Ling Xiao no longer needed other martial souls, he could occasionally toy with them, but they wouldn’t be his cultivation focus.
This time, he sought fossils that could enhance the Hell Dragon Will and allow him to fully absorb the will of the black iron fragment.
Although the Human King had warned that each person could only touch one fossil, he later added that a warrior with the Mountain River Martial Soul could touch up to two fossils.
One was the tyrannical Will of Destruction.
The other was the sharp Will of Slaughter.
Combined with the eternal and indestructible Mountain River Will, this would complete the set.
Among the intact fossils, one resembled a treasured sword.
Ling Xiao knew this was from a prehistoric beast called the “Sword Demon” from the ancient era, its body entirely composed of metal and minerals.
It had no facial features, no limbs, yet possessed a terrifying will, sharp enough to cut through anything.
This will perfectly matched the killing aura of the black iron fragment, Ling Xiao decided to choose it!
“What will happen after touching the fossil?”
Ling Xiao braced himself completely.
This was a potentially deadly endeavour, he had to be cautious, as some of the warriors killed by it included those stronger than him, even a top-tier Heavenly Human Realm expert from the First Heaven.
Boom!
The moment he touched the fossil, Ling Xiao felt as if he had appeared on a battlefield.
The sky was blood-red!
The ground was blood-red!
Corpses littered the field, wails echoed everywhere!
This was a veritable purgatory of slaughter.
Those lying on the ground were mostly human warriors, resisting the invasion of the Ancient Sword Demons.
Kill!
A terrifying soul pressure emerged, a complete Ancient Sword Demon appeared before Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao knew this was an image formed by the soul of the Ancient Sword Demon sealed within the fossil, not a physical entity.
Even so, the terrifying pressure still made him feel like vomiting blood.
The next moment, the Ancient Sword Demon charged at him, its soul pressure so overwhelming that Ling Xiao couldn’t even move.
The Ancient Sword Demon pierced through Ling Xiao.
No, more accurately, it shattered him into fragments.
The creature was so massive, hundreds of times larger than Ling Xiao, like a razor-sharp blade stabbing an ant.
Boom!
Ling Xiao’s body shattered, blood splattered, his soul seemed on the verge of dissipating.
“Puny human, daring to oppose our Sword Demon clan? Die! This is my will, the unbreakable Will of Slaughter!”
The Ancient Sword Demon had no expression, but its voice was crystal clear.
“Hmph, you’re merely the lingering soul will of an Ancient Sword Demon, yet you think you can shatter my soul? In your dreams!”
Ling Xiao snorted coldly, the scattered red marks, like blood blossoms, began to reform.
The terrifying Mountain River World appeared on the battlefield!
Soul pressure against soul pressure!
Mountain River Will against Sword Demon Will!
His shattered body miraculously restored itself.
“Damn you! How do you possess the Mountain River Will? Are you the Human King? No! That’s not right! You’re not the Human King, your will is too young!”
The Sword Demon’s will began to retreat, facing the Mountain River Will, it seemed utterly incapable of resisting, its resolve wavered.
Its soul became frail and vulnerable.
“Correct, I’m not the Human King, I’ll become even stronger than him!”
Ling Xiao didn’t care if the other party could hear him, these words were for the Ancient Sword Demon, and for himself.
“Damn it, why do humans always produce such prodigious talents! A Human King emerged a hundred thousand years ago, and now, a hundred thousand years later, a freak like you appears!”
Amidst its mournful roar, the Sword Demon’s body disintegrated, then fully merged into Ling Xiao’s body.
It fused into the black iron fragment.
The previously dull and lustreless black iron fragment now radiated brilliantly, then shattered, condensing into a black longsword.
“Ancient Sword Demon, Nineteenth Demon Lord—Yè Gūshān!”
In that instant, Ling Xiao received clear information.
This black iron fragment was also an Ancient Sword Demon, and the strongest Demon Lord, Yè Gūshān!
No wonder the compatibility was so perfect.
The name Yè Gūshān was given by the Human King.
The Human King and Yè Gūshān were once friends, but when faced with the choice between friendship and clan, Yè Gūshān chose his clan.
Yè Gūshān was also killed by the Human King himself, a tragic bond indeed.
Martial Soul Yè Gūshān! A cold Will of Slaughter! A Sword Demon Will sharp enough to cut through everything! Though only at the first level, it already made Ling Xiao feel immensely powerful.
Ling Xiao believed that if Yè Gūshān were still alive, he wouldn’t need to act, a mere thought could kill him hundreds of times.
This was a truly terrifying powerhouse, one who could stand toe-to-toe with the Human King!
Without the Mountain River Will’s aid today, Ling Xiao might not have subdued this fearsome Will of Slaughter.
As the Demon Lord of the Ancient Sword Demon clan, Yè Gūshān had slain countless human and prehistoric beast powerhouses in ancient times.
Only after truly experiencing his killing aura could one grasp its terror.
Ling Xiao believed that with the Yè Gūshān Martial Soul alone, he could go further on the path of swordsmanship.
As one of the martial souls assisting the Mountain River Martial Soul, Ling Xiao was very satisfied with this one.
Then, Ling Xiao spent half an hour familiarising himself with the Yè Gūshān Martial Soul and experimenting with manipulating the Sword Demon Will.
Half an hour later, he stood up and continued searching for his next target.
Moments later, he stood before another fossil.
Just by approaching, he could feel an overwhelmingly destructive aura emanating from it, a sensation capable of obliterating everything.
Tyrannical and unmatched, incredibly formidable.
“Ancient God of Destruction!”
This was the god of the Ancient Destruction Beast clan, a race born solely for destruction!
Endless destruction!
To them, nothing held meaning beyond destruction.
The Ancient God of Destruction’s appearance differed from Ling Xiao’s expectations.
Its form wasn’t towering, resembling a standing rat, yet its presence exuded a terror surpassing the Ancient Sword Demon, not inferior to Yè Gūshān.
“Human? A puny ant?”
A god was different indeed, its lofty expression wasn’t feigned, its aura absolutely terrifying and domineering.
With just a single sentence, a ferocious will surged towards Ling Xiao.
Ling Xiao stood there, his battle intent soaring!
Having fused with Yè Gūshān’s soul, Ling Xiao’s personality now carried a touch of defiance and fearless coldness.
The Human King’s will was eternal and indestructible, all-encompassing.
Yè Gūshān’s will, however, was defiant and fearless, no one could make him cower, he feared no enemy, facing any challenge, a single sword strike sufficed, even against the mighty Human King, he never retreated.
