"Haha..." Facing the swarming Imperial Guards and Soldiers, Zhu Ju laughed as he strode forward. A powerful wind whipped up his robes and long hair, revealing a heroic air:

"Zheng Hong!"

"A century ago, the Demon Saber appeared, rampaging across the land, believing itself to be invincible. Yet, it was slain by the Unparalleled Grandmaster, Fu Xuan. Today, the Demon Saber has reappeared, and I have been born to answer the call. It seems this world has no place for the Demon Saber, nor for a despicable villain like you."

"BOOM!"

Powerful Qi surged wildly.

Thirteen Body Refinement!

Inner Refining First Realm!

A dozen or so fully armored Imperial Guards thrust their spears at him simultaneously. Every one of them possessed the strength of at least the Peak of Blood Coagulation.

Mixed among them were three Quenching Body Commanders.

A forest of spears!

The sound of them tearing through the air was sharp and piercing.

Facing the onslaught, Zhu Ju neither dodged nor evaded. He took a step forward, meeting the spears head-on as a fierce and powerful Strength erupted from his Physical Body to his skin, colliding with the incoming spears.

"Peng!"

The spears, which could turn tigers and leopards into sieves, came to a sudden halt. Looks of horror filled everyone’s eyes.

’How is that possible?’

Even a Limit-Breaking Powerhouse couldn’t completely ignore blades, let alone spears thrust by experts.

But now, a dozen or so spears were pressed against Zhu Ju’s vital spots—his throat, heart, and abdomen—yet even as the shafts bent, they could not advance a single inch.

’Impervious to blades and spears!’

’The legendary Vajra Indestructible Body?’

"BOOM!"

An incomparably fierce Inner Refining True Qi erupted from within Zhu Ju. The surrounding Imperial Guards and Soldiers were unable to withstand the force and were all sent stumbling backward.

"Peng!"

The hard stone floor shattered with a boom, and a figure shot toward Zheng Hong like a furious gale.

The dozens of Imperial Guards and numerous experts standing between the two were utterly useless against the rampaging figure.

They were sent flying with a single touch, knocked down with the slightest contact.

Even the Limit-Breaking Grandmasters didn’t have time to react.

"Zheng Hong!"

Zhu Ju bellowed:

"Now that I am here, you will surely die!"

"This is the will of the heavens!"

"Hmph!"

Zheng Hong’s eyes narrowed and he snorted softly, already raising the long saber in his hand—a blade forged by countless master craftsmen.

「The next instant.」

A faint, almost illusory gleam of light appeared in the great hall. In a trance, the onlookers felt their seven emotions rise and fall in turmoil.

Seven Emotions and Six Desires Cross Method!

Demon Saber!

The Demon Saber, forged by both an emperor of the mortal world and a supreme ruler of the Martial World, had already surpassed the power of its predecessor from a century ago.

Without exception, all who witnessed the saber’s gleam found their eyes glazing over with confusion. At that moment, time itself seemed to slow.

Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness flooded their minds. A torrent of complex emotions immersed them, making it impossible to break free, leaving them to be decapitated by the saber.

’No wonder they call it the Demon Saber!’

’This technique is no longer one of mortal Martial Arts!’

A strange look also flashed in Zhu Ju’s eyes, but as the image of five majestic mountains appeared in his mind, all distracting thoughts instantly vanished.

Five Mountains True Form Map!

Looking at Zheng Hong again, his demonic and godlike Saber Technique was still profound, but it had lost the supernatural quality it held just moments before.

He stepped forward, drew back his elbow, and thrust out his palm.

"WHOOSH..."

The air within a radius of several meters suddenly imploded, as if a giant funnel had appeared out of nowhere.

Mixed Element Iron Hand!

The third of its three Killing Moves—Mixed Element Without Extremity!

The Inner Qi, which had been circulating orderly within his body, suddenly erupted, surging at several, even dozens of times its normal speed.

It began like a flowing river, then converged into a vast sea.

The all-penetrating treasured saber collided mid-air with a pair of hands as translucent as jade, and Powerful Qi burst forth from the point of impact.

"BOOM!"

A deafening roar shook the entire grand hall, and a furious wind swept through the room. Everyone else froze, staring at the two combatants as if they were monsters.

’What kind of power is this?’

The two colliding figures were simultaneously thrown backward.

Zhu Ju took two steps back and stood firm, while Zheng Hong retreated seven or eight steps before steadying himself.

The difference in their strength was obvious at a glance.

"This is impossible!"

Zheng Hong gritted his teeth, his face twisting in disbelief.

"Impossible!"

His figure blurred, and the gleam of his saber reappeared, filling the hall with a shower of colorful, chillingly beautiful light.

"Nothing is impossible!"

Zhu Ju’s gaze was resolute. Standing like an immovable mountain, he met the attack without retreating an inch, his hands alternating between palms and fists.

When channeling strength for the Mixed Element Iron Hand, the palms turn pitch-black; the darker the color, the greater the power, until they are the color of ink.

But upon reaching Great Success in its cultivation, it returns to a state of pure simplicity. The flesh of the palms becomes like white jade, impervious to blades.

Obviously, Zhu Ju had already reached this Realm.

"This is the will of the heavens!"

"Bullshit!" Zheng Hong roared.

"Don’t even think about unsettling my mind."

"Martial artists use their power to break laws. As long as the Martial Arts are not extinguished, the world will never know peace. I am destined to destroy all Martial Arts and ban the cultivation of Qi Blood."

"That is what the people truly desire! That is the great trend of the world! That is the will of the heavens!"

"Now, die for me!"

Demon Saber—Shocking God!

It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind. Zhu Ju’s eyes glazed over, and in the next moment, he saw countless saber gleams landing on his body.

Hmph!

Zhu Ju snorted. He made no attempt to dodge the incoming saber gleams, his body moving like a giant beast, lashing out in all directions.

"As long as there is social status, injustice, and hatred, this world can never achieve great harmony! To think that banning martial arts will achieve that is nothing but a fool’s dream!"

"Peng!"

"BOOM!"

His every move carried an immense, surging Giant Power. Merely being grazed by the resulting winds was enough to shatter sturdy tables, and countless new cracks appeared on the stone floor beneath his feet.

Meanwhile, the space for Zheng Hong to quickly dodge in was shrinking rapidly.

"Peng!"

With a muffled thud, Zheng Hong staggered backward, his eyes fixed on Zhu Ju’s body.

Zhu Ju’s robes were already in tatters, revealing the protective Inner Armor beneath.

The Inner Armor was covered in cracks, clearly on the verge of giving out.

But, his body was still completely unscathed!

The Thirteen Body Refinement at the Inner Refining First Realm was already terrifying enough, to say nothing of it being augmented by the Five Peaks True Form Force.

The Five Peaks True Form Force was a Method suspected to lead directly to the Innate Realm. When the Cultivation Technique was active, it supplied an endless stream of Inner Qi. As long as his vital spots like the throat, groin, or eyes weren’t targeted, Zhu Ju could largely afford to ignore incoming attacks.

"What is this technique?"

"Thirteen Body Refinement!"

"Why have I never heard of it?"

"It was never considered a particularly powerful Method to begin with."

"..."

"Peng!"

Zheng Hong coughed up blood as he was knocked back.

"A pity!"

With a low shout, Zhu Ju pounced like a ferocious tiger. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"So what if your Demon Saber has surpassed its predecessors? It is the man who is strong, not just the Saber Technique."

Zheng Hong’s Demon Saber was far stronger than the one from a century ago. In theory, not even a reborn Fu Xuan could be guaranteed to win.

But, in reality, ever since his first strike failed, Zheng Hong had lost his will to fight. Afterward, he couldn’t even unleash half of the Demon Saber’s true power. Ultimately, he lacked real life-or-death combat experience.

"Ahhh!"

Zheng Hong tilted his head back and roared at the sky. The light of his saber flared brilliantly again as he bellowed:

"Attack!"

"Attack him together!"

"Who dares!" Zhu Ju roared, his hands lightly forming a Seal Technique as a majestic, towering aura erupted from him.

Chong Mountain Seal!

This was the Palm Technique Fu Xuan had used to slay the wielder of the Demon Saber all those years ago.

A terrifying Palm Force swept out in all directions, sending the charging Soldiers screaming and tumbling backward.

"Zheng Hong murdered his own brother and father! For the Cultivation of his Demon Saber, he has plunged the common people into misery! Such acts will not be tolerated by heaven or earth! I am here today to enact heaven’s justice. Who dares to stop me?"

Most of the people here were Zheng Hong’s trusted followers, so Zhu Ju’s words had little effect on them. However, the few Limit-Breaking Grandmasters could not be truly loyal to Zheng Hong and couldn’t help but hesitate. For him, that was enough.

Thirteen Body Refinement!

Mixed Element Iron Hand!

Five Peaks True Form Force!

The Five Elements Internal Qi circulated through his Meridians, driving his Physical Body to erupt with immense Giant Power as he charged straight through the Soldiers.

"BOOM!"

A towering statue several meters high was smashed to rubble. Amidst the swirling dust, a figure was sent flying backward, spitting blood.

It was Zheng Hong!

"No!"

"It can’t be!"

He pushed himself up, stumbling backward repeatedly.

"My great work isn’t finished! I haven’t banned the Martial Arts yet! It shouldn’t end like this... I still have a chance. I still have a chance."

"As long as I can get back to the capital and ascend the throne, not even an Unparalleled Grandmaster will be able to kill me! I have to get back to the capital..."

"SPURT!"

A fierce Palm Force struck him from afar, shattering Zheng Hong’s last desperate thought.

Watching Zheng Hong’s body fall, the members of the Yan Army and the others all wore varied expressions as their gazes quietly fell upon Zhu Ju.

’An Unparalleled Grandmaster!’

’After a hundred years, one has appeared in the world again.’

’Perhaps...’

’The Demon Saber truly is something the heavens and the earth cannot tolerate. That must be why an Unparalleled Grandmaster is born every time the Demon Saber appears.’