"What!" Xuan Hu never expected that the old, cunning Evil Elder would die just like that. He walked over, looking at the mutilated corpse on the ground with a feeling of satisfaction. "Haha, General Ye truly lived up to expectations. Was that strike... General Ye, has your Myriad Sword Art also reached the Seventh Level?"

Ye Xiu knew Xuan Hu's character well; he was the epitome of arrogance and self-importance. In truth, his Myriad Sword Art had already reached the Eighth Level, but he couldn't let Xuan Hu know. So, he casually offered an excuse: "Ye Xiu is also human, and I have cultivated the Myriad Sword Art. It was only with the guidance of the Myriad Sword Azure Dragon that I made some progress. Today, Elder Xie was already heavily wounded, which gave me an opportunity."

"Hmm." Xuan Hu looked at Ye Xiu, hesitating slightly, but then reasoned that his own display of Myriad Sword Brilliance must have disordered the Evil Elder's internal energy, and Ye Xiu, being a powerful martial artist, would certainly have no trouble dealing with a gravely injured Evil Elder. "If that's the case, we must press the advantage. Follow me to eliminate the remaining beast race remnants."

"Yes!" Ye Xiu sheathed his Hengchen Sword and followed behind Xuan Hu. Unexpectedly, Xuan Hu's killing intent surged at that moment, forcing his Mad Meridians to activate, strengthening his footwork, and he dashed forward with lightning speed.

"This..." Ye Xiu's Desperate Meridians flared up again within him. To avoid arousing Xuan Hu's suspicion, he managed to suppress it, resulting in another gush of blood erupting from his mouth. What secret truly lay within the Myriad Sword Xuan Hu?

The forest ahead had become a sea of blood and flesh. The Sword Guards of Myriad Sword City formed a sword array to slaughter the beast race within, while the beast race members transformed into surging columns, using brute force to shatter the human formations. Swords clashed against blades as they fought a life-or-death struggle.

"Myriad Swords to the Eight Directions!" Before Myriad Sword Xuan Hu even arrived, his sword move struck out, plunging straight into the beast race ranks, leaving corpses strewn everywhere it passed.

Seeing their City Lord personally charge into battle, the morale of the human army soared. Every soldier fought with the tenacity of ten, wielding their sword skills in a struggle unto death. The beast race warriors, witnessing such a sight, retreated in fright.

"Beast race, hear me! Elder Xie has been slain by me! Lay down your arms and surrender immediately!" Xuan Hu roared, channeling his inner force, a sound that shook everyone present. "The tide has turned! Any who stubbornly resist will be executed without mercy!"

"Ah, Elder Xie..." A lament escaped from among the beast race soldiers. Although they couldn't quite believe Xuan Hu's words, Elder Xie was indeed absent, and perhaps he had truly been killed?

"Not good! Winged Tribe, retreat quickly!" On Shenlin Peak, Abyss Heavenly Ruler, still bearing his wounds, was locked in a fierce battle with the One-Line Sword Monarch. The moment he heard that deep, powerful surge of inner force, his face turned ashen. He commanded his Winged Tribe soldiers to take to the skies and flee.

"Trying to escape!" The Sword Monarch's blade had only one style, yet it was so fast that its trajectory was impossible to trace. He leaped upward, intending to intercept Heavenly Ruler, and in a single strike, wounded his wings.

"Cover Heavenly Ruler!" A group of volunteer Winged Tribe members swooped down to shield Heavenly Ruler, but the Sword Monarch's One-Line Sword style paid no heed to the number of defenders; within the range of that single line, none were spared.

"Mystic Heaven Wind and Cloud!" Heavenly Ruler, seeing his subordinates cut down, panicked. He turned and flapped his wings, attempting to block the one-line sword, but he was struck again in the chest and plummeted downward. Fortunately, his followers swiftly caught him and fled the battle together.

"Damn it, we let him escape." The Sword Monarch, displeased, vented the unspent killing intent upon the Winged Tribe members who hadn't managed to flee in time. Another neat row of corpses fell from the sky.

"No need to pursue. Go see how the City Lord is faring," Night Wind's Lament whispered before transforming into a shadow and sinking into the earth.

The situation within the forest had undergone a massive reversal. Seeing their Winged Tribe allies fleeing into the air, the beast race forces were thrown into chaos. Coupled with Elder Xie's prolonged absence, more and more soldiers believed Xuan Hu's words and prepared to abandon their armor and surrender.

"Myriad Swords Overthrow the City!" Ye Xiu also used his lightness skill, soaring above the heads of the beast race. A strike of sword light descended, severely wounding countless troops and further shocking the beast race into fleeing or surrendering. The human forces, seeing this advantage, surged forward, intent on annihilation, but they were halted by Myriad Sword Xuan Hu.

"Do not pursue a desperate enemy!" Xuan Hu raised his hand, calling a halt to all his soldiers. He looked up at the Winged Tribe members also making a hasty retreat. "It is not yet time to annihilate them. Myriad Sword City soldiers, heed my order: return to the city immediately."

"City Lord, how shall we deal with these prisoners?" Zuo Wencheng, who could not fight and had been hiding behind the soldiers, stepped forward to inquire. "Shall I order the soldiers to take them away?"

Xuan Hu gazed into the distance. There were at least twenty to thirty thousand beast race people kneeling before him, and their weapons had all been confiscated by the Sword Guards. "I do not trust anyone who betrays their own race to surrender. Kill them all!"

"This..." Zuo Wencheng hesitated. Slaughtering surrendered troops was never an honorable affair. But as he turned to look at Xuan Hu's expression, Xuan Hu had already turned his back and was steadily walking towards Myriad Sword City.

"Kill! Leave none alive." Helplessly, Zuo Wencheng issued the order to the Sword Guards. These guards already harbored deep hatred for the beast race, and now, executing these unarmed wretches was even easier. In an instant, sword light flashed throughout the forest, accompanied by endless screams. Upon closer inspection, even the branches of the tallest trees were splattered with bloodstains. The human army had achieved a resounding victory.

Ye Xiu sheathed his sword, sparing no attention to the art of mass execution. Xiang Yu had done such a thing in the past, and now Myriad Sword Xuan Hu was doing the same. According to his calculations, Gu Du Bing Chen should have come to aid the beast race, yet he hadn't appeared. Furthermore, Xuan Hu clearly harbored a power that shocked him. There was only one explanation: his intuition told him that Myriad Sword Xuan Hu was already afflicted with the Mad Meridians.

...

"Reporting to the Third City Lord, the siege of Myriad Sword City has been lifted," a figure clad in black flashed into existence beside Qing Lin. "The Second City Lord led the Red and Black Sword Guards to shatter the encirclement of the beast and winged races, but..."

"But what? Speak freely," Qing Lin sat calmly upon a stone slab, the scenery of the mountain gorge and hidden water lending him a profound tranquility.

"The Second City Lord's cultivation seems to have advanced another layer, and this subordinate also saw Young Master Ye among the human army," the black-clad figure stammered, afraid of offending Qing Lin.

"Very well, you may leave." Qing Lin offered few words, continuing to cast his hook into the lake. "Ye Xiu has returned. After waiting a little longer, it will be time for us to emerge."

"The Third City Lord's intentions remain utterly inscrutable to this subordinate," Lang Tao Tian emerged from some unseen location.