“No——!!!”
An unprecedented shadow of death enveloped his heart. Old Man Ghost Bone let out a shrill, distorted scream!
He no longer cared about any senior’s demeanour or the dignity of a demonic path magnate. He unleashed his lifetime cultivation without any reservation!
The white bone staff in his hand suddenly exploded, turning into a pale bone shield condensed from countless wailing skull heads, blocking in front of him!
At the same time, torrents of nether ghostly flames surged from his body, forming layer upon layer of protective barriers. Twisted grey-black chains containing curses and rules of death emerged from the void, wrapping towards that sword astral, attempting to block and weaken it!
However, it was all in vain.
That chaotic sword astral seemed like heavenly punishment, like fate, like an unstoppable end.
The skull bone shield silently turned to dust the instant it made contact.
The nether ghostly flames evaporated instantly, like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun.
The death chains shattered inch by inch from the aura scattered by the sword astral before they could even approach.
The sword astral penetrated layer after layer of defences at a constant, merciless, yet extremely fast speed. In Old Man Ghost Bone’s pupils, which were infinitely magnified and filled with utmost fear and despair, it lightly touched his brow.
“Pu.”
A soft sound.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
All of Old Man Ghost Bone’s movements, breath, and struggles completely solidified.
He stood there dazed, maintaining his final defensive posture. The faint green flames in his eyes rapidly dimmed and extinguished.
At his brow, a tiny hole appeared, with no blood flowing out.
The next moment, centred on that hole, fine chaotic-coloured cracks spread rapidly across his entire body like a spider web.
“Ka cha… hua la…”
Like exquisite porcelain shattering.
Old Man Ghost Bone’s hunched body, along with his black robe and the fragments of his broken white bone staff, all turned into countless fine dust particles flickering with chaotic light spots. They fell in clusters and scattered with the wind.
His form and spirit utterly destroyed, not even slag remained.
The final foundation of the Myriad Souls Demon Sect, the supreme elder at the ninth-grade peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm, was slain by Chen Ping with one sword!
Dead silence.
A silence more thorough and prolonged than any before.
The wind stopped. The clouds froze. Even breathing seemed to cease.
Everyone stood like clay sculptures or wooden carvings, staring blankly at the place where Old Man Ghost Bone had vanished, at the slowly drifting chaotic dust.
The expression on Hun Sha’s face completely froze. His eyes were vacant, as if he had lost all soul and ability to think.
His greatest reliance, the sect’s final pillar… just like that… gone? Killed with one sword?
“Pu tong.”
Someone’s legs gave way first, kneeling on the ground.
Then, like a chain reaction, more and more demon sect disciples and fused beast warriors turned ashen-faced, collapsing weakly. They knelt in swathes, trembling towards the demonic god-like figure in the air, without even the courage to beg for mercy.
The people of the Xuantian Sword Sect, after experiencing extreme shock and numbness, erupted in uncontrollable mad joy and cheers of survival!
“Senior Chen! Senior Chen’s divine might!!”
“We are saved! The sect is saved!!”
“One sword slays the demon venerable! One sword settles the universe! Senior is invincible!!”
The cheers resounded through the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain Range like a tsunami.
Chen Ping slowly sheathed his sword. The Dragon Slaying Sword returned to calm. The chaotic dao rhymes and fire lotus illusions around him gradually subsided.
He overlooked the enemy army of the demon sect and fused beasts below, kneeling in collapse like lambs awaiting slaughter. He glanced at the distant imprisoned Zheng Gu, and finally his gaze fell on Hun Sha, who was lost in despair like a walking corpse.
He did not strike again.
He merely said faintly,
“Scram.”
“Take your people and scram from the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain Range. Scram back to your Scarlet Blood Plains.”
“Tell Soul Devouring Venerable to wash his neck clean and wait. I, Chen Ping, will soon come for him.”
“As for you lot…”
Chen Ping’s gaze swept over Hun Sha, as if looking at a pile of worthless rubbish.
“If you dare step half a foot here again, or harbour any ill intent towards the Xuantian Sword Sect or the remnants of the Myriad Beasts Gate…”
“The fate of that old ghost just now will be your example.”
With those words, Chen Ping paid no more attention to the ant-like beings below. He turned, stepped out, and his figure appeared inside the Xuantian Sword Sect’s mountain gate, before Ling Yunzi.
Leaving behind a collapsed enemy army and a sword sect holy land filled with cheers of survival and jubilation.
Only long after Chen Ping’s figure vanished did Hun Sha suddenly shiver violently, as if awakening from a nightmare.
He looked at the Xuantian Sword Sect’s mountain gate with eyes full of venomous fear and resentment, glanced at the bloodstains left by Zheng Gu on the ground and the distant dust where Old Man Ghost Bone had dissipated. Finally, he forced two words through gritted teeth,
“…Withdraw!”
His voice hoarse, filled with endless humiliation, fear, and unwillingness.
The combined army of the Myriad Souls Demon Sect and the Fused Beast Holy Sect retreated like a tide, fleeing in panic, abandoning armour and helmets, escaping the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain Range in utter disarray.
They had come with ferocious momentum. They left in terror like bereaved dogs.
The reason Chen Ping did not kill Hun Sha was precisely to let him inform Soul Devouring Venerable that he would personally chop off Soul Devouring Venerable’s dog head.
At this moment, Chen Ping’s confidence was extremely inflated.
He felt he could do it again!
