403: Chapter 397 Deactivating the Heavenly Net Vajra Formation's Highest Defensive State

"Not bad." Chen Zhiwen felt the connection to his Bloodline through the autumn water sword in his hand—it even carried a slight, spiritual throb of excitement. He nodded in satisfaction. "Though it's just a waste's Nascent Soul, it saves me a hundred years of nurturing effort."

With a metallic clink, Chen Zhiwen sheathed the autumn water sword and hung it at his waist.

With a casual wave of his hand, the Physical Body of Old Ancestor Xueming—now missing its Nascent Soul and frozen like an ice sculpture—instantly shattered into countless ice shards in mid-air, scattering with the wind without leaving a single trace of residue.

A generation's giant of the Southern Wilderness Demonic Path was thus completely reduced to ashes.

Having dealt with Old Ancestor Xueming, Chen Zhiwen's gaze shifted very slowly toward that massive, now-empty bone ship, and then to the buffer zone below where flesh and blood were still flying.

In the buffer zone, the battle was nearing its end.

In truth, it could hardly be called a battle; it was a complete, one-sided slaughter.

Without the support of Old Ancestor Xueming's pressure, the Blood-Slaying Evil Hounds, having lost their master, scurried through the mud like headless flies.

In the very center of the battlefield, a figure wrapped in black Devilish Qi so dense it had almost solidified stood quietly like a god of slaughter.

Li Shuang.

Her originally tight black clothes were now dyed a dark red with blood. Her hair hung disheveled over her shoulders, each strand dripping with crimson beads of blood.

Around her were piled over a thousand mummified corpses that had been completely drained of blood. Among these corpses were demonic Cultivators, blood hounds, and even dozens of Loose Cultivators who had been too slow to run.

Her pure black eyes were currently flashing with an extremely eerie red light. Her chest heaved violently, and the massive Demonic Essence within her—somewhat out of control from devouring too much mixed blood qi—was rampaging wildly through her Meridians.

If her willpower had not far exceeded that of ordinary people, any normal Foundation Establishment Cultivator would have exploded and died long ago after devouring so much violent energy.

"Li Shuang."

Chen Zhiwen's cold, emotionless voice suddenly rolled down from the Nine Heavens like a thunderclap.

Li Shuang, who was in a semi-frenzied state, shuddered violently upon hearing this voice.

In her eerie black pupils, the bloodthirsty fanaticism instantly receded by more than half, replaced by a deep-seated awe and fear etched into her very bones.

She didn't even bother to calm the roiling Demonic Essence within her; she directly dropped into the mud with a thud, kneeling heavily on both knees and kowtowing deeply toward the god-like figure high in the sky.

"Your subordinate... is here! I kowtow to the Grand Elder! The Grand Elder's Divine Might is peerless; he is invincible under heaven!" Li Shuang's raspy voice carried an irrepressible tremble.

Though she had been in a killing frenzy just now, she had clearly seen Chen Zhiwen's world-splitting sword strike and the terrifying image of him crushing Old Ancestor Xueming's Nascent Soul like an ant.

In front of this man, her proud Ancient Demonic Technique was laughably insignificant. If he so desired, a single look could reduce her to ashes.

"You are handling the mess down here too slowly." Chen Zhiwen stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at Li Shuang kneeling in the pool of blood, his tone carrying a hint of faint dissatisfaction.

"Your subordinate deserves death! I will clear out the remaining survivors immediately!" Li Shuang was scared out of her wits. She hurriedly looked up, her eyes flashing with murderous intent once more as she made a move to pounce toward the surviving Loose Cultivators in the distance.

Hiding in the pile of corpses, Wang Er and Uncle Li saw this and were so terrified they nearly wet their pants.

"Uncle Li... it's over... she's coming to eat us..." Wang Er closed his eyes in despair.

"Stop."

However, Chen Zhiwen's indifferent voice rang out again, freezing Li Shuang in place.

"I told you to clear the mess, not to bite around like a mad dog." Chen Zhiwen's gaze swept over the shivering Loose Cultivators. There was no pity in his eyes, only a very pure calculation.

"These Loose Cultivators may be useless cannon fodder, but in this Southern Wilderness, the living are often more valuable than the dead," Chen Zhiwen said calmly. "The Demonic Vanguard is destroyed, and the old dog Xueming is dead. The waters outside Heavenly Sword City will soon return to peace. These tens of thousands of mineral veins and Spirit Islands will need dogs to dig and guard them."

Chen Zhiwen paused, his gaze piercing toward Li Shuang like a sharp sword.

"Incorporate all the surviving Loose Cultivators. Kill anyone who dares to resist on the spot. If they are obedient, give them a path to live and reward them with a whole Inedia Pill."

"As for you..." Chen Zhiwen extended a slender finger and pointed at the massive bone ship on the sea.

"Though there are no living people left on that bone ship, the massive residual resentment and blood-slaying energy of the 'Ten Thousand Blood Return to Ancestry Array,' as well as the resources left behind by those demonic Cultivators, are all yours."

The corner of Chen Zhiwen's mouth curled into a playful, cold smile.

"I will give you three days. Within three days, you must drain the blood qi on that ship completely for me. If you cannot drain it, or if you suffer Qi Deviation and explode during the process, then you are simply a waste and can blame no one else."

"If you can survive and even use this to form a Golden Core..." Chen Zhiwen's voice carried an irresistible temptation, "I will hand over the authority to guard the outer city of Southern Wilderness's Heavenly Sword City to you. The power over the life and death of these hundreds of thousands of Outer Sect Disciples and Loose Cultivators will be yours to command. You can drain them however you wish."

Hearing these words.

An extremely fanatical and excited flush suddenly surged onto Li Shuang's pale face.

The remnants of the Ten Thousand Blood Array on the bone ship! That was the essence left by a Nascent Soul Old Monster! If she could devour it all, she was absolutely confident she could forcibly break through the barrier to the Golden Core stage!

Furthermore, the Grand Elder actually promised to let her manage the outer city! This meant she would become an existence in Heavenly Sword City above tens of thousands and below only one, no longer needing to Cultivate secretly like a rat in the sewers!

"Your subordinate kowtows in thanks for the Grand Elder's heavenly grace! I will not fail your high expectations! Even if I am ground to dust, I will drain that broken ship dry!" Li Shuang trembled with excitement, her head thumping against the mud as she kowtowed. Her originally raspy voice was now sharp and somewhat ear-piercing.

"Go. Don't be an eyesore here." Chen Zhiwen waved his hand with extreme disgust, as if shooing away a fly.

"Yes!" Li Shuang sprang up, her body turning into a black afterimage. Like a maddened tigress, she charged through the wind and rain, racing frantically toward the massive bone ship on the sea.

Watching Li Shuang's receding back, Chen Zhiwen gave a cold snort.

"A greedy hound—as long as I hold the leash around her neck, the harder she bites, the better."

Chen Zhiwen turned around, not sparing another glance at the messy battlefield below.

His form flickered, and he became a streak of moon-white light, instantly descending from the horizon to land steadily upon the high inner walls of Heavenly Sword City.

"We welcome the Grand Elder's triumphant return!"

The moment Chen Zhiwen's feet touched the ground.

On the city walls, hundreds of elites from the Chen family's Internal Affairs Hall and Law Enforcement Team, including Chen Zhengchu, knelt on one knee in unison, letting out a fanatical shout that shook the clouds.

Their voices no longer held the previous terror and despair; instead, they were filled with extreme blind following and worship of absolute power.

Too strong!

In this world of cultivation where the weak are prey to the strong, nothing brings more peace of mind and fanaticism than an invincible powerhouse who can slash through heaven and earth with one sword and crush a Nascent Soul Old Monster at will!

Chen Zhiwen still had his hands behind his back. His cold face showed no sign of pride, as if he hadn't just killed a giant of the Demonic Path who terrorized the Southern Wilderness, but had merely crushed a bedbug.

He very slowly scanned the Heavenly Sword Sect Cultivators kneeling at his feet, his deep eyes radiating an indescribable pressure.

"Rise, all of you." Chen Zhiwen spoke four words calmly.

"We thank the Grand Elder!" Everyone shouted in unison and then stood up cautiously. However, every one of them kept their heads bowed deeply, not even daring to breathe loudly for fear that a single extra glance would offend this god-of-slaughter-like Grand Elder.

Chen Zhiwen walked slowly to the battlements. His gaze passed over the bluestones polished bright by the rain and looked down toward the massive inner city of Heavenly Sword City.

Inside Heavenly Sword City at this moment.

Those over one million Mortals and hundreds of thousands of low-level Cultivators were still kneeling in the muddy streets or simple courtyards.

Though they hadn't personally witnessed the peerless grace of Chen Zhiwen's sword strike, they had truly felt the dissipation of that world-destroying demonic pressure in the sky, and they felt the ecstasy of returning to the human world from Hell.

Countless people pressed their palms together, kowtowing desperately toward the city walls while chanting. They were all praying for the Divine Might of the Heavenly Sword Sect and thanking the Grand Elder for saving their lives.

Faith, or rather blind worship, was spreading frantically throughout the entire city.

Looking at the dense crowds kneeling below like ants, there was no pity in Chen Zhiwen's eyes—only the coldness and logic of a chess player looking down at a chessboard.

"Zhengchu." Chen Zhiwen suddenly spoke, breaking the dead silence on the city wall.

"Your subordinate is here!" Chen Zhengchu hurriedly jogged forward two steps and bowed deeply.

"Pass down the orders." Chen Zhiwen's voice was steady and powerful, reaching everyone's ears clearly despite the howling wind.

"First, deactivate the highest defense state of the Tianluo Vajra Array and switch to daily vigilance. The consumption of the Formation core is too great; we cannot keep burning Spirit Stones like this. Disperse the Mortals in the city and let them go back to their business. Tell them that the Demonic Path has been wiped out by me, and Heavenly Sword City is indestructible."