256: Chapter 256 Liquidation

The moment Mysterious Turtle finished speaking, the entirety of Qianjiao Cliff fell silent for a breath.

It was not fear.

It was waiting.

Everyone was waiting—waiting for those words from Gao De.

Gao De did not answer immediately.

He simply looked up, gazing toward the direction of the Bewitching Ghost Swamp.

There, across thousands of miles of the Yunmeng Great Marsh, through layers of mist and Restrictions, he seemed able to sense it—

That wretched, fleeing figure, carrying a body full of resentment and malice, retreating back to his lair.

Half-step Fifth Stage.

Two months of seclusion.

Absorbed thirty percent of the Evil Dragon Power.

And then?

"He failed," Gao De said.

It was not a question, but a statement.

Mysterious Turtle was startled: "How does the Cliff Master know?"

Gao De did not explain.

He simply raised his hand, and a strand of thunder light surfaced in his palm.

That thunder light was the color of Purple Gold Glazed Thunder Flame, pure and translucent, yet deep within it hid a sliver of pitch black—it was the brand of the Dao of "Slaughter."

"Because he took the second path," Gao De said indifferently. "Refining others' Origin and borrowing external power to achieve a Breakthrough. Once that path is interrupted, trying to continue it is as difficult as ascending to the heavens."

"Bai Ze's pressure broke not only the Evil Dragon Power he was absorbing, but also that Dao Heart of 'borrowing external power to break through.'"

"Once a Dao Heart is broken, it is difficult to regather."

He paused.

"Right now, he is even weaker than before his seclusion."

Ao Xue appeared behind him at some point, a hint of bloodthirsty excitement flashing in her blood-red eyes: "Then what are we waiting for?"

Gao De turned to look at her.

"Are your injuries healed?"

"They are," Ao Xue licked her lips. "They've been healed for a long time."

Gao De then looked toward Mysterious Turtle, Dragon Peach, Green Edge, Iron Pincer... he looked at each of those familiar faces.

In every pair of eyes, there was a light.

It was a light that had been suppressed for two months.

In the battle at the Gui Xu Eye, they had lost.

They had lost pathetically, lost tragically.

Three hundred and twenty-seven Demon Soldiers died in battle, countless people were injured, and even the Cliff Master had almost lost his life.

They were waiting.

Waiting for a chance.

Waiting for—

"Go," Gao De said.

Only a single word.

Yet it caused the light suppressed for two months in everyone's eyes to instantly ignite into fire.

---

An hour later.

On the outskirts of the Bewitching Ghost Swamp, at an unnamed pond.

The Qianjiao Cliff army gathered there silently.

This time, there was no luring the tiger away from the mountain, no infiltration or secret theft, and no various schemes or plans.

It was simply—

Standing here.

Openly and honorably.

Amidst the mist, a dark shadow fled in panic.

It was a scout of the Heavenly Demon Cult stationed on the outskirts, a Third Order Mid-Stage expert who specialized in movement speed.

He saw the densely packed army of Demon Soldiers, the blood-colored Dragon shadow coiled in mid-air, and the humanoid figure standing before the army with Purple Gold Glazed Thunder Flame flowing around him—

His face turned deathly pale.

He turned and fled.

He fled thirty zhang.

A flash of thunder light swept past.

He didn't even see where the thunder light came from before he lost control of his body.

He looked down.

In his chest was a fist-sized bloody hole, piercing through from front to back.

lightning flames danced at the edges of the wound, completely incinerating all life force.

The corpse fell.

Gao De withdrew his hand.

He didn't even look back.

"Mysterious Turtle, lead the Demon Soldiers to outflank from the left."

"Dragon Peach, block the water veins of this place and cut off their retreat."

"Ao Xue—"

He paused.

"Follow me and advance from the front."

Ao Xue licked her lips, her blood-red eyes full of bloodthirsty excitement: "From the front?"

"From the front," Gao De said. "Let them see clearly who has come."

He took a step forward.

Purple Gold Glazed Thunder Flame soared into the sky!

---

Bewitching Ghost Swamp, Main Hall.

Shadowy Evil knelt in the hall, his face deathly pale.

His injuries had not fully healed—in the battle at the Gui Xu Eye, half of his ice armor had been shattered by a palm strike from Gao De, and his aura remained withered to this day.

But he had no choice but to come.

Because the Cult Master had emerged from seclusion.

No, it wasn't emerging from seclusion.

He had—fled back.

He would never forget the unwilling roar from the Cult Master's seclusion place an hour ago.

Black Qi surged to the heavens, and a Dragon's roar shook the ears—then, everything came to a screeching halt.

Next, the Cult Master rushed out of the seclusion place in a wretched state, his aura even weaker than before he entered.

"He failed," Poison Dove stood by his side, his voice hoarse. "The Cult Master failed."

Shadowy Evil did not speak.

He was only thinking—what should they do next?

Should they flee back to Yangzhou? No, the mission failed, and the Grand Cult Master would not let them off either.

But if they continued to stay here, would that Dragon from Qianjiao Cliff possibly let them off?

The answer came very quickly.

"BOOM—!!!"

The entire Main Hall shook violently!

Shadowy Evil's expression changed drastically as he rushed out of the hall—

Then, he saw it.

Amidst the mist, a Purple Gold Glazed Thunder Flame exploded like a scorching sun!

Wherever that thunder light passed, the grayish-white mist receded one after another!

The Restrictions, Formations, and traps the Heavenly Demon Cult had set up for a hundred years—before that thunder light, they were like paper!

"Enemy attack—!!!"

Shrill alarms resounded through the entire Ghost Swamp!

Countless black-robed cultists rushed out from various places, forming battle arrays!

And then—

A blood-colored Dragon shadow descended from the sky!

"BOOM—!!!"

As the Dragon claw struck down, dozens of cultists were directly turned into blood mist!

Ao Xue let out a long howl toward the sky, her blood-red eyes full of delight!

"You Heavenly Demon Cult scum—this lady has come to collect the debt!!!"

She charged into the crowd like a tiger into a flock of sheep!

Those Third and Second Order cultists couldn't even last a single round before her!

At the same moment, from the left flank, Mysterious Turtle led three thousand Demon Soldiers into the fray! The blue light of the water patrol token soared, invoking the power of the entire water region to trap countless black-robed cultists within water prisons!

From the right flank, Dragon Peach's Myriad Wood Senluo Great Array unfolded with a bang! Countless vines burst from the ground, entangling those cultists trying to flee and dragging them beneath the earth!

Surrounded on three sides.

On the final side—was Gao De.

He just walked like that, step by step, toward the Main Hall.

He didn't strike.

He didn't move his hands.

He didn't even look at the cultists charging at him.

He just walked.

But every cultist who tried to approach him was struck into charcoal by a bolt of purple-gold thunder that appeared out of thin air ten zhang away.

One step.

Ten people died.

Ten steps.

A hundred people perished.

He walked toward the Main Hall as if entering an uninhabited land.

Finally—

The doors of the Main Hall opened with a bang.

A figure slowly walked out from the darkness.

The Heavenly Demon Cult Master.

He was still shrouded in black mist, his face indistinguishable, with only those ghostly green eyes staring fixedly at Gao De through the fog.

But his aura was far weaker than it had been two months ago.

The Realm of a half-step Fifth Stage was still there, but it was unstable and flickering, as if it might drop at any moment.

"You've come," he said hoarsely.

Gao De stopped his pace.

Two zhang apart, the two faced each other.

"I've come," Gao De said.

The Cult Master was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

That laughter was hoarse and low, carrying a hint of self-mockery.

"Good, good, good," he said. "This seat has schemed for a thousand years, only to ultimately fall into your hands."

"Bai Ze's pressure broke not only my path, but also my Dao Heart."

He paused.

"Do you know what it means when a Dao Heart is broken?"

Gao De did not answer.

The Cult Master did not need him to answer either.

He continued to speak to himself: "It means that in this lifetime, it is no longer possible for this seat to achieve a Breakthrough."

"Even if I refine another hundred Vile Dragons, it would be useless."

"Because this seat already 'knows'—knows that the path is a dead end."

"Knowing is the greatest Heart Demon."

He raised his hands, looking at his pair of withered hands.

"This seat has lived for thousands of years, died seven times, changed four Physical Bodies, and refined countless Holy Fetuses—"

"In the end, I still lost."

He looked up, gazing at Gao De.

In those ghostly green eyes, there was actually a hint of relief.

"Come," he said. "Let this seat see how much skill you've gained in these two months."

The black mist surged wildly!

The aura of a half-step Fifth Stage exploded forth!

Though weak and unstable, it was still—a half-step Fifth Stage!

Gao De did not retreat.

He simply raised his hand.

Purple Gold Glazed Thunder Flame condensed in his palm.

Deep within those lightning flames, a strand of pitch-black radiance like ink flowed quietly.

"Three strands of Great Dao power—Melding, Life, and Slaughter."

"Today, I shall test my Dao on you."

He took a step forward.

Lightning Evasion.

That speed was incredibly fast, so much so that the Cult Master only had time to raise both arms—

"BANG—!!!"

A punch smashed into the Cult Master's forearms!

The black mist exploded!

The Cult Master retreated ten zhang, his feet plowing two deep grooves into the ground!

His expression changed abruptly!

"You—"

Before he could finish, a second punch arrived!

Third punch!

Fourth punch!

Every punch carried the pure Power of Thunder!

With every punch, a strand of thunder light interwoven with purple-gold and pitch-black smashed into the Cult Master's body!

That was the power of "Slaughter."

It was destruction.

It was a pure slaughter that existed without any stray thoughts, only for the purpose of killing the opponent!

The Cult Master shrieked, the black mist churning frantically as he tried to counterattack!

But Gao De gave him no chance at all.

Punch after punch!

Ten punches in a single breath!

A hundred punches!

A thousand punches!

The entire Main Hall collapsed with a bang under his fists!

Debris flew everywhere, and the black mist scattered!

Finally—

"BANG—!!!"

The final punch smashed into the Cult Master's chest!

That position was exactly the same as the palm strike he had landed on Gao De's chest two months ago!

The Cult Master sprayed black blood from his mouth, his body flying backward like a meteorite, smashing through three side halls before finally being embedded into the cliff wall a hundred zhang away!

Rocks crumbled and fell.

The dust settled.

Gao De withdrew his fist and stood amidst the ruins.

The Purple Gold Glazed Thunder Flame around him slowly subsided.

He looked up at the figure embedded in the cliff wall.

The Cult Master was not dead.

But he could no longer stand up.

His withered body was covered in countless cracks, and within every crack, purple-gold thunder light jumped, preventing his wounds from healing.

The aura of the half-step Fifth Stage had already dropped to the Late Fourth Stage—and it was still falling.

Fourth Order Middle Stage.

Fourth Order Early Stage.

Finally, it stopped at the Fourth Order Early Stage.

"You..." The Cult Master opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of black blood, "You crippled this seat..."

Gao De walked up to him.

He looked down at this once-overbearing existence.

"Two months ago, you left a palm print on my chest," he said. "Today, I've returned it to you."

The Cult Master gave a wretched smile.

"Yes," he said hoarsely. "You won."

"Do it."

Gao De looked at him.

He was silent for a moment.

Then, he raised his hand.

It was not a killing move.

He simply took an object from the Cult Master's waist.

The reincarnation mirror.

That ancient mirror, pitch-black as ink, was currently dim and lusterless, its surface covered in cracks.

"You held this mirror for thousands of years," Gao De said. "It's time for someone else to keep it."

The Cult Master did not speak.

Gao De put away the reincarnation mirror and turned around.

"Ao Xue."

Ao Xue flashed to his side: "Here."

"This person is handed over to you."

Ao Xue was startled.

Gao De did not look back.

"The suffering you endured in the Dragon Transformation Pool back then can be repaid today."

Ao Xue fell silent.

She looked at the withered figure embedded in the cliff wall, a hint of complexity flashing in her blood-red eyes.

Then, she smiled.

That smile was bone-chillingly cold.

"Good."

---

Half an hour later.

The Yunmeng Great Marsh branch of the Heavenly Demon Cult—wiped out.

The Fourth Order Elder Shadowy Evil died under the joint pursuit of Mysterious Turtle and Dragon Peach.

The Fourth Order Elder Poison Dove was personally torn apart by Ao Xue, leaving not even a bone behind.

The Holy Infant Guard was completely annihilated.

Of the eight hundred cultists, not a single one escaped.

The Main Hall, built of black bones, had completely collapsed.

The nine Human Bone Lanterns were strangled into fragments by Dragon Peach's vines.

The grayish-white poison miasma that had lingered for ten thousand years was slowly dissipating after losing its core Restriction.

Sunlight shone into this cursed land for the first time.

Gao De stood in the center of the ruins, watching it all.

Ao Xue walked to his side.

She was covered in blood, some of it her own, but most of it from her enemies.

But in her eyes, there was no bloodthirstiness or madness, only an unprecedented peace.

"Great King," she said.

Gao De turned to look at her.

"Thank you," Ao Xue said.

Gao De was slightly taken aback.

Ao Xue did not explain.

She just gazed at the dissipating mist and the sunlight that had finally shone in.

"Back then in the Dragon Transformation Pool, I thought my life would just end like that."

"Having my blood drawn, being used, and finally dying in the darkness with no one knowing."

She paused.

"I didn't expect to still be alive."

"To be able to stand in the sunlight."

"To be able to—personally take my revenge."

She turned and looked at Gao De.

In her blood-red eyes, there was actually a hint of moisture.

"So, thank you."

Gao De was silent for a moment.

Then, he raised his hand and gently patted her head.

"Let's go," he said. "Home."

---

Three days later.

Qianjiao Cliff Water Mansion.

A grand feast.

A victory celebration.

All the Demon Soldiers who survived were present.

The names of those who died were carved on the stone monument at the entrance of the Water Mansion, receiving offerings of incense.

Gao De sat in the primary seat, with Ao Xue standing by his side, while Mysterious Turtle, Dragon Peach, Turtle Three Thousand, Green Edge, Iron Pincer... sat in order.

After several rounds of wine.

Mysterious Turtle suddenly stood up and raised his cup: "Cliff Master, this subordinate has something to say and feels compelled to speak."

Gao De nodded.

Mysterious Turtle took a deep breath.

"This old man has lived for over two thousand years and has seen countless demon kings, hegemons, and Prodigies."

"But I have never seen anyone like the Cliff Master."

"From a mere Wuyue to where you are today."

"From being hunted to hunting others."

"From the Fourth Order Early Stage to possessing three strands of Great Dao power."

"From being heavily injured by a single palm strike from a half-step Fifth Stage to crippling that same half-step Fifth Stage punch by punch."

His old eyes were cloudy, yet they shone with light.

"Back then, when I swore my loyalty, it was only due to the pressure of the situation."

"But now—"

He bowed deeply.

"This old man is truly convinced."

The entire room fell silent.

Then, everyone stood up together and bowed in salute.

"The Cliff Master is mighty!"

"The Lord is mighty!"

Gao De looked at them, looking at each of those sincere faces.

He suddenly laughed.

"Alright, everyone sit down."

"Drink."

"Tomorrow, there will be tomorrow's business."

Everyone shouted their assent and continued drinking and laughing.

Ao Xue stood by Gao De's side and asked in a low voice: "Great King, what are we doing tomorrow?"

Gao De picked up his wine cup and looked out the window.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water, drenching the Lake.

"Tomorrow?" he said.

"Starting tomorrow, prepare to go to the Gui Xu Eye."

"That Vile Dragon's skeleton is still there."

"The reincarnation mirror, ding xu stone, guixu token, and the Three Keys are all in our hands."

He paused.

"It's time to go and see exactly what the Dragon Lord left behind."

Ao Xue nodded.

Gao De drained the wine in his cup.

"The future is long."

"There's no rush."