Lang Taotian clearly understood Ye Xiu's intent. With a single strike of his Thousand Mountains Wave-Breaking Palm, he annihilated the Winged Tribe member before him, then used the Light Water Skill to move to Ye Xiu's intended landing spot. He swung the butt of his long spear backhand, instantly channeling vital energy, and flung Ye Xiu skyward toward the highest heavens. Seeing this, Ye Xiu rejoiced, drawing his Slaughtering Sword in conjunction with Heng Chen as they plummeted, ready to strike off the Abyss Heavenly Sovereign's head. However, in that instant, a sound like the shattering of heaven and earth suddenly echoed in his ears; the entire Myriad Sword Pavilion shuddered and split apart as if struck by an earthquake.

“What is this…” Before Ye Xiu could fully descend, a burst of dark red light surged up from the ground and shot toward the heavens. An inaudible scream erupted from countless Winged Tribe members as they turned to ash and vanished.

“Cough…” Jian Hongchen tumbled down through the air along with the primary beam of light, his body covered in blood. “The Mad Meridian inside Dugu Bingchen is indeed formidable; even I cannot stop him, but…”

“But?” For the first time, Ye Xiu felt a tremor of fear. How much myth and legend were hidden within the Three Swords? Even Jian Hongchen, the Soul-Sucking Boy who held himself in such high regard, revealed a trace of dejection.

“Dugu Bingchen is now controlled by the Mad Meridian. He has lost his original sanity. I don't know who unearthed and summoned the Mad Meridian within him, but soon, Slaughtering Monarch Tianmang will be reborn in this world. The Three Swords are no longer a matter of simple chaos; even describing it as an earthly purgatory would be an understatement.”

“Ah…” A terrifying aura of killing intent brushed past, and Dugu Bingchen, in a flash of movement, materialized before the world, claws and teeth bared. All life below the Myriad Sword Pavilion at that moment had been reduced to dust.

“Dugu Bingchen has gone mad! Everyone flee!” Jian Hongchen shouted a desperate warning to the crowd. He himself adopted a defensive stance, intending to disengage from this futile battle. “Ye Xiu, you had best flee as well! You are no match for him right now!”

“The Mad Meridian!” Although the Myriad Sword Azure Dragon was grievously wounded, even he was startled by the aura emanating from Bingchen. He scrambled to his feet and commanded the Blade Guards, “Everyone, leave! Go!”

“Big Brother, is this…?” Qing Lin had also heard the legends of Slaughtering Monarch Tianmang. He simply hadn't expected the resurgence of this chaotic age to also awaken the most terrifying tyrant among the Three Swords.

“Ya… Ah…” At this moment, Dugu Bingchen let out a roar. His entire body began to shimmer with a dark red hue. His gaze was distant yet exuded a killing intent that threatened to pierce the heavens. Where he passed, waves of crimson light began to spread across the ground.

“Go!” The Abyss Heavenly Sovereign watched from above. Believing he had found a weak spot, he urgently ordered the Winged Tribe members to simultaneously unleash their radiant wings, driving waves of sword light toward Bingchen.

“Hah!” Bingchen spat out a furious shout, utterly disregarding the Winged Tribe’s assault. Their crystalline feathers simply slid off his body upon contact, rendered completely powerless. This attack failed to halt Bingchen’s slow advance; instead, it ignited his ferocity. He raised his eyes, and without even swinging the blade in his hand, he unleashed a wave of chilling sword energy that shot straight into the sky. In an instant, it annihilated a Winged Tribe member, reducing him to dust. That beam of light did not stop there; it leaped off one corpse and immediately pierced into another body, weaving back and forth through the crowd. In a short time, half the sky was rained down with blood.

The Myriad Sword City Blade Guards rushed forward, attempting to cover the Azure Dragon’s retreat. Yet, the Azure Dragon showed no inclination to leave. He rose, using his sword to steady himself, and faced Bingchen. “Dugu Bingchen, I am the one who killed your father. Come for me alone.”

“Big Brother!” Qing Lin and Shen Ying tried to pull the Azure Dragon back, but he firmly held them behind him.

“You…” Bingchen drawled open his mouth in confusion. He had completely forgotten his original purpose. The Mad Meridian had instilled only slaughter in him, erasing all human emotion. He raised his sword and unleashed another wave of light into the crowd.

“Pfft!” The Myriad Sword Azure Dragon tried to raise Jinghong to block the strike, but he never expected Jue Tian Jinghong to snap when facing such a bizarre force. The sharp incoming sword light instantly pierced his chest, causing a gush of blood to erupt from his mouth.

“Big Brother! City Lord!” Those behind him wanted to rush forward but were frozen by the Azure Dragon’s voice.

“Don’t come near! All of you, leave! I’ll draw him away!” The Azure Dragon lifted his broken sword, lunged forward, and unleashed a blast of the Myriad Sword Eight Directions strike heavily upon Bingchen. Bingchen lowered his head, showing no intention of dodging. As the sword light approached, he swung his blade high, shattering the Eight Directions sword energy into countless pieces.

“Ah…” The Azure Dragon suffered another heavy blow but did not yield. He swept past with his sword, attempting to thrust at Bingchen, but was halted mid-air by the Half-Moon Saber. He shifted his momentum, jumped clear of the Myriad Sword Pavilion, intending to lure Bingchen away.

“All must die!” Bingchen grew more frenzied in battle, wildly brandishing his saber and sword with both hands. Every clash between Bu Luo Shuang and the Half-Moon Saber caused the heavens and earth to tremble. A feeling of utter despair washed over the entirety of Myriad Sword City.

“The Myriad Sword Pavilion is collapsing! Leave quickly!” Qing Lin forced down the fear in his heart and directed the others to retreat, but Bingchen’s sword energy saturated the area—where could they retreat to? “Go! Jump off!”

“Let’s go, Brother Ye!” Lang Taotian also felt the approach of danger, grabbing Ah Jiao as they plunged toward the ground. At the same time, the Blade Guards hurled themselves from the highest heavens, intending to rely on their movement skills to flee Aotian Tower. Unexpectedly, Bingchen unleashed a Myriad Sword attack that instantly accelerated the ground’s fracturing.

“Ah!” At that moment, Shen Ying felt the ground beneath her soften; the entire Myriad Sword Pavilion was tilting precariously, leaving no time for anyone to rush to her defense.

“Shen Ying!” Ye Xiu, who had considered fighting one last time, saw that even Jian Hongchen was withdrawing while supporting his body. With no choice, he used the Ghost Step to rush forward and catch Shen Ying. Looking back, the sky above Myriad Sword City was filled with fleeing figures. “Shen Ying, hold on tight to me!”

Shen Ying was naturally pleased to be saved by Ye Xiu, but seeing the desolate, blood-soaked scene everywhere, she couldn't help but weep.

“Myriad Slashes!” Ye Xiu knew what he had to do: attract Bingchen’s attention, at least to buy the others a little time to escape.

“All must die!” Bingchen, having perfected his sword stance, perched high atop the Myriad Sword Pavilion, preparing to unleash his ultimate move upon everything below. Unexpectedly, a series of swift sword lights descended, striking him precisely in the heart and interrupting his internal energy flow. He felt no pain, only a torrent of blood surging into his chest.

“Hold me tight, let’s go!” Ye Xiu knew he had succeeded, but the next step was pure flight. With a thought, the pair of massive bat wings instantly manifested, soaring toward the sky. At this moment, nowhere within the Three Swords realm was safe. The only path left was to risk everything and fly again toward Myriad Sword Peak. No matter how powerful the Mad Meridian was within Bingchen, a mere mortal body could not ascend beyond the clouds.

“Kill!” Bingchen truly behaved like a maddened beast. He abandoned everyone else and now pursued only Ye Xiu’s silhouette. He danced with his sword moves, wind swirling beneath his feet. Chasing and leaping, he arrived at the base of Myriad Sword Peak. Looking up, he saw Ye Xiu’s figure about to vanish into the dark clouds. He closed his eyes, circulated his energy, and concentrated all his power in his feet. He slammed one foot against the sheer wall of Myriad Sword Peak.

Ye Xiu knew the path ahead was perilous, especially while carrying Shen Ying, but this was the only viable escape route. However, when he looked down, cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He never expected Dugu Bingchen’s movement skill to be so astonishing; in just a short time, the man appeared beneath him, as if running on flat ground.

“Hold me tight!” Ye Xiu raised his sword with one hand and tightly embraced Shen Ying. Utilizing his wings, he once again achieved full speed, his entire body encased in a torrent of white airflow. In moments, they broke through the ring of ice.

“Myriad Swords Overthrow the City!” Bingchen ran fiercely but suddenly felt the ground beneath him weaken, finding it difficult to maintain purchase. This area had turned into a frozen wasteland. Helplessly, he flipped and launched a sword strike upward from below.

Ye Xiu flew with all his might, completely unprepared for the strike from below. He felt a dull impact against his back, and his entire body, along with Shen Ying, slammed heavily against the mountain wall. “No! Ah!” Although this sword strike wouldn't kill Ye Xiu, they were in a perilous spot, and he could not allow Shen Ying to be harmed. In his desperation, he felt the Purple Smoke Chain on his arm suddenly emit a glow—a true saving grace in a time of need.

Without delay, Ye Xiu used the power of the Purple Smoke Chain, plunging his sword instantly into the mountainside to prevent a catastrophic collision. Aided by this sudden strength, he looked up and shot straight into the clouds, utterly disregarding the hatred in Bingchen’s eyes. Ignoring the treacherous ice layers, the projectiles of fire, and the downpour of sword rain, he miraculously pierced through the final dense black cloud capping Myriad Sword Peak. Instantly, a brilliant ray of sunlight entered his vision, and a peaceful, gentle aura from the summit enveloped his body.

“Hoo…” Ye Xiu struggled to control his descent onto the flat summit ground and gently set Shen Ying down. Warm clouds and mist wrapped around him. He suddenly felt his body go weak, his head spun, and he collapsed onto the earth.

“Ah…” Dugu Bingchen fell backward toward the sky. His eyes were blazing red. He no longer knew what he was supposed to do. The agitation of the Mad Meridian drove him to seek the world’s infinite blood for slaughter, but at that same instant, the consciousness originating from Bingchen himself was reawakened. Then, in a fleeting moment, all movement in his body ceased. He plummeted like a shooting star, disappearing into some unknown location within the Three Swords realm.

...

The battle of slaughter continued inside Myriad Sword City, while outside the city, the Beast Clan army, led by the Evil Elder, stood facing the Myriad Sword Blade Guards across the banks of a river.

The Myriad Sword Azure Dragon knelt alone in the Forest of Buried Souls outside the city. He had intended to lure Bingchen here, as this was the location of the Dugu family tombs. Facing Dugu Yi Fang now, he didn't know what emotion to feel. He hadn't expected the Dugu family to harbor the ancient Mad Meridian. Dugu Bingchen seeking revenge was a small matter; if the Slaughtering Monarch Tianmang within him awakened, it would undoubtedly be a disaster for the Three Swords. “Alas…”