The north wind howled, and the black-robed figure’s robes fluttered about.

The Xuan-Yuan Holy Sword glowed with holy light, the ant.i.thesis of all things unholy. Slaughter had long since darkened the battlefield, but beneath the sword’s radiance, light returned

Countless vicious beasts gazed at this new arrival’s back. They saw the incredulity written in the dead yao commander’s eyes in the moments before his death.

The commanders’ corpses fell to the earth, splattering the blood pooling the ground. Despite themselves, they each felt a chill course through their entire bodies.

The Southern Kingdom’s entire army had risen en ma.s.se.

The supreme-level yao were like a swarm of locusts, so numerous, they were impossible to count. Those who could stand out and become commanders were all either peak diviners or rulers. And yet ,this black-robed figure had single-handedly, seemingly effortlessly, killed several such experts with a single swing of his blade.

This type of strength…

It was enough to terrify the vast majority of the remaining yao soldiers.

Everyone wondered just who this new arrival was, with a few exceptions. A few experts within the yao army’s ranks focused on the sword, and their pupils constricted.

The Xuan-Yuan Sword.

The top divine artifact since the primordial era, the undisputed leader of the divine weapon leaderboards.

The only man-made artifact that could compete with G.o.d-given divine artifacts.

When they saw the Xuan-Yuan Sword, the major powers all guessed who this new arrival was.

Ye Zichen!

This name perhaps wasn’t as well or widely known as that of the great emperors, but to major powers like them, it was as familiar as could be.

He was a suspected bearer of the Emperor Star.

Even if he wasn’t the Emperor Star, he was undoubtedly at least one of the Four Great Auxiliary Stars.

But he was supposed to be up on the Divine Mountains. For him to show up here out of the blue, could it be that the experts of the Divine Mountains had long-since noticed their invasion? Had they already sent reinforcements?

Ye Zichen’s entrance was too dazzling, his methods, shockingly direct.

The commanders’ deaths cast a dark cloud over the ordinary yao. All of a sudden, the vast army, hundreds of millions of yao, froze. None of them dared take so much as a single step forward.

The vicious beasts of the River Styx had been at an enormous disadvantage. Now that the yao invaders didn’t dare move, they naturally weren’t stupid enough to re-initiate combat. Quite a few of their ranks went so far as to sit on the bloodstained ground and take healing medicine. Many of the others watched with bated breath, eager to see what Ye Zichen would do next.

A hundred breaths of time pa.s.sed.

Ye Zichen maintained the same stance he had at the start. Despite having just killed several yao commanders, not a single drop of blood tainted his sword. He held it at an angle, pointing down at the ground beneath his feet.

This whole time, his head remained lowered, and he stood unmoving in the sky, like a floating statue.

And yet, the countless yao of the Southern Kingdom army felt as if he were a blazing fire with flames intense enough to burn the very heavens themselves. It was as if a pair of invisible hands were clutching and squeezing their hearts.

They weren’t sure whether this sense of oppression came from Ye Zichen, or from the Xuan-Yuan Sword in his hands.

EIther way, it was so intense, they didn’t even dare so much as breathe too loudly. They stood there in silence, their nerves so taut they might snap in two, sweat pouring uncontrollably from every pore.

The battlefield had fallen completely silent, save for the sound of the breeze drifting past their ears and the gus.h.i.+ng waters of the River Styx.

This wordless pressure gradually made the yao army restless. Some of them were reaching their limit; they could no longer bear it. Some backed away, while others stretched and twisted their necks in discomfort.

But it was then that Ye Zichen, the man who’d pushed them to the brink of a mental breakdown, took action.

Practically every yao present felt their hearts clench. The surviving commanders’ expressions were solemn. As for the river denizens, there was a loud clamor as they each raised their weapons and prepared for battle.

It seemed that a new battle was about to begin, but this time, Ye Zichen was the spark, the source of it all.

But what happened next left everyone wide-eyed and tongue-tied. After instantly obliterating several enemy commanders, Ye Zichen made no further moves against the invaders. Instead, he silently turned around to face the now armless Su Yiyun.

“Ye-zi.” Su Yiyun had recognized him at a glance. He was about to greet his friend, but when he met Ye Zichen’s gaze, he swallowed his words. Ye Zichen’s eyes were bloodshot and flas.h.i.+ng with sharp light. Moreover, they contained unconcealable fury.

At first, Su Yiyun was confused, but soon, the realization set in. Ye Zichen blamed him. There was absolutely no doubt about it. He blamed him for activating the double eighth-level formations, just like he had in the past. He blamed him for being so careless with his life.

Su Yiyun said nothing. The two of them merely looked at each other.

A long time pa.s.sed…

Ye Zichen suddenly pressed off against the ground, the Xuan-Yuan Sword glowing with such intensity, it seemed capable of illuminating the entire world. He swung his blade with all his might, his target, the Eighth-Level Soul-Locking Formation.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

One attack after another slammed into the formation like a hammer, the sound ringing through the invaders’ ears.

Neither the yao nor the vicious beasts understood why he’d do such a thing, but there was no way the yao would stop him. From their perspective, the Eighth-Level Soul-Locking Formation was the most terrifying threat here. If Ye Zichen could get rid of it for them, they might even thank him.

Holy sword light slammed into the formation without pause. Gradually, cracks spread throughout its surface. The cracks expanded, until the Xuan-Yuan Sword stabbed directly into the center of the formation.

Boom!

The Eighth-Level Soul-Locking Formation shattered into countless dots of deep blue light. Then, it disappeared into the sky, the way fireworks did after the lights faded.

Su Yiyun grimaced. The remnants of his arms hung limply at his sides. After Ye Zichen destroyed the great formation, he stormed over and punched him. When Su Yiyun next looked at him, he saw that Ye Zichen’s eyes were wet with tears, and when he spoke, his voice was choked with sobs. “Didn’t you agree never to do this again? Didn’t you?”

“You! Of course I remember our agreement,” said Su Yiyun with a bitter laugh.

“Then why’d you go ahead and use the Eighth-Level Soul-Locking Formation anyway?”

“Who said I was using it?” said Su Yiyun. “I just drew them to put pressure on the yao invaders, that’s all. All I wanted was to scare them into backing down. But look at you; you went ahead and ruined it! After all my hard work! And I didn’t even take you to task for it. To think you’d punch me!”

“Hmph. Do you think I was born yesterday?” Ye Zichen glared at him viciously, then looked at the b.l.o.o.d.y holes which were once his friend’s shoulders. He pulled a pill from his spatial ring and stuffed it into Su Yiyun’s mouth.

“This is divine-grade recovery medicine. It’s expensive, so remember to pay me back.”

“You… Did I tell you to give it to me? I’m afraid the blasted thing’ll poison me to death!” Su Yiyun rolled his eyes. “What do we do now? Without the intimidation of the double eighth-level formations, the yao will attack without reservation. You see it too, right? This is the entire Southern Kingdom Army; they’ve held nothing back. What do you plan to do about it?”

“Hah? I’ll just have to kill them all.” Ye Zichen’s gaze instantly frosted over. A chill whirled around him, and the temperatures throughout the battlefield dropped. The yao of the Southern Kingdom clenched their weapons.

It was then that a sound like a downpour of swords filled the skies. “Alliance Head!”

The forces of the Upheaval Alliance knelt. Ye Zichen faced away from them, then pointed forward with the Xuan-Yuan Sword. “Don’t leave a single one alive!”

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