The records were consistent with Master Ou’s previous discoveries. However, in addition to the story of the plague and pollution bringing the end of the kingdom, these also documented details about the king himself.

According to the records, the king ruled with wisdom and compassion, allowing his subjects to live happy and prosperous lives. Then, one day, the kingdom found a vein of special ore within its mines.

The king fell in love with it at first sight, naming it Royal Gold—a metal for kings—and banning anyone from mining it. Even so, its lucrative price made illegal mining operations inevitable.

Royal Gold was sold through the black market. Some bought enough of it to forge Divine Weapons. A particularly brave soul even gifted a Divine Weapon forged entirely from Royal Gold to the king.

Though unhappy with the blatant disrespect of his law, the king still paid the person handsomely. Not long after, that man died, and the plague started to spread.

Although the records themselves drew no ties between the plague, Royal Gold, and the king, Master Ou’s instinct told him they were connected. The flecks of metal collected from the dead mummies were likely also Royal Gold, as it matched the descriptions found in the records.

It seemed that metal was more mysterious than they had previously thought. Mind still brimming with questions, Master Ou told Han Wu and Qin Shuang about his findings.

Both Han Wu and Qin Shuang agreed that the metal within the mummies was likely Royal Gold, and perhaps even the cause of the plague. Just to be safe, they pooled their Royal Gold into a small pouch and kept it in the Dimension Bag.

Han Wu also decided to leave the collection of Royal Gold exclusively to the locusts. This way, they could reduce the frequency with which they came into contact with it.

After resting for some time, Han Wu checked the compass again. Both Sun Qingnian and Jin Tuantuan were still outside, but one of Master Ou’s targets, General Liu, had been sent in. The trio quickly flew toward him.

With the Firebat King’s speed, the trio was hovering high above General Liu in less than two hours. The scent of blood wafted up from below.

The trio was trying to pinpoint General Liu when a blood-red beam hit the Firebat King, and they plummeted from the air. Thankfully, Han Wu’s quick reflexes allowed him to summon his Small Locust Blades to safely catch them before they hit the ground.

As they landed, they saw a muscular man glaring at them with bloodlust in his eyes. This man was General Liu! There was no trace of wariness in his expression, just the zeal of a predator that had found its prey.

Noticing Master Ou’s forging hammer, General Liu let out a booming laugh. “I was wondering who you guys were! If you’re holding his hammer, that must mean you’re that person’s disciple or son!”

Master Ou trembled from the anticipation of avenging his master. There was no trace of fear to be found on his face.

“He was no match for us last time.” General Liu chuckled. “We managed to strip him of his honor before chasing him out of the city. Now, it seems he sent a junior instead of coming himself. Pathetic.”

“You have no right to talk about him!” Master Ou snapped.

General Liu scoffed. “He’s nothing more than a coward. I never would’ve remembered him if not for that hammer.”

Indignation rose within Master Ou. He was more than ready to smash General Liu in with his hammer.

“Wait, don’t get close!” Han Wu warned. “Something’s strange about his Divine Weapon.”

Master Ou glanced at General Liu’s blade and noticed a mist of blood shrouding it. It appeared fresh, as if the blood was recently spilled—only, the mummies in this secret realm didn’t have blood.

Did he kill the other participants who entered the secret realm? But there are no bodies around here... Master Ou wondered, perplexed.

General Liu gleefully brandished his blade, blood mist trailing in its wake as he swung it around. “Your friend has a good eye. This is my monster blade. I sacrificed a million people to empower it before I entered the secret realm.”

His words left the trio in shock.

“S-sacrifice?” Master Ou stammered. “A million people? Did you just say that you sacrificed a million people?”

“Of course. This competition is only held once every ten years. During the previous one, I sacrificed 100,000 people and failed to defeat my opponent, so this time, I made sure to sacrifice a million. My monster blade is impossibly powerful now. No one here is my match today,” General Liu bragged.

Han Wu and Qin Shuang shifted uncomfortably. Although they had each killed more than a million life forms, they had only ever slain enemies. General Liu, on the other hand, had almost certainly sacrificed a million innocents!

Even those from the Divine Civilization condemned such an evil act.

“How evil,” Han Wu growled. “I’ll kill you to enact justice for the heavens.”

Master Ou nodded in agreement.

General Liu wasn’t afraid in the slightest, assured of his victory despite being outnumbered.

Both sides moved at the same time. Han Wu summoned and copied all his Small Locust Blades. With a single command, all 30 million stabbed toward General Liu.

Master Ou channeled energy into his hammer in preparation for a decisive blow. Meanwhile, Qin Shuang summoned her Sparrow Bow and fired hundreds of lightning arrows at General Liu.

General Liu summoned the evil spirit in his monster blade. Dense blood mist surged toward the trio, the Armament Spirit of the blade shrouded within.

It was a hundred meters tall, and its body was composed of sticky red blood. The faces of the sacrificed flickered across its form, each contorted into expressions of pain and despair. Their souls and bodies had become a part of the blade. Even in death, they suffered.

The attacks from the trio landed but did nothing to the Armament Spirit.

The monster blade had a powerful effect that allowed it to split the damage it received between every being that had been sacrificed to it. The impact from their attacks was split into 1 million parts, low enough that it wouldn’t even kill a chicken, much less General Liu.

“Time to be sacrificed to my blade!” General Liu bellowed like a demon relishing in a surefire victory.