As that purple longsword, carrying a biting sword aura, swept in silently. Xue Suifan instantly felt a chill shoot straight up from his heart.

He drew his saber immediately, deflecting the sword light in an almost seamless movement. In the very next instant, he saw Zong Shou's blood-soaked fist, which had just shattered Zong Yang’s chest, come slamming down heavily!

Almost without hesitation, Xue Suifan brought his saber up to block again. Then, he felt his entire saber vibrate ceaselessly, as if it were about to be utterly shattered.

Almost simultaneously, Xue Suifan heard a faint 'chi' sound in his ear, accompanied by a muffled noise that seemed to contain the sound of flesh and bone tearing.

Then, in the periphery of his vision, he saw the burly man not far away—a long crimson line spraying from his neck!

His body froze, eyes slightly bulging, hands weakly clutching his throat. This single strike had not only severed his windpipe but had completely ruptured his main artery!

Xue Suifan’s pupils contracted instantly; he stared ahead in disbelief. This man, though not of the Xiong clan, was an Eighth Meridian Black Tortoise from the fierce Ling Li family, a powerhouse whose strength far surpassed his peers.

To think that such a powerful Eighth Meridian Black Tortoise Grandmaster could have his life ended by such a tiny throwing knife!

Xiong Yu and Yue Linghuan were equally stunned. The former merely showed slight surprise before regaining composure. The latter’s expression was visibly taken aback for a moment, then, as if realizing something, his gaze turned entirely scarlet.

Almost at the same moment, the hesitation vanished from them all, and their figures darted out.

“Clang!”

Following the first punch came the second, striking down from above with the force of ten thousand mountains. Xue Suifan gritted his teeth, pouring nearly all his strength into purging the spiraling internal energy and thunderous power that had just been infused into his body. He blocked with his saber once more; the fist met the blade's spine with a heavy resonance that sent mud and sand raining down throughout the cavern.

Xue Suifan could no longer maintain his footing; impacted by the incredible brute force, his entire form was violently flung twenty zhang away by that surprisingly delicate fist!

At this point, all color had drained from his face. The moment Zong Shou struck him away, he had snatched the sword from Zong Yang’s waist. Sword energy flared, and with a mere flicker of movement, Zong Shou was at the side of the two Spirit Masters.

The two Xue clan members had already begun summoning their protectors at the first opportunity. They chanted incantations rapidly, causing two gusts of wind to sweep their figures aside.

Zong Shou, however, unleashed several swift sword strikes, cutting down the two fully formed Soul Beasts as easily as chopping vegetables. Then, the pursuing sword energy followed; with just a slight movement, two heads were tossed high into the air!

The moment Zong Shou swung his sword, Xue Suifan’s eyes bulged with fury, and he forcibly halted his retreat, surging toward Zong Shou with lightning speed.

But the purple longsword circling in the air descended sharply at that very moment!

It was just like before—the force wasn't strong, but it was swift as lightning, and the angle was impossibly tricky. The spiraling sword energy, subtly imbued with thunder power, was even harder to resist!

“Clang!”

With another metallic clash, Xue Suifan could only be thrown back again. Zong Shou’s figure followed like a shadow, plunging forward once more.

Paying no heed to what was behind him, he thrust his sword out fiercely.

Xue Suifan sneered, slashing diagonally with his saber. The sixth-tier Spirit Weapon met the third-tier Spirit Sword, and in the instant they clashed, Zong Yang’s former sword shattered completely!

However, Xue Suifan felt not joy, but utter horror. A massive bear shadow suddenly materialized. A point of silver light between its brows shot out without warning.

“Sixth-tier mutated Soul Beast! You are a Soul Master of the Returning Yang Realm!”

Almost instinctively, Xue Suifan tried to dodge sideways. But the silver light was too fast. His right flank was pierced clean through. And at that moment, the purple sword shadow sliced in diagonally!

Like a flash of lightning through swift shadows, just as Xue Suifan desperately parried with his saber, the speed of the sword shadow suddenly increased by half!

With a single strike, both of his legs were cleanly severed. Then, the broken segment of the sword in Zong Shou’s hand thrust down toward his head.

Xue Suifan had absolutely no time to react, left only to watch Zong Shou’s fragmented sword shadow descend directly onto his scalp, piercing his skull clean through!

Even as he lost almost all consciousness, his eyes remained wide with frustrated rage.

He hadn't dismissed the rumors as impossible. He had set this trap, inviting over a dozen sixth-tier experts to act together precisely to guard against the unexpected.

But why was this Zong Shou so terrifyingly strong? He seemed to surpass even the recent outrageous rumors—

If only he had known, if only he had taken precautions earlier, he would not be dying here today!

The atmosphere within the entire cavern froze solid in that instant. Especially for Princess Xuan Yu and Yue Linghuan, their eyes were filled only with astonishment.

From the start until now, barely ten breaths had passed, and Zong Shou had already slain four people in succession!

Even Xue Suifan, the strongest among them, had been cut down after only a few exchanges.

In Zong Shou’s eyes, however, the coldness remained unchanged. The siege was not broken; the odds of victory in this battle were still two-to-eight. Xiong Yu and Yue Linghuan held the eight parts; he himself only had a two-tenths chance of survival!

The giant bear before him swung its massive palm, striking at the crowd rushing toward him, but the sharp weapons nearly scattered its soul form completely. Its entire bear arm was nearly disintegrated.

But in that fleeting moment, a flash of saber light shot out from Zong Shou’s sleeve, aimed directly at the foremost attacker.

This man was one of Yue Linghuan’s subordinates—a tall, thin middle-aged man resembling a bamboo pole, yet wielding a broad greatsword. Seeing the hazy, cloud-like saber light approach, his expression grew stern.

“Stunning Cloud Divine Destruction!”

He instinctively tried to defend. But the saber light shifted, dipping lower, still aiming for his head. The tall middle-aged man almost instinctively halted his forward momentum. This caused the crowd rushing in behind him to falter, throwing their formation into disarray. Yet, no matter how he retreated, the saber light followed him relentlessly. Those around him struck out, but the inch-long saber shadow weaved through them like a phantom. At the end of its trajectory, it changed direction once more, carving a brilliant arc that pierced straight through the man’s throat!

At this, everyone felt a chill down their necks, watching as another flash of saber light seemed to shimmer from Zong Shou’s sleeve.

They involuntarily slowed their movements, retaining at least forty percent of their energy for evasion, proceeding with extreme caution.

Zong Shou, however, allowed a faint smile to touch his lips, gaining another fraction of a chance! Three for him, seven for them!

The purple Thunder Wing Sword circled back to his hand.

The moment the Thunder Wing Vipers and Little Gold rushed back into the sword’s body, Zong Shou thrust out another strike without hesitation.

Fierce Thunder Flash, one strike to shatter the void!

This sword held nothing back, leaving no retreat for himself. Unstoppably fierce and all-consuming, he funneled all his strength, all his chances of life or death, into that single point of the sword tip!

Previously, his opponents were united; now they were scattered, prioritizing self-preservation—that was his opportunity. When paths narrow, the brave must win! Within this cavern, there was no other way!

The sword shadow flickered, and the momentum of this strike, nearly Zong Shou at his peak state, managed to slice through and shatter the martial momentum of the dozen or so men before him one by one.

In the blink of an eye, it also broke apart all the spiritual techniques that had been rushing toward him from a distance.

Among the dozen or so men, their spirits were momentarily captured by this single sword strike. Only Xiong Yu reacted, swinging a jade-green long saber in a diagonal cut.

But at the instant the sword and saber met, Xiong Yu’s body trembled; he was forced back several steps, his eyes filled with shock.

“Is this the Kingly Secret Martial Art?”

He finally understood why Xue Suifan, at the peak of the Black Tortoise realm, had been continually defeated by the force of Zong Shou’s fists.

This Zong Shou could actually condense the Kingly Qi and draw it into his body! It was fortunate that this location was near the border of Qiantian Mountain City, newly controlled territory where loyalty was unstable, and Julong Mountain was essentially desolate wilderness.

If not for this, Zong Shou’s solitary strength might rival that of the Heavenly Rank!

At the terminus of that brilliant purple stream of light, a Seventh Meridian Black Tortoise Grandmaster was instantly severed in two, cut clean in half at the waist!

And in Zong Shou’s eyes, a flame seemed to burn. The World-Shaking True Force within his body was also boiling.

He swung the sword again, still using Fierce Thunder Flash. Recklessly! Regardless of life or death! The sword stabbed out—either he died, or the enemy perished!

The figures around them were still rushing forward. Only two had managed to attack, but they were intercepted by the demon-eyed silver bear, meeting its saber and fist strikes. When the giant bear finally could not sustain the assault, another man’s body sprayed blood. Before the sword momentum ended, even a man further back was grazed by the trailing edge of the sword light, his entire arm and nearly half his body sliced away.

And now, Zong Shou was less than ten zhang from where Yue Linghuan stood! Only one person separated them.

Having killed several people in succession, Zong Shou’s aura had soared to its absolute peak, his entire being shrouded in thick bloody energy. He decisively discarded the Thunder Wing Sword in his hand, letting it circle around to protect him. Zong Shou let out a cold laugh and continued to charge toward Yue Linghuan empty-handed.

Yue Linghuan’s expression shifted slightly, and without overthinking, he turned to flee directly. The impression of Zong Shou’s near-invincibility, killing anyone in under five breaths, was too profound!

Although Yue Linghuan still possessed the will to fight, he dared not risk it.

Zong Shou leaped, covering nearly ten zhang in one bound. His right hand enveloped Little Jin’s body, and he slammed another punch into the Double Tiger Great Halberd held by the man in front of him.

The vast, surging power forced the man to retreat a full step, leaving a shallow footprint even on the ground as hard as a seventh-tier Spirit Weapon.

And as the sound of metal meeting echoed, another throwing knife shot out from Zong Shou’s sleeve.

His winning chance in this battle had already reached fifty percent!

Though this knife was not one he practiced with daily but was hastily communicated with only recently, it remained lethally sharp at this short range, piercing the man’s brow clean through!

Then, Zong Shou swept his large sleeve, utterly disregarding the several Black Tortoise Grandmasters beside him. He looked coldly toward Yue Linghuan, who was already several dozen zhang away, retreating hastily.

“Your father was killed by my own hand. Aren’t you seeking revenge? Why do you dare not fight?”

Yue Linghuan’s face twisted slightly, but his feet did not pause; rather, he retreated faster. The martial cultivators and spirit masters beside him tightly guarded his flanks.

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