The moment the spear-wielding general fell, the momentum of the tens of thousands of cavalry stuttered to a halt. The leading cavalry generals, who had been eager for battle, now held looks of stark horror, hesitating slightly, unwilling to charge rashly.
Just then, countless wooden vines laced with golden threads erupted from the ground, like a demonic dance, coiling upwards toward Zong Shou in the sky.
The air in the entire space suddenly grew viscous, almost completely paralyzing movement.
Yet, Zong Shou didn't even glance down. With another casual flick of his sleeve, two more streaks of silver blade light shot out, tracking the origin of the spiritual technique and flying into the distance.
In the very next instant, thirty li away, two Spirit Masters standing atop separate altars both suffered a crimson line splitting their brows.
Their eyes glazed over as they pitched backward. The silver light had passed, and with a soft duo, the tiny silver blades embedded themselves into the altars.
With the two key spiritual techniques interrupted, the unrestrained spiritual energy rapidly spread outwards. The dozens of Spirit Masters arrayed around the altars, lending their support, suddenly choked on blood, their faces turning ashen.
"What kind of flying dagger technique is this? A Divine Realm Spirit Master, struck dead from thirty li away with a single strike?"
"To die upon the blade's arrival? How is that possible—"
"Is this the legendary Six Gods Saber Art? How can it possess such divine might?"
"So strong! Truly worthy of the name Blood Sword Demon Lord!"
Countless discussions erupted simultaneously in hidden corners throughout the Imperial Capital. Opinions varied, but the atmosphere across the board was heavy.
"But he is far too confident. Even with the protection of a Supreme Saint Venerable, venturing into the Imperial Capital alone at this juncture is tantamount to suicide."
"The Qin of the Barren Cloud, the reputation of those Twelve State-Guarding Bronze Men—is that merely for show? And the Shadow Vein Spirit Slaughter of the Demonic Sect is no small matter either."
"He can still retreat now. Once he enters the Imperial Palace, his fate will be utterly unknowable."
"Knowing full well that Yin Yu and the Supreme Primordial Demon must have set a lethal trap within the Fenghua Palace, yet he still arrives as promised. This Blood Sword Demon Lord is not only true to his word but possesses incredible fortitude!"
"That flying blade again—"
Before the gates of Fenghua Palace, another streak of silver blade light leaped from Zong Shou's sleeve.
It pinned the brow of yet another charging cavalry general who had attacked from behind. Then, a purple sword light rose leisurely. With a sweeping motion, all the formidable crossbow bolts and arrows raining down from every direction had their trajectories altered.
Controlled by Zong Shou, they formed a massive torrent of arrows charging toward the palace gate.
Hundreds of thousands, blotting out the sun and sky. Yet, ten feet away, they were abruptly halted.
An invisible barrier stopped every single bolt completely.
However, what followed immediately after was a purple sword light, appearing as if flying from beyond the heavens, carrying an edge that would not return until it had shattered everything. It was like slicing through rotten wood or plunging a knife into soft butter.
With a soft chira, it cleanly severed the spiritual barrier, the residual energy even washing over the palace wall. The vast sword aura crushed the hundred-zhang-wide palace gate into fine dust that rained down.
The two remaining cavalry generals grew anxious. The three were commanders of the Imperial Guard; if they allowed Zong Shou to walk openly and unhindered into Fenghua Palace, regardless of the circumstances, they would certainly be held accountable afterward.
Almost simultaneously, the three spurred their horses forward, attacking at the same moment. One charged centrally toward Zong Shou's rear, while the other two flanked him from left and right.
At this time, more spiritual techniques poured through the air from all directions.
Some sought to bind, others aimed for direct impact.
Zong Shou paid no heed to the spells, instead flicking out two silver blade shadows from his sleeve once more. The generals behind him and to his rear-left looked on in stunned confusion, unable to react in time. A crimson void appeared in the center of both their brows.
They looked utterly bewildered, perhaps wondering why Zong Shou remained completely unhindered by the hundreds of streams of spiritual and immortal power.
And beneath Zong Shou's feet, a dark light appeared, profound and bottomless. It expanded outward in ripples, engulfing all spiritual energy within a thousand zhang radius. The spell effects naturally disintegrated, or were swallowed whole by the black light.
"Those who dare obstruct Us shall be slain without mercy!"
The Primordial One Soul Sword also flew out of Zong Shou's sea of consciousness, soaring beyond the Azure Heavens. With a mere graze, it severed the head of the last cavalry general.
At the same moment, hundreds of ghostly white flying swords resonated with a hum and scattered outward.
The Ten Absolutes Dao-Guiding Extinction Sword Formation was deployed in an instant. The sword qi shredded and reaped in all directions.
Blood sprayed across the long street. In just a single moment, several thousand Great Shang Imperial Guard cavalrymen were sliced into fragments of gore.
More ghostly white sword shadows expanded and spread, threatening to engulf the entire multitude of tens of thousands of iron cavalry.
"Arrogance!"
As this roar of contempt echoed, a thunderous boom shook the air above the Imperial Path.
It was unclear who struck, but a colossal fist print materialized from thin air on the ground.
Those Dragon Fang Dao-Guiding Annihilation Swords were all forcibly repelled, scattering haphazardly, shattering the sword formation.
A vast imposing aura locked onto Zong Shou from a distance. Moreover, seven powerful intents, none weaker than the one just displayed, emerged from within Fenghua Palace.
A fresh wave of astonishment rippled through the Imperial Capital's hidden observers.
"It is a Saint Realm Venerable! Were not the Six Sects negotiating months ago that Saint and Supreme Realms should not intervene?"
"The Supreme Primordial Demon Li Biexue is now the State Preceptor of the Great Shang. The ancient Covenant of All Sects from ten thousand years ago is long dead in name only—"
"It was always an alliance of necessity; how could these factions be content? Rumor has it that over a dozen Saint-ranks entered the Qin Emperor's Tomb last month; who knows what accident occurred, as none have been seen since."
"Now that Saints are taking action, even if Zong Shou can fight them, he will surely be in a sorry state."
"Hailed as invincible in the Cloud Realm, but that only applies below the Supreme level. This is not the Great Qian territory, after all, so he cannot utilize the Martial Way of Sovereignty—"
These comments abruptly ceased after only a three-hundred-thousandth of a second.
Zong Shou flicked his broad sleeve once more. Another silver light flashed.
This was entirely different from the previous flying daggers—it was ten times faster, infinitely more agile and unpredictable, its trajectory erratic and impossible to track or anticipate.
As the voices of those watching from the shadows fell silent, this blade had already traversed over twenty li of space and plunged into Fenghua Palace.
"Those who dare obstruct Us shall be slain without mercy!"
The voice was still faint, but inside Hanyan Palace, there was a muffled thud, followed by absolute silence.
Zong Shou continued forward, stepping into Fenghua Palace, whose breach he himself had forged.
The entire Imperial Capital was now steeped in deathly silence. The city's inhabitants remained hidden indoors, terrified, not daring to make the slightest sound.
And those aristocratic scions and members of various sects lurking in the shadows were equally silent.
Had even a Saint Realm Venerable been executed by a single strike from Zong Shou? What in the world was happening?
Regrettably, the array formations blocked the view inside the palace, preventing a clear observation of the Saint-rank individual’s fate. However, the disappearance of that person's vital aura following that single strike was undeniable fact.
A Divine Realm cultivator was helpless against it. At least a mid-stage Saint Realm Venerable had died in one blow.
Just how far had Zong Shou's strength progressed?
Those who dare obstruct Us shall be slain without mercy—
No one dared to mock or doubt him now.
Those with higher cultivation levels watched with even graver expressions, discerning more.
Almost simultaneously, in his imperial study, Yin Yu crushed the teacup in his hand, his face extremely grim.
The Saint-Ranker who had just acted was someone he had gone to great lengths to invite from an outer domain.
His initial move was merely intended to suppress Zong Shou’s arrogance before he entered the palace, but he never anticipated this outcome.
Even without seeing it, he could sense that the Saint-Ranker’s primordial spirit had dissipated miles away on an altar, leaving behind only an incorruptible physical body.
In the study now, the two other Saint-Rankers concealed shock and a hint of fearful relief in their eyes.
They were profoundly fortunate that it hadn't been them to act moments ago; otherwise, the situation now would be truly dire.
Yin Yu commanded only four Saint-Ranks under his direct banner, augmented by the demonic path and various families, totaling merely fourteen.
Yet, before Zong Shou even reached the palace entrance, one of them was already dead.
"That flying dagger technique must be approaching the Thirteenth Rank of Supreme attainment!"
"What the Qian Emperor used was merely a flying dagger of artifact quality. What if he used an Immortal Artifact flying dagger?"
"Your Majesty, please mobilize the Twelve State-Guarding Bronze Men! This child’s momentum today is overwhelming! He slays gods and slays Buddhas; if this continues, truly no one will dare cross his path—"
Within the study, only the Supreme Primordial Demon Li Biexue remained unmoved.
His eyes held a look of deep thought. The Heaven-Exalting Dharma Wings had indeed fallen into Zong Shou’s possession.
The power displayed by Zong Shou’s flying dagger technique was clearly augmented, giving it might comparable to a Thirteenth Rank Supreme divine ability.
He truly wondered what method Zong Shou used to awaken the spirit of the Heaven-Exalting Dharma Wings. Was it some other fortune found in the Qin Emperor’s Tomb? Or did he employ the Xiu Guan temple to forcibly awaken it?
However, this deviated from his expectation—shouldn't such a divine artifact be under Xiu Guan's control? Only that entity, infinitely close to the Half-Step True Realm, could fully unleash its might. Under Zong Shou’s command, its power only amounted to that of a cultivator comparable to the Half-Step Supreme Realm.
And since the battle began, the Saint Venerables of the Dao of All Living Things had yet to appear.
Yin Yu also frowned. His initial plan was to wait until those Supreme-ranks, unable to restrain themselves, entered the fray, and then activate the Twelve State-Guarding Bronze Men to crush them all at once, eliminating a major threat in one stroke.
But the combat strength Zong Shou displayed was far beyond expectation. Were the twenty Saint-ranks who vanished in the Qin Emperor’s Tomb truly killed by this Zong Shou?
He instantly shook his head, dismissing the distracting thoughts.
Regardless of the truth, it no longer mattered. After today, either Zong Shou would die in Fenghua Palace, or Yin Yu himself would be slain by the upstart’s sword—there was no other possibility.
However, it was not yet time to be forced into using the State-Guarding Bronze Men.
Rising from the imperial chair, Yin Yu inclined his head slightly toward Li Biexue.
"This child is reckless and arrogant. I implore the State Preceptor to take action and temper his spirit!"
Li Biexue smiled faintly, offered no verbal reply, and instantly vanished, reappearing atop the ninety-ninth-story pagoda.