“Awaken!”
On the battlefield of the Spirit Tower in the Sword Province, Xu Xian unleashed all six of his swords together for the first time. Simultaneously, he awakened the six spirits within them for the first time since ascending Above the Heavens.
The Heaven-Burning Sparrow retracted its flames, and Zhu was born from the fire.
The Yellow Spring Burial transformed into a mist, and Min tore through the void to emerge.
The girl from Nishui Han and the elder from The Living Flora appeared.
The dragon-man from Thunder Punishment and the honest, simple man from the old blade, Jiangshan, also manifested.
They appeared, surrounding Xu Xian in six directions: above, below, left, right, front, and back.
Xu Xian covered his face with a single palm. Through the gaps between his fingers, a blood-red chill flashed in his eyes as he growled, “Go. Kill them all!”
“We obey the Master’s command!”
The six spirits took their orders and raised their swords in battle. Across the battlefield, the darkness began to wither like the coming of dawn. Wherever the six spirits passed, Grey Spirits died upon contact, and dark spirits were wounded within heartbeats.
In the center of the multicolored smoke, the eight people being protected had long since gone numb, their expressions dazed...
But the carnage was not limited to Xu Xian’s onslaught. The nameless woman in the bridal gown was even stronger and more ferocious. Within the formation, she was like a dragon entering the deep sea, stirring up storms.
Her swordplay lacked flashy movements or complex incantations. She struck as she raised her hand and cleaved as she swung her blade. Not a single strike or form missed its mark. Spirit Lords were falling, and Spirit Guards were dying.
Ling Tang’s face was as dark as ink, her baleful qi surging with fury. She was driven to madness by the overwhelming sense of powerlessness she felt against the woman.
She had known the woman was strong and that she was no match for her.
This was the reason she had never provoked her over the past thousands of years, despite knowing of her existence.
One could call her wise, or one could say she simply didn’t dare.
But today...
Based on the gathered intelligence, she had deduced that the woman would definitely come to Black Spirit City and step into the Spirit Tower because she, too, was a dark creature.
Both she and the woman in the bridal gown knew very well that the spirit river was tens of millions of miles away, spanning across thirty-six provinces. If a living soul wanted to make it there safely, they had to take the spirit sources from the Spirit Towers. Only then could they avoid being consumed by the darkness and prevent themselves from sinking into the Greedy Realm.
Furthermore, only spirit sources could evade the gaze of the Eye of Darkness, offering a slim chance of survival.
She knew the woman would come.
She had been excited and thrilled because she had finally waited for the chance to erase her.
She couldn’t defeat her in a fair fight, but using the Spirit Tower to set a killing tribulation was a different story.
She had made the preparations, and the woman had indeed come.
Everything had been ready, a net cast wide, but reality had delivered a harsh blow to her face.
The woman was too strong.
Her strength exceeded all of Ling Tang’s perceptions.
She wasn't at the God Immortal stage, nor was she at the Great Spirit Lord stage. She was at the Ancestral Spirit stage—an Immortal King...
Ling Tang couldn't understand it. She couldn't accept it. They had both been consumed by the darkness and turned into these ghostly forms, so why was the woman an Immortal King?
In the hierarchy of dark creatures, a being at the Immortal King level could be promoted to the Ancestral Spirit bloodline. They could personally have an audience with the First Spirits and receive their blessing and the favor of the darkness...
From then on, they could become like normal living souls.
With flesh and blood, and eternal beauty.
That had been the lifelong pursuit of Ling Tang, who also cherished beauty.
But...
Why?
Why would someone who was already an Immortal King reject the gift of the gods and willingly remain in such a state, sitting in a grey world day after day?
She had miscalculated.
She had been careless.
She knew the outcome was decided. As for the battlefield outside the formation, what did it matter if they won or lost? The woman was an Immortal King; she could sweep an entire city alone. Moreover, she wasn't just any ordinary Immortal King—she was incredibly powerful.
So far, she had even held back, not yet using a single forbidden technique or divine ability.
Ling Tang knew she had lost.
Yet, she could not retreat.
The Spirit Code dictated that without orders, a Spirit Lord could not abandon their Spirit Tower. Otherwise, they would be cast into the deep abyss of purgatory, sinking for eternity in unbearable pain. In comparison, was death not preferable?
Knowing she could not win, she chose to fight to the death.
She gritted her teeth and issued a vicious command, “Ignore her! Slaughter those mortal beings!”
The Small Spirit Lords, Spirit Guards, and Dark Tiger did not hesitate for a second upon hearing this.
They broke away from the engagement and charged toward Xu Xian outside the formation. Meanwhile, Ling Tang used a forbidden technique, risking her life to pin down Li Shuhe.
She mocked her, saying, “You might have won, but they will all die. Your victory will be meaningless.”
Li Shuhe ignored her, raising her sword to cleave downward, forcing her way through the formation.
Outside the formation, Xu Xian’s Pupil of Insight was constantly active. Within a single breath, he deduced the danger that would unfold several breaths later. Sensing trouble, he reacted in advance.
The six sword spirits sensed it too. They broke off their combat and returned to intercept the charging group led by Dark Tiger.
Although Dark Tiger and the others had just charged out from the formation, they were well aware of the situation outside. They knew clearly that the youth before them was extraordinary.
He had many tricks and a deep foundation. He was definitely no ordinary Mortal Immortal. They did not underestimate him in the slightest and charged together.
“Ignore the spirits! Kill him first!”
The six sword spirits were born from the youth. If their master was slain, the spirits would collapse.
Fan, the sword spirit of Jiangshan, let out an angry roar.
“Do not harm my Master!”
Spirits had their own consciousness. They saw through the enemy's intent and fought desperately to intercept them, protecting their master with all their might. A great battle erupted. Amidst the chaotic smoke, the sky split open with several gashes, and mournful winds howled as they poured in.
Although the six spirits fought desperately to hold them back, their enemies were not interested in a prolonged fight. One Small Spirit Lord managed to break through the defensive line, opening a cavernous maw as it lunged forward.
“Master, watch out...”
Xu Xian had no sword in hand, and his spirits were all deployed. Ahead, a powerhouse at the Small Spirit Lord stage was closing in, while behind him, suicidal dark spirits and Grey Spirits were swarming.
At the critical moment, Xu Xian’s Pupil of Insight opened fully. His divine sense became like a sharp arrow, piercing through the enemy's sea of consciousness. The lunging Small Spirit Lord lost its focus for a split second.
Xu Xian took the opportunity to pull out the Bixu Mirror, manifesting the Art of Delusion to create a phantom scene.
The dark creatures were deceived, pouring their killing moves entirely into the delusion. Meanwhile, Xu Xian took the chance to sweep up the eight people and shift hundreds of miles away.
The dark creatures, having struck nothing, realized they had been tricked and flew into a rage.
“Damn it!”
“Treacherous!”
“Despicable!”
“Let’s see how many times you can run...”
They didn't give Xu Xian any time to breathe, turning back to hunt him down en masse. Just as Xu Xian was hesitating over whether to use his trump card, the Little Book Spirit, to strike down the Small Spirit Lords before him...
A sword intent erupted from within the Spirit Tower’s formation, whistling across millions of miles. After a brilliant sword light flashed by, Li Shuhe’s figure suddenly appeared as if stepping out from the void.
She raised her hand and brought her sword down.
The Small Spirit Lords could not dodge in time and were all sliced in half. Then, they were torn to shreds by the lingering, rampaging sword intent.
“Ahhh!...”
The hundreds of Grey Spirits and dark spirits surrounding them were also vaporized by the sword qi.
Xu Xian breathed a sigh of relief, quietly tucking his trump card, the Little Book Spirit, back away.
Li Shuhe only gave him a fleeting glance before plunging back into the battlefield, her afterimage flashing like lightning.
Sword qi slashed out from every corner, blooming in the center of the battlefield, mercilessly reaping the lives of the dark creatures.
To Xu Xian, these Small Spirit Lords required a trump card to barely fight, but to Li Shuhe, they were like the infirm and the weak—utterly incapable of withstanding a single blow.
“Monster!”
Xu Xian whispered the word under his breath. Not daring to waste any time, he summoned the Sword Gate of the Heaven Beyond Heaven. A million swords rose, fighting alongside the six spirits to slaughter in all directions...
A massacre!
It officially began at this moment!
Despair filled the chests of Ling Tang and the other dark creatures, resonating with their sorrow.
She was struck down by a streak of sword intent, letting out an unwilling and mournful cry.
“No!!”
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