Three Heroes Slay Three Sols

A crowd surged into the city, aiming straight for the tall tower at its center. The massive city gates had not even finished opening, yet these people were already impatient. Those capable of flight tore through the air without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, of the thirty people present, only seven or eight remained outside the walls. Wang Ming wanted to charge in as well... Yet seeing that Li Hao didn't budge and Liu Long remained motionless, he grew anxious. "Are you two really not going?" He was burning with impatience! The inner city was filled with treasures! Even if they didn't head for the central tower, perhaps they could slip into other ancient buildings. What if they stumbled upon an open treasury, or perhaps an armory? Yes, an armory! All that armor couldn't have appeared out of thin air, could it? Even simple black armor was a priceless treasure. If they could find discarded bronze or silver armor—or better yet, golden armor—wouldn't they strike it rich? They had no desire to compete with the big shots for an Origin God Armament, but picking up whatever scraps were left behind would still be more than enough to make them wealthy for life. "The city is dangerous," Li Hao said softly, standing at the gate. "We can simply wait right here. What's the rush?" Nearby, that Solar Radiance expert from Yama hadn't entered either. Instead, he was watching them in silence. Seeing that neither Liu Long nor Wang Ming had left, he frowned slightly. He had originally planned to act against Liu Long once Wang Ming entered the city, but from the looks of it... forget it. Not wanting to waste any more time here, he let out a cold snort and bolted inside. He would look for treasures first, then settle the score when he returned. Among the Night Watchers, several other Lunar Nether experts were also itching to move. Indeed, they weren't going to snatch the top treasures; couldn't they at least enter just to look around? Staying behind and refusing to enter the city seemed bizarre, didn't it? A moment later, they exchanged brief words with Wang Ming and the others before entering the ancient city one after another. In a flash, only Liu Long and his companions remained. Li Hao looked toward Zhang Ting. "Sister Zhang, aren't you going in to take a look?" Zhang Ting shook her head. "I specialize in healing, and I'm only at the Lunar Nether level. Entering now would bring nothing but trouble if I run into anyone else. Besides, I haven't passed the second passage and cannot fly..." She had no intention of going in; staying here was fine. Of course, if those inside fought until both sides were crippled and a solitary Three Sols expert limped out at the end... she wouldn't hold back. Lying in wait was also a fine strategy. Li Hao sighed. Zhang Ting sensed something strange in his sigh and asked, puzzled, "What is it?" Li Hao shook his head. "Nothing." Nothing indeed! Except... everyone else has left, so why are you still lingering around? To tell the truth, his sword energy was entirely exhausted, so he had no desire to take the risk of striking at a Three Sols. It was far too dangerous! Yet with her hovering around, how could he concentrate on studying the two characters for "Battle Heaven"? He had already tried to nudge her to leave... Why was she still refusing to budge? A middle Three Sols was formidable, but if you kept playing the fool, you might just end up slaughtered like one. Li Hao gazed into the inner city. With fewer than thirty people scattered across that vast expanse, they had vanished without a trace in mere moments. The city was far from small; in its prime, it must have housed at least a million souls. Although the central tower remained visible, it appeared at least twenty li away. Even for a Three Sols, reaching it would take some time. Li Hao watched in silence. Wang Ming said anxiously, "Are we truly not going? Li Hao, this city is massive. If you're afraid, we can just find an out-of-the-way spot. It would be a terrible waste to miss out!" Hadn't they chosen to stay behind precisely for benefits? He was nearly dying of worry! Li Hao frowned. "I already told you, I stayed behind only to wait for the directors to come out... What are you rushing for? If you're that impatient, go in yourself!" "But..." Wang Ming muttered, somewhat helpless. "Aren't we on the same side? If you don't go, how can I? Besides, that Yama fellow had his eye on us just now. If I leave and he suddenly doubles back, could Chief Liu handle him alone?" At this moment, he showed a bit of conscience, sighing, "Forget it... What a damn shame!" Since those two weren't going, he wouldn't either. Otherwise, if that Yama Solar Radiance returned, Liu Long might not be able to hold his own. A Three Sols wouldn't bother, and the rest were busy hunting for treasures, but that fellow had looked distinctly vindictive. "Treasures aren't necessarily found only inside the city," Li Hao said suddenly. The others quickly looked at him. Li Hao raised his head toward the sky, fixing his gaze above the city gate, and said softly, "I feel that those two characters are quite extraordinary. Do you think they might be a treasure?" Everyone looked toward the two characters for "Battle Heaven," but even after a long while, they couldn't make heads or tails of them. Even Zhang Ting scrutinized them closely without discerning anything. None of them could read the script. They sensed nothing out of the ordinary—just a natural, fluid feeling. If someone claimed it was a treasure, they felt no trace of it. "We can't fly up to inspect them anyway... Forget it, let's just wait!" Wang Ming said, full of regret. Li Hao smiled. "Not necessarily. I have a feeling that this place might not restrict martial masters from flight! Or perhaps the flight restriction only targets energy fluctuations... Otherwise, were the people of the ancient civilization all ordinary mortals? If someone jumped a little higher, would they be attacked? If there were martial masters in the ancient civilization, would they be killed just for leaping high during daily practice?" "The flight restriction... I suspect it only targets those whose energy leaks outward." "There are tall buildings in the city too. If someone rises above five meters, did they all have to pass the second passage?" Wang Ming frowned slightly, glancing at Li Hao. "You want to go up and take a look?" "I'm considering it." "Don't be reckless!" Wang Ming warned. This was madness. It would get him killed! Even a Three Sols couldn't withstand the defense system, so how could a Hundred-Breaker hope to survive? Li Hao smiled. "Isn't Sister Zhang right here? If I do get struck, I might only suffer minor injuries. If Sister Zhang heals me, I'll probably be fine." "Nonsense!" Wang Ming scoffed. "Sister Zhang is only at the Lunar Nether level. No offense to her, but if you suffer that kind of wound, even Sister Zhang couldn't do anything about it. Why court death? If you have that much energy, you'd be better off searching the city." Zhang Ting also spoke up. "Wang Ming is right. It's better not to attempt it. It's far too dangerous!" Li Hao said nothing more and turned back to the gatehouse. This time, he took several steps closer. He studied the two massive characters above. He had an intuition that if he approached, touched them, and experienced them firsthand, he might reap unexpected gains. Wang Ming beside him was fine, but having this Zhang Ting constantly lingering around was genuinely grating. A middle Three Sols equipped with an Origin God Armament... Even breaking her defense would be exceedingly difficult. If he could avoid taking risks, Li Hao preferred not to, especially now. The gap between them was too vast. If he were Yuan Shuo, who had fused five momentums to advance, he would have dared to attack her head-on right then and there. But he was merely a Thousand-Battler who had fused two momentums. Without another word, Li Hao continued to gaze at the two characters. After a while, faint disturbances echoed from deep within the city. Someone had likely come to blows... but that had nothing to do with him, and he couldn't be bothered to care. Zhang Ting grew somewhat curious and peered inward. Unfortunately, the distance was too great to tell whether Three Sols experts were clashing. The commotion was substantial, so it was quite likely. "Sister Zhang, why don't you wait outside the plaza?" Li Hao suggested again. "It's still somewhat dangerous here." Zhang Ting replied, "Aren't you staying? If you're not leaving... I'll remain with you. I'm at the Moon Overflow level, after all, so I can lend a hand." To the side, Liu Long's brow furrowed slightly. Was this woman... clinging to Li Hao? He knew her true identity: a middle Three Sols, likely bearing an Origin God Armament, which made her terrifyingly troublesome to deal with. He had no wish to provoke her proactively. Zhang Ting was indeed fixated on Li Hao because she had grown curious about him. Li Hao claimed the two characters were special and seemed intent on retrieving them... She wanted to know what made them so unique. Li Hao seemed to relax and let out a chuckle. "If Sister Zhang doesn't want to go, then forget it. We're all on the same side... Old Wang, let me tell you a secret. You know I splashed blood on the gate earlier, right?" "I saw that. What about it?" Zhang Ting pricked up her ears as well. Could it be... Li Hao's blood had an effect? Li Hao looked up. "Back then, I felt those two characters were extraordinary, as if carrying a peculiar pulse. Perhaps they're a hidden treasure connected to my bloodline. Maybe the bloodlines of the Silver City's Eight Great Families really share a connection with this place! This Battle Heaven City might very well be the stronghold of the Wang family from the Eight Great Families!" Wang Ming gasped. "That impressive? Honestly, I knew about the Eight Great Families, but to think one of them, the Wang family, had a city this huge and so many powerful guards... Doesn't that mean you'd have been a crown prince in the ancient civilization?" Incredible! But since Li Hao put it that way, it might genuinely be tied to the Eight Great Families. Still... Zhang Ting is standing right here, so why blab about this? He felt exasperated; Li Hao's head was really not screwed on straight sometimes. The three of them were in the same camp, and the two of them were fellow disciples, but Zhang Ting was barely an acquaintance. How could Li Hao trust her so easily? Either keep quiet or speak privately—what was he doing blurting it out right in front of her? And this Zhang Ting was thoroughly tactless; when Li Hao started sharing secrets, couldn't she give them some space? Wang Ming grumbled inwardly. Zhang Ting acted as if she hadn't heard a thing, paying no heed to Wang Ming's expression. She remained silent, motionless, as though she weren't even there. Li Hao cast a subtle glance toward Liu Long. Liu Long was nervous—genuinely tense. Back when he had just advanced to Thousand-Battler, he would have dared to challenge a Three Sols. What was there to fear? If Yuan Shuo could kill them, so could he! But now... the more he knew, the more cautious he became. What's more, this wasn't even an early Three Sols! He understood Li Hao's glance. Li Hao was determined to eliminate this woman. The problem was... he had no confidence whatsoever. Even with Li Hao by his side, and even though Li Hao had advanced to Thousand-Battler, Li Hao was at best only slightly stronger than him. Could Li Hao break a Three Sols's defense? Liu Long took a deep breath. Wang Ming glanced at him in surprise. What was wrong with Liu Long? He seemed... exceptionally tense! Zhang Ting sensed it as well and turned toward Liu Long. Liu Long seemed on edge, breathing deeply over and over, which was decidedly abnormal. Zhang Ting paid him a little more attention, somewhat puzzled. As for Liu Long ambushing her... the thought never crossed her mind, for it made no sense. If he didn't know her identity, he had no reason to attack a fellow Night Watcher. If he did know... would a mere Thousand-Battler dare lay a hand on a middle Three Sols? That made even less sense! "Chief, are you worried about that Yama fellow returning?" Li Hao laughed. "What's there to fear? I'm at least a Hundred-Breaker, and with Sister Zhang at Moon Overflow, along with a Thousand-Battler and a Solar Radiance, would we really need to fear him?" Wang Ming nodded. "Exactly! Even if he's a peak Solar Radiance, he's still no Three Sols. If we join forces, we can take him on! Besides, he's entered the city now. Surrounded by treasures, who would bother coming back for us?" Liu Long remained silent. He only stared at Li Hao, waiting for his signal. Without realizing it, Liu Long had come to feel that letting Li Hao take the lead was the better choice. It was a subtle shift, largely because during their journey through the outer city, Li Hao's extraordinary eyes had allowed him to see through everything. Gradually, Li Hao had taken charge, and Liu Long had grown accustomed to consulting his judgment before acting. And that had proven wise. So many had died, yet their trio had remained perfectly safe, running into no danger at all while reaping substantial gains. Liu Yan, a late Hundred-Breaker, had not only avenged herself but had also safely withdrawn from the ancient city. Among those who retreated, she was on the weaker end; the evacuees were few, with barely any Full Moon Lunar Nethers, being mostly Solar Radiance or Moon Overflow experts. At that moment, Li Hao held the Earth-Overturning Sword and pointed it toward the two characters atop the city gate. "I still want to go up and look. Chief, do you think we should check it out?" He held the sword pointed upward. Liu Long silently watched the blade... It was the signal. The moment that sword swept down, Li Hao wanted him to strike. In that instant, Liu Long suppressed his tension. They had discussed a plan against Zhang Ting beforehand: once they struck, Liu Long's sole objective was to knock her high into the air! Zhang Ting had not taken the second passage, perhaps out of fear of exposing herself or dying, which meant that once she entered the airspace above, the formidable city defenses would instantly strike her down. The prerequisite was keeping her airborne for roughly ten seconds to shatter her Origin God Armament's defense. Only then would they have a fighting chance! Yet those ten seconds would be excruciatingly difficult to endure. Hao Lianchuan's original advice had been to strike amid the black-armored soldiers. But now the black armor was gone, and there was no danger below. Zhang Ting wasn't an idiot—wouldn't she drop straight back to the ground? Precisely for this reason, Hao Lianchuan had believed Li Hao wouldn't dare pull the tiger's whiskers when he left. What he hadn't known was that Li Hao had stepped into the Thousand-Battler realm, advancing through a dual momentum fusion! Furthermore, Li Hao had barely managed to lock down his earth momentum, reinforcing his viscera. While he might not yet rival Yuan Shuo right after his breakthrough, his courage was vastly greater than before. He truly wished to inspect the characters for "Battle Heaven"! And that strike burning in his heart—he wanted to unleash it. Perhaps Zhang Ting was the perfect target! If one drew a sword, shouldn't it be against the strong rather than the weak? Even in his final moments, the silver warrior had refused to strike down the intruders because, once his memories returned, he saw them as mere ants and fellow humans. Thus, he had spared them. Raising their blades toward the heavens to sever mighty foes across the sky—that was their true pursuit! At this moment, Li Hao gripped his longsword and spoke once more: "Chief, what do you think that silver-armored warrior was thinking when he swung his blade toward the heavens?" Liu Long's brow furrowed, and he answered in a deep voice, "To slay the enemy!" "Indeed, to slay the enemy!" Li Hao seemed to swell with surging emotion. He gave the sword a light wave, and then, gripping the hilt firmly, brought it slashing down with a thunderous shout: "Shouldn't we martial masters be the same? Swung toward mighty foes, a sword drawn with no regrets even in death!" Boom! The longsword dropped heavily. That resounding shout instantly drew the attention of Zhang Ting and Wang Ming. In that very split second, Liu Long's arm rippled as his Nine Refinements Force erupted. Like a lunging tiger, he unleashed a vicious uppercut straight toward Zhang Ting—to launch her into the sky! That was his sole aim and mission! He harbored no illusions of killing a middle Three Sols with a single punch. That was impossible. If he actually killed someone with that blow, it would only mean he had hit the wrong person, like Wang Ming. Wang Ming hadn't registered what was happening. He had been listening intently to Li Hao's words, his blood boiling... When the whistling rush of wind tore past his ears, he turned instinctively, utterly bewildered. Completely at a loss! What was this? Liu Long... was attacking Zhang Ting? What was the meaning of this? There was no need for this, was there? Just because she lingered and overheard a few secrets? She might be a little annoying, but silencing her by murder was going too far! A flash of indignation sparked in his chest, but the very next instant, all emotion vanished. Because right then, Zhang Ting snapped out of her astonishment. What a joke! Liu Long... was actually ambushing her? Had he gone mad, or was she seeing things? In the next instant, a potent surge of water energy erupted from her body, instantly coating her entire form before freezing into solid ice that spread toward Liu Long's incoming fist. Chilling ice energy manifested in the blink of an eye. It wasn't simple water energy—Zhang Ting was a formidable ice supernatural! Even so, her aura did not leak outward in the slightest. It was clear her Origin God Armament possessed an excellent concealing function. Yet even without leaking an aura, her immense supernatural power was on full display. In that breath, Wang Ming felt as if his very thoughts were freezing over. Liu Long felt his fist turn numb with cold; the momentum of surging waves he had gathered was abruptly stifled, its roaring tides frozen solid in an instant. Formidable! The sheer might of a middle Three Sols was fully unveiled. Zhang Ting's reaction speed could hardly have been quicker. Bang! With a heavy roar, Liu Long's fist struck home. Yet the expected outcome of launching her into the sky failed. The layer of ice across Zhang Ting's body shattered instantly. An ambush backed by Nine Refinements Force still carried genuine threat; a single punch had directly cracked her Three Sols supernatural defense. It was a formidable blow! However, a frigid aura flickered across her body, followed by the dispersion of an entirely different power. An Origin God Armament! Zhang Ting's face darkened, her eyes chilling with thick murderous intent as she glared at Liu Long! He dared ambush her! She took half a step back, feeling a tightness in her chest. His Nine Refinements Force was indeed potent; had it not been for the Origin God Armament, that strike might have genuinely jarred her internal organs! With a frozen expression, she instantly condensed an ice rapier—or rather, an ice spike—in her hand, thrusting the slender weapon directly toward Liu Long's eyes! A mere Thousand-Battler martial master who wasn't even an abnormal monster like Yuan Shuo dared to ambush her... He was courting death! Just as she was about to ruthlessly finish him off, her hairs stood on end, and a chill gripped her entire body. At that exact instant, a streak of sword light soared into the sky! Unnoticed, Li Hao had lunged forward with a silent, deadly thrust—a strike he had held back for a long time. His sword momentum was overwhelmingly fierce! Not only that, but the earth seemed to tremble, locking down the surrounding space. Around Li Hao's body, the faint silhouette of a mountain emerged, bound in chains. The Mountain Sword! At this moment, Li Hao was no longer thinking of the Li family ancestor's strike, but of that silver warrior's final blow... Slay the enemy! Purely to slay the enemy! A heavy sword paired with the Earth-Overturning Sword and earth momentum operated like a fish in water. As this strike descended, Zhang Ting's expression shifted slightly. She swiftly retracted the ice spike to parry Li Hao's blade! Li Hao... was far from simple. Boom! Liu Long threw another punch with a whistling roar, while Li Hao's sword thrust forward in the same heartbeat! Crack! The strike cleanly sheared through the ice spike, thrusting ahead with blinding radiance. Slash! Crack, crack, crack... The ice covering her body shattered completely. An ambush from another Thousand-Battler—and Li Hao's at that—proved far deadlier than Liu Long's. A single strike broke this Three Sols expert's defense once more. Clang! The tip of the sword struck something hard, meeting tremendous resistance. Zhang Ting's eyes flashed with anger, pain, and cold bloodlust! Did they really think they could kill her like this? They had underestimated her, and they had grossly underestimated an Origin God Armament! In that split second, her Origin God Armament manifested. It resembled a serpent, a dark shadow snake. That shadowy serpent of dark water energy instantly transformed into a slender rapier, flowing from her body and settling directly into her grasp. Moments ago, Li Hao's thrust had struck this very serpent. An Origin God Armament! A Yellow-grade Origin God Armament, the lowest tier, but still something Li Hao and his peers had no hope of destroying. Zhang Ting's face was frosty. At this moment, her confidence returned, and she spoke with chilling detachment: "You miscalculated!" Two Thousand-Battlers launching an ambush, with Li Hao being unexpectedly formidable enough to breach her defense and pierce into her flesh... Truth be told, an ordinary Three Sols would have been gravely wounded if not killed outright by that strike. These two truly possessed the means to assassinate a Three Sols! Yet who was she? She was an operative from the Night Watchers headquarters, a middle Three Sols entrusted with the vital mission of monitoring Hou Xiaochen. This Shadow Snake Sword had been specially bestowed upon her by headquarters for concealment and protection! Even in the central region, Origin God Armaments were not common goods. Ordinary Three Sols could not dream of acquiring even the lowest-grade armament; only peak Three Sols experts like Ziyue had a chance of obtaining one. Ziyue possessed a Black-grade Thunder God Armor only because she was the regional chief of the Silver Moon and needed to train newcomers; otherwise, she would have received a Yellow-grade armament at best. Thus, Zhang Ting's possession of an Origin God Armament was a special privilege! With the Shadow Snake Sword parrying Li Hao's attack, the slender tip of the blade seemed to flick like a serpent's tongue, radiating lethal peril! Had they miscalculated? Did Li Hao not know about the Origin God Armament? Of course he did! In that instant, he and Liu Long kicked off the ground simultaneously, vaulting into the sky. Even without having traversed the second passage, Li Hao soared upward. It looked as though they were trying to flee! Zhang Ting's expression turned frigid, and she let out a cold snort. A powerful wave of supernatural ice swept outward, surging toward Li Hao and Liu Long. Trying to escape like this? Delusional! Since they had made their move, there was no need for mercy or pretense. She had to kill them all! Vaulting into the air, Li Hao erupted with inner force and sword momentum, spinning around to shatter the incoming ice with a backhand slash. Just then, he caught sight of a serpent! A silent shadow snake lunging to swallow him whole! The Shadow Snake Sword! Li Hao knew that because he posed the greater threat and wielded vastly superior lethality compared to Liu Long, she would undoubtedly prioritize killing him first. Therefore, that sword was guaranteed to strike him first! And this was precisely the moment he had been waiting for. Discard the sword! He flung the Earth-Overturning Sword straight at Zhang Ting, while meeting the Shadow Snake Sword barehanded... Zhang Ting nearly laughed. Yet she had no time to laugh! Liu Long had already returned, chopping down at her with a short axe. Such was the tacit understanding between martial masters. Without a word of planning, Liu Long knew exactly what he had to do! Li Hao would handle the sword, while he dealt with this middle Three Sols. As the axe cleaved down, ocean waves swept across the world once more. Yet this time, the tides carried something different—a faint undercurrent of unstoppable resolve, marching toward death without turning back! The strike of the Battle Heaven Army! Without realizing it, this martial master had been influenced as well. Chop! A sneer formed on Zhang Ting's lips as another ice spike condensed in her hand, thrusting upward to meet the blow! Did he really think he was worthy? At that exact instant, a golden sword silently detonated behind her. Wang Ming was still utterly dazed... Yet that didn't stop him from stabbing her in the back. He was truly stunned, his mind still swimming in confusion. A Three Sols? And not an ordinary one at that! Li Hao and Liu Long were trying to take down a Three Sols... He was scared half to death. But... killing a Three Sols meant an enormous harvest! Last time, their joint effort had killed a Solar Radiance, allowing him to advance to Solar Radiance shortly after. Now, they were taking on a Three Sols... As for who Zhang Ting was or why she was a Three Sols... anyone concealing their strength was no good person anyway. Who cared who she was—kill her! Scatter the sword and detonate! Boom! Zhang Ting had never expected that this cowardly fellow, paralyzed with fright moments ago, would dare launch a sneak attack under these circumstances... She was almost moved to furious laughter. Were all these people mad? A mere early Solar Radiance dared ambush her! He was even weaker than Liu Long! With a heavy bang, the golden sword burst apart. The ice armor on her back merely shuddered... failing to break. Such was the difference! Though Wang Ming was no weakling among early Solar Radiance cultivators, facing a middle Three Sols, both Liu Long and Li Hao had breached her defense in turn, while Wang Ming alone had failed. He had merely shaken the ice armor, even while she was dividing her attention three ways. Wang Ming stood frozen in shock. How could that be? The ice armor hadn't shattered? Li Hao had shattered it and pierced her flesh; Liu Long had shattered it and made her spit blood... yet he couldn't even break through? "Hmph!" With a chilling snort and ice-cold eyes, Zhang Ting impaled Liu Long's short axe with her spike, freezing his right arm solid. Just as she was about to drive the spike into his throat, Wang Ming behind her let out an unwilling roar. This time, his golden sword did not detonate, thrusting straight toward the back of her head! He was enraged! Who was she looking down on? Hum! Metal supernaturals truly possessed the greatest offensive power. As the sword stabbed forward, Zhang Ting frowned slightly despite dividing her focus. This strike carried genuine threat. She couldn't ignore it! Unable to pierce Liu Long's throat before he shattered the ice and retreated, she swept her ice spike backward in a sweeping arc. Crack! The golden sword shattered into fragments! Wang Ming coughed up a mouthful of blood, eyes filled with shock and terror... *Li Hao, you swindler!* the thought flashed through his mind. *We're dead. You're all completely insane, picking a fight with a Three Sols—we're dead for sure!* Just then, a sharp, piercing sound rang out. Midair, Li Hao drew a blade—yes, he drew another blade. A small, short sword! As the blade cleared its sheath, he did not use the silver warrior's strike this time, but the strike of Severing Self, slashing straight toward the small serpent. In that instant, the projection of a living snake seemed to manifest on the Shadow Snake Sword. The serpent had eyes, and those eyes were filled with terror! It seemed to remember something, yet seemed to have forgotten... The sword! That sword momentum... Within the faint, worn remnants of the serpent's memories, the image of the one who had once unleashed this strike surfaced. A supreme existence that could only be revered from afar! And now... it seemed to remember. Hiss, hiss, hiss! Frantic hissing erupted, but it was already too late. Li Hao let out a low shout and slashed down! Severing Self! Slash! The serpent—perhaps merely a shadow—was instantly sheared in two. The shadow dissolved at once. Li Hao's eyes flickered with surprise. At that moment, the small sword in his hand seemed to devour the shadow, and a familiar energy began to stir within the blade... Li Hao felt shock, awe, delight, and madness... Sword energy! With no time to ponder, the black short sword in midair cracked cleanly across its surface and hit the ground with a dull thud, stripped of all its former radiance. It was as if the severed serpent had been the very soul of the weapon. With the serpent slain, this Origin God Armament, an invaluable treasure anywhere, had lost its spirit in an instant. "Pfft!" Just as Zhang Ting was about to cut Wang Ming down, she violently coughed up a mouthful of blood. Turning toward Li Hao in utter disbelief, her face was a mask of shock. How could this be! The Shadow Snake Sword... was broken! An Origin God Armament had been destroyed! She looked toward the sword in Li Hao's hand, and her eyes flared with sudden brilliance. The Li family sword! That had to be the Li family sword! In that moment, she understood everything. The Li family sword was never in Hou Xiaochen's hands—it had been with Li Hao all along! Of course, if the Wang family of the Eight Great Families was this formidable, how could the Li family be simple? How could the Li family sword possibly be ordinary? The moment that thought crossed her mind, Li Hao descended like a predatory bird, slashing down! This strike layered six folds of sword light! Enduring immense backlash, an armor-like shroud materialized around Li Hao's body. It was not an Origin God Armament, but his own momentum! Charging forward with reckless abandon, he used earth momentum for defense and sword momentum for a lethal strike! Enduring the backlash from the broken Origin God Armament, Zhang Ting let out a furious roar and thrust her palm forward with devastating force! Frigid power instantly sealed all of Li Hao's paths of advance! A mere Thousand-Battler trying to kill her? Impossible! The destruction of her Origin God Armament had exceeded her expectations and inflicted wounds, but she could recover shortly. Li Hao had no hope of killing her! He was dead this time, and the Li family sword would belong to her! Once she claimed that blade—perhaps an Earth-grade or even Heaven-grade Origin God Armament—she could use it to slay Hu Dingfang and the others, seizing the supreme treasures of the city. Then, securing the city's defensive Origin God Armament, she would possess top-tier armaments for both offense and defense, allowing her to battle even a Rising Light. This was no crisis; it was an extraordinary opportunity! Yet in that very breath, Li Hao's sword descended with towering ferocity and murderous intent. Though still somewhat raw, that killing intent was exceedingly potent, even evoking a faint resonance from the ancient city, as if echoing the fallen soldiers of the Battle Heaven Army! A single strike shattered the frost. With a piercing slash through the air, an arm severed at the shoulder thudded onto the ground. Zhang Ting's eyes widened in horror... Her arm! She had actually been dismembered by a Thousand-Battler martial master! Her other hand struck out with a ferocious palm. With a loud crack, the armor of earth momentum over Li Hao's body fractured instantly. Li Hao coughed up blood, his spleen feeling as if it had ruptured. Earth momentum had failed to fully withstand the palm strike! Even so, it had blunted the majority of the impact. Given how formidable Li Hao's defenses were, the fact that he was still injured showed just how terrifying a middle Three Sols truly was. Bang! At the same time, Liu Long drove his fist forward with nine layered waves. Just as Zhang Ting suffered Li Hao's slash, Liu Long's punch shattered her ice armor and slammed heavily into her back, causing her to vomit another mouthful of blood. Frigid ice power crept along Liu Long's arm, instantly freezing it stiff. Liu Long frowned! Even under these conditions, she still had the power to defend and counterattack... Was a Three Sols truly this formidable? Two powerful Thousand-Battler martial masters working in tandem, joined by a Solar Radiance, plus Li Hao's sword forcefully severing an Origin God Armament—even after multiple ambushes, they still hadn't brought Zhang Ting down. His arm felt completely dead from the frost! Boom! Right then, another explosion rang out. Before the ice armor Liu Long had cracked could reform, Wang Ming, who had been scared out of his wits moments earlier, condensed another sword and detonated it right against her wound! The blast tore a horrific, bloody crater into Zhang Ting's back. Zhang Ting glared at him with bloodshot eyes... The searing agony in her back drove her nearly mad. She had never imagined that such devastating damage would come not from Liu Long, but from this useless Wang Ming! Looking terrified, Wang Ming scrambled backward in utter panic. "I-it wasn't me... I just... I just acted on instinct..." Indeed, he had instinctively seized the combat opportunity. He was a talent in his own right! He had instinctively detonated his metal sword, instinctively struck, and instinctively moved to finish off a Three Sols... And so, with absolute natural ease, his sneak attack hit the mark, blasting a massive bloody crater into the Three Sols's back. Neither Li Hao nor Liu Long had anticipated this strike. Both were left speechless. What a talent! "Pfft!" Zhang Ting spewed another mouthful of blood, whether from sheer fury or the severity of her injuries. Her arm was severed, and her back had taken a direct hit from Liu Long's fist—wounds that were manageable at first. But a Solar Radiance's point-blank explosion right on top of them had sent devastating shockwaves tearing through her internal organs. This time, her injuries were truly severe! In a fit of rage, she thrust another palm toward Li Hao. Frozen World! Li Hao felt himself instantly encased in ice, unable to move. Zhang Ting was fighting for her life now. Having suffered repeated heavy injuries, she knew that if this dragged on and these shameless scoundrels found another opening, she might genuinely die here! Kill Li Hao! Li Hao posed the greatest threat, especially with that indestructible sword. If he landed another strike, whatever he hit would shatter. Meanwhile, Li Hao, having regained a measure of sword energy, did something he hadn't considered and hadn't dared to do before. He let out a muffled roar, his voice stifled by the ice. Disregarding the pain, a colossal mountain erupted straight from his spleen! Manifesting momentum from the spirit! Previously, Li Hao hadn't dared attempt this because his spleen wasn't strong enough; doing so would have caused it to rupture, killing him. But with sword energy restored, what was there to fear? Only those who dared to take risks were true warriors. When his teacher unleashed the Heart Fire Ape, he had slain Sun Yifei, a late Three Sols. Could his own heavy mountain fail to slay a heavily wounded middle Three Sols? The towering mountain manifested and instantly condensed into a unique blade of crushing weight. Li Hao brought the sword down! Boom! The ice shattered. In that instant, Zhang Ting felt the weight of a mountain bearing down upon her, and she cried out in horror and disbelief, "Spirit Nourishing?" Impossible! How could Li Hao possibly be at Spirit Nourishing! As the mountain momentum broke forth, Li Hao felt his own strength surge, feeling invincible in that moment. The Mount Tai Sword erupted! Zhang Ting felt frozen, pinned beneath an immense pressure. She looked up to see a massive blade descending from the heavens to cleave her apart. Unwilling to accept this, she shrieked, "Impossible!" Frigid ice power surged outward, turning the world into a boundless expanse of white. Everything was frozen! It was all an illusion! She refused to believe Li Hao had truly reached Spirit Nourishing. If he had, his initial ambush would have slain her on the spot—why wait until now? It couldn't be real! Ten Thousand Li of Frost! Boom! The heavy sword came crashing down, cleaving through the mountain of ice and pulverizing every shard in an instant. Li Hao's face flushed crimson as his blood surged. A single strike had shattered the frozen domain. Slash! Zhang Ting spat blood once more. Fear finally gripped her heart, and she spun around to flee! She was a Three Sols; these people couldn't match her speed. Li Hao's brow furrowed, his eyes hardening. She was truly persistent. A surge of vital blood poured into his longsword. The Blood Saber Art! Sword momentum fused into the blade, earth momentum fused into the blade, and vital blood inner force fused into the blade. With sword energy backing him, he could fight with complete abandon. A martial master's decisiveness left no room for hesitation; he chose to strike with lethal ruthlessness. If she escaped, who knew how many of his secrets would be exposed? In the distance, Liu Long threw a punch to block her path. Wang Ming's golden sword fractured into myriad blades, raining down in a series of continuous explosions... He was no true swordsman, capable only of this scattering trick, yet its effect was consistently decent. Zhang Ting ignored it entirely! Injured as she was, she couldn't afford to stop. Behind her, the heavy sword gleamed with razor sharpness. Li Hao stepped through the air like a soaring bird, pouncing forward. That single stride covered dozens of meters with unimaginable speed. Light as a bird riding the wind, he materialized right behind Zhang Ting. A crimson sword aura slashed outward! Boom! With a resounding crash, the ice armor shattered completely. The blade descended, and while Zhang Ting was still running... she split in two mid-stride! Her entire body was cleanly bisected. Yet in that horrifying instant, the two halves continued running forward... stumbling dozens of meters before finally collapsing to the ground. Behind them, Li Hao coughed violently, blood spilling from his lips. His spleen was bleeding heavily! The armor vanished, the sword vanished, and everything faded away. Li Hao's face went deathly pale, yet a smile touched his lips. They hadn't needed to knock her into the sky! Two Thousand-Battlers and one Solar Radiance, fighting with mad desperation, had slain a Three Sols! Liu Long and Wang Ming rushed over immediately, their faces still etched with shock and disbelief. They had won? The battle had been brief, lasting less than a minute. In that single minute, they had traded blows repeatedly and brushed against death multiple times, yet in the end... the one lying dead was the Three Sols! Wang Ming murmured, "I... I killed a Three Sols?" Indeed, he had attacked! Not only had he attacked, but that bloody hole in Zhang Ting's back had been his doing. Without that strike, Zhang Ting might not have collapsed so quickly. Thus, when he claimed he had killed a Three Sols, neither Li Hao nor Liu Long contradicted him. It was fair to put it that way! This fellow was usually unreliable, but today he had genuinely exceeded Li Hao and Liu Long's expectations. They had assumed Wang Ming would turn and run the moment the fight started! They hadn't cared, as long as he didn't cause trouble or help the woman. That would have been enough. Neither had expected him to join the fray! Furthermore, he had seized combat opportunities with remarkable sharpness multiple times, briefly making Li Hao wonder if he was a natural combat genius. But seeing Wang Ming grinning so broadly his back teeth showed, Li Hao decided he had overthought it. A combat genius? The man was just a fool. "Phew!" Liu Long and Li Hao exhaled simultaneously, thoroughly exhausted! "Water energy... quick! And the Origin God Armament..." Li Hao called out to Wang Ming. He could barely walk. Sword energy surged rapidly, circulating through his body, and he channeled a portion of it into Liu Long. If the chief's arm wasn't treated immediately, it would be permanently crippled. Had he not severed the Origin God Armament and gained some sword energy, his original plan would still have been to knock her into the sky. Yet this time, without relying on the city defenses, they had slain Zhang Ting on their own. The cost was that without the sword energy, Li Hao would likely have perished, making him appreciate its value all the more. At that moment, his thoughts drifted to the Origin God Armament. *Severing an Origin God Armament... replenishes sword energy?* The thought flickered and faded. If word got out, people would go mad. Who would intentionally break an Origin God Armament? Anyone harboring such thoughts would be deemed a heretic and put to death! "Chief... how do you feel?" Li Hao looked toward Liu Long. A faint smile appeared on Liu Long's usually stern face. "A Three Sols... can be broken!" His Nine Refinements Force had shattered a Three Sols's defense twice! In that moment, his confidence returned! The pride that had been battered by Yuan Shuo and Li Hao was restored in full. He, Liu Long, could break the defense of a Three Sols as well! As it turned out, he wasn't as weak as he thought—it was just that the people he encountered were simply too monstrous and insane! In the distance, Wang Ming was so excited he wanted to scream. So much mysterious energy, so much... and other treasures besides. They had struck it rich!