"Had it not been for me, I truly thought you were an exceptional figure! People like you, it turns out, are not even as good as Han Qing. The Great Calamity of Xuan's Theft six thousand years ago—what a laughable tragedy! Truly, when no true hero emerges, scoundrels rise to fame. Were there truly no one in the Cloud Realm six millennia past who reached this level?" In the absence of true heroes, the notoriety of ruffians is made!

Within the Mausoleum of the First Emperor, there were scores of Venerables and over a hundred Divine-tier cultivators, among them several who had lived through that era.

Zong Shou’s words had effectively swept them all into the condemnation. Yet, none spoke. These words could not be uttered by others, but when they came from Zong Shou’s mouth, no one could refute them.

The soul-form of Xuan’s Thief showed no visible change in expression. However, everyone present could sense the wave of intent emanating from him—an intent of absolute distortion.

It was boundless resentment, and boundless despair!

Zong Shou’s sword light had not yet subsided. After the force of the flesh-body's self-detonation compressed it to its utmost limit of ten zhang, it suddenly erupted, sweeping toward Xuan’s Thief like an all-encompassing tide.

But at this moment, Zong Shou gave a low 'Hmph.' He narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint appearing within them.

The Demon Lord Xuan’s Thief before him had lost all power to flee and no means to preserve his life.

A single sword strike would suffice to kill him; it would require little further effort.

What concerned him now was a certain direction behind Xuan’s Thief.

A surge of qi abruptly materialized, and the figure of a woman suddenly appeared several dozen zhang away.

She held a massive scythe, its base entwined with chains. And that figure was one Zong Shou knew intimately, the one whose image had haunted his dreams for decades.

"Leng Daiyu?"

Why was she here?

Her appearance in the First Emperor’s Mausoleum was not surprising. All cultivators in the world coveted the treasures within.

But why was this woman here?

Could it be that, like King Jiamingluo before, she intended to save the life of Xuan’s Thief and stand against him?

Zong Shou frowned, but the controlled sword momentum did not disperse; it remained unstoppable, even sharpening by three parts!

At this juncture, there was absolutely no room for concession! If it were anyone else, it might be different, but he would not allow Xuan’s Thief to escape lightly!

Even if it were the woman who had once captivated his affections, if she dared to intervene, she would have to pay the price!

Behind him stood Xuanyuan Yiren, Kong Yao, Su Chuxue, a host of friends and relatives, and the entire nation of Da Qian.

No matter what, he could not yield today!

The sword light shifted. The majority still surged toward Xuan’s Thief, but a considerable portion of its power was drawn in and condensed into a single point. Sword intent entangled, aiming directly at the chain-wielding maiden a thousand zhang away—

It was both a precaution and a warning!

Anyone who dared obstruct him today, regardless of who they were, would be slain without mercy!

The girl in white seemed utterly unaware. The immense scythe struck down; the curved blade of light was like a shooting star flashing by. The scythe’s momentum was light and ethereal, yet it was not aimed at Zong Shou, but at the Demon Lord Xuan’s Thief!

With a horizontal sweep, it sliced the unprepared soul-body of Xuan’s Thief into dust.

Then, countless chains burst forth from the tail of the scythe, binding all the fragments of Xuan’s Thief’s primordial soul and dragging them toward the maiden.

Zong Shou paused in astonishment, realizing Xuan’s Thief was indeed dead. He immediately understood that Leng Daiyu must have another purpose.

Collecting the remnant souls of Xuan’s Thief—was this for the Grand Art of Divine Usurpation, or for the myriad divine abilities this man had stolen in the past?

Without hesitation, Zong Shou thrust his hand forward and grasped violently. Immeasurable light transformed into immeasurable darkness.

The formidable suction instantly snatched Xuan’s Thief’s Golden Core, along with nearly half of the remnant soul fragments.

The scythe-wielding maiden’s eyes flashed with cold light. The huge scythe abruptly halted its retreat and sliced directly across the void, aimed squarely at Zong Shou’s body.

Zong Shou showed no weakness. His sword light flared, guarding his flank, meeting the force of the scythe head-on with a clash.

When sword and scythe collided, Zong Shou’s body instantly shuddered minutely. This was not due to inferior strength, but because the opponent’s divine ability was truly beyond his expectations.

An expression of profound surprise flickered in his eyes as he glanced at the woman opposite him.

The first strike ended in a draw, but the scythe instantly transformed into a raging storm!

Only when engaging in true combat could one feel that the momentum of this giant scythe was far from the lightness it appeared. It was unimaginably heavy, its power tyrannical and majestic. Every blow caused Zong Shou’s true form and soul-body to shake, nearly dissolving.

In the span of a moment, thousands of exchanges forced Zong Shou back ten paces, until the surrounding Corpse Army began to stir again, pressing toward the location of their confrontation. And the dozen or so Saint-level intents also rapidly approached.

Only then did the scythe-wielding maiden cease her attack. Silently, she swept up the majority of the remnant soul fragments left by Xuan’s Thief, then vanished from the spot in another flash.

Zong Shou was equally unceremonious. He swept Xuan’s Thief’s demonic Golden Core and nearly thirty percent of the remnant soul fragments into his sleeve and pocketed them.

Then, he stared in the direction the maiden had vanished, seemingly lost in deep thought.

The Grand Art of Divine Usurpation by Xuan’s Thief could steal divine abilities and seize control of minds. Six thousand years ago, nearly every top-tier sect’s legacy had suffered under Xuan’s Thief’s poisonous hand.

Even though the power of abilities stolen by the Grand Art of Divine Usurpation could only be preserved for three days at most, for Zong Shou, it was still an opportunity not to be missed.

This time, he had been determined to seize it, yet unexpectedly, at the final moment, someone had snatched the prize away, taking the bulk of Xuan’s Thief’s remnant soul.

However, he truly hadn't expected—

“It’s actually the Unification of Ten Thousand Daos too! The Divine Decree of the ‘Dao’ character—could this be the will of Heaven?”

If this woman was truly walking this path, then their fates were sealed as enemies of the Dao. A fight to the death would inevitably occur between them, unless one fundamentally altered their foundation, or perished from the Dao!

Zong Shou’s fists clenched tightly, his fingertips digging deeply into his flesh.

After a long while, he let out a soft breath, gathering up his foul mood and his chaotic, distracting thoughts.

He stared blankly toward the Epang Palace in the center of the city. Zong Shou’s gaze met a pair of eyes gazing back from that direction, and they locked in a cold stare.

He then descended directly, returning to the Altar of Heaven.

Because of the battle fought by the six of them against the Demon Lord Xuan’s Thief, all the Baleful Corpses within the fifty li radius had been completely swept away.

Especially in the final phase, Zong Shou’s battle against Xuan’s Thief using the Infinite Beginning-Ending Buddha Form had purified the vast number of Baleful Corpses in the surrounding areas.

Furthermore, all Corpse Generals above the Divine level had fled at the first opportunity.

Thus, the current moment on the Sacred Altar was, paradoxically, the safest time.

Zong Shou first dispersed the Holy Fire Silver Ants. These seventy-two silver ants had proven to be an immense boon, their utility profound.

Zong Shou had finally tasted the benefits of nurturing such a scale of Dao Soldiers.

It was only thanks to them that he could suppress Xuan’s Thief from start to finish. These soldier ants deserved the greatest credit!

However, Zong Shou himself was not entirely satisfied.

After the Dao Formation was superimposed, his strength amplification was between thirty and fifty percent—

This was already quite respectable; the effect was comparable to when cultivators used artifact formations instead of Dao Soldiers.

But the Holy Fire Silver Ants possessed a unique advantage. Individually, they were nearly indistinguishable. Aside from not having human bodies, they were arguably the ideal template for Dao Soldiers.

If the amplification was only thirty percent, it felt somewhat wasteful of heavenly resources.

The amplification provided by actual Dao Soldiers varied widely depending on quantity, rank, and the specific formation used.

If a Divine-level cultivator received the support of seventy-two Heavenly-rank Dao Soldiers, their strength increase would be at least three to six times—

For example, the Source Sea Demon Slayers under Zong Shou provided an even more monstrous boost, reaching an astonishing eight to ten times!

If not for this, how could one challenge those of a higher rank?

Yet, no matter what, they could not cross the threshold into the Ultimate Realm.

Only the Ultimate Realm could not be reached merely by piling up Dao Soldiers—

Zong Shou did not expect these soldier ants to achieve even three times the amplification of the most common Dao Soldiers. Being satisfied with even a slight increase would be enough.

“It seems that after today, refining spirit armor for these silver ants must be listed as the highest priority—”

The fastest and most reliable way to increase his own strength was through these Holy Fire Silver Ants.

The Dao Soldier formations and cultivation methods designed for the silver ants were far from complete, but the Grand Illustrated Record of Demon Slaying provided significant assistance in deriving them.

There was no need for absolute perfection; even a slight improvement upon the existing foundation would bring him considerable benefit—

At this moment, Zong Shou’s True Form spiritual body was still maintained. The Beginning and Ending Wheels hovered behind him, though he retracted the black and white light that had saturated the heavens.

The power of the Infinite Beginning-Ending Buddha was not limitless. The magical power of the hundreds of high monks outside the First Emperor’s Mausoleum could not last forever.

Now that the calamity was over, it was best to conserve this Buddha power.

“This menace has finally been eliminated!”

Due to her injuries, Lin Xuanxuan’s complexion remained pale, but a degree of vitality had returned to her eyes; she seemed immensely relieved.

“I truly cannot imagine what catastrophe would have befallen us if this Xuan’s Thief had escaped.”

Saying this, Lin Xuanxuan murmured to herself, gazing somewhat distractedly in the direction of Xuan’s Thief’s demise; “I truly cannot believe that this demon among demons, who ravaged the Cloud Realm six thousand years ago, has perished just like that—”

Yuan Wushang let out a cold laugh, “Didn’t Brother Zong say that when no true hero emerges, vermin run rampant? If you gave me a hundred years, Yuan Wushang, would I fear this Xuan’s Thief? Those cultivators from six thousand years ago—heh heh—they were too incompetent!”

He immediately realized his words were inappropriate and awkwardly amended, “Naturally, that does not include seniors.”

He held deep admiration for Lin Xuanxuan. During the Battle of the Two Extremes Gathering Dragons, Xuan’s Thief suffered minimal suppression, retaining at least seventy percent of his strength.

However, Lin Xuanxuan being able to retain twenty percent of her divine abilities was already good going. She could still withstand several strikes from Xuan’s Thief alone.

As for Zong Shou, he was also an exception. Inside this tomb, deploying his Slaughter Sword Arts would likely not have been effective.

But his Beginning-Ending divine ability had not even appeared ten thousand years ago; furthermore, Beginning and Ending inherently encompassed this Lesser Thousand World and the Two Extremes Gathering Dragons.

Not only would he not be restricted, but if his strength was sufficient, he could actually reverse the suppression.

“It’s alright, you are quite pitiful too—”

Lin Xuanxuan smiled, unconcerned. She had not been in the Cloud Realm when Xuan’s Thief rampaged.

Instead, she looked toward Yuan Wushang with a hint of sympathy. This fellow was truly tragic. He had already died twice within the First Emperor’s Mausoleum.

Yuan Wushang flushed deeply, unable to find words.

Shen Yuexuan looked around with a solemn expression: “I believe this place should now be secure!”