He was merely an extension, at this moment, like a toddler wielding a massive sledgehammer. The immense power was undeniable, terrifying even in its scale, yet it refused to bend to his will.

This last-minute cramming, truly, was useless. He had imagined effortless control, but the result was diametrically opposed to his cultivation path.

With a thought, Zong Shouzheng intended to unleash the 'momentum' of the entire nation he had drawn forth, pressing down upon the whole assembly. Instead, it somehow contracted back into a single point.

With another sharp crack, Zong Yuan’s thigh bone visibly shattered once more. This time, it snapped entirely, exposing the stark, splintered white bone, a horrifying sight.

Zong Shi immediately spat out another mouthful of blood with a wet phut, flecked with fragments of his internal organs. He felt as though his viscera had been utterly pulped by this irresistible, surging force.

His consciousness finally cleared: this was no dream! It was brutally real.

Every inch of his body was agony, and he couldn't summon even a sliver of true qi. Despair welled up, leaving him utterly at a loss.

The youth before him, who should have been his helpless quarry, now bared a sliver of fang like an ancient, terrible beast. —Even this mere glimpse was enough to leave him critically wounded on the spot!

He had always believed that reaching the Xiantian realm by age twenty made him peerless in Qiantian Mountain City, second only to Zong Yuan. With the lineage of the Celestial Fox, no one could stand beside him.

Compared to this Zong Shou, it was the difference between heaven and earth. The title of Demon King was surely his.

But in this instant, that sense of superiority utterly collapsed, vanishing without a trace, leaving only dread and sheer terror. His earlier composure had stemmed from the belief that the situation remained entirely within his grasp.

Only now did he realize he had likely lost from the very beginning. He could no longer remain detached, nor could he stay calm.

To command the momentum of an entire nation required at least the Wuzong realm, one who had comprehended the momentum of martial arts to a certain degree. And to attempt to control it as Zong Shou was doing—that was impossible unless one was a Xuanwu Grandmaster.

Then, just how powerful was this Zong Shou before him? —Seven Meridians of the Earth Wheel, or was it Eight?

These events at the center of the Altar had transpired in mere breaths. On the peak of Qiantian Peak, the fierce battle raged on, yet everyone, both on and off the platforms, fixed astonished gazes upon Zong Shou and Zong Shi atop the altar.

This turn of events was so utterly unexpected that the anger, worry, and even the sharp pangs of grief in many onlookers had yet to fade. Ling Fakong clenched his fists and abruptly strode forward.

The scene was utterly unbelievable to him. How could Young Master Zong Shi lose?

How could he be brought to his knees? To lose to that vicious, utterly useless boy?

If Zong Shi were not clearly suffering from internal injuries, with both legs shattered from the knee down, he would have sworn that those on the altar were merely acting! A horrifying possibility suddenly struck Ling Fakong, and a deep, bone-chilling coldness sank into his marrow.

Could it be that His Majesty and the Crown Prince had been deliberately concealing their strength all along? That the dual meridian body, the inability to cultivate martial arts—was all a ruse?

That the Crown Prince was, in fact, a martial arts prodigy of unparalleled talent? Meanwhile, Zong Rui and Zong He maintained their earlier smiles, but their faces gradually froze.

They were utterly perplexed as to why, after Zong Shi unleashed his sword strike, Zong Shou remained unharmed, while Zong Shi was crushed into submission, kneeling on the ground? So heavily wounded that his legs were severed at the knee, spitting blood, his internal organs seemingly gravely injured?

Were there other hidden masters lurking on the Altar? The Flying Leaf Sword Array of the True Man Wuye faltered momentarily, and that slight gap allowed Qiu Wei to surge closer by several zhang.

Xue Moyan’s pupils constricted sharply. He instantly understood: Zong Shi had not been playing around just now; that sword strike genuinely could not land!

Staring closer at Zong Shou, he was even more stunned; the gang qi surrounding the youth was nearly frantic at that moment: “It is Sword Momentum! You’ve gathered the momentum of a nation and condensed it into Sword Momentum.

Is this the Imperial Way of Martial Arts?” Zong Shou merely sneered in response, still pouring all his effort into controlling the immense power. In his past life, he had read many of the secret royal arts of the kingdoms in the Cloud Realm and had conducted a cursory study of this Imperial Way of Martial Arts.

But now, he simply could not enter the necessary state. Just as frustration began to set in, a flash of insight struck his mind.

Gathering the momentum of a nation was simple; mastering its fluid control had exhausted him. Could he be overcomplicating things?

Perhaps it was tied to that trace of pale yellow aura? Zong Shou’s eyes brightened.

He decisively used the Nine Kylin Sword in place of his body to channel the momentum, and immediately, the difficulty lessened considerably. Using the 'Primal One Sword' as a secondary nascent spirit as a medium, while still somewhat challenging, the sense of futility—like using a small force to swing a thousand-pound hammer—was gone.

He could now barely manage to control it. While he was silently probing the method for mastering the Imperial Way of Martial Arts, Xue Moyan’s expression continued to shift between green and white several times: “To merge the momentum of a nation into martial intent, you are a Xuanwu Grandmaster?

No, that’s impossible! I know—you have achieved the extreme of Sword Momentum while in the Xiantian realm!” Zong Shou raised an eyebrow in surprise; Xue Moyan’s insight was sharp, having guessed nearly the entire truth.

The next instant, a vast, irresistible Sword Momentum surged forth from the scabbard of the Nine Kylin Sword. The night-blooming cereus within the vortex of his Sea of Consciousness fully unfurled.

Just then, a Xuanwu Grandmaster of the Earth Wheel Meridians nearby sprinted towards his position. In his hand, a twelve-foot great spear lunged out like a venomous dragon emerging from its cave, its shadow dancing in a crushing assault.

In an instant, countless spear blossoms erupted; the mere escaping kinetic energy seemed intent on shattering Zong Shou’s fragile body. Zong Shou merely arched an eyebrow, not bothering to look closely, and called out, "Unsheathe!" A golden streak of sword light instantly ascended.

It was already an ancient treasure, a spirit weapon capable of sealing regal energy. Now that Zong Shou’s Sword Momentum had formed, funneling the power of the nation within it, an overwhelming pressure instantly enveloped the entire scene!

In that single moment, it was as if the entirety of Qiantian Mountain City had been condensed into this space spanning a few dozen zhang. The sword light flashed, followed by a tremendous BOOM that utterly shattered the myriad spear shadows.

It was a head-on clash, offense meeting offense. The magnificent Sword Momentum, almost with crushing force, pulverized the twelve-foot great spear, which was forged from various rare metals and ranked as a third-tier spirit artifact!

Even the Xuanwu Grandmaster’s hand trembled slightly; blood leaked from his mouth as his figure retreated rapidly. Then the sword light pierced through once more, cleanly severing the Grandmaster’s head.

Xue Moyan, having retrieved the Illusionary Heart Mirror, cast a beam of light toward Zong Shou. Yet, under the mirror’s illumination, the young Crown Prince opposite showed no reaction.

Instead, his phoenix eyes curved into crescents as he smiled at Xue Moyan. Xue Moyan’s heart instinctively lurched.

When he saw the Xuanwu Grandmaster from the Dao Ming Sect utterly defenseless, lifted and decapitated by a single flying sword strike, his low, magnetic voice suddenly pitched high: “Controlling a sword in mid-air—are you a Night Roaming Spirit Master?” As he spoke, he ceased all further idle talk, abandoning any attempt to probe Zong Shou’s foundations. He aimed the Illusionary Heart Mirror, and his form instantly blurred, vanishing with extreme suddenness.

Dozens of faint auras could be sensed flickering away from the Altar, not toward the summit, but using spirit artifacts to fly directly into the air. Zong Shou felt no haste.

If these people remained hidden, fine. But once they showed themselves, they could never escape his sword.

Harnessing the power of the entire city and nation, his current strength nearly surpassed that of peak Xuanwu Grandmasters by more than double! If even these petty stragglers could slip through his grasp, how could he, Tan Qiu, ever have the right to call himself the ‘Sword Emperor’?

Although Xue Moyan had used the Illusionary Heart Mirror to split his presence into dozens of similar auras scattering in all directions, his true body had remained locked under Zong Shou’s senses the entire time. The Nine Kylin Sword spun and hovered according to his will, then suddenly plunged down, returning to his hand.

Without any further posing, the sword light flashed again, and a sword aura stretching three hundred zhang long swept across the sky, instantly cleaving towards the northern void! With a sharp clang, distant light and shadow scattered.

Where the sword light fell, spiritual energy surged wildly. Xue Moyan’s figure reappeared.

He was utterly disheveled, his topknot loose. The long saber in his hand, seemingly crafted from white jade, had shattered into fragments, leaving only the hilt gripped tightly.

He immediately abandoned all thought of escape, letting out a bitter laugh: “Mountain River Sword Intent? Integrating momentum into the sword—it’s Sword Dao Spiritualization!

The cripple rumored to be incapable of cultivation due to his dual meridians has actually attained the initial pulse of Innate Enlightenment in Sword Intent, the Night Roaming realm! Well played, Zong Weiran—Xue Moyan concedes without true acceptance!” Hearing this, Zong Shou shook his head and sighed softly, “You guessed correctly, but there’s no prize.

Your Illusionary Heart Mirror is quite nice; why not leave it for me to play with?” The sword light shifted, slicing diagonally once. Where the vast sword qi passed, a peng sound erupted, and blood sprayed forth.

The immense force carried by the Sword Momentum pulverized Xue Moyan’s body into dust! Only a circular bronze mirror remained, untouched.

Zong Shou summoned it with a stream of true qi, and it plummeted down directly into his palm. As the rain of blood scattered across the heavens, the grounds above and below the Altar fell into utter silence.

Even the clash of blades ceased. Despite countless experiences that had long tempered his spirit to be unshakeable, even the aged Sacrificial Elder Zong Ling, who could face a collapsing Mount Tai without flinching, did not know how to process this continuous chain of events.

(To be continued)