He wanted to shout, to utter a single word: "Leave me be," or perhaps, "Avenge me"... If he could only speak, his brothers might still snap out of their shock, preventing them from being instantly overwhelmed by grief, or perhaps they would exact a heavy price for him!

But as his mouth opened, another gleaming long blade flashed down like lightning, plunging directly into his throat! His teeth and windpipe shattered simultaneously, his tongue instantly dissolving into a mash of meat; at the same moment, another blade sliced him cleanly in half at the waist, his already fractured form utterly dismembered...

With another flash of steel, a severed head tumbled free, spinning away!

In mid-air, the eyes of the head were still glaring fiercely, filled only with despair and anxiety! For he could see that his brothers, because of his death, had completely lost control! Every one of them was staring at him, vacant, their hearts utterly broken, oblivious to their surroundings... The head continued to rotate in the air, its eyes weakly circling a few times, revealing a pleading look when it turned toward his brothers: Do not grieve too deeply! You must focus on the enemy right now!

Ahhh...

But the six brothers, already consumed by absolute sorrow, did not see his expression, nor heed his final desperate plea...

Finally, the Seven Fiends' Boss, carrying infinite resentment and concern, saw the eyes of this headless remnant—they "...could no longer turn." The two eyeballs locked in a look of burning anxiety, forever frozen rigid!

Though this sounds protracted, in reality, the time elapsed from the Seven Star Battle Formation launching its attack, drawing its blades, to finally sending the man’s head flying, took, at most, half a breath—perhaps even less than half of half a breath!

Yet, in that brief span, shorter than the flicker of an eye, what transpired was brutally extreme!

The Seven Fiends' Boss, the very core of the Seven Star Battle Formation, went from being completely unscathed to being suddenly torn limb from limb, reduced to scattered flesh and a separated head...

Everyone from the Holy Land faction froze in unison!

They all sensed the unexpected turn of events in the battle, but none had anticipated this shift would arrive so swiftly, so completely, and with such savage viciousness!

The two sections of his body that had flown out moments before were still suspended in the air, having not yet touched the ground; the blood-soaked head was still slowly revolving overhead. Everyone was caught in a stunned daze, while his six brothers almost recklessly charged toward the spot where the Boss's body had shattered...

But the Big Dipper Seven Star Array did not hesitate! Far from being stunned, they immediately launched an even sharper, more lethal, and venomous assault while the enemy wallowed in grief!

Two of them had been injured during the Boss's desperate counterattack, suffering internal and external wounds—it was no small thing to endure a death-defying strike from a Second-Tier Saint! Yet, they still maintained their formation, charging with the ferocity of mad tigers, pouring forth all their strength!

The six within the Seven Fiends Battle Formation could hardly believe their eyes. Their Boss, whom they had known and been inseparable from for five or six hundred years, their sworn brother, their blood kin, had been brutally dismembered right before them!

What an immense blow that was!

In an instant, everyone’s eyes turned blood-red, their minds wiped clean! Their hearts ached beyond measure, as if they themselves were the ones who had died! They seemed to forget time, forget everything; the entire world appeared to halt at that moment!

They screamed, desperately crying out their elder brother's name, advancing toward the pile of shredded flesh... paying no heed whatsoever to the enemy's dazzling and venomous blades closing in swiftly. From the Holy Land camp, He Zhiqiu and Hai Wuya simultaneously roared, "Be careful!"

The power of two Saint Sovereigns was immense, yet the six brothers of the Seven Fiends seemed utterly unable to hear them. Even though their bodies trembled from the sheer force of the shout, almost lifting them off the ground, they remained oblivious!

At this moment, their hearts and minds held nothing else! They hadn't even managed to form thoughts of revenge; all that flooded their beings was pain!

Extreme pain!

Just then, seven great sabers descended with a whistling rush of wind, falling furiously, as rapid as a sudden downpour!

Splashes of blood erupted! Mercilessly! But the six enduring this seemed entirely unaware. They stood frozen amidst the rain of steel and gore, simply staring, not even employing their profound energy to defend themselves!

Hai Wuya roared, "Stop!"

Suddenly, his figure moved, flashing forward. Before he arrived, a long sword had already unleashed ten thousand beams of sword light—if this light had struck them truly, even seven Saints would have suffered grievous injury, perhaps even instant death!

After all, they had been fighting for such a long time; their Xuan power was depleted to less than half its usual strength, and several among them were already wounded!

In the opposing formation, Mei Xueyan, clad in robes as white as snow, flew out like a floating cloud. As she advanced, she drew forth a sword as majestic as a king’s scepter. With a casual sweep in the air, she spoke softly, "Saint Sovereign Hai, this is a battle unto death! To break your promise and intervene is hardly befitting of your Saint Sovereign status!"

Hai Wuya's sword light shone as brilliantly as starlight, but Mei Xueyan's light was like heavy snow obscuring the sun, capable of eclipsing all other brilliance!

In the blink of an eye, the two met above the battlefield. Instantly, starlight shot toward the Ninth Heaven, and snowflakes scattered across the firmament! With several sharp zheng zheng zheng sounds, both clad in white, they converged into a single, snow-white mass in mid-air...

"Stop!"

Qu Wuhui roared furiously.

The final clash of their longswords ended, and Hai Wuya somersaulted backward, halting in mid-air. But Mei Xueyan remained facing Hai Wuya, her sword pointing directly at him, her gaze locked onto him. Her delicate body slowly drifted backward, her white robes fluttering, her black hair cascading like a waterfall—adding a touch of gentle grace to the gruesome battlefield...

This brief exchange had somehow resulted in Mei Xueyan gaining the upper hand!

"Winning is winning, and losing is losing! Hai Wuya, can you truly not afford to lose?"

Qu Wuhui's eyes were somewhat red as he bellowed, "This was a battle unto death from the start! No matter how much you sympathize, you must endure it! Even if they are all slaughtered, you must endure! This battle tests the face of the Three Great Holy Lands! What do you think you are doing by interfering unilaterally? Better—Shu Cheng—the ten-thousand-year reputation of the Holy Lands is being trampled upon by you!"

Hai Wuya ground his teeth, saying with grief and indignation, "But... but they were too vicious..."

"Vicious? Viciousness is the opponent's duty! A life-and-death battle permits all methods; viciousness is the only correct path!"

Qu Wuhui snorted, "The rules were set by both sides at the outset: the battle ends only when one side is completely wiped out! This means starting with the living and ending with the dead! Don't you understand? If people from the Holy Lands die, I feel the pain too! But no matter how painful, you must restrain yourself. Rules are rules! Lives can be lost, but face cannot be forfeited!" Qu Wuhui spoke with intense indignation, his face flushed and his hair bristling!

Hai Wuya slowly descended to the ground, looking at the carnage in the field, unable to stop his old tears from flowing...

In that single moment, the six Second-Tier Saints from the Holy Land faction were utterly annihilated on the spot, not a single one spared! Several of them were killed almost without resistance, their faces still etched with sorrow even in death...

Jun Mo Xie watched the scene, sighing softly, recalling Mei Xueyan's words: Brothers by blood, sharing centuries day and night, never separated—their coordination had reached the pinnacle of the world... But deep emotion, while an advantage, was also the greatest flaw—one hurt in body, six hurt in heart; one dead in body, six dead in spirit!

These seven brothers were indeed a perfect illustration of that!

At this moment, Qu Wuhui felt a mixture of sorrow and rage!

In his view, Hai Wuya’s sudden intervention in the decisive battle was utterly shameful! It disgraced not only himself but also sullied the honor of the Three Great Holy Lands.

Coupled with having just lost two rounds in the bets, his mood was exceedingly foul, and he vented all his pent-up frustration.

Naturally, there was one overriding reason: "...the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young was watching on the side, and that esteemed personage was also one of the official witnesses! If he chose to make an issue of this, Hai Wuya might well end up lying here like these seven men in the field..." Qiao Ying and Cheng Yin Xiao also looked far from pleased. With the highest echelon of the Holy Lands, the three guardians of the Heavenly Saint Palace present, plus the peerless lunatic, the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young, acting as the arbiter, for such an act of immediate retraction and betrayal to occur—if they had not been present... one could only imagine how unrestrained these people acted. Previous rumors, perhaps, were not entirely unfounded... The Nine Nether Fourteenth Young observed everything with cold eyes and stated chillingly, "After more than ten millennia of sole supremacy, the Three Great Holy Lands have rotted to the core... They act merely according to their own whims, concerned only with wholeheartedly protecting their own interests, caring nothing for anything else. In their eyes, they are the righteous side, doing righteous deeds, so minor details need not be observed. This scene before us is living proof!"

He gave a sinister chuckle, "If a common person ignores the laws and is caught, they might end up in a great prison, or subjected to public execution and exemplary punishment. But the Jianghu is a relatively lenient place... lenient because it lacks true enforcers! The excuse of 'being caught up in the Jianghu, unable to control oneself' dismisses everything! Everyone acts as they please, everyone is above the law! But there are always certain moral principles, handed down through the ages, that people dare not easily violate... Even the most wicked individuals harbor many scruples..." He took a long breath and continued, "But the current Three Great Holy Lands, having purged dissenters for ten millennia, now have no rivals in this age! Once there are no rivals, there is no restraint. Thus, the Three Great Holy Lands have completely degenerated! Their conduct grows increasingly arrogant, long since disregarding supposed Jianghu righteousness and rules. When encountering conflicts with their own interests, that so-called Jianghu righteousness becomes mere scrap paper! But has anyone considered—if this continues... you will inevitably become a greater threat than the alien races! The alien races are outsiders, after all; even if they enter the Xuan Xuan World, only destruction awaits them. But you are destroying this world yourselves, the very world you claim to protect!"

The Nine Nether Fourteenth Young stared coldly at Hai Wuya: "Like you, men of the Jianghu, if you can discard even the most basic Jianghu rules and solemn promises in the blink of an eye, then no matter how great the mission you bear, you become a cancerous tumor that must be removed! Allowing it to fester will only lead to total decay! And the Three Great Holy Lands have been rotting for ten thousand years! Qu Wuhui, the three of you, you still count as anomalies untainted by the mire—truly praiseworthy!"

When the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young finished speaking, Qiao Ying, Cheng Yin Xiao, and Qu Wuhui all froze!

Then, they began to sweat profusely!

For ten thousand years, the Three Great Holy Lands had striven to conquer opposition, with the ultimate goal of sole supremacy. They were the designated protectors of the Xuan Xuan Continent, acting under the banner of justice, naturally feeling free to act without restraint or concern.

And the Heavenly Saint Palace had never thought the actions of the Holy Lands were wrong; instead, they offered constant support and even vigorous aid during their difficulties, hoping that one day, when the Holy Lands truly controlled the world, it would bring universal blessing to the entire continent...

Naturally, if judged by the standards of the Three Great Holy Lands ten thousand years ago, or even five or six thousand years ago, this perspective might have held some validity. But as dissenting forces were wiped out one by one, the Three Great Holy Lands finally ascended to the peak of power on the continent, enjoying absolute monopoly!

Even Qiao Ying, Cheng Yin Xiao, and Qu Wuhui felt that the current achievements of the Three Great Holy Lands were astonishing and far surpassed those of their ancestors, filling them with satisfaction! Controlling the continent, reigning over the world—wherever the Holy Lands decreed, there was no challenge! This was undoubtedly the pinnacle of glory!

But being sharply reminded by the Nine Nether Fourteenth Young, the three suddenly realized: if there truly was no opposition, if they reigned supreme alone, what awaited them was absolute internal corruption... complete degeneration!

People are naturally inclined to struggle; fighting an enemy, constantly balancing on the line between life and death, inspires infinite fighting spirit, spurs self-transcendence, and promotes continuous elevation... But what happens when there are absolutely no enemies?

The world is filled with flattery and empty praise when no enemies exist.

People naturally change.

There was an even more severe problem: if there were truly no enemies, who would they fight? Thus, they began to fight themselves, battling the inherent human greed for fame and fortune. But how many people ultimately conquer themselves? As a result, everyone became controlled by the pursuit of gain, leading to internal strife, grabbing power and profit. The previously seamless harmony among the Three Great Holy Lands had become a mere formality; beneath smiles and feigned camaraderie, they schemed against each other... Even within the same Holy Land, there was constant struggle and maneuvering.

Over such a long period, who would still care about Jianghu rules? Who would adhere to Jianghu morality? Because these were established by these very people! Who would pay them heed? But—a Jianghu without rules and morality... what kind of Jianghu would that be?

The more they contemplated, the more fearful the three became: if this continued, the Three Great Holy Lands would collapse entirely without needing any external foe!