Slay Huo Dou! Langya Xuan, you bastard!

"Slay!"

Ye Qing let out a soft shout.

Facing the terrifying giant beast lunging at him, he casually swept a finger downward!

Hum—!

As his finger fell, heaven and earth fell silent!

Time seemed to stop flowing at this very moment.

In the Mythical Beast's field of vision...

The originally tiny Human Race youth had disappeared.

In his place was a vast, boundless, and bizarre world of swords!

In this world, there was no sky and no ground—there were only swords!

Countless swords!

Some were as towering as high mountains, some flowed like trickling water, some blazed like a prairie fire, and some were as bone-chilling as ice... every single sword emitted a sharp and terrifying Aura!

Every sword seemed to contain a world of the Sword Dao!

And the number... was endless!

Endless meant three thousand; this was the Three Thousand Sword Realm!

"What is... this?!"

The Mythical Beast's originally confident gaze was now filled with endless fear.

It felt its Divine Soul, its Physical Body, and its everything being deathly locked onto by this Three Thousand Sword Realm!

It felt as if it were being crushed by an entire world!

The speed, power, and secret techniques it took pride in were as insignificant as dust before this indescribably grand power of Law!

In the moment of crisis, a flash of insight struck the Mythical Beast, and it suddenly realized a term—the power of Law.

This was actually the power of Law!

How could this possibly be the power of Law???

A mere Nascent Soul... how could it be!

"No!!!"

The Mythical Beast wanted to flee, wanted to scream.

But that Three Thousand Sword Realm, carrying great horror and a great crisis, collapsed down upon it like the heavens falling and the earth rending!

...Meanwhile, in the outside world.

In the eyes of Langya Xuan and the crowd of spectating prodigies.

This scene appeared extremely bizarre and quiet.

They only saw...

The Mythical Beast shattering Ye Qing's sword and lunging forward aggressively, seemingly about to tear Ye Qing to shreds.

However.

Just as Ye Qing raised his hand, joined his fingers, and gently swept downward.

That overbearing, monstrously ferocious three-headed Mythical Beast...

Seemed to have been hit by a pause button.

It instantly froze in mid-air!

Motionless!

The devilish fire on its body was still burning, and its expression still held its hideous grin.

But its eyes had already lost focus, becoming hollow and dull.

It was as if it had lost its soul.

"What's going on?"

"Wha... what happened?"

Everyone looked bewildered, completely unable to understand what had occurred.

Only Langya Xuan stared fixedly at Ye Qing's retracted finger, his pupils shrinking violently, his heart filled with uncertainty.

"What's the situation... Could it be that Ye Qing might... not die today?!"

Just as everyone was wondering.

Crack!

A faint sound of shattering suddenly came from inside the Mythical Beast's body.

It was the demon bone it had swallowed earlier!

Under the pressure of this terrifying Law, the demon bone shattered on its own!

And with the shattering of the demon bone, a force of backlash slammed into the Mythical Beast's Divine Soul.

It caused the beast to snap awake from the endless visions of the Three Thousand Sword Realm!

"Ah!!!"

The Mythical Beast let out a terrified scream.

Its consciousness had returned.

But... it was already too late!

Above its head, that sword light emitted from Ye Qing's fingertip—seemingly weak but actually containing the Law of Destruction of the Sword Dao—

Had already slashed down!

It was less than three inches from its head!

It could even clearly feel the icy Aura of death radiating from that sword light!

It was too late!

There was no time to react at all!

It also had no means to block this sword!

At this moment, Ye Qing looked at the Mythical Beast.

"Just now, you said..."

Ye Qing spoke indifferently, his voice clear as it reached the Mythical Beast's ears.

"Among the prodigies you've seen, I rank in the top three?"

"Then..."

"What about now?"

This simple sentence was like a heavy hammer smashing into the Mythical Beast's heart.

Top three?

To hell with the top three!

It had eaten top-three prodigies before, but among them, who was as freakish as Ye Qing?!

Nascent Soul Realm, Sword Dao Law Divine Ability?

These two terms shouldn't be related in any way!

One must know that even those in the Body Integration Realm above the Void Return Realm might not be able to comprehend Law Divine Abilities!

"You..."

The Mythical Beast was terrified to the extreme as the shadow of death loomed over it.

The fierce light in its three heads' eyes completely dissipated, replaced by a look of pleading.

“Spare... spare my life...”

“It was all a misunderstanding, I am willing to submit...”

However.

Ye Qing's gaze didn't fluctuate in the slightest.

Boom!!!

The sword light fell!

There was no blood splashing, no flesh flying.

Under the wash of that terrifying sword light containing the power of Law.

The Mythical Beast's indestructible great demon body, along with its Divine Soul and even the shattered demon bone inside it...

Instantly decomposed!

It turned into countless tiny specks of dust!

Finally, after a light breeze blew past...

It turned to ash! Disappearing completely from the world!

One finger.

A Void Return Great Demon, dead!

...The entire area was deathly silent.

Only the sound of the wind whimpered.

Langya Xuan and the others had long since collapsed to the ground, staring at the empty sky, their minds blank, even forgetting to breathe.

As for Ye Qing.

He paid no mind to the surrounding crowd who were already scared witless.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the place where the Mythical Beast had disappeared, his gaze thoughtful.

"That bone..."

Ye Qing's eyes narrowed slightly.

Although the demon bone had shattered into ash, he still keenly captured a trace of the Aura remaining within it.

That Aura was cold, eerie, and carried a sense of familiarity.

It was the same as the Aura of the Black-Robed Figure's Clone he had encountered in the Eastern Region Secret Realm... Although the strength differed, they were, in essence, from the same source!

"So it really is you..."

A cold glint flashed in Ye Qing's eyes.

He had likely guessed why this Void Return Great Demon would disregard its status and specifically come here to assassinate him.

The person pulling the strings behind the scenes must be that fellow who calls himself 'Holy Sovereign'!

"Holy Sovereign..."

Ye Qing silently recited this name in his heart.

A surge of killing intent churned in his chest.

"Sending a Clone to cause trouble in the Eastern Region, and now sending a great demon to kill me in the Central Region..."

"I've noted this debt."

Ye Qing looked up at the Void Realm, killing intent rising in his heart.

"Just you wait!"

"The next time we meet..."

"You will die!"

...Meanwhile.

Somewhere deep underground in the Central Region.

A grand and gloomy giant palace stood silently in the darkness.

And deep within the palace.

A figure dressed in black robes with a profound Aura was seated on a throne.

It was the Holy Sovereign!

His eyes were closed as he focused all his attention on remotely controlling his Clones in various places, quietly completing his arrangements.

At the very moment the Mythical Beast perished.

"Hmm?!"

The Holy Sovereign's eyes, which had been closed, snapped open!

His heart jolted as he sensed the trace of Divine Thought he had left inside the Mythical Beast dissipate.

This meant... "The Mythical Beast... is dead?!"

"How is this possible?!"

The Holy Sovereign's expression instantly became extremely unsightly.

The Mythical Beast was one of his most capable lieutenants and his beloved pet!

Although its Realm had dropped, with the demon bone he had bestowed, its combat power at a critical moment was enough to rival the Middle Stage of the Void Return Realm!

To kill a mere Nascent Soul Realm Ye Qing should have been as easy as reaching into a pocket!

How could it die?

How could it possibly die?!!

"Ye Qing!!!"

The Holy Sovereign took a deep breath, and then a roar filled with fury exploded within the palace!

The terrifying sound waves instantly shattered countless stone pillars in the vicinity.

The entire underground space shook violently!

"You dare kill my beloved pet!"

"You deserve to die! You deserve to die!!"

The Holy Sovereign's fury soared to the heavens as he abruptly stood up from his throne.

His body surged with Devilish Qi. He took a step forward, intending to rush out of the underground palace and personally tear that brat, who didn't know the meaning of the word death, into ten thousand pieces!

However.

Just as he was about to step out of the palace gates.

His footsteps came to a dead stop.

He gripped the doorframe tightly, his fingers sinking deep into the stone wall, his knuckles turning white.

He was enduring!

Desperately enduring!

"No... I can't!"

"Now is not the time!"

"I cannot go out, otherwise..."

The Holy Sovereign took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing the killing intent in his heart that almost made him go mad.

He turned his head to look at the center of the palace, where a giant Formation was slowly operating, emitting an eerie blood-red light.

A flash of madness and anticipation crossed his eyes.

"My arrangements in various places... are already more than half complete!"

"This concerns the grand plan!"

"If I leave rashly now, once there's a fluctuation in the Formation or if it's detected..."

"Then all previous efforts will be wasted!"

"As the saying goes, a lack of patience in small matters upsets great plans!"

"Since ancient times, those who can achieve great things must be able to endure what ordinary people cannot!"

The Holy Sovereign gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse, as he growled to convince himself.

"Endure... just endure a bit longer..."

"Wait... it's almost time!"

"Only a little bit left!"

He turned back around, his gaze piercing through layers of rock toward the direction of the Nether Abyss.

His gaze was venomous.

"Ye Qing..."

"I'll let you live for a few more days!"

"Don't worry, it won't be long. Once my grand plan is successful..."

"This seat will be the first... to kill you!"

Meanwhile, in the Nether Abyss, Ye Qing's indifferent gaze swept across the scene.

Those prodigies who had originally surrounded Langya Xuan and arrived with aggressive Auras...

Were now like rabbits stared down by a natural predator, their hair standing on end and their scalps tingling.

Whoosh!

Without any hesitation, the crowd retreated.

They dispersed like a tide, leaving Langya Xuan, who was originally at the center of the crowd, standing all alone.

Ye Qing looked at Langya Xuan, his brow furrowing slightly.

Because the "Langya Xuan" before him gave him a very strange feeling.

While the Aura was indeed that Aura, Ye Qing felt that he possessed an unreal sense of illusion, like... a reflection in the water.

"Hmm?"

Ye Qing's eyes shifted. He raised his right hand and gave a light wave.

A streak of invisible energy brushed past.

The "Langya Xuan" who had been standing there began to shatter like a bubble.

He turned into streaks of brilliant spiritual light, dissipating slowly from the bottom up!

"You..."

The nearly dissipated "Langya Xuan" stared fixedly at Ye Qing, his eyes full of malice.

"Ye Qing! You're finished!"

"I will report everything that happened in the Nether Abyss to my Family!"

"You killed Chun Ziliu and Qin Mingyue. You're finished! You're dead!"

"No matter how monstrous your talent or how Heaven-Defying your combat power, before our Supreme Aristocratic Families, you are still an ant!"

"You've offended three of our great families at once, and you've completely and utterly offended the Divine Mountain Chun Clan and the Primeval Qin Clan!"

"From now on, you won't have the chance to grow. Whether you go to heaven or earth, no one can save you!"

After saying those words, his body completely turned into spiritual light and vanished into the void.

The entire area was silent.

Everyone stared blankly at the spot where Langya Xuan had disappeared, their minds blank.

"Qin Mingyue and Chun Ziliu... are dead?"

"No wonder we never saw them appear... So they had already been killed by Ye Qing?"

Hearing Langya Xuan's personal confirmation, the shock was momentarily beyond compare.

These were supreme prodigies!

They were figures at the pinnacle of the pyramid of the younger generation in their eyes!

They had actually died so quietly in the Nether Abyss?

However... on second thought, everyone felt it made sense.

"A fierce man like Ye Qing... can even kill a Void Return Great Demon like the Mythical Beast with one sword. If Chun Ziliu and Qin Mingyue really encountered him, they would obviously be doomed!"

"It's just..."

Someone's expression turned ugly as they whispered:

"What's with this Langya Xuan?"

"The one just now seemed to be only a spiritual body manifested with a technique?"

"His true body... actually didn't come?!"

...The facts were indeed so.

Somewhere in the Nether Abyss, in a hidden underground cave.

This was where Langya Xuan's true body was located.

His face was pale, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his eyes were full of fear.

"That was close... so close!"

He panted heavily, inwardly rejoicing.

"Fortunately, to be safe, I only sent a Medium Clone."

"Otherwise... today, my true body would probably have been lost to that monster!"

His original plan was actually perfect.

Use the Clone to incite the crowd to besiege Ye Qing and exhaust Ye Qing's strength.

If the crowd could indeed take down Ye Qing or force him into a desperate situation.

He would then use his Family's secret technique to perform a 'Shifting Shadows' between the Medium Clone and his true body.

Switching positions, he would then personally take action to kill Ye Qing and pluck the fruit of victory.

But now... after witnessing the scene where Ye Qing instantly killed the Void Return Great Demon.

Even if he were given a hundred times more courage, he wouldn't dare switch his true body over!

Wouldn't that be seeking death?!

"It's not suitable to stay here for long!"

Langya Xuan felt that even this place wasn't safe, fearing that Ye Qing would follow the clues to find him.

He immediately stood up.

Swish, swish, swish!

He changed his hiding spot several times in succession and took out several precious treasures capable of masking his Aura.

He completely erased his Aura.

Finally, he found a remote, dark corner and curled up.

He hid himself tightly, not even daring to take a loud breath... On the island in the middle of the lake.

Ye Qing looked at where Langya Xuan had dissipated and shook his head slightly.

"Laughable."

A dignified supreme Prodigy was actually so afraid of death that he didn't even dare show his true face, only daring to send a Clone to its death.

Could such a character even be called a Prodigy?

Was he even worthy of competing with him?

The others present also had extremely unsightly expressions.

Only now did they realize that they had been completely played by Langya Xuan!

"Langya Xuan, that bastard!"

"He actually only sent a Clone over? He was using us as cannon fodder!"

"He let us go to our deaths while he hid in the back?!"

The hatred in everyone's hearts was intense.

If Ye Qing's strength were average, they naturally wouldn't care about this, but the key was that Ye Qing was ridiculously strong!

This Langya Xuan clearly knew Ye Qing was so freakish.

Yet he still urged them on, letting them come to their deaths!

Everyone came together, and now you, Langya Xuan, have withdrawn your Clone and run off.

What are we supposed to do?