Slaughter

Within the void. Li Hao’s body was battered and torn, yet he thrust his sword again and again! One strike followed another in relentless succession! He knew! Even though he could not see the rest of the battlefield, he knew that in this fight... someone would die. Their foes were Neo-Martial powerhouses, living titans who had survived to this day. Even after lying dormant for countless years, they remained terrifyingly formidable. Who would perish? He did not know, nor did he want to think about it. At this moment, only a single thought possessed his mind: kill the Saint before him. A Saint of terrifying might! The Earth-Overturning Sword focused on defense. It enveloped his entire body as all his Dao meridians blazed open. The power of the Great Dao cloaked him from head to toe, committed entirely to defense. From the very beginning until now, he had been thoroughly suppressed. Golden light flickered within his eyes. Again and again, he tried to capture it. To capture the trajectory of his opponent's strikes! Yet... there was still no recurring pattern. His foe had unleashed hundreds of moves and slashed with his saber hundreds of times, but not a single simple cycle of repetition had appeared. This man possessed far too much combat experience. Han Jiang, vice commander of the military. When Li Hao had fought Di Yao before, Di Yao's actions had begun repeating after two hundred exchanges. It was only during Di Yao’s third cycle that Li Hao had found the opening to shatter his physical body with a single sword strike. Yet the Han Jiang before him had swung his blade hundreds of times, and it remained an endless, non-repeating cycle. Did he have any underlying logic to his strikes at all? Perhaps... he did not. If he truly had none, this battle was doomed. Li Hao was certain to lose, certain to die. Was there really no pattern? Han Jiang struck again, forcing Li Hao back with a heavy slash, his brow furrowing slightly. Li Hao’s defense was astonishingly resilient. Given Han Jiang’s strength, it was bewildering that he had failed to hack this junior to death after so much time. And then there was Zheng Gong... Faced with a handful of weaklings, Zheng Gong had actually been pinned down and was now trapped inside that Five Elements domain. Han Jiang had the spare capacity to survey his surroundings. That glance only deepened his frown. Their losses were surprisingly heavy! It was almost inconceivable! This should have been an effortless massacre. Against a band of weaklings from a new era, their side—boasting Saints, Immortals, and a host of Peak Realm experts—had failed to secure any decisive advantage. While their opponents had indeed suffered casualties, Boundless City had lost several directors and division commanders in this brief span of time. An unimaginable result! Back in the Neo-Martial era, such a casualty ratio would have cost the commanding general his head! "Young City Lord!" A furious shout erupted from Han Jiang, laden with irritation. He had failed to take down Li Hao, and Zheng Gong had failed to overcome Yuan Shuo. At this point... tactics had to change. They could not continue dragging this out. Otherwise, even if they wiped out these interlopers in the end, it would not be worth the cost. The casualties were simply too great! At that exact instant, a sharp glint flashed through Li Hao’s eyes. A repetition had finally surfaced in the man's saber trajectory. Was it an accident, a coincidental recurrence, or... the beginning of a second behavioral cycle? He had been watching intently all this while. Hope surged within him, tangled with a thread of dread. The dread that this single repetition was merely a chance occurrence among an infinite array of non-repeating moves. If so... all would be lost. Han Jiang remained oblivious to this. As a seasoned expert, he naturally knew better than to let an enemy predict his moves. Every true combatant went out of their way to avoid fixed forms, ensuring their opponents could never seize upon flaws or anticipate their timing. Thus, from the start of the battle until now, Han Jiang had not deliberately relied on any particular technique. He shifted fluidly, striking purely on instinct and whim, never tethering himself to a rigid routine. He was fast, strong, and possessed razor-sharp reflexes. Li Hao could only defend passively and could hardly scratch him. The only problem was that the young man was stubbornly resilient, making him impossible to kill in a single blow. ... In the distance. Zheng Gong’s face was livid. From the very beginning, Yuan Shuo had been pressing the attack with relentless fury, his fists shattering mountains and rivers without a single pause. He fought as though oblivious to exhaustion, even as the white bones of his body fractured and splintered. Yet Yuan Shuo continued to punch relentlessly! The Five Elements domain locked down the perimeter, leaving Zheng Gong nowhere to retreat. Unlike Han Jiang, Zheng Gong did not rely on speed to evade Yuan Shuo's assaults. Instead, he met them head-on with blow after blow. As a Saint, as the Young City Lord of one of the eight major cities, his pride forbade him from dodging attacks when dueling an inferior. Moreover, Yuan Shuo was not Li Hao, who had slain a Saint before. This old man did not possess the might to fell a Saint. Zheng Gong punched out once more. With a deafening boom, his fist collided with Yuan Shuo's. Yuan Shuo’s right fist was already nearly pulverized, the force behind his blows now generated entirely by his battle force. Under the impact, Yuan Shuo's right fist shattered completely, the destruction creeping up his arm until the exposed bones disintegrated into ash. Yet Yuan Shuo seemed utterly indifferent. Li Hao... had not yet won! Until Li Hao triumphed, he could not retreat, nor could he die! By now, Zheng Gong was thoroughly enraged. A grand seal materialized in his hand—the city lord seal. He, too, had witnessed the deaths among his ranks and was consumed by wrath. As the supreme leader present, his status was even higher than Han Jiang's. If the losses became too severe... he would have a difficult time explaining it. A mere gathering of weaklings had managed to kill several directors and division commanders, along with over a dozen regimental commanders. This was practically equivalent to losing an entire division, if not more! How was he supposed to account for this? How could this Yuan Shuo be so difficult to kill...? And that Li Hao had actually managed to hold off Han Jiang’s onslaught. Zheng Gong knew that if the battle dragged on, Yuan Shuo would die and Li Hao would not last long. But... why drag it out? A cold light flashed in his eyes. In that case, he would use the city lord seal to obliterate Yuan Shuo! When a city lord seal faced an attack from formidable foes, anyone with authorization could naturally employ it to execute external enemies. However, every activation required time to replenish its power, and the seal was no longer connected to the outside world or the Supremes as it once was. Now, whoever controlled the city lord seal held the power to execute outside invaders! Using the methods left behind by the Supremes to slaughter these interlopers... was quite fitting. With a thought, the city lord seal floated into the air. Along its base, small characters materialized: "Boundless" and "Guard the Realm"... This was the city lord seal of Boundless City. Zheng Gong snorted coldly and spat a mouthful of blood onto the seal. Instantly, the small script began to squirm as though coming alive, and a phantom figure started to take shape. Below, Wang Ye’s expression warped in horror. Weeping tears of blood, he roared in fury, "Supreme! These men are Neo-Martial traitors! How can the methods for executing demons be turned against us?" In this instant, he was certain beyond doubt that the Zheng family had committed treason. Since they were traitors, to see demon-slaying methods turned on their own people filled him with bitter indignation! He, too, possessed a city lord seal, but ever since it was used to kill the White Tree, its power had never recovered. With a thundering roar, Wang Ye hurled his own seal toward the Boundless Seal, spewing mouthful after mouthful of blood into it to fuel its might! They had discussed this beforehand: if the city lord seal appeared, Li Hao could use the Starry Sky Sword to block it. Yet... at this moment, where would he find the opportunity? Plans could never keep pace with the chaos of battle! Right now, Li Hao needed the formidable Starry Sky Sword to defend himself and strike his foe. If he diverted the sword to intervene, that might very well be exactly what Han Jiang was waiting for! The moment he discarded the sword to stop the seal from executing Yuan Shuo, Li Hao would surely die! Yet... the Battle Heaven City seal was visibly far weaker. The phantom figure on the Boundless Seal was on the verge of solidifying to strike Yuan Shuo down. Not far away, a flash of agony crossed Li Hao’s eyes. He saw it all, but he had also finally grasped the rhythm of Han Jiang’s movements. In this fleeting instant, two choices lay before him: throw the Starry Sky Sword, which would result in his death, followed shortly by his teacher's. Or the second... ignore it, seize the fleeting combat opportunity, and kill Han Jiang, while his teacher died! How could he choose? Li Hao made no deliberate choice. He could not throw the Starry Sky Sword. With a deadly foe before him, discarding his weapon would spell annihilation for their entire force! If he held on and killed Han Jiang, a glimmer of hope remained. *Teacher... I'm sorry!* Li Hao roared, holding fast to his blade. At that very moment, the Dao meridians throughout his body shattered once more. The more than five hundred acupoints instantly multiplied to nearly seven hundred, each one blazing with radiant light. A sword-shaped Dao meridian materialized! A complete cycle manifested. A divine ability of the sword emerged! He had caught the trajectory. He would slay Han Jiang with a single strike... ... Wang Ye’s city lord seal could no longer hold out. Despair and fury overwhelmed him. The seal contained the techniques of the Supremes, but back then, to grant subordinates maximum autonomy—and because this was a minor world—no spirit had been left within the seal. It could not discern right from wrong; it could only obey Zheng Gong’s command. Yuan Shuo... was finished. Just then, down below, several students from Yuanping Martial Arts University had just brought down a golden-armored warrior. Nine of them had joined forces, and though each had only reached the seventh or eighth tier of the Mountain-Sea realm, they had managed to fell a golden armor. Witnessing the scene above, Jiang Yingli’s expression hardened. A Supreme's technique! A city lord seal! The next instant, Jiang Yingli barked, "Strike!" The nine students exchanged a glance and roared in unison, "Sovereign's decree, suppress!" In that split second, the connection between the nine of them and the origin path of the Bright Star Realm trembled, and characters materialized one after another. "Jiang," "Chen," "Shen," "Wu"... All of them were Sovereign clans! Descendants of Sovereigns! At this critical juncture, they utilized the last vestiges of Sovereign bloodlines within the origin path to launch a protest. In the Neo-Martial era, the Human King and the Sovereigns had governed the realm together. If multiple Sovereigns objected, the Human King might still act willfully, but a Supreme... would certainly take their counsel into consideration. As the characters emerged, it was as if the Sovereigns had gathered in spirit. They ascended rapidly, crashing against the phantom atop the city lord seal. At that moment, the phantom seemed to hesitate. Nine Sovereigns objected! Coupled with the Battle Heaven City seal... the Supreme phantom, which had been poised to execute Yuan Shuo, suddenly wavered. Seeing this, Zheng Gong flew into a rage. "Insolent wretches! Kill them!" Nine descendants of Neo-Martial Sovereigns? He recognized them now, though he was not deeply familiar with them. Having changed their physical bodies, he was only certain of Wang Ye and found the rest unfamiliar. Yet these few had actually managed to hinder the city lord seal. Infuriating! Jiang Yingli and the others trembled violently. Channeling those ancient characters to check the seal took everything they had, leaving them unable to defend themselves. Having awakened too late, their strength had nowhere near returned to its peak; currently, they were merely in the Mountain-Sea realm. A golden-armored warrior, flanked by several silver armors, had already closed in to slaughter them. Jiang Yingli spat a mouthful of blood and gritted her teeth in fury. "A mere branch member of the Zheng family! Even if the direct lineage showed up, they’d have to bow and greet this grandmother respectfully! Zheng Gong, you bastard whelp, you've got some nerve! "Even if your father were here, he’d still have to call me grandaunt!" Her words were no exaggeration. Yet right now, their strength was inferior, and hurling insults achieved nothing. Cursing furiously, Jiang Yingli shot a glance at her companions, her teeth clenched. "Flesh... can be remade! These branch-family traitors have dragged Star Suppressing City's honor through the dirt. Hit them with our ultimate move!" Without a word, the group exchanged glances. In the next breath, their physical bodies shattered, and powerful waves of mental power converged. A weapon materialized before each of them. The Jiang family's warhammer, the Shen family's greatsword, the Wu family's hiltless dagger... These armaments had all been forged from ancient puppets. Every single one was extraordinarily powerful! Their mental essences locked onto one another, and a massive formation materialized in an instant, forming a circle that ensnared the oncoming experts. "Treacherous dogs, how dare you turn traitor? Die!" Though they were merely Mountain-Sea cultivators, they erupted with an indescribably mighty aura—the martial arts of the Sovereigns! In an instant, the nine fused together, releasing an aura pushed to the absolute extreme. It resolved into a colossal hammer that crashed down upon a golden-armored warrior, smashing him into shattered fragments! Golden armor cracked, flesh and bone disintegrated, leaving the golden-armored expert with only his mental power intact. He stared in dazed bewilderment, the red light in his eyes dimming slightly. Gazing at the warhammer and taking in his surroundings... a bitter smile crossed his face. Descendants of the Sovereigns! In a flash, the past came rushing back to him. So... that was how it was! Yet everything had already come to naught. In the next instant, the colossal hammer came crashing down again. The man's mental essence let out a quiet sigh, offering no resistance as the strike descended. *Boom!* The hammer pulverized him to dust. Around them, several silver armors bellowed in grief, "Division Commander!" Yet in the very next second, the giant hammer swept across the void. *Bang! Bang! Bang!* The silver armors detonated on impact, leaving behind not even a trace of mental power. The warhammer in the void instantly dimmed, and faint wisps of mental essence manifested. Jiang Yingli’s illusory figure glanced toward Li Hao and let out a soft sigh... The mental power of the nine students retreated entirely into their weapons. After this battle... if Li Hao died, they might never have another chance to awaken. The origin path had been severed, and no one understood the new Dao deeply aside from Li Hao. Even if future generations unearthed their weapons, there might be no one left capable of reconnecting them to the new path to bring them back. Yet their sacrifice had turned the tide. Weak though they were, they had instantly slain two golden armors and multiple silver armors, shifting the momentum of the battle. The stalling of the city lord seal also granted Yuan Shuo the chance to hold on a little longer. ... In the void. Li Hao had seized his moment. It came silently, without a roar, without fury, without a cry. There was only a single sword strike. Unlike the one he had used against Di Yao, this strike was fused with his battle force, his spirit, his life essence, his everything... Just like the Sword Venerable! Once drawn, the sword never turned back! If the enemy did not fall, he would. Slaying the peach tree earlier had consumed immense energy and required two strikes. Fortunately, the tree's demise had left behind a wealth of immortal power and vitality, allowing Li Hao to recover significantly. Yet now, he chose not to divide his strength into two strikes. He poured everything into a single, all-consuming blow! Han Jiang was far stronger than Di Yao! Back then, a single strike had failed to completely destroy even Di Yao, leaving a portion of his physical body intact. Facing Han Jiang now, how could Li Hao dare hold back in the slightest? A single sword strike pierced the void! Just like Di Yao before him, Han Jiang’s expression shifted abruptly. *Precognition?* He had only just raised his arm to slash! Yet his reaction was entirely different from Di Yao’s. Instead of fleeing, he proved his mettle as a veteran general. Roaring like thunder, he detonated his saber! The blade exploded! In the next instant, his sky-blue armor flew off and detonated with a deafening boom. The self-destruction of two powerful divine weapons stalled the Starry Sky Sword for a fraction of a second, weakening its momentum. Han Jiang wore a cold, ruthless expression. Seeing the Starry Sky Sword tear through the blast and surge toward him with undiminished savagery, a ferocious resolve flashed in his eyes. In the next breath, both of his arms detached from his body and flew toward the sword. The Starry Sky Sword never returned without drawing blood. Then he would give it blood! The severed arms seemed to reshape into a body, instantly forming a silhouette of Han Jiang. With a resounding explosion, both arms burst into fragments, spraying blood that completely enveloped the Starry Sky Sword. Han Jiang panted heavily. By now, the Starry Sky Sword had weakened to its absolute nadir. At the cost of two divine weapons and both arms, he had actually managed to deflect Li Hao’s lethal strike! Li Hao’s face was ashen, drained of every drop of color. Han Jiang... was far stronger and far more decisive than Di Yao. In a split second, he had deployed a three-layered defense to neutralize the sure-kill strike of the Starry Sky Sword! "You are quite remarkable!" Han Jiang finally realized that his attack patterns had been read. Li Hao was truly an extraordinary talent, but the boy had still underestimated the true strength of a seasoned military general. Perhaps Sun Xin had given Li Hao the wrong impression, making him believe that vice commanders were unimpressive. Yet Sun Xin had merely been the vice commander of a minor corps, whereas the Boundless Army was a premier legion. Moreover, Sun Xin had been slain by Zhang An, not Li Hao. Though lingering dread gripped Han Jiang’s heart, a cold smile crept onto his face. New arms sprouted from his torso, though his aura was diminished. His Saint-level presence was slipping, teetering on the verge of dropping in realm. Even so, Han Jiang knew that with some recuperation after the battle, he would swiftly recover. As for Li Hao... he was dead! That sword strike had completely drained Li Hao’s vitality, spirit, and soul. Li Hao simply watched, seemingly overcome by despair, waiting for death to claim him. Han Jiang wasted no time. Failing to kill Li Hao now would only give the boy a chance to turn the tables! The next instant, another saber appeared in Han Jiang's grip, its aura far inferior to the previous one, and he slashed downward at Li Hao! The Starry Sky Sword had already been knocked away! Li Hao had no strength left to resist. Right at that moment, Empress Dowager Shuiyun gritted her teeth in the distance. Her sword suddenly pierced through the void and vanished, reappearing directly before Li Hao an instant later. With seamless coordination, Li Hao caught the blade! This was the personal sword of the Queen of the Human King! Yet possessing a mighty divine weapon was useless without the power to wield it. At that exact moment, a divine character hovered above Li Hao’s head—the character for "Dao." The five divine characters of the Five Elements had been given to Yuan Shuo. The character for "Dao" had remained inside Li Hao's body. In that instant, it seemed to swallow the universe. Li Hao let out a ferocious roar and thrust the sword forward! This strike was boundless in its majesty! The entire power of the Great Dao flooded into his body. The sword of Empress Dowager Shuiyun felt even more formidable than the Starry Sky Sword. As the strike shot forth, an illusory silhouette emerged. It seemed to be a woman whose features were obscured. She mirrored Li Hao’s motion, swinging her sword alongside him. The sound of flowing water echoed across the heavens and pierced the cosmos as the blade struck! Han Jiang’s face drained of color! "Queen Chen..." Yet they were far too close. Having already detonated his arms, his strength was severely compromised. He could not evade this strike. In sheer horror, he bellowed as his newly regrown arms detonated once more. This time, he went even further—everything except his head abruptly exploded! The cataclysmic blast instantly tore Li Hao’s physical body to pieces! Only the lingering radiance of the sword shielded Li Hao, preserving his head from destruction. Both combatants were reduced to floating heads! In that split second, the sword descended. With a sharp crack, it tore through everything, shattering Han Jiang's skull into dust! "Ah!" A bloodcurdling shriek rang out. The head disintegrated, but as the sword’s light faded, an illusory figure swiftly materialized. Han Jiang’s mental power reformed into human shape. Though shaken by the close call, he began to laugh. He had still won! Li Hao had exceeded all expectations by destroying his physical body, but... he was still alive. Even as a remnant of mental power, he remained a Saint-level entity. Li Hao, meanwhile, had nothing left but a head, his eyes hollow. Under such conditions, was it truly impossible to slay a Saint? That useless Saint Di Yao had raised his expectations far too high! Easily dispatching Di Yao in his complete form had led Li Hao to believe all Saints were roughly the same. Who would have guessed the disparity would be so vast? Against Di Yao, Li Hao’s first strike would likely have obliterated his flesh entirely, and the second would have guaranteed the destruction of his mental power! Now, hairline fractures spiderwebbed across the "Dao" character, leaving it unable to offer Li Hao any further aid. Was it defeat? A flicker of emotion returned to Li Hao’s eyes. It seemed... he had lost. He had lost the gamble. Two strikes had failed to end his foe. Had he succeeded in killing Han Jiang and forcefully devouring his Saint Dao body, he might have patched himself up enough to unleash one more blow against Zheng Gong, reversing the battle's outcome! Yet... he had fallen short. Han Jiang saw that profound desolation in Li Hao's gaze and smiled. Tearing through the void, he threw a punch straight at Li Hao. *Disappointed?* *You are out of moves!* At that exact instant, the dimmed little sword behind him seemed to struggle. It was the Starry Sky Sword. The sword appeared to writhe in resistance! It was reluctant, hesitant. Yet... on the blade, a single drop of golden blood emerged—the blood Li Hao had left upon it long ago. A divine character materialized: the character for "Sword." The blade trembled, unable to halt the command. From the day it acknowledged him as master, it should have known... Li Hao was ruthless. His attitude toward weapons had always been the same. No matter how powerful the weapon, he never held it sacred, not even an heirloom passed down through his own clan. The next instant, the Starry Sky Sword erupted with a brilliance that outshone the sun! Han Jiang, who was on the verge of crushing Li Hao, felt the surge behind him. His face twisted in sheer terror as he shrieked, "You’re detonating the Starry Sky Sword too?!" What was that sword? It was the keepsake of Silver Moon, the personal blade of the Sword Venerable! It was the proof of Li Hao's legitimacy, the foundation for earning the support of the old Neo-Martial faction, the key to commanding crucial legacies... and the final hope of unlocking the Star Gate! And he was going to detonate it! It was utterly... unthinkable. Crucially, the Starry Sky Sword was immensely powerful; under ordinary circumstances, it could not be detonated. Li Hao lacked the strength to force it, but the sword had willingly recognized him as master on the day he discovered the Great Dao! A smirk curled upon Li Hao’s severed head, laden with mockery. Was there anything in this world that could not be blown up? If he fell, everything would be for naught. He had not wanted to detonate the Starry Sky Sword either; doing so might compromise the seal itself. But... so what? If he died, the seal could shatter for all he cared. Let the Red Moon Sovereign and those traitors tear each other apart! Li Hao’s lips parted in a cold smile, shaping a single word: "Detonate!" *Boom!* A colossal wave of energy erupted directly behind Han Jiang. An unstoppable force swept across heaven and earth with a deafening roar! Han Jiang’s mental power was obliterated instantly. Even in his final moments, the disbelief lingered. *I was killed by the detonation of the Starry Sky Sword!* The destruction tore through everything. Even Yuan Shuo and Zheng Gong, locked in battle nearby, were caught in the catastrophic shockwave. Because the two duels were so close, all four combatants were struck simultaneously by the apocalyptic blast! Li Hao was shielded slightly, positioned behind Han Jiang’s mental form until it was utterly annihilated. Only then did the shockwave wash over him. The devastating blast threatened to shatter his severed head to pieces! Li Hao struggled desperately. He refused to accept death like this! He wanted to tear through the void and retreat into the Bright Star Realm to escape destruction, but the power remaining in his severed head was insufficient to breach the void. At that very moment, a golden gauntlet came flying through the air. *Rumble!* The gauntlet shuddered violently under the blast. Nearby, the King of Dali wore a grim expression. His hands were now bare, blood pouring from his wounds as he pulverized a golden-armored warrior with a bare-fisted strike. His flesh ruptured continuously, and in the distance, the gauntlet dimmed until its luster faded completely. Yet it had deflected that fatal shockwave! Seeing this, the King of Dali let out a ferocious grin. "Li Hao... you owe me a life!" In that split second, he could have stood by and let Li Hao be blown to ashes. Even if Li Hao survived, he might not have had the strength left to fight Zheng Gong. Holding the gauntlet, the King of Dali might have had a chance to escape or mount a counterattack. Yet at the final moment, he had chosen to throw the gauntlet, even knowing it would fall into dormancy after taking the hit. Just like Empress Dowager Shuiyun, who had not hesitated to send the Queen’s sword to Li Hao. Since they were here, since they were fighting side by side, and since matters had reached this point... they might as well stake it all on this gamble! Li Hao’s severed head gasped raggedly. Beneath it, his flesh began to slowly regenerate. Before him, the Queen's sword and the Batian Emperor gauntlet fell to the ground, drained of all light. And the Starry Sky Sword... the blade that had accompanied him to this day was gone. Of course, Han Jiang was gone as well! That formidable Saint had only been at the early Saint stage, yet the price Li Hao had paid to kill him far exceeded what it had taken to slay Di Yao. Back then, even without Zhang An, Li Hao could have brought down Di Yao. This time... without the aid of the King of Dali and Empress Dowager Shuiyun, he could not have killed his foe. Even detonating the Starry Sky Sword would have resulted in mutual destruction at best! This was the true combat power of a veteran Neo-Martial warrior. Han Jiang’s mental power had been wiped out, yet his origin path endured. At that moment, his voice echoed faintly from the void: "We... shall all return!" As long as the Dao remained! They still held the hope of resurrection. They would not perish so easily! ... Nearby. Yuan Shuo and Zheng Gong were both coughing up blood. Zheng Gong looked terribly haggard, while Yuan Shuo was almost entirely destroyed, reduced to a pile of battered, fractured bones. Yet the grim look on Zheng Gong’s face suddenly faded, replaced by a dark smile. Han Jiang was dead, and the Peach Guardian was dead... Two Saints had fallen! However... Li Hao was completely crippled, Yuan Shuo was utterly ruined, the King of Dali's Batian Emperor gauntlet was drained, Empress Dowager Shuiyun's sword was spent, the Sovereign descendants had fallen silent, and Wang Ye’s city lord seal had accomplished nothing... All of the enemy's trump cards, every single resource they possessed, had been thoroughly exhausted! At this moment, he was invincible! Though he was wounded, his injuries were not fatal. No matter how madly Yuan Shuo had fought... the old man had never possessed the power to kill a Saint. "Truly impressive!" Zheng Gong suddenly chuckled, breaking the silence. It really was astonishing! With such strength, fueled by sheer madness and the sacrifice of multiple divine weapons, they had actually taken down two Saints. Ahead of him, Yuan Shuo appeared entirely dead. The bleached bones were shattered into fragments, piled together in a heap. No one could believe there was any life left in them. All around, the fighting still raged. Within the city, the main army had already arrived. At this juncture, the Silver Moon raid seemed to have ended in failure. Though they had slain many golden and silver armors, countless Silver Moon martial masters had also fallen. The King of Dali and Empress Dowager Shuiyun had each finished off their opponents, their bodies battered and drenched in blood. Both looked surprisingly calm; the battle had already exceeded all expectations. They seemed to have no complaints about the outcome. The only tragedy was that three Saints had been stationed inside the city! Had there been just one fewer... had there been only two... they would have won! Yet there were three. Many looked up toward the sky. Some smiled faintly, muttering a curse under their breath. Qian Wuliang, for instance, cursed quietly, though it was unclear whom he was cursing—perhaps Li Hao. If they had decided to attack the Hong family’s main city back then, victory would have been guaranteed! The Hong family was not a clan of traitors. There was likely only a single Saint in their city, perhaps not even fully revived. Slaying him would have been easy, and a total victory well within reach. Yet Li Hao had insisted on striking the Zheng family’s ancient city! Three Saints at the peak of their power... Even with an ambush, they had only managed to kill one. How could they not lose? Qian Wuliang even thought that had they marched on Battle Heaven City... they might have won as well! The odds would have been high! Seizing Battle Heaven City... might have yielded an entirely different outcome. *Governor Li, in the final hour, you staked your life on a desperate gamble, yet you still insisted on clinging to righteousness... Once you're dead, all that righteousness means nothing.* *Only the living can speak of righteousness, can they not?* His ambitions, all his aspirations, seemed to have turned to ash. So Qian Wuliang reflected. And... Zhang An truly hadn't come. *Governor!* *Did you foresee this?* A self-deprecating smile touched his lips. He was terrified of death, and he had done certain things behind Li Hao’s back. For example, when Li Hao took the "Dao" character, Zhang An was supposed to be trapped in the ruins. Yet... at the moment of parting, Qian Wuliang had secretly handed Zhang An a physical body stolen from the Heavenly Star ruins. If Zhang An had truly been willing, having switched Daos and bodies multiple times before, he could have successfully changed paths on his own to condense a physical form. With the peak Saint-level mental power he possessed, even if he only attained the fifth tier of the Sun-Moon realm and opened twenty-four meridians like Li Hao, he should have been capable of matching a Saint. Yet... the man hadn't come! *Governor, did you expect this?* If Li Hao could fight a Saint, then Zhang An—having swapped his Dao and his body, needing no aid from Li Hao’s "Dao" character, operating under the world’s current limits—could have forcibly shattered several Dao meridians after entering the ruins. Could he not have slain a Saint then? Yet... in the end, he never arrived. Qian Wuliang knew the Governor might not care. *But... I care!* Qian Wuliang sighed inwardly, gazing at the battlefield. So many had fallen. Southern Fist was dead, Golden Spear was dead, Jade Rakshasa was dead, along with many veterans of the older generation. Even that lecherous Thunderbolt Leg had been battered to death somewhere in the distance... This battle had ended in total defeat. ... "Cough, cough, cough!" High above, Zheng Gong chuckled, reaching out to reclaim the city lord seal that had been pinned in place. "The other side has always wanted to exterminate you, but failed... Yet you walked right into our trap. It seems I am the victor. Though we suffered significant casualties, wiping you out makes it entirely worth it." He swiftly drew upon the ambient energy, Spring of Life surging through him as waves of immortal power repaired his injuries. Looking at Li Hao’s severed head in the distance, he sneered, "Li Hao, do you have anything left to detonate?" Li Hao remained silent, his gaze fixed on the pile of bones nearby. That was his teacher. Looking around, so many familiar faces were gone. He then turned his eyes to Zheng Gong, who was rapidly recovering. Zheng Gong did not strike immediately; he remained cautious, wary that Li Hao might pull out another hidden card to blow up, intent on ensuring every defense was secured. Li Hao’s fragile body had regenerated slightly. Without a word, he stepped forward toward Zheng Gong. Zheng Gong frowned slightly. "Are you trying to intimidate me? Even the Starry Sky Sword has been detonated. What else do you have left to blow up?" Li Hao did not reply. He walked forward step by step until he reached Yuan Shuo’s white bones and knelt down. Yuan Shuo appeared completely lifeless. The detonation of the Starry Sky Sword had dealt the final blow, shattering the last thread of endurance holding him together. Li Hao gently caressed the white bones, then looked down at the others still locked in desperate struggle below. People were still dying. He smiled faintly. "I anticipated such an outcome for this battle... I only never imagined that others would die before me... I thought that if I went first, I wouldn't have to see this, and it might bring me some comfort... "I wanted to be like the Human King—as long as I stood, my friends would not fall, my comrades would not die, one man holding the pass against ten thousand... Alas... I could not achieve it. I have truly let everyone down! "Still, having come this far... how could I, Li Hao, accept this?" Li Hao let out a soft laugh. Above his head, the fractured "Dao" character circled continuously. He surveyed the battlefield, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "If we win this battle, I swear I will slaughter every single person beneath the heavens who dares defy my will! Be it Neo-Martial or Red Moon, traitors or anyone else... After today, nothing shall stand in my way! My conscience is clear, and Silver Moon will remain our Silver Moon!" A clear conscience! Martial masters cultivated the heart. His heart owed nothing to anyone now. The people before him were the only ones he cared for, marching forward knowing full well that death awaited... Why should he, Li Hao, care what anyone else thought? Not far away, Zheng Gong’s expression shifted slightly. He let out a cold sneer. "You win?" The next instant, he hurled a fist through the void straight toward Li Hao. A faint unease gnawed at him! Even though Li Hao had no combat strength left, that unease refused to fade. At that moment, Li Hao bowed slightly. "If I cannot revive you after this battle, I will slay every enemy beneath the heavens to sacrifice to your spirits. Once that is done, I will spend the rest of my life finding a way to bring you back. I will not die easily!" With that, he smiled faintly. Suddenly, the heavens split open, and the Bright Star Realm was unsealed! In that split second, the skeletal remains before him surged back to life. Yuan Shuo’s voice resonated through the air: "It should have been like this from the start!" The formidable skeleton leaped straight into the Bright Star Realm! "Don't overthink it! I'm beyond saving anyway. I was just waiting for you to come here, activate the Five Elements, and show the world the might of our Five Animals Sect!" The skeleton plummeted into the Bright Star Realm and shattered into fragments! Five divine characters swept across the heavens and earth! In the Five Elements sector, every powerful Great Dao was swept up in an instant. Yuan Shuo’s voice thundered, "Relinquish your resistance! Let me devour the Five Elements!" In an instant, those below stopped fighting the agonizing sensation of their power being siphoned away. In the blink of an eye, vast reservoirs of the Five Elements Daos were forcefully drawn out. Li Hao sighed softly. Stripped of their Five Elements power, several experts proficient in those paths were slain by their opponents in that very moment! Even Hou Xiaochen was run through by a sword, the fire power within him dissipating instantly. He merely looked at Li Hao in silence, utterly calm, the Fire Phoenix Spear in his hand losing its brilliance. Hou Xiaochen simply watched, a faint smile gracing his lips. He parted his mouth, and with a resounding boom, he detonated! *It seems... I won't have the chance to marry Xiaoyu after all.* Within the Bright Star Realm, Yuan Shuo divided into five, transforming into five divine characters that swept across heaven and earth. His Dao meridians were consumed. Had there been no formidable enemies at hand, the loss would have merely meant the fading of his divine abilities. But with deadly foes surrounding them, losing their abilities meant certain death. Zheng Gong’s expression shifted drastically. He unleashed a punch, but the glowing "Dao" character flared and absorbed the blow. In the next instant, the five divine characters seemed thoroughly sated. They shot back, sinking into the "Dao" character. Yuan Shuo’s voice rang out, tinged with a chuckle: "Good disciple, you’ve already slain two Saints. How about letting your master... have some fun?" "Gladly!" In the next breath, Li Hao’s eyes dimmed, and the "Dao" character merged into his body. The aura that emanated from him was no longer Li Hao’s, but Yuan Shuo’s. A grin spread across "Li Hao’s" face, and he threw his head back in booming laughter: "This old man... can slaughter Saints too!" With those words, he punched out, the Five Elements erupting to shatter heaven and earth. *Boom!* Zheng Gong was blasted backward by the blow. Just as he moved to retaliate, the grand force of heaven and earth bore down on him, and a cage materialized in the blink of an eye. It trapped him instantly. "Li Hao" stepped inside with a grin. "Within the domain of the Five Elements, I am invincible!" A punch! *Boom!* A tiger roared through the forest! Like a ferocious tiger lunging forth, the strike shattered Zheng Gong’s arm. Disbelief flooded Zheng Gong’s eyes; he tried to flee, but found himself pinned! He roared in fury, "Kill! Kill them all... shatter this cage...!" "Heart-Fire Ape, the ape is invincible!" Another punch landed, carrying the roar of an ape, cracking Zheng Gong’s torso. "Kidney-Water Tiger, roaring to the clouds!" Tiger claws manifested, snapping Zheng Gong’s other arm with a sharp crack, followed by another swipe that pierced straight through his chest. Zheng Gong was overwhelmed with shock; every attempt to strike back was instantly crushed. "I have devoured the power of the Five Elements! The Five Elements of the world are mine to command! Even my disciple does not wield them as masterfully as I do! If he can slay Saints, so can I!" The Five Elements surged, compressing the cage. *Boom!* The two were practically face-to-face, pressed against each other. "Li Hao" suddenly wrapped his arms around Zheng Gong, locking him in place, his smile radiant. "The Bear Hug is the supreme art of close combat! Shatter!" *Boom!* A deafening explosion rang out as five grand dragons instantly shredded Zheng Gong’s physical body. Panic seized Zheng Gong! "How dare you... If you retreat now, I will not pursue this... You dare kill me? My father has already reached the Half-Emperor realm! Once the second resurgence begins, he will be invincible throughout the world...! "Li Hao... Yuan Shuo, there is still a Sovereign sealed in this world, the Sovereign of the Red Moon World! If I die, my father will never let this rest! Our only hope of survival is to join forces against the Red Moon Sovereign...!" Yuan Shuo’s laughter echoed from "Li Hao’s" mouth: "Hasn't the second resurgence yet to begin? You can wait for your father to avenge you... but right now... we’re taking our revenge on you first!" "Insolent fools! You were the ones who attacked Boundless City...!" "Li Hao" smiled again. "If you hadn't pushed us to the brink, hell-bent on our slaughter, would matters have ever come to this...?" Zheng Gong’s illusory form solidified, completely panicked. Yuan Shuo had devoured the Five Elements and merged into Li Hao’s Dao character, causing his combat power to skyrocket. Zheng Gong, on the other hand, was well past his peak, his physical body already torn apart. Knowing he was in mortal peril, he roared and summoned the city lord seal, unleashing beams of brilliant light! Right at that moment, the "Dao" character bored straight into the seal. It carried Li Hao’s will, and in that instant, he caught sight of the phantom within. He barked sharply, "Supreme Zhang, will you aid the wicked in their villainy?" The voice of the Great Dao vibrated through the air! Within the seal, the phantom swayed. In that moment, a glimmer of clarity seemed to touch it. The previously spiritless phantom suddenly appeared to gain a trace of sentience, opening its empty eyes as if perceiving through the ages. The seal shuddered, and a barely audible sigh resonated throughout it. In the next instant, the city lord seal abruptly shattered! With a thunderous crash, Zheng Gong’s mental essence wavered, filled with sheer disbelief: "How is this possible... The city lord seal has no spirit..." It was merely a weapon! The Supreme had left no sentience within it. How could it crumble on its own? Impossible! The backlash struck his mental power with devastating force. Li Hao’s voice rang out slowly: "Traitors... in any era, shall receive no aid, only punishment!" Then Yuan Shuo’s voice cut in: "You... may die now!" *Boom!* The punch erupted with the Five Elements, tearing through heaven and earth! Zheng Gong shrieked, then broke into a crazed laugh: "You can't kill me... you can't! My Dao is hidden! You cannot sever my origin path! When my father returns, I will walk this world once more... Li Hao, Yuan Shuo, keep dreaming...!" "I once said that unless someone is a traitor, I will not sever their Dao... But you... must die!" At that exact instant, the will of heaven descended, sweeping across the perimeter as the void trembled violently. The "Dao" character surfaced again, capturing the essence of all things. In the space where the blast had occurred, a Great Dao suddenly manifested. Upon it stood a phantom figure whose eyes snapped open in sheer terror. His Saint Dao had actually been forced into the open! Heaven and earth seemed to reject the path, compelling the origin path to reveal itself! To have one's Dao exposed... signified absolute destruction! The Great Dao writhed violently like a colossal dragon, desperate to flee. But in the next second, the five divine characters materialized, locking it down completely. Li Hao—or perhaps Yuan Shuo—reached out and seized the slender sword resting in the distance. Though drained of light, the blade remained incomparably resilient. He raised the sword and slashed downward at the Great Dao! *Boom!* A cataclysmic crash shook the heavens. The Great Dao crumbled, and Zheng Gong’s desperate, agonized roars pierced the sky: "Impossible... I am a Saint... Li Hao, Yuan Shuo, how dare you sever my Dao...!" *Boom!* The Great Dao collapsed completely! Zheng Gong’s voice vanished into nothingness. This was the first time they had ever severed a Saint's origin path. Among the Saints who had fallen previously, some had severed their own paths, while others had none to begin with—the powerhouses of Red Moon possessed no origin paths. As for the Neo-Martial powerhouses, even if they could not draw upon their power, their Daos endured. Yet at this moment... Li Hao had severed the man's Dao, obliterating any hope of resurrection. Unless the Neo-Martial Human King or an Emperor intervened, no one could ever revive a warrior whose Dao had been broken. The Dao was severed! Silence fell over the entire battlefield for a fleeting instant. At the same time, clarity gradually returned to Li Hao’s eyes. Yuan Shuo’s voice drifted through his mind: "Your teacher is tired and wants to rest for a while... Good disciple... don't be in a rush to wake me, to wake us. We are only sleeping... Once we've had enough rest, we will return... Live well... be good!" Li Hao remained silent, his heart profoundly still. His teacher had fallen asleep. The others had too. They were tired and needed to rest for a time. It was nothing more than that. He gave no answer, spoke no words. He simply vanished, reappearing to punch out—*boom!* A golden-armored warrior shattered to pieces. Li Hao suddenly roared, transforming into a ferocious tiger, his human form disappearing completely! The tiger leaped across the field. With a snap, its claws shredded a golden armor. It vanished and struck again—*crack!* Another golden armor was crushed! Immortal-level combatants were slaughtered beneath his claws one after another. All around, the surviving warriors bellowed furiously, beating the golden and silver armors to death on the spot! Everyone fought like demons possessed. Slaughter and self-destruct detonations echoed relentlessly. Some were enemies, others their own. These Immortals and Peak Realm warriors finally tasted despair. Seeing that all three Saints had been slain, they began detonating themselves, abandoning all hope. Blood sprayed in every direction, and corpses vanished into the carnage. The living soldiers among the tens of thousands in the Boundless Army were pierced through by sword intent in the blink of an eye. Once the living perished, the undead legions lost their direction. Slaughter! In this hour, there was only slaughter. Having transformed into a tiger, Li Hao tore through several more golden armors before finally resuming human form. He punched the space above the city gates. With a thunderous boom, the two characters for "Boundless" shattered. A powerful counterforce rebounded against him, only to be crushed by his fist! The characters for "Boundless" crumbled into nothingness, vanishing entirely! The ancient city shuddered violently, sinking into dead silence. In an instant, Li Hao vanished, and demon plants across the city were swiftly purged! With all three Saints dead, the outcome was decided! Moments later, a profound silence enveloped heaven and earth. Outside the city, scarcely a complete corpse remained, only endless seas of blood and mangled flesh. The survivors were battered and bloodied, standing in utter silence. Only when Li Hao landed did a flicker of light return to their eyes. Li Hao... was still alive! Li Hao remained silent for a long time before speaking softly: "They fell asleep..." "Mm!" Someone nodded, muttering heavily, "Lazy bastards... Still... once we wipe out our enemies and slaughter every threat, we’ll make sure to record a major demerit against them in the merit ledger!" Li Hao nodded and murmured, "Can you still fight? If you can... follow me out. We will strike the western deities like a thunderbolt. While the Five Elements Dao has been drained, I will slaughter the gods! I will wipe out the armies of the divine kingdom!" The survivors looked at one another. Battered and bloodied though they were, they nodded firmly in the next instant: "We can fight!" A brilliant smile broke across Li Hao’s face. Looking up at the sky, he barked, "Then... we fight again!" He left behind an avatar, which took hold of the fractured seal. The entire city began hungrily devouring energy from all directions as Li Hao’s true body punched out! *Boom!* The void shattered. A tremendous force swept everyone into the Bright Star universe. Li Hao traversed the cosmos, heading straight for the Five Elements sector, toward the five Great Daos that had not been completely broken. Those had to be the Daos of the deities! Today, he would slaughter the world! *Boom!* A punch shattered the void, revealing the great city of the gods. The ancient city had been conquered. Once these enemies were butchered, nothing would hold them back!