Emperor Kou!

A demonic gust of wind carried over a hundred figures, depositing them at the Sword Sect’s grounds.

"Everyone from the Sword Sect, get the hell out here!"

Following the roar, a dozen streaks of blade light converged into an overwhelming wave, slashing down toward the main hall ahead.

"BOOM!"

The building collapsed in ruins.

Dust and smoke billowed everywhere.

Many Sword Sect disciples, caught completely off guard, were buried underneath. They burst out from the rubble, battered and bruised, shattering bricks and stones as they emerged.

"SKREEE..." The Mantis Demon that had shattered the hall with a single blow waved its pincer-like blades and shrieked,

"This is the Sword Sect?"

"They’re the ones who managed to kill the Pig Demon Shiwu?"

There were quite a few Sword Sect disciples in the area, but most were Magicians and Mages; there weren’t even many Great Mages.

As for True Men...

there was only one!

Such strength was nothing before the ’Meat Market,’ let alone enough to kill a Second Decline True Man.

"Where is Zhu Ju?"

Emperor Kou had already revealed his White Ape Demon Body. His gaze swept across the scene as he spoke in a cold voice,

"Where is he?"

"The Sect Leader is not here today." As the Sword Sect’s ’only’ Treasure Artifact True Man, Xiaoo Meng stood with her sword held ready.

"If you have business, you can deal with me!"

"You?" Emperor Kou’s face was filled with contempt.

"As if you’re worthy!"

"Senior," a Sword Sect disciple shouted from the crowd.

"We were forced into this! It was all that man Zhu! We never wanted to be enemies with the Demon Exorcism Hall."

"Spare us, Senior, spare us!"

"Also..."

He pointed behind him and said hurriedly, "That person from the Wuk Family’s direct bloodline, the one named Wuk Xian, is right here! He’s the one who incited the Sword Sect to oppose the Demon Exorcism Hall. We... We didn’t want to agree."

"You scoundrel!" Kan Feichen roared in fury.

"As a disciple of the Sword Sect, you have no backbone! What use is there in keeping you alive?"

"SWISH!"

The Red Gold Twin Swords flashed out like lightning, heading straight for the man’s neck.

"DING..."

Emperor Kou flicked a finger, and an unremarkable pebble struck the Flying Sword, blocking the fatal blow.

"Interesting!"

He narrowed his eyes, a mocking smile on his face.

"When a tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when a wall is pushed, everyone joins in. It has always been this way."

"Since some of you didn’t intend to make an enemy of the Demon Exorcism Hall, I shall give you a chance."

He raised his voice and declared,

"Those who do not wish to be enemies of the Demon Exorcism Hall, step forward!"

?

The members of the Sword Sect looked at each other. Many of them seemed tempted, but very few actually stepped out.

"It seems you’re all determined to oppose the Demon Exorcism Hall, then?" Emperor Kou licked the corner of his mouth.

"In that case, don’t blame me for being impolite."

The killing intent of the Second Decline True Man fell as if it were tangible. Though the sun was high in the sky, it felt as if night had descended.

The Demons of the Demon Exorcism Hall cackled strangely, eager to move.

"Senior!"

"I surrender!"

"We surrender!"

"..."

In the end, those who could truly face death without fear were few. Faced with the horde of Demons, the pleas for mercy from the Sword Sect disciples grew more numerous.

The Sword Sect members slowly split into two groups.

"Haha..."

Emperor Kou roared with laughter at the sight.

"Good!"

"Very good!"

"Then, to prove your sincerity, raise the weapons in your hands and kill a Sword Sect disciple for me to see."

"I am a man of my word. So long as you kill one Sword Sect disciple, I will spare your life today."

"CACKLE..."

"Haha!"

The Demons howled and shrieked, watching the Sword Sect disciples as if they were monkeys in a show, waiting for the entertainment to begin.

"Enough!"

Xiaoo Meng suddenly roared.

"You’ve gone too far! Take my sword!"

"ZING!"

The Demon-slaying Sword flashed out, heading straight for Emperor Kou’s face.

"DING..."

The Mantis Demon swung its blade-like pincers to block the Flying Sword, its long tongue licking the corner of its mouth, a savage expression on its face.

"No need for the Vice Hall Master to act. I’ll handle this!"

"SWISH!"

It had many legs under its belly. With a powerful push, its body shot forward like an arrow skimming the ground.

Charging close, its Sword Foot slashed violently.

The Mantis Demon, relying on its multiple pairs of Sword Feet, brandished them into a flurry of afterimages, displaying a brutal and domineering power.

This seemed to be a special kind of Saber Technique.

Its Demon Qi was dense and its killing intent sharp. Its first move was a storm of attacks, so swift it was exhausting to defend against.

"CLANG CLANG CLANG..."

Xiaoo Meng commanded her Demon-slaying Sword to intercept. The Sword Light bloomed brilliantly, blocking all the attacks a good ten feet away.

The sharp and swift Sword Formulas she executed had an ethereal quality, pure and transcendent.

"Hmm..." Emperor Kou narrowed his eyes.

"Sword Sect Cultivators truly are born for slaughter."

The Mantis Demon had lived for over a hundred years, and its pairs of Sword Feet were exceptionally sharp. Few could withstand its fierce assault.

And yet Xiaoo Meng,

who had only recently advanced to the True Man realm, was able to trade blows with the century-old Mantis Demon, relying on the sharpness of her Flying Sword.

She could even gain the upper hand.

After all...

the Mantis Demon was only a First Decline Demon. If the fight dragged on long enough, its mind would be eroded by the chaotic thoughts in its body.

At that point, having lost its reason and fighting on pure instinct, it would certainly be no match for Xiaoo Meng.

"SWISH!"

A sword strike that stirred wind and thunder!

Formless Demon Slash!

The Demon-slaying Sword made a graceful, almost divine turn in mid-air, slipping past the Mantis Demon’s Sword Feet to land on its Demon Body.

"PUH!"

Green blood sprayed out.

A flash of joy appeared on Xiaoo Meng’s face, but then her expression froze. She looked down at her own abdomen.

An eerie spike had pierced through her, its blood-stained tip trembling slightly as if it were alive.

Scorpion Tail Needle!

The ground behind her squirmed, and a giant scorpion poked its head out, its strange eyes glinting with a triumphant smile.

"Despicable!"

Kan Feichen roared.

"A True Man, and you resort to a sneak attack!"

"ZING!"

The ’Red Gold Flying Sword’ flashed out, slashing toward the scorpion Demon.

"SWISH!"

The scorpion whipped its tail, flinging Xiaoo Meng away, then swung its tail again to collide with the incoming Flying Sword.

"DING..."

The Red Gold Flying Sword let out a mournful cry and was sent tumbling back.

Kan Feichen was already suffering from an old injury. This new wound aggravating the old, he couldn’t help but spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Charge!"

Jiang Qiu, the Hall Master of the Talisman Hall, gritted his teeth and bellowed,

"Let’s fight them to the death!"

"How boring." Emperor Kou shook his head at the sight. He waved a listless hand at his subordinates.

"Kill them all."

"Don’t let a single one escape."

"Yes!" The Demons and Mages of the Demon Exorcism Hall responded and charged toward the Sword Sect disciples.

"BOOM!"

Demon Qi surged to the heavens.

Over a hundred streaks of Sword Light, though seemingly swift and sharp, were instantly dimmed into insignificance before the oncoming Demon Qi.

The situation became completely one-sided.

Not to mention the Second Decline True Man, Emperor Kou, the Demon Exorcism Hall’s side also had several Demon True Men and more than ten Great Mages.

The Sword Sect disciples were simply no match for them.

"PUH!"

"PFFT..."

"AHH!"

A series of miserable screams rang out.

Even those Sword Sect disciples who had declared their willingness to surrender were being slaughtered by the Demon Exorcism Hall.

They had never intended to let anyone go.

Familiar figures fell one after another. Xiaoo Meng’s eyes were bloodshot as she struggled to push herself up.

"PUH!"

A mouthful of blood spewed from her lips.

"You’ve been struck by my scorpion venom, and you still think you can stand?"

The scorpion Demon approached with a strange shriek, its tail trembling slightly. Its pair of large, eerie eyes stared at the swaying Xiaoo Meng.

"What a pity. Such a pretty woman..."

"Die!"

"SWISH!"

The scorpion tail stabbed out like lightning.

Just as the tail was about to pierce Xiaoo Meng’s head, a palm-sized Flying Sword abruptly appeared.

"DING..."

The Flying Sword merely trembled once, and the scorpion tail was sent flying. The scorpion Demon even let out a pained shriek.

"My tail needle!"

"SWISH!"

The Flying Sword trembled again, slashing toward the scorpion in a motion that seemed slow but was actually incredibly fast.

"BOOM!"

Despite being a Flying Sword known for its sharpness, the moment it made contact with the scorpion, it erupted with a force as mighty as a mountain.

The immense power directly tore the scorpion’s Demon Body to shreds, and its momentum carried it onward toward another Demon.

A Demon True Man,

was so utterly vulnerable before this suddenly-appeared Flying Sword!

And there wasn’t just one such Flying Sword.

There were five of them!

Five Flying Swords descended from the sky like giant rakes, sweeping across the entire field and crazily slashing at the Cultivators of the Demon Exorcism Hall.

"PUH!"

"PUH! PUH!"

The Cultivators of the Demon Exorcism Hall fell in swathes, like stalks of wheat being harvested.

Except for the Demon True Men who could resist for a moment or two, the Magicians and Mages were like lambs to the slaughter before the Flying Swords.

None could withstand a single exchange!

"Zhu Ju!"

Emperor Kou’s eyes went wide, the fur on his body standing on end. He leaped into the air, swinging his staff to smash at the Flying Swords.

"CLANG..."

Unlike their last encounter,

this time the Sword Light of the Five-Pointed Flying Sword only paused for a moment before holding its ground, firmly resisting the attacking staff.

"Emperor Kou?"

The Dust Banner released a dim yellow light, enveloping Zhu Ju as he floated lightly down into the center of the field. His gaze swept quickly over the Sword Sect disciples, and his expression darkened.

"What happened?"

"Sect Leader!"

Xiaoo Meng’s face was alight with ecstasy as she hastily explained,

"After you went into seclusion, the Wuk Family was defeated. The Demon Exorcism Hall retaliated against them, and now it’s our turn."

Hmm?

Zhu Ju looked surprised.

’Even in that situation, the Wuk Family could lose?’

"Zhu Ju," Emperor Kou sneered savagely.

"The Hall Master is unrivaled in this world! The Wuk Family were nothing but buffoons. Today, your Sword Sect will not escape its doom either."

"Is that so?" Zhu Ju’s figure flickered, appearing before his opponent as if by Instant Teleportation. He gently raised his left hand.

"You’re courting death!"

Emperor Kou roared.

As a Treasure Artifact True Man with a weak Physical Body, his opponent actually dared to get close to him. He was simply asking to die.

Letting out a roar, it swung its staff violently.

"PENG!"

"CRACK!"

The supposedly indestructible wooden staff in his hand, forged from the core of a Tree Demon, instantly shattered into pieces.

Zhu Ju’s expression didn’t change as he lightly patted out with his left hand again.

Emperor Kou’s crimson eyes went wide, the muscles all over his body bulged, and he threw a vicious punch with his right fist, which was wrapped in Giant Power.

This punch,

he was confident it could shatter a meter-thick plate of refined steel.

Fist met palm.

"CRACK!"

Emperor Kou felt a power capable of shattering all things surge from the point of impact, rushing up his arm with unstoppable force.

Half of his arm exploded with a bang, sending a spray of blood mist and bone fragments flying.

"AHH!"

A scream escaped his lips.

Zhu Ju stepped forward and struck out with his palm again.

The scream died abruptly.

A terrifying shroud of Five-Colored Divine Light fell, and Emperor Kou’s Second Decline Demon Body began to disintegrate at a visible rate.

"PENG!"

Flesh and blood flew everywhere!

Three palms!

The first palm broke the Weapon!

The second palm shattered the arm!

The third palm destroyed the Demon Body!

The world-renowned Second Decline True Man, Vice Hall Master of the Demon Exorcism Hall, Emperor Kou, had been killed by Zhu Ju in just three palm strikes.

"SPLATTER..."

Shredded flesh and gore rained down.

A Second Decline True Man,

dead!

Everything had happened in the span of a few breaths. The field fell into a deathly silence.

"Sect... Sect Leader?"

Jiang Qiu’s eyes flickered. He suddenly fell to his knees and roared,

"Congratulations to the Sect Leader on achieving Great Success with his Divine Skill! You are unrivaled in this world!"

"Unrivaled in this world!"

The other Sword Sect disciples snapped back to their senses at the sound, their faces filled with fanaticism as they knelt and roared wildly.

Zhu Ju ignored their excitement, slowly closing his eyes to feel the changes within his body.

When a Peak Great Mage advanced to the True Man realm, it brought about a fundamental change for the Cultivators of this world, and it was the same for him.

At that moment,

a massive amount of Primordial Energy had surged into his body, pushing his Cultivation directly from the Innate realm of Breaking Five Acupoints to...

Breaking Seven Acupoints!

A Late-Stage Innate Qi Refiner!

If one included the Ancestral Acupoint, he was now an Innate at Breaking Eight Acupoints.

The difference between Middle-Stage Innate and Late-Stage Innate seemed to be only a single Acupoint, but in reality, the gap in their strength was as wide as the heavens and earth.

Furthermore,

the Earth Evil Mysterious Skill had reached Perfection!

With the Power of his Physical Body alone, he was no weaker than the Demons of this world, perhaps even stronger.

His Divine Soul Power...

had more than doubled!

Before, a Second Decline Demon could trade blows with him, but now, he could easily crush a Second Decline True Man.

It was a complete suppression in Essence, Qi, and Spirit!

Even without the aid of a Magical Artifact, just by wielding the Cross and Vertical Saber, Zhu Ju could now easily slay a Second Decline True Man.

Not only that.

His left hand!

He slowly raised his left hand.

A feeling of having everything under control rose in his heart. The flow of Primordial Energy between heaven and earth had never been clearer.

His five fingers trembled slightly.

The various objects scattered on the ground all around quickly gathered, forming a huge sphere that floated before him.

He made a grasping motion with one hand.

An invisible, immense force converged inward.

"PENG!"

The assorted objects, weighing over ten thousand catties, were instantly compressed into a ball the size of a human head and fell heavily to the ground.

’This left hand of mine is comparable to a Top-Grade Spiritual Artifact!’

"Sect... Sect Leader?"

Xiaoo Meng approached, trembling.

"Mm." Zhu Ju came back to his senses at her voice and tossed her an antidote formulated by the Bright Void Sect.

"Where is the Divine Eagle King?"

"Huh?" Xiaoo Meng was taken aback.

"I’m running out of time." Zhu Ju glanced at the sky and said,

"I need to resolve this as quickly as possible."