In Thousand Waters County’s capital, the Thirteenth Merit Relay Station stood within the city. Compared to the past, the place bustled with far greater vibrancy, with Saints and Saint Kings a common sight.
Due to New Year’s Eve, the city was adorned with lanterns and decorations, brimming with festive cheer.
Carrying an iron sword on his back, A Le stepped out of the relay station, appearing on the city’s streets.
Upon receiving Zhang Ruochen’s message, he had set off immediately, reaching the city at top speed.
Not far from the relay station, atop a three-story pavilion, Prajna—one of the three divine maiden candidates of the Fane of Destiny—sat alone by a window, her gaze fixed on A Le. A glint of intrigue flashed in her eyes.
“Hm?”
A Le sensed something, turning his head toward the pavilion.
The window was empty, no one there.
Shrugging it off as a mistake, A Le refocused. He’d just arrived—no one should be tailing him.
Without lingering, A Le headed straight for the city occupied by Black Kill Ghost King.
Through the Death God Hall’s intelligence network, he had gathered full details on the ghost king and confirmed his presence in Black Kill Ghost City, no need to search elsewhere.
The city wasn’t in Thousand Waters County and hadn’t always borne that name. It was renamed after Black Kill Ghost King seized it.
Now, it was known only as Black Kill Ghost City, its original name long forgotten.
Using a divine travel talisman, A Le moved at a thousand times the speed of sound, reaching the city’s outskirts in under an hour.
The city was massive, shrouded in dense ghostly qi for thousands of miles, like a slice of the underworld, eerie and forbidding.
From afar, ghostly figures loomed within, deterring approach.
Standing before the city, A Le sensed numerous powerful presences—many Four-Tribulation and Five-Tribulation Ghost Kings, and even several Six-Tribulation ones.
Four-Tribulation Ghost Kings matched One-to-Three-Step Saint Kings, Five-Tribulation matched Four-to-Six-Step, and Six-Tribulation equaled Seven-to-Nine-Step Saint Kings.
Six-Tribulation Ghost Kings varied widely, as Nine-Step Saint Kings spanned five sub-realms, each with significant gaps.
A chilling wind stirred, and a Three-Tribulation Ghost King appeared, lunging at A Le to drain his essence blood.
Unlike common undead, ghost kings could absorb living blood to strengthen their ghostly bodies, with stronger blood yielding greater benefits.
A Le’s gaze was icy. He swung his iron sword, striking the ghost king.
Its body shattered instantly, dissolving into mist, its soul eradicated.
A Le’s sword path, unlike Zhang Ruochen’s, was pure slaughter, designed for one-strike kills. Even ghost cultivators perished.
Killing the Three-Tribulation Ghost King, A Le strode into the city, locking onto Black Kill Ghost King’s aura.
“Who dares invade Black Kill Ghost City? Courting death!”
A Four-Tribulation Ghost King appeared, blocking A Le.
A Le didn’t glance at it, swinging his sword lightly, its speed unimaginable.
*Bang.*
One strike, and the Four-Tribulation Ghost King was obliterated before it could react.
Facing the towering city gate, A Le swung again, unleashing a terrifying sword qi.
*Boom.*
The sword qi sliced through the entire city, cleaving it in two, countless ghost cultivators perishing.
*Swish.*
*Swish.*
…
Powerful surges of ghostly qi erupted, darkening the already grim night.
Led by Black Kill Ghost King, dozens of Four-Tribulation-and-above ghost kings gathered, all fixated on A Le.
Black Kill Ghost King was grotesque, clad in pitch-black ghost armor. Beyond dense ghostly qi, he exuded dark power, constantly devouring ambient holy qi.
Clearly, he had cultivated the Path of Darkness, one of the Nine Ancient Paths, to a high level.
The Fane of Darkness, in the Infernal Court, was dominated by Ghost, Corpse, and Bone Clans, best suited for Darkness cultivation.
Han Qiu, with her darkness physique, could excel in the Fane of Darkness, but as a human, her entry was nearly impossible.
Black Kill Ghost King’s eyes gleamed with killing intent, glaring at A Le, “Who are you, daring to provoke me?”
A Le raised his iron sword, his gaze frigid, “The one who’ll kill you.”
“Kill me? Ignorant fool. I’m right here—let’s see you try,” Black Kill Ghost King scoffed.
His cultivation rivaled peak Precept Domain, his true strength matching some Sky-Connecting Realm warriors.
Even top Sky-Connecting Realm warriors couldn’t guarantee his death.
A Le showed no holy rules, suggesting at most Lesser Rule Heaven.
Such a cultivator claiming to kill him was laughable.
A glint flashed in A Le’s eyes. Surging killing intent poured from him, faintly conjuring visions of corpse mountains and blood seas around him.
*Swish.*
A Le charged, sword raised, striking instantly.
The sword’s speed defied comprehension, as if transcending time and space.
Black Kill Ghost King’s eyes narrowed, a chill running through him.
With his cultivation and vision, he couldn’t track A Le’s sword, seeing only a blur.
Somehow, he felt immense danger from A Le.
He tried to dodge, but A Le’s aura locked him in place, inescapable.
Forced to act, Black Kill Ghost King summoned ghostly qi and darkness, forming nearly a hundred shields.
*Bang bang.*
All shields shattered instantly, offering no resistance.
The iron sword pressed forward, aiming for his brow.
Seeing the blade near, Black Kill Ghost King’s pupils shrank, death’s shadow looming.
Reacting swiftly, he threw a punch at A Le’s chest, hoping to force a retreat.
But A Le ignored the punch, his sword unwavering, resolute to the end.
*Splurch.*
The rusty iron sword, impossibly sharp, pierced Black Kill Ghost King’s brow despite its dark inscriptions.
Terrifying killing intent surged through the sword, shredding his soul.
Simultaneously, Black Kill Ghost King’s fist struck A Le’s chest, sending him flying.
*Boom.*
A Le crashed into the ground.
His chest clothing was torn, a black fist mark etched, darkness eroding him.
The ghost king’s dying strike was fearsome.
“I… die like this…” Black Kill Ghost King’s eyes held disbelief, his body exploding before he finished.
The Sword of Slaughter—once drawn, it killed, no exception, even for a mighty ghost king.
The surrounding ghost kings stood stunned, unable to fathom Black Kill Ghost King’s swift demise.
“Kill him!”
A ghost king snapped to, attacking A Le.
It saw A Le, wounded from the clash, as vulnerable—now was the time to strike.
Not for vengeance, but fear that A Le would target them next if he recovered.
A Le soared up, slicing the attacking ghost king in two.
Without pause, he struck again, targeting others.
Since he was in Black Kill Ghost City, he’d eradicate every undead within.
“Run!”
Sensing A Le’s boundless killing intent, the ghost kings lost all will to fight, scattering.
But their speed couldn’t match A Le’s sword.
In no time, Black Kill Ghost City became a ghost town, every undead slain, none spared.
“Mission complete.”
Carving five words, A Le sent the transmission talisman.
Then, dragging his bloodied, wounded body, he walked resolutely out of the city.
On a still-standing city wall, Prajna appeared, watching A Le leave.
Gazing at the ruined city, a faint, enigmatic smile crossed her eyes.
The next moment, she vanished, as if never there.
In the Northern Region Base, Zhang Ruochen caught A Le’s talisman. Reading it, relief washed over him.
“Big Brother, who’s that from? Good news?” Xiang Chunan asked curiously.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head, “Nothing major, just settling a personal matter. We’ve drunk enough. Rest up—tomorrow’s a tough fight.”
“We wiped out hundreds of thousands of Immortal Blood Clan troops. Xianji Mountain’s a small matter, no problem,” Xiang Chunan said confidently.
Zhang Ruochen turned serious, “This isn’t like last time. The Death Clan’s stronger, and we can’t rely on external help. Don’t underestimate them. Beyond breaking the Death Altar, we have another task.”
“Right, Big Brother, you never said why you came to Xianji Mountain,” Feng Yan asked.
He’d heard from Xiang Chunan that Zhang Ruochen had a specific purpose in the Northern Region, but it was a secret, known only to him and Ji Fanxin.
“Yeah, Big Brother, can you tell us now?” Xiang Chunan pressed.
Zhang Ruochen said, “I meant to tell you earlier, but you trusted Luo Yi too much. I worried you’d let it slip, so I kept quiet.”
“My main goal here is to retrieve the severed trunk of the Divine Sky-Connecting Tree. It’s critical and mustn’t fall to the Death Clan or other worlds’ cultivators.”
…
*Sorry for no update last night—my team lost, and I spent the night on the rooftop, cooling off, debating a jump. But then I thought, Eternal God Emperor isn’t done, and readers are waiting. So I stubbed out my cigarette and got back to writing.*
*Today’s three updates, 10,000 words. How about some recommendation and monthly votes to show support?*
*If not, I’m back to the rooftop tonight… hmph…*
