Slaying Xu Qing

Yuan Shuo remained overwhelmingly aggressive. Xu Qing, however, gradually regained his composure. Conquering his inner dread was what he needed to do most right now. He knew—with absolute clarity—that at this very moment, he was far stronger than Yuan Shuo. Undeniably stronger! Yet Yuan Shuo still dared to press the attack against him. Why? Because he was afraid! Terrified! It felt as if everything had returned to thirty years ago, to the day he had been beaten into submission. And today might be his chance. "Yuan Shuo!" He touched down slowly and looked at Yuan Shuo standing proud and tall. Gritting his teeth, Xu Qing rasped in a muffled voice, "I’m not afraid of you! Today, you gave me my chance. As long as I defeat you and kill you today... I, Xu Qing, will surely rise to greater heights!" Yuan Shuo sneered. "Are you sure you can? Are you sure you're not afraid? Have you forgotten how pathetic and pitiful you were back then? If your father hadn't intervened, I would have smashed your head to pulp that day... You were just a hair's breadth from dying, Xu Qing. Have you forgotten?" Rather than retreat, Yuan Shuo advanced! He took a step forward. Xu Qing's legs twitched slightly as if wanting to step back, but in the next instant... he held his ground and did not budge. He raised his head to stare at Yuan Shuo. A chilling glint showed in his eyes. "You said it yourself—that was back then! In the thirty years since, I swept across the east and defeated every foe. That is why today, I am the Duke of Dingguo in the east, while you... are nothing at all!" "You could only drag out an ignoble existence under the shelter of Hou Xiaochen and Silver Moon! If not for a few fellows in their Transformation phase scheming to use you to perfect their Five Elements method and their five organs art... you would have died long ago!" "Do you truly think Ying Hongyue couldn't kill you?" "Do you really think Hou Xiaochen and the others could protect you? It was all your own delusion! The truth is, in everyone's eyes, you are nothing more than a tool. Your only purpose was to perfect the five organs art. Even if you never spread it, killing you and studying your corpse would serve just as well!" It was as if he was pumping himself up, bolstering his own courage. He took a step. One step... forward. In truth, this was a breakthrough, a stride across a mental barrier. It was a triumph over the psychological suppression weighing on his heart! Just as Golden Spear had failed to break through Yuan Shuo's suppression back then and now could not shatter Hou Xiaochen's, leaving him stalled and unable to advance a single step, Xu Qing's ability to cultivate to his current level had not necessarily come from breaking Yuan Shuo's suppression either. Over all these years, he had merely chosen to forget Yuan Shuo, choosing mental evasion to sidestep that hurdle. He had never confronted it head-on. Yet today, he had to shatter this inner demon. Otherwise, for the rest of his life, every encounter with Yuan Shuo would leave him trembling in dread. Yuan Shuo raised an eyebrow slightly. He chuckled. "Not bad! Xu Qing, thirty years on the ducal throne has indeed nurtured some spine in you, to actually step forward in front of me on your own... Worthy of congratulations!" Gritting his teeth, Xu Qing took another step forward. "I am one of the top martial masters in this world! My blood and qi are peerless, my physical body invincible, my spirit intent brimming... People like Bright Light Sword are nothing more than servants in my eyes! Yuan Shuo, by defeating you, killing you, and breaking the demon in my heart, I, Xu Qing, will surely reach the peak of martial arts in this era!" With a ferocious bellow, he took the initiative and struck! With his combat power unsealed, he could not afford to drag this out. Moreover, he desperately craved using his formidable might to crush this man—to suppress this monster of the martial forest! *Yuan Shuo, you missed these past twenty years. You missed out on twenty years of brilliance.* *You cannot remain invincible forever!* "Die!" A kick came down, shaking heaven and earth. The ground cracked and ruptured as deafening roars echoed in every direction. Between heaven and earth, it seemed as if only that pair of legs existed! Incomparably formidable! Only at this moment did the Duke of Dingguo truly unleash his full might. Yuan Shuo was the nightmare of this generation of martial masters. Only by shattering the curse of Yuan Shuo could one truly be called a supreme martial master whose martial arts communed with the divine. *Roar!* A tiger's roar resounded through the forests! Yuan Shuo transformed into a ferocious tiger. Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger; between heaven and earth, a bank of clouds materialized, rain pouring down in torrents amidst the howling wind. Five elements, five forces! At this moment, as they were displayed in Yuan Shuo's hands, Li Hao seemed to finally comprehend what spirit intent was, and what force was. This was the Dao! The Martial Dao! This was the true martial path for the people of this age. His teacher had once said that above the Thousand-Battler realm were Land Deities capable of anything, and that spirit intent and force were the keys to that realm. As for the physical body, blood, and qi—if one's force was strong, those would naturally grow strong as well. Li Hao had not truly understood it at the time, and later felt something was amiss: if they grew strong naturally... why were the five internal organs still weak? Yet at this moment, he seemed to understand a little. He watched without blinking. Faintly... he truly grasped some of it. Yuan Shuo summoned the wind and rain, and the power of the five elements drifted in from heaven and earth, partially merging into his flesh and strengthening his five organs. This was... nourishing the spirit to cultivate force! It was also nourishing the body! In other words, what Yuan Shuo lacked was merely time, not that he had hit a wall. Given enough time, he could completely strengthen his five organs on his own. He was actually absorbing the power of the five elements and drawing it into his body. To others, the five organs were nearly impossible to temper. Yuan Shuo extended a hand. A small stone saber materialized in an instant, shifting from a knuckle-duster into a short blade. Clearly his strength fell far short of his opponent's, yet at this moment, Yuan Shuo controlled the five elements and slashed out. It was as if the Great Dao had descended to suppress heaven and earth! A colossal bear emerged from the clouds, stomping down like an imposing mountain crashing down. In the next breath, it transformed into torrential rain, into surging waves, into thousands of sword techniques... "Break!" Winds rose! Xu Qing bellowed in rage. Gale-force winds howled. Though lacking the miraculous transcendence of Yuan Shuo's technique, it was extraordinarily ferocious. The furious tempest swept across the world, shattering the giant bear and scattering the clouds and mist. Xu Qing roared, "Nothing is as real as sheer power! Yuan Shuo, didn't you say that no matter how many flashy tricks one has, they're all useless?" *If that is so, what good are your endless variations?* *You are just as useless!* Yuan Shuo retreated. With a wave of his hand, water and fire fused, detonating the air and halting the gale. Yuan Shuo fell back again! He offered no reply. *Flashy tricks?* These were no mere tricks. How could a waste like Xu Qing understand? This was using minimal consumption to deal with the brute. At this stage, he might get pummeled to death if he fought head-on. He wasn't stupid—why would he charge in for close-quarters combat just to take abuse? Right now, all he wanted was to stall for time. He would either stall until Xu Qing could no longer sustain himself, or stall until that kid Li Hao could move. Judging by the looks of it, Li Hao was still healing and his injuries were severe. Otherwise, with that boy's shrewdness, he would have fled already without needing to be told. The fierce battle erupted anew. From suppressing his opponent at the start, Yuan Shuo was now thoroughly suppressed, forced onto the defensive while deploying an endless stream of tricks. Everywhere the two passed, not a blade of grass survived. Fissures tore across the earth, spreading rapidly. Seawater began surging inland. The surrounding coastline was crumbling. In the distance, towering tsunami waves rolled forward, stirred up by the city-destroying bombs Yuan Shuo had fired earlier. The massive surge was crashing in. As the waves drew near, Yuan Shuo's tiger seemed to grow stronger. A surge of water force erupted vigorously. Right then, Li Hao suddenly leaped up. This time, he didn't use a sword. Instead, he hurled a fist. Nine layered waves channeled the roaring ocean surge, slamming a fist directly toward Xu Qing. Xu Qing snorted coldly and lashed out with a kick, shattering the surging waves! Yuan Shuo cursed inwardly! *You're recovered, so why aren't you running?* *Foolish brat!* Li Hao, however, said nothing. Run? Why run... Old Hong was here! Yes, Hong Yitang and Bright Light Sword had arrived and contacted him. Li Hao's armor had responded. Hong Yitang and the others would arrive shortly, so why run? *I'm going to butcher this bastard!* As long as he and his teacher held out for a bit without being finished off—even if beaten to the brink of death—once the two Silver Moon experts arrived... even if Xu Qing unsealed everything without care for the consequences, he would still die with grievances unresolved! Yuan Shuo seemed to guess as much and held his tongue. Master and disciple both unleashed all five forces. One became a ferocious tiger, the other a giant ape. With a thunderous boom, the giant ape tumbled backward and the tiger dispersed. Xu Qing was indeed unimaginably formidable! Yet... he realized he couldn't kill the two of them! In the blink of an eye, Li Hao pressed his back against Yuan Shuo's. A drop of the Spring of Life rippled outward, and the wounds on both men began to knit together. In the next instant, Li Hao transformed into a willow tree taking root in the clouds. A surge of sword energy gushed forth, pouring into the cloud cover. Before Xu Qing's dazzled eyes, master and disciple pushed the Five Animals Art to its absolute limit. Sword energy and the Spring of Life surged continuously. Not only that, Li Hao reached out and grabbed the stone saber. Meanwhile, the Starry Sky Sword fell into Yuan Shuo's hand. Yuan Shuo swung the sword and slashed! *Boom!* Xu Qing took a step back, dumbfounded. "You can use the divine sword too?!" *Why?!* *How can someone without the bloodline of the Eight Great Families wield these divine weapons?* *The Wind-Chasing Boots have existed for years, yet I could only slowly grind away at them and merely utilize a fraction of their power, unable to truly wield them.* *How can Yuan Shuo do it?* Yuan Shuo ignored him. In the next heartbeat, the boots appeared on his feet, leaving Li Hao barefoot. The Five Animals Breathing Technique was the true reason Li Hao had always been able to use these weapons, but none of these outsiders knew. They all assumed it was a matter of bloodline. At this moment, Li Hao naturally did everything to empower Yuan Shuo. The sword was given; the boots were given. In the next second, Li Hao clung to Yuan Shuo's back like an ape. Circulating the Five Animals Breathing Technique, blood and qi poured into Yuan Shuo's body alongside inner force. Their shared cultivation technique erupted in unison! Dual cultivation! Yuan Shuo let out a mighty roar. The pair assumed a bizarre posture—Li Hao mounted on Yuan Shuo's back, Yuan Shuo resembling a mother beast carrying her cub... or rather, the classic posture of a wolf and a dhole collaborating. The dhole sat atop while the wolf prowled below—the dhole directed, and the wolf attacked. Yuan Shuo's aura skyrocketed! With a ferocious roar, he pounced, unleashing fists and kicks in tandem. Behind him, Li Hao kept one hand pressed to Yuan Shuo's back while thrusting the other forward! Fist like fire, palm like wind. The Starry Sky Sword circled as the stone saber sliced through! The previously invincible Xu Qing found himself suppressed once more. Shaken and stunned, he roared in fury and threw a side kick that seemed to rupture the very void! With a thunderous crash, a fist imprint was stamped into the sole of his foot. His boot disintegrated, revealing a bleeding right foot. Yuan Shuo's arm seemed fractured, but in the next instant, Li Hao extended an arm forward, and Yuan Shuo moved as if completely unhindered. Master and disciple wielded one hand each—one holding a saber, one a sword—dancing in unison! Xu Qing bellowed again! He refused to accept this! He refused to yield! *How is this possible?!* It was true their techniques shared the same origin, but their degree of synergy was absurdly high. Li Hao had practiced the Five Animals Art for a few years, but the prior gap between his and Yuan Shuo's strength meant they shouldn't have had many chances to coordinate in battle. How could their teamwork be so seamless? *Crack!* A fissure appeared on the armor. Xu Qing delivered another kick. Yuan Shuo spun around to expose Li Hao, and the kick cracked the silver armor so violently that Li Hao grimaced in agony. *Teacher really isn't human!* Evidently, Yuan Shuo felt Li Hao's physical body was tougher, his five organs stronger, and he had the armor to boot... Having Li Hao take the kick was safer than taking it himself. *Still... damn, that hurts!* In the next instant, Li Hao scrambled up like an ape, and Yuan Shuo mirrored the motion. The two apes inverted positions, bringing Yuan Shuo back in front. He struck with his sword, and with a crisp crack, he carved another bloody gash across Xu Qing's unretracted foot, nearly severing the foot entirely. Xu Qing stumbled back several paces and landed on the ground, his blood staining the fractured earth. Staring at the pair, a ruthless gleam flickered in his eyes. "The Five Animals Art!" A trace of greed and shock surfaced in his gaze. "The Five Animals Art... can actually fuse martial arts, harmonize origins, and point straight to the Great Dao... Yuan Shuo, you truly are a genius!" He finally understood how the pair could fight as a seamless whole! It was the doing of the Five Animals Art! In that moment, their breathing had synchronized, and their inner force and mental vibrations had harmonized completely. It was miraculous; ordinary shared techniques were nothing like this. This was the unique marvel of the Five Animals Art! Everyone had underestimated Yuan Shuo, and underestimated the Five Animals Art. A technique created back in the Hundred-Breaker era, refined again and again by Yuan Shuo, had become something entirely transcendent. Yuan Shuo grinned like an old fiend. "Heh heh, Xu Qing, do you want it? If you want it, keep unsealing! Just two locks isn't enough! Come, unseal three, four, five, or unseal them all and sever them completely! Only then can you hope to kill me and seize everything!" "The Li family's divine sword, the Zhang family's divine saber, the Liu family's divine boots—they'll all be yours!" Three divine weapons! At this moment, even Xu Qing felt a surge of excitement and impulse, an urge to unleash everything and kill both of them. Indeed, these two were far too wealthy. Not in the ordinary sense, but in possessing three divine weapons alongside the Five Animals Art—these were supreme treasures! Any single one could provoke the greed of the entire world. Not to mention this master and disciple possessed so many. Xu Qing snorted coldly. A radiant glow shone across both his feet, and a colossal foot stamped down out of nowhere like the foot of heaven and earth itself. Yuan Shuo's expression shifted slightly. In that split second, he retreated rapidly. With a thunderous boom, an enormous footprint was stamped into the ground. Yuan Shuo's face turned dark, brimming with fury! "Heavenly Cripple Foot! You killed him and stole his secret art?!" Yuan Shuo was enraged! Xu Qing stamped down another foot, sneering coldly, "What a joke! You, Yuan Shuo, slaughtered so many martial masters. Out of the Silver Moon Thirty-Six Heroes, nearly all who died fell by your hand... I kill one Heavenly Cripple Foot, and you get angry?" "You deserve death!" Yuan Shuo roared in fury, "You bastard! How dare you ambush and murder a Silver Moon martial master! If he died in an open duel or a martial contest, news would have spread long ago. You ambushed and murdered him in secret!" *Roar!* A tiger's roar ripped through the air. Yuan Shuo was genuinely incensed! It was a fury unlike any other. He had killed countless Silver Moon martial masters himself, yet finding out that Heavenly Cripple Foot, one of the Thirty-Six Heroes, had been ambushed and slaughtered by Xu Qing made him angrier than ever—angrier even than when Li Hao was on the brink of death! As the tiger roared, Yuan Shuo advanced instead of retreating. The long sword pierced the air like a tiger's claws, striking directly at the colossal foot! *Boom!* The foot stamped down, cleaving the earth and shattering the sky! Xu Qing spoke with chilling indifference. "I wondered why Silver Moon martial masters were all so formidable. You people have had quite the opportunities. These secret arts are either the essence of ancient martial arts or contain the profound principles of the Martial Dao. Yuan Shuo, Silver Moon martial masters truly have the right to be arrogant... So now, how do you like facing a Silver Moon secret art to end your life?" The massive foot stomped the ground with thunderous crashes! One kick after another drove Yuan Shuo back step by step. Li Hao took the brunt of several blows, feeling as though his internal organs were about to rupture completely. At this moment, he knew... they truly couldn't beat him! This Heavenly Cripple Foot was terrifyingly strong. Xu Qing hadn't used it before, whether out of caution or fear of provoking Silver Moon's vengeance, but by this point, he had cast all restraint aside. Evidently, Heavenly Cripple Foot among the Thirty-Six Heroes had most likely been assassinated by him, his secret art stolen. Whether Heavenly Cripple Foot had been overconfident or deceived by some other means was unknown. Blood trickled from the corners of Yuan Shuo's mouth. He was driven half-mad with rage, yet felt utterly powerless! He felt stifled! With all five forces fused, he was exceptionally powerful, yet the very first opponent he faced upon stepping out was the mighty hegemon of the east. What rotten luck! Nothing had gone smoothly! Just then, Li Hao's voice reached his ear, weak and frail: "Almost... here... hold on a bit longer..." Yuan Shuo hit the ground in an undignified roll, swiftly dodging the next kick. At this moment, they were utterly disheveled. In the most literal sense, master and disciple were rolling around covered in mud, in thoroughly wretched shape. "Hahaha!" Xu Qing laughed wildly. How could he not be ecstatic? Yuan Shuo, his lifelong nightmare, was being stomped under his feet today, reduced to rolling around like a beggar under Silver Moon's own Heavenly Cripple Foot. He wasn't usually so flamboyant, but right now... genuine joy surged from the depths of his heart. Yet in the next breath, his brow furrowed sharply. In the distance, two martial masters seemed to realize they could no longer conceal themselves. Hong Yitang, who rarely showed emotion, wore eyes as cold as frost as he stepped across the giant waves! "Heavenly Cripple Foot!" Hong Yitang bit out each word. Bright Light Sword was similarly furious, her eyes burning with rage as she gritted her teeth. "You killed Heavenly Cripple Foot? No wonder that fellow vanished without a trace! Even Tyrant Saber had rumors surface, yet there was nothing on him... We thought he was hiding somewhere in cultivation... It turns out you slaughtered him!" Among the Thirty-Six Heroes, Heavenly Cripple Foot might not have been among the very top tier, but he was an indispensable part of the Silver Moon martial forest. Silver Moon's fighters each had their specialties, and Heavenly Cripple Foot's unique art made him a rare and distinct master. Yuan Shuo had slain several powerful swordsmen of the Seven Swords, yet after defeating Heavenly Cripple Foot, he hadn't killed him, knowing how difficult it was to pass on that secret art. The Silver Moon martial forest never took pleasure in severing someone's lineage. As for killing a few swordsmen... in Yuan Shuo's eyes, the Silver Moon martial forest had no shortage of swordsmen; beating them to death mattered little! "Sever the River!" With a thunderous cry, Hong Yitang slashed from afar. This time it was not Earth-Overturning, but the River-Severing strike—a lethal sword meant to execute, not a defensive technique like Earth-Overturning! As the sword struck, rivers were severed. A blade plummeted from the heavens, no longer vast and magnificent, but radiating terrifying killing intent! "Bright Light!" With a low shout, the sky seemed to blaze as if a scorching sun had fallen. Bright Light Sword struck. At this moment, both fighters directly snapped their supernatural locks, fully unsealing their combat power. Across several thousand meters, a devastating sword strike slashed straight through the air! Spirit intent surged like a deluge; sword momentum tore through the soul. Xu Qing was horrified. He shot into the sky and fled immediately, his earlier arrogance vanishing completely. The twin swords were here! What was worse, they had snapped their supernatural locks the moment they arrived, unsealing their full power without hesitation. Unlike him, who had to weigh whether he had enough Spring of Life to repair himself, these two had cast caution to the wind. Consequently, even if his actual unsealed power was greater than Bright Light Sword's, or even greater than Earth-Overturning Sword's... he could no longer afford to unseal any further. As arrogant as he had been a moment ago, he was just as wretched now. He took to the air to flee, but in an instant, a bird's cry echoed across heaven and earth. Yuan Shuo launched himself from the ground, catching up in a flash, and barked coldly, "If you don't die, how will the Silver Moon martial forest hold its head high?!" It wasn't that Silver Moon martial masters had never died, nor that they had never been killed by outsiders. However, someone who dared murder one of the Thirty-Six, steal his secret art, and do so through a treacherous ambush... Against such a person, the Silver Moon martial forest would mobilize everything to hunt them down! At a time like this, no one would speak of rules anymore. "Get lost!" A kick stamped down, shaking the void. Yuan Shuo disregarded it completely and thrust his sword forward. A screeching sound erupted like scraping metal as sparks flared beneath the foot. Li Hao seized the opening to slash with his saber! *Boom!* A massive crash sounded, and master and disciple plummeted downward. Two bloody gashes appeared on the enemy's massive foot. Xu Qing hissed in sharp pain, but could pay it no heed. Just as he attempted to break through, a sword descended! *Boom!* His path of retreat was cut off. In the next breath, Bright Light Sword swooped down. Xu Qing shouted furiously and threw a punch. With a loud blast, the radiant light shattered, leaving bloody streaks across his hand. In the blink of an eye, the two great swordsmen arrived together. Four fighters in three groups surrounded him in the center. Xu Qing's expression turned grim. The battle earlier had been so intense that he hadn't had time to check his communication jade; otherwise, he would have known the two were approaching. Yet Yuan Shuo and his disciple had tangled him up for too long. "Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!" Three shouts rang out in unison. In a flash, all three groups attacked together—three swords and one saber slashing at Xu Qing simultaneously! Xu Qing gritted his teeth, madness flickering in his eyes. *A pack of bastards!* *You can kill Silver Moon martial masters, and you can kill others, but because this duke killed one Heavenly Cripple Foot, you all go insane?!* He knew he could hesitate no longer. In an instant, an overwhelming aura erupted. Five Elements energy flashed across his body as the majority of the chains binding his five organs shattered. His face was ghastly pale, his blood and qi soaring into the heavens. "You... bastards!" He roared in fury and kicked out! *Boom!* The sword momentum shattered. Yuan Shuo and Li Hao were the first to be overwhelmed, sent flying by the kick. Xu Qing... had completely unsealed himself! Countless bones in Yuan Shuo's body snapped. He plummeted to the ground, vomiting blood and fragments of his internal organs. He glanced at Li Hao, who was likewise half-dead, and felt a wave of helplessness. *I got so damn strong... how did I end up barely better off than Li Hao in the blink of an eye?* *Unsealing is truly disgusting!* He cursed internally, glanced at the twin swords, and sighed. *Forget it, I won't lower myself to you unsealed bastards. You're impressive, so go ahead and keep unsealing, you shameless bunch—fight him yourselves!* Yet the twin swords had no fear of Xu Qing. A fully unsealed Xu Qing was indeed terrifying, but the two of them were no weaklings either. Twin swords swept across the sky against the colossal foot, sword lights crisscrossing and flashing through the heavens! At this moment, Xu Qing's expression was grave. Both sides were unsealing their combat power! Neither side dared prolong the fight. Xu Qing had no choice, but if Hong Yitang's group failed to bring him down quickly... they wouldn't have time to seek Li Hao's help to reseal themselves. All three were currently in a precarious situation. Hong Yitang snorted coldly, a ruthless glint in his eyes. In the next instant, a rapid heartbeat echoed through the void. Suddenly, a sharp snap sounded, as if something had broken. Under Xu Qing's startled and shaken gaze... Hong Yitang's aura surged dramatically, surpassing his previous level and matching Xu Qing's own. He struck with his sword! *Boom!* A tremendous roar erupted. The massive foot was sliced open, exposing pale white bone as blood gushed freely. "Hong Yitang!" Xu Qing barked furiously, "You are strong! But if this continues... none of the three of us will be able to sustain it. Snapping our supernatural locks completely is inevitable... Do you truly have to go this far?!" He refused to accept this! He didn't believe the two before him were willing to throw away everything either. Having cultivated to this level, how could anyone accept such an end? Even now, none of them were truly at their absolute peak combat power, because none had dared snap their supernatural locks entirely. They all retained a sliver of hope; not breaking them completely meant there was still a chance to recover. Once severed entirely... there would likely be no turning back. "If you were merely trying to kill Li Hao or Yuan Shuo... so be it. If you had killed Heavenly Cripple Foot in a fair duel, that would be fine too! But you assassinated him in secret, didn't you?" Hong Yitang shouted sternly, "Silver Moon martial masters can afford to lose! If you killed him face-to-face, you would still be considered a man. But you dared assassinate him!" Xu Qing cursed inwardly! *What difference does it make?!* *Even in a head-on fight, Heavenly Cripple Foot might not have matched me. It was only to save time and avoid hassle. You hypocrites make such a fuss, as if none of you ever kill anyone!* *Boom!* Sword qi swept across the heavens again. In the void, the three clashed instantly. With his full power unsealed, Xu Qing's combat prowess was horrifying, yet he was still suppressed by the pair. In the blink of an eye, the armor around his body was reduced to tattered ruins. In the next heartbeat, an armament spirit materialized. The armor's spirit, which had never shown itself until now, emerged—resembling a bizarre earth-dragon beast. Right at this moment, down below, Li Hao seized the Starry Sky Sword. His eyes lit up, flashing with the strike of Self-Severance as he stabbed upward! "Break!" The armament spirit had stayed hidden precisely out of dread for the Starry Sky Sword. But now that the armor was on the verge of shattering, it had no choice but to emerge, assuming the person below had no strength left to fight. Who could have thought... at this very moment, Li Hao would madly charge upward to attack! Xu Qing was enraged! He stamped a foot down toward Li Hao. This brat was courting death. Yet Li Hao's willingness to take such a risk came from trust—or rather, a gamble! A gamble that the twin swords would protect him. Sure enough, in an instant, Earth-Overturning Sword appeared. A sword swept through the air, turning heaven and earth upside down. The colossal foot seemed to stomp upward toward the sky, right where Bright Light Sword was plunging down with a thrust! Xu Qing bellowed, trying to shatter the force. Yet Li Hao ignored everything else. He had only one target: the armament spirit! *Boom!* One sword, five forces, Self-Severance without return! *Boom!* A detonation rang out. The earth-dragon armament spirit showed terror in its eyes. The small sword seemed to see a gourmet treat—perhaps the largest armament spirit it had ever consumed. The small sword seemed to turn into a black hole, piercing into the armament spirit's body and instantly releasing an overwhelming suction force. In the next instant, the armament spirit let out a soul-rending shriek. "The Longevity Sword..." *Bang!* The armament spirit detonated! At the same time, Earth-Overturning Sword struck. The previously impregnable armor—which only the stone saber and Starry Sky Sword could damage, and which had merely shed a few fragments when the two sword masters attacked together—shattered like brittle tofu under Earth-Overturning Sword's strike with a resounding crack! Shattered! This formidable Heaven-grade armor, the very reason Xu Qing had avoided catastrophic injuries throughout the battle, shattered instantly the moment its armament spirit emerged. Fury, rage, and bitter unwillingness flooded Xu Qing's eyes. *Splat!* Earth-Overturning Sword struck again, and Bright Light Sword attacked simultaneously. Under their pincer assault, Xu Qing couldn't defend both fronts. In the blink of an eye, bloody gashes were carved across his body, large chunks of flesh sliced away. From being able to resist initially, he was now clearly defenseless! A chilling glint showed in his eyes. "Must you... die with me?!" *Boom!* At this moment, a supernatural lock seemed to snap completely. A towering blaze erupted, engulfing his entire being. Flames enshrouded Xu Qing. In this moment, he chose complete severance. He left no room for retreat! The lock binding his heart snapped, fire-element supernatural power erupted, and his heart burned furiously. This formidable duke thoroughly abandoned all unrealistic hopes. Leaving himself no way out, he snapped the lock and sneered with cold mockery, "Since you force me to die... we die together!" Earth-Overturning Sword and Bright Light Sword had unsealed themselves, but... did they dare snap their locks completely? Doing so meant abandoning all hope forever! Down below, Yuan Shuo rolled his eyes furiously. Facing such an enemy was truly infuriating—bursting out again and again, breaking a little, breaking most, breaking everything... *Damn it, just what kind of monstrous stage have these martial masters cultivated to?!* Hong Yitang looked at him, his voice calm. "Four supernatural locks... no, eight supernatural locks saturated, is that it? Xu Qing, your dominance over the east was indeed no fluke!" "Flattered!" Resembling a giant of fire, Xu Qing looked at Hong Yitang and rasped coldly, "You are so calm; it seems your confidence runs deep... I'd like to see what backing you truly have! Earth-Overturning Sword, since you forced me to this, none of you will leave unscathed!" Hong Yitang smiled. "You only snapped one. Go ahead and snap a second... let's see if your five organs can endure it... If they can't... you'd best wait obediently for death!" "Death?" Xu Qing snorted coldly. This time, he stomped down, flames scorching the heavens. *Then let's see who dies first.* *Even if I die, I won't let you off easy. What right do you have to talk like that?* *At worst, we perish together!* At this moment, Hong Yitang seemed to be preparing a finishing move. Li Hao, having landed, was also fraught with tension. He glanced at Yuan Shuo beside him, feeling deeply anxious. With so many people joining forces, they still hadn't managed to kill Xu Qing... To be fair, his own survival had depended on Xu Qing fearing death and hesitating to unseal himself. Hong Yitang took a deep breath, seemingly gathering power for a major strike—perhaps also intending to snap or unseal more supernatural locks. In the next instant, Li Hao heard a sky-shattering roar: "Look, look, look at your damn mother! Get out here and kill him!" "Hahaha, I'm here!" A fist materialized between heaven and earth, blanketing the sky and the earth! "Northern Fist!" Xu Qing was shocked! "Hahaha, little Xu Qing, you should feel honored today!" "Don't forget about me!" A long saber slashed across the void, turning the heavens pale. "Tyrant Saber!" Xu Qing broke down completely. His face turned deathly pale in an instant, drained of all color! Earth-Overturning Sword, Bright Light Sword, Northern Fist, Tyrant Saber... along with the Five Animals Old Demon and Demon Sword Li Hao... He let out a bleak, bitter laugh. Perhaps Northern Fist was right: being killed today was an honor. The Silver Moon martial masters had actually mobilized in force together. Tyrant Saber was utterly ruthless. Slicing up from the sea, his saber blanketed the world with chilling intent: "We also wanted to see what it looks like after completely snapping a lock. Now that we see it... it's nothing special!" Northern Fist chuckled heartily. "Rules must be observed. Heavenly Cripple Foot and I didn't get along, but you couldn't assassinate him. If you had beaten him to death face-to-face, I would have applauded... Xu Qing, you should have followed the rules!" *Boom!* A fist imprint crashed down, smashing the colossal foot to pieces. The saber hacked down, instantly severing one of Xu Qing's arms. Even having snapped a supernatural lock, Xu Qing was powerless against four supreme experts joining forces, completely stripped of any ability to retaliate. Between heaven and earth, there was nowhere left to turn. Below, Yuan Shuo rolled his eyes. *Pity I can't unseal myself. I'm so envious... Bah, I mean I despise them! Four against one—shameless!* At this moment, Xu Qing's heart turned to ashes. Right then, a ripple shook the surroundings. In the void, a cough sounded: "Qing'er assassinated Heavenly Cripple Foot and lost an arm; he got what he deserved... Could you Silver Moon martial masters show mercy?" In an instant, a towering wave of fire manifested between heaven and earth, seemingly mixed with surges of water. Northern Fist raised an eyebrow. Tyrant Saber looked into the distance with a faint smile. Earth-Overturning Sword also let out a soft chuckle. "The Third Generation Duke is actually still alive. It seems you have stepped beyond Rising Light. Fully unsealing your combat power and harmonizing water and fire—aren't you afraid of dying right here?" "Father..." Xu Qing sighed and looked at the figure treading through the air from afar. He felt only dejection, without a shred of joy. The Third Generation Duke was a supernatural expert. An expert who had broken six supernatural locks! Yet nowadays, once an expert who had broken six locks unleashed their full might... it was nearly a guaranteed death. Even with abundant Spring of Life, recovery was difficult. In the distance, the wizened old man sighed, "I didn't want to come... but with all of you here, if I didn't step out, Xu Qing would surely die. He lost an arm and snapped a supernatural lock... He can no longer remain a martial master and can only become a supernatural. Everyone, is this price enough to atone for ambushing Heavenly Cripple Foot?" Li Hao blinked! *Holy shit!* The Xu family truly had another powerhouse. Was this the Xu family powerhouse Xu Qing had mentioned, hidden in the ruins? His father! The third Duke of Dingguo, who was said to have died thirty years ago. Not long after Yuan Shuo had challenged Xu Qing back then, this man had passed the title to Xu Qing. Beyond Rising Light! This was the first being beyond Rising Light that Li Hao had encountered in the truest sense—not a martial master unsealing their power, but an existence that had truly broken six supernatural locks. The blindingly powerful radiant sphere was something Li Hao hadn't even noticed earlier; only when the man drew near did it appear piercingly bright! The old man seemed to sense it. He looked toward Li Hao and nodded slightly. A chill ran through Li Hao's heart! *So strong!* This was the first time someone had sensed him observing their radiant sphere. Too many Silver Moon experts had gathered today, forcing even this monster out of hiding. In every direction, experts hiding far away were secretly trembling in shock. The Xu family's foundation had revealed itself! The various major factions knew that some individuals had broken through, but none dared show themselves. Now, the Xu family was the first to reveal an expert beyond Rising Light—the Third Generation Duke. Hong Yitang chuckled. "You murdered a Silver Moon martial master through treacherous ambush... and you think having one person beyond Rising Light step forward settles the score? Old Duke, you think too simply. If the Xu family insists on being the nail that sticks out... then... kill!" In an instant, the twin swords slashed out! A fist and a saber struck simultaneously at one person: Xu Qing! Despair washed over Xu Qing's face. The Old Duke, seemingly well aware of the Silver Moon martial masters' temperament, erupted with the power of water and fire in an instant, an overwhelming momentum sweeping across heaven and earth. "I knew it... Alas, I failed to stop Qing'er back then!" If one wanted to kill a Silver Moon martial master, one could do so openly. No one would interfere, not even Silver Moon. But secretly assassinating someone and stealing their secret art was an absolute taboo. Yet there was no medicine for regret. At this moment, he cast everything aside; hiding his strength was pointless now. Being beyond Rising Light was enough to handle martial masters who had not yet completely snapped their supernatural locks. In an instant, everyone felt the clash of ice and fire! Yet not one of the four great experts moved to intercept him. Every single one of them was intent on killing Xu Qing! It was as if they hadn't seen the threat, as if they didn't care. In Xu Qing's eyes, confusion and unwillingness flared... *Why... aren't they blocking him?* *Do you all insist on dying with me?!* *Even if not all of you, some should break off to intercept my father. Why... are you all trying to kill me?!* In the next instant, he understood. Right at this moment, a massive sword flew from the sky and plummeted straight down. An earth-shattering surge of metal-element supernatural power erupted instantly—grand, majestic, domineering, ferocious, murderous... Far too many intents were woven into it. The sword descended with a thunderous roar. In the very next second, the newly erupted Old Duke coughed up blood and was knocked back, terror in his eyes. "You... you have broken six supernatural locks as well!" A figure hovered in the air, looking down at him. Supernatural power swept across heaven and earth as he stared at the old man with cold indifference. The Old Duke looked toward his son and gave a bleak smile. "The Xu family... shouldn't have been the nail that stuck out!" With a sigh, he vanished in an instant. The figure in the sky watched coldly without pursuing. Xu Qing looked desolate, yet he laughed: "I... am honored!" "Hahaha!" "Dying today was worth it!" *Slash!* A head flew into the air! This supreme powerhouse, the hegemon of the east, an existence formidable to the extreme, was decapitated in this instant by Earth-Overturning Sword! Xu Qing's body detonated with a roar! In the distance, the Old Duke fled swiftly, sorrow in his eyes. His most outstanding son, the entire Xu family's brightest hope to break through boundaries and truly step beyond Rising Light via the path of the martial master... Was dead! He had died right after his own appearance. Killed right under the nose of an expert beyond Rising Light. Yet he... was powerless. He could fight no longer. If he kept fighting, the entire foundation of the Xu family would be annihilated. More and more Silver Moon experts were gathering. They were all rushing madly in this direction. His son had killed Heavenly Cripple Foot, inciting the wrath of all Silver Moon. Otherwise, if it were solely for Li Hao, they wouldn't have gone this far, refusing to rest until Xu Qing was dead. He turned his head to look toward the man in the sky... Sky Sword! A non-martial master who had embarked on the supernatural path and broken six locks. He had actually emerged from seclusion, and judging by his condition, he was far more stable than himself. Why? Midair, the middle-aged man looked down at the crowd, and finally at Yuan Shuo. He said coldly, "I will wait for you at the next realm. Don't keep me waiting too long!" In an instant, he tore through the void and vanished from the spot. Yuan Shuo snorted coldly. "Supernatural boor!" He cursed, yet felt rather dejected. *Fuck!* *I fused all five forces, invincible under heaven, and in the blink of an eye, a bunch of fellows charged over, not one of them weaker than me.* *No—rather, every single one is stronger than me.* *Still... so what?* *Whether unsealed or supernatural, none of it is the proper path!* *Yes, that's it.* He comforted himself: *Without unsealing and without supernatural powers, I am the strongest... None of these people compare to me.* Meanwhile, Hong Yitang smiled, glanced in the direction where Sky Sword had disappeared, and suddenly chuckled. "Time to run! If we don't... experts beyond Rising Light will converge from all sides... The wind is brisk..." "Scatter!" The others laughed heartily, scattering in all directions in an instant. Yuan Shuo grabbed Li Hao, dragged Black Panther along, and quickly fled with them. Having fought to this point, staying any longer meant experts beyond Rising Light from all directions would likely arrive. This battle had seen beings beyond Rising Light emerge one after another; it would likely send shockwaves through the dynasty. And of course, Xu Qing's death would stir up monstrous waves. ... In every direction, various powerhouses hiding in secret were pale with terror. "Sky Sword... has reached beyond Rising Light!" "And the Old Duke... though his condition is unstable, while Sky Sword's is steady. Why?" "The Old Duke was clearly outmatched. Knowing that staying meant certain death, he could only flee. Pity about Xu Qing... If that fellow had just been given a little more time... what a pity..." "Those madmen from Silver Moon all charged out in a swarm, laying bare all their trump cards!" "The Xu family's foundation is profound after all, worthy of being one of the Three Great Families. The Old Duke is actually still alive... and quietly stepped beyond Rising Light... It remains to be seen whether the Xu family will go to all-out war with Silver Moon now..." People conversed in secret before quickly withdrawing. They could no longer linger in this place. Although the Duke of Dingguo was dead, the Xu family had not been wiped out entirely. Next, the Xu family would likely be the first major power to bring all their hidden combat strength out into the open. Otherwise, the east would surely fall into chaos, unable to deter the surrounding forces! And the death of the Duke of Dingguo carried far too many implications. Everyone knew an even greater storm was brewing. ... *Crash!* Massive waves crashed down, swallowing the battlefield. In the distance, the East Sea Bridge collapsed completely. Once everyone had departed, formidable powerhouses of terrifying strength appeared on the scene one after another. They merely observed in silence, sensed the lingering traces, and soon departed. Those beyond Rising Light had officially stepped into the open. It seemed everyone among them would have to find ways to stabilize their condition and prepare for the next shockwave.