"So it really is the legendary demonic weapon of immense power—the Blood Skyblade."
"And to think it ended up in the hands of a mere disciple from the insignificant Yuhua Sect!"
"We absolutely cannot underestimate him! Did you see that cauldron he wields—the Five Hells King Cauldron? That's a top-tier alchemical treasure! With a furnace like that, his cultivation path will be smooth as silk!"
"I also heard that in that flesh-and-blood mire dwell the Eighteen Demon Kings… and even the son of the Nine Yin Demon God himself—Seven-Leaf Demon Lord! Many disciples who entered for training suffered heavy losses there. And yet he actually killed him! How does he have such strength? From his aura, he definitely hasn't reached Yin-Yang Realm. His gang-qi is stiff—he's only at the third stage of Divine Ability! In the Ten Great Dao Sects, we have dozens of people at that level. How could he possibly kill the Seven-Leaf Demon Lord?"
"Don't take him lightly. He might still be in the Gang-Qi Realm, but his mana is terrifying! Who knows what fortune he encountered or what divine pills he swallowed? Look at the fluctuations around him—there's the power of tens of thousands of stampeding warhorses in his qi! What normal Gang-Qi cultivator has such force?"
"In any case, Yuhua Sect has birthed another monster. Three years from now at the Immortal Dao Assembly, he might be you and I's greatest threat…"
Fang Han's display of the Blood Skyblade, combined with his bold announcement that he had slain the Seven-Leaf Demon Lord and cleansed a demonic region, shook the battlefield. Even many of the experts surrounding the Demon Commander shifted their focus toward him.
Even Zhao Xuanyi of the Taiyi Sect—one who had already forged a Daoist golden core and battled the Demon Commander head-on—turned to look his way. His reaction wasn't to Fang Han's bragging, but to the killing will radiating from the Blood Skyblade, so sharp and bloodthirsty it pierced straight into his mind.
"Zhao Xuanyi! You dare lose focus while fighting me?"
The Demon Commander had been surrounded on all sides. Though he fought fiercely, he still could not break out. Facing hundreds alone, it was already a miracle he could protect himself—escaping was impossible.
Besides, many of the attackers weren't going all out. They were keeping a portion of their strength reserved to save themselves. If they truly fought to the death, even the Demon Commander couldn't withstand them.
But among their ranks were disciples of many sects—not everyone was willing to risk their life just to help Taiyi Sect avenge a grudge. Still, with Zhao Xuanyi present, the Demon Commander was far from relaxed. He didn't dare to unleash the Great Collapse Technique recklessly; if his mana drained too quickly, some opportunist would take his head.
And if the Demon Commander died to a mere Divine Ability cultivator, the killer would become famous overnight—and Taiyi Sect's rewards alone would be astonishing.
Now, because of the ominous aura emitted by the Blood Skyblade, many attackers momentarily lost focus.
The Demon Commander seized his chance.
With a cold snort, he flung his hands forward—and unleashed two more Great Collapse Techniques!
These were even stronger than the ones he used against Yao Dian, Xia You, and Yu Fen. In an instant, Fang Han felt the world turn dark. Space collapsed inward around the Demon Commander like a sinkhole—his very soul was dragged toward that crushing center.
Hum!
Fang Han immediately circulated the Wood Emperor Art, stabilizing his spirit just in time.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Zhao Xuanyi's nine golden dragon-shaped energies shattered on impact, disintegrated by the Great Collapse Technique.
Several disciples wielding flying swords had their sword arrays broken instantly—their high-grade swords turned to dust. Their bodies were pulled into the collapse and dissolved inch by inch, scattering like ashes. Fang Han's heart tightened as he watched them disintegrate entirely.
"You—!"
Witnessing this, Fushou Zhenren and Luming Zhenren glared at Fang Han. They instantly realized that Fang Han had intentionally displayed the Blood Skyblade to help the Demon Commander—subtly, without obvious involvement, but any sharp mind could feel it.
"Good. Very good. I knew you weren't truly of the Immortal Dao. You've already fallen into demonic ways! You dare aid the Demon Commander!"
Fushou Zhenren struck first—a streak of gold shot toward Fang Han. It was a flying sword, incredibly fast. While not as fast as the instant-kill sword arts, it was unleashed at close range—silent and deadly.
Almost simultaneously, Luming Zhenren made his move. He clapped his hands together as Daoist gang-qi surged forth, forming talismanic seals with their own spiritual will. Winds gathered, clouds churned—two formations materialized and crashed toward Fang Han.
One in the form of a tiger.
One in the form of a dragon.
Wind follows the tiger.
Clouds follow the dragon.
Together, they reshaped heaven and earth.
This was Luming Zhenren's Dragon-Tiger Storm Formations—an art he'd refined for decades.
A Heaven-Human Realm expert always mastered multiple divine abilities. Their attacks descended like entire battle formations, crushing and overwhelming. Compared to them, the lower four stages of Divine Ability were worlds apart.
A typical Divine Ability cultivator stood zero chance against the full force of a Heaven-Human Realm formation. Even with Fang Han's vast mana—like fifty thousand warhorses—if a Heaven-Human expert had only ten thousand, they could still crush him.
Because organized power always beats raw power.
The difference between a disciplined army and a mob.
Fushou and Luming's strikes were vicious. Though the formations appeared aimed at Fang Han, their true targets were the Blood Skyblade and the Five Hells King Cauldron.
If they sealed the two treasures, Fang Han would be a helpless lamb.
He sensed the formations clamp down. In an instant, both treasures lost their connection to him—still faintly linked, but suppressed. He could break the seal, but not quickly enough.
The flying sword arrived—
Slashing straight across his waist!
Fushou Zhenren's sword was a high-grade treasure. Though inferior to the Blood Skyblade, it was more than enough to kill a Gang-Qi cultivator.
But Fang Han wasn't normal.
At the critical moment, Wood Emperor gang-qi erupted from every pore, forming a barrier over his body. He took the strike head-on.
The sword shredded layers of gang-qi but was slowed enough for Fang Han to twist away, leaping back with a roar. The blade tore through his protective robe, slicing it apart, but missed his life.
A narrow escape.
"What kind of gang-qi is this? So pure! This isn't Yuhua Sect's Heavenly Wood Art!"
Fushou Zhenren froze. In truth, he had struck with his full might—his sword, the Great Marsh Blade, had been refined for sixty years, infused with the essence of great lakes. His skill, the Heavenly River Slash, had earned him fame after killing a senior Earth Demon in single combat.
He'd already lived over three centuries and was nearing the threshold of the Unity Realm.
Yet his full-force strike failed to kill Fang Han—blocked by his gang-qi alone.
He didn't know Fang Han cultivated not Heavenly Wood Art, but the first wood-element divine art—Wood Emperor Art—and his qi was infused with the World Tree's primordial essence.
Of course he could fight Seven-Leaf Demon Lord.
"You dare murder a fellow righteous disciple for treasure?! For the sake of two artifacts, you attempt to silence me?! Is this the face of Taiyi Sect?! I will report this to my sect master—your vile deeds will be exposed!"
Fang Han shouted, loud enough to shake the battlefield.
It all happened in an instant.
"You—!"
Fushou and Luming hadn't expected him to accuse them first.
"You aided the Demon Commander! You harbor demonic intentions!"
"You slander me first, murder me second! You are the true demons!" Fang Han roared even louder. "If you dare, stop attacking—let's kill the Demon Commander together! Let's see who performs better! What? Still attacking? So you really intend to kill me for treasure!"
As he shouted, he pushed his spirit to the limit.
Crack!
The Blood Skyblade shattered the seal, erupting into the air with a pulse of blood-red light—clashing against the Great Marsh Blade.
A moment later, the Five Hells King Cauldron also burst free.
His sudden outburst drew the attention of the entire battlefield. Many withdrew from the Demon Commander, leaving only Zhao Xuanyi to confront him. Their fight, once dominant in Zhao's favor, suddenly balanced.
"Taiyi Sect is too arrogant—attempting to kill a Yuhua Sect true disciple on the spot? Even if he helped the Demon Commander, killing him outright? Does Taiyi Sect think it rules the Dao?"
"I doubt he helped on purpose. Showing off a demonic blade is normal. Taiyi might actually be framing him to seize his treasures."
Disciples whispered as they retreated.
To them, the deaths under the Great Collapse Technique were Taiyi disciples—not worth sympathy. But this sudden infighting chilled their hearts.
"Changchun! Dafang! Kunyuan! Kanli! I'll hold down the Demon Commander—go kill Fang Han! Do not let him speak another word!" Zhao Xuanyi roared.
Whoosh!
Four more Heaven-Human Realm experts charged toward Fang Han.
His face tightened—the pressure was immense.
And then—
A bolt of lightning tore through the Void Passage.
And something arrived.