“Ha!”
The bizarre prisoner let out a furious shout. From his body surged countless densely packed chains.
A rough glance suggested at least several hundred. All of them shot towards Ling Xiao.
Yet if he was angry, Ling Xiao was even angrier.
Ling Xiao had been standing there peacefully when the opponent suddenly launched an indiscriminate attack, intent on killing him.
The first time, he chose to dodge.
He had not expected the opponent to push further.
The second time, he chose to block.
This time, Ling Xiao had no intention of blocking. The opponent’s strength was not particularly great. He decided to eliminate him on the spot.
By now, the other prisoners had already finished their fights. Each had four or five lives on their hands. They stood quietly watching Ling Xiao’s side. None intended to help.
Perhaps they believed their companion was strong enough and needed no assistance.
Or perhaps they were simply callous and ruthless by nature, caring nothing if their companion died.
Whatever the reason, Ling Xiao’s area had once again become the most eye-catching spot in the entire square.
“Break!”
Golden Crow Scorching the Sun!
Ling Xiao gave a cold shout. The shadowy sword in his hand thrust forward. Dazzling golden crows obscured all the chains.
Boom!
An explosive sound rang out. The golden crow’s light vanished, yet the chains were completely repelled.
In this clash, Ling Xiao clearly held the advantage. The opponent had prepared fully, while he had merely struck casually.
Yet he had repelled the attack.
“Damn it!”
A low, hoarse voice emerged from beneath the bronze mask. At this point, the prisoner had lost all reason.
His companions had already ended their battles and returned to the vicinity of the black palanquin.
Yet he was mired in a bitter struggle.
This humiliating situation was truly unacceptable to him.
What caused all this was not a Cave Heaven Realm warrior, nor a Yin-Yang Realm warrior, but a mere half-step Cave Heaven Realm warrior.
It left him utterly disgraced.
Killing intent grew ever thicker in Ling Xiao’s eyes.
Attempting to kill him time and again had already ignited his rage.
Though he could now control his emotions very well,
control did not mean cowardice or appeasement.
Since the opponent wished to kill him, he would naturally send the opponent to death as well.
“Roar~~”
In the air, a gigantic beast let out a terrifying howl. Under the glow of countless lights, it appeared even more horrifying and sinister.
The Heaven-Swallowing Behemoth, Taotie, had appeared once more.
Upon Ling Xiao’s sword permeated overwhelming destructive sword intent, as if to destroy everything before him, annihilating all that dared show him disrespect.
This scene drew shocked exclamations from the crowd.
“The Heaven-Swallowing Behemoth! That must be Ling Xiao!”
“Indeed. Ling Xiao seems to have a sword technique that can birth this terrifying beast.”
Ling Xiao’s great name now thundered throughout Sin City.
In the battle on the long street, he had destroyed the Black Python Family, long rooted in Sin City. From then on, his fame soared.
At the alchemy conference, he defeated Tian Hai Zhenzhu, the genius alchemist from the White Tiger Continent, smoothly claiming the championship. For a time, none could rival his limelight.
Just then, he had chosen to lie low.
The Imperial Seal in his hands had been seized by Tian Hai Zhenzhu, yet no one considered this misfortune. Many even thought it a blessing in disguise.
In the current situation, whoever possessed the Imperial Seal was not far from death.
Even someone like the Heavy Water Protector could be injured. How much more so Ling Xiao?
What was Ling Xiao doing here today?
Did he intend to seize back the Imperial Seal?
Or merely to study the Human King’s Notes together with everyone?
Whatever the reason, people were now utterly convinced that the one stolen from Ling Xiao was the genuine Imperial Seal. Yet no one realised that the true item was actually in Ling Xiao’s possession.
Simply to avoid being targeted, Ling Xiao had not studied the secrets of the Imperial Seal. In any case, once he returned to the Heavenly Empire, he would have plenty of time.
“Taotie Doomsday! Die!”
This time, Ling Xiao finally chose to attack proactively.
The black death beast roared as it merged into the terrifying sword qi, pouncing towards the prisoner.
The prisoner naturally knew the power of this move was considerable. In his scarlet eyes flashed a trace of fear.
His expression could not be seen, but Ling Xiao could tell this fellow was surely regretting it.
Yet regret was useless.
Though Taotie Doomsday was a light-and-shadow profound technique Ling Xiao had comprehended early on, its power had always remained strong.
Now, with his cultivation breakthrough and the Taotie martial soul integrated into the move, its might was far greater than before.
Even if it could not be called Ling Xiao’s strongest technique, it was absolutely top-tier.
Clatter clatter!
Bang bang crack!
The prisoner tried to block with his densely packed chains, forming a tight defensive net.
But it was futile. The terrifying Taotie, combined with powerful destructive sword intent, caused the chains to shatter inch by inch. The sword qi pierced towards the prisoner himself without hindrance.
“Ah~~”
A terrified shriek emerged from the prisoner’s mouth.
Crack!
The bronze mask shattered first, revealing a horrifying face.
This face had clearly been disfigured. Corpse poison covered it. Green pus dripped down. It was utterly grotesque.
“What evil martial art is this? To cultivate oneself into such a state?”
Gasps of pity rose from the crowd.
On this face, pain and fury could still be seen intertwined.
“Kill! Kill! Kill you!”
From the prisoner’s mouth came words filled with rage.
Yet moments later, he fell instantly silent.
The attack of Taotie Doomsday completely engulfed his body. Including the chains, the prisoner was swallowed whole by the Taotie beast, vanishing into nothingness.
The Heaven-Swallowing Behemoth naturally dared to devour anything. To it, mere corpse poison was perhaps less potent than its own stomach acid.
The arrogant Ghost God Temple had originally intended to intimidate the warriors in the square.
They had nearly succeeded.
Yet with Ling Xiao, it did not work.
The one killed was not Ling Xiao, but one of their own.
Of the twenty-four powerful prisoners wearing bronze masks, one had already fallen in battle.
Watching the vanished monster, the crowd let out waves of sighs.
These fellows, relying on their great strength, looked down on everyone else.
The targets they chose for attack were all relatively weak. Even among Cave Heaven Realm warriors, they selected only those below the third Cave Heaven.
In theory, all twenty-four prisoners should have smoothly completed their slaughter tasks.
Yet among them was this one outlier.
People could not help sighing. That unlucky prisoner must deeply regret encountering Ling Xiao. Otherwise, he too should have easily completed the task, rather than ending so tragically.
Of course, what surprised people even more was that Ling Xiao had broken through once again.
They clearly remembered that at the alchemy conference, Ling Xiao was merely at the Ten Directions Heaven cultivation level.
Now he had reached the growth stage of half-step Cave Heaven Realm.
How much time had passed? Such terrifying improvement speed was simply unheard of.
