-Overturning Sword... might truly be peerless under heaven..."
Leaving everything else aside, this defensive swordsmanship was truly impenetrable. Every direction was sealed airtight; his reaction speed, inner force, and combat experience were all at the absolute apex of the current era!
Seeing that he still had the leisure to evaluate the fight mid-combat, someone cursed silently in their heart. Isn't this all because you aren't going all out!
The moment this person spoke, several people recognized him.
Having reached this level, they were all prominent figures. Who could truly hide from whom?
When the armored expert opened his mouth, several people in the crowd guessed his identity. A name leaped into their minds—Fan Chang!
A figure who undoubtedly qualified as a major power.
The Governor of Linjiang, the undisputed hegemon of Linjiang Province who consolidated all authority into his own hands. Originally just the director of the General Administration Bureau, he had simply merged the other institutions to establish the Governor's Office, making him Silver Moon's long-standing neighbor.
Rumor had it that he was the backer behind the Sea Demon Pirates, one of the eight major pirate crews on the sea.
He was also a thorn planted at the edge of Silver Moon by both the Nine Departments and the imperial family.
No wonder he had concealed his identity. Given his unique position, openly revealing himself to kill the Bright Light Sword might provoke retaliation from Silver Moon martial masters.
Linjiang and Silver Moon were simply too close to each other.
However, at this point, no one cared anymore. His identity being exposed mattered little; by now, the identities of all thirteen present were largely uncovered, and each could guess the others'.
Xu Zhen cursed inwardly.
Of the two metamorphosis-stage experts, one was Fan Chang, while the other wore a cloak and was not from Feitian. If he guessed correctly, that other person was a personal guard commander under a mighty figure.
The King of Pingyuan!
Indeed, Xu Zhen had met him several times. He had not anticipated the man's strength to be even greater than imagined. The King of Pingyuan was the superior of Hou Xiaochen and his peers, the very figure who had established the Martial Guard Army back then.
His royal estate was not too far from here, so it was only natural that experts from his faction had arrived. This man was named Qian Feng, who had always been the foremost general under the King of Pingyuan.
As for the four peak-stage experts, aside from one from the Duke of Dingguo's Residence, another was hidden behind a mask—Orange Moon, whom Xu Zhen had recognized long ago.
The remaining two had masked their identities as well, but they could not hide from him either.
One was a pirate from the North Sea, a grand duke under the King of the North Sea. Xu Zhen did not know his exact name, but the man titled himself Duke Pinghai. Xu Zhen had heard of him before and had once mocked the ignorance of the North Sea pirates.
Looking at him now, he was not weak at all, actually possessing the strength of a peak Rising Light expert. Who knew what level the King of the North Sea had reached? It seemed he had to be at least in the metamorphosis stage, though he had yet to appear and no one knew where he had gone.
Xu Zhen recognized the other peak Rising Light expert as well. He did not belong to Feitian or Yama; those two factions might not have had time to dispatch their top experts, sending only one late Rising Light expert each. This peak expert appeared to hail from Futu Mountain, one of the Seven God Mountains. It was hard to discern his exact identity, but judging from his techniques, there was little doubt.
The Seven God Mountains were less renowned than the Three Great Organizations, yet anyone in the know understood they were formidable.
Sky Sword Mountain was led by the Sky Sword.
Deep in Haotian Mountain, Mountain Lord Haotian stood as one of the peerless hegemons.
Heavenly Roc Mountain was presided over by a peerless great demon who had once swallowed a Rising Light expert in a single gulp, inspiring dread.
As for Futu Mountain, it was said that its people pursued a path of slaughter that was overwhelmingly fierce, like a futu descending to quell weapons and cease warfare—and that, too, relied entirely on absolute strength.
***
These people harbored their own individual motives.
Though they all praised Hong Yitang's might, they actually believed victory was already within their grasp.
In truth, they had barely depleted their energy.
Hong Yitang, on the other hand, was clearly beginning to falter.
Meanwhile, Li Hao's five forces gradually achieved balance, and the Starry Sky Sword in his hand began to tremble faintly. He no longer looked at Hong Yitang; Hong Yitang could only defend now, which was already his limit.
It was still uncertain how long the Bright Light Sword would need to stabilize her wounds. Even if Li Hao wanted to channel sword energy into her, her current physical state might not be able to suppress the rampage of her supernatural locks.
Thoughts flashed through Li Hao's mind. Within his five viscera, five chains began to encircle the organs. Although he had not studied the unification of the five viscera in depth, he had his own insights.
The five forces gradually traveled along the five chains, contacting and colliding with one another.
This was Li Hao's first time attempting to fuse the five forces.
Manifesting five forces did not mean they could be fused.
Previously, it had not been a true fusion either; Li Hao had simply relied on the overarching outline of sword intent. As long as his sword intent was strong enough, it could suppress them into harmony.
Now, he wanted to see whether the five forces could fuse naturally rather than through forceful suppression.
The instant the five forces touched... Li Hao felt as though struck by lightning, his body shuddering violently.
His robust five viscera had long reached the Ten Thousand Directions level.
Yet even now, they trembled, fine fissures even spreading across them.
Li Hao was startled!
So powerful?
If that was the case, he could not rashly attempt a full fusion of the five forces right now. For the moment, he could only use the overarching sword intent outline to command and tame them under a single guide.
"Haah!"
Right then, Hong Yitang roared, and flames surged upward, instantly vaporizing vast swathes of seawater. A mighty burst of inner force erupted, billowing in all directions and knocking the others backward.
Hong Yitang spat out a mouthful of blood and panted heavily. He swung his longsword again, and in all directions, heaven and earth seemed to flip upside down, feeling even more formidable than before.
Yet these were all seasoned experts, and they could see through it.
Hong Yitang could no longer sustain that continuous surge of momentum.
A burst of vigor on the first drumroll, waning on the second... right now, he had entered a period of exhaustion.
Hong Yitang felt deeply stifled. If not for the need to protect these two, he could have unleashed his full power and killed several of them. But the moment he struck out, the defense would shatter.
He had a chance of escaping on his own, but Li Hao and the Bright Light Sword would have none.
Hong Yitang clenched his teeth!
He had to wait for an opportunity.
He had to wait for Li Hao, wait for the Bright Light Sword to revive. Only then would they have a chance to turn defeat into victory; otherwise... they could only find a way to flee.
He trusted that Li Hao was not wasting his efforts.
He also trusted that the Bright Light Sword would not collapse so easily. With the Spring of Life inside her, given enough time, she would surely recover some combat strength.
Just as the two of them trusted that he could maintain his defense to the very limit.
"Haah!"
Roaring once more, instead of compressing his defensive perimeter, he expanded it. The others retreated with the momentum, cold sneers surfacing in their eyes.
You can't hold out much longer!
By this point, Li Hao had roughly organized his five-force framework, but time was too short to perform a thorough fusion.
He did not mind.
Rough was good enough.
Upon the small sword, the five forces rapidly merged. The Starry Sky Sword trembled faintly. Li Hao employed the Sword Nourishing Technique, drawing the five forces inward until the sword grew slightly dim and ceased its trembling.
Nourish a single strike!
He opened his eyes and looked at the thirteen people surrounding them, fixing his gaze on Xu Zhen. If this man died... it might produce a very different outcome.
Black Panther had likely been searching for an opportunity as well.
As long as Xu Zhen died and his people broke into a rout, Black Panther would surely seize the moment.
At that instant, Li Hao swung his sword and charged outward again!
Light and fluttering, just like willow catkins.
Just like before, Li Hao burst out of the defensive circle and was instantly met with attacks from all sides. The blows caused his silver armor to violently shudder, partially retracting into his body and exposing his flesh.
Silver armor had its defensive limits as well.
At present, Li Hao clearly could not draw out its full potential.
The Willow Catkin Sword struck again.
With a sharp clang, it was deflected by someone's fist.
With a thunderous boom, another person reached out to grab Li Hao's arm, intending to seize the divine sword.
Li Hao countered with a backhand strike, but the blow was light and powerless.
After thrusting a few times, Li Hao swiftly retreated back into the defensive circle.
The others felt a twinge of regret, but they were in no hurry. Li Hao's lethal threat here was truly negligible.
Aside from the two mid Rising Light experts who needed to exercise a bit of caution, the rest were not particularly concerned.
"Hong Yitang, stop being obstinate!" someone shouted—it was Qian Feng, the general from the King of Pingyuan's household and one of the two metamorphosis-stage experts. "Withdraw now, have Li Hao surrender the Li family's divine sword, and have the Bright Light Sword surrender the Wind-Chasing Boots... and all three of you can live. Otherwise... I'm afraid not one of you will walk away!"
Hong Yitang said nothing.
At this moment, he seemed to sense something from Li Hao's sword intent.
It was a sign... of an impending explosion.
Li Hao wanted to kill someone.
Could he do it?
Hong Yitang did not know.
However, he did not mind creating an opening for Li Hao.
As Qian Feng's words fell, Hong Yitang let out a low roar and seemingly abandoned his defense entirely. He slashed out with a sword strike that tore heaven and earth asunder; seawater collapsed, and the sea itself seemed to cave in.
Everyone was startled, and several experts at the front quickly backed away.
A few weaker ones, however, were half a step slower in retreating.
In the next instant, Hong Yitang pulled back his sword and resumed his defense, infuriating the attackers into cursing inwardly.
He was just bluffing!
Those top experts also cursed among themselves. Everyone was so afraid of dying; no wonder they were having such a hard time taking these people down.
At this moment, several late and mid Rising Light experts were left at the very front because they had retreated slightly slower.
Li Hao's eyes flickered, seizing the tactical opening in an instant.
Working with martial masters was truly comfortable.
Hong Yitang was simply too skilled at creating opportunities.
The instant the other experts retreated, Li Hao charged out. Xu Zhen and the others in front did not pay it much heed; it was not the first time Li Hao had charged out, and as long as it was not Hong Yitang, they were unconcerned.
Just then, Li Hao suddenly roared fiercely.
"Die!"
A roar like a tiger descending the mountain shook their eardrums.
A formidable divine intent erupted violently. In that instant, they saw a myriad of visions—mountains, waters, tigers, trees...
The fluttering Willow Catkin Sword remained deceptively light.
Yet this time, like a venomous viper, the sword drifted forth to lock onto a single target, clamping onto the green mountain without letting go, present everywhere and inescapable.
Five colors of light radiated in all directions.
The seawater churned violently, massive waves surging. With a thunderous boom, the current pushed Xu Zhen a step forward. Xu Zhen's expression shifted slightly, and he kicked out, intending to send Li Hao flying just as he had done before.
Yet this time, when the kick landed, only a dull crash rang out. Li Hao remained completely motionless!
"Be careful!"
The white-haired elder farther back cried out in shock and roared, stepping forward swiftly to throw a punch!
Li Hao's sword did not appear fast, yet drawing and slashing took only an instant.
A single sword slashed down!
Xu Zhen felt as though branches—no, sword beams—were everywhere. In that moment, he could not tell where the weakness in Li Hao's swordsmanship lay. He roared, attempting to shatter the sword radiance, but a sudden sharp pain struck his right leg. Li Hao's left fist smashed out, making him stumble slightly and causing the right leg that had just kicked Li Hao to crack.
At that exact instant, the spiderweb-like sword radiance descended upon him.
The sword light flashed and vanished!
In the next moment, Xu Zhen leaped away from Li Hao, a look of shock on his face that quickly turned into loud laughter: "You little beast, you certainly have some tricks, daring to ambush me like that!"
Li Hao also retreated immediately, panting slightly as he began nourishing his sword momentum once more.
Xu Zhen laughed heartily, lingering fear still clinging to him.
Behind him, both the white-haired elder and the middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief and quickly closed in around Xu Zhen. They had been scared out of their wits just now. Fortunately, Li Hao's sword had looked dangerous, but it lacked real lethality.
The young duke was fine.
If anything happened to him, considering that Xu Feng had only recently died, the Bright Light Sword had defected, and five great generals had been killed, the Duke of Dingguo's Residence would truly erupt in fury.
The others glanced at Xu Zhen as well.
At first, no one paid it much attention.
However, someone soon let out a gasp of surprise. The Governor of Linjiang turned his head to look at Xu Zhen. At that moment, Xu Zhen was still rejoicing and mocking Li Hao for being all thunder and no rain.
During that sword strike earlier, he thought he wouldn't be able to dodge, yet it had suddenly dissipated.
He was completely fine!
Yet gasps of bewilderment began to rise all around. Beside him, the white-haired elder had not noticed at first, but his expression suddenly shifted drastically.
The retreating Xu Zhen looked at the elder, slightly stunned. What is that expression?
"Y-Young Duke..."
The elder stammered, staring at Xu Zhen with eyes filled with horror.
Bloody lines gradually appeared across Xu Zhen's face, spreading like a spiderweb as his skin began to crack.
Xu Zhen did not even feel any pain. He merely felt an itch on his face... and reached up to scratch it. With that single scratch, his face instantly caved in, and his hand fractured into spiderweb fissures as well.
Like fine porcelain, countless cracks spread across him in an instant.
Chunks of flesh and blood began falling away.
"No... impossible..."
Xu Zhen panicked. How was this possible? He had clearly been fine!
This sight immediately drew the shocked gazes of everyone present.
Right at that moment, Li Hao reappeared silently, his sword blanketing a mid Rising Light supernatural who had turned to look. Hong Yitang seized the chance to roar again, thrusting his sword forward as he abandoned all defense.
The others were still staring at Xu Zhen. By now, Xu Zhen was like a porcelain doll completely shattering, his entire person disintegrating into thousands of fragments that tumbled into the sea.
The white-haired elder and the burly middle-aged man were petrified, their heads spinning with dizziness!
In that moment, they didn't even have the presence of mind to care about anyone else.
And this was Li Hao's opportunity.
"Kill!"
A sword slashed down. No longer soft and gentle, it was overwhelmingly fierce, erupting with a deafening blast. Just as the mid Rising Light expert was about to flee, he felt himself entangled by countless branches, freezing him for a split second.
That single split second was enough to claim his life.
The sword descended. His death was far cleaner and swifter than Xu Zhen's; in the blink of an eye, the Starry Sky Sword sheared him clean in two!
In that brief instant, Li Hao had killed two people with two strikes.
Meanwhile, Hong Yitang had abandoned his defense, unleashing his power in an instant. A majestic, crushing sword crashed down; the other mid Rising Light expert had virtually no power to resist and was crushed into a lump of flesh before exploding with a loud bang!
Hong Yitang immediately resumed his defense, and Li Hao retreated back into the protective circle in the blink of an eye.
In mere moments, the remaining attackers scrambled backward.
Yet by now, everyone's expressions had warped.
Dead!
Xu Zhen was dead, and two mid Rising Light experts had been slaughtered in an instant. Thirteen had suddenly become ten...
These developments had unfolded far too quickly.
"Young Duke!"
The white-haired elder grew frantic, grabbing at the falling chunks of flesh in near collapse. Xu Zhen was actually dead, and in such a horrific manner—literally carved into thousands of pieces!
If word reached home... even if the residence had suffered immense losses, would the Duke of Dingguo spare the two of them?
The white-haired elder glanced at the middle-aged man, who also looked pale and looked back at him.
Both of them were powerful experts—one at peak Rising Light, the other at late Rising Light. Both were unharmed, yet Xu Zhen, the legitimate heir of the ducal estate, had been slain. How could they possibly answer for this?
No matter what... they could not stay here any longer.
The two instantly reached a decision.
Regardless of whether they were returning to plead guilty or simply fleeing for their lives, they could not remain.
In an instant, they snatched Xu Zhen's storage ring, gathered some of the remains, turned, and fled.
They were decisive, choosing to escape immediately.
Yet in the next moment, a paw suddenly shot out from the water, aiming straight for the middle-aged man's crotch. With a sharp crack, the man looked down in disbelief—his lower body had nearly been pierced through by the claw!
Before he could react, a canine maw appeared, snapping shut with a crunch that severed him in two at the waist!
Boom!
The white-haired elder threw a punch that knocked Black Panther back, but the dog dragged half of the middle-aged man's body underwater, and bright red blood soon bubbled to the surface.
A moment later, the dog resurfaced, a vicious glint in its eyes as it stared at the stunned white-haired elder.
Just as Li Hao had expected, though Black Panther had not engaged in many battles, its grasp of combat timing was top-tier.
This rapid succession of events left everyone stunned.
In the blink of an eye, four experts had died.
And the one who had tried to flee was now locked in a standoff with a dog!
What... was this?
Hong Yitang, who had just weathered the siege, could finally catch his breath. He looked at Li Hao with a hint of gratification. This kid truly did not disappoint.
Although they had only eliminated the weakest among the group while the strongest remained,
without those subordinates, the threat posed by the remaining experts was drastically reduced.
Of the thirteen, four were dead, and one was tangled with Black Panther in the distance. Only eight remained here.
This chain of upheavals caused a stir among the group.
The Governor of Linjiang took on a solemn expression, glancing around with a desire to retreat.
Yet he feared that retreating now would turn him into their prime target.
"The Earth-Overturning Sword, the Demon Sword... they truly live up to their reputations!"
The Governor of Linjiang spoke with utmost gravity once more: "Since things have come to this... let us leave the matter here..."
Aside from him, none of the remaining eight experts uttered a word.
All of them were pale with shock.
How could Li Hao instantly kill a late Rising Light expert? And where had that dog come from?
Their previous plan to grind them down had fallen apart in an instant.
Now, regret began to creep into their minds.
Right then, a burly expert sent a voice transmission: "Join hands and go all out, and we can still win! Don't you want the Li family's divine sword and the Wind-Chasing Boots anymore? With a few dead, there are fewer people to divide the spoils!"
That was the expert from Futu Mountain.
Evidently, Li Hao's attacks had failed to intimidate him.
He still wanted to try!
The prerequisite was that the two metamorphosis-stage experts had to be willing to go all out.
***
At this moment, a voice sounded in Li Hao's ear: "Li Hao, leave the two metamorphosis-stage experts to Hong Yitang. I'll take the three peak Rising Light experts... Can you handle the three late Rising Light experts?"
It was the voice of the Bright Light Sword.
She had awakened, but her injuries were likely still severe. Even so, she offered to take on three peak Rising Light experts, leaving Li Hao to intercept or kill the three late Rising Light experts.
Li Hao's eyes flickered, and he replied via voice transmission, "Alright!"
He would give it a try!
As for whether it would work, who knew?
Defending endlessly and reacting passively was not the way of a swordsman.
In the next instant, the three reached an accord.
Just as the enemies were still hesitating over whether to retreat or press on... sword light flared!
Boom!
The trio gave them no time to deliberate, nor any chance to retreat.
Hong Yitang was positively exhilarated, cursing aloud, "A bunch of cowards! If not for protecting these two... I would have butchered a few of you long ago to satisfy the itch!"
He was no saint!
Back then, to acquire Blood God Seeds, he had personally slaughtered his way into the Central Region. If Li Hao thought he was benevolent... Li Hao was utterly blind.
A sword strike shook the void!
Heaven and earth spun. In the blink of an eye, the Governor of Linjiang and the royal guard commander found their vision darkening, swept into an enclosed space. Hong Yitang declared ruthlessly, "You two are fighting me here today. Either you die, or... I die!"
Buzz!
Sword energy pierced the air. The two experts' faces changed dramatically, and they no longer held anything back. Powerful energy erupted as the Governor of Linjiang drew a saber and Qian Feng wielded a spear—both wielding Origin God Armaments, unleashing power far greater than before in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the three clashed, churning the sea into a frenzy.
Not far away, though the Bright Light Sword was still pale, her sword swept out, illuminating the world in brilliant radiance. Her expression was icy cold: "Black Widow, along with that North Sea pirate and the fellow from Futu Mountain... none of you three are leaving!"
Orange Moon, who had concealed her identity all this time, finally spoke with a solemn tone: "Bright Light Sword, how much longer can you keep this up? We were already prepared to withdraw, yet you insist on pursuing us..."
"Black Widow, have you forgotten who we are?"
She hadn't forgotten!
In an instant, Orange Moon unleashed her power. With a thunderous boom, thousands of spider silk threads burst forth, piercing through the void. Of course she hadn't forgotten; as a Silver Moon martial master, she knew the ways of these people all too well.
Who could have guessed that these people would turn the tables in a flash?
As thousands of silk threads pierced the void, the Black Widow shouted, "Her wounds haven't healed! Kill her!"
The other two attacked swiftly, their strikes ruthless.
The moment the three joined forces, an opening appeared in the Bright Light Sword's technique.
Yet at that exact split second... Orange Moon let out a fierce shout, leaping into the air as she unleashed thousands of thread-like sword beams as though intending to strike down the Bright Light Sword, only for them to abruptly scatter.
The Black Widow took to the air and vanished from the spot in an instant.
As a Silver Moon martial master and one of the Thirty-Six Heroes—even if some claimed her ranking back then had been inflated by her beauty—she possessed her own means of survival.
The moment the Earth-Overturning Sword and the others chose to counterattack, she knew the earlier opportunity was gone!
This group was not unified, and amid their scheming, none were willing to exert themselves. Now that they were being picked off one by one, what chance was left?
She chose to flee!
In a flash, she vanished from everyone's sight.
The Bright Light Sword frowned slightly, seemingly anticipating this choice. Glancing toward the Earth-Overturning Sword and Li Hao nearby, she did not pursue, instead swinging her sword toward the two petrified peak Rising Light experts.
Those two were close to losing their minds!
The Black Widow... had actually fled in an instant!
***
On Li Hao's side:
Among the three late Rising Light experts, one belonged to Yama and one to Feitian, while Li Hao did not recognize the third. The members of Yama and Feitian were easy to identify.
Li Hao paid no heed to the other battlefields.
A sword struck out, the five forces harmonizing. The three experts resisted fiercely, continuous explosions ringing out!
Taking on three alone, Li Hao was clearly at a slight disadvantage.
Yet Li Hao did not care. He was not afraid of getting injured, not even of losing limbs. His Willow Catkin Sword enveloped the three like a giant net, denying them any chance of escape.
His strikes were soft and ceaseless, while the three countered frantically, their furious bellows echoing without pause.
In this moment, sword radiance swept across the North Sea!
Among the three swordsmen, Li Hao was the weakest, yet his swordsmanship was the sharpest. Seemingly gentle, every strike was aimed straight for their lives.
Hong Yitang was as grand and imposing as ever, suppressing the two metamorphosis-stage experts until they were forced back, roaring in frustration.
The Governor of Linjiang's bellow echoed across the sea: "Hong Yitang... you dare kill me? If I die here, the consequences are more than you can bear!"
Boom!
A sword strike pressed down, nearly crushing him to pieces. Fan Chang roared again, wildly slashing with his saber, while the other man brandished his spear across heaven and earth without speaking much.
At this point, threats and intimidation were entirely meaningless.
Fan Chang had resided in high positions for too long and had forgotten this truth.
Why would these Silver Moon martial masters care about such things? They wouldn't even converse with their foes.
Silver Moon martial masters typically only spoke after the killing and fighting were done... to converse with the corpses.
Across the three—or rather, four—battlefronts,
the first to conclude her fight was the Bright Light Sword.
Radiant sword energy traversed heaven and earth, illuminating the void. With a massive drone, Duke Pinghai of the North Sea pirates was slain on the spot.
The expert from Futu Mountain had no choice but to roar, "I am the younger brother of the Futu Mountain Lord...!"
His elder brother was the Lord of Futu Mountain!
One of the supreme figures of the contemporary era.
The Bright Light Sword slashed down, her strike shattering his head with a thunderous crash as she spoke coldly, "The Futu Mountain Lord? I believe I know him. He's that fellow who called himself King Futu back then, isn't he? He charged from the west into Silver Moon, only for Yuan Shuo to break both his arms, shave him bald, and hang him near the Silver Moon boundary marker. I thought he had died long ago; I didn't expect him to still be alive... That fellow Yuan Shuo always leaves troubles behind!"
Unfortunately, the man before her was already dead and could no longer hear her words.
In the distance, taking advantage of the three experts' panic and distraction, Li Hao struck out with his gold sword force, tearing the Feitian elder to shreds with a thunderous roar!
With a backhand punch, a massive tiger manifested with a roar and swallowed another whole. The third expert, terrified out of his wits, fled into the void—only for the Bright Light Sword's strike to pierce through heaven and earth, pinning him dead in the empty air!
Farther away, the two metamorphosis-stage experts experienced a drastic change of expression.
At that moment, a dark glint flashed in Fan Chang's eyes. Just as Hong Yitang slashed out, Fan Chang suddenly hurled an object. The instant it appeared, it detonated with an earth-shattering boom!
The terrifying explosion obliterated the seawater in all directions, creating a massive void.
Coughing blood continuously, Fan Chang seized the opportunity to flee.
His eyes were filled with sullen gloom.
The treasure was gone.
He had acquired it from a ruin. According to the inscriptions, it was an immensely powerful relic from the past—an energy bomb, said to have slain countless experts during the ancient civilization era.
He had obtained three of them and used two, each time taking down a top-tier expert.
Yet today... it had been used merely to escape with his life.
Sure enough, despite the bomb's terrifying power, a sword beam shot straight out from the heart of the blast within the sea, severing one of Fan Chang's arms with a clean slice.
Fan Chang did not even look back, fleeing the scene as if the severed arm did not belong to him.
Severing an arm to preserve one's life—as a governor, he understood the balance of gains and losses.
The expert from the King of Pingyuan's household was also caught in the explosion, coughing blood from severe injuries. Looking in the direction Fan Chang had fled, he sighed. That bastard... if we had kept fighting, Hong Yitang wouldn't have had an easy time of it even if we lost.
Yet he chose to run!
His cloak was torn, revealing a weathered face. Looking at Hong Yitang, he coughed up blood continuously and laughed, "His Highness will avenge me... Earth-Overturning Sword, you can hide no longer!"
"The King of Pingyuan is strong, but he had better deal with the three commanders first!"
Hong Yitang coughed blood as well, bringing his sword down!
Boom!
With a resounding blast, Qian Feng blew apart, yet his voice still echoed through the air: "Hou Xiaochen and those traitors... won't live much longer!"
The Martial Guard Army, built single-handedly by the King of Pingyuan, had been usurped by those three traitors!
As a loyal subject of the royal estate, he despised them intensely, yet he was helpless against them. He only knew that not long ago, His Highness had personally intervened to wound Hou Xiaochen and Huang Yu, though unfortunately, he had failed to keep them there.
The battles on all three fronts ended in moments.
In the distance, the white-haired elder knocked Black Panther away with a punch and fled frantically, terror filling his eyes.
Just as Li Hao and the others were about to intervene, a fierce glint flashed in the eyes of Black Panther, who had tumbled into the sea.
In the next instant, a roar that sounded nothing like a dog rang out.
A golden hound materialized. Black Panther's blood boiled, transforming it into an enormous golden beast whose body expanded countless times, snapping down toward the white-haired elder!
With a crunch, even the void seemed to shatter!
A devouring force radiated from its maw.
The elder screamed as he was bitten in two at the waist. Black Panther's eyes were blood-red, looking as though it were about to devour the corpse. Seeing this, Li Hao hurriedly shouted, "Black Panther!"
Black Panther seemed to regain some clarity. Its body swayed, reverting to its original form with a look of confusion. It quickly spat out the corpse from its mouth, plunged into the sea to rinse its teeth with a gulp of water... and poked its head back out, looking at Li Hao with an innocent expression. What's wrong?
I don't eat humans!
I don't know how this guy stuffed himself into my mouth.
Hong Yitang and the others were visibly shaken. Hong Yitang swiftly sent a voice transmission to Li Hao: "This dog... must possess ancient demon bloodline! It was likely provoked just now, awakening its bloodline. Be careful; when its bloodline activates, it seems to lose some of its consciousness..."
Li Hao nodded slightly, frowning.
Soon, a smile returned to his face.
So what if it did?
Looking around, he said with a hint of regret, "The Black Widow and that metamorphosis-stage fellow managed to escape..."
The Bright Light Sword suddenly coughed up blood, panting heavily as she said in a low voice, "I let her go on purpose!"
Li Hao paused.
After a moment of silence, the Bright Light Sword added, "She is a Silver Moon martial master, and one of the thirty-six... so I didn't pursue her."
Li Hao furrowed his brows, but said nothing.
Hong Yitang stepped in to smooth things over: "Even if you pursued her, you might not have been able to kill her. She was a martial master back then, familiar with our methods, and she's one of Ying Hongyue's most trusted confidantes. Her strength is not to be underestimated; she might still have some trump cards up her sleeve. As for Fan Chang, to think he possessed an explosive treasure of such immense power—who knows where he unearthed it. An ordinary peak Rising Light expert could easily be blown to bits!"
Li Hao felt a bit of regret: "It's nothing major, but Martial Uncle Hong's true strength... can no longer be hidden!"
Hong Yitang chuckled. "I don't care, nor did I intend to hide it. Over the years, no one was simply able to force me to go all out. Those who did are all dead, which is why no one knew—it doesn't mean I fear anything!"
In the distance, Black Panther paddled over.
Li Hao looked around and added, "Forget it, it's all the same. There are actually still some experts watching from afar. Someone probably saw the outcome of the battle and has fled by now... This news won't stay hidden! Let's go. We should find a quiet place to treat your injuries, and I need to tend to mine as well!"
"Your five-sword momentum... is quite good!" Hong Yitang praised.
Li Hao smiled and shook his head. "Just stitched together."
Hong Yitang understood immediately and nodded. Stitched together... meaning Li Hao had not truly succeeded in fusing them. Even so, he already possessed the power to slay late Rising Light experts; it was clear that the five-sword momentum had tremendous potential waiting to be tapped.
"That's a good thing. It means your potential is enormous!"
Li Hao, who had felt somewhat deflated, smiled and nodded upon hearing this.
Hong Yitang truly knew how to console people!
The three people and one dog vanished from the spot in an instant.
Of course, Black Panther did not forget to collect the corpses. It was quite worried right now; it vaguely remembered transforming... and nearly eating a person. It feared that Li Hao would drive it away, which would mean no more delicious food.
As a result, it performed its chores with exceptional diligence.
Long after the trio and the dog had disappeared, onlookers finally approached to inspect the battlefield. Sword energy still crisscrossed the void, and several Rising Light experts were even injured by the lingering sword qi.
After a long silence, someone let out a heavy sigh: "The Silver Moon swordsmen... are terrifying beyond measure!"
The world was about to change once more.
One Silver Moon martial master after another was surfacing, each more formidable than the last... leaving everyone breathless.
Chapter 182