In the Age of Desolation, martial arts techniques and Spiritual Master cultivation methods were categorized into thirteen tiers based on their might and potential: Foundation Establishment, Introductory, Profound Glimpse, High Grade, Subtle Wonder, Ultimate Skill, Legend, Earth-Shattering, Heaven-Shaking, Saintly Spirit, Divine Ability, World-Ending, and Supreme!

The original form of his Six Gods Blade Art was precisely a Tier Seven, Legend-level technique!

Legend held that during that era, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was vast, and spirit treasures were countless. Not only did numerous powerhouses emerge within the Cloud Realm, but celestial strongmen and even Saint Realm Venerables from other worlds also entered the Cloud Realm, bringing with them untold exotic skills and secret methods.

However, as the Age of Desolation concluded, the majority of these techniques were lost. Some lineages were severed during successive great wars, while others were taken to other realms by the departing powerhouses. What remained were merely techniques falling within the first six tiers.

Even the Unfixed Spirit Emperor Art, personally created by Zong Weiran and renowned throughout the East Lin Cloud Continent, and the Profound Moon Wood Splendor Art practiced by Xuanyuan Yiren, were barely classified as initial Tier Six Ultimate Skills. The Secret Heritage Royal Flame Burning Spirit Art of the Blazing Flame Mountain Flame Bear Clan was even simpler—just an introductory method from that Demon Emperor's lineage.

His Six Gods Blade Art, however, began at the Legend tier! And the version he obtained was one refined by a Saint Realm powerhouse.

When cultivated to its absolute peak, it had been elevated by one full tier above the original version, reaching Tier Eight: Earth-Shattering!

The martial divisions of the Age of Desolation held no meaning in this current time. Even in later ages, those martial arts techniques and Spiritual Master cultivation methods were never reclassified.

Yet, this alone demonstrated the formidable power of this flying blade technique!

Seeing the handsome middle-aged Spiritual Master immediately turn to flee the moment he named his flying blade art, Zong Shou's brow lifted slightly.

Instantly afterward, he dismissed the notion with indifference.

Just as that man stated, the Six Gods Blade—a blade strike means certain death, and it never misses its mark!

Within a thousand zhang radius, no matter how swift one's terrestrial movement technique, even those rivaling the speed of ancient, swift-famed beasts, it would prove useless!

Feeling the slight replenishment of True Qi in his body after launching two consecutive blades, he immediately swept his voluminous sleeve again. Another Cloud Flame Flying Blade shot out, targeting a point hundreds of zhang away.

When it struck the invisible energy barrier formed by the spirit formation on the city wall, the blade’s shadow flickered. The blade body executed a high-speed spiral, forcefully piercing through. Its speed undiminished, it relentlessly pursued the white-robed middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man surnamed Xue faintly sensed the sharp blade edge closing in from behind and immediately let out a sharp shriek. He unleashed ten spirit talismans in quick succession, chanting incantations, instantly summoning a fierce gale storm behind him. Countless wind blades were vaguely visible swirling and cutting within it. Some surrounding armored guards, unable to evade in time, were shredded into mangled flesh and bloody mist.

The intent was that under this hurricane, even the legendary Six Gods Blade, no matter how masterful Zong Shou’s blade control might be, would be deflected at this juncture. If not entirely blown away, if not shattered by the wind blades, it certainly should no longer be able to harm him.

But when he looked back again, he felt his heart nearly cease beating. He saw the flying blade, less than two feet long, threading its way through the fierce wind. Although it swayed, it always managed to perfectly evade the most violent currents, spiraling through the wind blades. Its trajectory had changed slightly, yet inexplicably, it felt several times more perilous to him than before.

The middle-aged man surnamed Xue grunted, suppressing the sliver of dread rising in his heart. As his figure passed the rear edge of the city wall, he immediately dropped low. Just as expected, the flying blade began its first course correction. The blade tip tilted equally, pursuing him downward. Like mist or clouds, its true form remained obscured. Aided by the downward momentum, its speed increased even more dramatically.

The middle-aged man surnamed Xue remained unruffled, executing a calm, sharp ascent. This forced the Cloud Flame Flying Blade into its second course change, having closed the distance to within three zhang. It would pierce his throat in mere breaths. Instead of panic, a faint smile touched the lips of the middle-aged man surnamed Xue. Even the Six Gods Blade Art, at the Innate Realm, could never achieve the fluidity of a Spiritual Master Sword Cultivator. If he could just evade this strike, he would be safe.

Six Gods Blade—never misses, but it is not unbreakable!

This thought flashed through his mind, and his figure shifted once more under the impetus of his spiritual artifact. With the blade having changed direction twice, it was impossible for it to catch him now.

However, the very next moment, the middle-aged man surnamed Xue’s eyes snapped wide open. The alarm bells in his heart had not diminished; rather, they spiked to their absolute peak in that instant.

Wrong!

He immediately turned to look behind him. Then, a chilling cold instantly washed through his chest. He saw that the Cloud Flame Flying Blade, just as it seemed about to sweep past him, suddenly erupted with a burst of firelight and icy mist—a water-and-fire spiral. Then, using merely this slight recoil force, the flying blade spun and changed direction again, slicing in for another attack, straight for his vital throat.

“Three course changes! How is that possible?…”

The middle-aged man surnamed Xue let out a mournful roar, unable to maintain the composure he had held. Several layers of defensive spiritual enchantments rose around him, and torrents of spiritual energy and soul power were poured into his feet, urging his speed to increase yet again to shift his body’s position.

He had not yet reached the Sun Roaming Realm; this physical body was still of utmost importance to him!

He dodged with nearly suicidal desperation, but ultimately, he could not avoid it. The Cloud Flame Flying Blade struck his right shoulder squarely. The earth-shattering true might of the water-and-fire spiral immediately impacted his body.

With a muffled boom, it blasted out a mist of blood.

When the blade light passed through his body and flew into the distance, a hole the size of a bowl appeared in his right shoulder. The middle-aged man surnamed Xue felt an agonizing pain; his body had been riddled with wounds by the spiraling internal energy, and his breath and blood force were severely depleted, his soul spirit rapidly waning and withering.

On the city wall, although You Wusheng could not look back, his divine sense perceived every detail of the scene behind him. His eyes widened until they bulged, his face turned as pale as paper, and his eyes radiated intense dread and fear.

How could there be such a terrifyingly sharp flying blade technique in this world? If he had faced that strike just now, what would have happened? Could he have escaped with his life from that Cloud Flame Flying Blade?

His heart screamed for him to turn and flee immediately. Yet, at this moment, he was paralyzed. Zong Yuan, charging toward him with immense thunderous power, had shockingly broken through the invisible energy barrier enveloping the city wall. His steps had landed upon the ramparts, his soul sense locked onto You Wusheng, and his eagle-like eyes were staring coldly. The cold light flashing at the tip of his spear was utterly soul-shaking, causing the skin on You Wusheng’s face to twitch slightly, eradicating all traces of the former confident arrogance, leaving only slivers of regret.

He was originally a high-ranking general of the Divine Heaven Mountain, a subordinate of the Demon King. If he had known this, why bother staking his life for the trivial affection of Zong Shiyuan?

At the time, he never expected that the heir of the Divine Heaven Mountain would have achieved the Innate Realm in martial arts, and his spiritual methods were exaggeratedly deep, having entered the Night Roaming Realm!

And that flying blade technique was overwhelmingly powerful, virtually guaranteeing death upon release. Even the esteemed Mr. Xue, an Eight Rune Returning Yang Spiritual Master, had been severely injured by a single strike.

These few people before him—whether Zong Shou, Zong Lan, or this newly ascended Peerless General, Purple Thunder Spear—were terrifyingly strong! And when they combined their strength, it became utterly hopeless.

The next instant, Zong Yuan was already taking a stride, surging forward. You Wusheng’s spirit jolted, and he immediately purged all extraneous thoughts. His spiritual bow let out three rapid "peng," "peng," "peng" sounds. Three barbed arrows shot out like meteors, one after the other.

At a distance of less than twelve zhang, even a peak Xuanwu Sect expert who had already merged nine spiritual meridians would be forced back by his arrows.

Zong Yuan’s spear suddenly executed a flourish and flicked upward, batting away the first arrow. The spear tip immediately dipped down, smashing onto the second barbed arrow. Thunder danced wildly, forcefully deflecting this arrow.

As Zong Yuan executed his second spear flourish, the third arrow was just leaving the bowstring. With a coil and a shake, the iron arrow and steel spear emitted a series of light "weng weng" sounds, finally knocking the last barbed arrow aside.

Blood began to seep from Zong Yuan’s tiger’s mouth from the jarring impact, yet his arm remained steady as steel. He swung the steel spear, driving it into the dense flurry of sword shadows that You Wusheng frantically erected.

“Those who betray my Divine Heaven Mountain, die!” Lightning instantly flashed violently. A single spear thrust caused You Wusheng’s head to shatter like a watermelon. The remaining corpse was completely disintegrated by the vast electric power.

Glancing around, he saw the armored soldiers and archers nearby receding like a tide. Especially those who were You Wusheng’s personal trusted subordinates; their faces were deathly pale.

Some still couldn't believe that these three Xuanwu Grandmasters had been successively executed in under ten breaths of time.

That ferocious aura, capable of slaying gods and blocking deities, utterly crushing all opposition, had completely stripped the courage from almost everyone on this city wall at this moment.

“Is that truly the Heir of our Divine Heaven Mountain? Wasn't it said he couldn't cultivate? How is he so strong?” “This Purple Thunder Spear Zong Yuan is also this formidable! I heard someone say the day before yesterday that he once led three thousand cavalry into the Ruohai Strait, conquering the two cities of Yunxia and Blazing Flame, shattering a combined army of four hundred thousand. He consecutively slew four Xuanwu Grandmasters. I didn't believe it then, but looking now, it seems it was likely true.” “The Heir is a Night Roaming Spiritual Master, and he has this Peerless General as a trusted subordinate. Wouldn't the position of Demon King be his for the taking? Those like Zong Shi are simply dreaming wildly to dare contend with the Heir for the throne.” On the city wall, though no sound was made, everyone’s thoughts were turbulent, and their eyes held no will to fight.

Zong Yuan couldn't be bothered to pay attention. He kept his gaze fixed on the middle-aged Spiritual Master currently flying away on his artifact. He still gripped the Purple Thunder Steel Spear tightly. As soon as his strength recovered slightly, he could run that man through.

The next instant, a massive roar erupted from below. Zong Lan had split the city gate with a single strike. Then, he spurred his horse and rode into the city, simultaneously hurling his Horse-Slaying Great Blade, which shot straight toward the heavens. (To be continued.)