Outside, the top-tier powerhouse was growing impatient.
Master and apprentice were dragging out their tearful farewell as though Yuan Shuo would drop dead the very next second.
Controlling the Red Shadow, he strained to listen closely to what they were saying, eager to learn whether there were clues about ancient ruins, secrets of the Five Animals Breathing Art, or something of the sort...
He leaned forward slightly and tilted his ear to listen, even if he could barely catch a thing.
At that exact instant.
Inside the shipping container.
Saber in hand, Yuan Shuo coughed incessantly. "Little Hao... re... recite the Five Animals Breathing Art one more time. I'm afraid you'll forget..."
Li Hao kept his head lowered and did not object, murmuring softly, "The human body has thirty-eight thousand apertures. Each aperture is a breath, each aperture a respiration. The Five Animals Breathing Art draws upon the essence of five beasts: taking flight, tunneling through the earth, sprinting, agility, strength..."
He was reciting it.
Outside, the man's eyes flickered with a faint thrill of excitement.
*After today, I will be the only one who knows Yuan Shuo's Five Animals Breathing Art.*
Just as he leaned in to hear more, Yuan Shuo moved.
The opportunity had arrived!
Without a sound, Yuan Shuo raised his large saber, and his blood qi erupted instantly, projecting a soaring dragon of blood qi straight into the void!
He held nothing back, pouring every ounce of his power into the strike. In front of an expert like this, holding back was suicide.
His spirit intent flared!
Like a blazing furnace, a single strike shattered all the ice crystals!
In that instant, the ice crystals coalesced into a cage under the control of his spirit intent, sweeping out to enfold the powerhouse outside.
This was combat experience!
By shattering the ice crystals at this moment, Yuan Shuo effectively disrupted the enemy's counterattack. Even if it could not entirely suppress the opponent's mysterious energy, suppressing it for a mere split second in a duel between masters was enough to alter the course of battle and decide life or death.
The crimson dragon of blood qi instantly vaporized all the surrounding rain!
A single saber slash!
*Boom!*
A deafening roar shook the world as saber light illuminated heaven and earth!
At that moment, the top-tier powerhouse was exposed before their eyes—a barefaced, middle-aged man with unruly eyes and long hair, looking even younger than Liu Long.
Yet he was truly a top-tier expert.
Though blinded by greed, he reacted in the very first instant.
As Yuan Shuo's heavy saber slashed down, the man did not wait to be captured. He let out a low roar and raised both hands to the sky, instantly manifesting a transparent shield above his palms.
The shield erupted with dazzling brilliance like a blazing sun.
An existence beyond the Solar Radiance realm!
Solar Radiance was the pinnacle of ordinary people's comprehension, but he had surpassed that level, making him a titan in any organization.
After manifesting the shield with both hands, he roared in fury once more, stamping his foot so hard that the earth cracked and the surroundings trembled!
"Courting death!"
*Boom!*
A colossal roar echoed through heaven and earth. Under Yuan Shuo's slash, the shield cracked, and blood leaked from the powerhouse's mouth. Yet his arrogance remained unyielding. Having stomped open the earth, he sank his body into the ground.
By doing so, he reduced the hindrance of the ice crystals to a minimum.
Not only that, the moment the shield shattered, a golden longsword appeared in his grasp—a blade composed of razor-sharp mysterious energy, unmatched in its lethal edge.
"Yuan Shuo!"
The man roared ferociously and thrust the sword at Yuan Shuo. The best defense was an offense. He could not allow a martial artist like Yuan Shuo to breach his defenses so easily and close the distance.
Thousand-Battler!
He sensed it—Yuan Shuo had actually advanced to the Thousand-Battler realm!
"Roar!"
In that exact moment, Yuan Shuo roared like a fierce tiger descending the mountain, its bellows reverberating through the forests!
The sonic shockwave blasted through the air, instantly scattering the surrounding rain and transforming it into water arrows that shot outward in all directions.
Behind him, even though Li Hao was not the target, blood trickled from his seven facial orifices from the shockwave.
Once again, the Red Shadow stepped in front of Li Hao, serving as a protective shield... Even now, the top-tier powerhouse did not believe he could lose. And if he was not going to lose, Li Hao could not be allowed to die yet.
If Li Hao died, the plan for the gathering of the eight lineages would remain incomplete.
Yuan Shuo's roar shook the surroundings so violently that even the enemy's mysterious energy fluctuated.
Yuan Shuo's hair turned black in an instant, and his youthful features returned.
In a flash, his long saber slashed out countless afterimages.
"The martial path reaches the divine!"
With a furious shout, his blood qi turned into a great dragon, and the void transformed into a blazing furnace that burst into flames. The surrounding air seemed to ignite, and the long-haired powerhouse felt an intensely scorching heat begin to burn around him.
It was not fire, but blood qi!
This was a top-tier martial master!
Spirit intent and blood qi fused together like a cosmic kiln.
"Kill!"
Yuan Shuo kicked off the ground and launched countless slashes. When the long saber shattered, he retained the hilt, abandoned the blade, and threw punch after punch, his fists capable of suppressing mountains and rivers!
*Boom!*
A relentless barrage of attacks followed. At this moment, Yuan Shuo was terrifyingly strong.
He beat this supreme existence beyond Solar Radiance so fiercely that the man had no time to strike back, forced backward step by step under dozens of consecutive blows.
With a loud thud, a figure flew backward through the air.
Blood splattered across the void!
The long-haired powerhouse was knocked flying, a distinct fist imprint sunk into his chest.
Yuan Shuo pressed his advantage mercilessly!
Stepping through the air, he unleashed a kick that seemed to explode the void itself!
Their duel, which had only just begun, instantly surpassed the battle between the two Solar Radiance combatants in the distance. Under the force of their clash, the rain ceased falling here, the sky turned stark white, and radiant light illuminated everything.
"Yuan Shuo!"
The long-haired powerhouse shouted coldly as his mysterious energy surged forth. All metallic matter in the surroundings began to revolt, instantly turning into ten thousand swords that swarmed toward Yuan Shuo!
It was too fast. Only an instant had passed, yet they had already exchanged dozens of moves.
Yuan Shuo moved like a brown bear. He slammed his foot into the ground, shaking the earth with a rumbling roar as the ground caved in, leaving behind a scarred, devastated crater. Leaping from the ground, he drove his fist forward!
Countless flying metal swords shattered to pieces.
"So what if you're a supernatural?"
Like a demon god, Yuan Shuo whipped his leg out again, sweeping through the void and shattering the remaining metal swords targeting him.
*Boom!*
The two closed in once more at inconceivable speed—so fast that Li Hao could not comprehend the moves, let alone see them.
***
All Li Hao knew was that his teacher had seized the upper hand.
The long-haired powerhouse had spat blood and been knocked back, clearly suffering a blow. How severe it was, he did not know.
***
At that moment.
In the distance, the clash between the Solar Radiance powerhouses abruptly ground to a halt.
Huang Yun was in a sorry state, looking as though he had been charred all over. Yet right now, he paid no attention to his own condition, staring into the distance in stunned disbelief.
Yuan Shuo!
And the other man...
Huang Yun whipped his head toward the figure opposite him, his expression filled with shock and fury. "It really is you lot! Is that Divine Master Duantian?"
A divine master!
It was not a realm, but an honorary title for a Heaven-Blessed Divine Master, signifying someone who was born a supernatural the moment the supernatural revival occurred, without needing to awaken later.
Such supernaturals were almost universally top-tier powerhouses.
This Divine Master Duantian had allegedly become a supernatural twenty years ago at the very dawn of the revival. He was among the most senior and most powerful of all supernaturals.
He had surpassed Solar Radiance!
Across from Huang Yun, the lightning powerhouse's expression darkened slightly as he said coldly, "I never expected Yuan Shuo to have advanced to Thousand-Battler... No wonder you dared to meddle. Bold indeed!"
A Thousand-Battler martial master!
Such a figure was practically unseen in Silver Moon Province. Yuan Shuo was likely the sole Thousand-Battler martial master in the province in recent years.
Of course, while a Thousand-Battler was formidable, his opponent was Divine Master Duantian!
Huang Yun gritted his teeth, silent.
Yuan Shuo becoming a Thousand-Battler martial master was completely unexpected.
Yet he never imagined Yuan Shuo would be so brazen—and so unlucky. The first time he went all out, he had run straight into Divine Master Duantian.
Trouble!
Naturally, Yuan Shuo had seized the initiative. That relentless flurry of fierce attacks had made the divine master cough up blood right before their eyes. But... unless he could land a truly crippling blow, the current advantage was an illusion!
***
"Holy crap!"
At that moment, Liu Long was also utterly astounded.
"Thousand-Battler!"
His eyes were filled with shock, longing, and disbelief.
Yuan Shuo had actually reached Thousand-Battler!
Just moments ago, Liu Yan and the others had arrived. The Demon Hunting Squad had regrouped and, joining forces with the three Night Watchers, barely managed to hold back the four supernaturals.
Yet right after they engaged, an unbelievable battle had erupted over there.
Yuan Shuo!
And a supreme powerhouse beyond Solar Radiance.
In the tiny Silver City, a clash surpassing Solar Radiance had broken out tonight.
Overwhelmed with shock, Liu Long suddenly roared, "Kill!"
They had to find a way to eliminate the people in front of them. Yuan Shuo... would probably be unable to hold off such a supreme expert for long.
A Thousand-Battler was only comparable to Solar Radiance, after all.
***
In midair.
Yuan Shuo stepped through the sky again in absolute madness, showing none of the sluggishness of an old man. His fists swung relentlessly, strike after strike. Tucked inside his right fist was a modest stone, held like a set of knuckles as he pummeled forward.
At first, the long-haired powerhouse had paid little attention to the knuckle duster...
Yet soon, when a blow struck him, the mysterious energy shielding his chest was punctured clean through by the stone. Yuan Shuo seized the opening to deliver a punch that ruptured his internal organs, leaving the long-haired powerhouse shaken.
What was that?
A transcendent item?
It could pierce his defenses and wound his internal organs directly!
Moreover, a burst of immensely forceful mysterious energy flooded into his body, instantly shattering his guard.
And Yuan Shuo kept pressing his attack.
Once a martial master gained the upper hand, he had to maintain relentless pressure until the enemy was beaten to death or stripped of all combat capability.
Li Hao had learned this from him as well.
Yuan Shuo had taught him: only when the enemy falls and never rises again, completely powerless to resist, have you achieved victory!
***
Li Hao seemed stunned by the spectacle.
He stared blankly into the distance where the two top powerhouses were tearing the earth apart. It was mind-boggling—was this achievable by human power?
Was this Thousand-Battler?
*This* was the true Thousand-Battler!
Indeed, he used to think that no matter how strong a Thousand-Battler was, they were still flesh and blood with limited destructive potential, perhaps no more devastating than high-yield grenades... The facts proved how narrow his vision had been.
Yuan Shuo stomped the ground, and the earth split wide open.
His blood qi burned like a real furnace, completely evaporating the rain from the sky and turning this place into a rainless sanctuary.
Could any grenade compare to this?
A single move or stance carried destructive power exceeding artillery shells. What was more, this was a living person—an extraordinarily agile human being.
No wonder the military's ability to suppress supernaturals was waning!
Before, encountering Lunar Nether entities had made Li Hao believe that a dozen or twenty armed men, properly prepared, could easily bring down a Lunar Nether or a Hundred-Breaker.
Yet when a Thousand-Battler struck, Li Hao understood that even if a thousand armed soldiers were present... unless the expert was foolish enough to fight them head-on, ordinary weapons could do nothing to him.
On the contrary, as long as the expert remained cautious and picked them off one by one, an army of a thousand would crumble!
"Terrifying!"
Li Hao murmured. He looked at the Red Shadow before him.
The Red Shadow had actually shielded him from the shockwaves... How wonderful!
This Red Shadow was remarkably strong as well.
To think it could withstand the aftershocks of a duel between two such supreme combatants.
Touching the small sword in his hand, Li Hao smiled bitterly. The sword remained sealed. Earlier, it had managed to wound that other Red Shadow, even forcing it into physical form, but against this one... it probably wouldn't work, right?
The small sword's damage was limited; it likely wasn't enough.
Meanwhile, his teacher was formidable!
He kept pressing the attack and holding the advantage, but Li Hao knew that his teacher was slightly weaker than the opponent. Otherwise, having ambushed and wounded the man first, if they were equal in strength, his teacher would have finished him off long ago!
When true experts fought, unless they were evenly matched, combat usually ended swiftly.
Just then, Li Hao saw the Red Shadow stir as if preparing to leave.
Yes, it seemed ready to join the battle instead of staying here to guard Li Hao.
With the Red Shadow's help, the long-haired powerhouse would put his teacher in dire straits.
Evidently, that man had cleared his head and realized he needed to resolve Yuan Shuo immediately.
"Don't go..."
If the Red Shadow left, that would spell disaster.
Li Hao feared death and pain, and feared stabbing himself to death even more.
Yet at this moment, without the slightest hesitation, he thrust the jade sword straight into his chest with a squelch!
Heart blood!
Teacher had said it might help unseal the sword. As for whether it would work... he would know once he tried, wouldn't he?
Excruciating pain surged through him!
Li Hao felt he might have stabbed too deep, perhaps piercing his very heart. Would he die?
He didn't know!
Who cared!
No matter what, he had to keep this Red Shadow here. Under no circumstances could he allow it to join the fray.
Could the unsealed sword achieve this?
Who knew!
A gamble!
It was all a gamble. Yuan Shuo was gambling that he could handle that man, Liu Long was gambling that he could handle the supernaturals.
And now, Li Hao was gambling too.
Gambling that his ancestral sword could be unsealed, and that it could deal with the Red Shadow!
"Die!"
Pulling out the small sword, Li Hao slashed at the Red Shadow. Under normal circumstances, he couldn't touch it at all.
That was why the Red Shadow had ignored him completely.
Yet as the small sword was pulled from Li Hao's chest, radiating a faint glow, the thrust pierced straight into the depths of the Red Shadow!
"Aaargh!"
Faintly, Li Hao seemed to hear the Red Shadow scream. Was it alive?
He didn't know!
He only knew he had to kill this thing, so a moment later, Li Hao pulled back the sword and stabbed again!
This time, the Red Shadow reacted. The stabs seemed to drive it berserk, breaking it free from the long-haired powerhouse's control. Dissolving into mist, the Red Shadow surged directly into Li Hao's chest.
A flame-like energy exploded inside Li Hao's body!
Immensely powerful!
In that instant, Li Hao roared, circulating the Five Animals Breathing Art as starlight energy emerged. He knew the Red Shadow was trying to incinerate him just as it had burned Zhang Yuan to death!
*But... I have the Starry Sky Sword!*
When the fiery energy exploded within him, Li Hao seemed to glimpse a different world.
In that split second, Li Hao finally understood what Zhang Yuan had seen back then.
He also understood why Zhang Yuan had told him to run, and how Zhang Yuan had known that he would be the next target.
At this moment, an entirely different world unfolded before Li Hao's eyes.
His sight penetrated all physical matter!
Suspended in the sky above Silver City seemed to be a colossal Bagua diagram!
This Bagua covered the entirety of Silver City.
Its eight corners corresponded to eight directions, each corner connected by a line extending toward a specific location. One of those lines was linked directly to Li Hao, while the other seven lines... were not in Silver City at all!
They all pointed in the same direction!
It was as though someone had forcibly dragged the other seven lines away.
In this instant, Li Hao understood.
What Zhang Yuan had seen that day must have been this exact scene: eight lines, one connected to Zhang Yuan himself, and another leading directly to Li Hao.
Zhang Yuan might not have been clever, but upon seeing this, he must have realized that the next person the enemy would kill was Li Hao, who was tied to the Bagua line.
*So... this is what you saw?*
The thought drifted through Li Hao's mind. In this moment, he cast everything else aside, furiously driving the Five Animals Breathing Art to draw in vast amounts of starlight energy.
The starlight energy and the Red Shadow's power erupted inside his body simultaneously!
His internal organs rattled and tore. Soon, the Red Shadow's energy shredded his meridians, while the starlight energy rapidly repaired them, simultaneously extinguishing the Red Shadow's power.
***
In the distance.
The long-haired powerhouse's face darkened.
He had been suppressed under Yuan Shuo's relentless assault the entire time. He had intended to summon the Red Shadow back to help him execute Yuan Shuo. As long as Yuan Shuo was occupied by the Red Shadow for even a heartbeat, he could catch his breath, restore his true combat strength, and slaughter this bastard.
Yet... the summons had failed!
The Red Shadow had not returned.
*Damn it!*
*What happened?*
He had no time to look, nor the luxury of distraction—Yuan Shuo's assault was brutally overbearing.
This Thousand-Battler martial master possessed an inner force that was impossibly potent for his realm, packed with extreme destructive power far beyond what an ordinary Thousand-Battler should wield. In terms of tier, such destructive power had already outstripped normal inner force by a wide margin.
Right at this moment, Yuan Shuo let out a fierce roar, and chains suddenly manifested across his body.
He was going to shatter his supernatural locks, advance to a supernatural, and slay the formidable enemy before him.
*Boom!*
A supernatural lock shattered cleanly, and Yuan Shuo's strength swelled further. The next instant, he drove a fist forward, dimming the sun and moon!
His blood qi curled around the long-haired powerhouse like a giant dragon.
Meanwhile, radiant golden light erupted from the long-haired powerhouse, dripping with killing intent that shredded the dragon of blood qi repeatedly.
Both men had fought until their eyes were crimson with fury, no longer caring if they inflicted mutually destructive injuries.
Having shattered a lock, Yuan Shuo seemed even stronger.
Yet an instant later, Yuan Shuo's expression shifted slightly. Gritting his teeth with a roar, he channeled the newly born wisp of mysterious energy inside him, struck outward, and detonated it completely!
That potent burst of mysterious energy exploded outside his body, blasting the middle-aged, long-haired man so hard he spat blood yet again!
"Are you insane?"
The long-haired powerhouse was horrified. Yuan Shuo had just birthed a mysterious source, which meant he had the chance to quickly advance to a supernatural.
Yet in the very next second, Yuan Shuo had directly detonated that mysterious source! It was the foundation of a supernatural's power; shattering it meant renouncing his chance to become a supernatural.
What was he, if not a madman?
Yuan Shuo's face was deathly pale, but a faint grin tugged at his mouth before turning icy cold. "How could a sparrow understand the ambitions of a swan!"
That mysterious source had actually begun corroding his inner force.
A martial master's foundation was their inner force.
Once inner force was corroded—inner force that wasn't external, but forged from one's body, blood, and viscera—it meant his very body would suffer devastating trauma.
Though mysterious energy could compensate for it... mysterious energy was an external substance.
Just now, Yuan Shuo had realized that advancing to a supernatural might cause complications that would turn his decades of painstaking cultivation to ash.
Naturally, he was decisive to the extreme.
Detonating that mysterious source hadn't been a waste, either.
At least it had heavily wounded the bastard again.
"Even without mysterious energy, I'll still slaughter you!"
Yuan Shuo roared, transforming in an instant into a giant bear—not literally turning into a beast, but radiating the overwhelming aura of a towering brown bear.
He gripped the stone saber... Yuan Shuo had also noticed that its armor-piercing capability was astonishingly potent.
Being able to suppress this fellow continuously was largely thanks to this blade.
Although he had not fully unlocked its potential, nor even unsealed it, the saber energy lingering within was enough to serve as his greatest trump card, puncturing the top powerhouse's mysterious energy defenses.
*Boom!*
Moving like a brown bear, Yuan Shuo stomped the earth again, shattering the ground and leaping into the air to unleash a frantic assault on the long-haired powerhouse.
From start to finish, he had stayed entirely on the offensive!
Waves of saber energy surged forth!
*Bang!*
The long-haired powerhouse was knocked flying once more. He was being completely suppressed; from the very beginning until now, Yuan Shuo had given him neither time to recover nor room to counterattack.
This old Thousand-Battler martial master was simply too adept at exploiting every tiny opening to land lethal blows.
Even though the man was stronger than Yuan Shuo—boasting greater vitality, mysterious energy, and defense—all that power was like soap bubbles when he couldn't land a single strike on Yuan Shuo.
"Yuan Shuo..."
He roared again, "Yuan Shuo, we can—"
*Boom!*
Yuan Shuo's foot struck, exploding the air with saber energy infused into the blow. Its destructive force was terrifying; the kick shattered a low hill behind the long-haired powerhouse into rubble.
"Kill!"
Yuan Shuo roared again, a blood-red dragon of qi hovering above his head.
The dragon boiled furiously!
It was not enough!
Even with the saber energy and the advantage of an ambush, he still hadn't managed to kill this man. What did that mean?
It meant that he, Yuan Shuo, was still incapable of delivering a fatal blow to his opponent!
Yuan Shuo refused to accept this!
Countless ancient texts flashed through his mind, finally settling on one specific art!
The *Blood Saber Art*!
It was an ancient technique that fused blood qi and mental energy into a blood saber for a lethal, desperate strike. Records showed that martial masters of the ancient civilization had used it as a final death blow!
Its lethality was immense!
Naturally, the backlash was catastrophic.
The *Blood Saber Art* unified blood qi and spirit intent, unleashing destructive power far beyond one's realm. The price was rapid physical debilitation, permanent crippling, or even death!
Ancient records also noted that during the ancient civilization, some aging martial masters trained specifically in this technique to fight powerful enemies, using it as a life-or-death strike with miraculous results. Later, however, it was forbidden because most martial masters who used it died.
Yet did Yuan Shuo care about that right now?
Besides, didn't his student possess a sword?
Couldn't it save lives?
Who said he was definitely going to die?
It wasn't an absolute death sentence!
The records had also mentioned that a remedy was later developed, though Yuan Shuo had unfortunately never seen that part.
"Fuse!"
Heaven and earth became a furnace as spirit intent erupted—his momentum!
At this moment, Yuan Shuo advanced with unstoppable force, transforming into a god-like, demonic presence. The dragon of blood qi above his head fused instantly into his body, and in the blink of an eye, Yuan Shuo forged a blood saber!
The crimson blade drilled into the stone saber in an instant.
The small stone blade in his hand actually expanded. Gripping the enlarged weapon, Yuan Shuo slashed downward, turning the very sky blood-red!
"Supernaturals are nothing but dog shit!"
Yuan Shuo bellowed.
Across from him, the long-haired powerhouse's expression changed drastically. Roaring in fury, he unleashed all of his mysterious energy, shining like a blazing sun over the land, casting bright light across the entire suburban area.
It was as bright as day!
"Yuan Shuo, you forced me—"
"Forced your mother!"
Yuan Shuo cut him off, his saber already descending!
With a thunderous explosion, the mysterious energy gathered by the long-haired powerhouse was sliced to ribbons. Not only that, the strike did not stop, falling directly toward the middle-aged man!
The man's face turned ash-gray, his eyes filled with disbelief!
How could this be?
He had gathered all his mysterious energy, only for it to be shattered by a single slash...
"The Zhang family saber!"
At that moment, the realization struck him.
Filled with disbelief, he wondered how Yuan Shuo could possibly wield the Zhang family saber. It was impossible!
Even if Yuan Shuo had acquired the Zhang family saber, he shouldn't have been able to use it.
Not just the Zhang family saber, but the weapons of all the families required their own bloodline to activate. Even though the organization had taken weapons from those families, they were empty shells that could only be crudely utilized. Only when the eight lineages gathered and Li Hao's bloodline activated the Starry Sky Sword to completely break the seals of the eight families could those weapons be truly wielded.
Yet... Yuan Shuo didn't possess the bloodline of any of the eight families!
Much less the Zhang family bloodline. How could he unleash the power of the Zhang family saber?
No one was left to answer his questions.
In that split second, the strike landed with unimaginable speed, cleaving the man cleanly in two.
Dropping to the ground, Yuan Shuo spat a mouthful of blood.
This time, it was real.
His entire body felt limp and drained!
Without a word, he swung his saber again, instantly mincing the two halves of the corpse into hundreds of pieces!
If the man could survive even that, he would truly concede.
Without looking back, he stepped into the air and flew off like a bird, paying no heed to Li Hao—nor having the luxury to do so.
Covering a thousand meters in a single stride, his speed was frighteningly swift.
Yuan Shuo was running on fumes. Before the effects of the *Blood Saber Art* faded completely, he rushed toward the Solar Radiance battlefield.
Since he had made his move... he would wipe them all out!
Along the way, a casual slash split the heavens!
*Slash!*
Four heads fell almost simultaneously.
Liu Long and his group looked at him as though beholding a demon god, filled with awe, disbelief, terror, joy, excitement, and fear all at once.
Yuan Shuo!
A man like a demon god!
Yet Yuan Shuo paid no attention to their gazes. By now, the lightning powerhouse was trying to flee. Yuan Shuo's voice boomed like a bronze bell: "Huang Yun, stop him, or... I'll butcher you too!"
*Boom!*
A hurricane exploded!
Huang Yun's heart was pounding frantically. Had they won?
Yuan Shuo had slain Divine Master Duantian with his saber!
Heavens, Silver City... no, the entire Silver Moon Province was about to be shaken to its core. A supreme powerhouse beyond Solar Radiance had died here, and the one who killed him was a martial master!
"Wind, come!"
With a furious roar, the gale mingled with the downpour crashed violently against the lightning.
Yuan Shuo was coming to kill!
He had to hold this man down!
Now, the lightning powerhouse revealed his true appearance—a relatively young man whose face was pale as he growled, "Huang Yun, how dare you stop me! If you hold me back, Red Moon will never spare the Night Watchers! The gap between the Night Watchers and the three major organizations is obvious. Do you want Red Moon to wage all-out war against you?"
Huang Yun suddenly laughed. "Kid, the three major organizations are strong, and the Night Watchers are weak, but... if the three organizations dare to invade us, don't dream of leaving alive! We might lose to you in the wilderness, but if you dare march on our cities... do you think our military is made of paper?"
In the wilderness... they truly couldn't win.
That was a fact, undeniable.
Yet when push came to shove, would the three major organizations dare mount a frontal assault on major cities?
At worst, they would all perish together!
It was mutual deterrence!
"Bastard... let me go... Huang Yun, let me go, and Red Moon will give you three thousand... no, ten thousand measures of mysterious energy!"
Huang Yun was tempted for a brief second, but then fell silent, attacking furiously!
Stop joking!
That monster behind him had arrived—Yuan Shuo!
This ruthless man from twenty years ago had stepped into the Thousand-Battler realm today... no, perhaps even beyond it. Just thinking about it was terrifying.
I wouldn't dare let you go!
Otherwise, that madman would truly kill me too.
Over the years, the Night Watchers had suffered plenty of headaches working with him back when he was merely a Hundred-Breaker. Now that he was a Thousand-Battler—or higher—Huang Yun had no desire to provoke this former titan!
At that exact moment, Yuan Shuo arrived!
Like a demon god!
A distant saber strike swept through the air, crimson saber light reflecting off the void. As the strike fell, the lightning silhouette shattered!
The lightning youth roared, "Yuan Shuo! Spare me! If you kill me, you will surely die! My father is—"
"Ying Hongyue, isn't he?"
Yuan Shuo sneered. "Kid, you're a bit too green! Your father, the leader of Red Moon, is someone I know! Twenty years ago, he was also a Hundred-Breaker martial master, and I once beat him until he knelt and begged for mercy! All these years, he's the one I've been avoiding; otherwise, I would have left Silver Moon Province long ago! There's deep blood between us! You look like you were carved from the same mold as that bastard. Who would have thought his son would come in person!"
Huang Yun's expression changed!
The son of Ying Hongyue?
Yuan Shuo swung his saber again, cleaving the youth's skull open. A grin spread across his face. "Idiot! Your old man has wanted me dead for decades, yet aren't I still alive? If I kill you... what can he do? He'll have to destroy the Night Watchers first!"
"..."
Huang Yun was speechless.
What kind of words were these... While they had harbored a grudge before, that was old history. Now you've killed his son—haven't you forged an irreconcilable blood feud?
Without looking back, Yuan Shuo took to the air like a bird, his voice echoing from afar: "All the spoils belong to me! I'm going to check on my student. Deliver everything to the Yuan family at the Ancient Academy, unless... you want a taste of my saber too, Huang Yun!"
Huang Yun's expression shifted repeatedly.
He remained silent.
A terrifying man!
A martial master who reached this level was simply too frightening.
He couldn't resist asking, "What... what realm are you truly in?"
A Thousand-Battler?
Could a Thousand-Battler kill Divine Master Duantian?
Just now, he had butchered Ying Hongyue's son as easily as chopping vegetables. It was utterly terrifying.
"Merely peak Thousand-Battler!"
Yuan Shuo's words drifted from far away, leaving everyone profoundly shaken.
Peak Thousand-Battler!
***
A moment later, Yuan Shuo returned to the warehouse, which had already collapsed.
He glanced at the still-bleeding Li Hao, scooped him up, and vanished into the darkness. A flush rose to Yuan Shuo's cheeks, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood that was instantly vaporized by his heat.
"Damn it, I can't hold on much longer either... Why did you have to run into trouble right now..."
He could feel Li Hao's sword transmitting energy. He couldn't forcefully take it right now, so he could only leach a bit of the energy to repair his ruptured internal organs.
He thought to himself that he had really overdone the posturing this time!
What peak Thousand-Battler... he wasn't anywhere close.
Though not too far off either.
The real issue was his injuries were too severe. If he had lingered a moment longer, he wouldn't have been able to maintain his grandmaster facade, and coughing up blood would have been unavoidable.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
He coughed continuously, and this time, it was entirely genuine.
Yuan Shuo's complexion was no longer ashen, but chalk-white.
Carrying Li Hao, he fled swiftly.
Running was the best option!
Otherwise, if someone else showed up, or if that fool Huang Yun suddenly decided to probe or kill him, he would have no way to resist.
*Run first, hide away... and come back out when things settle down!*
Yuan Shuo thought to himself, his gaze turning strange as he recalled the scene from earlier, remembering the moment he broke the supernatural lock.
His dream of becoming a supernatural was shattered.
What supernatural locks!
They were not a pathway to awakening supernatural power; they were a defense mechanism meant to protect oneself. Damn it, what on earth was supernatural power?
Discarding the inner force accumulated through one's own hard work just to gain supernatural power... that was drinking poison to quench a thirst!
It seemed powerful, but it was a castle in the air.
There might be something fundamentally wrong with the supernatural revival!
"Cough, cough, cough..."
He spat another mouthful of blood. Just as Yuan Shuo was about to vaporize it, he realized the blood was gone. Glancing down... a dog was running beside him, lapping up the blood.
Yuan Shuo recognized the dog—it followed Li Hao.
He frowned slightly. "Are you trying to turn into a monster too? Lapping up my blood, lapping up Li Hao's blood... Once a dog gets a taste of human blood, a bloodthirsty dog... becomes a great menace!"
He felt an urge to slay the hound!
Yes, because the dog was actually drinking blood!
Just as he was about to strike, Black Panther suddenly spat out the blood in disgust, looking at Yuan Shuo with clear distaste in its eyes—this blood... tasted vile!
Yuan Shuo froze. Looking at Black Panther, he suddenly chuckled. "So it was for the energy... You do have a sharp nose!"
Li Hao's blood contained a unique energy.
The dog wasn't bloodthirsty; it was merely consuming that energy.
"Whatever!"
It was Li Hao's dog, so he couldn't be bothered to care. He swiftly disappeared into the darkness.
Forget all this. Run first, and run far.
Hide for a few days, and having the dog along was fine too. If they couldn't come out after a few days and ran out of food, he could butcher the dog for meat. Having mobile rations following along saved him the trouble of hunting.
Unaware of his thoughts, Black Panther trotted happily behind him.
***
Meanwhile, Yuan Shuo's departure caused a massive sensation.
Through various channels, the news was frantically disseminated in all directions.
A bloody battle in Silver City!
Divine Master Duantian had fallen, the son of Red Moon's leader Ying Hongyue had been killed, ten Lunar Nether supernaturals were dead, along with a host of martial masters and Hundred-Breakers.
And the mastermind behind it all was Yuan Shuo!
The old demon who had run rampant across Silver Moon Province twenty years ago!
Now, this old demon had advanced to peak Thousand-Battler and slain Divine Master Duantian against all odds. At this moment, the news began spreading beyond Silver Moon Province to other regions.
For the first time in twenty years, an expert beyond Solar Radiance had fallen in Silver Moon Province.
In an instant, shockwaves rippled in all directions!
The heavens were truly changing!
Chapter 43