Beginning in Great Xia, Ending in Great Xia

The great battle continued. Inside the Human Realm, the myriad races were in full retreat. A swarm of fighters retreated with four Invincibles. Fighting to this point had brought them no spoils, but vast numbers had died. At this moment, whether geniuses or quasi-Invincibles, all were scattering in chaos. Beyond the all-heavens, intense fighting raged without cease as well. This time, the losses were devastating beyond measure. At this stage, the myriad races had suffered catastrophic casualties. Yet as the primary battleground, the Great Xia Prefecture, the Great Qin Prefecture, the Great Ming Prefecture, the Great Wu Prefecture... the Sun Moon experts of each prefecture had suffered horrific losses. The Great Xia Prefecture had poured out every ounce of its strength! Of its dozens of Sun Moon experts, more than half had perished in battle. The Dragon Martial Guards were nearly wiped out, and a huge number of academy grand elders had laid down their lives... Right now, the survivors were pursuing the fleeing forces of the myriad races with all their might. ... The ruins. No one had the time or attention to spare for them anymore. The best treasures had already been taken. As for the rest, the myriad races had no time to seize them, and the Sun Moon experts from the various human factions were consumed with burning fury. Who had the leisure to care? Hunt down the enemy first! Under no circumstances could those bastards be allowed to leave Nanyuan alive! With Zhu Tiandao around—a man who could slaughter Invincibles—what was there to fear! In Nanyuan, which had been razed to the ground, only the empty ruins remained hovering in the air. In the distance, the four Invincibles were already leading their people toward a passage unknown to the human race. It was the very passage the All-Races Cult had used earlier to infiltrate the myriad races' forces, and right now, it was also the safest evacuation route. In this battle, multiple Invincibles had fallen in the Human Realm, yet their gains were negligible. The experts of the myriad races looked as miserable as if their parents had died. ... Nanyuan. The earth had collapsed into a black abyss, and groundwater was pouring in backwards, leaving only the ruins suspended midair. Just then, the ruins shuddered. It was as though something had been triggered! *Rumble!* A vision from the River of Time shot through heaven and earth, projecting across hundreds, thousands of li. The experts engaged in the pursuit could not help but turn their heads to look. Soon, everyone froze in shock. In that River of Time projection, Huangjia, wearing his mask, flashed by with astonishing speed—so fast that almost no one had noticed before. Now, of course, everyone saw it clearly as the river's space-time rippled. The white jade stele that had originally existed in the ruins vanished in an instant, only to reappear a moment later. The River of Time seemed frozen on the Tombstone of Civilization. Huangjia was merely an embellishment. Yet as everyone focused on the Tombstone of Civilization, their eyes naturally drifted to Huangjia as well. As the original Tombstone of Civilization vanished, as if severing the River of Time itself, the tombstone within the river flickered slightly, casting a faint reflection. Upon that white jade stele, the form of a gigantic beast was revealed. A translucent colossus! Its eyes were filled with ferocity, cunning, and sheer triumph... At this moment, even the Invincibles locked in battle turned to look. In the next instant, the Great Han King roared in fury, "Bastard!" He had also believed that the Tombstone of Civilization had been taken by Su Yu. Yet... it wasn't! It had been swapped! "That's Kongkong!" Divine King Tiandang suddenly glared at Huang Division Head Zhu Tianfang, gritting his teeth. "Kongkong! What an impressive Kongkong! Ranked third on the Dao Attainment Ranking... So we've all been made into fools!" Fury! The human race and the myriad races had waged a bitter war, countless geniuses had fought to the death, and in the end, the one who profited was Kongkong! The most important treasure had actually been stolen by Kongkong! Curse him! If Su Yu had taken it, it would have been slightly easier to swallow; at least everyone had witnessed it and knew it was in Su Yu's hands. Yet had it not been for this River of Time projection, they wouldn't even have known it was stolen by Kongkong. A River of Time projection could not lie. In truth, this wasn't an illusion either. It was an actual projection reflecting that very scene. If the Invincibles had returned and had the time to retrace and reconstruct the battle, they might have discovered it eventually. The object had been swapped by Kongkong! Uncontrollable rage flared! *Damn it! Did we fight to the death just to fulfill that bastard Kongkong's ambitions?* *Outrageous!* So many Invincibles had died—including the three who pursued Su Yu, two of whom died for the Tombstone of Civilization while only Lade died for a carrier! What was all this? Did they all die in vain? Fury! Boundless fury! Even the human side was beside itself with anger. Zhu Tianfang looked back, frowning slightly. He said nothing. He knew that this ruin seemed to have been orchestrated by Su Yu. This projection from the River of Time... was meant to clear Su Yu of suspicion! Having grasped the general idea, he didn't point it out. Just as well. Since it had come to this, let Kongkong take the blame. The guy had already offended the Ancient Immortal Emperor anyway; offending a few more wouldn't make much difference. If that fellow could survive the pursuit of Immortal Emperor Tiangu, he could survive the others too. ... The River of Time projected across the sky. In a secluded corner of the Human Realm. Huangjia stared slack-jawed at the image. After a long pause, he turned his head to look at Huang Jiu and murmured, "Sweet granddaughter, your granddad... might be completely finished!" *Holy crap!* *Is this a real projection or someone's setup?* *Holy crap!* *It just happened to project the exact moment I stole the thing, and it even showed my true form! This is the end of me!* *Even if I give it to Zhu Tianfang now... I'll never be able to clear my name.* *I'm totally doomed!* Huangjia gritted his teeth in fury. After a long moment, he hissed, "Let's go. We'll flee through the Hunting Heaven Pavilion's passage! We can't stay in the Human Realm anymore, and we can't hang around the All-Heavens Battlefield either. I need to change my identity..." "Elder, what about the Tombstone of Civilization?" Huang Jiu asked hurriedly. Huangjia snarled, "I'm keeping it! Fuck! I was going to hand it over, but if I do now... wouldn't I be taking the blame for nothing? We're leaving. I'm not handing it over. I have a feeling I got scammed!" He cursed and swore. *Did I get played?* He pulled out the Tombstone of Civilization, scrutinized it cautiously, probed it thoroughly, and frowned. No, he hadn't been tricked, had he? He was certain of this item. The moment the ruins opened, he had swapped it. No one had noticed, and no one had touched it. It was the exact one he had seen. Of course, he couldn't discern anything miraculous about it either. That was normal! If even he could figure it out, the Half-Emperors wouldn't be in the dark about how to use it. He quickly stowed it away, grabbed Huang Jiu, and sprinted, shouting as he ran, "Time to run!" Space-time rippled, and he vanished in an instant. Right after he disappeared, Wan Tiansheng emerged, frowning slightly. In truth, the best solution would have been to kill Huangjia so that dead men tell no tales, erasing Huangjia from this world forever. Unfortunately, that fellow was extremely powerful and capable of warping space. Even Wan Tiansheng, unless at the absolute peak of his strength, would cause too great a commotion trying to kill him. He sighed softly! It was a slight regret. Otherwise, by slaying Kongkong without anyone the wiser, no one in the all-heavens and myriad realms would ever know the item was still in Su Yu's hands except for him. Because right from the start, Wan Tiansheng had manufactured a fake. "Consider yourself lucky!" Wan Tiansheng murmured. Had his injuries not been so severe, he definitely would have kept Kongkong here today. As it was, he had left Su Yu with a slight loose end. Forget it! Even if Su Yu were eventually exposed, he wasn't without the means to protect his own life. Wan Tiansheng looked toward Nanyuan, his gaze turning slightly cold. ... A moment later, Wan Tiansheng hovered above Nanyuan. At this time, fierce fighting was still ongoing near the passage. Yet here, Heaven Yuan Qi was abundant, and the Sun Moon Xuanhuang Pond had been blasted apart. Everyone had evacuated in haste, with no one taking the time to gather these treasures one by one. And now, there were people inside the ruins. Quite a few people! These people were scavenging treasures, rummaging through the ruins, and searching for the cultivation methods left behind by Su Yu and Wan Tiansheng. These ruins were remarkably convincing. There were genuinely plenty of good treasures. Even several Earth weapons and the like had been washed in the River of Time by Wan Tiansheng, making them indistinguishable from the real thing. Su Yu had paid an immense price for these items, and Wan Tiansheng had thrown in years of accumulated savings. In order to forge this counterfeit ruin, more than half of the treasures Su Yu had swindled from the myriad realms had been invested. Fortunately, most of the important items had been recovered, though Su Yu had found no opportunity to retrieve the Sun Moon Xuanhuang Liquid and Heaven Yuan Qi this time. On the whole, the losses were minor. He had also obtained several carriers and made a substantial profit. Yet that profit had been bought with Su Yu's very life. Wan Tiansheng swept his gaze over them and closed his eyes, sighing inwardly. A full nineteen experts of the Sun Moon Realm! Nineteen whole Sun Moon experts! These people were leading several geniuses, scouring the ruins and hunting for treasures. Yet... the great war was still being fought! From the very beginning, they had not lifted a single finger. They had watched the soldiers of the Great Xia Prefecture fight to the death without ever intervening. Nineteen Sun Moon experts! Wan Tiansheng wore an expression that was half-laugh, half-cry. Over fifty years in the Human Realm, not many Sun Moon experts had emerged—of Civilization Masters, that was, though there were plenty of warriors. Yet nineteen was comparable to the entire Sun Moon force of many major prefectures! If these people had stepped in, holding off a quasi-Invincible would not have been a problem at all. Even if they were all at the early to mid Sun Moon Realm, it still wouldn't have been an issue. What was more... there were even late Sun Moon experts among them. Such a formidable force had spent the entire day watching the show, watching countless people fall. And in the end... here they were, scavenging the ruins for treasures. Wan Tiansheng's sigh echoed through the ruins. Everyone was startled and looked up toward the sky. Wan Tiansheng smiled faintly. These ruins had been forged by Su Yu shattering a carrier! It was exceptionally sturdy! Short of a quasi-Invincible, it was difficult to break; even a quasi-Invincible would struggle to smash it. That was why it hadn't collapsed earlier despite enduring the clashes of countless combatants, which also proved another point—these ruins were exceedingly authentic. A common forgery could never be this formidable. No one would have imagined that Su Yu would be willing to smash a carrier just to manufacture this fake. Even the Xia family probably believed that this was simply the ruin Su Yu had discovered. Aside from Wan Tiansheng and Su Yu himself, even if others speculated, including Zhu Tiandao, none knew that this place had been crafted by their hands. "Manor Head Wan..." Someone glanced warily at Wan Tiansheng and smiled. "Manor Head Wan has returned... We saw no one here in these ruins, so we came over to see if there was anything to collect first, lest things be looted in the chaos..." Wan Tiansheng said in a distant tone, "These ruins belong to Su Yu. Everything here is his! You'd better hand the items over; I will pass them to Su Yu..." Someone let out a dry laugh. "Manor Head Wan, didn't Su Yu already take the carriers and the Tombstone of Civilization? Ah, the Tombstone of Civilization was stolen by that Kongkong. The main treasures are gone; these are just leftovers..." "Who says everything belongs to Su Yu?" Someone scoffed dismissively, "These ruins don't have Su Yu's name written on them." *Belongs to Su Yu?* *Does it have his name on it?* *What a joke!* Wan Tiansheng smiled and appeared at the entrance of the ruins, speaking calmly, "The items indeed belong to Su Yu, and his name is indeed written on them... Look, his name is inscribed right there in the ruins..." Because this was Su Yu's ruin! Even if it wasn't, it was now! It was the very ruin everyone suspected him of having, and now it had appeared—this very one. And this, in fact, was everyone's consensus. Other than this, Su Yu had no other ruins! Just as well. No one would ever covet any ruins of his again. Someone actually spotted Su Yu's name, but scoffed anyway. What if his name was on it? A late Sun Moon expert smiled and said, "Manor Head Wan, you are heavily injured. You have rendered great service to the human race this time; you should return early to rest and heal your wounds..." "Rendered great service to the human race?" Wan Tiansheng murmured in a distant voice, "No, no. I have rendered no service to the human race, nor did I have any such intention. I killed Fenhai and King Minghe not for the human race, but merely... for vengeance!" Black mist faintly swirled around his body. He had once advised Su Yu not to succumb to inner demons, telling him the Human Realm was not so terrible, urging him not to slaughter indiscriminately, and pleading with him not to drown himself entirely in hatred. He had advised Su Yu, yet he had never advised himself. He turned his head to look into the distance. Over there, the battle had reached its climax, and several Invincibles had already fought their way out of the passage... Wan Tiansheng smiled! The Invincibles were gone! The Great Han King had left as well! He turned his head to look at everyone in the ruins, sighing softly. "Everyone, I, Wan Tiansheng... am too ruthless, too vicious. If there is blame... blame me!" The expressions of those present shifted slightly. What did he mean? Among the crowd, Yuan Qingdong's face also turned deathly pale. He had actually wanted to leave long ago, but seeing that no one else was leaving, he hadn't dared to leave alone. At this moment, he could not help but cry out in terror, "Manor Head, when I was in the Great Xia Prefecture, I was young and foolish at first, but later I worked diligently and conscientiously..." "Mm." Wan Tiansheng nodded, smiling. "Yet your youth and ignorance... nearly got Feng Qi killed." Yuan Qingdong's face turned stark white! "Manor Head, please don't, you—" *Boom!* The ruins trembled. A divine character of Wan Tiansheng transformed into a sword, humming as it swept across the area. *Squelch!* A Sun Moon expert was cleaved in two. The crowd erupted into instant chaos! "Wan Tiansheng, are you insane? We are descendants of Invincibles! Wan Tiansheng, what do you think you're doing?" Someone screamed in sheer horror! A sun and moon crashed! A Sun Moon expert had been killed! In the next instant, a second one was slain with a squelch. Wan Tiansheng murmured, "I am purging sin. Avoiding battle is a sin. Idly spectating is a sin. Usurping power is a sin. And I... am also guilty!" *Squelch!* Yet another Sun Moon fell. Driven by sheer terror, the rest attacked him all at once. But even heavily wounded, Wan Tiansheng was a powerhouse who had slain Invincibles. How could these people match him in combat? Even an ordinary quasi-Invincible encountering him now would face near-certain death! Wan Tiansheng's white robes were pure as snow, but now, they were gradually stained with their blood, blooming upon his body like crimson blossoms. Behind him, two figures suddenly appeared. Zhu Tiandao and Lan Tian. Lan Tian smiled faintly. "Well killed! The world of mortals needs peace. You should just join my Sacred Cult!" Zhu Tiandao watched in silence. Soon, he sighed softly, turned around, and walked away. "I was never here. You... take care! Old Wan, there aren't many people in this life I admire... You... until we meet again someday!" He departed! His departure held a hint of bleakness. A great victory for the Human Realm! Six Invincibles slain! The main forces of the war had been the Great Xia Prefecture, the Great Ming Prefecture, the Great Qin Prefecture... plus the Multiple Divine Characters faction. In the Human Realm, dozens of Sun Moon experts had stood watching nearby without ever stepping forward. Zhu Tiandao had planned to discipline them thoroughly, to file complaints, to bring grievances to the Quest Realm and the War God Hall. Once the battle ended, he had intended to make trouble for them! Yet... he had never imagined that Wan Tiansheng would be far more ruthless, far more direct than him! From now on, would anyone ever dare avoid battle again? Would there be anyone? Wouldn't they fear another Wan Tiansheng appearing? None would dare! Four hundred years of restlessness, four hundred years of prosperity, four hundred years of lust for power—erased in a single day! To dare make the heavens and earth take on a new countenance! Even if the next generation fell into the same ways, they would at least exercise restraint, lasting at least several centuries. The corruption of four hundred years was swept clean today! And he... was the sinner! Slaughtering the descendants of Invincibles! Slaughtering the descendants of the heroes of the realm! Those Invincibles were still fighting on the frontlines, yet behind them, Wan Tiansheng had butchered their progeny. It was too ruthless, too vicious! No merit, however great, could ever atone for this. Outsiders would not know the details of this scene or everything that occurred today. They would only know that Wan Tiansheng had succumbed to inner demons! And he, it seemed, had no intention of remaining in the Human Realm any longer. Zhu Tiandao walked away, filled with unspeakable helplessness and sorrow. In the end, it still came to this. This time, throwing caution to the wind, he had charged to the Great Xia Prefecture and sacrificed so much. He could originally have gone to the All-Heavens Battlefield to attain the Dao, but he hadn't. Even his elder brother could have chosen not to reveal himself. And yet... his brother had chosen to step forward anyway. In the Great Ming Prefecture, no one attained the Dao. Not even Niu Baidao! Niu Baidao had returned to take part in this battle, failing to attain the Dao. The Zhu family had lost five Sun Moon experts. In reality, they had gained nothing. His elder brother had been exposed, he had been exposed, Niu Baidao had been exposed—everything was laid bare... And all of this was closely tied to him. He had wanted to see whether the Great Xia Prefecture could fight this war. As it turned out, they had won. Behind him, Wan Tiansheng slew one with every stroke of his sword, blood dyeing his lapels. Screams of agony, pleas for mercy, bitter curses... Outside, hundreds of Lan Tians danced like madmen, clapping, cheering, leaping with joy, dancing in the wind, dancing in the blood. *We are all madmen!* Lan Tian was one, and Wan Tiansheng was another, even madder than him. That was why he and Wan Tiansheng were actually very alike. It was great. No one else could command him, but Wan Tiansheng alone—whatever Wan Tiansheng told him to do, he did. Wan Tiansheng told him to kill quasi-Invincibles, told him to intercept Lade... and he had done it all. One man wielded a sword to kill, while the other danced in the blood. Stars fell in clusters, resembling a meteor shower. Breathtakingly beautiful! *Thwack!* With a final stroke of his sword, Yuan Qingdong's head was severed. Wan Tiansheng said softly, "I don't blame you. You're right; you are still young, young and ignorant. Even though you aren't younger than me, you truly are young and foolish... The Quest Realm shielded you all too well." "The Invincibles fought across the heavens to forge this everlasting peace—wasn't it all for you?" "I hold no grudge, nor do I blame you... But you shouldn't have stood by and watched coldly! Even less should you have suppressed the Multiple Divine Characters faction, and least of all should you have made them targets and kicked them while they were down..." Wan Tiansheng smiled faintly. "You are guilty, and so am I. Thus... I am no longer human. I... am a demon! A Human Demon!" *Squelch!* The severed head exploded. In his final moments, Yuan Qingdong looked at him with eyes devoid of much hatred, only a sense of helplessness. *I knew it!* *I knew it!* *These people are insane.* *There are so many madmen in the Great Xia Prefecture.* *Why did they have to send me here?* *I never wanted to come!* He had seen it long ago, yet... he had been powerless to change anything. Falling today brought him peace. At last, he no longer had to live in such terror, such perpetual tension. Wan Tiansheng looked down at the ground strewn with corpses, smiled faintly, and stepped through the air, vanishing. Behind him, Lan Tian danced across heaven and earth, following him, singing for him, cheering for him. ... In the distance. Su Yu turned back to look at the falling stars, his eyes dazed, tinged with pain. Wan Tiansheng could never return. Never again in this lifetime could he return to the Human Realm! At the very zenith of his glory, at the moment when he should have received the worship and veneration of the human race, he had chosen another path—just as he had ceased pulling from the past and future, declaring that in all the heavens, there was only Wan Tiansheng himself! Cultivating no past, seeking no future—he was Wan Tiansheng! Fifty-one years ago, he had perhaps seen through everything, understood everything. Marquis Xia had said that the Great Xia Civilization Academy was his final cage. No, that was wrong! The Multiple Divine Characters faction was his final tether. Time and again. Today, everyone had found a way forward: the third manor head had returned, Yun Chen had returned, Liu Wenyan had broken through to the Sun Moon Realm, Xia Yunqi and the others had stepped into the Sun Moon Realm... Only now was his final cage shattered. He had seen the stone sculpture intervene on Su Yu's behalf; he had taught Su Yu one last lesson, unleashing the demon in his own heart. ... The Quest Realm. A sacred ground. One of the two great sacred grounds of the Human Realm. Even as Sun Moon experts crashed and Invincibles fell during the battle in the Great Xia Prefecture, this sacred ground remained tranquil. The only flaw in its beauty was a hint of green along the outer perimeter. Crops were growing there. Alone with his sword, Wan Tiansheng walked along the narrow path between the fields, careful not to trample the green shoots. The main gates of the Quest Realm. Two guards saw the approaching figure and barked, "Who goes there?" *Squelch!* The sword flashed, and they fell. "Lan Tian, help me conceal the phenomena!" "Gladly!" Lan Tian smiled radiantly. The void rippled, and the entire Quest Realm was instantly blanketed in a layer of gray mist. Wan Tiansheng hovered in the air. From within the Quest Realm, many people walked out—old and young, men and women. Someone recognized Wan Tiansheng, and seeing him drenched in blood, cried out in shock, "Wan Tiansheng, what are you doing here?" Wan Tiansheng said calmly, "Today, the myriad races waged war against Great Xia! The Great Xia Prefecture called for reinforcements, and Shanhai and Sun Moon experts came to aid them. Aside from a few elders, why did none of the rest of the Quest Realm join the fight?" Someone frowned and replied, "The Quest Realm is a sacred ground. This place is of paramount importance; it houses countless cultural heritages, and the Heaven Yuan Sacred Ground is here as well..." "Understood!" Wan Tiansheng nodded slightly. "Eleven Sun Moon experts, thirty-seven Shanhai experts—forty-eight in total!" The crowd frowned. With a sharp hum, a sword slashed out! A Sun Moon expert's head exploded. "Ah!" "Help!" The others scattered in all directions, falling into total disarray. Wan Tiansheng targeted only the Shanhai and Sun Moon experts. He did not harm the youths and children, speaking as he killed, "Listen well, all of you! This Human Realm was carved out by our ancestors. Our ancestors sheltered all living beings, and in return, the people granted you privilege and power. You never had to complete missions, never had to struggle for resources. You enjoyed the very best, received the very best, standing above all others... You deserved it, because your fathers and grandfathers were fighting in the heavens!" "Yet this realm is not yet at peace! Besieged by the myriad races, the Human Realm is no golden age! If the Sun Moon and Shanhai experts do not fight, who will?" "If you dare not, if you are unwilling, then remain in the Tengkong and Lingyun realms for the rest of your lives. The great war does not need you!" "But once you reach Shanhai and Sun Moon, how can you avoid battle in a time of war!" Even as he slaughtered, he smiled and said, "And so, I have killed them! I want you to remember this. Remember this day, remember this moment. Your fathers were not killed for any other reason, but because they avoided battle and refused to fight!" "Sacred ground? What a joke! What does a sacred ground amount to?" "The Heaven Yuan Sacred Ground? Laughable! There are no sacred grounds in the Human Realm, only territory conquered by blood!" "A sacred ground is nothing!" "..." Amidst the slaughter, stars crashed once more, blood permeating the air, thoroughly dyeing his white robes red. Countless weak survivors huddled in the distance in sheer terror, staring at this murderous fiend. This monster had slaughtered every Sun Moon and Shanhai expert in the sacred ground! Not a single one was spared! Counting those in the ruins earlier, Wan Tiansheng had butchered thirty Sun Moon experts and over sixty Shanhai experts on this single day! Wan Tiansheng coughed up blood, smiled, and murmured, "They still had some fight in them, enough to severely injure even me. I suppose if they had truly joined the war... they might have had a chance of slaying a quasi-Invincible!" He walked toward the Heaven Yuan Sacred Ground in the rear, where the Heaven Yuan Fruit Tree stood. He smiled faintly and slashed out with his sword! A thunderous *boom* erupted! A sacred ground? No, the Human Realm had no need for such a thing. The Heaven Yuan Sacred Ground? It was merely these people's private estate. There was no need to keep it. Since you wanted to protect your sacred ground, then... let the sacred ground be buried with you. A single strike cleaved the sacred ground in two! He stepped out of the Quest Realm, looking up at the two massive characters floating in the void: *Quest Realm*. He chuckled, turned, and struck with his sword. *Boom!* The Quest Realm inscription shattered! From this day forward, the Human Realm would have no Quest Realm! "I'll be right back. Cover for me a while longer..." As Wan Tiansheng spoke, Lan Tian giggled. "Go on, go on! You're going to the War God Hall, aren't you? Kill to your heart's content. Remember to call for me when you return; I'm leaving with you..." "I will!" Wan Tiansheng vanished! A moment later, in the distant War God Hall, one Sun Moon after another plummeted from the sky! After another while, Wan Tiansheng flew back, cloaked in blood. Coughing blood, he said, "Let's go. They had some strength after all. What a pity..." Soon, he smiled. "Today, I slaughtered forty human Sun Moon experts!" Lan Tian's smile was as brilliant as a flower. "You truly are a demon! A great demon! You've killed more human Sun Moon experts than anyone else!" "*Cough, cough, cough...*" Blood flowed steadily from his wounds. Wan Tiansheng smiled. "Yes, I am a demon! The two great sacred grounds... are gone! There are no more sacred grounds in the Human Realm! Come, let's keep going. There are still others to clean up: retired generals, traitors among the prefectural experts, cowards who bowed to the myriad races suing for peace... and those who conspired with you. Give me the list!" "Gladly!" The two stepped across the void and departed, leaving eleven radiant glows trailing behind them. At this moment, the Twin Sages Prefecture shook! From behind came screams of agony and bitter weeping. There were women, youths, young boys, and toddlers! Wan Tiansheng had slaughtered every Shanhai and Sun Moon expert. Risking severe injuries and holding on by sheer willpower, he had slain a full forty Sun Moon experts. At this moment, no one in the Human Realm could stop him. No, someone could have stopped him. The moment they departed, two phantoms appeared over the Quest Realm and the War God Hall respectively. The two figures exchanged glances, their eyes filled with helplessness and sorrow. The Human Realm still possessed hidden trump cards. Their final contingencies! A few Invincibles whose three-life embodiments had fallen, yet whose true bodies were still alive, not yet dead. When the Great Xia Prefecture was besieged, they had not intervened. Now, as the two great sacred grounds were slaughtered, they... still had not intervened. Even though among the dead were several of their own descendants. Both let out a long, heavy sigh! An unspeakable helplessness filled them. We... could not bring ourselves to do it, nor did we wish to. Yet today, that man had succumbed to inner demons, and he had done what they could not. "He... plans to keep killing!" One sighed. The other said softly, "Enough, enough. Let him kill! Let him kill as he pleases!" "Then... should we... make him stay?" "*Sigh*, there's no need. Let him go... Merits and faults will be judged by future generations... We... are old!" An unspeakable helplessness and regret. Let future generations judge the merits and faults! In the Human Realm, there were sacred grounds no more—no sacred grounds at all! ... On that day, Wan Tiansheng slaughtered in every direction. Traitorous generals were slain one after another. Experts who had hunted the Multiple Divine Characters faction were executed one after another. Those who had conspired with the All-Races Cult were cut down one after another. Lan Tian was the best mirror for exposing demons. Hardly anyone who had conspired with the All-Races Cult could hide from him. Heads rolled in heaps! The sky changed color under the slaughter. ... At the end of his killing spree, Wan Tiansheng returned to the Great Xia Prefecture. By now, countless casualties had been suffered here as well. The people drawn in by Zhou Mingren had been wiped out completely. Including a ninth-tier Sun Moon expert! The Great Xia Prefecture, the City Lord Manor. Wan Tiansheng descended and looked at Xia Huyou, asking softly, "Where is Zhou Mingren?" Xia Huyou retrieved a sphere. Wan Tiansheng nodded slightly. A moment later, the sphere projected Zhou Mingren's phantom, who looked at Wan Tiansheng and smiled. "You're back... Those robes of yours... look truly splendid!" Zhou Mingren smiled. "Wan Tiansheng, you and Ye Batian were simply too powerful, too talented. Sharing a generation with the two of you was truly something to envy!" Wan Tiansheng smiled faintly. "I am leaving." "I guessed as much." Zhou Mingren chuckled softly. "Did you come to see me off? There's no need... I can walk this road myself. Wan Tiansheng, tell me... can the human race produce an Emperor?" "It's too far away; I do not know." Wan Tiansheng looked at him and smiled. "You will not live to see it, and I may not either... Perhaps the moment I see it will be the moment I fall. I... am a Human Demon!" Zhou Mingren burst into loud laughter. As he laughed, his voice softened. "Then let an old friend see you off on your final journey..." The phantom began to burn! "Tiansheng, do you remember... do you remember that year? You, me, Batian—we were talking about what titles we would take if we attained the Dao in the future?" Zhou Mingren smiled. "I said I wanted to be called King Renming—benevolent, bright, and reasonable. As it turns out... I couldn't manage it." "Batian said that if he attained the Dao, he would call himself the Tyrant King! Domineering and unyielding, trampling across the myriad realms. As it turns out... he couldn't manage it either." "Only you. You said you would just be called Wan Tiansheng, neither King nor Emperor... It seems... you actually managed it..." His voice gradually faded away. In the final moment, a crescent moon fell from the sky! Wan Tiansheng watched in silence. After a long time, he looked toward Xia Huyou. "From this day forth, the Great Xia Prefecture... has no Multiple Divine Characters faction! Crown Prince Xia, I, Wan, tender my resignation!" Tears welled in Xia Huyou's eyes as he smiled and nodded. "Manor Head Wan... your resignation is accepted! Manor Head, may you have a smooth journey!" "Thank you!" Wan Tiansheng smiled faintly, glancing into the distance toward the Great Xia Civilization Academy. He did not return. Stepping into the void, he vanished from the Great Xia Prefecture. Inside the City Lord Manor. Xia Huyou watched in silence, bowing slightly. A farewell to Manor Head Wan, a farewell to Wan Tiansheng! In the Great Xia Prefecture... there was no Multiple Divine Characters faction anymore! After today, the Multiple Divine Characters faction began in the Great Xia Prefecture, and ended in the Great Xia Prefecture. Even if it reappeared in the future, it would no longer be the Multiple Divine Characters faction of today. Without Ye Batian, without Wan Tiansheng, without all of them... there was no Multiple Divine Characters faction. "Grandmaster... safe travels!" He whispered silently, thinking it, offering his blessings in secret. *Father, he is truly gone.*